The Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office (Complete)

Chomp.

Chomp.

Chomp chomp chomp.

Why was this so delicious?

I should ask the director to order more doggy treats.

I was currently munching on treats while watching TV on Ha-neul’s lap.

After the martial force training session, Ha-neul had collapsed.

[Is the Yokai Extermination Office truly prepared?]

A thought-provoking current affairs program was airing on TV:

[In the recent case of the tiger yokai appearing in Busan’s Jangsan…]

[Despite the cooperation of a nationally certified Martial Artist and the Jangsan Yokai Extermination Office…]

[They failed to capture the Jangsan tiger yokai…]

[Its whereabouts remain unknown…]

How could they have lost track of a yokai?

From what I had witnessed, the ‘Yokai Extermination Office’ was a highly capable organization structured in a way that made losing yokai exceptionally difficult, aided by modern scientific technology.

Could there be an inner realm in this Jangsan area of Busan as well?

Or was the Jangsan tiger yokai also a formidable entity granted the qualification for ascension?

Or perhaps the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office simply excelled among the numerous offices nationwide.

I had no way of knowing.

There was still so much information in this world that remained unknown to me.

---

The daily routine of Grade 7 civil servant Kim Myeong-ho went something like this:

Upon arriving at work, he would head straight to the lounge.

Pretending to brew coffee, he would observe the sleeping Miho on the sofa.

Damn it.

Fox form.

There was no point in observing Miho’s fox form, so he would turn away without hesitation.

Having brewed his coffee, he would then proceed to his desk and commence his duties –

Yokai detection, his primary task.

Fortunately, after diligently monitoring for yogi signatures throughout the morning, no anomalies had been detected.

Over the past two weeks, the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office had faced three major crises:

The blue-furred demonic fox,

Miho,

And Jomagu.

While the Grade 2 fox yokai ‘Miho’ had proven exceptionally friendly towards humans, even forging an alliance, so referring to her as a ‘crisis’ was somewhat excessive.

The other two yokai, however, were nothing short of calamities – ‘crisis’ was an understatement.

It was only natural for the director to have heightened security measures.

As a result, all employees had to work overtime.

Yet most, including Kim Myeong-ho, harbored no significant grievances about the extra hours.

The reason was undoubtedly Miho.

Come lunchtime, the majority of employees, Kim Myeong-ho included, would flock to the lounge in droves.

“Human or fox today?”

“Let’s place some bets.”

“Please, please, please…”

“Not the fox form!”

The Miho Gacha game would commence.

The male employees prayed for Miho to be in her human guise.

They held no interest in her fox form.

While her vulpine appearance was undeniably adorable,

What they truly desired to behold was not an animal, but a comely, curvaceous woman.

The men bet on Miho being in her female form.

Conversely, the female employees prayed for Miho’s fox form.

No woman disliked cute things.

Miho’s fox form was adorable enough to melt any woman’s heart.

The women bet on Miho being in her fox form.

The result:

“…Eh?”

Was neither.

Naturally, Miho was nowhere to be found in the lounge where she should have been.

Emergency.

Code red.

The search for Miho had begun.

---

“Yaaaaaawn.”

I lazed on the roof of the Yokai Extermination Office, gazing up at the azure sky as I yawned.

I had become unusually lethargic lately.

Having received an immense amount of yogi from the blue-furred demonic fox, I no longer needed to forcibly hibernate.

Habits were truly formidable.

Twitch twitch.

My soft vulpine ears twitched.

Judging from the clamor rising from below, the employees were likely frantically searching for me.

What a nuisance.

If I wandered in human form, the men would pester me.

If I wandered in fox form, the women would pester me.

The male and female employees’ attitudes towards me were clearly disparate.

First, the female employees:

They seemed to view me as a pet kept by the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office.

It could have been a misperception on my part, but that was the impression I received.

They would toss me doggy treats.

Command me to ‘paw’.

Pet my tails and head.

Some employees had even attempted to leash me, claiming they would take me for walks.

More vexing was the fact that

Being treated like a pet didn’t particularly bother me.

The treats were delicious.

