Swordsmaster Fox-girl

From the shade of the tree line, a figure emerged. It was a girl around my age with green hair and red eyes. Protruding out of her head were two horns— no, two tree branches?

“I caught something! Yay! Dinner!”

A boy also emerged from the shade. He was the complete inverse of the girl—red hair and green eyes. He looked like he was human, and he wasn’t alone, as he was riding a…bear. A brown bear. A fucking bear. A child riding a fucking bear. What even was this?

“Hmmm…” The boy scratched his chin. “...It’s big. This should last us three days.”

‘What the actual fuck? Did I step into the nest of some cannibals or something?’

But then it hit me. My entire figure was hidden in the shadow of the trees, so all they could probably make out was the vague outline of my tail.

“Hey, I’m not an animal! Let me down!”

Both the girl and the boy took a physical step back in shock. “I-It can speak?”

“Because I’m not an animal, dumbass!”

“I-It just speak some more!”

‘Dammit, stupid kids.’ Sighing, I conjured a flame on the tip of my finger to burn the vine down. But just as I was about to burn it—

“W-Wait, stop! I’ll let you go!”

—The girl shouted. Then, the vine released its grip on me.

Now, I wasn’t a Catkin. And for whatever reason, Foxkins were closer to Wolfkins. So, I landed on my head with my ass pointed up in the air. ‘Well, at least Nowa’s fine.’

Dusting myself and grumbling, I stood up and looked at the two kids before me. I shouldn’t be calling them kids since they were around my age—possibly older than me, but I digress.

“Care to explain why you were about to eat me and my sister?”

But the kids didn’t answer. They were staring at me with drool running down the corners of their mouths. ‘Seriously?’

I frowned and snapped my finger. “Hey!”

“H-Huh?” Both of them broke out of their trances at the same time.

The girl was first to…get down on her knees and apologize.

“I’m sorry!”

‘Well, if you apologize so fervently like that…’

…I couldn’t stay mad at her for long.

“It’s okay, we all make mis—”

“S-Sorry, for eating your child!”

‘...What?’

“I-I swear it was a mistake! T-The fox stepped into the trap a-and I was just too hungry!”

Seeing that I wasn’t responding (because I was still in absolute fucking confusion), the girl let out a high-pitched scream and hid behind the boy’s back.

“B-Brother, save me! The vengeful spirit’s about to kill meee! I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that—!”

“Hey, it was your idea to eat the fox!”

“N-No, don’t listen to him, a-almighty fox spirit! He’s responsible for it!”

“I’m not! And that’s not a fox spirit!” The boy sighed. Finally, someone sensible. “Just some creeps snooping near our home.”

“Creep? Me?” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re the one who hung me up on the tree!”

“The trap’s supposed to be for animals! And you—” He pointed toward Nowa. “—I bet you were kidnapping that child.”

“What!? She’s my sister!”

How could anyone not see the resemblances? 

“Okay, I can get behind that, but what are you doing near our home?”

“Your home? It’s my new home. The Guildmaster told me that I’d be living here!”

“...Dad?”

We both came to a painful realization.

“”I’m gonna have someone stupid for a sibling, aren’t I?””

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“I think we started on the wrong foot there.” The boy coughed.

Literally.

He then extended a hand out to me. “My name’s Fred Spears, brother of this airheaded idiot.” He pointed his chin at the girl beside him.

‘Looks like I’m going to have to endure him…for now.’

I grabbed his hand and replied with my natural monotonous voice.

“I’m Esther Raze, sister of this absolutely adorable human, Nowa Raze.”

Suddenly, Nowa butted in. “Nee-chan thinks I’m cute?”

I brought my tail closer to my face and pinched her cheeks with a giggle. “Isn’t that obvious?”

Enough about Nowa. On an instinctual level, Fred and I knew that we were taking turns. How did I know it? I just guessed it. How could I possibly know what goes on in that stupid little mind of his?

“My turn.” He patted his bear’s head. “This is Ursa.”

The bear gave me a growl and nuzzled against my feet.

‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m seeing a bear act like a dog right now…’

But there was something…strange.

“You introduced the bear before you introduced your sister?”

“I’m sure she wants to introduce herself.” He shrugged. “Just wait a bit, she’ll come around to it.”

Hm, yes, because the child that was staring at me for the past five minutes as if it was worshipping me was going to talk soon.

And she didn’t. It wasn’t until Fred gave her a knock on the head that she finally gathered herself and stuttered,

“M-My name is F-Freya, p-pleased to make your acquaintance, f-fox spirit.”

