Education Complete, Still Friends~

From a general theoretical perspective, it is both pathetic and foolish to take away or seal away a friend's power out of fear that the friend might be injured or even killed while continuing to fight.

First, you betrayed your friend's trust in you;

Second, what if a friend who has lost their power encounters danger? When they had power, it couldn't even be called danger, but you took away their power.

The tragedy lies in the fact that having power means fighting, while losing power means returning to being an ordinary person, and without power, one might be killed by monsters.

This is a very real question. Let's take the Kamen Rider series, which the author likes, as an example. You watch the protagonist transform and wreak havoc on the world, feeling a sense of longing. But when you actually come to that world, do you have the courage to put on that belt and shout "Henshin!"?

I really hate those brainless, pretentious protagonists who can defeat the supporting characters' years of hard work just by relying on a deus ex machina cheat. Of course, I'm not praising one Silly Loli while belittling another, and there are similar issues, but at least he's not a fool who's obsessed with picking up girls and building a harem, nor is he the kind of useless protagonist who relies on heaven, earth, seniors, friends, or his wife but can't rely on himself.

Hmm, if I remember correctly, Xing seems to have gotten quite a few cheat codes from other people? Ah...

—Beginning of main text—

Your grandpa is still your grandpa.

After being easily defeated by her younger brother, Kiana deeply understood the true meaning of this wise saying.

The armor performance of both sides was similar. I only used one book, and the other side also only inserted one book. Unlike me, that wasn't even their basic form.

So, where does the difference lie?

The answer is simple: the rhythm of the battle. From the very beginning, the initiative lay with Sachi. A relentless, step-by-step approach, leaving the enemy no chance to breathe, anticipating their possible responses and striking them in time... For Kiana, she was defeated before she could even unleash her full potential.

Kiana gave up. She wasn't the type to fuss over nothing, but she was just a little... annoyed?

And so—

"Mei, let me hug you~"

"No!"

In the steaming hot spring, the girls, wrapped only in towels, quietly enjoyed a moment of leisure. Mei, who was soaking in the warm water with the sleeping Luming, gave Kiana a heavy chop to the neck, who was trying to take advantage of her.

To be fair, she also treats Sachi like a younger brother or sister. Unlike the "older sister" type of Insect, Mei, who is full of wifely charm, takes the route of a caring older sister.

Bronya & Wendy: "... Sister Mei, you wouldn't, would you?!"

P. S.: Don't worry, this timeline shouldn't have any involvement from Yae Yuki and Mei, but in the initial branches I envisioned before I started writing, Yae Xing's only true love was indeed Mei...

After beating up the most resilient Kiana in the team, Xing still couldn't bring herself to do it and chose to find a reason to end the battle, since it wouldn't be right to really beat them all up.

However, the inability to withstand the mental strain was indeed a reason. His damaged body needed to repair itself through sleep, and a few days ago, he had overdrawn his soul's power due to the battle with Chi Yu. Although he fused with the centaur by sacrificing his fighting spirit and eye soul, he ended up with a blank eye soul in his hand. After asking the Guidance Module, he found out that it was actually his [True Self] eye soul.

It was probably awakened during the battle with Chi Yu, but due to overexertion, the awakening process was interrupted. After unleashing a temporary burst of power to repel Chi Yu, only this blank eye soul remained.

Sigh, my account was banned just as I was getting used to the new toy. When will I ever have another outburst of superstition?

So, Idol Lady mustered her energy and recorded Christmas Eve and Christmas Day greeting videos. After Ai-chan sent them to Brother Dawei, she couldn't resist the waves of sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep in bed.

And then, here we are now.

He was still a boy at heart. Even if he could openly enter the women's bathhouse with his current body, the girls he spent every day with would never allow Luming to share a pool with him—provided that Luming was awake.

If you fall into a good sleep, of course you can bring this little girl in and soak with you!

But isn't something wrong?

Kiana looked at Mei, who was holding the petite and delicate girl in her arms and carefully Mei her muscles, with envy, jealousy and hatred. Damn it, I also want to be served by Mei like that, or let me hold that brat!

PS: Fortunately, she is the group's darling, main damage dealer, healer, sugar daddy, and psychological counselor.

