Chapter 36: A fox tail

(Titus's (Takeru) POV)

"Did you hear about Lady Tamamo-no-Mae last night? While she was conversing with scholars, she began to glow!"

"Isn't that just a rumor? After all, she was behind bamboo walls."

"I was there too. I saw it with my own eyes. She glowed! Later, she fell ill, but she's fine now."

"Yeah, good to hear. I heard she used some magical lotion."

"So that's why she glowed? Still, she's as beautiful as ever."

"Yeah. She's also sporting a new hairstyle. Although... it looks kind of weird."

In the hallway, some maids were sharing the rumors I had been listening for all day. A few days after my last meeting with the pink-haired girl, she was having her usual discussion with scholars, enclosed in a room by bamboo walls. Emperor Toba, her simp, was also present. It was then she began to shine. Everyone, including the emperor himself, saw it. However, I missed the show since I wasn't there. Later, the emperor spread the lie that it was due to a magical lotion that Tamamo started to glow. Only Tamamo and I knew the truth.

"So, it begins." A smile crept onto my face. I was been on edge because I wouldn't complete the main mission, but now I could accomplish both tasks.

I walked toward a chamber and found two guards at the door. I nodded at them, and they let me through. I had used simple memory manipulation magecraft on some palace inhabitants, ensuring they wouldn't pose a problem.

Entering the hall, I found an elaborately decorated room with books and papers on shelves. Three individuals were writing at short tables. Two of them were maids.

"Welcome, Takeru-sama!" The maids greeted me with smiles. They were girls, around 15 to 17 years old, assisting with documentation. Normally, women weren't allowed in such professions, but this was a special case.

"I brought some extra sweets. Please enjoy," I said, offering them a small bento. They were delighted, nodding before leaving the room.

'I wonder what future holds for them.' I smiled, nodding to myself. I only saw those below 18 as children, having raised many in the past. So I had a habit of speculating about their futures based on their talents.

"Takeru-sama, as kind as ever," the third person spoke. It was Tamamo-no-Mae, my former second favorite waifu, now my least favorite person. She sat at the maid's desk, writing. She wore the same glamorous kimono, but her hairstyle was atrocious. She eyed me, hoping for another bento.

"I wanted to bring more sweets, but I don't want to feed a certain idiot," I said as I sat across from her. Leaning on her desk, I stared at her. "But if this idiot becomes my wife, I wouldn't mind baking sweets for her every day."

"Hehe, I suppose so. She'd be the happiest woman on Earth." She chuckled warmly. "You look better now, Takeru-sama. I'm so happy!"

"And you look so stupid. Well, you were already an idiot but now you look like something an Oni shit out on a bad day."

"Oh, come on! It's not that bad, humph!" Tamamo snorted.

No seriously. Her hair looked like a literal poop. Fashion sense was clearly lacking in this era.

"Are you going to show me your fox ears or not?" I asked to which Tamamo snapped, her eyes wide.

"Wh- Wh- Wh-What are you talking about…!? What fox ears!? I don't have fox ears!?" Tamamo started stuttering, but I kept staring at her. Shen then gave up and undid her hair dome, exposing her long orange fox ears. They were erected on top of her head, and her original human ears disappeared. For a moment, I had a sudden urge to pet her head, but I resisted. She had her eyes closed and seemed to be afraid of something until she opened her eyes and saw my usual face. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Hmm, they're cute," I said. I didn't lie.

"C-Cute?!" She blushed.

"Yes. You look much cuter with these ears," I said, raising my eyebrow. "So how long are you going to hide them? Planning to keep that awful hair bun?"

"I-I..." She hesitated, her face paling. "I'll reveal them at the right time."

"You'll be betrayed. They won't trust you. They'll fear you."

"T-They won't…" Tamamo replied. "…Probably."

"Ugh, you can't keep up this act. Come with me. I'd accept you even if you grew a tail or two. As long as you look like human and has those holes, I won't question as long as you are fuckable." I proposed.

