Chapter Text
Momo slumped over her school desk like a deflated version of herself, cheek sagging into her palm. Her usually sharp brownish crimson eyes were unfocused and only half open. For days now, no matter how much she slept, a strange fatigue clung to her like an importunate spirit siphoning her energy away.
The timing couldn't be worse. Her childhood friend Jiji had shown up at their place yesterday because his house was allegedly haunted, and somehow the end result was him moving in with them. Which meant Okarun had spent the entire evening shooting Jiji these stiff, polite smiles, trying not to look jealous but fooling absolutely no one. On top of that, Seiko wanted Momo to go to the cursed house and sort it out. All by herself.
Just thinking about all of that made her temples throb. Or maybe that was the fatigue, too. Hard to tell.
Slowly turning her head to the window, Momo fixed her eyes on the azure sky dotted with soft white clouds. It was a beautiful day, practically begging her to come outside and bask in the sunlight, but even the thought of standing up felt like too much effort. The teacher's lecture turned into a quiet drone in the background, like the hum of a spinning ceiling fan. The blue sky pulled her in, and before she realized it, her head drooped further, her consciousness slipping away.
"Miss Ayase?"
The sharp voice yanked her from the comforting slumber. Momo jolted upright in her seat, her heart leaping into her throat as her vision snapped back into focus. A ripple of snickers passed through the class, coming from her amused classmates. Her friends Miko and Muko, seated in front of her, turned back with matching expressions of concern.
The teacher loomed over her desk, his arms crossed and brows knit with irritation. "Are we interrupting your nap?"
The snickers grew louder. Momo immediately blushed when she realized she'd dozed off during class.
Jiji, seated beside her, leaned over with a hurried whisper. "He asked if-"
"Mr. Enjoji," the teacher cut him off with a warning. "Miss Ayase can answer for herself. Please stand."
Momo pushed her chair back and stood up, feeling embarrassed like a little kid caught stealing candy. The air around her suddenly felt heavy, and her vision blurred as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Her body felt strangely disconnected. She opened her mouth – perhaps to take a breath of air, perhaps to say something, but no sound came out. The classroom seemed to tilt slightly before her body crumpled like a rag doll, a dull thud echoing through the air as she hit the floor. There were a few seconds of surprised silence before the class erupted into chaos.
"Momo!" Jiji's voice was the last she heard before everything went black.
⋆:*࿔ ̟˖°🛸✦.──👻── .✦🛸°˖ ̟࿔*:⋆
A cool, damp sensation on her forehead pulled Momo back into consciousness. She groaned softly, her body heavy and her mind still foggy. Her eyes fluttered open to the sterile white ceiling of the school infirmary, and for a moment, she struggled to piece together where she was and why.
Slowly, she pushed herself upright, the stiff sheets rustling as she moved. The damp cloth that had been resting on her forehead slipped into her lap. Her head throbbed faintly, but the dizziness had eased.
The infirmary door slid open with a soft thud, followed by the sharp clicking of heels against the tiled floor.
The school nurse, a no-nonsense woman with black hair and piercing blue eyes stepped in, scanning the room before locking on Momo.
"Awake, are we?" she asked, walking to stand at Momo's bedside. "How are you feeling? Still lightheaded?"
Momo shook her head, though her movements were a bit slow. "No, ma'am. I'm feeling much better now."
The nurse frowned, pressing a hand against Momo's forehead. "No fever," she said, then moved to check Momo's pulse on her wrist. "When was the last time you ate something?"
Momo hesitated, a finger absently brushing against her lips as she tilted her head, trying to remember. She had overslept that morning and skipped breakfast, figuring she could push through until lunch. Truthfully, her appetite hadn't been great lately.
"Uh… last night, I guess?"
The nurse clicked her tongue in disapproval. "No wonder you fainted. Your blood pressure's low."
Turning to her desk, she quickly jotted something on a notepad, tore off the sheet, and handed it to Momo. "Here. Take this to the front office, they'll excuse you for the rest of the day."
Momo opened her mouth to protest - she didn't want to miss class or make a scene - but the nurse's stern look silenced her before she could say a word. "This isn't up for debate. Go home, eat something, and rest. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am," Momo mumbled, nodding. Her green oval earrings jingled faintly with the motion.
