When I came back to my senses, I felt a gentle hand pulling a blanket over my motionless body. I knew it far too well, this gentleness. It was Ofris, it couldn't be anybody else.
A part of me wanted to open my eyes and escape his gentle treatment, but even though I might lose quite a bit of my remaining pride and manliness, I urged for this kind of skinship. Ofris was the one human soul in this world that treated me with care and love.
I wanted him to be a friend, a close pal you go drink or have some fun with, but lying here and indulging in his care was fine too.
«I wouldn't mind being his daughter ...»
「Would that mean I have to marry him? No way!」
«Ignore her, Riku. Just ignore her ...»
Ofris had laid my body down on a soft surface, probably a matress of some sort. Aside from that single blanket, there wasn't anything else to protect my body, not even clothes. I felt nothing but that single, soft fabric. It was hiding my lower body and just enough of my chest to not let me get anxious about him stealing a glance.
He probably had seen it all already, my boobs, my ass and the part that connects my spine with that tail of mine. I wasn't a girl, so those weren't exactly something I was overly protective about, but it still felt weird to think about him finding me collapsed in the bathroom.
«Why did he undress me? Did my clothes get wet?»
「He probably wanted to see you naked. Do you think you can still make him your daddy?」
"..."
「You could make him your sugar daddy, though.」
Something inside of me broke. Even though I tried my best, I couldn't prevent myself from making a grimace. It didn't last for longer than mere seconds, but Ofris did discover it instantly.
"A nightmare?" a far too feminine voice commented. "I guess that is to be expected, knowing what she went through."
«Wait?! WHAT?! THIS ISN'T OFRIS!!»
Within the fraction of a second, I had opened my eyes. A bright light attacked me, but I fought against it just as I fought the tears that were trying to attack my eyes. After blinking for dozens of times, I could finally make out who it was that had taken care of me. A cold shiver went over my body.
"E- elfen bitch?!"
The initial happy expression on her face slowly changed into a one that seemed sad. It wasn't a fake one, instead, it felt like I had really hurt her.
«What the fuck?!»
"I guess this is what I get for being mean to you before."
"What are you doing here?!"
Sahria's voice turned playful. "I'm taking care of a little fox, obviously~"
"You hate me!"
"I hated the beast kin you, not the fox. Foxes are-"
"What are they?!"
"They are the best!" She replied with a smile.
«Did she eat something wrong?!»
"Are you sure you are ok?"
"I have never felt better."
I slowly raised up, grabbed the blanket and made a few steps back from the elf. She was just sitting there and staring at me, with a somehow lusty expression on her face.
"What- what the fuck is wrong with you!? What is that face?"
"I just wanted to check on the little fox, but I found it fainted in the bathroom. You can't imagine how shocked I was!"
I could only look at her in disbelief. "You checked on me ..."
"Who knew you would try to ready the bath. It is still way too big for you! You don't have enough mana to even get it half filled. Didn't Risa teach you anything?"
"It needs mana? So I just exhausted my mana?!"
"'Just' you say? You could have died!"
I felt a cold shiver run over my body. "Died ..."
"What would I have done if the little fox would have died? You are the last one!"
"SO WHAT IS IF I AM A FOX?! You are being creepy! Like uber creepy! You hate me!"
"I don't hate you," she answered as if nothing in her actions was wrong. "You are a fox after all."
"So what!?"
Sahria suddenly came closer. Her emerald eyes had started to glow in a faint green, making her look more like a thirsty demon than an elf.
"Chantless magic, a body that is blessed by the gods, and a strong affinity towards nature magic: you are perfect!"
"You are being creepy! So what if I can use a little bit of magic?!"
"Nobody can use it like you. We all have to chant our magic, complex ones even take minutes! A single mistake and you could end up killing yourself! And then there is you, who doesn't even say a word to do it. You are a present from the gods!"
"My magic is weak! It can't do anything!"
"You can heal, and that dance of yours- it was fantastic!"
"You are creeping me out! Really! Why do your eyes glow?!"
"I'm just a little excited, I guess."
"Don't come near!"
"Didn't you want to take a bath?"
"So what?!"
"I filled in the water for you. It is ready to dip in."
"Don't tell me ..."
"Of course! I want to get closer to the little fox."
"Little fox, again?! Do you even remember my name?"
"It was Ah- ri- ri-" She fell silent. "Rika, wasn't it?!"
"You totally didn't remember!"
"I did! How could I forget my precious little fox?"
«Creepy! So creepy!»
"I will go in alone! I don't need your help!"
"I can't let you do it. What would I do if you suddenly fainted again? What if I were not there to save you?!"
"I would rather have Ofris to take care of me!"
Sahria's face changed into one that looked hurt, again. She was silent for a second, lost in her thoughts, then she attacked again.
