Eight-Tailed Fox (1)

It was never part of my plan for a new tail to sprout from combining human and yokai minds.

I was flustered, and Yi Haneul watching the situation was flustered too.

First, if anything changed from gaining an extra tail, it would be:

My height increased.

My rear became plumper.

My chest became fuller.

In any case, I grew considerably.

It wasn’t a very welcome growth.

I was already uncomfortable enough, so how could I adapt if I grew even larger?

“Is that so?”

I voiced my displeasure to Yi Haneul, but:

“D, don’t come any closer!”

After seeing my appearance, Yi Haneul rejected me in sheer terror.

It was a strange reaction.

“Why the sudden change?”

Ah.

Could it be…?

Does having eight tails mean I’m constantly emanating allure?

If so, I could understand Yi Haneul’s rejection.

…This seems quite troublesome.

Should I visit Ho Joon again to learn new allure control methods?

As I pondered alone, Yi Haneul spoke up:

“Stay away, you monster!”

“A monster?”

“You’ve evolved into a three-headed, busty monster! Come back, Miho! Return to your three-tailed form! Please!”

“…”

Was that really the reason she avoided me?

Dumbfounded, I let out a sigh and said:

“It’s not like I wanted to grow like this on purpose.”

“I, I know that much. Geez… you were already disgusting, but now you’re multiple times more disgusting.”

“…”

“…I’m jealous.”

Yi Haneul muttered the last part so quietly that others couldn’t hear, but I could clearly pick it up in my eight-tailed state.

“Just kidding, Miho. You know what feeling I get when I look at you now?”

“How would I know?”

“It’s like looking at an immortal.”

“What does that mean?”

“I sense an otherworldly aura. Enough to feel a sense of repulsion. You don’t seem like the Miho I knew.”

“Ah…”

“If you go to the Yokai Extermination Office looking like that, it’ll cause an uproar.”

“…I understand.”

I could easily grasp what Yi Haneul was saying.

Since I had just unleashed my eighth tail, it seemed I was having trouble controlling my spirit energy and unconsciously emanating an overwhelming amount.

It wasn’t just my spirit energy that increased.

The range and precision of my sight, smell, and hearing had expanded incomparably from before.

My senses had developed accordingly.

My hearing was so sharp that if I focused, I could probably even hear ants moving food into their nest.

My sense of smell was so vast that I could detect Principal Yi Han-ul of the Yokai Extermination Office eating spicy snacks with coffee from this distance.

Not yet accustomed to my eight-tailed state, I felt dizzy.

Ugh…

The weight of my body and senses seemed too much to adapt to easily.

As I rolled my eyes, unsure where to focus, Yi Haneul spoke:

“So… you seem stronger at least?”

“Yes.”

Setting aside my appearance and senses, just look at this overwhelming spirit energy making my whole body tremble with exhilaration.

If a yokai qualified for ascension or a goblin were to appear before me, I felt confident I could defeat anyone.

Only after unleashing my eighth tail could I understand the source of Dalgi’s arrogance.

With such immense power.

Such overwhelming might naturally led to Dalgi’s arrogance.

…Come to think of it.

If I kept my eight tails out like this, I might become as arrogant as Dalgi too.

The spirit energy from eight tails felt so potent that I could easily become self-obsessed with my own power.

Slightly.

Dangerous power, it seemed.

“…I probably shouldn’t leave my tails out carelessly.”

“I completely agree. Now put those tails away quickly.”

“Understood.”

I should only unleash my eight tails when absolutely necessary.

Inhale.

Inhale.

Hngh.

…They’re not going in.

It seems I need to get into a comfortable position.

Eventually, I assumed the cat stance again, causing Yi Haneul’s face to redden in terror.

Once more.

Inhale.

Inhale.

Hngh.

“…”

“Q, quickly put them away… I feel embarrassed just watching.”

“Lord Yi Haneul.”

“What?”

“I think I’m, well, screwed.”

“So, what?”

“The tails won’t go in.”

“…”

“…”

Yi Haneul and I momentarily fell silent.

The silence was broken by Yi Haneul’s scream:

“No waaaaaay! Revert back to three-tailed Miho, you monster!”

“What am I supposed to do about it?”

Who said I didn’t want to put my tails away?

How vexing.

---

In this unprecedented situation where my tails wouldn’t retract, I hastily retreated to the Inner Realm.