"Pff, hahaha!" Tamamo glanced at me for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, her face regaining color. "Thank you, Takeru-sama. You are a very sweet person. But still... I don't want to be the first to betray them..."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, but a smile tugged at my lips. She was stubborn as hell, but her commitment to never betray her partner was admirable, even though that partner wasn't me.

"Come here," I said, motioning for her to leave her seat.

"W-what?" Tamamo blushed.

"Just come here. I have no intention of tarnishing my character with a woman like you," I repeated, hurling a few more insults her way. "I don't want others to mistake that Mount Fuji on your head for a real mountain."

"O-okay," Tamamo nodded. She then sat in front of me with her back turned. I started to work on her hair, using brushes and tools I pulled from my Inventory to give her a polished look.

"How does Takeru-sama keep producing these things out of thin air?" she asked.

"I'll only reveal my secrets to my woman. The offer is always open," I replied while styling her hair.

"Hehe," Tamamo chuckled. Her face had become much livelier. I don't think I had ever seen her so joyful before.

Soon, I finished styling her hair and handed her a hand mirror to admire her new look. Tamamo gasped when she saw herself. "My hair looks so cool!"

I rolled her fox ears into a ball before hiding them beneath her trademark blue ribbon. It gave her an alluring yet charming look, transforming her into a mature lady.

"Now, don't ask me how I know how to style hair. I won't tell you," I said before she could inquire. I possessed these skills because I had lived with two women. I used to style Nero's hair during my free time. While Boudica preferred to keep her hair down, she would sometimes allow me to style it as a sign of affection. When my children grew, I also styled their hair. You could say it was all part of my Rank Ex utility skills.

"Thank you, Takeru-sama. I don't have enough words to praise you," Tamamo turned around and thanked me with a proper bow.

"Save the flattery for someone else. I don't need it," I replied, my tone firm. "You'll be betrayed, and you know it. They don't deserve your trust."

"I-I don't know..." She lowered her head. "Still, I've decided to see it through. I don't want to be the first to betray them."

I sighed and stood to leave. However, before I could open the door, she spoke, "Takeru-sama, if I am betrayed... will you still be there for me?"

I turned around and saw her standing behind me, her head lowered. I couldn't see her eyes, as her bangs covered them, but I sensed her fragility, like glass on the verge of shattering.

"You are one shameless woman," I said, lifting her chin and looking into her eyes. I grinned. "But saving a damsel in distress can also be amusing, don't you think?"

---

(3rd person's POV)

Right now, Tamamo sat beside a bedridden man – Emperor Toba, once a respected ruler, now reduced to a frail state. It had been a month since Tamamo began concealing her fox ears from the public eye. She planned to reveal her divine awakening at the start of the week, expecting to be treated as a deity. However, just as she was about to make her revelation, Emperor Toba fell ill with a peculiar disease, delaying her intentions. Initially a minor illness with a high temperature, his condition worsened. His limbs ceased functioning, rendering him bedridden. The illness baffled everyone, and its nature remained unknown.

"Tamamo…" the Emperor weakly called her name.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm here! I won't leave you!" Tamamo reassured her was-about-to-be husband. But just as her lifelong dream was within reach, everything began to unravel. She had displayed inhuman strength during Takeru's rescue, and her fox ears had emerged. Now, Emperor Toba's mysterious illness further complicated matters.

Initially, she suspected Takeru, but she dismissed the idea. Takeru had been involved in events related to her evolution, but he was merely a catalyst. She knew deep down that it was a matter of time before she started recalling her memories, the memories when she was a deity. Besides, Takeru might have acted strangely, but he would never conspire against her.

There was one other suspect in her mind.

"Your Majesty!" The chamber door burst open, and a monk entered, accompanied by guards who surrounded Tamamo and Emperor Toba.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tamamo demanded. Before she could receive answers, two guards restrained her.

"Abe-no-Seimei-san, what is happening?" Emperor Toba inquired, addressing the monk.

Abe-no-Seimei, the legendary onmyoji, was a well-known figure in the Imperial Capital. Though said to be a hundred years old, he appeared youthful.

