Ahhhh. [So, not an exorcist -- their contracts with demons or spirits are much more straightforward and businesslike, an agreement of convenience. Even from their short conversation thus far, Natsume can tell that the young woman's interest in the demon isn't anything like that. It's...personal. Affectionate.] I can...understand that. Beings like that are often...misused by their summoners or those who control them.

[He thinks guiltily of the book in his backpack, a list of contracts with various demons and spirits that he'd inherited from his grandmother. Natsume had never met her, but he knows her interactions with supernatural beings were much more unfeeling and cold.] It's a kind thing you're doing, caring for him.

[The question gets a thoughtful hum, as Natsume tries to figure out how best to answer.] Sort...of? It's much more a bond than a contract, at any rate. It's...a promise we made to one another.