Sliding off the infirmary bed, she tucked the note into the pocket of her pink sweater. Her legs felt steadier now, though she still moved cautiously as she headed for the door. She passed a large mirror near the entrance, the glass reflecting her slightly disheveled look. Her school uniform was slightly rumpled, the skirt creased from lying on the infirmary bed, and her hair stuck out at odd angles. She stopped to freshen up, fixing her hair with her fingers.
But as she adjusted the uniform and gave herself one last once-over, something else in the reflection caught her eye.
A foreign aura.
Ever since her bizarre first encounter with aliens, she's been able to see people's auras inside them - a strange, but useful ability. Normally, her own aura - a teal, faintly glowing flame-like presence - stood alone. But now, another one pulsed just beneath it. It was smaller, more subdued, like an ember waiting to ignite. And white.
Momo blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked again. It was definitely there.
What the hell..?
Her mind immediately jumped to the most logical explanation, given her track record with the supernatural: possession.
It made perfect sense. Spirits were drawn to people with high spiritual energy - people like her. She'd seen it before - like when Turbo Granny hid inside Okarun's body. Back then, she could clearly see two different-colored auras in him: his own and the cheeky yokai's.
"Great," she muttered, pulling her sweater tighter around herself. "Just what I need. A freeloading spirit."
The nurse glanced up from her desk, eyeing the girl curiously. Momo quickly plastered on a smile and slipped out into the hallway before any more questions could arise.
Whatever this was, she had to figure it out – and fast.
⋆:*࿔ ̟˖°🛸✦.──👻── .✦🛸°˖ ̟࿔*:⋆
Momo pushed open the door to the small house she shared with her grandmother Seiko and slipped her shoes off at the entryway. She was immediately greeted by laughter drifting from the living room, Seiko's chuckles mingling with the sounds of a cheesy TV show. She was alone for once, without Turbo Granny - the yokai trapped in a cat doll was probably snooping around town again, but Momo couldn't care less. She was grateful her grandma was home.
As a spirit medium, Seiko was no stranger to the supernatural, and she'd helped Momo countless times before. If anyone could figure out what was going on, it was her.
"Grandma, I'm home!" Momo called, dropping her school bag beside the entryway and closing the sliding door behind her.
"Back early, huh?" came the reply.
Momo followed the voice into the living room where she found her grandmother lounging on the floor, leaning against a cushion in her usual relaxed sprawl.
The white-haired woman glanced up, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You look like crap. What's wrong? And where's Four-eyes? You two are practically attached at the hip these days."
Momo sighed, walking over to sit cross-legged behind her grandmother. "I wasn't feeling great, so the nurse sent me home," she admitted. "And I kinda need you to check something for me."
Seiko muted the TV, shifting her full attention to Momo. "Check what?"
Momo brushed her hair back, a habit when she was nervous. "Something weird's going on. At school, I saw my reflection in a mirror, and there was... another aura. You know, like when Turbo Granny was in Okarun. I think I might be possessed."
For a moment, Seiko's face remained unreadable, but Momo noticed her eyes scanning her. "Possessed, huh?"
Momo nodded silently, giving her grandmother time to process the information.
Seiko raised to her feet with the effortlessness of a woman half her age. "Wait here," she instructed before disappearing down the hallway.
When she returned, she was carrying a round, deceptively plain-looking mirror Momo recognized immediately – it was the spirit mirror used for looking into people's souls.
"Alright," Seiko said, kneeling back down and holding the mirror at an angle. "Let's see what's skulking around inside you."
Momo sat perfectly still, holding her breath as Seiko circled her, working on inspecting every corner of her soul.
Finally, the woman set the mirror down and let out a thoughtful hmph . "There's nothing there," she announced. "No spirits, no curses. You're squeaky clean."
Relief flooded Momo, if only briefly. The absence of an evil yokai only raised more questions. "Then, what is it?" she pressed, frustrated. "Because I know I saw something! Right here!" Momo gestured towards her stomach.
Seiko didn't respond immediately. She gave her granddaughter a long, calculating look as if she were weighing some unseen puzzle pieces, her sharp eyes practically dissecting her. Then, she pulled a cigarette from her pocket, lit it, and took a slow drag. The acrid scent of smoke curled around them as Seiko exhaled.