It was a choice for my sake, and for others’ sake too.

Now that my senses had developed exponentially, I could no longer endure the various scents and sounds from human artifacts.

The faint smell of exhaust in the air.

The tapping of typewriters audible from Jirisan’s Inner Realm.

Having just unleashed my eighth tail, I hadn’t grasped how to control my senses.

In contrast, the Inner Realm was pure nature without any artificial sounds or smells, putting less strain on my mind.

No wonder it’s called a paradise for yokai.

Moreover, if I had remained in the human world and encountered civil servants from the Yokai Extermination Office…

‘If those male civil servants saw you like this, Miho, I can guarantee they’d go wild claiming a goddess had descended.’

‘…Really?’

‘Yes, really. Your aura and appearance.’

…I did want to retract my tails.

It was quite vexing.

In any case, it seemed best for my mental health to retract my tails as soon as possible.

I decided to consult Lord of the Mountain about my current state.

I didn’t know if he would answer, but it was worth a try.

The first yokai I encountered in the Inner Realm was, of course, Depot, who had sniffed out my scent.

“Your den got bigger!”

Those were Depot’s first words upon seeing me.

Before I could reply, Depot swiftly approached and burrowed into my chest.

…Depot’s entire body was buried inside.

Previously, his fur would at least stick out, but now not a single strand could be seen – the cavity had become that deep.

Poking his head out, Depot suddenly said:

“Chik chik, it got bigger! And being in here feels really good too.”

“This isn’t your den.”

“So what!”

“You damn crazy squirrel yokai… Huh?”

Wait a minute.

“Depot, what did you just say?”

“It got bigger!”

“After that.”

“And it feels really good too!”

“…It feels good?”

“Chik chik. Chik chik chik.”

Spirit energy, or yokki, is:

A mystical force that cannot be fully defined.

A power that can destroy yokai.

Of course, neither Lord of the Mountain nor I had any desire to destroy the yokai living in the Inner Realm, so we completely removed the ‘killing’ aspect from our spirit energy.

Even with the ‘killing’ aspect removed, spirit energy was fundamentally different in essence from a yokai’s yoki.

Yokai didn’t welcome spirit energy the way humans instinctively did.

To yokai, spirit energy was just a ‘rather strong power’.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Yet, Depot had clearly said, “It feels really good.”

…It didn’t seem like a simple remark about the den being spacious.

“Why does it feel good? Because the den is bigger?”

“Chik chik, I don’t know. It just feels good.”

“How about this?”

I increased my spirit energy output slightly.

“Chik chik, chik chik chik!”

Depot visibly started enjoying it more.

He enjoyed it so much that he completely buried his head and started scurrying about.

…Huh.

Turns out, not just humans but yokai can also be enthralled, and I should have realized it sooner.

In my eight-tailed state, my spirit energy seems to have the power to make yokai feel good too.

“Chik chik chik! Chik chik!”

Ah, this damn rat.

Why are you thrashing about in someone’s breasts?

I concentrated my mind to lower my spirit energy output as much as possible.

“Chik chik! What are you doing, you stupid idiot dumbass Miho!”

Depot became enraged.

He really has gone insane.

“Why, what?”

“Do that again!”

“Do what?”

“You know what! Chik chik! It felt so incredibly good! Do it again, quickly! Right now! Immediately!”

“I don’t want to, you tiny rat… Aaaaargh!”

I screamed from the stinging pain in my chest.

Depot had discharged electricity.

“Do it! Do it, I said! If you don’t…”

If I don’t.

What.

What will you do?

You’ve really lost it.

You crazy electric rat.

Jump.

“Chik!”

Jump jump.

“Chik! Chik!”

Jump, jump, jump, jump.

“Chik, chik, chik, chik… Ugh, dizzy… can’t breathe…”

Well, who told you to barge into me without permission?

As I pushed Depot out with my hands, I started jumping about the Inner Realm again.

And as I jumped around the Inner Realm, I happened to encounter two yokai:

“Oh, Your Majesty, in this world!”

One was a pervert who liked mature women.

“A monster… a truly strange and outrageous monster…!”

The other was a pervert who liked children.

Grrowl and Old Man Wangtae.

Ah.

I just had to encounter the two yokai I least wanted to meet simultaneously.

Opposites really do attract – why were they sticking together?

I’m already getting a headache.