A Fox's Mission

by Brandon Varnell

  “Owch!” Kevin pulled his mouth from her. Wincing, he touched the growing lump on his forehead, which he estimated was about the size of a baseball. “You hit me! Is that any way to treat the guy who just saved your life?”

  “Ufufufu, you should be lucky that I only hit you,” Kotohime informed him, standing to her feet. “Had anyone else done what you just did, I would have hurt them a lot more.”

  Kevin grumbled and climbed to his feet. At the same time, a crying Lilian slammed into Kotohime and buried her face in the woman’s bosoms. The maid, who Kevin realized was still naked, smiled tenderly as she stroked the Celestial Kitsune’s head.

  “K-Kotohime…”

  “I apologize for worrying you, Lilian-sama. I’ll try not to do it again.”

  Lilian shook her head. “I’m just glad you’re all right. If I had lost you, then I… I…”

  “I understand. Thank you. Hearing that you care about me so much fills my heart with joy.” Still holding the young vixen close to her chest, Kotohime looked at Kevin. “And thank you as well, Kevin-sama.”

  “Y-you’re welcome.” Kevin looked away, cursing. He knew that he was a growing boy, and that hormones tended to crop up at the worst times, but really, did he have to get an erection right now?

  So not cool.

  Kevin wished he had a shirt to give her, but all he had was his bodysuit, and if he gave her that, then he’d be the one going naked.

  It wouldn’t fit her anyway. He eyed her superlative bosoms. Her impressive bust was capped with rosy pink nipples. It definitely wouldn’t fit her.

  “Ara, ara. Kevin-sama, what are you looking at?”

  “N-nothing!”

  “It doesn’t seem like nothing. Am I going to have to hit you again?”

  “Urk!”

  As Kotohime teased him, and Lilian continued crying into her maid’s chest, Kevin heard the shouts of the others; Iris, Polydora, Christine, and the rest of the group who came with them. He turned to find everyone sliding down the crater. He smiled.

  I guess it’s over, at least for now.

  He frowned.

  But I can’t help but feel like we’re forgetting something…

  Sitting in a small clearing, with no one except the still-unconscious Heather to talk to, Phoebe discovered the true meaning of boredom.

  “I wonder where everyone is right now. I wish they would hurry up and come back to us,” she said, looking at Heather, who lay prone on the ground, dead to the world around her.

  Heather didn’t respond to her, naturally.

  Chapter 14

  After Party

  Standing on his balcony, a glass of vodka in his hand, Hebi stared at the mountain range that sat in the distance.

  It was evening now. The small piece of himself that he’d let act as head of the Lake Michigan base was dead. It was regrettable. Without the presence of himself and his children there to put the fear of the gods into them, the spider clan would once again become useless drivel. Such a sad state. If only their queen had been more intelligent and simply agreed to his terms, perhaps they could have proven to be more useful.

  “Such is life, I suppose,” he murmured to himself, smiling as he took a sip of his wine. “Ah, well, at least I learned something interesting.”

  After admiring the scenery for a little longer, Hebi eventually grew bored and wandered back inside. Marble columns lined the walls on either side. The white-tiled floor, which he slithered across, was polished to a gleaming shine.

  His mansion was not a large one, but he’d never been one for luxury. Truth be told, he preferred dark places, though he supposed living in such an opulent place had its uses. For whatever reason, people, both human and yōkai, admired those who had money—or at least appeared to have money.

  Appearing in front of a large set of double doors, Hebi strode through without a second thought, ignoring the two inu guarding it. The inside of this room wasn’t necessarily opulent, but it was nice. The carpet was a deep red, and it had all the amenities one expected of a bedroom. The bed upon which his guest sat on was nice, the best that money could buy, in fact.

  “Good evening, Kushinada-hime,” Hebi said with a smile.

  “Why do you keep calling me that?! That isn’t my name! It’s Kandice!” his guest shouted.

  Hebi chuckled. His guest was quite spirited these days. It was such an interesting change from when she’d first come here.