"Mei, let me hug you, let me give this stinky little sister a good bath!"

"I had already bathed her before she went to the hot spring."

"Um, I really want Mei to help me wash up too..."

"You're not a child anymore, be serious, or you'll be eating plain food for the next few days."

"Don't want!!!"

Having temporarily blocked the group that wanted to rub their Luming, Mei pressed her temples with a headache. She was a little worried about Yuki-kun's future married life and hoped that his future self could grow up to be a normal big boy... What was that Jotaro feeling on her hand?

Mei subconsciously pinched her, and the sleeping young lady let out a soft moan, her snow-white fox ears and tail unconsciously sticking out.

Mei's breathing suddenly became heavy, and it took a lot of effort to suppress the urge to ravage her.

Within the consciousness space, Herrscher Mei grabbed the main personality and shook it wildly, "If you won't touch me, I will! I'm going to teach this guy who has humiliated this queen so many times a lesson!"

"Get away." Mei calmly picked up the Judas Bracelet from Luming's hand and tapped it on her head, and the other girl immediately became obedient.

Speaking of which, are these pendants on Luming's body impossible to remove? That Leg Ring seems to be the manifestation of the Xuanyuan Sword, the place where Senior Ji Lin's soul resides, so it's normal that it can't be removed.

With a flash of her Leg Ring, Miss Ji Lin happily splashed in the water and swam away, leaving behind a group of women whose faces were filled with utter bewilderment.

I can't remove that blue anklet either; I wonder if it's a new power-up. And what about the wristwatch and Transformation Bracelet on her wrist? Speaking of which, that bracelet is probably an evolution of the armor bracelet that stored the Divine Key Armor - Imaya, right? Was it an upgrade made by Miss Ende? And what is this wristwatch? It's even specially bound with Judah's chain; is it some kind of device that can't be operated casually?

Mei pondered for a moment and reached between the legs of the young lady wearing earplugs. Sure enough, she could no longer sense that strange space. Had it lost its connection with the real world?

P. S.: Kiana was the first to find Luming unconscious, and then, with a bit of revenge in mind, she reached into Luming's skirt, hoping to find something good, when Mei, who had come to deliver lunch, just happened to push open the door...

Yes, it turns out that Kiana is indeed very durable.

"Phew~ This is life!" Lobster Girl leaned comfortably against a large rock in the hot spring, completely unaware that she was about to become a boiled lobster.

"Hey, when did Lobster Doctor arrive?" Rosalia exclaimed to her sister in surprise, as if she had discovered a new continent.

Liliya nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Her presence is so subtle, I didn't even notice her."

"That's because I just arrived!" Tesla angrily pulled out a large iron fist from his newly developed Fourth-Dimensional Pocket prototype and gave the Arin Sisters a flick on the forehead each.

"Oh, good afternoon, Doctor." Mei greeted her politely, and the enthusiastic Kiana put her arm around her neck. "Yo, Doctor, long time no see. Um, is our enhancement device ready yet?"

Tesla's pleasant mood vanished instantly, and he promptly rewarded Kiana with one as well, saying, "You learned all this from that Rabbit Assistant, didn't you? All you do is rush and urge. If you're so capable, you do it yourself!"

Mei an awkward smile, silently grabbed Kiana's ear and pulled her back. "Good girl, if you cause any more trouble, you'll be kneeling on the washboard when you get home."

P. S.: Don't ask, it was taught by ( ).

"Hey, she's here too." Noticing Luming being held by Mei, Tesla's expression immediately turned teasing. "Mei, can I borrow this sleeping rabbit for a while?"

"Of course, but please be gentle and don't wake her. Also, to be precise, she should be called a fox."

"Oh dear, your ears were so long before, you looked like a rabbit." Tesla didn't care about that, and pinched her ears a few times with seemingly rough but actually very light movements. Serves you right for always exploiting me!

"Hey, why can the Doctor do it but I can't?" Kiana protested, firing a resistance at Mei.

Mei didn't say anything, just gave her a look, and told her to go back and figure it out herself.

Black Seele was almost white with sweat, yawned boredly. "Hey, you flat-chested lobster head over there, do you have any interesting little inventions to relieve your boredom? I feel like I'm about to lose my mind."

