Chapter 181-1

Chapter 181-1

[Part 1/4]

"Well then. My cute and silly little stepsisters. Shall we have a fun study session here?"

This was a sweetly drawn-out declaration from a black fox, lounging in a grand seat in the elegant and tasteful hall of the mansion.

"......"

When the beloved black fox, Yoshinaga-nee, spoke suddenly, the little sisters, who had been causing chaos in the room with blood on the walls and food all over, looked at her. Everyone except one sister turned to her. The fox smiled at them, showing both coldness and affection.

"...Study, you say? I thought this was part of the guidance from big sister? Is there something more to it?"

The first to respond was the blue fox. She was checking some swords she had collected in the corner of the room. With a curious look, she cleaned the dirt off the blades and put them away. Even though she usually took things seriously, this little stepsister seemed a bit confused by her big sister's words.

"Exactly! Isn't it amazing? Multiple layers of Mayoke talisman and the boundary could be crossed so easily!"

Wearing a beautiful outfit borrowed from the costume closet, the peach fox twirled in front of a mirror, admiring her reflection. She sighed happily, pleased with her look, having added someone else's hair accessories, makeup, and perfume. She was the most vain among the stepsisters.

"Wow, but they were such easy targets, weren't they? Especially that little brat; just whispering in their ear made them spill all their secrets! Hahaha, as a member of the exorcism family, that's just too careless, isn't it?"

The yellow fox laughed loudly as it peeled the fur off the harvest hanging on the wall, holding her belly from giggling so much. Tears were even forming in her eyes. Yoshinaga-nee smiled a little, but inside, she was critical. Among the little stepsisters, this fox had lived the longest and had the second largest number of tails, but her rude behavior and shallow words were too much. Was she going to get careless and lose a tail?

"That childish trick isn't real studying, is it? The art of conversation, trickery, and charm is our foundation. It's natural to use our looks to make it easier... Don't you think so too?"

Yoshinaga-nee brushed off the fox trying to impress her and turned to the white fox sitting at the table. Despite the unpleasant smell, the little stepsister continued to eat the lavish meal on the table with her bare hands.

"...What is it?"

The young white fox seemed to realize the call directed at her a few beats late, stopping her hand that was grabbing the fatty pork stew. She looked to be in her late teens, but with the beast ears on her head and the 5 tails extending from her back, she was definitely not human.

A group of youkai foxes that disturb the land of Fusou. Among them, one of the particularly dangerous groups was Ruri's sisters. The little stepsister, who belonged to this group, wiped the sweet sauce from her mouth with her sleeve. It was a wild and clumsy behavior that was not fitting for a lady.

"Shiraki, that's rude. Don't ignore big sister's words!"

"Hehe, well, isn't it fine? At that age, it's still more about dango than flowers. It's more about eating than flirting, right? Isn't that just adorable?"

"Back when you were this small, you used to cry so much, but lately, you've become quite cheeky, haven't you? Just because you have more tails, are you feeling all high and mighty?"

The blue 6-tailed sister scolded the white 5-tailed fox, while the pink 7-tailed sister, the second largest tail yellow sister, and the other sisters each gave their own reprimands, warnings, or smiled while hiding their mouths with their sleeves, chirping and mocking. It was a lively and noisy exchange of words typical of a household full of women...

"Well, well, let's keep it down... You really worked hard this time, didn't you? Is it tasty?"

"...!?"

Warm breath made the white fox shiver, feeling the poison and mockery in it. With a giggle, she enjoyed her youngest stepsister's reaction, cherishing it from the heart, and then looked around at the other stepsisters to declare.

"Our race's secret technique among secret techniques. If you want to learn it... well, let's see. I'll teach it to the one who does the best on the homework I give!"

Since the secret technique couldn't be taught lightly, the black fox added this cheerfully.

"Homework, you say...?"

"What kind of homework is it? This unworthy stepsister will surely meet your expectations, dear big sister!"

The stepsisters, full of curiosity and motivation, all answered together, looking at Yoshinaga-nee, and then asked.

"Hehe. Alright. ...Don't worry. It will surely be easy homework for you, okay? After all, it's just scriptwriting."

"Scriptwriting?"

One of the stepsisters murmured, and Yoshinaga-nee nodded proudly.

"The scene is this: you are my sisters. As sisters with a big brother, put on a great performance. Prepare an entertaining and impressive scene, and in the end, capture his heart beautifully, okay? ...I'm looking forward to your forbidden and immoral story, you know?"

With a smirk, the black fox declared this. She then pinched the mandarin orange from the white stepsister's hands, showing it off as she played with it on her red tongue. Then, she bit into it.

Once again, she tasted the ripe, sweet mandarin. The same flavor filled her mouth once more.

It was a fragment of a distant memory from a certain fox...

* * *

"Uu... waaa... aaa!!!"

What was that scream? It echoed in a wild, desperate way. People rushed away, panicking. Most villagers lost their composure and ran frantically.

It was understandable. The Mōryō were terrifying creatures. Everyone knew this. But what appeared before them was far worse than anything they could have imagined. It was a monstrous being that surpassed all the childhood nightmares they had. Its sudden arrival brought chaos.

It had countless wide-open eyes all over its body, scanning its surroundings. Its legs were a mix of beastly, bird-like, and insect-like features, resembling giant mushrooms. Its jaw opened like flower petals, revealing sharp teeth. Tentacles, like wriggling earthworms, moved all around. Its dark red skin was slimy and glistened in the sunlight, giving off a nauseating smell. And it was massive──far bigger than a bear. It was no wonder the adults screamed and fled in terror.

"◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️!!!!"