Author: ปลากระพงทอด

Source: Idle bear-kun

I didn’t know why, but just as I ran deep into the forest, it was dark all around me even though it was only in the morning.

To my right was the forest.

To my left was also the forest.

W-what do I do!!? Looked like I was lost in this place.

Why didn’t I think of how I wasn’t used to this area before I ran away from Teo!!? All of this was his fault! He brought me here just for a silly reason that why I ended up like this!

Ring!

“!!!”

I suddenly heard a bell ringing softly from somewhere. My eyes swept around looking for the source of this sound. There’s nothing out of place other than… A golden light shone out from the inner part of this forest.

Ring! Ring!

Was it inviting me? I didn’t why, but I felt like I wanted to follow this sound. Ring! Ring! Ring!

The sound became clearer for each step that I took forward. I began to remember that this place was the place I first met the fox statue. I exchanged something for my wish that’s why my body was like this.

Unfortunately, the fox statue wasn’t here anymore.

Ring! Ring!

‘Ara~ little girl, are you getting lost?’

In front of me was a woman who wore a long white kimono trimming with small bells at the hem of her sleeve. Her golden shawl draping over her shoulder. She has white hair and sparkling golden eyes. She was beautiful like a goddess.

I took a step back to calm down. This person identity was unknown, but one thing that she knew for sure was that this woman wasn’t a fox or demon either, but she also wasn’t a human. This place prohibited human from entering since one hundred years ago.

Who was she?

“W-who are you?” I didn’t know what to say to her.

“Uhuhu~ You don’t have to be wary of me. I’m not a ghost or anything like that.” She took a step towards me while giving me her gentle smile. Her presence made me relaxed somehow. Although we hadn’t met each other before, I thought of how her face was so familiar. It was as if I had seen her before from somewhere.

“Excuse me, but do you know the way out of this forest?” Akane asked the woman.

“The way out? Uhuhu~ and how do you find the way out?”

“What?”

She smiled and took a step back from me a little. I didn’t understand the thing that she had said. Did she mean the way out of this forest or the way out for other things?

‘You are getting lost right now, little girl. Getting lost from your heart. Do not let other’s opinion cloud your decision.’

“What?”

‘You won’t find the way out that way.’

“Ah?”

It looked like we didn’t speak the same thing…

‘Uhuhu~ that’s nonsense of me to speak like that. The truth is that I come today to find a lost girl.’

The woman took off her golden shawl and draped it on me. There’re so many things that I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand it at all! What’s more…I don’t even know her!!!

“Why…you…give me this?” I looked at the golden shawl that covered me from head to toe. I couldn’t clearly see the scene in front of me because of this shawl.

“I have to apologize for my husband for he was acting a little too childish. I want to give this back to you.”

“Wait!! Who are you!?”

She left the word to hang in the air before turning back. I really want to know her identity, but she had already walked away. A golden light flashed in front of me then I could see a nine-tailed fox came out of it and brought the woman with him. They disappeared with another flash of the golden light.

A nine-tailed fox…There’s one person who could do that…

‘The fox god!!!?’

Did this mean that woman…was the goddess of dance? She was the fox god’s wife according to the legend!!!?

“Akane! Akane!!”

From the sound of his voice, I guessed he should be around here. I also had to shout back too, right? He wouldn’t see me if I didn’t shout back. I slowly stood up using my legs to support me…

Hmm…my legs…they were normal not like those from a fox anymore!!?

My arms and body too!! I went back to being a human again!! Thank you very much, goddess!!

However, there’s only one problem. I didn’t have any clothes!! I only had the shawl to cover my body!!

“Akane!!” Teo’s voice was nearer now!! What to do! I didn’t him to find me naked!!

“Don’t come, Teo!! Right now…!!”

I shouted to him hoping that he would get a hint and stopped, but it wasn’t like that at all…

“Akane!!! You are there, right!?”

He came even closer than he was before. I could see his hair appearing near a bush near me. His eyes widened when he saw I was kneeling down while clutching the shawl as if my life depended on it and then he quickly averted his eyes away from my body. It must be because the embarrassed state I was in right now, so I gripped the shawl and shifted it to properly cover my body(I tried to anyway). However, that’s when…

Tap tap tap…

“Akane.”

Another sound of footsteps was also coming towards me, but those weren’t from Teo…

It’s from…

“Kuro-nil san” I called him. My voice quivering.

“I’m worried about you, Akane.”

A body that was gradually appearing out of the darkness was ‘Kuromitsu-sama’, my ex-fiance!!

Why was he here!?