"Ofris? So he is the one you fancy?"
"I don't fancy him! I trust him!"
"But you can't just let him see your body. You are a maiden after all. And a virgin at that!"
"So what if I am? What?! Why do you know?! I never told you!"
"You wouldn't wake up, so ..."
"WHAT?!"
"Don't worry. You have nothing that I don't have. Aside from those ears and the cute tail."
"Cute?! You insulted me because of my tail only a day ago!"
"It was two days ago! And I had thought you were a mere beast kin! I was only mistaken back then. I made a mistake!"
"Yes, you did!"
"I am willing to make amends for it!"
Sahria seemed somewhat desperate. She looked at me with both begging and greedy eyes. But there was something else in them, something I didn't even want to think about.
«This- this bitch!»
"Amends?! You insulted me! I even cried! In front of all those guys! I had a man carry me to his home! I even woke up in his bed! How are you going to make up for that?!"
Sahria was startled "He slept with you?"
"He didn't! I was alone in his bed!"
"What is the issue, then? I heard you like him. Don't you feel good being treated like a princess by the man you fancy?"
"That is not the issue! I am a man!"
"You clearly~ are not."
"I don't care what you think! You will leave me alone now!"
Suddenly Sahria bent over me and came close to my face. Now, the change in her eyes was even more obvious to me.
«She- she wants my d!!»
「But you don't have one~!」 Shiro replied without anybody asking for her opinion.
Before I could even reprimand the vixen, Sahrias next question came: "But don't you want to learn magic? Ofris told me you are interested in learning some magic. I would teach you anything you want. Anything~!"
«She is thristy! She is so goddamn thirsty?! Did she eat something wrong?!»
「I think she did eat juust~ the right thing. Isn't she a lot nicer now?」
"..."
I had to take in a few deep breaths. Even if she was being weird today, this Sahria was far more controlable than the one that I met on my first day in this godforsaken world. And I needed magic, I really needed something useful to attack or at least defend me with. How else would I get stronger? I had to defeat monsters!
"You would teach me?"
Her answer came immediately: "Oh of course I would!"
"What is the downside?"
"There is no downside~ I just want to examine you a little more."
"Examine? You really examined my body!?"
"You are a magic being, after all! I can almost feel you breathing magic! You are awesome."
"Calm down! You are panting! You are panting!"
"So you want to learn them? I can make you waay~ stronger than anybody else in this town!"
«What? That would mean I could teach Risa a lesson! Maybe I will even find Sahria's weaknesses!»
"You really can do that?"
"Of course I can! Nobody knows better about magic than elves."
"I can certainly tell you are crazy about magic ..."
"Crazy is such a bad word. I am enthuiastic about it. That's all!"
"Enthusiastic?!"
"So what is it? Do you want my help?"
"You are drooling! You are drooling! Do you hear!?"
"Don't worry about it~"
「Magic is so fun!」
"Why!? It isn't!"
Sahria could only look at me confused, but I couldn't waste a single thought on answering her, as the vixen once again began her attacks. Shiro's voice was both mischievous and playful as if she was both a child and a vixen, a woman trying to allure me to follow her into her bed. Just hearing it made me want to puke.
「But isn't she way more fun to be with now that you enchanted her?!」
"I didn't enchant her!"
「So you don't remember blinking at her when you woke up?」
"I couldn't see. The light was so bright? What about it?!"
「You don't remember me giving you magic? Really? You are such a meanie! Rika is a meanie!」
I went silent for a moment, then I realized I had indeed seen a magic like this, one that activated solely by blinking. A cold shiver went over my skin.
Reluctantly I voiced the command: 『Magic』
A green screen appeared in front of me. My gaze flew over it, line for line, until I finally discovered the cursed excuse of fox magic Shiro had given me.
『Charm: Allures a target. If successful lowers the target's defensive capabilities and temporarily increases the attraction to the caster. Can be cast multiple times for a stacking effect. Chance to affect the target's memory. Voiceless activation: Blink fast thrice. Mana cost: 30.』
My answer came only after a long moment of silence: "Just how many stacks does she have on her?"
「Three. Your mana wasn't enough for more. But doesn't she look happy? She totally looks happy!」
"But I'm not!!"
"A real fox~ you are the best!"
"Wait! Get back! Get away from me! Don't touch me! No! Noooo!"
...
⊱————- Extra ————-⊰
Sahria: Wait? Why is that girl lying on the ground?
Sahria: She has fainted?
Sahria: *poke* *poke*
Sahria: So this is a fox's body. She almost looks like a normal girl.
Sahria: Nothing special here.
Sahria: Here neither.
Sahria: What about this spot?
Shiro: This is the best!
Sahria: Who said that? Is there anybody here?!
Shiro: *cought* I'm Rika! Touch me! Touch me everywhere!