The bespectacled man reconsidered - this was no time to lose himself.

"Ah, um..."

The other person was still moistening her cheeks with tears, staring intently at him. She seemed just as dazed as he was.

Somehow, he forced out his voice, "Y-You did this...please, cure everyone. The poison..."

"Hah..."

The fox woman blinked several times, stirring her kimono sleeve. He tensed, fearing some new threat, but she merely wiped the tears from her eyes.

"If I cure them, is that acceptable?"

"Yes, that's right. Please."

"Understood."

He started to protest that she was still the enemy, but her unexpected response left his mind blank again. Did she truly comprehend the situation? Did she understand his instruction?

His worries proved unfounded. Raising her hand slightly, she uttered something and a billowing white mist began to emanate from her. It coiled around the fallen individuals, seeming to draw out murky clumps from within their bodies before absorbing them into one of her tails.

Wheezing hoarsely, Oka's eyes fluttered open. Shirona hurried to his side, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Are you okay? Do you recognize me?"

"You...what's...happening..."

"Oka?"

He mouthed something faintly, expression shifting as he raised the corner of his mouth in a weak, defiant smirk.

"Why...are you crying? Uncool..."

Rather than anger, Shirona's relief only intensified as more droplets spilled forth.

"For so long...I kept having nightmares of you dying. They didn't feel like mere dreams - I feared they might really happen..."

"Ah...as usual, worrying about trivial things. Just like you..."

Oka said no more as his eyes closed and strength faded, his raised hand dropping. Shirona cradled him anxiously but seemed reassured he still breathed, gently laying him down.

The bespectacled man felt a pang of emotion witnessing their bond. Were they involved in that sense? Regardless, it was a tender sight.

Before checking on the others, something approached him. Not until her hand grasped his face did he realize it belonged to the fox woman - her claw-like nails retracted just before reaching him.

"Nnggh..."

Shirona and the others stood warily, alerted to the abnormality.

The bespectacled man felt it intuitively - if she wished, she could instantly crush his skull. His life was hers to take at any moment. An ugly regret swept over him then. How presumptuous of him to think he could help anyone.

"Hmm, I see..."

The vixen lightly shook his body back and forth, seeming quite amused - as if some grand celebration was about to commence.

"Stop that!"

Mikaruge readied herself as Shirona stepped back, aiming her X-Gun. The tense atmosphere swiftly thickened with the palpable sense of renewed conflict.

Yet as the vixen's form began transforming, that ominous air dissipated. Her crimson kimono darkened, clinging tightly to accentuate her feminine curves as her entire body turned ebony, tresses shifting to match.

The bespectacled man, bracing for death with eyes half-shut, felt something soft envelop his face - slightly springy to the touch.

"You like this sort of thing, don't you?"

"Eh? Eh?"

The figure embracing him was hauntingly familiar - it was Reika, or some doppelganger smiling coyly at him.

"I can see your plain tastes. Shall we move somewhere more private? You'd prefer to avoid prying eyes, yes?"

"Wha-What're you doing?"

"Getting to know one another is paramount. Leave everything to me."

"L-Let go! Don't touch-"

"My, how adorable you are, Master."

He let out a strangled yelp, flailing an arm - yet she easily released him despite his pitiful resistance.

"Hmm, perhaps this form isn't appealing? Would you prefer another?"

"N-No, I mean...just, go back. Revert to your original self."

Blinking in apparent surprise, her elongated pupils shifted to a more human semblance.

"You're serious?"

"Y-Yes, like that..."

"...My true self is what you desire?"

"Eh? Well, that form is..."

"Fufu. If you insist."

Softening her expression, she reverted to her kimono-clad state. The bespectacled man found himself unconsciously stepping back, still unable to process events - a bewilderment Shirona's group seemed to share, though the immediate threat had passed.

Lowering herself, the vixen locked eyes with him, extending her lovely arms in an encircling gesture suggesting she would soon ensnare him anew.

"Wait!"

"Hmm?"

"I...I don't understand. You're the enemy, aren't you? Why are you suddenly acting like this?"

"Not much has changed. Go on, give me orders."

At that moment, the fox woman’s eyes flashed - yet nothing happened. It seemed a mere intimidation tactic, making her hostile intent towards Shirona's group abundantly clear.

"I can kill any obstructions to you, Master. With but your permission, it's simple."

"N-No, stop. I don't want anything like that."

"But I could bring you to paradise, where all your desires are fulfilled without exception."

The bespectacled man's breath caught momentarily before he shook his head vehemently. "Regardless, don't harm these people. They're allies."

"Understood."

It was blatantly abnormal - her comprehension far too acute. Witnessing the damage inflicted on those present, it was undeniable this alien was utterly merciless towards humans. Yet now she meekly accepted his directives like a well-trained hound.

Steadying his breathing, the bespectacled man studied her intently. Or tried to, at least - even her relatively modest kimono prevented sustained eye contact after mere seconds. He was convinced it stemmed from more than his own inexperience with the opposite sex.

"May I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"Why are you suddenly obeying me like this? It's different from before."

She adopted a reminiscing expression, the tip of her tail swaying slightly - he found his gaze instinctively tracking its motion.