"Of course I have... What did you just call me? This genius has!" Tesla brandished his iron fist in a show of defiance, but Black Seele swung it into the air with a claw, instantly turning her from a braised lobster into a live lobster.

Black Seele snorted smugly, then turned to see Bronya with a kind face. "Come here, let your older sister teach you a lesson about basic manners."

PS: In order not to be confused with White Seele, she always maintains the appearance of Abyssal Empress with the lowest possible power.

Seeing this gratifying scene, Tesla hummed a little tune with satisfaction, then snapped her fingers, and a device resembling a temperature gun appeared in her hand. The crowd gathered around curiously, their eyes wide with astonishment.

"Let me introduce you to this ingenious little invention that I plan to sell to high school girls in the future— the Femininity Detector '!" Tesla grabbed the curious Kiana and pressed the detector against her forehead. "Just press the switch like this, and after two or three seconds, a value will pop up on the screen. By the way, the theoretical maximum value is 100. Also, as long as you're a girl, you'll get at least a passing score of 60..."

Beep, 59

Before Tesla could even speak, the device's readings immediately contradicted her expectations. However, she wasn't angry. Kiana, who had been used as a guinea pig, was the one who yelled in fury, "How is this possible? How could I not even pass? This stupid invention must be faulty!"

Bronya retorted, "I think it's perfectly normal. Do you ever act like a lady? You always refer to yourself as 'this lady,' aren't you ashamed?"

Unable to accept the truth, Kiana snatched the Femininity Detector and shoved it against Tesla's forehead to test it.

Beep, 61

Kiana: ⊙▽⊙

Tesla: ^O^

"Aaaaah! I don't care, it must be your crappy invention that's faulty!" Kiana was so heartbroken and furious that she almost died of anger. Liliya, quick-witted and agile, snatched the Femininity Detector before Kiana could break it and slapped it on her sister's head to test it.

Beep, 83

Rosalia's eyes sparkled as she happily had her sister tested as well.

Beep, 83

"That's normal. They're at an age where they're innocent and carefree, and even their undeveloped feminine charm has a very high potential. By the way, generally speaking, the more childlike and imaginative a little girl is, the higher her potential feminine charm will be," Tesla explained.

Intrigued, Black Seele asked Rosalia for Femininity Detector and personally tested her beloved White Seele first.

Beep, 82

"Wow, White Seele is about the same age as us!" Rosalia exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening. "How about debuting with us someday?" she asked eagerly.

"Don't interrupt, go stand over there. Even if someone's going to debut, it'll be with her Brother Xing, not you two!" Black Seele's murderous gaze successfully scared the two brats into tears. She then extended the detector towards Bronya, "Come on, big sister, why don't you try it too?"

"You won't test my other self?"

"Ha, childlike heart? Fantasy? Idiot, do you think I have such childish things?" Black Seele poked her in exasperation, but still couldn't resist, so White Seele personally tested her.

Beep, 88

???

Everyone was stunned. Black Seele felt her worldview crumble. Was this broken machine malfunctioning? How could I possibly be this tall?!

Wait, that's not right. Come to think of it, back in the Quantum Sea, I seem to have often told Seele stories I made up, even though they were all rather bizarre... Does that count?!

Putting aside the morally bankrupt Black Seele, Bronya also took the test at the urging of the Arin Sisters, and Ya Ya inexplicably became looking forward to it.

Beep, 90

"Ahem, this is exactly what I expected." Before anyone could ask any questions, Bronya coughed awkwardly a few times. "You might not believe it, but actually... I quite like to fantasize, and I also really like cute things like HOMU. I think this number is quite normal."

Oh, I see.

Wendy took a test and the result was an astonishing 90. When everyone asked why, Qingtuan blushed and became shy when she spoke.

Well, it seems this child's fantasy has gone astray.

After a round, everyone except Kiana, who wondered if she was born the wrong gender, got satisfactory scores. Tesla had no complaints about her passing score. She knew herself well. How could a tomboy want a high score?

While searching for their daughter with her mentally challenged Silly Mom outside, Fu Hua's Father suddenly sneezed. (Don't worry, the story will unfold shortly!)

