The Fox's Sensitive Tails
"... Mmm."
"...."
"Ung... ah..."
"..."
She probably thinks I can't hear her. Though with those twitching shoulders, it seems she's not even trying all that hard to hide it.
"Field Team Leader."
"... Why are you calling me? You already stopped touching."
Her delayed reply made it clear she needed a moment to calm the emotions that had been building. Her voice came out calm and indifferent, as if she were pretending my hands on her tails weren't affecting her at all. It was a little cute, so I let it slide.
"No... it's nothing."
Yet here I was, supposedly receiving my reward, and somehow the positions felt completely reversed.
"Huu..."
This is... nothing like when I touch them myself.
"Ungh..."
So this is why that monster lets him rest his head on her so obediently...
Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't enjoying myself. The feminine little sounds and reactions were distracting, but the nine-tailed fox's tails were so magnificent that even those rewards felt like interruptions. They were worthy of being called divine beasts rather than mere yokai. ... Baekseol. That name suits them.
"They're incredibly soft. So fluffy... and the color is beautiful. I can tell you take excellent care of them."
"Hmph. Of course. They're practically my own children."
Every hundred years, when a new tail sprouts, the joy was indescribable...
"I can feel how proud you are of them."
"It's no different from you humans constantly wanting to show off your cute children. Isn't it? After raising them with such care."
Each new tail apparently strengthened the fox yokai's power. It was probably similar to how people obsessed with fitness felt whenever another abdominal muscle defined itself. Naturally, they would treasure them.
"Then... having someone else touch them doesn't bother you?"
"It's different from someone gently stroking your child's head versus rudely shoving them around."
"... When you put it that way, I understand completely."
She wore an extremely confident expression. Separate from her usual high self-esteem, this seemed like genuine attachment to her tails, and I had no argument that they were exceptional.
"... Where?"
Well then... just how much counted as "rudely shoving"?
Poook...
"Hey...? What are you—?!"
I'd wanted to do this for a while. No, I'd wanted to do exactly this from the start.
"Huaaah..."
I wanted to gather all nine of these miraculous bundles of fur—each one capable of sending shivers through every nerve in my hands—into my arms at once.
"Hey?! Hey!"
"Huuup... haa..."
Soft masses of fur filled my embrace completely. How could something this perfect exist in the world? This was pleasure, pleasure... and more pleasure.
"Puhuuu..."
... And they smelled incredible. Burying my face in them felt like heaven itself. It was similar to being swallowed by Undine, yet different—the cool, slippery softness replaced by a warm, fluffy, fragrant sensation. Along with her sweet scent came the unique smell of fur, familiar and comforting to someone who already kept an overly affectionate cat at home.
"Hey...! You said you were only going to touch them! D-don't pull—!"
My brain had momentarily short-circuited from the overwhelming pleasure, so I didn't properly register her words. As she twisted in embarrassment, I kept all nine fluffy tails clutched tightly in my arms. The resulting tug was mutual fault, plain and simple.
Kwaaak...!
"Hik?!"
Her tails all stood straight up at once. I felt a chill run down my spine at the sudden intensity of her gaze, but before I could even think to brace myself, the crisp sound of impact reached my ears first. The pain followed right after.
Puh-uhk!
"Ghk! Kugh...!"
Shattering every stereotype about women leading with an open palm, her tightly clenched fist drew a terrifyingly natural arc and slammed straight into my abdomen. Strength drained from my arms like magic. The nine tails, now free, bristled their tips as if scolding me for my audacity.
Sorry, Baekseol. I didn't want you to hate me...
"... Pull them one more time and I really will kill you."
"... Cough... cough."
For someone threatening murder, her face was flushed bright red, which made the warning far less intimidating. Even her voice had lost some of its edge. ... Though the "kill" part still sounded sincere, it seemed she was willing to let it slide this once.
Thinking back, I'd seen her destroy public property in fits of anger several times, which had hardened my impression of her. But the Field Team Leader was clearly someone capable of holding that position. Before I grew close to the Founder, I'd once barely managed to cover her mouth when she nearly erased me for calling her a brat. Even when Scarlet and Dorothy attacked, she'd stayed on-site until the end despite being battered. She complained a lot, but when it truly mattered, she took responsibility and did what needed to be done.
"This might sound sudden, but... you really are a good person, Field Team Leader."
"... Hearing that from someone I just punched feels a little unpleasant, you know?"
Ah, right.
"Huu... Anyway, don't do that again. They're surprisingly sensitive...! That sort of thing."
Sensitive, huh... It was true that whenever I pulled Nero's tail from behind, she'd clamp down tightly in response. Maybe it had something to do with the connected position. Strong women really were weak from behind? ... I got briefly lost in lewd thoughts, but pulling the tails was clearly a red line. Still, hugging them seemed acceptable to some degree...
"Cough. I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself..."
"You... be careful. And keep doing what you were doing."
I'd hugged them without thinking. She looked like she wanted to comment on the flimsy excuse, but she seemed more focused on moving past her own embarrassed reaction.
"Ah, is it still okay if I keep touching them?"
"You still haven't stroked the third and seventh ones."
Oh... so they were individually distinguishable. Only two tails stood out prominently, wagging as if declaring "I'm the third!" and "I'm the seventh!" It was oddly adorable.
"Then, if you'll excuse me again."
Just being allowed to touch them was already an enormous privilege. And knowing I could do this every time I visited from now on... participating in her girlish love stories didn't seem so bad in exchange. Nine tails. Not two, not three—nine of them. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my stomach, I gently stroked them as if apologizing, and the bristled fur soon relaxed, accepting my touch and swaying contentedly.
Yet watching them drop their guard so quickly made a dangerous thought cross my mind.
... I wanted to pull them one more time.
I remembered the warning she'd given me. After all, it had been less than ten minutes since I heard it. She'd said she'd kill me if I pulled again. Yeah, she'd definitely said that. But seeing even the headstrong Field Team Leader blush and admit they were sensitive had filled me with the dangerous feeling that I'd discovered her weakness.
I shouldn't. She'd clearly warned me, and the first time had been mutual fault, so one punch had settled it. A second time would be deliberate, and one punch wouldn't be enough. My head understood this perfectly, yet for some reason my instincts were screaming at me to indulge my desire more than ever before. It wasn't lust or a desire to conquer—it was that foolish, primal instinct people say shortens the average male lifespan.
Gulp...
And right now, her tails were completely defenseless in my hands, purring softly. It felt like holding the detonator to a dangerous explosive. The part of me that usually chose compliance and patience seemed to have malfunctioned, because this time I chose the obviously risky adventure.
Kwaaak...!
"Kyeng?!"
Oh... a sound I'd never heard before.
Puh-uhk!!
And an impact far more vicious than the first.
The feeling of my jaw twisting... or maybe my shoulder, or my neck... a massive shock as if something were being torn away.
"You...! I told you not to do that!"
Through vision rapidly whitening over, the Field Team Leader's shrill voice echoed distantly, making it perfectly clear whose fault this was.
... Still, I had no regrets.