(Haruka POV)
"Are you done moping, or are you going to sit here and cry your eyes out for the rest of the week?" I said to the poor excuse of a kitsune on the couch before me.
The look on her face after I said that was as clear an indication as any that she did not expect this to happen. She then went to blow up at me, but I shut her down before she could even start by saying, "I can't believe that you would sit her mopping and crying because you got something that everyone else in all of reality would kill for.
"And this is all because of what? Your new mother wanted to spend more time with her little girl before she grew up and to help you maintain the perfect state for cultivating a little longer? Are you really that selfish?"
As my last question fell, I saw her eyes go wide before she lowered her head and looked at the ground like a scolded child. To be fair to her, though, many kitsune usually act the same when there is no reason to be mature.
It is one of the reasons why Kitsune cities are popular tourist attractions in most more technologically advanced worlds. Sadly most worlds never reach beyond the Iron Age. Though, that is also in part due to there not being a deity of technology in most pantheons either.
Even our pantheon does not have one.
Regardless, it was plainly obvious after a few minutes that this was not just because I was scolding her. Instead, after a few seconds, she started nodding her head without looking at me.
She did not say anything, so I waited for a few minutes to see if I would be getting a response but it seemed that her nodding was the only response I would get.
I was going to continue when Elinaria suddenly spoke up and asked me, "Where did you learn that?"
This caught me off guard for a few seconds before I quickly responded, "I Learned it from an old friend of mine who was the chief of a fire department in a mortal world that I occasionally visit sometimes."
I was just barely able to say this as immediately after I finished speaking, I felt a small fleshy missile smash into my side while a warm, fluffy thing wrapped around part of my arm.
Looking down, I saw the little kitsune girl from earlier hugging onto me like her life depended on it.
Looking back to Elinaria for an explanation, she soon provided one, saying, "Her father from her old life was a fire chief as well and ended up dying in a fire. It was also in that mortal world you're talking about."
Hearing this crazy insinuation, I could not help but say, "Are you trying to say that by some weird fluke, this young idiot of a kitsune is that blind redneck-looking boy."
I did not even need a response as I felt the girl squeeze onto me even tighter. Then, using my divine power, I checked on her memories to see if what I was thinking was true. This in and of itself was something that I never liked to do because of its massive breach of privacy, but this was something that I felt like I needed to confirm.
It was then that I wished I never looked into her mind. The current fragile state it was in, mixed with an overactive imagination and a decent amount of paranoia, was enough to break anyone. Thankfully, she already knew of a way to deal with it and also had the information I wanted at the forefront of her mind, so it did not take me long.
Without thinking very much I then give her a hug as well before quickly trying to divert her attention with a different topic.
Looking over to Elinaria, I asked, "By the way, whatever happened to the person you used my fur on? I haven't had the chance to check recently and probably won't have the opportunity again soon, so I would at least like an update on it."
Elinaria and Stephanie then looked at each other in a way that did not make me feel reassured in the slightest before looking back at me with an expression that said I was not going to like what I was about to hear next. And they were right because as Elinaria started to explain the whole situation about what had been happening around the little kitsune, my face kept gradually getting darker.
Eventually, I had to stop them and ask, "Is this the reason why she is currently a kitsune?" While pointing at the kid that I had known for longer than either of them.
Elinaria, on the other hand, started panicking when she was asked this question and started to explain what happened during Vale's reincarnation that led to the current circumstances. At least that was the case until Stephanie interrupted her and mentioned divine law that could get us both punished if we continued talking about this without Vale's consent.
Not wanting to give up on this topic but also not wanting to break any divine laws, I circle back around to the topic from earlier, asking, "So, since Raina was converted into a kitsune using my fur, doesn't that mean she is part of my bloodline?"
This caused Elinaria to perk up and start to explain enthusiastically, unlike last time, How one of Vale's wishes allows her to have an evolving bloodline along with the parental bond being made before Raina became a kitsune; she is actually now carrying Vale's bloodline. After that was an explanation of how Raina was also the highest authority holder even over the progenitor because of her being the progenitor's mother.
Thankfully, I knew that what she was saying was not the full truth because my bloodline had the ability to check and see which people had it. Thus I also checked on my bloodline connections after asking the question. Allowing me to feel the slight pulse of recognition next to me even though it was being blocked by some weird energy.
It was also of a secondary nature like that of a grandchild, meaning there had to be an intermediary between her and me. This, in turn, confirmed my theory about Raina having my bloodline thanks to weird high-level cultivation world shenanigans.
It could thus be said that Vale was technically my granddaughter along with Raina being my daughter and expanding the family. A family that was entirely made up of adopted children, as I have never gotten married and do not plan to anytime soon. I was not as promiscuous as some of the other kitsune goddesses, after all.
Speaking of which, I just remembered the issue of Elinaria's authorities.
Turning to Vale, I said while gesturing to the other two goddesses here, "Would you be able to leave us for a little bit? I have something to discuss with the two of them concerning a few important issues."
This got her to let go of me as she nodded her head before it tilted to the side with her ears going perpendicular and her tail curling into a question mark behind her. She then asked something that shocked me, "Is this because of Elinaria's authorities?"
I wanted to ask her how she new about those but was interrupted before I could start by Stephanie asking her, "Why do you call her by her name and not Mother?"
That one also caught me off guard as I understood that this meant Vale was also Stephanie's granddaughter based on the normal traditions of our pantheon. However, Vale's response would only make my confusion continue to grow.
"Because she hasn't earned that."
I expected Stephanie to scold her for this, but I was even more shocked when she turned to Elinaria and asked her, "What did you do?"
I would have normally expected something to happen because of this, but given how all of this was already caused by something being out of my expectations, I simply waited to see what reply she would give.
Elinaria's face then turned to one of indignation as she almost shouted, "Do you know what authorities she chose for me? There is also the holy book, which I was not able to write for myself as the divine system did it for me!"
Stephanie sighed after hearing this and countered, "I also remember telling you how champions can affect a diety, but you still made her your champion regardless. You also did not answer my question from earlier."
Elinaria lowered her head after hearing this before replying, "I may have made a small change to what happened when she unlocked the age of war in her tech tree."
Stephanies face gradually darkend as Elinaria said this before saying, "I am not going to help you fix this. Now Haruka, you had something you wanted to discus?"