33 Sharing a Meal with a Saint and a Devil

Once again, I had started playing with the stew in the bowl standing in front of me. I was hungry, that much was a given, and it tasted really good, too, but I still couldn't calm down enough to even take a single bite.

Ofris was sitting right next to me, almost close enough to touch me, but he wasn't even paying attention. He was just eating happily without minding the foul mood surrounding him.

 

«How did it end up like this ...»

 

My gaze wandered towards the brown-haired beauty sitting on the sofa that stood on the opposite side of the table. She wasn't happy being here. Not only her eyes, her whole expression and body were screaming insults at me for making her be here.

Risa wore a long, elegant dress of red and brownish colors, combined with black, heeled boots and a dark gray necklace that was decorated with three blood-red gemstones. She looked more like the young lady of a noble house than the simple woman working a counter in the town hall she actually was.

 

«She clearly had other plans with him.»

 

They didn't tell me much, but what I heard was enough to at least guess what had happened. Ofris had invited Risa to a dinner. Being the self-centered bitch she was, she never did see the possibility of it not being the start of her long-awaited romance, but rather something friends did together – and I was one of those friends of his.

While he wasn't wearing his armored adventurers' equipment, he wasn't exactly dressed up, either. He wore clean shoes and clothes, that much was a given, but they looked kind of plain. It was only his well-built body, that was making the brown boots, the blue trousers and the brown vest he wore above a slightly brownish shirt look decent.

 

«What is he? A cowboy?!»

 

「Do you think he has a lasso, too?」

"..."

Ofris looked at me confused. "What is it?" He asked. "Are you not hungry?"

"I was just thinking about something."

「Isn't this the right moment to say sorry to him?」

 

She was right. I would have been happier if it was just me and Ofris here, but I couldn't change that now. And I really felt like apologizing to him, even if it wasn't for that wicked quest the vixen had given me.

 

『Quest-Chain: A boozy night

Quest 2/3: Remorse

Description: Apologies to Ofris for embarrassing him.』

 

The quest demanded nothing from me, I just had to say sorry. There could be no trick hidden somewhere. There was nothing that would hinder me from just doing it now. Who cared about Risa hearing it?!

 

"Ofris ..."

"What is it?"

"About yesterday-"

"Don't worry about it. You never drank before, did you? Just be more careful from now on."

"But I still want to apologize! I embarrassed you!"

"It wasn't your fault."

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again! I will be more careful from now on."

"You don't have to get so nervous. Nobody is going to get angry at you."

 

«You totally do not see Risa staring daggers at me, do you?»

 

A green screen blocked away Risa's angry face.

 

«This was all? It was that easy? I would have sworn she tricked me again!»

「I would never trick my cute Rika.」

«You totally would!»

 

My eyes flew over the system messages.

 

『Quest completed: A boozy night 2/3

 

Accepted Quest 3/3: A healthy opportunism

Description: Tell him that, even though you are sorry, you regret nothing.』

 

«THIS BITCH! IS SHE SERIOUS?! HOW CAN I NOT REGRET IT!? I KISSED HIM! I FUCKING KISSED HIM!»

「But Rika! The rewards! Don't forget about the rewards! They are awesome!」

 

She didn't even give me a chance. Before I could even decide on how to get back at her, she already made the text on the screen change into the reward section.

 

『Rewards upon completing Quest-Chain:

⇒Skillset: Intermediate Magic (Fox-Edition)

⇒Title: ???'s Child』

 

«Magic ...»

 

I desired this magic, of course I did, especially now that I knew I would probably never be able to use normal spells like the ones Sahria had tried to teach me.

Even though she had given her best, it was all wasted effort in the end. I tried to control mana hundreds of times without even feeling a single thing. I was just unable to. I couldn't concentrate it in my hand, no matter how hard I tried.

There was no tingling feeling in my veins nor was there an uncomfortable warmth when Sahria tried to force her mana into my body. Aside from the few moments I used the fox magic, my body behaved as if it had decided to deny the very existence of magic.

Shiro's magic was my only chance to gain power aside from maybe sword training and bodybuilding, which would be far too taxing for my weak body.

But was magic that precious that it could make me decide to learn it even at the cost Ofris thinking I loved him? The answer was easy: yes. Enduring a few moments of pure shame would easily make me stronger, maybe strong enough to go on adventures and defeat monsters. It would only be a matter of time for me to become as strong as Ofris!

 

«No choice. I should wait for that bitch to leave and just get it over with then.»

 

Suddenly, a new green screen appeared in front of my eyes. The screen started blinking, once per second, and each time changed it's content just slightly. A cold shiver went over my body, followed by a fiery heat, anger and hatred.

 

『Quest updated: A healthy opportunism

Remaining time: 2 minutes and 54 seconds』

It blinked again: 『... 53 seconds』

And again: 『... 52 seconds』

 

"THIS FILTHY BITCH! I WILL KILL HER! I WILL DROWN HER IN SLURRY!"

「Fox.」

 

My fingernails pierced deed into the flesh of my hands. I tried my best to suppress all of the anger that was threatening to break me apart from within, but all of this effort was for null. Ofris saw them anyway, both my reddened skin and the tears of anger gathering in my eyes.

 

"Is it too spicy?!" He asked, honestly surprised. "I'm sorry! I should have known!"

"I- I don't regret-"

"What?! You won't die! It is just spices!"

I tried it again: "I don't regret- what I have done to you-"

"What are you talking about?!"

"I don't regret kissing you! And I don't regret licking you, either! I feel sorry but I don't regret it!"

 

「I never said you had to mention the kisses and licks~」

 

Ofris started panicking. "You are crying?! You won't die! I promise I won't let you die! I will get you water! I will get you as much water as you want!!"

 

He ran out of the room, leaving me alone with the still dagger-staring Risa. When the screens in front of me changed to announce to me that I had finished the quest, the woman in front of me suddenly became petrified. I couldn't see her well due to the tears hiding her like a veil, but it looked as if all blood has left her face.

 

Ofris was the same. When he came back into the room, armed with a whole bucket filled with water, he, too, became frozen in place.

 

"Your- your ears!" He stammered, "What happened to them?!"

"There was a mist," Risa revealed, her voice shaking of shock and fear, "a white mist! It changed her tail and the ears!"

 

«My tail?!»

 

I hurriedly pulled it on my lap. They were right. The once red-brownish tip of my tail had lost all of its colors. It was white, almost perfectly white. I had become even more of a fox.

 

⊱————-　Extra　————-⊰

 

Shiro: 『Foxification has reached 67%』

Rika: What are the remaining 33%?

Shiro: Mainly nature stuff.

Rika: Nature stuff?

Shiro: Getting in heat-

Rika: WHAT?!

Shiro: And giving birth to cute puppies~

Rika: I'M NOT A DOG!!

Shiro: We can't just call your litter "children". People will get confused!

Rika: What is wrong with that!? I will never call my children puppies!

Shiro: So you have accepted the idea of becoming a mother~

Rika: What?!

Shiro: 『Foxification has reached 69%』He~ he~

Rika: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU HEAD!?