Unable to resist Kiana's persistent pleas, Mei was forced to undergo the test.

Beep, 95

"Well, I used to be a rich heiress too, so there's nothing strange about it." Faced with the admiring gazes of everyone, Mei felt her face burning and lowered her head shyly.

"Hey, doesn't this put me at the bottom? That's so unfair!" Kiana was almost going crazy when suddenly she turned her gaze to Miss Yuza, who was sound asleep.

The white fluffy ball chuckled sinisterly. "Sorry, little brother, no, little sister, please forgive your older sister for being willful this time!"

To Kiana's surprise, when she suggested testing Luming, everyone unanimously agreed. Firstly, they found it interesting, and secondly, they thought that Luming, who was transformed from a boy, shouldn't be very tall.

Beep, beep, beep... Warning! Warning! Warning! The current target has exceeded the measurable limit! Repeat! Measurable limit exceeded!

The air fell silent; the only sounds were the girls' silent breathing and Luming-chan's rhythmic snoring.

After a long pause, Tesla lowered his head, looked at the Femininity Detector in his hand, and forced a smile. "I'm sorry, Kiana, it might really be broken."

"It's alright, Doctor, you can just make a new one next time." Kiana forced a stiff smile, took the still-beeping Femininity Detector, and tossed it away.

PS: There was indeed a problem, but apart from Kiana, the measurement results of others did not have much error.

The actual result for the Kiana is: 100

How could a child who harbors aspirations and is willing to relentlessly strive for a seemingly unattainable goal not be tall?

(Ah, the author added this to 100 without my permission. Okay, Kiana, can you put the gun down now?)

—Come on, come on—

"Honestly, where did those kids take Little Xing to play? I've only been gone a little while and I can't find her anymore. I'll definitely have a good talk with them later!" Theresa said resentfully. Just then, a white light appeared from the horizon and hit the white-haired dwarf on the head with perfect accuracy.

"Headmaster, watch out!" Fu Hua swiftly grabbed the Femininity Detector"that Kiana had just tossed over, accidentally pressing the trigger.

Beep! -100! Please, this cross-dressing pervert, do not touch this machine! Cross-dressing is one thing, but to have such a wild demeanor... is it even possible...?

Before the sound could even finish, Fu Hua's Father, his face dark with anger, crushed it into scrap metal with a "bang," leaving the Silly Mom, who witnessed the scene, trembling with fear.

—Please cherish this volume of Fu Hua's Father; once this whole volume is finished, she'll be offline for a long time. Ah, don't misunderstand, she's alright, at least she wasn't physically harmed—

PS: The "big volume" I'm referring to includes the previous volume plus the current volume which isn't finished yet, plus the next volume which I'll be able to start writing soon.

(Are you ready for my barrage of razor blades? You've been holding your hands back for so long, let's start killing! Let's start killing! Let's start killing!!!)

"Ahem, that was an accident. Let's try this!" Tesla, whose skin was flushed, didn't notice the unusual heat inside him. He took out another device from his Fourth-Dimensional Pocket that was similar to the previous "Femininity Detector." "Ta-da! A derivative version of the Femininity Detector — the Wife Material Detector!"

???

Facing the stares of the crowd as if he were crazy, Tesla coughed awkwardly a few times and explained, "I plan to apply this to the matchmaking industry in the future. It mainly helps men determine whether the women they are dating are suitable to be wives. The specific mechanism is similar to the previous one..."

Before Braised Lobster Girl could finish speaking, the curious Rosalia snatched the "Wife Material Detector," slammed it onto Tesla's head, and pulled the trigger.

Beep! 44! Warning: This person has a bad temper, irregular lifestyle, and extremely low cultural literacy. Dating or marriage with them is highly discouraged...

The crisp electronic sound echoed in the hot spring, Tesla's face immediately turned as red as a Sichuan hot pot as he chased after the mischievous Arin Sisters in a fierce battle in the hot spring.

Old Yang, who was analyzing the Thousand Worlds, suddenly sneezed.

"Pfft! This time it's definitely accurate, Mei, come and try it!" Kiana almost died laughing. She grabbed Mei and, regardless of whether her shy friend wanted to or not, she still took the test.

