Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Maze, Prologue

are all thinking of the divine beast.]
    "Yes."
    Then, Taiki began to contemplate. He already knew that he was a "kirin," but he thought that it was  only a name referring to people who were hatched from the fruit of the tree. However, listening to what  Youka was saying, it seemed as if that wasn't the case.
    "Then am I originally an animal?" This confused him. Even though it's said that humans are a kind of  animal, the meaning was not quite the same.
    "Yes."
    "Then, the person I saw earlier, Ren Taiho, is she one too?"
    "Of course."
    Taiki's understanding lessened even more.
    Was he going to change into a giraffe like a wolfman's transformation? A wolfman's transformation  didn't seem that weird, but to turn into a giraffe, his neck would have to stretch so much, so he felt that it was  definitely really weird.
    --At this time, Taiki had not yet figured out what kind of creature a kirin was.
    Teiei had been smiling and watching Taiki and the nyosen when she discovered a look of uncertainty  on Taiki's face and suddenly came to a realization.
    "Oh, it's because you haven't transformed before, so you don't understand. The hair on your head is not  the same as ours. You have a mane."
    Taiki nodded. Giraffes definitely had a sort of mane. Teiei motioned for Taiki to move to in front of  her and gently touched the center of his forehead, near his hairline. At this time, Taiki suddenly felt a rush of  strong discomfort and anxiety.
    "You have a small bump right here."
    When he heard Teiei say this, Taiki lifted his hand up and rubbed his forehead. There definitely was a  little bump.
    "This is a kirin's horn. This horn is extremely important to the kirin. Just then, when I touched your  forehead, you should have felt very uncomfortable, right?"
    "...A little bit."
    "You don't need to be embarrassed about it. A kirin does not like it at all when someone touches their  horn. When you get a little older, you'll hate it even more. You won't want to let anyone touch it, not even  Sanshi."
    After hearing Teiei say these things, Taiki remembered that he had never liked it when someone  touched his forehead. Even if it had been his mother, he had still felt like running away.
    "Then I'm really a kirin, huh."
    "Of course."
    From the side, Youka anxiously said, "Just wait until you've transformed. Then you'll understand what  we mean."
    "How do I transform?"
    At this question from Taiki, Youka tilted her head and thought for a little bit. "Yeah... If you had been  born and raised on Mt. Hou, then you would inherently know. Because those who are born here remain in  kirin form for the first part of their lives. But you were born in Hourai, so you've been in human form..."
    Youka wasn't very clear on matters concerning Hourai, but because there had been kirin before who had  come back from Hourai, she had heard a few things.
    "Does changing into a kirin feel uncomfortable?"
    "There are no kirin who dislike transforming, so I don't think it's uncomfortable."
    "Don't you think it's really weird?"
    "Not at all." After Youka said this, she started to comb Taiki's hair with her fingers again. "You aren't  like most kirin. Most kirin have manes are gold, like Ren Taiho's. You are a kokki, which I've heard are very  rare! You need to hurry and let me see you after your transformation! The color of your mane is so pretty,  you'll definitely look even better after you've turned into a kirin."
    "But I can't think of a way to transform."
    "I think..." Youka sighed. "I can't think of a way either. After all, I'm not a kirin, and I've never  transformed. If we get a chance, we'll ask Genkun!"
    "Okay..."
    Teiei looked at Taiki, who was not yet completely at ease, and could not help but silently crease her  brow. Having lived in the other world for ten long years, would Taiki actually be able to transform without  any problems? Though it's said that there has never been a kirin who was not able to transform, if Taiki were  to be the first to set the precedent, it would be too unfortunate.
    Gyokuyou may have an answer to this question, but she wasn't someone one could find just by wanting  to find her. However, Taiki was running out of time! Teiei's line of sight moved away from Taiki and  Youka, who were joking with each other, as she looked up anxiously at the already darkening sky.
    Luckily, the spring equinox had already passed, but when the summer solstice arrived, there would  definitely be people climbing the