And so, with sunglasses perched on her face, Inari stood before Hikaru, who stared at her with a conflicted expression.
It’s not that they didn’t suit her. Quite the opposite, Inari looked good, thanks to her naturally refined appearance. But… that wasn’t the problem.
“Fufufu. ‘Tis the first time I’ve worn colored glasses, it is!”
Inari was visibly giddy, her excitement rising. Meanwhile, Hikaru’s own excitement steadily declined. Well, of course it would. Hikaru had to admit her initial plan was naïve… but just putting on sunglasses wasn’t going to solve anything.
“How dost I look? Am I rockin’ the look?”
“You look like someone who just walked out of a clothing store after being sweet-talked by a pushy sales clerk into buying something weird.”
“Eh? I look like that?”
The issue wasn’t the sunglasses—it was the fox ears and shrine maiden outfit. Hiding the eyes did nothing when everything else screamed for attention. The other visual cues were just way too strong. Honestly, it was no different from walking around with flashing neon lights.
But all was not yet lost. Hikaru hadn’t only brought sunglasses.
“A hat…! If we hide the ears, maybe it’ll work!”
“Muoh?”
Plop.
Hikaru plopped a baseball cap onto Inari’s head. Just as she hoped, the cap covered the fox ears—briefly. But then, flap flap, the twitching ears under the hat lifted it awkwardly. It wasn’t intentional—Inari just didn’t like the feeling of them being pressed down and her ears reacted on their own.
“Dang, no good huh…”
“The ears, thou seest… they get all restless. Apologies, truly.”
Hikaru thought hard. If pressing down the ears was no good, then maybe a straw hat would work? Of course, she hadn’t brought one. Still, as far as seaside fashion went, that wouldn’t look out of place.
All that remained was to adjust the rest of the outfit accordingly, and—oh, right. Hikaru reached out and grabbed Inari’s wagging tail.
“Hyooaah!”
“Whoah!”
Startled, Inari leapt into the air while Hikaru instinctively backed away. Inari hadn't expected anyone to just grab her tail, and Hikaru hadn't expected that big of a reaction.
“Hey! That’s not okay! One does not simply grab another’s tail without permission!”
“Ah—sorry. So it’s real, huh?”
“Of course ‘tis real. But… I believe some explanation is in order?”
“Ah, yeah. That. I just meant… a disguise, to help you stand out less.”
“Ohhh, that’s all? Hmm… Then I suppose this look shall suffice.”
With that, Inari tapped her shrine maiden outfit lightly. In a flash, it transformed into a shirt, hoodie, and pants. A baseball cap appeared on her head—with her fox ears poking out from underneath.
The transformation was so thorough that, for a moment, Hikaru didn’t even realize it was still Inari. And now, the sunglasses Hikaru had brought suited her far better. Her tail remained visible, but with such a different overall impression, it might pass for a costume accessory.
But still…
“If you could do that from the start, then what was the point of all my struggle!?”
“Wh-whyy art thou angry?!”
“And why do you still have ears and a tail after going that far!? Just get rid of them!”
“Now now, thou asketh the impossible! 'Tis no different from tellin’ thee to become a one-eyed giant!”
“…Wait, seriously? You can’t hide them?”
“Can't, no.”
“Well… guess that can’t be helped, then. Sorry for yelling.”
“’Tis fine. A good child admits their wrongs right quick.”
As Inari reached to pat her on the head, Hikaru blushed and dodged the gesture. This part of Inari really reminded her of her grandmother. The more time she spent with her, the more mysterious the fox shrine maiden seemed.
The godlike being Hikaru had a contract with—the King of All Beasts, Sovereign of Every Creature—had shown a strong interest in Inari. That was why Hikaru came to Tokyo in the first place. But strangely, since meeting Inari, that being hadn’t said a word about her.
Even when Hikaru asked, she got no answers. So there was nothing she could do.
That’s why she decided to approach Inari herself… and yet, she still didn’t understand. Inari was clearly a good person—nothing about their time together changed that. But at the same time…
“I still think she’s probably an Apostle… but it could also just be a skill, right? If I poke around too much and stir up trouble, that’d be bad. Besides, it’s rude to ask someone directly about their abilities. And even if she is an Apostle… what difference does that make, really?”
“What troubles thee? Do I look odd to thine eyes?”
“Eh? Ah—no, nothing like that.”
When Inari leaned in to peer at her, Hikaru quickly smiled to cover it up. Yeah, it didn’t matter. The reason she was so fixated was because her godlike contractor had been so insistent: Meet her. Meet her.
Hikaru understood that. She did. And yet… she just couldn’t stop wondering.
“Well now. Shall we get goin’, then?”
“Wait—hold on!”
“Hmm?”
“Actually… I need to know. It’s been bugging me too much. Tell me—those ears and tail—how did you end up with them!?”
“Hmm? End up with? I was born with them.”
“Born with them!?”
“I did wonder why ye kept makin’ those fidgety faces. So that’s what troubled thy mind? Honestly, thou should’ve just asked sooner.”
“Y-yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“More importantly—let us go already!”
As Inari laughed cheerfully and started moving, Hikaru followed along, replying with a simple, “Yeah…”
And honestly? She was starting to feel silly for overthinking it all. Sure, her questions were only growing. But… maybe that was okay.
They were friends, after all.
And maybe—just maybe—fox ears and a tail didn’t really matter.
As soon as she made peace with that, her mind cleared, and she felt refreshed.
“Alright, let’s go!”
With that shout, Hikaru dashed off toward the door, Inari close beside her.