Tamamo's face distorted when she heard his name. Abe-no-Seimei appeared a few weeks ago when Emperor Toba contracted the disease. However, she knew that he had been living in the capital for quite some time and was having a time-to-time meeting with Emperor Toba in secret. It was kept secret from everyone, including Tamamo, but she knew about him because Takeru had already warned her about this monk. That's right, he was the prime suspect behind all the events happening right now, but due to his higher stance, she couldn't do anything.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I've discovered the cause of your disease," Abe-no-Seimei announced. He signaled the guards to remove Tamamo's gown, exposing her tail. They also unpinned her hair, revealing her tall fox-like ears.

"Your Majesty, this wicked woman is the cause of your demise," he proclaimed.

"Lies!" Tamamo cried. "Your Majesty, don't listen to him! I was about to explain my divine awakening, but your health... Please, believe me!" She pleaded with the man she trusted, her betrothed, but saw only horror and disgust in Emperor Toba's eyes.

"Silence!" Abe-no-Seimei's voice thundered, freezing even the very leaves outside in their motion. "Your Majesty, she is no deity. She is the personification of the fox spirit of China. She is Daji."

At the mention of that name, everyone, including the guards, widened their eyes. Daji was the favored consort of King Zhou of Shang, the last ruler of the Shang dynasty in ancient China. She was infamous for causing the downfall of numerous dynasties, including the Shang dynasty itself. Although she had been executed, rumors persisted about her reincarnations, leading to the destruction of kings' reigns. The stories of Daji's mischief were well-documented, even though they were often treated as fictional tales, in many of the imported Chinese texts in the Imperial Court.

However, now a woman with fox ears and a tail stood before them, blurring the lines between fact and fiction isn't entirely impossible.

"Your Majesty, that's a lie!" Tamamo pleaded with the only person she thought she could trust. "Your Majesty, I am innocent! It's all a lie! My ears and tail are symbols of my divine reincarnation, not the antics of a treacherous fox spirit! Please, believe me! I would never—"

"Silence!" This time, it was Emperor Toba himself who silenced her. "You filthy wretch! You were nothing more than a lowly insect from a backwater village when I took you in. I believed in your talents when you answered my questions correctly, but it was all a facade to get close to me. I gave you everything, but it was all part of your plan to betray me!" Emperor Toba snarled with disgust and revulsion, pointing accusingly at Tamamo. "Guards, Abe-no-Seimei! Kill this wretched woman! Chop her into pieces! I want her head displayed on the city walls!"

Tamamo couldn't fathom what she had just heard. She had never imagined that Emperor Toba saw her in such a light. The man she trusted most, the memories they had shared, Emperor Toba had obliterated it all in an instant.

'Takeru-sama was right...'

Tears welled up as she realized how utterly wrong she had been about Emperor Toba and how right Takeru had been about their intentions. Even the scholars she had enlightened with her knowledge now regarded her with disdain. But nothing compared to the betrayal she felt from Emperor Toba, trusting the words of an elderly monk over her own.

"Have no fear, Your Majesty," the onmyoji sneered as he approached, licking his lips as he gazed down at Tamamo-no-Mae. "I will personally dissect her."

Tamamo clenched her teeth in anger, sensing danger and malevolence emanating from the monk. She had never trusted him from the moment he offered his assistance to Emperor Toba. Her instincts and wisdom had always warned her about this man, and now it was all coming true. But the crucial question loomed: was this how she would meet her end?

She bit her lips and glanced at Emperor Toba one last time. "Your Majesty, I have done nothing wrong." She hoped for even a shred of mercy, but all she saw in the man she trusted was revulsion. Her fate was sealed with those words.

"Ha!" Gathering incredible strength, she pushed the guards behind her. Before anyone could react, she leaped from the window.

Falling from a height of twelve meters, she landed relatively unscathed despite minor bruises from vines and tree branches. Her clothes were torn though, but her primary concern was how to escape.

"Seal off all the gates! Don't let that fox escape!"

Within minutes, the inner sanctum of the Imperial Court was flooded with guards, all actively searching for her.

