The memory that surfaced was from her childhood.
A single visit to her paternal grandparents' home. Soon bored with the countryside's lack of entertainment, Shion went out for a walk with her father.
They arrived at a nearby shrine.
Drawn to the fox stone statues on both sides of the path, she stared at them intently. Her father told her their name: O-Inari-sama (the Inari deity). The stone eyes of the foxes were vacant and elusive, frightening the young Shion, yet simultaneously seeming to hold some deep contemplation.
It was then that she learned about the relationship between foxes and deep-fried tofu (abura-age).
Although Western food was often served at home, Inari-zushi (sushi rice wrapped in seasoned fried tofu) was served on Hatsu-uma (the first Day of the Horse in February). This dish, which appeared only once a year at most, was special to Shion, and she would cheer whenever she saw the brown blocks piled on a plate.
Looking back, that event might have connected Shion to the fox.
"I won't be able to eat Mother's Inari-zushi next year, will I?"
After murmuring this, Shion realized she had been dozing.
Warmth still lingered in her curled body and the bedding below, but the bright sunshine had turned into a soft sunset, and the temperature was gradually starting to drop.
Since becoming a fox, she often slept too much due to having nothing to do. Her companions, far from scolding her, gently encouraged her to "take it easy." While she was grateful for their kindness, it was also the reason she felt impatient to be more useful.
Was it time for dinner soon?
In her fox body, she couldn't do much to help. Should she use an item and turn back into a human? But it was because of her Yōko (fox spirit) power that she was somewhat useful in the dungeon. She wanted to at least be active in combat.
"...Wait, what is this smell?"
As her sleepy consciousness cleared, Shion recognized a nostalgic scent.
The smell of stewed dishes seasoned with soy sauce.
Looking toward the kitchen, she saw the Thief, Furi, and the Archer, Iris, standing side-by-side. They were opening up some brown, leathery skins and stuffing them with blocks of white grains.
This was, could it be?
Shion's eyes snapped open. She stood up and dashed to the feet of Furi and Iris.
"Inari-zushi?"
"That's right~"
Furi, who loved cooking, answered cheerfully.
"Soybeans have many uses, so they make a fair bit of it here, too. That's why we have soy sauce, and we can buy abura-age. Rice is pretty expensive, but I thought, 'Why not treat ourselves sometimes?' and splurged a bit."
"We even have small ones for you, Shion-san."
Iris showed her a small, triangular Inari-zushi. Furi and the others had the standard cylindrical shape. Both were classic shapes, but there was a theory that the triangular Inari-zushi was modeled after a "fox's ear." It might be perfect for Shion now.
"It looks delicious."
Stimulated by hunger, her stomach gave an involuntary little grumble.
Furi chuckled and gave Shion a "job."
"Oh, right. Can you call Ren and the others for us? Tell them it's almost dinner time~"
"Understood."
Nodding quickly, she left the kitchen and headed for Ren's room first.
The little fox's steps were small, but being a quadruped, she was surprisingly fast. Arriving in no time, Shion knocked on the door with her right hand—her right forepaw.
A reply came: "I'm in."
It was Mei's voice, not Ren's. Then came the sound of Ren and Mei arguing about something.
"Ah, you can come in, Shion."
"Is that alright? Were you busy?"
"Nope, not at all. It's just Mei's usual joke."
"W-Well then, please excuse me."
She jumped up, lightly kicked the door, and leaped again. She grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open with her weight.
With this trick, Shion could open the door even in her current body.
Some time had passed since her transformation, and she had become much better at using her fox body, even with the strangely high and wide view she had.
Entering the room and looking up, she saw Ren sitting cross-legged on the bed, positioned as if embracing Mei. The two were not facing each other; it looked like they were reading a single book together.
Indeed, there was no indecent atmosphere.
While one couldn't deny they looked like a loving couple, the impression was more of close sisters or a kind girl caring for a stray cat.
Feeling a sudden urge to be a little mischievous, Shion leaped onto the bed, approached Ren and the others, and spoke.
"Dinner will be ready soon. Tonight is Inari-zushi."
"Oh. I wonder how long it's been since I had Inari-san... Though, I think the last time I had it was from a convenience store."
"Do you like Inari-zushi, Ren-sama?"
"I like it quite a bit. Shion is—ah, yes. You don't have to say it. I can tell just by looking."
"? Is it showing on my face that much...?"
Since it was a fox face, it should have been difficult to read her emotions.
Yet, even Mei told her, "It's obvious at a glance," so it must have been very easy to see. Feeling embarrassed, she checked a mirror and saw her ears and tail were twitching piko-piko.
Yes, this was quite obvious.
She couldn't stop it, as it was almost an unconscious movement, so she didn't know how to. Shion groaned, "Ugh," and decided to give up. Since it was true that she was happy about the Inari-zushi, there was no need to force herself to suppress her feelings.
Moreover, Ren's mouth softened into a smile, and she gently stroked Shion's back.
Ren, who possessed Energy Drain—the ability to absorb life force—could absorb an opponent's HP to restore her MP while giving them a kind of pleasure. The absorption was minimal just by a touch, posing no danger to life, and the feeling was a comfort that couldn't be gained from just a simple pet.
Shion's eyes narrowed involuntarily, and just as she felt like falling asleep again, she shook her head.
"I will go call the Teacher and Ms. Mariabelle."
"Ah. Be careful about those two's room... They might actually be busy."
"Um, should I consider that a joke...?"
"Hmm. It's a little scary because it might not be a joke."
They both looked away with distant expressions.
Then Mei suggested, "Well, let's just open the door without knocking," but of course, Ren didn't follow that advice.
Shion dashed to the room that Mariabelle and Aisha shared and knocked politely.
"Teacher, Ms. Mariabelle. It seems to be dinner time."
"Thank you, Shion-san."
Fortunately, the two came out immediately. Their expressions seemed normal, and their clothes were not disheveled.
However, they might have shared a kiss.
Thinking of the two, who were always physically close and whose affection was always apparent, Shion felt a strange awkwardness. She rushed back to the living room ahead of them and took her designated spot, climbing up the chair legs.
The menu was Inari-zushi, simmered vegetables, and green tea.
Since black tea, green tea, and oolong tea all share the same raw material, tea is also highly valued here. Although they usually drink milk in this house for nutrition, they seemed to have chosen green tea to match the Japanese-style meal today.
Incidentally, Shion can carefully lift a teacup and drink tea. The only difficulty is that it needs to cool down quite a bit, or she might burn her tongue.
"Alright, let's eat."
"Yeah. I'm looking forward to the Inari-san."
Once everyone was present, they said their "Itadakimasu" (thank you for the meal), and everyone took Inari-zushi from the large platter piled high. Shion's portion was already separated and placed in front of her designated spot.
She sniffed, first savoring the aroma.
"This smell is calming."
"Hehe. Shion-chan, you really have a very Yamato Nadeshiko (traditional Japanese woman) feel about you."
Is that so? Shion felt she had acclimatized to the Western-style school of her time.
But if it was true, then it was fine.
It was true that she liked Inari-zushi and had an attachment to foxes. There was no need to hide it from anyone. In this home, with a succubus, a golem, and an elf, Shion, the Yōko, was accepted without any sense of incongruity.
She picked up the first piece of Inari-zushi with both paws and brought it to her mouth.
The taste was different from her mother's.
Yet, a comforting "taste of this home" spread across Shion's mouth and filled her heart.
============
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