I grew a little too comfortable with her, I completely forgot she was naked this whole time. Although her dress was revealing, Yoko at least had the decency of transforming with some clothes on, so I'm pretty sure she can do the same.
But the young girl frowned at my proposition.
"Why?" She asked, her head tilting to the side. "I find human clothes quite uncomfortable."
"Maybe, but aren't you cold? You no longer have fur right now, so…"
It might be summer, but the Academy is located in an elevated area, so it is significantly cooler than most provinces of the region.
The fox girl hesitated for a while, clearly not willing to dress up. But I can almost see the hairs on her arms standing up.
"I'm going to lend you some clothes," I told her as I understood she wasn't going to admit it was a bit chilly.
I headed for the dresser and pulled out a simple dress from one of the drawers. She's not that much shorter than me so it should fit her without a problem. I handed the clothes to the fox girl. Although reluctant at first, she ended up accepting it.
As she was dressing up, I remembered the reason why she was here, so I picked up the envelope I just placed on the chest of drawers. It was a very simple one. No crest, no signature. Well… No visible signature. There was definitely a subtle trace of Yoko's mana on the envelope.
I took out the letter, and as the fox girl was struggling to put on the dress I just gave her -like, what the hell? It's just a dress- I started reading it.
' Dear Lynett,
I'm leaving on a journey.
Harri will stay at the mansion.
I'm lending you this child as a gift.
Her name is Two. Use her well.
See you later~ ♥
-Yoko '
…
Huh…?
WAIT WHAT?!
What the hell, Yoko?! What do you mean you're leaving on a journey?! What about my mom?!
That goddamn fox! I shouldn't have trusted her! What is she thinking? She had the past millennia to travel, so why now? What's with the timing? Not so long ago, she was ready to destroy an entire kingdom because she didn't want to leave, and now that I'm asking her to stay, she leaves?!
For fuck's sake! You and your whims, Yoko! Next time I see you, I'll get back at you for sure!
"I'm done," a soft voice brought me back to reality.
"…You put it on backwards," I told the fox girl, as the sudden pressure within me dropped in an instant.
Alright, let's calm down first.
Mom will be fine, Harri is still with her.
As for Yoko… She wouldn't let me down. That's not like her. Yoko may be capricious and unpredictable, she is also trustworthy. She must have her reasons. But that's exactly what I would like to know. What are her reasons? She didn't mention anything in the letter. Or did she?
I inspected the letter more carefully, trying to see if I missed anything. Then I saw it. On the back, at the very bottom of the letter, written in small print:
' PS: Your aunt is missing♥️. '
…
WHAT?!
Ok, now I'm panicking.
What in the world is going on at home?! What happened?! Why is Aunt Nora missing?! Not like I care if she disappeared or something, but she wouldn't have suddenly vanished without a reason! What the hell is wrong with this family? People just keep disappearing without a trace! First my dad, now Aunt Nora?
I thought it would be safe to leave mom alone… Should I go home after all? Does Aoban know anything about this? And what about Lukas?
O-Ooooh… My head.
"Now I'm done," the fox girl once again brought me back to my senses.
She put it on correctly this time.
"Hey," I called out, "do you know anything about this?"
I showed her the letter in my hand, but the young simply shrugged at its sight.
"Did Yoko not tell you anything?"
She shook her head.
"She said she'd be leaving for a while, so I should deliver this letter to you and stay at your side until she returns."
So she does intend to return eventually. Good.
I kept re-reading Yoko's letter, but I couldn't find any hidden message in it. Then, my eyes stopped at the following sentences: "I'm lending you this child as a gift. Her name is Two. Use her well."
I looked up at the fox girl, who was seemingly waiting for me to do something, as my eyes squinted.
"Your name is Two?" I asked, doubtful.
The young girl nodded.
"That's not a name, that's a number."
"The boss named me," she explained.
Yoko did?
"Why did she name you 'Two'?"
As the fox girl turned around to proudly show me her tails, I suddenly understood.