She was never going to not see me as a “fox spirit,” huh?

Then, Freya pulled on her brother’s sleeve and whispered. Though, I could still hear them because obviously!

“H-Hey, we should show the fox spirit her room before dad comes…”

“For the last time, Freya, she’s not a spirit.”

But Freya ignored him and bowed to me. “T-This way please, f-fox spirit.”

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“T-This is your bedroom.” Freya opened a door on the second floor.

Yes, the cabin had multiple floors. Three floors plus an attic, if its exterior was anything to go by. 

I inspected the bedroom. It was literally a bed room. That was, an empty room with a single bed inside it. ‘Guess I’ll have to decorate it myself now that I don’t have to worry about money as much.’ 

The bed was definitely too small for two people, but Nowa was small, so we could fit. And even if she grew up a bit, I was certain that she liked sleeping in this kind of space as long as it was with me.

With the bedroom now done, Freya led me to the other parts of the cabin— okay, it was more like a house.

“T-This is brother’s room.” She pointed at a room that had big red letters that said, “DO NOT ENTER” on it. Typical.

“T-This is my room.” It was the room right beside Fred’s room. “Y-You can find me here a-anytime if you need anything, o-oh almighty fox spirit.”

“What about that room?” I pointed at the room right next to mine. 

“O-Oh, that’s… It’s Lua’s room. B-But she’s studying in Leiast city, s-so no one’s staying there.”

Hmm…interesting. 

Freya became our guide in the house. Essentially, there were two bathrooms—with each floor having one. The first floor was essentially a big living room around a fireplace, with a small space for cooking.

There were several smaller buildings outside, but they were for miscellaneous things like skinning animals or laundry.

‘Freya…she’d been more than helpful.’

At least, more helpful than Fred, who ran off to who knows where. So, I gave her a smile and thanked her.

“Thank you.”

“I-It’s my honor, f-fox spirit.”

‘I don’t like people being that stiff…’

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I smiled to make her feel more comfortable. “Don’t be so formal. You’re my friend now.”

“F-Friend?”

“Yes.” I actually didn’t know if friends could be made this quickly, but anything to escape her endless stuttering, I suppose. “So be more comfortable, okay?”

Freya widened her eyes. With the brightest smile I’d seen, she gave me a quick hug and then ran away, shouting, “BROTHER! THE FOX SPIRIT’S MY FRIEND!”

I shook my head bitterly at the eccentric girl. My stay here was definitely going to be annoying, but it beat running around like a headless chicken, trying to make money. I placed Nowa inside our bedroom and went to take a bath.

Of course, taking a bath meant that I had to strip naked. I wasn’t taking any chances, so I checked the bathroom carefully for any potential peepholes or spying spots.

‘None. Good.’

With a sigh of relief, I stripped all my clothes and jumped into the bath, which was made of wood. ‘It seems like everything here is made of wood… How do they deal with termites?’

One great mystery that I’d never get the answer to.

As I was relaxing in the bath, I heard the door of the bathroom being creaked open. ‘They should really install locks here.’ I prepared to duck into the water and shout for the intruder to leave, but I stopped upon realizing that it was Nowa.

“You want to take a bath, too?”

She nodded.

Smiling, I exited the bath and took off her clothes. Then, I dived straight back in with her sitting on my thighs.

I looked around. ‘Wait, they have shampoo?’ That was amazing! I’d been bathing with nothing with soaps for months!

So, I squirted some on my hand and applied them to my tail. Then, I used my tail to scrub Nowa’s body. 

She seemed to like doing this, and it was cleaner that way, so no complaints there.

As I moved onto her hand, I leaned my head on her shoulder and asked,

“You liking it here?”

“Nn!”

Nowa… She was a good and obedient child. During the past year, not once did she ask about Mom.

I knew that she was aware of her death. And after sneaking up on her and seeing her quietly cry herself to sleep alone, I was even more sure of it.

In fact, I admired her.

Unlike Nowa, I wasn’t mentally strong. I couldn’t count how many times I’d cried in front of her, and how many times she’d soothed me.

I felt even more like shit when I realized that I wasn’t spending enough time with her.

‘So, Nowa, I may not have been able to deliver on my promise in the past year, but now, I’ll definitely shower you with the love you deserve.’

For the first time in a year, I felt…safe. So, I let myself enjoy this moment and fell asleep in the bath, with Nowa in my tight embrace.

The only thing I could hear was the birds chirping outside, Nowa’s soft breathing, and…

Knock— Knock—!

…Someone banging on the door.

“Goddammit, why do you have to ruin this moment!?”