The Fox Sisters
A strange field where cherry blossoms scattered in a dizzying, endless flurry.
In the very center of it all, a pink fox was staring straight at us.
I knew exactly what this was.
It was the classic "tutorial boss" that always appears when you enter a new field in a game—the one designed to slaughter any newbie who dares to step foot in the area.
And there was only one entity in this region capable of such a thing.
I leaned toward Serika and whispered quietly.
"Serika... no matter how I look at it, that fox, isn't it 'that'?"
"...Yes. Judging by the way it speaks, it's almost certain. That legendary 1st Generation senior."
On the surface, it was just a cute, small, and squishy pink fox.
But dwelling within that form was a legend who had quietly 'cleaned up' every mutant creature and android in existence.
Code name: Sakura.
I never imagined she would look like this.
Truly, reality was stranger than fiction.
We had firmly believed she was a legendary 1st Generation 'android,' and naturally, we expected a cool exoskeleton, glowing red eyes, a cold, synthesized voice, and circuit overload as a basic feature.
But the reality is... what is this?
Were the people of the past all closet 'furries' or something?
Who could have imagined that a figure from such a serious legend would appear in such a cute, fluffy package?
"This is a bit unexpected, isn't it?"
"Still, we can communicate with her. Perhaps things will work out..."
Right, as Serika said, if I thought about it, we were the ones who made the aggressive joke first.
Talking about "boiling her for soup"—no matter how I looked at it, that was the worst possible way to make a first impression.
If she let it slide with just a little nip after hearing that, she was actually on the incredibly generous side.
What if she had been truly hostile?
While we were distracted by the cherry blossoms, she would have quietly crept up behind us and ripped our throats out.
But all she was doing right now was gnawing on Revi's arm?
For some reason, she felt just like a puppy.
However.
"Ch-Chanwoo! This talking fox is too vicious! Let's capture her right now and turn her into fox stew!"
"Revi, calm down! And for heaven's sake, where in the world is there a dish called fox stew?!"
"Fox stew, you say... You insolent brat! Weren't you the ones who threatened me first?! Ugh... wait. Hold on. Did you just say 'Chanwoo'?"
The fox, who had been bickering with Revi, suddenly whipped her head toward me.
As her gaze brushed over me, it felt like being targeted by a laser.
A silence so heavy it made my body flinch settled over us. She stared at me, then slowly furrowed her brows.
"You... you look just like a 'man'."
"...Me?"
"Yes. At first, I thought you were a tomboy-type android. But looking at you up close, your bone structure, your voice... it's too large and deep. It's a stretch to see you as a woman."
Her tone was nonchalant, but her eyes were strangely intrigued.
Like a cat that had discovered an unexpected toy.
She finally ignored Revi completely and approached me.
Her gaze was that of a hunter, a mix of curiosity and instinct.
And then, she suddenly lunged.
"Whoa?!"
"It's dangerous, Chanwoo!"
Both androids reflexively drew their weapons, but I could only stare blankly at the pink fox that had knocked me over and climbed onto my chest.
"Sniff... sniff sniff. Hmm, this scent..."
The fox rubbed her body against me, sniffing my neck, my chest, and my abdomen.
Her pink tail wrapped around my side, letting out ticklish, breathy sounds. I instinctively raised my hand to pet her fluffy head, but stopped myself.
Because she lifted her head and slowly opened her mouth.
"You... you really are a human."
For a moment, the cherry blossom forest seemed to freeze.
It felt like being hunted by a predator.
A cold chill ran down my spine, and my heart began to beat irregularly.
I was just lying there with a small, cute fox on top of me, but the feeling was... like a predator among predators, a white tiger sitting on top of a human.
Hostile intent detected from the target!
"I will initiate rescue immediately!"
Serika took aim with her sniper rifle, and Revi charged forward with her blade.
But.
Thump.
She had only jumped lightly, yet Revi's slash cut through nothing but air, and the follow-up counterattack was... a 'cat-paw kick'.
"Gah!"
Revi, down.
Bang, bang, bang!
Serika's bullets followed, but.
"Nom."
...She caught every single round in her mouth.
"L-lies?!"
And then, a headbutt.
Whack!
Serika, down.
She rotated elegantly in the air and landed smoothly back on my chest.
Then she said quietly.
"You wet-behind-the-ears brats... you don't even know enough to fear a tiger."
"Revi...? Serika...?"
"Rest easy. I didn't kill them. Just knocked them out for a moment."
...No, that doesn't make sense.
Those two weren't just common androids.
Serika was from an official elite unit, and Revi was a field-hardened veteran from a combat-specialized unit.
By current standards, they were top-tier in strength, reaction speed, and combat protocols.
And yet, that cute little fox did that?
One kick.
One headbutt.
That was it?
...It was a truly absurd sight.
I was so confused, knowing exactly how strong those two were. On top of that, the fox on my stomach didn't even change her expression, just calmly catching her breath.