"There she is—" A guard spotted her, but before he could call for help, Tamamo moved with lightning speed and snapped the man's neck.

"What have I done..." Tamamo gasped in horror. She had never harmed a fly, yet now she had killed an innocent person. But there was no turning back.

Moving from one location to another, she found herself trapped within the city. Every gate was heavily guarded. Although she could easily dispatch most of the guards, she was still no match for the entire army. Besides, she didn't want to shed more human blood.

'Why?! Why did humans betray me?!' Tamamo clenched her teeth as a growing hatred for humanity gnawed at her heart. She ran, unable to count the number of soldiers she had killed, unwilling to confront her transgressions. She ran, seething with anger.

"Lady Tamamo-no-Mae!" Then a familiar voice called out from a dark corner of an alleyway. She turned and saw a maid, the same teenage girl who had worked alongside her. "This way!"

Initially, Tamamo hesitated to trust the maid, wary of another potential betrayal. She contemplated what she might do if this trust was broken, but she had no alternative. Her only option was to place her trust in this young girl. Things go south, she would just kill her.

The path the maid led her on was quiet and dark. Before Tamamo realized it, they were already outside the city. Tamamo was confused. She had many questions for this girl with whom she had barely spent any time. However, when the moonlight illuminated the maid's face, and Tamamo saw her warm smile, understanding washed over her.

"Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, we believe you did nothing wrong. Please find happiness with Takeru-sama."

With those words, a warm feeling blossomed in Tamamo's heart. The hate she had harbored for humanity began to fade. Without wasting any time, Tamamo left.

---

"Tsukuyomi-no-Takeru, you are under arrest for suspicion of colluding with the demon fox!"

I was in my room, engrossed in my writing, when I heard a commotion outside. Before I could investigate, two heavily armored guards appeared at my door. I sensed an odd magical energy emanating from them, and their weapons were enchanted. It was clear they intended to take me down without mercy.

However, just as they were about to enter my room, a blur rushed past them. In moments, their heads were separated from their bodies, rolling to a stop before me. I picked up one head and removed the helmet, revealing the lifeless eyes and pale skin of a soldier controlled by some form of magecraft. My suspicions deepened.

"Mommy, how was it? Is Jack good?" Jack appeared before me with her hands behind her back.

I looked at the heads on the ground, cleanly sliced. I couldn't help but admire Jack's precision.

"There, there," I smiled and petted her head. I knew I shouldn't be praising a child who killed people, but she was an assassin-class servant for a reason, and her name was Jack the Ripper. So, I stopped feeling guilty; to do otherwise would only put myself in danger.

"Mommy, Jack saw that old monk entering the king's room. The pink fox is also on the run," Jack reported. I had Jack continuously watch over the monk, and in case Tamamo was discovered, she would divert their attention.

'Abe-no-Seimei knew about my relationship with Tamamo…' I thought. I had tried to keep my affair with her well-hidden, but clearly, I had underestimated the abilities of the master onmyoji. He always brought Tamamo up during our conversations, even though I made sure to keep her involvement discreet.

"Well, you know what to do, Maria."

"Leave it to me, mommy~!" Jack saluted and lifted me in a princess carry before jumping out of the window. She also concealed our presence with a mist so that we wouldn't be detected.

Being carried by a 12-year-old child felt embarrassing, but it was the best feasible option. I could use Imperial Privilege to acquire a ninja skill, but I had to limit my options.

Soon, we reached outside the city, where I had a horse prepared in advance. I then rode towards where Tamamo was supposed to have fled. From the commotion, it seemed she had been found out by guards patrolling outside.

I also saw some hounds running after someone, but I sent Jack to deal with the fast-running animals. As for the soldiers, I had to dirty my hands.

After a few kilometers of dashing, I started to see dead bodies. They were soldiers of the capital, but their distorted bodies made it hard to look at them. Claw marks covered their forms, indicating I was close to my target.

