[Part 2/4]
"..."
"Yes, yes. Please cut the white fox's portion into bite-sized pieces, and I'll take care of it later, okay?"
The maid's expression turned dubious with the additional order from the young lady of Miyataka's family.
"But what about Household mber Coordinator-sama?"
"Eh, he's busy, so it's like that, okay?"
The young lady brushed off the maid's remark as if it was nothing, and left the scene with the kids. She was really carefree, like a child.
"...Yeah, he's stuck on now~♪"
The young lady licked her lips, and, without anyone noticing, curled up the corners of her mouth...
* * *
Korishiraki. A half-breed kid with human and youkai fox blood. A fox with 9 tails, a marvel that grew them all within a short span of 400 years. A white fox with extraordinary abilities, fond of cruelty and violence.
An existence that was already erased from the past... it was supposed to be that way.
"What's with that stupid face? What's wrong? Is it that surprising that I'm here?"
The fox, wrapping her own tail around herself, curling up like a chair, and sticking out her limbs, looked down at with an arrogant grin, her tail wagging like a trono. She puckered her lips, showing a glimpse of her red tongue. This was the very sa cruel fox that appeared in "Firefly of the Dark Night".
"Why... why are you...?"
"Why? It's already decided. Because I'm . Is there a problem with that?"
A condescending answer, mixed with mockery, in response to my question. I gritted my teeth in frustration.
(Has Korishiraki revived? Is this so kind of bad end route? What a ridiculous idea?)
The surroundings of Korishiraki were almost completely broken from the original story. Especially Korishiraki from the original story was already defeated. I saw it with my own eyes. Is this... was I deceived all along?
"What do you plan to do? What are you plotting...?"
The answer to my question was a flick of her tail, which scratched my cheek. The fox's left cheekbone was exposed, and her muscles bulged.
"Are you in a position to ask questions, monkey?"
"..."
The fox's threatening response. I looked around, catching the gaze of the two captive child. I understood the situation and kept quiet, not wanting to provoke the fox further...
"Hehe. Good. Honest people are cute, aren't they?"
My calm deanor seed to satisfy her, and she burst out laughing. Her sadistic expression made think she had seen through my reason for staying silent. Maybe she thought she had found a way to intimidate .
(What's going on with this guy... how much of her power has she regained? Is that tail real? How much of her mory is left? How much does she know about herself...)
The question was how much of the original Korishiraki's power this fox in front of could wield. Youkai foxes are cunning, and it was unclear if her 9 tails were real or just an illusion. Maybe she had mories of the past, too. Knowing my strategy and trump card would be a problem. No, it's more than that...
"Where's the little fox, huh?"
The fox seed to have read my mind, and she laughed. That's right. That was the question.
I had to admit that she was revived, but how did she co back to life...? The original fox had regained iher power, but the little girl I had been with all this ti was different from the original. Shiro was just a remnant of her childhood mories, and she was not equal to the evil Korishiraki. That's what I thought. That's what I believed. But what about this?
"Did I eat her? Or did I awaken from within? Is that what you're thinking? Kukuku, let's see, what do you think?"
The fox asked her questions with an air of enjoynt, as if testing . Her attitude, which seed to be intentionally provoking , made involuntarily frown.
Almost naked fox... I'm at a loss for how to interpret this. It's a youkai fox, after all. She wears human skin. It's no big deal for she to wear the clothes of soone she's devoured, either. There's a possibility it's deceiving on purpose. She might be hiding Shiro sowhere. And I can't investigate it.
(Bound and trapped in this space... is this an extension of illusion magic? Completely under hercontrol, I'm at her rcy. I can't trust anything in this situation.)
The space I entered at dawn was completely different, altered by high-level illusion magic. No, at this level, it's practically reality manipulation. Top-tier illusionists can physically manifest their illusions and make them last. Korishiraki, as a youkai fox, is a bit of an airhead, but still a talented youkai. With conditional restrictions, she can even take over a room with her illusions. My current state and perception are untrustworthy, and I can't even rely on my 5 senses. In extre cases, I don't even know if I'm whole.
(Did I get turned into a Daruma like in the original story or sothing?)
