As I woke up, I realized the day had finally arrived. Today, we would leave for Mount Fuji. Our goal was to camp in the mountain for two days, and during that time, defeat the local deity to acquire the life force we needed.
But as soon as I opened my eyes, I felt something beside me.
When I turned, I saw her—Kitsune, lying in my bed, sleeping peacefully.
I bolted upright, panic surging through me. "OI! What the hell are you doing here?!"
She groaned, slowly opening her eyes. "You're so loud in the morning, Misaki," she said, yawning.
"Why are you sleeping here? You have your futon, don't you?"
"Well," she started lazily, "the futon you gave me is too small for me and my daughters, so I gave it to them."
"Besides," she added with a sly tone, "husbands and wives are supposed to sleep together, no?"
"NO! We're not—"
Before I could finish, she covered her hand over my mouth. She leaned in close, and whispered directly on my ears
"Misaki, don't be so loud. You might wake the kids…"
Her chest is pressing against my arm. My heart started pounding, refusing to calm down. I hated to admit it, but this is kind of stimulating to me.
She uncovered my mouth and pulled me into a hug. My first thought was to make a noise loud enough to wake her daughters to stop her from doing this. But then her tone shifted.
"Later, when it's time for us to leave, my daughters and I will go ahead," she said gently. "Mount Fuji is close to your district. With our speed, we can reach it in half an hour."
She continued, "We'll scout the area and find a safe spot to set up camp."
Her voice softened even more. "Misaki, I know this trip will be dangerous, but I hope you can enjoy it, even just a little."
"And always be careful Misaki, you'll make me cry if something happens to you..."
Her embrace and the words she said suddenly felt warm and comforting. For the first time in a long while, my racing heart steadied into something calm and reassuring. Without thinking, I asked,
"Kitsune, do you love me?"
"Of course I do," she said without hesitation. "I wouldn't do all this for someone I didn't love."
"Do you have a reason to love me?"
"Do you need a reason to love someone?" she asked with a teasing smile. "But if you really want to know, I suppose it's because... even though I cause you trouble, you still treat me kindly."
My heart was enveloped with warmth—a strange, unfamiliar feeling I hadn't experienced for a really long time....
"But I know I can't replace your Queen in your heart," she said playfully. "Even after all these years, your unrequited love for her remains no?."
"Unrequited?!"
"Well, you loved her romantically, but she only saw you as her son."
"What?! Really?! How do you know?" I asked, my tone tinged with disappointment.
"Your delusions are leading you, Misaki," she chuckled. "If you thought that her love to you is something romantic, then its wrong... it was just a familial love."
She leaned in closer, her voice turning tender again. "But don't worry, I'll love you with all my heart."
Before I could process her words, she tilted my face toward hers, and her lips inched closer to mine. Just as they were about to touch, a voice shattered the moment.
"Mother, assaulting the Master of this house is inappropriate. Please release him immediately," Nishi said firmly.
Both Kitsune and I froze. Our faces turned red as embarrassment washed over us.
"N-Nishi, it's not polite to intrude on adult matters…" Kitsune stammered, her tone flustered.
Ignoring her, Nishi addressed me, "Forgive us, Misaki. Last night, while we slept, Mother was reading those forbidden mangas. Her laughter woke us up, and we found her engrossed in them."
Kitsune's face turned pale. "W-well, about earlier—"
"So that... that thing you said earlier," I interrupted, "was just a lie?"
"Of course!" she shot back quickly. "Like I said, you're just letting your delusions run wild."
"If I said I loved you, it would only be to take advantage of you, probably to make you my servant or something."
"KITSUNE! Touch my manga again, and I'll kick you out!"
She burst out laughing, clearly enjoying my flustered reaction. But as I watched her, I couldn't help but to think. Was she lying just now, or making an excuse to hide what she truly felt?
That warmth I'd felt earlier—I really felt that. Could she truly have meant it?
Noon arrived, and it was finally time to leave for Mount Fuji. Kitsune and I reached the Yokohama station an hour before meeting Himeko.
"Misaki," Kitsune said, narrowing her eyes at the trains, "are you seriously going to ride that thing?"
"What are you talking about?"
"That giant snake!" she exclaimed, pointing at the train. "It's gross!"
I sighed. "That's not a snake; it's a train. It's how humans travel faster over long distances."
She said. "Faster than me? I doubt it."
"Of course, you're faster," I replied. "Because this train isn't an old hag like you."
"Oh? And yet you still call yourself 4.5 billion years old?" she shot back with a sly smile.
Before our talk could continue, Himeko arrived.
"Hello, Ms. Ishi, Misaki," she greeted.
We exchanged greetings before I turned to Himeko. "Ms. Ishi will head to Mount Fuji ahead of us. She knows some shortcuts, so she might even arrive before we do."
"Okay..." she said
"Don't worry Himeko, we can meet Ms. Ishi near the foot of the mountain. She also bring the camping gears for us.
Himeko nodded, and we bid Kitsune farewell. As I walked toward the train, Kitsune grabbed my hand.
"Take care, Misaki," she said with a sweet smile.
I looked back at her, unsure if the warmth in her voice was real or just another act.