Distracted thus, he belatedly realized her face was beside his ear.

"I rather like your naivete."

Her warm exhalation nearly made his head spin, a dizzy swirling sensation overwhelming his senses.

"After you thoroughly defeated me...how uncouth."

"I don't under...stand..."

"It was an entirely new experience."

She was weeping again, her whole countenance mirroring that ecstatic rapture as her moist gaze remained fixated upon him.

"At first, it was agonizing. I employed my final gambit, but found myself unable to revert. Yet gradually, sensations began flooding in that I'd never known. Indescribable, yet sublime. And as I lost myself to those throes, a force descended to overpower me - no amount of resistance could surmount its intensity as it bore me down."

Her fingertips caressed his cheek. "By you, Master."

"Wh-What...?"

"I crave power. I always knew you would be delicious, yet you carved yourself into my very core more indelibly than any delicacy I've ever savored before. Separating is...unthinkable now."

Her limbs coiled around him in an inescapable embrace. Try as he might, the bespectacled man could not break free - even through the kimono, the heat of her enveloping arms seared his very being, bringing stars to his vision.

"When you breathe your last, be sure to tell me? I'll start by devouring your head. Fufufu, I'm already looking forward to savoring your essence. I wonder what flavor you'll be..."

Was this really any better than before?

The bespectacled man paled, yet found himself unable to effectively resist. The vixen's floral scents seemed to enervate his entire body, though one part responded rather differently.

Somehow standing, he met Shirona's conflicted gaze. She nodded resolutely before indicating their fallen comrades.

"We can't leave them like this. They need transport, but we lack manpower."

"Ah, wait..."

A voice broke the silence - from the young man who'd abandoned the bespectacled man to flee on his motorcycle. Kyo.

"I'll carry Oka. That okay?"

"Huh?"

"No, it’s fine. You should do something else.”

He glanced fleetingly at Shirona's chest area before hastily averting his gaze. A complicated sentiment stirred within the bespectacled man.

Shirona regarded Kyo quizzically before turning to the fox lady.

"...And you as well. Please cooperate."

"No." Her mirthful laughter rang out. "Why must I assist valueless humans? And mind your words - you presume to command me?"

"Ah, well, um, let's remain calm..." said the bespectacled man.

"Of course I'm calm." She started poking the bespectacled man's chest, then stopped midway. Exhaling dismissively, she addressed Shirona once more. "Are there none better suited to such menial labor among your number?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don’t you throw that?" The vixen indicated the Poke Ball at the bespectacled man's waist. Grasping it thoughtfully, he recalled its existence - a successful previous deployment. Perhaps another could emulate that outcome.

With less hesitation this time, trusting the vixen's vow to protect him despite her probable ulterior motive, he hurled the Ball - a bit too forcefully, bouncing off a nearby wall before landing in the street's center.

Unease gripped him momentarily - this was the same entity that had tried killing him earlier. Its immense, daunting presence magnified that dread.

Yet the demonic, tengu-like monster was also weeping. Such an imposing being shedding tears struck an odd chord. Looking closer, its round pupils conveyed a hint of innocence. Flapping its wings, it knelt obediently before him.

"You too, huh?"

"Grr..."

"Will you obey my commands?"

A strange feeling overcame him - fearful, yet undeniably excited at having such a seemingly unstoppable force kneeling before his meager self, despite his humility preventing delusions of grandeur.

The fox woman too bowed deferentially. "We belong to you now, Master. Until our final breaths, we shall defend your life. Use us as you will."

"Kyukyuu!"

Togekiss boldly hopped forward, puffing out its chest proudly with wings spread wide, snorting indignantly. Gesturing to the Monster Ball, it seemed to flaunt its seniority.

The bespectacled man grasped the implication - as the longest resident, Togekiss felt it should take precedence. An understandable stance given how its companions apparently treated it.

Before it could continue, however, the tengu seized its wings, tossing Togekiss dismissively aside - not harmfully, but without resistance. As it tried righting itself, the fox woman immobilized it telekinetically, pinning it to the ground with a thin smile.

"Hey, stop that. Togekiss helped me before - we owe it respect, okay?"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

"Okay"

"Especially, uh, that tengu. You haven't apologized yet. You should apologize for breaking Togekiss's wing."

Surprisingly, the tengu complied by bowing contritely to the disgruntled Togekiss, earning a mollified response as it gently flapped the tengu's back with its wings.

Glancing aside, the bespectacled man noticed the vixen's cheeks puffed out adorably. He found himself instinctively backing away, flustered by her endearing expression.

"Wh-What is it?"

"Nothing. I merely felt it unfair you address others so familiarly by name, yet we remain nameless. We had no need for designations previously when we were unique - I was simply 'me', that puppet was 'puppet', and we were content thusly. But now that is insufficient. Please, Master, would you rectify that for us?"

"You want me to name you?"

"If you would."

The tengu's yearning gaze reinforced her request. Feeling obliged to acquiesce graciously, he nevertheless anticipated difficulty - his naming sensibilities left much to be desired.

A cleared throat interrupted them. Shirona's group looked perplexed.

"For now, we should regroup with the others. The injured need transport, and enemies still remain."

To be continued...

 

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