"So," she finally said, her tone almost conversational, "you and Four-eyes finally went all the way, huh?"
Momo's heart stopped, then kicked into overdrive as she shot to her feet so fast she almost tripped.
"W-What?! Why would you-" she spluttered, her voice coming out as a strangled squeak. She was unsure whether to yell, deny, or sink into the floor.
She and Okarun had only recently made their relationship official, and sure, intimacy had followed, albeit still clumsy and awkward for the most part. But she hadn't breathed a word of it to her grandmother, and she certainly hadn't planned to.
Seiko took another drag from her cigarette, utterly unbothered as Momo flailed her hands in front of her, face red as a tomato. "Oh, don't act so innocent. I can see it written all over your face. You're seventeen, and that kid's been following you around like a lost puppy since I've known him. It was only a matter of time. Now, did you two use protection?"
"Grandma!" Momo groaned, her hands flying to cover her face. She really just wanted to crawl under the table and disappear. "Ugh, this is embarrassing!"
"Answer the question, Momo."
"I… I think so," she mumbled through her fingers.
Seiko let out a weary sigh and snuffed out her cigarette in the ashtray with a soft hiss. "You think so. Great."
Before Momo could stammer out a defense, Seiko disappeared into the hallway. The sound of a drawer opening and closing followed, and moments later, she returned, a small box in hand.
"What's this?" Momo asked even though she knew the answer already.
"A pregnancy test," Seiko said, handing it over with the same deadpan expression as if she were handing her granddaughter a tissue. "Go use it."
"I know what it is!" Momo snapped. "But why would you even... There's no way I'm... Ugh!"
Seiko raised a hand, cutting her off mid-ramble. "Save it. I'm not here to lecture you. But," she added, giving her granddaughter a pointed look. "you'd better figure it out sooner rather than later. Denial won't change the facts if it's true."
Momo bit her tongue, her fingers tightening around the box. This was absurd. It had to be. But deep down, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew for sure. Her body had been acting weird, and that aura... No matter how much she wanted to argue, to keep denying, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that her grandmother might be right. She was a psychic after all.
"Fine," Momo muttered, her voice low and begrudging. "I'll take the stupid test. But if you're wrong, I'm not letting you live this down."
"Fair enough," Seiko said, already lighting another cigarette as if they'd just finished discussing the weather. "Now hurry up. You look like you're about to keel over."
⋆:*࿔ ̟˖°🛸✦.──👻── .✦🛸°˖ ̟࿔*:⋆
Momo stood in the bathroom, gripping the edges of the sink as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. Her reflection stared back at her, tired and pale, her green earrings catching the harsh overhead light.
Just get this over with, Momo. You've fought aliens. You've fought ghosts. This is nothing in comparison.
Her fingers trembled as she tore open the packaging. The instructions on the box were simple enough, but they might as well have been a foreign language with how her mind raced. She read them twice, three times, before managing to follow the steps. Once she was done, she set the test stick on the sink and retreated to sit on the edge of the bathtub.
This is ridiculous. That old hag's probably just messing with you. She's always messing with you.
But as she sat there waiting for the result, her hands twisting nervously in her lap, Momo recalled her and Okarun's first and so far only time together.
It had started so innocently. They'd been hanging out in her room, teasing each other the way they always did. Somewhere between the jokes and the jabs, the air had shifted, and she'd reached out impulsively, taking his hand and placing it against her chest. Okarun had frozen but didn't pull back, his shaking fingers brushing the soft fabric of her sweater, tentatively at first, as though testing the waters.
"Is this… okay?" he'd asked, shy as a newborn fawn.
Her heart had thudded loudly in her chest. He's always looked at her with those big, earnest brown eyes like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. If anyone should have the privilege to be her first, it was him.
So she'd said yes.
What came after had been awkward - painfully so, in hindsight. Misplaced hands, shy kisses and muttered curses every time they bumped elbows or moved too quickly. He'd fumbled with her shirt buttons, stammering embarrassed apologies every time he got it wrong, and she'd giggled, her own hands clumsy as she tried to help.