The ‘paw’ commands weren’t difficult to oblige.

Having my body stroked always felt pleasant.

The leash and walks…

…Ugh. That was where I drew the line.

In any case, while the female employees’ attitudes were mildly burdensome,

They were vastly preferable to their male counterparts.

Unlike the women, the male employees

Undoubtedly harbored affections for me, no matter how oblivious a yokai I was.

Their intentions were blatantly obvious.

It was troublesome.

One could argue it shouldn’t matter whether humans liked me or not.

Initially, I had thought the same.

Whether they gave me flowers, spoke to me, or confessed – I could simply ignore them, no big deal.

But I was mistaken.

My innate vulpine instincts began urging me otherwise:

‘Quickly, pounce on those males.’

‘Drain their vitality.’

‘Convert their vitality into yogi.’

…Again, this was not mere desire, but instinct.

An inborn, inescapable instinct.

At first, it was manageable, but with more and more men pestering me, suppressing my instincts grew increasingly arduous.

Now, I was even salivating at the mere sight of men.

My vow never to drain a man’s vitality was on the precipice of shattering.

Male identity?

My personal vow?

Aversion?

Sense of decency?

Such trifling sentiments paled before the force of instinct.

If this persisted, I would be doomed.

I would inevitably pounce on a man, no exceptions.

This was

The primary reason I had resolved to return home.

---

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, staying here any longer would just cause more trouble, it feels like.”

“We, well, not at all, but…”

Upon Miho announcing her intention to return to the inner realm, the director seemed flustered.

Though colder towards Miho than his other subordinates,

It appeared he had inadvertently grown fond of her as well.

If even the director felt this way, one could only imagine the other employees’ sentiments.

They would likely wail and raise an uproar, lamenting: ‘Where has our Lady Miho gone?’

Miho was likely aware of this, which was why she had discreetly informed only Ha-neul and the director, seizing an opportune moment amid their busy schedules.

Miho had unwittingly become the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office’s mascot yokai.

However,

There was one aspect Miho had overlooked:

“Don’t go, Miho! Let’s just live here together, I beg you!”

Ha-neul’s attachment to Miho was no less intense than the other employees’, if not more so.

As Ha-neul clung to Miho’s clothes, Miho used her ‘Fox Fire’ sorcery to pry her off, then remarked:

“Don’t worry, I’ll visit often.”

“Really… You really will?”

“I’ll definitely visit frequently, if only for the food.”

Certainly,

Since Miho was sincere about her appetite, the director believed those words were no lie.

The director then presented Miho with the items he had promised, as she prepared to depart for the inner realm:

“20 kilograms of dog food, assorted doggy treats, and lastly, a single-size bed. Here are the items you requested.”

“Thanks. I’ll definitely eat them, for real.”

“Is there anything else you require?”

“If I run out later, I’ll just visit again. But don’t point any guns at me then.”

“Rest assured, we have fully registered your yogi signature, so there will be no issues on that front. You are welcome to visit anytime, Lady Miho. The employees will surely be delighted.”

Miho then used her Fox Fire to levitate the dog food, treats, and bed.

While a truck had been arranged to transport her belongings to the inner realm’s entrance,

Witnessing her convenient sorcery, it seemed unnecessary.

The director asked Miho one final question:

“Lady Miho.”

“Yes.”

“If, by chance, a formidable great yokai were to reappear…”

‘Would you be willing to assist us?’

‘To aid us humans?’

The director trailed off, feeling ashamed at requesting a yokai’s help.

Miho’s subsequent words, however, left the director awestruck:

“Of course I will assist you.”

“Re, really?!”

“Yes. We have an alliance, don’t we? If the Yokai Extermination Office falls, I’ll be in trouble too.”

“Th, thank you, thank you so much!”

Having spoken those words, Miho vanished into the inner realm.

No matter how he considered it,

Lee Han-ul once again congratulated himself on the decision to forge an alliance with Miho, for it had undoubtedly been the optimal choice.

“Ah. What are your future plans, Officer Ha-neul?”

“Hic, Miho… Hic, hic.”

“…”

It seemed he would need to inquire again at a later time.