Chapter 16
Could that be the one who came into Theo's room back then?!
Let's catch her first and think later!
[Telekinesis]
I used Telekinesis to subdue the woman in front of me,
…
…
Head tilt
“Kyuang?”
I tried pressing down on her as if crushing her from above, but she didn't react at all.
Wh-why isn't this working? Should I try a little harder?
[Telekinesis]
I gradually increased its power, but she still didn't react.
D-don't tell me…
Crackle
Just then, an ominous sound came from ahead,
I hurriedly realized what was happening and immediately used Restoration.
Phew, thank goodness. The floor didn't collapse.
But then, what is that woman?! How can she be so calm…
[Poof]
Swoosh
Sh-she disappeared.
And just like she was sucked into the floor.
I-is she a ghost?!!! No, there's no need to be that surprised, is there?
To begin with, based on everything I've experienced so far, it only makes sense that ghosts exist.
Still, even if I understood that in my head, it felt a little unsettling since this was my first time encountering one.
Honestly, maybe I'm a little scared.
At this point, sleeping here is out of the question.
What if she pops out from underneath while I'm sleeping?
I guess I'm sleeping outside tonight…
As I sighed and crawled out from under the bed,
Swoosh
“Kyuang?!”
Someone was looking down at me from atop the bed.
“You are…?”
A man with a deeply furrowed brow, as if he'd just woken up.
It was Theo!!
Why did he wake up?
He hardly ever wakes up once he's fallen asleep. What's gotten into him?
No, more importantly, what do I do? At least I'm not in human form.
…Honestly, this still isn't a good situation.
A wild fox has suddenly appeared in the room and is wandering around.
I have no choice. I'll hypnotize him first…
Swoosh
“Kyuang?!”
Just then, Theo suddenly reached out, hugged me, and
“Could you be… that fox from back then?”
he said in a voice full of surprise.
He remembered me?
Did he recognize me right away?
“Mmm…”
When I stayed frozen in his arms, flustered and doing nothing, Theo seemed a little uncertain. He went over to the magic lamp and turned on the light,
“It is you. I suppose a fox that looks like this can't be very common.”
He happily carried me to the bed.
“How did you get all the way here? Do you remember me?”
Aaaaaah, what should I do?
Wh-why does he seem so happy?
“Kyuang…”
“I see, you remember me. Did you come looking for me?”
“Kyuung…”
“Thank you. I've been dreaming about you from time to time lately, and I never thought I'd really see you again like this.”
What do I do? I'm so happy.
Theo remembered me.
He just didn't recognize me because I was in human form.
Well, of course. Who would realize that a woman who suddenly appeared was the fox they'd met as a child?
But he's this happy to see me…
“Kyuang”
“I'm glad you've been doing well all this time. But the forest of Edelweiss is quite far from here…”
No, he's suspicious of me.
Honestly, it was a suspicious situation no matter how you looked at it.
He'd just forgotten for a moment because he was so happy to see me after all this time.
Mmm, I have no choice in this situation.
I stuck my tongue out toward Theo's face as he was lost in thought.
Lick, lick
“Ugh… You little rascal. Stop that.”
Lick
No, I'm going to keep licking you.
It's been so long since we've seen each other in this form, hasn't it?
So stop thinking about anything and just be happy.
I spent a long time in Theo's arms, diligently licking his neck and face.
At first, I started doing it so he wouldn't have time to think about anything else, but as I kept going…
Why are you so delicious…
“S-Stop!”
In the end, I couldn't hold back and kept licking him until Theo sincerely told me to stop.
“Whew, yes. Come to think of it, you didn't seem like an ordinary fox even back then. You seem to understand what I'm saying to some extent, too…”
Theo said with a slight smile, as if he'd given up on thinking about it.
I like seeing him smile, but looking at his face glistening with my drool made me feel a little bad.
He eventually got out of bed, wiped his face with a towel hanging nearby, and came back to me.
“Did you lose your home? Now that I think of it, there was another one… Don't tell me—”
He remembered my little sister, too.
Don't worry. You saved her.
She's doing well.
She's probably having fun by herself in her room right now, too.
Shake, shake
“Phew, that's a relief. Then did you come here to see me?”
Nod, nod
“Thank you.”
“Kyu!”
Theo smiled and stroked my head,
and I answered with a happy little cry.
But he seems to have dark circles now, and overall looks much more haggard than before…
Did something happen?
“Kyuang?”
“Nothing happened. I suppose seeing you again after so long just brought back some good memories.”
“Kyuuwuu…”
Seriously, this guy…
Knead, knead
His words made me feel oddly embarrassed, so without thinking, I started kneading his thigh.
Then Theo gave a faint smile,
“Why don't you stay here tonight?”
Wasn't that an offer I couldn't refuse?
“Kyuang!”
“I'm glad.”
Theo smiled brightly, apparently pleased with my answer.
He looked just like the boy who'd saved me long ago.
People really never change at their core.
Theo immediately lay down on the bed and raised his right arm,
“Come here.”
He called to me gently.
At his words, I naturally went over and nestled against him,
Pat, pat
“Kyuuwuu…”
He gently patted my back.
Haaaah, this feels so good.
Just like back then…
Knead, knead
After that, I kept kneading unconsciously until I fell asleep.
