Little White Fox's fluffy tail stood straight up.
It was almost as if it were saying, "You have a tail, and so do I. You raise yours, and I'll raise mine."
It should have been a tense standoff, but a hint of amusement flickered in Xiao Xiao's eyes.
The fox and the snake really did look like children trying to outdo each other.
Childish taunts and comebacks.
"All right."
Xiao Xiao patted the white snake and Little White Fox on the head.
He gave them a slight shake of his head.
The white snake lowered its tail.
Almost at the same time, Little White Fox's tail drooped too.
"Wow~"
A child looked up at Xiao Xiao.
He held a half-eaten lollipop in his hand.
"Big Brother, you're amazing."
"I saw a fox and a snake fighting on TV before..."
"They were really fierce."
The child gesticulated earnestly.
He seemed to be trying to describe the fight between the fox and the snake he'd seen in a more vivid way.
"I also saw a fox eat a snake."
"But snakes eat foxes too."
The child looked conflicted.
"If it's a really big one..."
The child tilted his head, looking as if he were thinking very hard.
"Ah, a python!"
Having finally remembered the name, the child looked delighted.
"Then the snake can eat the fox."
"What are you talking about?"
A woman came over and gently tapped her child on the head.
As she'd walked over, she'd vaguely heard words like "snake" and "fox."
And she'd heard them repeated.
"Don't bother Big Brother."
The woman smiled apologetically at Xiao Xiao.
Having a fearless, outgoing child had made her used to handling situations like this.
"Mom."
The child tugged at the woman's clothes, his eyes shining.