Contract with the Fox
"Um, could I maybe... say no?"
"Keheng?! W-Why?!"
When I firmly expressed my refusal, the fox maid looked utterly flustered, sweating bullets and fidgeting anxiously.
"D-Does... that mean you don't like me...?"
It wasn't that. If anything, I kind of did like her a little. Her energetic vibe that gave you a boost just looking at her, those big ears and fluffy tail that were a feast for the eyes, and even her cleaning skills—putting it all together, her first impression wasn't bad at all.
But there was one reason I wanted to refuse anyway.
"I'm afraid I'll just get lazy if you stick around."
"...Pardon?"
Let me sum up what I knew about the fox maid so far. She'd received a favor from me and wanted to repay it by serving as my maid. I still didn't fully get it... but she seemed incredibly devoted to me. Which was exactly why I needed to keep her at arm's length.
Even earlier when we were cleaning, that was the case. Sure, we did it together, but she kept handing me the easy tasks while taking on all the tough stuff herself. Even though we were supposedly cleaning as a team, I was mostly just holding the trash bags she'd sorted, or honestly, it felt more like she'd done almost everything alone.
Could I really handle a maid like that in my current state?
"You saw all that piled-up trash earlier, right?"
"Ah, yeah..."
"Lately... well, some bad stuff happened, and I'm trying to shake it off and get back on my feet."
"Ah...!"
Of course, the "bad stuff" was just getting fired from my job... but hey, getting canned from a place I'd worked for ten years—not quit, but straight-up fired—counted as pretty bad, I guess.
"I don't remember it, but anyway, you received a favor from me thanks to that, and I totally get wanting to repay it."
"But right now, as I'm trying to rejoin society, if I start getting help that's way more than I deserve, I feel like my resolve to stand up on my own might weaken."
This was sincere. After two years of freeloading, I'd learned firsthand how lazy I could get. Who wouldn't want a devoted maid who'd do everything for you? Of course I'd love to kick back and let her handle it. But I knew that would make me even lazier, so no dice.
Sorry, but I had to refuse—for the sake of my future self.
"Ugh...!"
After hearing me out, the fox maid's face twisted in deep conflict.
"N-No, I can't!"
"!?"
Suddenly, she charged at me and clung to my leg like a koala.
"W-What are you doing?!"
"I can't just go back like this! I've been waiting so long to repay your favor, Daesung!"
"I'll do anything! So please, don't turn me away...!"
She was desperate, pleading like someone grasping at a sliver of hope, sobbing and snotting all over my leg.
"It's not like saying you'll do anything changes—"
"Then I won't do anything! Whatever you want, I'll listen! So please...!"
What the hell did past me do to her? What kind of favor could make such an amazing woman cling to me like this?
"...Haa."
She was begging this hard... maybe I should just accept?
Thinking about it, having her around didn't have to make me lazy. If I started slacking, I could tell her then.
As I glanced down at her, her wrecked face came into view. The bright, cheerful smile from when we'd met at the door was gone, replaced by a tear-streaked mess. Tears and snot smeared my pants, her perky ears drooping, her fluffy tail dragging limply on the floor.
"Kehheeng... keheng... sniff, keheeeeng..."
That weird, heartbreaking wail kept echoing in my ears.
...Fine. I'll think of it as saving one person and accept her. Definitely not because I want it easy—I'm doing this for her sake.
"...All right."
"Kehheeng... keeng...?"
"...I'll accept, so get up already. You're ruining your pretty face."
A bright smile bloomed across the fox maid's face as she heard me.
"R-Really...?"
"Yes, so hurry up and stand. My pants are done for."
"Keeng...! S-Sorry...!"
Only now did she seem to realize what she was doing, releasing my leg and stepping back.
"S-Sorry... I showed you something awful, Daesung... keheng..."
"...It's fine. If anything, I'm the one who's sorry."
"Huh? N-No, you don't need to apologize... why would you... I was the one being pushy..."
Her eyes and nose were still a pitiful mess, so I handed her some tissues.
"Here."
"Ah... thank you... khrung!"
She seemed to finally notice her face, blushing as she wiped away the tears and snot.
*
After that little commotion, an awkward silence settled over the apartment.
No wonder—she just threw that fit, so she's probably too embarrassed to speak easily.
Her face was red, whether from shame over her actions or not, and she couldn't meet my eyes. She should be happy now that I'd accepted her, but...
Glance.
Avert.
Every time our eyes met, she'd turn away. At this rate, we wouldn't talk all day.
"Ahem. So... what now?"
I cleared my throat awkwardly to prompt her, and she finally perked up her ears and looked at me.
"Ah, um... first off..."
She pondered for a second, then asked, gazing at me.
"Now that I'm your maid... could you give me a name?"
"...You really don't have one?"
"I-I really don't! Why would I lie to you about that?"
I'd thought she just didn't want to tell me, but she actually had no name?
There was still so much I didn't understand, but if she wanted one... fine. But what to name her? I'd never named anything before. Could the guy who always got stuck on character creation screens in games really come up with something fitting? This wasn't a game—it was a real person, and I'd be calling her that from now on.
"Hmm... uh."
"Whatever name you give me, I'll love it, so don't stress!"
What to pick? Since she's a fox maid, something fox-related might fit...
Then her soft, yellow-furred ears and tail caught my eye.
"...Bori."
"Pardon?"
"How about Bori? Sound good?"
For some reason, barley popped into my head—maybe because of her shining yellow fur. It felt right somehow.
"Bori... yes! I love it!"
"Anything from you would be great, but this one really clicks with me!"
Thankfully, she beamed, nodding happily—it suited her perfectly.
"Glad you like it. So... Miss Bori?"
"Looking forward to working with you."
I bowed politely, and Bori wagged her plump tail slowly side to side as she bowed back.
"Yes! Me too!"
And so, our household gained a maid today.
*
"I've hired you now, Bori, but do you have a place to stay?"
"Ah, I do... but couldn't I stay here?"
"....."
She asked it so matter-of-factly, like it was the most natural thing.
...Did I choose too hastily? Starting to regret it a bit.
"...You mean live together, just the two of us?"
"What's wrong with that? It's not like we're strangers—you and me!"
"No."
"Keheng!?"
We'd only met today. Sure, now it was employer and maid, but still...
"B-But I'm your maid now..."
Rejected once, she tried charming me anyway, smiling shyly and swishing her tail as she gazed up.
"Won't work, no matter how you look at me."
"Keheng..."
Did she think her cuteness would win me over? Almost did. But I couldn't budge on this.
How could I live with a woman I'd just met? Even a guy like me with zero game knew to refuse that.
"Fine... then later?"
"Not later either."
"Hiiing...!!"
I seriously didn't get it. Why was she so desperate to stay together?
"What's so great about a scruffy, hairy old guy like me."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
After that, we parted ways without incident. Since I'd decided to hire her, I had the AI draft a simple contract, printed it out, and handed it over. I wanted to make the terms generous, but my finances weren't great, so I couldn't offer much pay—yet Bori signed without hesitation.
This is practically a scam deal.
Naive? Pure? Whatever it was.
Once the contract was done, she said she'd come by tomorrow with her usual bright smile and headed out.
Tomorrow and every day after, apparently.
And so, the hectic day came to an end.