Beep! 99. This person is gentle and considerate, has excellent housekeeping skills, is a great cook, and is also of superior appearance and figure. She is the perfect choice for a marriage partner!

As expected of Mei! Kiana shamelessly tried to get close to Mei, and just as the shy Rice Cooker was hesitating to refuse, the electronic voice continued:

However, the test subject was found to have a potential secondary personality, characterized by a volatile temper, a tendency to lose control, and extremely low intelligence. However, their indomitable spirit is commendable, and it is recommended that they learn from the primary personality.

Within her consciousness space, Herrscher Mei fell into deep thought. When did such a stupid personality appear? How come she didn't know?

After testing her future wife, Kiana wanted to test Bronya and the others as well, but after seeing the ridiculous scene from earlier, they refused. So, everyone's attention turned to the peacefully sleeping Luming Lady.

Beep! 100!

No, infinity! This object of measurement is simply the perfect companion!

Maxed Housekeeping Ability, exceptional culinary abilities, and a meticulous and cautious nature. She is patient and considerate towards friends and family, always thinking of others and remembering everything about them. Not only is she incredibly capable in combat, but she is also a talented singer and performer, proficient in music, calligraphy, painting, and chess, and has a thorough understanding of various musical instruments. Furthermore...

The electronic voice kept rambling on for ten minutes without showing any sign of stopping. The crowd's expressions went from initial amusement to shock at being used to it, to longing, and finally to madness.

"Um, well, I'm a little dizzy. If you don't mind, I'll take you back, Rabbit Assistant?" Tesla shakily stood up from the hot spring, picked up Luming, who was "only looking at the scenery in her dreams and only wanting to sleep soundly," and suggested ending the bath.

Surprisingly, everyone agreed without any intention of fighting over Luming. Ah, even Wendy seemed a little dizzy, wanted to go back.

Before leaving, Tesla wiped his glasses, put them on, and blinked hard. Just as he was about to pick up his Rabbit Assistant and go back, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be some pink liquid on her. Where did it get stuck?

"Strange, it seems to be secreted from her pores... Is this girl's sweat different from ordinary people?"

Lobster Girl didn't think much of it. She opened the storage cabinet and released Little Te, who had come with her. With Little Te's help, she wiped Luming's body, dressed her in a nightgown, wrapped her in a quilt, and carried her back.

On the other side, the Fire-Chasing Squad, their bodies soaked in a pool of water that had turned pink, were...

"Ya, Mei, isn't the water temperature a little too high?"

"Kiana, have we been soaking for too long? I'm feeling a little dizzy..."

"Hmm, Seele, do any of you feel unwell anywhere?"

"Sister Bronya, my other self, Seele, Seele is so hot..."

"Oh, big sister, shall we come together?"

"Liliya, I..."

"Idiot, there's no need to say anything more. Let's go over there; the rocks there are bigger."

Look, aren't the lilies over there beautiful?

(I won't go into the specifics of the scene; the previous chapter didn't even have a scene, and the lousy censorship actually blocked it.)

——Love Gate ~❤——

With great effort, Tesla carried the rabbit into the room. Already drowsy after coming out of the hot spring, Tesla could no longer stay awake and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep. When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside had already turned dark.

As the fragmented memories gradually reconnected to her brain, she looked at her young wife sleeping peacefully beside her, tapped her head, and felt more refreshed than ever before.

Strange, does using a rabbit as a pillow really have the effect of refreshing and relieving fatigue?

No, this is my room! Damn it, I accidentally went to the wrong place. I need to hurry and take it back, or I'll have a hard time explaining myself if they find out!

Perhaps she hadn't slept for very long, or perhaps Kiana and the others had been soaking for a while, because when Tesla took Luming back to her room, the others hadn't returned yet, and Lobster Girl breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching the girl happily drifting through her dreams with a slight smile on her lips, Tesla's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he sighed silently. "Sigh, is this adorable little girl really the same person as that brat who frantically squeezes every last drop of value out of his mother?"

Perhaps this is just the difference between two sides of a person. Although she says she doesn't mind working overtime until she dies, whenever she works late into the night, this rabbit will find all sorts of excuses to come over and bring her a bowl of fake coffee laced with sleeping pills. Is this what they call Tsundere?