Eventually, the moment I tried to get up in a panic, she rotated on top of me like she was jumping—once, twice, three times.
And then, the transformation began.
The pink fur melted away as if it were dissolving, and what was revealed underneath was dazzling skin.
Her fox ears remained, but long hair flowed down to her waist, and her lush, full tail drew an enchanting curve as it whipped behind her.
Her body became longer and more graceful, and a sheer, cherry-blossom-patterned kimono slipped off her shoulder, revealing a straight collarbone and soft cleavage that instantly captured my gaze.
Shining cherry blossom petals swirled around her, and she looked down at me with a sweet smile.
"You are... 'Wang Geon', aren't you?"
"...Excuse me?"
The sound of cold iron chains.
When I opened my eyes, my body was tightly wrapped in something glowing.
At first, I thought it was just simple rope or chains. But looking closely, it was alive. It moved like flesh, or perhaps liquid, tightening like a snake. Strange mechanical patterns were crawling across it.
"This doesn't look like a rope; it looks more like a magical snake..."
The more I moved, the tighter it squeezed. After struggling a few times, it had completely bound my arms and legs.
[Restraint Status: Total Restriction]
A system message appeared before my eyes, but the suffocating reality was far more vivid than the text.
The one dragging me along was none other than the pink fox... no, Sakura, who had now become a beast-kin.
Between the scattering cherry blossom petals, the hem of her sheer kimono brushed the ground, and her tail swayed leisurely in the air as she walked ahead.
I opened my mouth cautiously.
"Um... is your name really Sakura?"
She didn't answer.
Just as I was about to open my mouth again because the silence was awkward, she stopped walking.
Slowly, she turned her head back.
Her eyes were pink, but the depths of them were frozen cold.
"I... hate humans."
She seemed to have been smiling just a moment ago, didn't she?
That short, quiet remark sent a chill down my spine.
"If you offend me, with just a flick of my hand..."
Sakura raised her finger slowly.
It was as if she were lightly picking up a cherry blossom petal, but what was contained in those fingertips was pure killing intent.
"I could crush you to pieces."
Her tone was slow and her movements were elegant, but I instinctively realized it.
It was real.
This wasn't a joke.
She could kill me right now, just like this.
I shut my mouth.
After that, I followed her without another word.
It was an old path. Cracked marble occasionally showed itself beneath our feet, and cherry blossoms were still scattering above it.
Sakura walked through the middle of the massive cherry blossom forest as if it were nothing.
The petals, blooming strangely wide, were in full bloom regardless of the season, and beneath them, ruins that hadn't seen human hands in ages began to slowly reveal themselves.
What appeared through the dirt and petals were... rusted steel, collapsed iron structures, piles of broken wires, and the 17th Identification Preservation Base.
In the sea of cherry blossoms that were beautiful to the point of being alien, it was a collapsed structure buried like a corpse.
Dead sunlight poured in through the broken dome ceiling. On the walls, old red letters barely clung to the gaps in the peeling paint.
There is a god inside.
Do not enter.
Genetic data is alive.
When we opened the sealed door, dust and rotten air flowed out along with the sound of rusted machinery.
Even so, she entered without a care, as if she were very familiar with the place.
At the end of the path was a transparent glass tube.
And inside it, a beast-kin woman standing without a single movement.
...It was Sakura.
No, to be precise, it was the exact same face as Sakura. Her build was much smaller, and her expression was gentler and more delicate.
She had the appearance of a young maiden, but her silhouette was shaped with curves that seemed excessively sculpted, almost unnaturally so.
Thin, tight clothing, like a hospital gown, was wet and clinging to her body, and through it, her shoulder lines and cleavage were clearly visible.
It was a sensation styled more like a display doll than for medical purposes.
She stood suspended in the fluid, and while it seemed like she might be breathing quietly and slowly, that very serenity felt even more chilling.
I instinctively sensed something and swallowed my breath.
"...Who is this?"
Sakura stopped in front of the glass tube.
There was no more killing intent in her eyes.
Instead, suppressed emotions surfaced like a bruise.
"...She is my younger sister."
She spoke quietly, yet slowly.
"Humans... just before their extinction, they promised to treat this child in exchange for using me as an android."
However.
Her voice sank heavily.
"The form they 'modified' her into while claiming to treat her is what you see now."
A 'sex-roid' with absolutely no combat functionality.
"The humans... the scientists broke their promise to me, and under the guise of 'treatment,' they eventually turned my sister into a 'tool for sexual gratification'."
A suffocating silence.
The sister inside the glass tube was still floating, quietly asleep. That stillness was a life displayed without ever being able to wake.
"I... the moment I realized the truth, I killed everyone who was in that laboratory."
Sakura slowly reached out toward the glass tube.
"But, along with them... the only ones who could have awakened this child again also disappeared."
Her hand stopped just before touching it, and her head bowed quietly.
And finally.
Like a breath held in for a long time, a low, heavy word flowed out.
"I only heard the hint... that only a human could awaken this child again."