The Gumiho's Soft Tails
I scanned Lina up and down with a suspicious gaze.
“Kyaa…”
Mom had warned me, but seeing her double over, face twisted in pain, made my heart twinge.
Even if the kid was a bit off, she was still my longtime butler…
“Kyuu.”
Come here.
I flicked my tail and beckoned. Lina approached with a reverent, tearful expression, kneeling gracefully before me.
“…I should probably be more careful.”
“Blanc-nim… Are you worried about me?”
“Kyung.”
Shut up and stay still.
I stretched out my front paws and lightly pressed them near the spot where she was clutching her belly, then blew a surge of divine power straight into her body.
Warm golden light began to gently wrap around Lina’s wounded form.
“Kyung! Kyuu!”
You’re all better now, right?
Lina blinked, eyes clearing as if she’d been jolted back to her senses.
She bounced once in place, then rubbed her still-aching belly and cheeks before exclaiming in surprise.
“Yes! The pain that came from the misunderstanding with Mother… has completely vanished, as if it was never there! Truly, thank you, Blanc-nim!”
“Kyuu.”
Good. Now go rest.
I brushed my paw, turned my head, and ignored her.
“…She really is a good kid… I wonder what Mom did to her.”
From a hidden spot in the corner of the dining hall, the head chef crept closer with cautious steps.
“Um… Divine Beast-nim.”
Sweat beaded on the chef’s forehead.
“Given that His Majesty promised… I venture to ask. Among the dishes we served today, could you tell us whose cuisine pleased your palate the most… and give us the ranking?”
Swallow.
The moment the words left his mouth, the lineup of chefs at the back of the room all swallowed dryly.
Their hungry eyes locked onto me.
“Ah, I was asked to pick the number one.”
I thumped my swollen belly a couple of times and scanned the table.
The salmon and abalone dishes were excellent. Everyone had poured their soul into every bite.
But still, that one was the best.
I leapt down from my seat, turned my head, and gently took the empty plate that Princess Kailian had first fed me.
Clink.
I carefully gripped the plate in my mouth and placed it at the hidden chef’s feet.
“Kyung! Kyuu!”
This is the winner! The galbi-jjim I ate first!
“Waaaaah! I made it! My galbi-jjim is number one! I beat the head chef!”
“Kyung…”
Hey… you’re right over here listening.
As I set the plate down, the young chef who had invented the specialty dish collapsed to his knees, fists clenched, and began sobbing.
“Mom! You saw it! I finally surpassed the head chef and conquered the Divine Beast’s taste buds!”
Tears and snot flying as the chef celebrated, the other chefs either hung their heads in defeat or clapped for the victor with envy.
“Divine Beast-nim! I am deeply grateful for ranking my dish number one! From now on, I shall devote my life to serving the Divine Beast’s meat dishes!”
The chef dashed forward, dropped to his knees, and prostrated himself before me.
“…Don’t die.”
I wagged my tail and gently shook my paw in his direction as if cheering, offering words of well-wishing.
“Kyuu, kyung.”
Good. If you survive, I’ll ask you to cook deliciously again in the future.
After the lively feast with the chefs, I headed to the garden to digest.
A warm afternoon sun bathed the grassy lawn.
“Urruuung… gyaarung…”
I curled up in the sunniest spot, flipped onto my back, and lazily purred.
The sadness of Mom leaving seemed to dull for a moment in the warmth of the sun and the delicious food.
Just as I drifted into the sweetest nap, a burst of lively footsteps and a voice both familiar and cheerful echoed from afar.
“Oppa! Oppa!”
Lumia came flying straight to my side, rubbing her cheek against my fur and clinging tightly.
“Let’s play! I’ve been so bored staying in the room the whole time. Play with me, okay, Oppa!”
Lumia wagged her tail, tugged my ears, and pouted.
“Ah… I’m really sleepy right now.”
I glanced sideways at the complaining Lumia.
And took the ultimate measure to shut her up.
Swish.
I spread my two front paws wide, scooped Lumia right off my body, and pulled her into my chest.
I pinned her so she couldn’t move.
“Kyuuung.”
Noisy. Just sleep next to me.
I wrapped my arms around her and tangled my legs, and Lumia instantly became completely immobile.