I followed the trail of these bodies and soon found myself standing in an open field. The grassy plains were tainted crimson from the blood, and amidst the rosy scenery stood a beautiful naked woman. Her pink silky hair fluttered in the wind, but her most noticeable features were her fox ears and a soft tail.

When she turned around, she looked far from the cute, bubbly Tamamo-no-Mae I once knew. Her slit eyes exuded a menacing aura, capable of instilling fear in anyone. She appeared ready to send you to your death at any given moment.

However, I remained unfazed. I walked closer and lifted her chin. There, I saw the cruel side of divine Amaterasu, with her wild eyes and sharp canine teeth. Yet, she seemed emotionless.

"I am here to save my damsel in distress," I said, smiling, and gently caressed her face.

"Will you also… betray me?" she asked, her tone wavering for a second. I nodded.

"Yes, I will," I answered. I didn't lie. It was cruel to say this when she was so shattered, but she needed to know the truth. It was better to confront this reality now than to suffer later. I thought she would definitely attack me, but to my luck, she didn't. Not wanting to test her further, I let her rest her head on my chest.

"But right now, I am here for you."

Afterward, the reincarnation of Amaterasu cried on my chest, washing away her sorrow and softening her heart, trusting another person just one last time.

---

"This is called hot chocolate. It will warm you up, but drink slowly," I said, handing Tamamo a cup while also taking one for myself.

She nodded and took a sip before her eyes lit up. "This is so good~!"

"That's good to hear because it was the last batch I had. Now, all I have are boring tasteless English breads. Ugh, just thinking about those things makes my mouth dry," I said, then took a sip of hot chocolate to cleanse my palate. Even as a native Englishman, I would say that my country had the worst native dishes. We should learn from America and upgrade our cuisine like they did with pizzas.

"Hm~ hm~!! From your look, it must be something horrible," Tamamo smiled for the first time in a while. She had been on edge, so I decided to take a break in our journey.

We were a little far away from the capital, behind a hilltop. It was my resting place where I could enjoy some solitude. Even though dangers still loomed, I had Jack keep an eye on the capital for a while. Since it was late at night, no one was actively searching for us anymore.

"T-Takeru-sama... Can I..." Tamamo hesitated, her demeanor still reserved.

"Tamamo, you can speak to me normally. I won't eat you up... well, not now anyway," I teased.

"Then, can I get a little closer... It's getting cold..." she blushed.

I nodded, wrapped my arm around her, and pulled her close. I also produced a blanket from my Inventory so that we wouldn't get cold and wrapped ourselves on back. I kissed her cheek, hoping to put her at ease. Kissing on the forehead or cheek was the best way to soothe someone close. Well, it seemed to work, as her fox tail wagged. Speaking of her tail, it looked incredibly fluffy and cuddly. I had never touched it.

As if sensing my curiosity, she placed her tail on my lap. "Please be gentle."

I nodded, and when I touched her tail, I felt an incredible sense of fluffiness. I thought I could dive into it. It made me sleepy. "Guhee!" I then noticed that Tamamo was looking at me. I immediately composed my posture. "It's really fluffy."

"Really...?" she asked.

"Yeah, after I marry you, I will groom your your tail," I said, nestling my face against her tail but I then noticed her face turning gloomy.

"Takeru-sama... Do I even deserve to marry you after what happened?"

Reflecting on her situation, I saw my past self in her. I, too, was 'betrayed' by Nero's feelings. At that time, I had no goal, but my sister gave me the push I needed to make my way to her. But for Tamamo, there was no one by her side. She was alone. Even I had never taken her seriously. She didn't deserve such treatment for her believes.

"Tamamo, there's nothing wrong with being a little selfish to chase your dream because that's what makes you who you are and propels you forward," I said, gently caressing her cheek. "After all, I was selfish too, and that's how I ended up with you in my arms."

Tamamo stared at me for a moment before smiling and looking at the full moon. "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

I widened my eyes, then smiled. "Yes, it is."

Afterwards we closed our lips with each other. While we shared this moment before, this time however, it was the seal of our fates with each other.

(AN: Phew. That was one long ass chapter, almost 4k!)