A Fox's Bold Proposal
My mind was a tangled mess. As I trudged up the school stairs, Kim Jihye's words from yesterday bubbled up unbidden.
'Enroll in the Sorcery Youkai Academy and deflower a female youkai who looks like she's brimming with yin energy.'
I could understand stepping into the boundary of the extraordinary. But that directive? It veered straight into the realm of the utterly absurd for me.
From the start, I'd taken Grandmother's dying words to heart and avoided women like the plague for years. No way could someone like me pull off something that ridiculous.
"...This is driving me insane, for real."
I scratched my head and pushed open the door to our classroom.
I always arrived early, so the room was usually empty when I got there. But today, someone greeted me.
"Han... Hanjun."
Miho flashed an awkward smile and waved at me. Her long black hair fell neatly over her shoulders, her brown eyes sparkling. Seeing her like that, the image of her fox form overlapped in my mind. It hit me anew just how impossibly beautiful both versions were.
I swallowed hard and waved back. "Hey, Miho."
I stowed my bag, pulled out my chair, and sat down.
The classroom was empty except for us. Even though she was my desk mate, right next to me, a heavy silence hung between us.
And for good reason—yesterday's events kept replaying in my head.
Looking at her fidgeting like that, I could picture what lay beneath: her flawless white skin, her cute innie navel, and even further beyond.
Miho seemed to be thinking the same thing; her cheeks flushed pink as she hesitated to speak.
We sat there quietly for a while, not saying a word.
"Um... Hanjun?"
Miho broke the silence first.
"Y-yeah, Miho?"
I forced the most natural smile I could muster and met her gaze.
She fidgeted with her lips, then leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
"So... will you come to the art room again at lunch today?"
The art room. The place where I'd pretended to be hypnotized and we'd gotten up to all sorts of things.
She was inviting me back to that loaded spot. Her eyes were brown this time, not the piercing red, but my answer was already set.
"Yeah, sure."
We both had a ton of questions for each other, a ton to talk about. But none of it was stuff we could say here in class.
The art room was perfect for a secret rendezvous, so we agreed to meet there again.
Lunchtime. My head swirling with thoughts, I wolfed down my food and headed to the art room.
It was smack in the middle of the hallway, and people rushed past me without a second glance—even though the room should be locked during lunch. They just kept going about their business.
Miho's barrier must've been some kind of cognitive dissonance spell. I ignored the unpleasant tingle prickling my skin and slid the door open.
There she was, waiting for me. She looked shy, grinning bashfully.
"Ha... Hanjun, you came?"
"Y-yeah."
My neck itched for no reason. I scratched my head and plopped down naturally at her desk—the same spot where I'd sat pretending to be under hypnosis.
Miho's cheeks turned pink as she averted her eyes. I wondered why until I realized where I was sitting. Memories of our intense kisses flooded back.
"......"
Silence settled over us again. But this wasn't a cold quiet—it was thick, sticky, sweetly lingering.
As I cleared my throat to lighten the mood, Miho spoke up.
"Hanjun, I heard from Jihye unnie. You're heading to that otherworld academy next week, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Come to think of it, on her first day, she'd muttered something in class about being glad she'd come to the human world. I figured she'd lived in the otherworld before transferring here.
"Um... Hanjun. This might sound weird to bring up now, but... I'm a youkai."
Two fox ears popped up on her head. They twitched nervously, matching her mood.
"Youkai come in all kinds, but think of me as a fox type? You know gumiho, right...?"
"Yeah, I know."
How could I not? Gumihos were in every folktale and K-drama. Any Korean would know them.
I nodded, and Miho waved her hands frantically.
"Not...! I don't eat people's livers or anything! Don't worry!"
Her fidgety cuteness made me smile warmly as I watched. She kept explaining.
"Youkai have clans based on their traits. Mine's the Fox Tail Clan. The tails on our backs symbolize our power."
She swallowed hard and slowly shifted her form. Her black hair turned snowy white. Her brown eyes became glowing red fox eyes.
