Seven-Tailed Fox (4)

I am not an arrogant fox yokai like Dalki.

For Dalki and I walked fundamentally different paths from the start.

Dalki chose the path of an ‘evil fox’.

I chose the path of a ‘virtuous fox’.

Moreover, I was a yokai who still felt closer to being ‘human’ than a fox.

As much as I wanted to be as arrogant as Dalki, I could not become so.

However, ironically, to further evolve as a fox yokai, it seemed necessary to adopt Dalki’s arrogance.

After witnessing Dalki’s existence with my own eyes, I truly realized it:

Could there be anyone more befitting of the phrase ‘solipsism encompassing all heaven and earth’ than her?

She was a woman to whom the title of ‘ruler’ immensely suited.

There’s a saying, isn’t there?

The boldest one always wins.

In a fight, audacity matters more than technique.

Mindset equates to strength.

With my current personality of constantly caring about others’ opinions, it was obvious I could never properly confront goblins. So while I wanted to emulate Dalki’s mindset, human personalities didn’t change overnight.

An innate personality could not simply be altered, no matter how much I wanted to.

So I will borrow the power of instinct.

---

These past few days, Yi Haneul felt Miho had changed somehow.

Had she undergone a shift in mentality after meeting that possession-type yokai ‘Grrowl’?

Or had the stress from yokai and goblins finally driven her insane?

She didn’t know, but…

“Heheheheheheh!”

As long as Miho seemed happy, it was fine, right?

Currently, Miho was playing soccer with the other office staff in the front yard.

No, wait.

Could that even be called soccer?

Soccer was played with the feet, but Miho was using her hands on the ball.

While everyone else ran on two feet, Miho scampered about on all fours in human form.

Unable to tolerate Miho’s antics any longer, the referee, a level 6 civil servant named Oh Ji-myeong known as a stickler for rules, blew the whistle.

“Ms. Miho, that’s another foul! You have to use your feet!”

“These are feet, aren’t they?”

“…Those are clearly hands, though.”

“Not hands, forepaws. Go read up on mammal anatomy.”

“…”

Miho was not human, but a fox yokai.

Foxes were mammals.

Conventionally, ‘hands’ referred to human forelimbs.

Sometimes primate forelimbs were also called ‘hands’, but no one called a fox’s forepaws ‘hands’.

So Miho’s argument was perfectly valid…

…Like hell it was.

She was in human form, not her true fox form.

It was utter doggerel.

Yes.

Literal ‘dog logic’.

…

…

…

The soccer match ended in a crushing defeat – 14-0, Miho’s team’s overwhelming victory.

Likely because the referee, overwhelmed by Miho’s dog logic, failed to stop her.

After the match, Yi Haneul handed Miho a water bottle.

“…?”

But Miho simply stared at Yi Haneul blankly.

Puzzled by Miho’s reaction, Yi Haneul asked:

“Not thirsty?”

“No, it’s not that. If you give me the whole bottle, how am I supposed to drink the water?”

“…Huh?”

“You should pour it into a bowl for me.”

“…”

At Miho’s outrageous response, Yi Haneul was briefly at a loss for words before speaking:

“Is this a… concept…? Or a new training method to unleash your eighth tail…?”

“I’ve just decided to be a bit more faithful to my instincts.”

Having said that, Miho transformed into her true seven-tailed fox form and immediately began barking fiercely, as if demanding water:

“Woof, woof, woof!”

Despite feeling bewildered, Yi Haneul thought:

Well, whatever, as long as she seemed happy.

It was probably fine.

Yeah.

“Woof, woof, woof, woooooof!”

…Or maybe not.

---

My sudden shift in behavior didn’t mean my head had become utterly dimwitted after talking to Dalki.

As I said, I had simply decided to be more faithful to my instincts.

Think about it – where in this world was there a fox that drank from a bottle using two hands like a human?

Of course, since I could transform into a human form, I could drink from a bottle just fine.

But if asked which was more convenient between drinking from a bowl or holding a bottle directly, the former would undoubtedly be far easier.

Because my ‘true form’ was not human, but that of a fox – an animal.

Lap lap.

Lap lap lap lap.

