Chapter 73

Яҽɑ​đ өո КаṫȒėаđｉｎ​ģСɑ​ƒҽ

**Just Me and the Fox Guardian for the Day. (4)**

Lately, I’ve been going to the company more often. Sure, part of it was for live stream work, but the biggest reason was definitely Yeoreum.

More precisely, I was going there to see Ragu-sensei, not the CEO.

I was trying to return the favor for the apples and oranges she gave me last time… but somehow, I ended up receiving even more.

Clothes, gloves, and stuff like that.

“How’ve you been lately, Toya?”

“Oh, you know… I’ve been doing well with Yeoreum.”

“I see…”

“Ragu-sensei gave me a lot of things. Yeoreum thinks they’re gifts from me. I was going to tell her they were actually from Ragu-sensei, but… I thought it might make her feel uncomfortable, so I didn’t say anything.”

The CEO made a slightly displeased expression.

Was it because they didn’t like Ragu-sensei taking an interest in Yeoreum?

Or maybe… it wasn’t something so dramatic.

Just being an _ex_ is probably reason enough to feel awkward.

“Minori used to look after a child for a long time. Took care of them in secret, without even telling me.”

“Did you ever meet them?”

“No, I never saw them directly—hm, I was supposed to one day, but something came up at work.”

That might’ve been the reason the two of them broke up.

So Ragu-sensei was secretly looking after a child…

Judging by the CEO’s expression, they never met that kid in person.

I wonder what kind of child they were.

Did they also have asthma?

Maybe that’s why she gave apples and oranges to Yeoreum, too.

“And that’s what led to our breakup.”

“…”

“Well, it was my fault, so I can’t really say much.”

The CEO sighed softly and handed me a small business card.

An address for a hospital.

This must be the hospital where the child Ragu-sensei takes care of is staying.

“She originally asked me to go, but… I think it’d be better if you went instead, Toya.”

“…Is that so.”

Maybe I was sensing it all along, deep down.

Why did that model, made _before_ Yeoreum and I met, look so much like her?

That question—what I thought was just coincidence—what if it wasn’t?

What if it was fate?

I stared down at the card in my hand and slowly exhaled.

A coincidence this ridiculous is fate.

That’s a saying that applies to everyone.

—

“Ugh, seriously! How can it be so hard to time a jump?! You did just fine when you were _trying_ to mess with me!”

“T-That’s because my body reacted instinctively! More importantly, what happened to the Nacchan who blushed over using casual speech?!”

“That Nacchan died a long time ago!”

Inari-san—wait, not _san_ anymore.

No way I’m kind enough to keep calling someone who can’t even handle this simple game with an honorific!

I wasn’t expecting her to dodge enemy attacks perfectly or anything! But still! You should at least be able to jump properly, right?!

You could jump just fine when we made that bet, so why suddenly mess up now? Don’t you think it’s suspicious?!

> -wwwwww
> -But it was _Nacchan_ who said she wouldn’t end the stream until they cleared the game…
> -Honestly, feels like Nacchan just dug her own grave here wwww
> -If she’s this comfortable using casual speech now, maybe she should’ve just done it from the start? 草
> -Feels like it’s not even the first time she’s talked casually to Inari ww
> -Maybe Toya was just her practice partner for speaking informally.
> -Ahh, I see. Toya was just a stepping stone to get closer to Inari. 草
> -草
> -草

“D-Don’t say weird stuff like that! Mmph…”

“Nacchan, are you okay?!”

“S-So much stress… I feel like I’m about to start coughing again…”

The game wasn’t progressing, Inari was frustrating, and the viewers were teasing me nonstop.

And now that I realized _I_ was the one who brought this on myself, my throat started to itch.

Calm down. Breathe. Huuu… Maybe speaking in casual speech is messing with my emotions more than I thought.

I suppressed the cough rising up my throat and furrowed my brows as Inari began gently rubbing my back.

It was awkward, but her touch was full of concern and kindness.

“Nacchan, if it’s too hard to finish today, let’s pick it up again next time. You don’t _have_ to clear it today, you know?”

“…But I said I would.”

“The listeners will worry if you push yourself too hard. I’m sure they’d rather have you come back healthy for the next stream, right?”

> -True.
> -She already seems fragile, so don’t overdo it.
> -Kids should go to bed early anyway ww
> -Did you just call her a kid wwwwww
> -I mean, she’s _short_ like one 草

…Yeah. That’s probably true.

Maybe I shouldn’t say stuff like this again.

Let’s save things like all-nighters for when I’m feeling better.

Guess I got a little too fired up and slipped into old habits.

