Chapter 5 – Mirror, Mirror, Go Away
Rowan was trying to make tea.
The electric kettle was taking forever, probably because it was older than most countries. He leaned against the counter, yawning so hard his eyes watered.
Behind him, the tiny back-room chaos was reaching sitcom levels.
Seraphina sat on the only chair like a queen on a slightly moldy throne, legs crossed, sipping air because she'd announced "tea is beneath me now" (whatever that meant).
Mila (human-shaped again, wearing an oversized staff T-shirt she'd found in a drawer) stood guard at the door, glaring at… herself? The other Mila (still in post-full-moon shredded-clothes mode) was on the floor, literally rolling around on the rug like a dog that had discovered catnip.
Rowan decided his brain would file this under "do not attempt to understand" and move on.
He opened a cabinet to grab mugs. That's when he noticed the mirror.
It was new. Tall, ornate, black frame carved with little foxes chasing their tails. It definitely hadn't been there yesterday. Someone had stuck a yellow Post-it on the glass that read:
DO NOT TOUCH
DO NOT LOOK TOO LONG
DO NOT BREATHE ON IT
– Management
Rowan frowned. "Huh. Boss lady bought a haunted mirror. Cool."
There was a smudge on the glass right over the note. Rowan hated smudges. He reached up and wiped it off with his sleeve.
The mirror rippled like water.
Rowan kept wiping. "Man, this thing's filthy."
The ripple turned into a wave. The foxes carved into the frame blinked.
Rowan squinted. "Cheap hologram trick. Neat."
The surface cracked open like someone unzipped the glass.
A woman fell out.
Long silver hair, silk kimono the color of moonlight, nine fluffy fox tails that knocked over two stacks of boxes and one cursed snow-globe that immediately started playing "Happy Birthday" in a minor key.
She landed in a heap of silk and panic, looked up, and locked eyes with Rowan.
Her pupils turned into little hearts. Actual hearts.
Rowan caught her by the shoulders before she face-planted into the tile.
"Whoa, easy! You okay? Did Ms. Hecate hire performance artists now?"
The woman (Kagerou, though he wouldn't learn that for a while) made a tiny squeaking noise and tried to fold herself into his hoodie like a cat discovering a warm laundry basket. All nine tails attempted to wrap around him at once.
Rowan looked down at the pile of tails now acting as a scarf.
"Cosplay's getting intense this year," he muttered.
From the doorway came three separate growls of pure murder.
Seraphina stood up so fast the chair fell over.
Human Mila cracked her knuckles.
Wolf-mode Mila bared very real fangs.
Kagerou lifted her head just enough to show dainty fangs of her own and hissed, "Mine first. Wait your turn."
Rowan patted her head without thinking. "Okay, everyone chill. No fighting in the break room, the insurance definitely doesn't cover fox-girl pile-ups."
The moment his hand touched her hair, the mirror behind them sighed, folded itself into a paper crane, and flew out the window never to be seen again.
Kagerou melted. Her tails started wagging so hard they generated a small windstorm. A stack of paper cups achieved flight.
Rowan looked at the four women now arranged around him like very possessive bookends.
"Right," he said. "Tea for five, I guess. Anyone want snacks?"
He stepped over a tail, opened another cabinet, and pulled out a half-eaten pack of chocolate cookies.
Behind him, four immortal heiresses realized the harem had officially reached "we need a bigger couch" levels.
Rowan yawned again.
"Seriously," he said, handing the cookies to the nearest tail, "y'all need to warn me before you do special effects. I almost dropped my tea."
The kettle finally screamed.
Rowan poured five mugs, completely unaware that:
The mirror had been a thousand-year prison for a kitsune princess.
He'd just erased a blood curse with his sleeve.
The concept of "personal space" had officially filed for divorce.
He just handed out cookies and said, "Welcome to the weirdest shift ever. Try not to break the shop."
Four voices answered in perfect unison:
"Yes, Rowan."
He blinked. "Okay, that was creepy. Stop it."
They all smiled identical, smitten smiles.
Rowan decided the tea needed more sugar.
A lot more sugar.