  His guest was a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen years of age. Her hair was a russet orange. She had heterochromia, so her eyes were two different colors, with the left being blue and the right being green. Currently, she was wearing her old high school uniform, a knee length skirt with a light tan blazer.

  Before she’d become a guest in his abode, her previous occupation had been that of a high school student attending a prestigious all-girls academy in Michigan. Oddly enough, the Spider Clan had been her protectors at the time. Hebi didn’t really understand that, as the Spider Clan had never been affiliated with Susanoo, but he assumed they’d simply taken a liking to the girl.

  “Yes, yes. Of course. My apologies, Kushinada-hime.”

  His guest screamed.

  “Why are you here?” Kandice asked eventually.

  “I simply wished to deliver some news to you,” Hebi said, smiling widely. “It seems Katrina and Hilda have been killed.”

  Kandice’s expression of rage turned to one of shock. “N-no… you’re lying!”

  “I am not. They were killed during a rescue operation launched by a group of yama uba. It appears my spawn had captured one and tried to acquire some information from them. I am sorry for your loss.”

  Kandice gripped the hem of her skirt, but she still had strength enough to look up and send him her most vicious glare. “Don’t pretend to be sympathetic, you bastard! This is all your fault! They’re dead because of you!”

  “Such a vulgar tongue,” Hebi sighed. “We really must do something to curb you of that awful swearing habit.”

  Kandice yelled in indescribable rage.

  “Oh, dear. It seems I’ve upset you. My apologies. I’ll leave you to your grief.”

  The doors shut behind Hebi as he vacated the room. He paused for a moment, cocking his head to the side. Listening, he smiled when muffled sobs came from the room behind him.

  Slithering along the halls once more, Hebi hummed to himself. While not everything was going according to plan, there was still a lot happening that he approved of. The Sons and Daughters of Humanity were attacking only targets that he let them attack, Neo Seiryuu and the Four Saints were being forced to try and play the heroes, and he would soon have the keys to reviving his original body.

  Yes, all I need to do now is unlock the seals using my lovely little key. Then the Four Saints will fall, and my revenge will be complete.

  He just loved it when a good plan came together.

  Kevin and the others arrived at New Genbu to a big surprise.

  As they entered the village, Kevin and the others received a surprisingly warm reception. The small village had been decorated with welcome back banners, streamers hung from the tree branches, tiny lights bedazzled the eyes as they floated above their heads, and the people were in possession of a festive air as they crowded around the group.

  “Welcome back!”

  “It’s good to see that you’ve returned!”

  “We were worried!”

  Christine, Lilian, Iris, and the others were given numerous back slaps and congratulations. Even Kevin, whom the population had hated and feared because of his humanity, had been gifted with warm smiles and pleasant expressions. It made him very confused.

  Why are they acting so friendly? Aren’t they supposed to hate me?

  “Are you surprised?” Orin asked, chuckling when Kevin sent him a, “What did you do?” kind of look. “Your words several days ago to Nalen caused all this.”

  “Is that so?”

  Kevin remembered his fight with Nalen. It fel
t like it had happened so long ago, but in truth, it had only been three days. He also recalled his impassioned speech. Still, his words alone should not have been enough to cause such an abrupt change over the course of a single day.

  “It is indeed so.” Orin gestured to the people surrounding them. “Ever since you left to rescue your friend, everyone here has been talking. Even before then, when they learned that you were planning to rescue a yōkai, they talked about you. They would say things like, ‘If a human is willing to rescue a yōkai, then maybe they aren’t so bad.’”

  “Huh…”

  Kevin would have never imagined that he could make people change their opinions of him. He wasn’t the kind of person who could so easily make people like him, or think that maybe they were wrong, with just a few words. He wasn’t Natsumo. Yet it seemed he had done just that.

  It wasn’t long after they’d returned that the yōkai of New Genbu threw them a grand feast. Tables were laid out in the center of the village and food was placed on massive trays. It must have been something that they had been planning for some time, because the feast contained a large variety of food.

  Kevin, Lilian, Iris, and Christine stuck together. Despite having eaten a quick breakfast on the way back to New Genbu, Kevin was still quite ravenous, so he ate while the girls spoke.