Miss Lobster was completely unaware that she was also a Tsundere.

Little Te pulled out three boxes, gazing at his creator with his bright, sparkling eyes. The Lobster Girl, trembling inside, couldn't bear to look. "Christmas presents won't be given until Christmas. Today is Christmas Eve, you need apples..."

"Eat?" Having successfully triggered the keyword, Lu Meng, who was in a dream where she was driving the King of Braves GaoGaiGar and fighting the Beast King GoLion in a crazy battle to seize infinite energy to repair the Heavenly Crystal Sword, defeat the ultimate Luming Ultimate Dragon God, and eat the dishes made by Little Fu Gui, suddenly woke up with a start. "Is it dinnertime?"

Seeing this, Tesla's lips twitched wildly, and he professionally retorted, "Verification complete, you are definitely a purebred Kaslana."

"Where's the food? Where's the food?!" Luming-chan stared at the delicious Lobster Girl in front of her with her bright, sparkling eyes. Tesla, trembling inside, couldn't bear to look at her and pointed to the deserted living room outside. "They're probably too drunk from soaking in the hot spring. Why don't you cook for yourself, or come to my place for some noodles?"

"Hmm, why not order takeout?" Luming Lady suggested after thinking about it seriously for a while.

Tesla rolled her eyes at her, annoyed. "Damn it, are you trying to bankrupt me?"

"You're overthinking it. I'll pay."

"Hey? Order me a hundred portions of all your most expensive dishes!"

Author's Note—

This chapter is being published a little late, but happy birthday to Mei anyway.

Wow, time flies! It feels like just yesterday this book was published. I can't help but marvel at how fast time flies.

So, as a special birthday gift, Yae Xing, one of the very first branch of the story that I actually wrote and scrapped!

The girl took out her key, inserted it into the lock, turned it a few times, opened the door, and looked at the empty room, saying softly:

"I'm back."

No one would respond to her. Since her father went to prison, she had been all alone in the house, so naturally no one would answer her.

—That's how it should be.

"Welcome back, Mei."

The pink fox gracefully opened the window and jumped in from outside. "Sorry, I played a little longer on the way, but I still made it."

The talking Mr. Fox landed on the towel that had been laid out on the table, took off the little shoes on his paws, and then landed on the floor so that he wouldn't get the floor he had worked so hard to mop dirty.

Mei wasn't surprised; she seemed quite used to it. She took off her shoes, put on slippers, and went inside, her face showing genuine relief and joy. "Okay, be mindful of your manners. We're having fried tofu today!"

"Well, although I am a fox, but..." Mr. Fox tilted his head, a light emanating from his body, and his originally small body rapidly expanded, transforming into a boy about the same age as Mei, who walked out of the light. "You don't have to actually treat me like a fox."

"Pfft! Sachi-kun, even though you say no, your tail betrays you~" Mei, wearing Mei, pointed to the boy's tail wagging happily behind him, her eyes full of teasing.

"Oh no, I forgot to put it away." In novels, monsters retain some characteristics of their original form after transforming into human form. The being named Sachi also retains these characteristics after transforming from a fox into a human, even though he insists that he is not a monster.

As Mei busied herself in the kitchen, she reminisced about her first encounter with the fox.

It was a rainy night; the wind was strong and the rain was heavy.

At that time, my father had just been imprisoned, and I was ostracized in my class. People who used to crowd around me and try to get close to me all kept their distance, afraid of offending me.

That day, after school, Mei looked out at the torrential rain and secretly rejoiced that she had brought an umbrella. But when she arrived at the place where the umbrellas were kept, she found that her umbrella had been maliciously damaged and discarded in the aisle like trash, covered with countless dirty footprints.

Asking to share a ride with someone else was definitely out of the question; the girl's eyes were full of disgust and mockery. As for the boys... because she had practiced kendo since childhood, Mei could clearly sense them staring at her body with unbridled eyes.

So, the girl glanced at the chaotic rain and plunged into it, her purple eyes devoid of light.

That's true. The daughter of a prisoner is usually treated like a rat in the street, cursed and beaten by everyone.