Oh my god, Yoko. You didn't. Tell me you didn't name her Two because she has two tails. So, what? When she gains her third tail it changes to Three? Wow… I can't believe you once said human names were not original when you yourself suck at naming people.
Poor child…
"So, what do you intend to do?" I inquired of the fox girl. "You're not thinking of staying here, are you?"
Two tilted her head at the side, not understanding my question.
Yeah, she totally is planning to stay here.
"Hey, listen," I tried to reason with her. "You can't stay here. There are only mortals here."
"You're not a mortal, though," she retorted.
I flinched.
"Well, maybe not… But at least I have this!" I showed her the ring on my pinky finger. "It means I'm allowed to stay here."
Two furrowed her brows.
"How do I get one?" she asked, determined not to leave.
"You can't, it's for mortals."
"But you-"
"I'm an exception."
Her shoulders slumped as she lowered her head, clearly disappointed. Her lower lips protruded in a sulky pout, she cast her sad eyes on me.
No, no, no. Don't give me that look.
"Why do you absolutely need to stay?" I averted my eyes on the floor, trying not to succumb to her charms. "This is a very boring place, you know?"
"I am to stay at your side," the fox girl explained, "the boss' orders."
I sighed.
"Look, you don't have to listen to her," I told her, "I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Yoko, but she's not here right now so you're free to go anywhere you want."
"This is where I want to be," she insisted anyway.
What a stubborn girl! Is this a common trait in the fox race? Yoko is also stubborn as hell.
"Are you going to abandon me too?" The young girl suddenly asked.
Abandon? What do you mean abandon? I am not your mother, I do not have that possibility to begin with. Startled by her bold question, I shifted my gaze on her. Looking at me with pleading eyes, her face was the perfect picture of misery.
God dammit, I'm weak.
That's right, she may not be a mortal, she is ultimately still a child. And no child would want to be left behind. If Yoko was some kind of maternal figure to her, it's no wonder she's so desperate to cling on me as her own mother basically threw her onto me. Shame on you, Yoko. Shame.
"Fine, you can stay," I told her in a resigned sigh.
As I said this, her face lit up, brighter than the sun, and a beaming smile spread across her grim features. Yeah, this is definitely the innocence of a child.
It should be fine. I don't think her staying here will cause much of a problem. She may not be a mortal, she is no deity either. Her emerald green eyes were the very proof of that. On the other hand, I need to implement rules of precautions. Yoko probably told her about my identity so we can never be too careful. But even before protecting my identity, we need to protect hers.
"You're going to need a name if you want to stay here," I started to explain.
The fox girl furrowed.
"I have a name," she said.
"No, like I said, it's a number," I retorted, "it doesn't feel right as a name."
She tilted her head, her eyes raising to the ceiling, as she carefully considered my proposition.
"Is there any name you would like to be called?" I inquired.
But the young girl did not reply. Instead, she furrowed even further. However, as no idea seemed to have crossed her mind, she simply shook her head, her expectant eyes locked on me.
Mmmh… How troublesome. If she has no idea, I'll have to pick one for her. That's quite a big responsibility. Names are quite important. They follow us for the rest of our lives after all. So I need to choose a name that will fit her, but at the same time, I don't know what her personality is like. And appearance-wise? What's her most striking feature? As I thought, it would be those tails, right? Those white, soft and furry tails. Just like… Oh! I got one.
"Cotton," I spoke up. "How about Cottontail?"
"Cottontail?" the fox girl repeated. "Is this my name?"
It was hard to read her expression. I couldn't tell if she was disappointed or not.
"If you don't like it, we can choose another one," I offered.
However, it didn't seem necessary as a smile finally broke onto her face.
Dimples formed on her cheeks as her lips curled up into a smooth parabola. It was just a simple smile, yet something about it felt so genuine that for a split second, everything felt like it stopped around me. For some reason, at that very moment, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I felt connected with her.
Is she… using her charms on me?
Suddenly, the fox girl bent the knee. As a sign of reverence, she lowered her head and placed a hand on her heart.
"I, Cottontail, accept the [Name] you have bestowed me," she started. "In gratitude, I pledge my loyalty to you and recognize you as my master."
What?