The Fox Was Too Delicious to Refuse
"Keng..."
I’d lost a lot of money.
I had definitely hidden it carefully last night, but if I couldn’t find it, then all that work meant nothing at all.
My strength drained out of me, and I sank down onto the ground.
Tears were about to spill any second, but I was a strong and clever fox, so I forced them back down.
But maybe I was too crestfallen, because I only belatedly realized someone was approaching me.
"!!!"
I knew that smell. It belonged to the strange human from the alley, the one who had been plucking at his own fur and muttering to himself.
I hadn’t expected him to have followed me all the way out here, so I flinched in shock, then hurried into a defensive stance.
"Grrrrr!!"
Instinctively, I shot my tail straight up and let out a threatening howl while sharpening my senses, ready to flee or attack at any moment. Then a thought flashed through my mind.
I had hidden the ten thousand won here with great care.
But it wasn’t visible anymore.
The strange human was dangerous.
He was even a weird human who had been holding my fur and talking to himself.
He had followed me here.
That human had stolen the ten thousand won.
Yes, that’s right. I’m a clever fox! I didn’t lose my money, that human stole it!
I shouted, carrying all my indignation and anger in my voice.
"You’re the criminal, aren’t youaaa!!"
"...Huh?"
The human looked startled and asked back, but I was a fox consumed by fury now!
With the firm resolve to hear any excuses in hell, I lunged at him.
"W-wait!!"
Rushing forward.
I didn’t waste the chance while the human was still flustered and started sprinting at full speed.
Unfortunately, with my skill, I couldn’t just charge straight in headfirst.
So first I would throw my opponent off with my quick running.
"Huff... huff!"
"...?"
The strange human was looking at me like an excited puppy circling around its owner, but I was going to teach him how dangerous that kind of carelessness could be in the wild.
"Are you maybe asking me to play...?"
"!!!"
Seeing my all-out movement, I could no longer endure the human’s outrageously rude remark and decided to attack.
"Take that back!"
Chomp-
The strange human raised a hand to block my attack as I leapt at him.
But before my terrifying fangs, such a thing was useless. Uu... useless? Uung... useless?
...
Ah! It was useless.
"Grrrr!!"
"...Huh?"
I clung to the human’s hand and bit down mercilessly.
"...?"
Heh. Maybe my savagery had shocked him so much that he’d frozen stiff, because the human was just staring at me blankly.
But that didn’t erase the crime of stealing my ten thousand won.
As the saying goes, if someone steals, you cut off the wrist to punish the sin; I would bite down on the finger of the one who stole my money.
"Why are you suddenly biting me? It tickles."
"...Keng?"
"Oh, are you hungry?"
The human spoke with an awkward smile, but his words wounded the pride of the fox sleeping deep inside me.
I was attacking with everything I had... and he says it tickles?
Shocked, I stopped biting without meaning to, and when I saw his other hand coming toward me, I quickly let go.
"Gr... grrr!"
Then, though my momentum had dropped a little compared to before, I still growled at him.
And with cold sweat beading on me, I realized I was far too weak to deal with this human on my own.
At this rate, I had no chance of winning, so while sneaking glances at him I planned to run to Boss... no, to lure him over as bait that was me, then with Boss we would crush him one-sidedly... no, just a normal pummeling? One-sided pummeling?
...
For some reason I couldn’t remember the proverb, but the important thing was that with Boss, I could beat this strange human.
"W-wait!"
As I ran... no, lured him toward Boss, the human followed after me just as planned.
"Boss! Boss!!"
I called out to Boss, who was sunning himself on the rocks, and rushed over without even having time to catch my breath.
"Human!! Dangerous!! Strange human!! Huff, huff!"
I couldn’t explain properly because I was in such a hurry, so while I ran in circles around him to wake him up, Boss let out a huge yawn and got to his feet.
At the same time, the strange human appeared behind me as well.
"Ah, the mountain’s rough. It’s hard to move around."
"Boss! That’s the human!"
Standing beside Boss, I shouted triumphantly, just like a child tattling on someone to their parent.
"That human stole our ten thousand won!"
"He stole ten thousand won? What are you talking about?"
"Don’t play innocent! The ten thousand won I hid carefully disappeared!"
"I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. I didn’t steal it."
"Liar! Strangers are dangerous! A dangerous human was looking for me! He came out where I’d hidden my money!"
In other words, he was the culprit!
My perfect deduction left the human with nothing to say.
"Boss is strong! You’re in big trouble!"
At my cry, Boss slowly rose from his spot and strode forward with the leisurely composure of a true powerhouse.
Just as I was certain of victory because Boss was different from the rest, the human reached into his bag and held something out.