Okarun had accidentally hit his head on the headboard at one point, cursing under his breath while she tried not to laugh. She'd nearly rolled off the bed, catching herself just in time with a startled yelp. He had been so careful, so gentle, constantly asking if she was okay, if she wanted to keep going.
Each time, her answer had been the same.
Yes.
When it was over, they'd lain side by side, flushed, staring at the ceiling in comfortable silence. He'd reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers, and she'd squeezed back, feeling an overwhelming tenderness for the boy next to her.
But now…
Momo pressed her palms to her cheeks, groaning in embarrassment. What were we thinking?!
"Okay," she whispered to herself encouragingly, reaching for the small plastic stick resting on the sink. "Let's just... see."
She forced herself to pick it up and take a peek at the small window. Relief began to flood her almost immediately.
"Phew. It's not-"
The second line was faint, almost shy like it wasn't sure it wanted to be there. But it was.
Momo blinked. Once. Twice. Each time hoping it would disappear.
Maybe I did it wrong? Maybe it's expired? How long has Grandma even had that thing?
But deep down, she knew.
Her fingers loosened, and the test slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor. Momo rushed to the mirror, and that's when she saw it again - the aura swirling right above her lower abdomen. Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach, hovering for a moment before pressing lightly against the spot where the aura was.
Not a spirit.
A baby.
With Okarun.
She wasn't ready for this. Neither of them were. They were too young, still figuring out their relationship, fumbling through the early stages of being a couple while fighting anything supernatural that tried to harm them. This wasn't part of the plan - not that there had ever been a plan.
Will Okarun freak out?
Her mind immediately conjured the image of him, his face going pale, his voice cracking as he stammered his way through a sentence.
Definitely. He'll freak out.
Will he blame me?
She shook her head. No, that wasn't like him. He wasn't just her boyfriend; he was her best friend. The person she's been with through so much already. He might panic - scratch that, he will panic - but he wouldn't turn his back on her.
Will he... want the baby?
The answer came almost immediately.
Yes.
A knock on the door startled her so badly she nearly screamed.
"Momo? You alright in there?"
"Y-Yeah!" she called back, trying to steady her shaking voice. Crouching quickly, Momo snatched the test off the floor and stuffed it into her pocket. After a deep breath, she unlocked the door and stepped out.
Seiko gave her a single look and sighed. "I knew it," she simply said, raising her eyebrows. She didn't sound surprised – if anything, it was like she'd been expecting this all along.
"What do I do?" Momo whispered, the question more to herself than to her grandmother.
"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order," Seiko said, her tone as matter-of-fact as ever.
Momo blinked, caught off guard by her grandmother's calmness. "That's it? Just… congratulations?"
Seiko shrugged. "What else do you want me to say? This isn't the end of the world. Four-eyes doesn't strike me as the deadbeat type. Besides, he's head over heels for you. But you'd better talk to him."
Momo barely had time to think about it when the doorbell rang. She glanced at her grandmother, but Seiko said nothing, just nodded toward the door. Momo slowly shuffled over, hesitating for a moment before sliding it open.
Standing in the doorway was Okarun, fully transformed into his yokai form. His usually black hair flared upward in wild white flames streaked with red, and two red lines ran across his crimson eyes, down to the toothy mask that covered his jaw. He was hunched over, panting heavily, as though he'd sprinted the entire way to her house - which he probably had.
Before Momo could say something, his body shuddered and the transformation started to reverse itself. His hair darkened and fell back into place, the streaks on his face vanishing as the mask crumbled away. By the time he was fully human again, his glasses hung askew on his nose, and he adjusted them quickly.
"Aya-"
Momo shot him a glare that immediately stopped him cold.
"-Momo," Okarun corrected hastily, swallowing hard.
It was still new to him, calling her by her first name. She insisted on it, though she'd kept calling him Okarun, claiming the nickname was cute and suited him far too well to drop. He was her crazy occult-obsessed boyfriend after all.
"I came as fast as I could!" he blurted, his words tumbling out in an anxious rush. "Jiji said you passed out in class! What happened? A-Are you okay?"
Momo's chest tightened at the sheer panic in his voice. This was Okarun – her Okarun – always ready to throw himself into danger for her, always putting her first. She stood frozen for a moment, watching the genuine concern behind his glasses. She hadn't had time to process the situation herself, let alone figure out how to explain it to him.