  “I can’t wait until we go back home,” Lilian was saying. “I really miss our friends.”

  “You just miss your anime collection and H-series manga,” Iris retorted.

  “T-that’s not true. I-I miss our friends…”

  Stare.

  Lilian turned her head. “W-what are you looking at me like that for? I do miss our friends. I miss Lindsay and Jessica and Alex and Andrew. I even miss watching that perv Eric get beaten up every day.”

  “For some reason, I don’t believe you.”

  “A-anyway,” Lilian ignored her sister and turned to Christine, “I’m glad you’ll be coming with us. Life hasn’t been the same since you left.”

  “D-don’t say such embarrassing things!” Christine stuttered.

  “Why? Didn’t you miss us too?”

  Christine twiddled her fingers together. “W-well, yeah, of course I did. It’s just… you know… embarrassing to admit it… and stuff.”

  “Aw, don’t be like that!” Iris threw an arm around Christine’s and Lilian’s shoulder. “It’s all right to admit that you love us.”

  “L-like hell I do!”

  Kevin turned his attention away from the trio to look at the rest of the party. Euryale, Menippe, Thoe, Ioxeia, Oïstrophe, Androdaïxa, Aspidocharme, Cnemis, and Thorece were interspersed throughout the gathering. They’d divided themselves into what Kevin recognized as their cliques. Oïstrophe and Androdaïxa stuck together, chatting amiably as they picked at their food; Menippe and Thoe laughed at something that Euryale had said; Ioxeia, Aspidocharme, Thorece, and Cnemis were talking to a couple of male yōkai who lived there—the only teenagers in the entire place. It looked like they were having fun.

  Searching the area a bit more, Kevin almost spit out his food when he saw an uncomfortable-looking Cien being chatted up by several older yōkai women. The inu looked so completely out of his element that Kevin would have laughed, had the dog yōkai not spotted him and sent him a glare. He grinned at Cien, who tried to look menacing but failed. Admittedly, it was hard to look frightening when your face was red enough to outred a tomato.

  The only people he didn’t see were Polydora and…

  “Kevin Swift.”

  Never mind, Kevin thought with a sigh.

  Turning around, he found himself face to face with Phoebe. She looked much better than she had before. Her wounds were healed, her face wasn’t quite as gaunt, and her skin possessed a healthy complexion. She also had some clothes on, black pants and a white sleeveless top, which Kevin was grateful for. Behind her, Polydora looked like she wanted to be anywhere but right there.

  “What’s up, you two?” Kevin asked.

  “I wanted to thank you.” Phoebe bowed to him. “It is thanks to you that I am still alive. If you hadn’t rescued Polydora when she was being chased, if you hadn’t made the correct choice in asking for backup, then Heather and I would have undoubtedly been dead by now. Thank you.”

  “W-whoa, whoa!” Kevin gestured for the woman to stop what she was doing. He could already feel his cheeks heating up. “I get that you’re grateful, but there is no need to go so far. We’re friends, so of course I’d save you when you’re in danger. I expect you’d do the same for me if our situation was reversed.”

  “Of course.” Phoebe thumped her chest. “Should you ever find yourself held captive, know that I, Phoebe, will always come to your rescue.”

  “I’ll be counting on you.”

  “After all, you are the man who’s going to bear my children.”

  “Gurk!”

  “What’s this about having her children?” Christine asked, her tone deadpan and her eyes narrowed.

  “Can we please not talk about this right now?” Kevin begged. Was it just him, or did Christine seem really angry for some reason?

  “Oh, no. I want to hear more about how you’re going to bear this woman’s children.” She crossed her arms. “Please, tell me more.”

  Yep, she’s angry.

  “Phoebe is a part of the stud’s harem,” Iris told Christine.

  “Wha—?!”

  “There is no harem!” Kevin shouted.

  “Don’t say that My Lady Phoebe is a part of this miscreant’s harem!” Polydora yelled at the same time.

  “Kevin…” Christine whispered.