The girl struggled alone through the torrential rain, occasionally stopping under the eaves to catch her breath before continuing her journey home.

What is that?

While seeking shelter from the rain, Mei's shoes accidentally bumped into something soft. She instinctively looked down and saw a shivering little fox curled up in a ball.

She bent down, her fingers brushing against its fur, which was also wet from the rain. As if sensing the slight warmth from her fingertips, the little fox barely raised its head and meowed at her.

Were you abandoned too? Is no one concerned, no one at all?

Mei muttered to herself as she pulled open her school uniform and scooped the little fox inside.

Perhaps out of a sense of shared misfortune, Mei took the little fox home. It might be some kind of genetic mutation, because pink foxes are really rare, no, they don't exist at all.

Dragging her soaking wet body, Mei made her way home. As soon as she closed the door, her foot slipped. The girl, who had been drenched in rain for a long time, felt dizzy and the world in front of her became blurry.

I feel so awful... I want to die... but... the little guy I just brought back is still...

As if she had exhausted her last bit of strength, the girl's eyes closed. Before she lost consciousness, she seemed to see a light, a light so warm that it brought peace to her heart.

When I regained consciousness, I was lying in bed with a nearly dried-up wet towel on my head. On the bedside table, someone had placed a bowl of steaming millet porridge at the perfect temperature. It seemed that this kind stranger had timed my awakening perfectly.

The porridge should be fine. If the other party wanted to harm her, they wouldn't go to such lengths to take care of her, would they?

Her clothes had been changed to clean ones, and her previous discomfort had disappeared. As Mei, she looked out the window at the clearing sky, and a glimmer of light gradually appeared in her eyes.

Creak—the door was pushed open.

The girl turned her head, wanting to get a good look at this enthusiastic person who had trespassed on her prestigious home, and then she saw—

The boy leaned lazily against the door frame, his two short pink fox ears swaying slightly on his head, his long tail hanging down casually between his legs and fluttering in the wind. "Well, my dear owner, as you can see, I am the fox you picked up. Hmm, things are a bit complicated, let me explain slowly to you. Please take a look at the back of your left hand first."

Mei did as instructed, and three bright red magatama patterns were branded onto her skin, resembling some kind of contract.

"You... are you a monster?"

"No, I'm not a fox demon," the boy corrected. "The other one is our Symbiotic Contract. How should I put it? Back then, you had a fever, and I was too weak to move. To prevent us from ending up in the underworld together, I signed a contract with you that can only be signed once in a lifetime. Don't worry, it's not about lifespan. You take care of me, and I'll take care of you. It's that simple."

Mei stared at him blankly, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information. "How... how do I 'raise' it?"

"Oh, this..." The boy gave a kind smile. "My dear owner, are you hungry?"

"... Hungry." Martial artists naturally have an unusual appetite, and given that he had just recovered from an illness, a bowl of porridge was clearly not enough to satisfy him.

"Okay, get dressed, I'll take you out to eat!" The boy pulled out a few bills from his pocket and waved them in front of her, as if showing off. "Don't worry, I didn't go looking for where you kept your money."

"Um, there's food in the fridge. I can make you something if you're hungry." Mei seemed to be accepting her new identity quickly, or perhaps the amount of information was too much and her fever was making her a little confused.

"Oh, my dear lady, why do you think I want to take you out to eat?"

Through subsequent conversations, Mei learned that the fox spirit, or rather the boy's name was [Sachi]. He couldn't say for sure whether he was human or a demon. According to Sachi himself, his true form was a very advanced life form that traveled freely through the universe and came to Earth due to some accident.

I feel like I've become the heroine in a novel.

Wait a minute, if he's an alien, where did he get his clothes and money? Mei pondered this question.

And so, in this wondrous turn of events, the life of the human and the fox began.

On ordinary days, he would lurk around Mei and teach those classmates who bullied her a lesson. Although Mei repeatedly told him not to go too far, he would always do something outrageous.

Ah, let those scumbags suffer social death.

Postscript--

Sometimes, a single insult can push a desperate person into despair. But a small act of kindness can save them.

If you are willing to show a little kindness, you might be able to save a life.