Heh. No matter what he did, it was already too late.
Boss was the cat who ruled this back mountain as his own territory.
Come to terms with your crime quietly after realizing Boss’s greatness, which even I couldn’t overcome!
"Do you want this?"
What the human took out was a small, narrow, unidentified packet.
Why would he pull out something like that instead of a weapon? Just as I was wondering what he was thinking, the human tore the packet open.
"!!!"
A seductive fragrance spread in an instant, and my nose twitched on instinct.
The smell was so rich, as if it had compressed the deep flavor of the sea itself, that I started to salivate without meaning to.
Could it be poison?! I can’t stop sniffing it!
I had never smelled anything like it in my life, and the tip of the tail that had been standing stiff with caution began to sway and flutter.
"I thought you might be friends with cats, so I bought some Churu just in case..."
"Churu?"
I felt like I’d heard of it somewhere, but it wouldn’t come into focus, like something blocked by fog.
What I did know for sure was that the food this strange human had taken out was no ordinary thing.
"Hah, you think something like that can beat me and Boss?"
"Meow."
"Boss?!"
Honestly, I wanted to run over right this second and lick up that Churu, but I was barely holding on with my superhuman mental strength.
But Boss had already gone over to the human and was licking the Churu clean.
"Boss!! Strange human!! Dangerous!!"
"Meow."
"Humans are just things to be bossed around? But he’s a bad human who stole our ten thousand won!!"
"No, I didn’t steal it..."
Even as I shouted, Boss kept licking the Churu with utter indifference, and watching his tongue slowly sweep across it made my mouth water all over again.
"Gulp."
Come to think of it, I still hadn’t eaten anything today, and last night I’d been so busy hiding the money that I hadn’t even hunted.
Rumble-
The delicious smell was making my stomach shout on its own, begging me to put that Churu inside it already, but I clenched my teeth and endured.
You think you can buy me off with Churu like this!!
You’re insulting me, human!!
"Want more?"
"Keng?!"
That was what I thought, anyway, but it was simply too delicious to refuse.
When I came to my senses, I could see myself licking away at the Churu with all my heart.
"It said it’d be fine to give Churu to foxes, but is it really okay to give this to a beastman?"
Chop, chop, chop.
The human muttered something and fretted, but for the moment I just diligently licked up the Churu that had entered my mouth.
There was an old saying that a fox who eats well even has nice tail fur.
And in any case, this Churu was truly incredible.
The moment it touched my tongue, it melted away, and at the same time a rich, savory, salty flavor filled my mouth.
It tasted like the natural umami of fish that wasn’t fishy at all, along with the juicy savor of meat... chicken, maybe.
Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop.
So absorbed in the Churu that I forgot even to breathe, I suddenly felt something resting on top of my head.
But I was too focused on the Churu to care.
"My goodness, you’re so small and soft."
Only later did I realize the human had been petting my head, but at this moment the Churu was more important.
"Hmph."
It was a dirty trick, interrupting the story with the arrival of Churu, but now that I’d finished it all, there was nothing left to stop me and Boss.
Still, this human had given me Churu, so I decided to hear him out specially.
I put my guard up again and asked as impressively as I could, "What did you come here for?"
"Ah, you’ve got Churu around your mouth. I’ll wipe it off for you."
"Oh, thanks."
The human took out a handkerchief, wiped the Churu from around my mouth, and then, with my face clean again, I resumed my intimidation.
"Anyway! I can’t forgive you for stealing my ten thousand won just because you gave me one Churu!"
"...Should I give you another one?"
"I forgive you!!"
My tail started wagging on its own and the words burst out reflexively, but I quickly regained my senses and went on talking.
Of course, I carefully kept the Churu for myself.
Then the human cleared his throat and spoke.
"Ahem! First, why don’t we start with an introduction? My name is Han Yerin. I’d be grateful if you’d call me Yerin unnie."
"Ye...rin?"
"Yes, my name. And our friend here is called...?"
"Naru..."
"Naru? So your name is Naru. That’s an incredibly cute name."
"It’s not cute, it’s a brave name."
"R-right. I was thinking it was an incredibly brave name."
"Hmph... hmph."
It felt nice to have my bravery recognized, but I didn’t show it.
But the human... no, Yerin, seemed to be looking at something, and when I followed her gaze, I saw my tail swishing back and forth.
I was feeling embarrassed, like she had seen straight through me, when Yerin continued.
"Are you living here?"
"Yes."
At my answer, Yerin’s expression seemed to darken for some reason.
"Then... where are your parents?"
And when she asked me cautiously, I answered with pride.
"They left me behind."