  Kevin turned to Christine, and then wished he hadn’t. Her head was tilted down so that her hair had fallen into her face, casting sharp shadows along her normally cute features. He couldn’t see much, for the shadows that had been cast were dark, yet he could see enough. Eyes like frozen gems glared murder at him from beneath bangs of dark hair. Kevin shivered.

  Is this killing intent? This is killing intent, isn’t it?

  “Uh… n-now, Christine, just calm down and let me explain,” Kevin said, slowly backing away.

  “Explain?” she mumbled.

  “Yes… you see, Iris didn’t actually mean anything. She was just making a—”

  “Oh, I’ll let you explain,” Christine interrupted, right before she pounced. “When you and I see each other again in hell!”

  “WOAH!”

  Kevin ducked under several shards of ice that flew at his head. Several screams rang out as the ice shards impaled the ground next to Euryale, Thoe, and Menippe.

  Ignoring the panic caused by her violent actions, Christine created sixteen more ice shards. Shaped like giant spears, they hovered in the air for only a second before being launched at Kevin like a torpedo launched from a tube. Kevin got the hell out of dodge. The spears impaled the ground like lances stabbing cavalry men.

  “What the heck?! Stop trying to kill me!”

  “Die, shit-eating pervert! Die!”

  “Holy crap!”

  “Burn in hell, bitch!”

  “Oh, so now you can use fire and ice at the same time—gya! Lilian! Help me, my butt’s on fire!”

  As Kevin ran around what had at one point been a party but was now pandemonium, Lilian crouched on the ground several feet away. There was a notepad in her hand, and she was quickly scribbling on it.

  “This… this is a perfect scene to add into my manga!”

  “Don’t turn my misfortune into a manga!”

  “Keep up the good work, Beloved!”

  “Why meEEEEAHHHHH!”

  “I’ll murder you!”

  With fire and ice shooting at him from all sides, Kevin ran as quickly as he could.

  It was just another day in the life of Kevin Swift.

  Afterword

  We’re nearing the end of American Kitsune season 1. I only have one more volume to go before this series reaches its conclusion—I think. I’m pretty sure there’s only one le
ft. It’s been a very wild ride so far. I hope everyone who has been reading this series has had as much fun following Kevin and Lilian’s adventures as I’ve had writing about them.

  A Fox’s Mission finally introduces one of the antagonists for this series. Orochimaru—I mean, Itachimaru—er… No. Wait. I mean Hebi is the leader of the Yamata Alliance, which opposes the Sons and Daughters of Humanity. He’s sort of a self-centered bad guy with his own agenda. Just what what that agenda is, I’m not telling. You’ll find out eventually anyway, so it’s all good.

  This volume kind of meandered a bit. We had a lot of hot spring scenes. Ufufu. I think I was trying to make up for the lack of obligatory hot spring episodes this series has. Everyone knows that a hot spring episode is necessary in anime! Even if this isn’t an anime!

  While I do think this volume had more hot spring scenes than it probably needed, I like that let me focus on several important romantic and character developments. I’m mostly talking about the love triangle… love triangle? Can I consider it a love triangle if it’s Kevin, Iris, Lilian, and Christine? Maybe I should call it the love square instead? Anyway, I’ve reintroduced the love square in this volume now that Christine has returned. By the way, has anyone aside from me missed her? I feel like I’ve been going through tsundere withdrawals…

  … Anyway, the issue with the love square isn’t the normal drama you see with typical harem anime tropes. You know the ones, right? Where the guy likes one girl, but he can’t tell her because he’s too shy, and then he winds up having multiple women fall in love with him, and then they all fight for his affection, but it normally amounts to nothing because his balls haven’t dropped yet? You know the one. We already had a similar trope near the beginning of this series, so we’re not going there.

  What I wanted to focus on in this volume, aside from adding Christine back into the series, was Iris’ decision to help Christine resolve her Kevin issues. Of course, this IS Iris we are talking about here, so you know her method of resolving this is likely going to involve a lot of fan service. I wasn’t able to introduce how she’s gonna help Christine because so much happened and I didn’t have time to add it in here, but I will definitely be sure to add it into the next volume.