Now fully in fox mode, she asked cautiously, "Wh... what do you think? Hanjun."
"Think of what?"
I'd known she was a youkai for ages. When I asked what she meant, she shook her ears and glanced downward.
"This... this form... since I'm not human... does it weird you out or something?"
She tapped her toes on the floor, avoiding my eyes. I stared at her a moment, then blurted out,
"What are you talking about?"
"...Huh?"
She peeked up at me. I repeated myself, tilting my head like she was talking nonsense.
"Weird how?"
Her ears perked up, and she mumbled softly, "Because I'm a youkai... not human... maybe it's gross or..."
"Gross?"
"...It could be, right?"
Somehow, I was the one asking questions now. Miho fidgeted under my gaze, peeking up at me.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"What the hell are you saying, Miho? Look at yourself."
Her perky ears and fluffy three tails. It was a look that might divide tastes, but with those slightly upturned eyes and her alluring features, no one could hate it.
I assured her firmly. "I guarantee you, no one could hate how you look."
Her triangular ears shot straight up. Overwhelmed, she stared at me and grinned wide.
"Hehe."
Her lips curved up, tongue flicking out teasingly. I flinched involuntarily at the provocative sight, and she quickly schooled her expression into something sweet and coaxing.
"So, Hanjun, you know I lived in the otherworld, right?"
"Yeah, youkai usually stick to the other side unless they pass the tough screening from the sorcerer-youkai council."
She nodded cutely and continued. "Truth is, I was kind of a troublemaker there... Even though I inherited the blood of the chosen Fox Tail Clan, I could only handle three tails."
"Isn't three a lot?"
"No. My sisters have five and seven. Mom can even do nine... So I was the family disgrace."
"......"
Her ears drooped sadly. I wanted to encourage her, but as an outsider who knew nothing, I kept my mouth shut.
"My sisters and mom said it was fine, but I couldn't take it. I... couldn't forgive my own flaw."
Miho shot up from her seat and approached me slowly.
"So I ran away from the otherworld... and came here..."
Mid-sentence, she spun around. Curious, I watched as she slowly slid down her skirt.
"...?! M-Miho?!"
Her pristine white butt crack came into view. I panicked but couldn't tear my eyes away.
Bent over, she glanced back and whispered, "See?"
"Huh?!"
I blinked in shock, and she wagged the tails above her ass proudly. My eyes followed, and I noticed something new.
"Whoa...? You grew another tail?"
Fluffy tails sprouted above her crack. Below them, a tiny, downy one swayed in sync with the bigger ones.
Fascinated, I reached out and grabbed the little one.
"Eek... Ah?!"
Miho jolted and pulled away from me.
"S-sorry."
I apologized quickly. Blushing, she hiked up her skirt.
"N-no, it's okay. The new one's sensitive, so be careful next time."
She straightened her clothes and went on. "After what happened with you yesterday, my controllable yin energy shot up, so the fourth tail grew... So..."
She stepped closer again, a meaningful look on her face.
"I'm gonna muster my courage and go to the otherworld with you, Hanjun."
She reached out slyly and grabbed my hand. Cupping it with both of hers, she placed it against her chest.
"I'm still scared, but with you, I think it'll be okay. And I can't imagine being away from you anymore..."
Her red eyes flashed. Breathing hotly, she whispered, "So... Hanjun, will you stick with me from now on?"
She slowly drew my hand deeper into her chest. The soft give of her breast and those shimmering red eyes had me hypnotized.
I couldn't refuse her proposal. Staring at her like I was entranced, I finally murmured,
"Yeah, Miho. Let's go together."
"R-really?! Yay...!"
Miho threw her hands up in joy, cheering. She was so thrilled she bounced around the art room.
Foxes must be related to dogs—I could tell from her wagging tails flapping everywhere.
She circled the room like that for a while, not caring if her panties flashed. Eventually realizing how rowdy she was, she blushed and glanced at me sheepishly.