“Where are you going, Oppa…”
“Uuu… I wanna play too….”
Lumia stuck out her lip, wriggled in my arms, and pouted.
“Hehe… But Oppa’s arms are so fluffy and warm.”
After a moment of resistance, Lumia gave up, wagged her tail happily, buried her face in my chest, and closed her eyes.
“My, how close the two of you are. Just watching makes my heart feel all tingly.”
Gumiho, following behind Lumia, covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched our peaceful scene.
Gumiho turned her gaze toward Princess Kailian, who was sitting comfortably at an outdoor table in the garden, sipping tea.
“I hear His Highness has been busy with you. Even this morning, I heard you were depressed because Blanc had separated from Mother.”
Gumiho lifted the teacup she had been given and spoke gently.
“I am truly glad to hear that His Highness’s gentle care has helped Blanc regain her spirits.”
As Gumiho praised her, Kailian set her teacup down and gave a light laugh.
“I didn’t do much personally. I just got the head chef to work and fed Blanc lots of delicious meat.”
“Kyuu.”
What are you saying? You were scared earlier and startled me
Kailian’s inner thoughts were so obvious that I let out a tiny chuckle. As expected, my butler isn’t very honest.
While lying in the warm sunlight with Lumia in my arms, my vision suddenly caught something soft and tempting.
Swish, swish.
The nine large, fluffy tails of Gumiho, standing beside the outdoor table.
Every time the silky strands of fur fluttered in the breeze, an instinctive beastly curiosity and strange urge stirred inside me.
“That… I want to hug it tightly.”
I involuntarily swallowed.
Even Lumia, who had been pretending to sleep in my arms, suddenly opened her eyes and stared fixedly at Gumiho’s tails.
Swish.
Our gazes met in midair.
Nod.
We understood each other without words.
Just as Gumiho was about to turn back toward Kailian and continue the conversation…
Taat!
Lumia and I kicked off the grass and sprang up together.
“Kyaaang!”
“I got it!”
We both lunged at Gumiho’s beautiful, large tails and hugged them with both arms.
“Huuu…”
Startled by the sudden tail grab, Gumiho let out a sharp cry, her legs weakening, and collapsed to the ground.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“Kyuu! Kyuu!”
Wow! This is seriously super fluffy! The feeling is amazing!
“Hehe! Mom’s tails are so soft! Like clouds!”
Ignoring Gumiho’s bewildered expression, Lumia and I flopped down and rubbed our faces against her tails, nuzzling vigorously.
It was a heaven of pure sensation. Different from my own fur—silky, rich, and irresistibly soft.
That’s why people wear fur coats… I want one too.
Different from Mom’s—another charming feeling.
“Haah, you really…”
While we were frolicking in the tails, my hind leg was suddenly grabbed and lifted into the air.
“Ky, kyuu?”
Lumia, on the opposite side, was held by the scruff of her neck and dangled beside me in midair.
Gumiho’s face flushed bright red. She narrowed her eyes and glared at us menacingly.
“You two… I’ve told you many times that tails are extremely sensitive areas. If you grab them suddenly, you’ll scare me.”
“Kyuuu…”
Sorry… the tails looked so fluffy that I couldn’t help myself.
I let my ears droop and whined pitifully, and Gumiho, who had been about to scold us, soon sighed deeply in defeat.
“Haaah… Okay. Okay, so stop making that face.”
Gumiho carefully set us back down on the ground.
Then she gently pushed two of her most lush tails toward us.
“Instead… just hold them gently. Pet them slowly and carefully. Got it? Absolutely do not pull hard.”
“Kyuu! Kyuu!”
Yes! We’ll be super gentle!
Lumia and I nodded vigorously and began playing with Gumiho’s tails again, stroking and combing them with the most careful, gentle touches.
Gumiho’s narrowed eyes softened into a pleased smile, as if she was enjoying our gentle hands.
“Ah, speaking of which, Blanc.”
While we were still playing with her tails, Gumiho suddenly looked thoughtful and asked, staring down at me.
“I was cleaning your room with the maids earlier and saw something. There was a strange branch lying under your bed—what is that?”
“……Kyuu?”
Strange branch?
“Ah… something I borrowed from Grandpa.”
[Strange Branch]