"I'm fine," she said quickly to calm him down.
"Fine?!" Okarun stepped closer, his hand twitching like he wanted to reach out but wasn't sure if he should. "You passed out in the middle of class, and now you're just 'fine'? Momo, that's not-"
"She said she's fine, kid," Seiko interrupted from behind her granddaughter. "But you might want to sit down for this one. Come inside."
Momo shot her grandmother a panicked look, silently pleading for her to keep quiet. But Seiko arched an unimpressed eyebrow, silently daring her to keep stalling.
Okarun, meanwhile, looked utterly bewildered, his brown eyes bouncing nervously between the two women. "Sit down? Why? What's going on?"
"Come with me," Momo said quietly, gesturing toward her bedroom, a place where they could have some privacy. "We need to talk."
Something in her tone made Okarun's stomach plummet, the words echoing ominously in his mind.
We need to talk.
No phrase in existence was more terrifying. His mind immediately leaped to the worst-case scenario, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
This is it. She's breaking up with me, isn't she? She realized how lame I was. Oh no. She's totally breaking up with me.
"O-Okay," he croaked.
With a heavy lump forming in his throat, he forced his legs to move, following Momo as she led him upstairs.
⋆:*࿔ ̟˖°🛸✦.──👻── .✦🛸°˖ ̟࿔*:⋆
Okarun hovered awkwardly by the door, clutching the straps of his school bag like a lifeline. Momo gestured for him to sit on her bed, and after a brief hesitation, he dropped the bag onto the floor and perched stiffly on the edge of the mattress, like a kid waiting for a lecture.
His hands rested in his lap, fingers curling into his palms, the tips of his nails pressing into his skin. His mind replayed every interaction they'd had recently, analyzing every word, every gesture, desperately searching for the mistake he might have made.
Had I been too awkward? Too clingy? Or worse... what if it's about that ?
Heat rushed to his face as he recalled their first time. He hadn't exactly been suave. In fact, he'd been a total nervous wreck. He couldn't help but wonder if he messed up so bad she's been thinking about it ever since, regretting what they did.
Why else would she look so serious? Why else would her voice sound so hesitant, so… distant?
The lump in his throat grew bigger, and he struggled to swallow it down, his heart pounding so loudly he could barely hear anything else. The idea of Momo deciding she didn't want him anymore made his chest ache in a way he wasn't prepared for. The thought of losing her, of no longer being able to see or talk to the person he cared about the most was unbearable.
"Aya... Momo," he said, his voice trembling slightly as he forced himself to meet her eyes. "If you're mad at me, if I've done something wrong, just tell me, okay? I'll fix it, I swear. Just don't..." His words faltered, and he looked down, his fists clenching tighter. "Don't… leave me."
Momo's head snapped towards him, startled by the raw fear in his voice. "What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You are... breaking up with me, right?" Okarun asked quietly, his brown eyes searching hers for answers, but finding only more questions.
"What? No!" Momo's voice rose in surprise. "Why would you even think that?!"
His shoulders sagged slightly, but the tension didn't ease. "Because you're acting all serious, and you said we needed to talk. That's usually code for bad news." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, trying to hide the fact that his hands were shaking.
Momo stared at him for a moment, her expression confused. She hadn't realized how her words might've sounded until now.
She sat down beside him, and placed her hand on top of his, giving it a reassuring, albeit a little shaky squeeze. "I'm not breaking up with you."
Okarun looked down at their hands, his lips twitching as he tried to hold back a ramble. He failed.
"I-I mean, I know I can be weird," he began in a rush, "and maybe I talk too much about aliens, but I've been trying really hard to be a good boyfriend, and if there's something I did wrong, let me just-"
"I'm pregnant," Momo blurted out before she could second-guess herself, cutting his spiraling off in an instant.
Okarun froze, his eyes widening behind his glasses. His jaw worked soundlessly, his brain struggling to process what he'd just heard. The room went silent, save for the sound of the clock ticking on the wall and Seiko's distant laughter coming from downstairs.
"Say something," Momo finally urged, unable to take it anymore.
"You're... pregnant?" he repeated slowly as if saying it aloud might help his brain catch up. "Like… with a baby?"
