"After this contract... I'll surely kill you, Vesta Anubis."
"Enough with your childish tantrums, Laplace. Fix your mess now," Vesta said with a mocking tone.
"Tsk..."
"I plan to rewind the time before we went to Mount Fuji..."
"Oh? That's not a good idea," he replied.
"Then can you present me a better way to clean this mess? Mister narcissistic genius?"
"Hmph... why would I help you clean your own mess?"
"Then don't say any comments on my plan."
"Well, you'll realize soon why it's not a good idea, Laplace... after all, you let Kitsune live."
This man... he really gets on my nerves. And what's so bad about letting Kitsune live? She isn't that big of a threat. She only has superior physical strength, but Ashura can handle that...
"Then, I will rewind time now... this morning before we left Yokohama."
"Laplace: Future Simulation—Rewind."
I'll make sure to end this properly...
Misaki's POV
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 mountains 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.
"KITSUNE!! What the hell are you doing here?!"
But as soon as she woke up, her eyes filled with tears, and she hugged me.
"What the hell?! Your chest, Kitsune... I can't breathe!!"
She released me, and I asked her, "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"
"Well, it's like that... I dreamed about you meeting a hot MILF next door, and you NTR-ed me and did it with her."
"The f—"
Before I could finish my words, out of surprise, she kissed me.
"Wha... what did you just do?!" I asked her, my face turning red. I could feel a grin creeping onto my face.
I kind of liked it... to be honest.
"That's your punishment, Misaki... for doing such stupid things in my dream," she said, her eyes still glossy with tears.
Is me cheating on her in her dream really that big of a deal? To the point that she'd cry about it?
"Kitsune... sorry to ask, but... do you like me or what?"
"Of course. I like you with all my heart," she said with a teasing voice and playful face.
How would I know if it's true when her face looks like that?
After a while, she checked on her daughters, hugging them one by one.
I felt weird... she's not usually like this...
Did her nightmare really affect her this much?
"What's the matter, Mother?" Nishi asked as she woke up to Kitsune hugging her.
"No... nothing... I just dreamed of your father cheating on me and abandoning us..."
"Maybe it's because you read those mang—"
Kitsune immediately covered Nishi's mouth.
I don't know why, but seeing Kitsune this happy kind of relieved me.
"Kitsune, we need to prepare for school... and the trip later... don't forget to shop with Himeko."
As soon as she heard Himeko's name, her mood shifted for a moment... I felt a bloodlust radiating from her.
"Is something wrong, Kitsune?" I asked, noticing her change in demeanor.
"Ah, no, no. And about the trip..."
"I'm planning to cancel it."
"Ehh? Why? We've already prepared... and I'm sure Himeko would be disappointed if she knew this," I replied.
"About Himeko... I'll tell her about it after school. We'll do some girl talk, so don't you dare have any rude ideas like eavesdropping or something," she said in a playful tone.
From serious to playful... her mood swings are getting worse.
"I'm curious... why do you want to cancel the trip suddenly?"
"The trip was entirely for Himeko... to see if she's really our Queen. But I realized she isn't."
"And I felt that bringing her together with us would be dangerous, so I decided that we should go on the trip together—just you and my daughters. But if we went now, she might think she did something wrong, so I think postponing it is better for now."
Her reason sounded good, so I let her do what she wanted.
"Okay... talk about it with Himeko after class. I'll tell her later that you want to speak to her... after that, I'll head home directly, so don't worry."
"Yes, and don't forget to not tell her that we're canceling the trip. Let me be the one to tell her."
After talking, we went to school.
Upon entering my classroom, I saw Himeko, so I greeted her.
"Good morning, Himeko."
"Hello, Misaki. I'm looking forward to the trip later."
I just smiled at her... I couldn't say that the trip was canceled, or Kitsune would yell at me.
"By the way, Himeko... Ms. Ishi wants to talk to you about something important after class."
"Oh... is it about the shopping?" she replied.
Again, I just smiled at her. Deep inside, I felt guilty... to think that Himeko was really looking forward to this trip.
Time passed, and it was already afternoon. The bell rang, indicating that school was closing.
"Himeko... don't forget to meet Ms. Ishi."
After that, I went home in accordance with Kitsune's instructions.
Her senses are superb, so if I tried to eavesdrop, she'd definitely notice.
But I couldn't help being curious about what they would talk about.
Kitsune's POV
"Oh, Himeko, you came."
"Ms. Ishi... Misaki said you wanted to talk to me."
"Oh, it's about the trip... I'm canceling it."
After I said that, her face turned pale.
"Eh? But why?" she asked, her voice trembling with innocence.
But under that innocent face of hers...
"It looks like you didn't predict this future where you'll perish by my hands, Laplace?"
"Ehh? What are you sa—"
Before she could finish, I drove my fist into her stomach. She gritted her teeth in pain, clutching her abdomen.
"Spirit Arts: Territorial Boundary."
I cast a spell, creating a barrier to prevent her from escaping and ensuring no one outside could interfere.
"You... how did you retain your memory?!" she spat, her voice now sharp and full of venom.
"Because I am the Spirit of Purity—Nine-Tailed Fox, Kitsune Ishi."
"No one can erase or alter my memory."
"Now, its time to avenge my daughters..."