The Allure of Seven Tails
The formless shadow, the wildcat yokai tale — After That (3)
Seven-tailed Miho exuded a presence so overwhelming that the male civil servants at the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office found it almost violent. "It's been a while, everyone," she greeted them, and three men foamed at the mouth and fainted. Ten began making perverted breathing sounds. Five had their eyes turn into literal hearts.
…Anyway, the male staff's reaction to seeing Miho with all seven tails out bordered on outright madness.
"I withdraw my support for Lady Miho…! From today onward, I shall become one with Lady Miho…"
"One with her? Hey, you bastard, that's blasphemy!"
"Take it back… those words…!"
The employees' condition grew more severe by the day. It seemed her charm ability grew stronger the more tails she manifested. As for how the director knew about Miho's charm ability — well, right now, she was in his office openly explaining it to him.
"Every yokai absorbs yokai energy in its own way. For fox yokai like me, it's either eating livers or absorbing the vital energy of human males."
"Then, Lady Miho, have you perhaps…" The director swallowed the rest of his question, worried it might be too rude.
Miho nodded, understanding exactly what he wanted to ask. "As you know, Director, I'm still just a two-year-old young yokai. I received abundant yokai energy from the blue-light fox, so I don't need to suck anyone's vital energy or eat livers. Besides, I never had any intention of doing that in the first place. Why would I?"
"That's a relief…" The director had been privately worrying about what to do if Miho started draining the staff's vital energy.
"Besides, when I bring out seven tails, I seem to evolve from a yokai into a spiritual beast, so there's even less reason to absorb vital energy."
Miho then began explaining her current physical condition to the director in as much detail as possible. The more tails she manifested, the stronger her instincts became. Her charm also intensified. She began consuming spiritual power instead of yokai energy. That was why she no longer registered on yokai-energy detection radars.
The director was taken aback by Miho's straightforward, no-nonsense information sharing. "Lady Miho, isn't this a bit too much detail? I'm feeling rather burdened."
"What's the big deal? We're allies anyway. If you betray me, I'll just consider it my own fault for trusting you."
"…I am always grateful for your boundless trust, Lady Miho."
"Anyway, the system operator seems to have given me this charm passive so I'd absorb vital energy, but it's becoming quite a burden even for me. The staff are starting to get scared of me."
Miho compared her ability to a game. The director wholeheartedly agreed. If things continued like this, a major incident was inevitable.
"…It's a bit awkward for me to say this myself, but I'm also reaching my limit resisting it, Lady Miho."
Indeed, even the director, who had been gritting his teeth and resisting her charm, was nearing his breaking point. For some reason, his gaze kept drifting to her ample breasts. Every time they swayed, his heart lurched. His pulse raced whenever he looked at her face.
Miho sighed as she looked at him. "Wow. If even you are saying that, the charm must really be serious. Anyway, I've thought of a countermeasure, which is why I requested this meeting."
"D-Do you have a good solution?"
"Yeah. I figured it out while experimenting with Ha-neul."
Poof!
A cloud of smoke billowed from her body as she finished speaking. Her breasts had shrunk dramatically. Not just her chest — her height had decreased as well. She had become younger. Her tails were now three instead of seven. At the same time, the portable yokai-energy radar on the director's desk began detecting her again.
Three-tailed Miho spoke to the director. "How do I look?"
"You look adorable."
"And?"
"…"
"Is that all?"
"Yes, that's all, but is there a problem…"
"The charm is gone."
"Ah. Oh? I-I see! Indeed!"
* * *
Stumble, stumble.Pat, pat, pat, pat.
Three-tailed little Miho began wandering around the Yokai Extermination Office. Watching her, a male employee said, "Miho, don't run. You might fall."
"Okaaaay."
His voice wasn't filled with affection, but rather concern and fondness for a child. He even spoke casually instead of politely. Indeed, the charm had been lifted.
…Though it was unlikely, if any staff member became charmed by three-tailed Miho, they would clearly be a deviant who needed to be fired and handed over to the police immediately. Her mental age hadn't decreased along with her appearance, but because of how she looked, every little thing Miho did carried a lethal cuteness that struck both men and women right in the heart.
Rustle. Rustle.