"No, with an alien," Momo shot back, rolling her eyes, unable to keep the hint of sarcasm from slipping through.
Okarun blinked rapidly, and Momo instantly regretted the joke. Given their track record, it wasn't exactly impossible.
"Yes, with a baby, Okarun," she clarified more gently, watching as the tips of his ears turned bright red, and his glasses started to fog up.
"I-Is it mine?"
Momo's jaw dropped at the sheer audacity of asking such a question. Her eyes flared with indignation, and she looked ready to throttle him on the spot. "OF COURSE IT'S YOURS, YOU IDIOT!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he yelped, raising his hands defensively. "It's just... I mean... I thought, you know, since I don't have the full set..." he pointed awkwardly toward his crotch like that explained everything.
Momo buried her face in her hands, groaning loudly. "Well, clearly, one is all you need to get the job done!"
Okarun turned an even deeper shade of red, his hand awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, it's just a lot."
"You think it's a lot for you ?" Momo shot back, peeking at him from between her fingers.
"Fair point," he mumbled.
A fresh wave of panic swept across Okarun's face, his hands hovering uncertainly in the air before gripping his knees. He jumped up and started pacing, running both hands through his hair so roughly that he yanked out a few strands.
"Oh my god, what do we do now? We're still in high school! We don't have jobs, we don't even have our own place! And how do you even take care of a baby?"
Momo couldn't help it – despite her nerves, a small laugh escaped her. The situation wasn't funny, but the way Okarun was flailing, was so painfully him that she couldn't help but be a little amused, temporarily forgetting her own worries.
"Okarun."
"We... we need a plan. Plans are good. First, I have to find a job. No, no, first I need to make a spreadsheet..."
"Okarun!"
He froze mid-ramble, turning to her, startled.
"Sit. Down." Momo said firmly. "You don't need a spreadsheet, you need to breathe."
Without hesitation, he obeyed, plopping back onto the bed like a scolded puppy. "Right. Breathing. Good call." He sucked in a dramatic inhale, then exhaled sharply. "Okay, okay, I'm good. I'm calm."
Momo arched an eyebrow. "Are you?"
"No."
She smiled, squeezing his hands to ground him - and maybe herself too. "Look, I just found out, okay? I don't know what to do, but freaking out like this isn't gonna help."
Okarun nodded, forcing his brain to push past the shock. And then he looked at Momo - really looked at her. Momo, who had always been the strong one, the smart one. Who never backed down, no matter how scary or weird things got.
And he realized something.
She was scared too.
And if she could do this, then so could he.
Okarun swallowed, gripping the fabric of his pants. His entire body was shaking, but he forced himself to focus on her. "Are… Are you okay?"
Momo hesitated, considering the sudden question. "Yeah. I mean, I will be. I just need time to think."
Okarun took a shaky breath and slid off the bed, dropping to his knees in front of her.
Momo's eyes widened. Her first thought was oh my god, is he about to propose right now?
But then he rested his forehead against her stomach. His arms hesitated before wrapping around her waist as if still processing what he was doing.
"I'm here," he said simply, his voice still carrying traces of fear, but now also determination. "I promise I'll do my best."
Momo threaded her fingers through his dark hair. She sniffled, tears welling in her eyes, so she quickly blinked them away, refusing to let herself get all weepy. "Good."
For a moment, they sat there in silence, the reality settling in. There were unspoken fears and unshaped plans, but there was also the love they had for each other.
And then, a loud, gurgling sound broke the moment.
Okarun practically leapt off the ground. "The baby made a sound!" he shrieked, pointing at Momo's stomach.
Momo gawked at him before smacking a hand over her face. "That was my stomach, you moron!"
" Oh. " Okarun relaxed, realizing his mistake with embarrassment. "Right. That... yeah, that makes way more sense. Obviously."
"Yeah, no kidding." She pushed herself off the bed, stretching her arms over her head before heading toward the door. "I haven't eaten since yesterday. I need food."
Okarun perked up immediately. "Yes! Food is important! We should absolutely do that."
Momo glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. "You coming or what?"
Okarun bolted after her so fast he tripped over his school bag, nearly face-planting. "Coming!"