_Knock knock—_

“Natsu, I’m back—”

“You’re here! Take my place!”

“…Natsu?”

“Toya, go play with Inari for me!”

“…Inari?”

Toya’s gaze flicked from my lips to Inari, sitting at the desk.

Judging by the look on his face,shewas quite shocked that I didn’t add “-san” when calling Inari.

To be honest, _I_ didn’t think I’d ever end up speaking casually to Inari, either.

Anyway, now that the person I was waiting for had arrived, I was free at last.

From here on, I’ll be cheering you on from the back. Fighting!

“W-Wait—”

“Yay~ Toya, welcome back! Since you’re here, why not settle in and game with me for a while?”

> -Toya’s here!
> -Kontomo!
> -Kontomo~
> -You were gone longer than expected ww
> -Feels like Toya’s been spending less time with Nacchan lately… don’t tell me he’s seeing someone?
> -Anyway, since you’re late, now you gotta play until you clear the game wwww

I grabbed the still-confused Toya and sat him down in my place.

Come on, sit here. You’re taking over my role now.

I sweetly swapped the on-screen model to Toya’s, smiling as I did.

I felt a little bad for making him play this kind of game with Inari, but if I thought of it as punishment for leaving me alone, it evened out.

—

**[Nacchan finally speaks casually to Inari wwww]**

**[(Clip: Nacchan speaking casually to Inari.MVI)]
She used to be so formal it made people think they were just coworkers, but look how far they’ve come…**

> ㄴ[“Come far” my butt—it only happened because she lost a bet 草]
> ㄴ[Maybe she _planned_ the bet to make it easier to switch to casual speech? I refuse to believe that pervy dumb fox made that jump in 10 seconds on skill alone (笑)]
> ㄴ[What if Nacchan actually did the jump for her wwww]
> ㄴ[Honestly, it _did_ seem like a different person]
> ㄴ[She couldn’t even stand up all day, and then suddenly jumps the moment she stands? Might be easier to believe Nacchan just controlled everything herself.]
> ㄴ[But Inari _is_ good at bets.]
> ㄴ[True, she wins those all the time ww]
> ㄴ[Maybe she channeled her inner strength again, like she did when she beat Toya before?]
> ㄴ[Exactly wwww]

**[Didn’t Nacchan adapt to casual speech _really_ quickly?]**
**[(Clip: Nacchan scolding Inari.MVI)]
She sounded like she was scolding an old friend she’s known for years 草**

> ㄴ[Maybe having a good friend like Toya made her more comfortable using casual speech with others.]
> ㄴ[She really let her have it ww]
> ㄴ[That just shows how seriously she takes the game.]
> ㄴ[Casual-speaking Nacchan has a totally different vibe.]
> ㄴ[Her voice is so cute, it reminds me of elementary school days 草]
> ㄴ[Elementary school www]
> ㄴ[Seeing them talk casually really makes them seem close. It’s nice to see.]
> ㄴ[Formal speech made things feel a bit stiff, honestly…]
> ㄴ[But now they’re talking comfortably, and it’s cute.]
> ㄴ[She doesn’t _look_ like someone who was just using honorifics a second ago wwwwww]
> ㄴ[But that’s what makes Nacchan so lovable.]

**[Toya’s back home!]**
**[(Clip: Toya getting dragged in to play in Nacchan’s place.MVI)]
The guy comes home and immediately gets stuck doing hand-and-foot with the dumb fox wwwwww**

> ㄴ[Nacchan, you might owe Toya some overtime pay ww]
> ㄴ[Maybeshewas just out having fun, though.]
> ㄴ[Maybe she sat him down _because_shewas out playing lol]
> ㄴ[Wait, do Toya and Nacchan live together?]
> ㄴ[Totomo-chan said once that she lives with Toya. It’s probably because of that.]
> ㄴ[Feels like they’re more than just housemates, though.]
> ㄴ[Toya’s voice changing the momentshesees Nacchan really shows how close they are ww]

**[Toya and Nacchan give off family vibes, don’t they?]**

**[They feel like two people who complete each other. It’s so nice to watch.]**

> ㄴ[Like family, but not by blood.]
> ㄴ[If they’re friends, then families with bad sibling relationships might not count as real families anymore 草]
> ㄴ[Especially that scene where Nacchan welcomes Toya home—so heartwarming.]
> ㄴ[I want Nacchan to greet me when I come home too…]
> ㄴ[Well, maybe start by leaving your room once in a while.]
> ㄴ[wwwwww]
> ㄴ[ToyaNatsu teetee (wholesome)]
> ㄴ[I want to see a bunch of scenes where Toya princess-carries Nacchan. 草]

Fables