There is a mountain very close to the village where white foxes are said to reside. We climbed the long stone stairs leading to the top of the mountain.
The stairs are uneven, bumpy and distorted. But their age is strangely nostalgic and charming.
âKon!
A small fox, still very young, ran down the stairs. When Kaede saw it, she held out her hands and crouched happily.
âKon-chan!
âKon!
The little fox, with its magnificent golden fur, jumped into Kaedeâs arms.
Obi nodded regretfully.
âTo think that this little animal is really the White Fox God.
âIs he a strong monster?
âYes, heâs still young, but when he grows up, heâll be a very powerful one. Itâs a rarer species than my Orthrus.
Oh, so heâs just like Obiâs wolf. It looks like a pretty strong animal to be honest.
âOh, Kon-chan!
âUm.
But then Kon-chan bites my leg.
Frau and Panda were smiling.
âIt looks like heâs jealous. You have Kaedeâs scent on you, my Lord.
âKyui.
âIâm embarrassed that my master smells of me.
Hey, wonât someone get this little fox off of me? Itâs been biting me for a while now.
I stared at the little fox.
He opened his mouth with a snap and rolled his eyes, then plopped down on the ground and showed his belly as if to be petted.
âHe has realized that he is no match for you. He gave up easily.
âKyu.
âExactly. The master is the master after all.
âKon.
The little fox lifted its tail and howled helplessly.
At the top of the staircase, there is a stone gate, through which you can see the vast grounds.
The top was paved with stones and lined with fine wooden buildings. In the center of the area, several white wolves were at work.
âWhen this is finished, we will have dinner.
They are probably rebuilding a building. And the person who held the plans and gave the orders was Grandfather Yatsufusa.
But⌠Why is he dressed like that?
He is wearing a loose-fitting navy-blue dress and a headband. His shoes have an unfamiliar shape and design.
âYatsufusa-sama, Toru-sama has arrived.
âWhoa! I beg your pardon, master. Iâm sorry for making you walk to this place without welcoming you. Itâs not as clean as our home, but weâre going to serve tea in a moment, so make yourselves at home.
Grandpa Yatsufusa said as he bowed to me with a big smile.
I had a feeling before that Grandpa Yatsufusa didnât get along very well with Kaedeâs grandmother, and after what I had just witnessed, he made it clear.
âUm, Yatsufusa-sama, where is the obaba-sama?
âAh, she⌠Sheâs on the other side. Sheâs not ready to move yet, but sheâs in a condition to talk, go and reassure her.
âYes! Master, may I leave you alone for a moment?
I nodded at her request, and she quickly ran off with the little fox at high speed.
The other side must be the realm of the celestial beasts. So, I must assume that the white fox does not live here.
âIâm so tired from climbing those stairs, is there anything sweet I can eat?
âKyuiď˝
âThe fairy girl has just arrived at the right time. I just made some delicious Daifuku.
âWhatâs a Daifuku? Is it something delicious?
âKyu!
Frauâs eyes sparkled after hearing that unfamiliar word.
âThis is delicious ď˝!
âKyuď˝
Frau exclaimed as she squirmed with excitement after chewing the snack.
It has a rather unusual texture, but itâs sweet and very addictive. I wonder how they will elaborate it?
âI hope they like it, itâs my favorite candy. After a hard dayâs work, tea and this is the best thing ever.
âYouâve lived long enough to know whatâs good. Then Iâll pat you on the shoulder for showing me this treat.
âOh, I like the sound of that. In that case, Iâll give you some more, eat as many as you want.
âThank you, Grandpa!
âFufu, how cute are the kids.
Donât let my looks fool you, Iâm 28 years old.
I grabbed my cup, and proceeded to pour some tea, then poured it down my throat. It tastes nice.
âWhy are the old guys building it again?
âWell, I suppose they could have, but theyâre always liable to get into trouble. So I had no choice but to take the job. And that old lady and I have a long history, so I canât leave her on her own right now.
âYouâre a good friend after all.
âNo! Itâs different! I⌠I had no choice but to do it.
Hmm, I guess Grandpa isnât so honest with himself.
I ate another Daifuku and looked down from the top of the stairs.
Itâs a nice view. And itâs also a very peaceful place to live. I wonder if Kaede grew up looking at this every day.
âAre you Toru-sama?
I turned around and saw three women with white cloths on their faces.
They all have white fox ears and tails, and wore white coats with long red undercoats.
âYes.
âTamamo-sama wants to see you. We will show you the way, follow us.
The women lead us to an old hut on the grounds. Inside, as expected, there was a mirror, and one by one the women entered it.
After them, we proceeded to enter.
Inside the mirror, deep darkness reigned.
Bamboo groves grew on both sides, and the straight path was flanked by oval luminaries that glowed dimly.
When I look up, I can see the starry sky through the bamboo.
It always seems to be night in this area of celestial beasts.
The rustling of the leaves in the quality breeze, gave a feeling of mistrust clinging to my body.
âI feel as if I am being watched.
âKyui.
âItâs likeâŚ
Beyond the bamboo grove, purple flames with skulls are running through the air.
âPlease be careful. There are monsters here.
âIf you stay away from us, you might get eaten.
The three women started laughing, I wonder whatâs so funny.
Are there really monsters? If so, what kind are they? Now curiosity is killing me.
âHey, is it possible that I can see them?
âYouâve got to be kidding me. Now is not a good time.
I proceeded to pick up one of the skulls surrounded by purple flames, and looked at it closely.
I think itâs an undead, but of a type I donât remember. The flames are not an illusion, they are really burning.
This place is really interesting. I wish I could explore it further.
âIâm surprised youâre able to take one of those things. I guess thereâs a reason Kaede-sama chose you as her teacher. Although, grabbing one of those things in your hand isâŚ
The voice of the women guiding us seemed to whisper.
Maybe itâs one of those things Iâm not supposed to take? Or is it related to the monster that inhabits this place?
âDonât let us out of your sight.
After those words, we proceeded to follow the women more closely.
Cemeteries with countless fire skulls flying around us, a meadow full of black rock massifs, swamps full of croaking frogs, and a crossroad lined with countless stone statues of corrosion, were places we ended up crossing as soon as we entered the mirror.
But as soon as we reached the meadow with its white flowers, I felt that this guide would soon come to an end.
Again, the scenery returned to the bamboo forest and we arrived at a large wooden gate.
âYour guests are here.
âPlease open the door.
âPlease open the door.
At the sound of the three womenâs voices, the large, thick doors creaked open.
On the other side of the door was a magnificent house.
The three guides entered the house in silence.
âPlease wait here.
We were ushered into a room in front of a sliding paper door. And after a few brief moments, the door opened by itself.
At the back of the room, a woman exhales smoke languidly. She appears to be in her mid-thirties, and the first thing that catches the eye was her long white nine-tails.
She was a woman who dressed elegantly, and at the same time showed a great cleavage where her breasts were in full view.
âSo, youâre the boy who protected my pretty Kaede.
âYes, Iâm Toru, this is FrauâŚ.
âYou donât need to introduce yourself. Kaede already told me.
The woman discarded the ashes from the smoke pipe into the brazier.
This woman is Kaedeâs grandmother? Somehow I thought she would have lived as long as Yatsufusaâs grandfather, but she looks young and terribly bewitching.
Her gaze, her gestures, her words, everything has a mysterious quality that makes men fall in love with her.
âThank you for bringing Kaede here. Now, I would like to know⌠Have you already done anything indecent with her?
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