Miho could be seen sitting in a chair reading a book. She seemed to be reading the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Her legs were so short that even when she climbed onto the chair, her feet didn't reach the floor.
A new hire, Grade 9 civil servant Ye Ji-hye, whose heart had been thoroughly bombarded by the sight, took out the dog treats she had ordered the night before and cautiously approached Miho.
She spoke to her. "Miho, want some treats while you read?"
Miho's gaze shifted to the treats. Then she turned her eyes back to the book, sounding uninterested. "No thanks. I don't really feel like forcing myself to eat them. Give me chocolate or cola instead."
"Hngh…"
Three-tailed Miho's tastes were different. It was pure elementary-schooler palate. For Ye Ji-hye and the other female staff members, who had made it a daily routine to offer Miho treats and pat her head, this was a truly tragic development.
Of course, there were good points too.
"Ah, Ms. Ji-hye, perfect timing. I had something to ask you."
"Yeah, what is it?"
Stumble, stumble. Miho moved to the bookshelf packed with historical records, then looked up and pointed at a book with her finger. "Can you take that one out for me?"
"Ah, you can't reach it?"
"Yeah… Using yokai energy inside the office feels weird, and manifesting tails is annoying."
"Don't worry, Miho! I'll do whatever you ask!"
"…Okay."
Ye Ji-hye was overreacting as if Miho had asked for something monumental. She approached Miho and, instead of immediately fetching the book, stared at her and said, "Call me 'unnie.'"
"…Huh?"
"Try it. 'Ji-hye unnie, please take the book out for me.'"
Calling her "Ms. Ji-hye" didn't suit a kid like her. "Ji-hye unnie" sounded much more fitting. Miho puffed out her cheeks in annoyance at Ji-hye's teasing, then began emitting blue light from her tails. Whoosh. She pulled the book out with foxfire.
"Uh…"
"That's not what I meant."
"Go away now."
"Hngh…"
She really was a ten-year-old girl with zero charm.
* * *
"Ah, I miss the busty Miho!"
"Hey, you bastard, the busty Miho isn't just Miho — she's Lady Miho."
"Ah, I miss Lady Busty Miho!"
Just as the male staff's complaints reached their peak, I took Lee Ha-neul deep into the mountains and began swinging the goblin club in my hand.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
As expected, nothing happened.
"Cute…"
Lee Ha-neul, who had come to help, didn't assist at all. Instead, she spread out a mat and started watching me like a spectator.
…I asked for help, so why are you just watching?
This is exhausting. My strength is lacking in this three-tailed kid state.
"Huff, huff… It's a bit hard in this state."
After speaking, I transformed into my seven-tailed form. Since the only one watching was Lee Ha-neul, there was no need to be self-conscious.
"Yeah, this is much easier. The eye level matches too."
"Ah."
Lee Ha-neul let out a disappointed sigh. Regardless, I continued swinging the club. Whether I poured yokai energy or spiritual power into it, the goblin club showed no reaction.
As I thought, the reason the "formless shadow" could use the goblin's abilities wasn't because of the club, but because it had taken on the appearance of a goblin. In that case, this club was nothing more than a bulky nuisance. I should've just given it to Hojun. If I took it to Sangun, he'd probably destroy it just like he removed the goblin horn last time.
"I want to try too, me too."
Lee Ha-neul, who had been quietly watching, stretched out her legs and stepped forward, saying she wanted to try. I handed her the club, figuring it was worth a shot.
Lee Ha-neul swung the club while even using her force ability. As expected, there was no reaction.
I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
Just as I was wondering whether I should take it to the Taoist Association and give it to Hojun —
Click. Tap.
"Huh?"
Click-clack. A sound rang out, followed by —
"I want to hug Miho!"
What the hell.
Lee Ha-neul's voice began echoing inside my head. My body moved on its own. Then, like a magnet, I was pulled tightly into her embrace.
I felt like I could resist if I used spiritual power, but since it wasn't an enemy using it… and given the circumstances, it seemed Lee Ha-neul had activated the club, so I didn't bother resisting.
Just as I was about to ask her how she had activated the club's ability —
"Eek, gross! You're too big! This feels weird!"
"…?"
Lee Ha-neul pushed me away and muttered, "I wanted to hug the three-tailed Miho, not the seven-tailed one!"
"…"
What am I supposed to do about that?