* * *
It was a peaceful morning, for the first time in a while.
In a room filled with birdsong and warm sunlight, Theo woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in ages.
For a while, even when he slept, his fatigue never seemed to go away,
but today he felt incredibly refreshed.
Theo found it strange, but he soon realized why.
“Kyuuwuu…”
It was the little fox lying beside him.
It was still fast asleep, but that only made it even more adorable.
‘Is it thanks to this little one?’
The little friend having come to see him was so wonderful to Theo that he couldn't help thinking so.
Just looking at it reminded him of the happiest moment of his childhood.
Looking back, the time he'd met this fox had been the happiest time of his childhood.
“Kyuuwuu…”
“Heh.”
Theo smiled at the fox's sleepy little cry,
then reached out and stroked its body.
It had to be a fox that had lived in the wild all this time, but its fur was incredibly soft,
it didn't have even a speck of dirt or grime on it, and it even seemed to smell nice.
‘It's probably not an ordinary fox.’
The way it seemed to understand everything he said,
and the fact that it had come all the way here from the forest to find him…
Those weren't things an ordinary fox could do.
Maybe it was some sort of sacred animal he'd only read about in books.
Theo didn't really care either way.
Whatever this fox's true identity, to Theo it was simply a dear friend who'd brought back forgotten memories from long ago.
‘That said, I could get addicted to this.’
The fox's fur was so soft, it felt wonderful to touch.
And the feel of its belly, too…
“Kyu?”
Had he petted it too much?
The fox let out a faint cry and woke up.
“Are you awake?”
“Kyu…”
“You can sleep a little longer. It seems a bit early still.”
Even as he said that, Theo kept stroking the fox.
Its belly felt different from its back, and he liked the sensation.
Just then,
“Kyu?!!!!”
“Ugh?!”
The fox, which had been sitting still under Theo's touch, let out a scream-like cry and leaped away from him.
“Why are you suddenly acting like that?”
The fox looked around for a moment, then looked at its own body,
“Kyuang!!”
Smack! Smack!
As if it were angry, it cried sharply at Theo and raised its front paws to smack the soft bed.
Seeing that, Theo realized the fox was very angry with him about something.
“What's wrong?”
“Kyuang!”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
He'd only asked a simple question, but it got even angrier.
And it even started hitting the bed harder.
Its claws seemed sharp, because the bed sheets were being torn a little more with each smack,
but Theo didn't have time to worry about that.
He could only rack his brain, trying to figure out why his little friend in front of him was angry.
‘The only thing I did was pet its belly… Don't tell me?’
“Could it be because I touched your belly…”
“Kyuang!”
Apparently that was the answer. The fox let out a sorrowful cry,
and Theo immediately bowed his head toward it.
“I'm sorry. I heard animals like having their bellies rubbed…”
It seemed that wasn't true of the fox in front of him.
It was so startled that it still seemed wary, even after Theo apologized.
He'd known it wasn't an ordinary animal, that it was clever.
Regret washed over Theo at the thought that he'd been too familiar with it.
“I won't touch you carelessly anymore.”
“Kyuuwuuu!”
But the fox still didn't seem appeased, and let out an unhappy cry,
then hopped off the bed and headed toward the window.
“W-wait a moment…”
Worried that it was angry and would never come see him again, Theo hurriedly got out of bed to catch it, but
“Kyuang!”
The fox didn't wait for him. It let out one sharp cry, then threw itself outside and disappeared.
“Does that mean it'll come back?”
For some reason, the fox's final cry sounded to Theo as if it were saying, ‘See you again!’
It didn't seem to have forgiven him, though.
That left him feeling a little unsettled,
‘I should prepare some food for when it comes to visit again.’
Theo felt his heart grow light.
Whenever he thought about his childhood, only bad memories filled his mind, but now, for the first time, it seemed he had a good memory to recall.
And so Theo happily began his day. Around lunchtime, after finishing his morning work,
“Master, Edel has returned.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. She's with the head maid now.”
“I'll go at once.”
She's back.
After waiting so long, she finally came back now.
Between that and the fox this morning, Theo felt as if today was an incredibly lucky day.
‘No, Edel's return isn't really something to be happy about…’
In the first place, he was going to interrogate her, not because he'd been waiting for her.
Even as he told himself that, he hurried toward the room where Edel was, his steps buoyant,
and when he carefully opened the door,
“…”
Edel was there.
Her head bowed low toward the head maid standing beside her.
She was probably being scolded for being absent without leave.
“You've arrived, Master.”
“Mm… Would you leave us? I have something to discuss with Edel.”
“Understood.”
The head maid didn't ask why. She bowed to Theo and left the room.
And so only Edel and Theo remained in the room,
“…”
“…”
The awkward atmosphere between them settled over the room as a heavy silence.
Of course, Theo had plenty of things he wanted to ask and say,
but now that he was actually facing Edel, the words inside him wouldn't come out easily.
But he couldn't just stay like this forever.
‘First, I'll ask her if she's been well.’
He could question her about everything else after that.
Having decided, Theo cautiously opened his heavy-feeling mouth,
“Have you been well…”
“…”
Whish
Edel cut off Theo's words, her face deeply furrowed as if angry, and turned away,
‘What?’
At the sight of her, Theo felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
analysis