After lapping up the water Yi Haneul had poured into a bowl, I reverted to human form.

While the fox form was more convenient, I had no choice but to assume a human form at the Yokai Subjugation Office to communicate with humans.

“…Still, it would be weird to get on all fours and lap water from a bowl in human form, right?”

“Of course. Our tongue structures differ.”

“Pity. I was hoping to see three-tailed Miho lying down and lapping up water too.”

“Huh?”

“…Ah, never mind.”

I seemed to have heard something slightly dangerous just now.

…In any case, I gave Yi Haneul a detailed explanation for my current behavior:

“So you’re being faithful to your instincts to realize the mindset of solipsism encompassing all heaven and earth?”

“Yes, exactly.”

These past few days, neither my total spiritual energy had increased, nor had I gained the ability to unleash another tail.

I didn’t know if this approach would be effective, but by committing to my instincts, I no longer felt embarrassed or ashamed about behaving like a dog.

The effects of training, I suppose.

However, Yi Haneul directly denied my training method:

“This is solipsism encompassing all heaven and earth? It doesn’t seem like it at all to me… Right now, Miho, you’re more like a domesticated dog pandering to humans.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“It’s an insult! Anyway, if your goal was to become a complete animal, I could call it a success. But that’s not what you’re aiming for, is it? Didn’t you want to become a human-like fox yokai?”

Yes.

She hit the nail on the head.

Being faithful to instincts brought me closer to an animal.

Suppressing instincts brought me closer to a human.

According to Yi Haneul, I was effectively abandoning human dignity of my own accord.

Indeed, I had lived while suppressing my animal instincts as much as possible.

Because despite my outward appearance, I was consciously aware of being a human being.

That’s why I had restrained myself from any behavior that undermined human dignity.

…Of course, against my will, my tails would wag uncontrollably at times.

Or I would find myself drooling and rushing towards dog treats and food without realizing it – those incidents were innumerable.

Still, I had suppressed my instincts.

In fact, the very act of walking on two legs in front of people was a result of suppressing instincts.

But after conversing with Dalki, I realized I had been sorely mistaken.

Dalki was not a yokai.

Who could dare call Dalki a mere ‘yokai’?

She was a being far too vast to be confined within the framework of a ‘yokai’.

Dalki was simply an entity with the proper noun ‘Dalki’.

Likewise, as a multi-tailed fox like Dalki, I too must become an existence that cannot be defined as either ‘yokai’ or ‘human’.

I am not human.

All this time, I had simply been ‘pretending’ to be human – but I am not.

Yet I am not a yokai either.

I have too many human habits remaining to be called a yokai.

I am a unique being in this world, a fusion of human and yokai aspects.

I am me.

I am Miho.

If I must express what I am, perhaps I am closer to a ‘half-yokai’ – neither human nor yokai.

Whether human or yokai.

What I truly am.

I had never even established my own identity, so how could I realize the mindset of solipsism encompassing all heaven and earth?

That’s why I decided to explore:

What kind of existence was the ‘fox Miho’ who was completely faithful to her instincts, instead of the ‘human Miho’ who suppressed them?

In a sense, my current behavior could be described as a process of realizing my true self-identity.

Of course, I had no intention of living with my instincts completely unleashed like this forever.

By behaving faithfully to my instincts, perhaps I could find my proper identity – a fusion of animal and human mentalities.

“So for the time being, I’d appreciate if you could accommodate my methods.”

After I finished speaking, Yi Haneul sighed and replied:

“Miho, if you insist that much… how can I just stand by? Alright, I’ll actively help you too.”

“Thank you, Mr. Yi Haneul.”

“Not Mr. Yi Haneul, but Master Yi Haneul.”

“…Huh?”

What.

I doubted my own ears.

Had I misheard?

“Come to think of it, Big Sister Yi Haneul might work too.”

“Wh, what nonsense is this?”

“The dog here is you, not me. Wait right here a moment. Since I’m helping, I might as well do it properly. Just stay put while I find that dog leash I bought recently…”

No, you lunatic.

When did you buy a dog leash?

And I said I’m being faithful to my instincts, not that I’m becoming your pet.

I’m not a pet.

I’m a wild animal.