Violet stood behind Chief Chou and Renji stood behind Violet. With the chief of the kitsunes in front, he is the one who knocked on the wooden door of the house made of stone.
"Please open. It is I, the Fox Chief Chou," he said.
After a few seconds, the door opened.
Violet expected to see a kitsune who is old and wise of age. Instead, a young and handsome kitsune appeared before the door.
His ears and tail are a bright shade of orange, his hair is as brown as chestnuts. He's got a calm and cute face that even Violet thinks is adorable. He is tall and has fair skin. His eyes are as blue as the ocean that Violet couldn't help but be drowned in them.
"Greetings, Chief Chou. What brings you to my humble home today?" the young, male kitsune asked. His attention is glued to the chief to show his respect when talking to him.
Chief Chou smiled at the lad. "I would like you to meet someone," he said then pointed at the girl behind him. "This is Violet Berseashore. She is a human and the granddaughter of the human representative, Seto Berseashore." Then, he turned to Violet. "Violet, this is Hikaru. He is the young and gifted fox of the clan."
"Hi," Violet greeted shyly.
"H-hello," Hikaru greeted back just as shyly.
Hikaru had seen a lot of beautiful females in his life. He is, after all, living in a clan full of them. Female kitsunes are known as one of the spirit clans to hold beautiful and gorgeous spirit women.
None of them attracts him even if those females try. He thinks that they are all the same.
But this young female in front of him is different. One look at her and he already knew that she is different from the rest. He heard what the chief said. This girl is a human and a granddaughter of Seto Berseashore. She seems to be out of her league, but she just finds her attractive.
Renji cleared his throat.
Violet and Hikaru immediately shifted from each other's gazes.
"Oh, um... my apologies," Hikaru said. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Yes, Hikaru," Chief Chou said. "We need your help. You and your ability to see the past."
"Is that so?" Hikaru said. "Whose past should I be looking for?"
Hikaru noticed that Chief Chou looked at Renji, then at a confused Violet. After that, he faced him again.
"I need you to see into Violet's past," Chief Chou said.
Violet's eyes widened in shock. "Excuse me?!" she shrieked. "Why exactly?"
"Because you forgot about your past," Renji said.
"I most certainly did not!" Violet said so surely.
"Then tell me," Renji said as he grabbed Violet's shoulders and made her face him, his face painted with absolute seriousness. "What happened to you in your summer when you were six years old?"
Violet crossed her arms. "Simple. I was spending my time in my room back in my family's mansion in the city. My Dad was strict when I was younger and forced me to stay inside my room and study all summer."
Renji let go of her and let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah. The magic really did work."
"What magic?" Violet asked.
"Let's take this inside," Chief Chou said and turned to Hikaru.
Hikaru understood and nodded. "Right this way, please," he said and motioned for all of them to get inside.
Hikaru's house is as simple on the outside as it is on the inside. His bed is on one side and a wooden table is placed in the middle of the room. There are no other rooms in the house. There are various pieces of wood carvings that are scattered inside. There is a tiny place inside where he can cook and a window near it for ventilation.
Hikaru, Chief Chou, Renji, and Violet sat around the circular, wooden table and made themselves comfortable.
Well, Violet tried. She is not used to sitting on the hard floor.
"So," Violet said. She really wants to know what they are talking about her past.
"As I was saying," Renji said irritably. "Magic was used on you to change your memories of that summer when you were six. What you thought happened to you that year isn't exactly true."
"You mean, there is something in that year that I was forced to forget?" Violet asked.
"Exactly," Renji asked.
"I don't get it," Violet said. "Why would anyone want my memories to be... magically... erased?"
"Because," Chief Chou cut in when Renji opened his mouth to give her the reason. "You discovered our existence."
"Huh? Really? How?" Violet asked.
"It would be easier if you would see for yourself," Chief Chou said and looked at Hikaru.
Hikaru got the cue. He nodded and closed his eyes. He concentrated on his magic and out of nowhere, white fog enveloped the room. The only place where there is no fog is the center of the room, the place where the four of them are.