In the original story, the white fox revives after she levels up and her affection points reach certain levels, but there are subtle differences in how the protagonist treats her depending on the circumstances. Still, none of them are good. Specifically, the protagonist becos a Daruma, a youkai, a pet, or a beloved animal. The production team says that Tamaki-kun is pitifully cute. Are they a demon beyond demons?
More importantly, I'm not the protagonist of the original story, and the situation with Shiro is different, so I can't be treated as the sa... but I'd really like to spare Daruma. No, seriously, it's okay, right?
"Hahahahaha!! Stop making that serious face. ...I can already guess what you're thinking. Don't worry, if you get injured, I won't let your blood factors go berserk. I'm not going to cut off your limbs or rip out your internal organs, okay? It's just too pitiful a thing to do."
The youkai fox let out a deep sigh, looking truly disappointed. To her, it was like I was a delicious al that had been served in front of her, but she couldn't eat it. My flesh and blood were perfect experintal materials for the exorcists, and for the youkai, I was a rare and precious treasure. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but... it was precisely because of this that I was still alive.
...Still, it's the fox's words, and there's a high possibility that it's a lie. It's better to take it with a grain of salt.
(It's difficult for to find a way out on my own. I can't rely on external help.)
Azuma Hibari still has a few days before she returns. The ones who usually keep under surveillance probably won't send a team to this orphanage, so the chances of them detecting anything unusual are low. In that case, the only ones who could be of use in battle are Ako's young lady and Miyataka's young lady, but... haha, neither of them is reliable.
(Murasaki is leaving, or has she already left? If the fox notices her, she'll get killed. I can't rely on her.)
I could easily imagine a scenario where she enter the room and get ambushed, with her head blown off. It's like one of those bad routes in a visual novel where the protagonist gets reversed and blown away by a sudden attack.
As for Miyataka, it's like they're all chatty and friendly the mont they et. Even the Youkai Salvation Organization has so fox spirits joining in. In the original story, they indirectly know each other through Shiraki... or rather, one of the routes has the Youkai Salvation Organization using Shiraki and then discarding her. In other words, there's room for negotiation since they can deceive and manipulate her to so extent.
...Checkmate. That word flashes in my mind for an instant.
(No, wait. Isn't that ridiculous?)
Only now do I realize what I've been overlooking. Yeah, that's right. Why isn't this fox eating the captured Brats? Why isn't she escaping from here? Why is she staying in this room?
(Is it a curse...!!)
I've found a glimr of hope. The harm to the brats is the condition for the curse to activate in this orphanage. Then, the hostage isn't the brats, but . And... I'm also a dangerous liability, a ti bomb waiting to go off. In other words!
(Is this fox also confused?)
For Shiraki, this orphanage is both a prison and a hideout. As long as she's inside, she can keep her existence hidden from the outside world. At the sa ti, she can't interfere with most of the people inside. Except for the bomb that is , only the people from Ako and Miyataka's young lady can take action. And Shiraki probably doesn't have the confidence to win against top-class exorcists in a direct fight. That's why this situation, this stalemate...!!
"Hmph."
"Whoa, what's going on?!"
My analysis of the situation and my focus on finding a way out are interrupted as I'm suddenly grabbed by the ear. I turn my head to the side. The fox, now on all 4s like a beast, has moved beside and is sneering.
"Because you had a difficult expression, I was thinking about how to eat you a whole bowl. Do you think I'd let you off that easily?"
"Ku...!?"
If I ss up, my disguise will be ripped off and I'll be face to face with a monster. So, I need to think carefully and not be careless... it's that kind of situation.
"You have quite a sweet and pleasant taste, don't you? Lick... It's truly a top-notch delicacy."
"Gu...!?"
This ti, her tongue crawls down to my throat. She was collecting the sweat that I had sprayed out from tension. Her canine teeth were digging shallowly into my throats. It was a sweet bite. I couldn't help but tremble with fear. The sensation of my life being grasped...
"Kuhahaha. It's a great taste. Rember how you got crushed last ti? I was waiting for that pitiful expression on your face!
The white fox, who was clearly an evil youkai, was delighted to see suffering from pain, anguish, and fear. There was no trace of the young, innocent white fox I knew.
Where was the real Shiro? That was what worried the most.
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