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Not until the sunlight filtering through the paper windows gradually tilted westward did the Japanese-style room finally quiet down.
Ding dong~
As the clear chime signaling the elevator's arrival rang out, the elevator doors slowly opened on both sides. A young man carrying a suitcase in each hand emerged.
The Chūō Ward—Tokyo's most expensive real estate—could sell even tiny forty-to-fifty square meter studio apartments at exorbitant prices. Usually, an entire floor connected four, five, six, seven, eight households sharing one elevator.
But in the apartment building where Bokue Keikain lived, each floor had only two doors—two units per elevator. More spacious, more private, and naturally the price multiplied accordingly. Similar to the apartment Yukino Yukinoshita lived in during high school in Oregairu, it basically qualified as luxury housing.
Inside the apartment—
Right now, Hagoromo-Gitsune resembled a little fox who'd successfully stolen grilled saury.
Unlike her sister who'd transformed into a nine-tailed celestial fox early on, Hagoromo-Gitsune's talent fell far short of Yasaka's. So even though these thousand years of continuous reincarnation had finally elevated her to nine-tailed celestial fox status, her strength still showed clear gaps compared to her sister.
Not just in combat ability, but also in—
"Mmm... alright, alright~"
Accompanied by Yasaka's voice from nearby, looking toward the sound revealed the blonde beauty currently extending both arms to embrace the young man before her around the neck. Her wide kimono sleeves concealed them both like a standing screen.
"Mou~ honestly... Bokue, you could let Ka-chan go by now, right? Besides, today's Hagoromo-Gitsune's main event. You should prioritize taking care of Hagoromo-Gitsune. How can you keep focusing on Ka-chan..."
"Because—"
Bokue didn't continue, just turned his head to indicate with his eyes the black-stockinged girl whose stamina bar was clearly nearly depleted.
To be fair, it wasn't that he kept focusing on Yasaka—it was that if they continued with Hagoromo-Gitsune, she might end up growing a tenth tail.
There had to be limits. Getting sent back into the reincarnation cycle because of this would be way too weird.
However, Bokue didn't just leave Hagoromo-Gitsune lying there. He turned sideways, reaching out to support the straight-haired sailor uniform girl's back, lifting her from the floor into his arms and settling her on his lap.
"Then let's rest a bit."
Saying this, Bokue used his other hand to lift the blonde beauty, withdrawing her from her station and moving her to the side.
A pair of fox sisters, one on each side.
Now it was just right.
"Sister really is blessed, encountering such a wonderful child."
Hagoromo-Gitsune gently rested her cheek on the young man's shoulder, her gaze following his chest as she smiled toward her sister on the other side—also low on stamina.
"Yeah... I guess so..."
Yasaka's cheeks already carried a faint blush. Hearing her sister's teasing made them flush even deeper.
But Hagoromo-Gitsune's next sentence made her face burn completely.
"So when exactly did Sister claim him?"
"...Eh?"
Yasaka first froze slightly, then stammered.
"That's... from what I remember, probably... maybe..."
Not that she really couldn't remember—how was she supposed to answer this kind of question?!
Though Hagoromo-Gitsune's talent had never matched hers since childhood, her mind worked far more cleverly. Otherwise she couldn't have created the reincarnation technique.
But being clever should be applied properly! Why suddenly ask about this now?!
"Hehehe, has Sister already forgotten?"
Hagoromo-Gitsune smiled slightly, teasing further.
"No, it's not that... how should I put this..."
The blonde beauty over there was still hesitating about how to tactfully reveal the fact she'd eaten a younger man, but Bokue had already spoken up for her.
"If we're talking about the first time with Yasaka, it was exactly ten years ago."
Ten years ago, hmm... hmm?
Hagoromo-Gitsune—whose soul age had long exceeded four digits—originally didn't think ten years was problematic. But thinking again, human lifespans differed vastly from demons. Ordinary humans lived at most brief centuries.
And given Bokue's age, ten years ago would have been emmm...
"I see."
When she looked up again toward the blonde beauty on the other side, Hagoromo-Gitsune's pitch-black eyes already held a knowing smile.
"I never knew Sister enjoyed this kind of play?"
"Uh... well, how should I explain... it's not what you're thinking..."
Seeing her cradle-robbing exposed, Yasaka's face flushed so red it nearly dripped blood.
"We demons don't really care about physical age. Plus, young Bokue was so cute and well-behaved, with such a likable personality. That was just..."
"Fox nature?"
Hagoromo-Gitsune completed the phrase for her sister.
Though she had no intention of mocking—just narrowed her eyes and made a request.
"So are there photos? I'd like to see."
"Photos, well..."
Yasaka was about to say yes, but reconsidering, all her photo albums were in Kunou's room drawers. If she went to get them, she definitely could, but right now she was covered in Bokue's essence. Plus Kyōkotsu was currently in Kunou's room too. If seen like this...
"What I looked like as a kid? Probably like this."
Huh?
Accompanied by the young man's voice from behind, Hagoromo-Gitsune and Yasaka suddenly felt emptiness beneath them, causing them to sit directly on the floor.
At the same moment, something new appeared in Hagoromo-Gitsune's lap.
Looking down, she saw a miniature Bokue sitting on her legs, his appearance having changed somewhat.
First, he'd shrunk from one-eighty directly to about one-thirty-something—from a well-built high schooler to a small elementary school boy.
His features were nearly unchanged, just more youthful and tender, but the aura between his brows was unmistakably him.
"B-Bokue? Why did you suddenly become like this? How'd you do it?"
Unlike Hagoromo-Gitsune who needed various details to confirm, Yasaka recognized him instantly, her cherry lips parting in surprise.
This matched her memories of young Bokue perfectly.
"How should I explain..."
Bokue shifted position to lean into the black-stockinged girl's embrace behind him, looking skyward as he thought briefly.
"Simply put, I can now change my physical form by altering my soul's shape. So I can freely switch between any age."
Right, I'll use this form when returning to Itogami Island—definitely going to shock Natsuki... the young man thought.
However, the moment this thought emerged, Bokue felt an extremely burning gaze from above.
Looking up, he saw Hagoromo-Gitsune's pitch-black pupils flashing wildly with love mixed with some deeper desire. Her lips moved as if murmuring something.
"Some things can't entirely be called Sister's fault, hehehe..."
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