Fox Boy

Senju Kyogawa froze.

He clenched his hands instantly, not knowing how to explain himself to Senju Haruko.

Senju Haruko had always resisted his attempts to take off his gloves.

She did not want Kyogawa to go outside.

Seeing the scene before her, how could Senju Haruko not know what Kyogawa was planning?

But to Kyogawa's surprise, Senju Haruko did not scold him loudly, nor did she blame him.

The white-haired, red-eyed woman simply threw off the quilt, climbed out of bed weakly and slowly, then walked over to Kyogawa's side. She knelt down, gently wrapped her arms around her child, and whispered:

"I'm sorry, Kyogawa..."

I'm sorry that, as your mother, I cannot let you run freely under the sun.

Senju Haruko's tears slowly traced lines down her face, dripping onto the head of the child who shared her hair color.

Kyogawa stiffened, feeling Senju Haruko's hand gently stroking his back, as if she were soothing him.

The room was dim, yet the passing of time felt peaceful.

After that day, Senju Haruko watched him even more strictly, keeping him trapped in her embrace even when she fell unconscious.

Yes, unconscious.

Nowadays, Senju Haruko was awake for less than five hours a day. Her physical condition was worsening, and she would often fall into a deep sleep mid-sentence.

Even when Senju Haruko was unconscious, Kyogawa still couldn't break free from her embrace; her strength was too great.

He didn't know why a terminally ill woman possessed such strength. Even though Kyogawa had the heart to escape, he lacked the power to do so.

When Senju Haruko was awake, doctors would take her out for treatment, though it was clear the results were minimal.

Kyogawa had been searching the System Shop for medicine to cure her, but the five-figure, sky-high prices were clearly beyond his means.

Kyogawa used the Cuddle Points he had saved for a long time to barely afford one lucky draw, hoping his luck would be good enough to pull a cure for Senju Haruko's illness.

Basic Healing skill.

Kyogawa drew it, and every day, huddled in Senju Haruko's embrace, he cast the skill, hoping it would provide some help.

After being used too many times, the skill automatically upgraded to Intermediate Healing.

But this only extended Senju Haruko's life by a little over a year.

Perhaps it was the old injuries sustained on the battlefield in her early years, or perhaps the toll of giving birth one after another after marrying, but Senju Haruko finally passed away, leaving the world in the year Kyogawa turned four.

Before she passed, Senju Haruko experienced a final moment of clarity and said many things to Kyogawa, telling him that he was the one she worried about most.

It was also on the day Senju Haruko passed away that Kyogawa finally learned his surname and discovered that he had four older brothers.

That day, Senju Kyogawa saw many people: his father, his brothers, and other members of the Senju clan.

Kyogawa saw his biological father's eyes redden, saw his brothers wailing in grief, and saw the Senju clansmen observing a moment of silence.

But Kyogawa could not cry.

Some Senju clansmen cursed him as a cold-blooded monster. Senju Kyogawa thought: Perhaps that's true; otherwise, why wouldn't I have a single tear?

In his past life, Kyogawa was an orphan. In this life, he had felt maternal love from Senju Haruko, only to lose it just as quickly.

On the day Senju Haruko was buried, Senju Kyogawa was finally let out.

Senju Haruko had traded her life for Senju Kyogawa's freedom.

I am finally free... Kyogawa remarked to the system.

The emotionless system did not understand the meaning of "freedom" and did not answer Kyogawa.

As Kyogawa walked down the path, he saw the indifference of his clansmen; everyone looked as though they wished to keep their distance.

Kyogawa did not care about the clansmen's attitude toward him. In his view, crossing over was like a game, and the Senju clansmen he didn't know were like NPCs. Why would a player care about the opinions of NPCs?

Kyogawa was currently thinking about a dream he had a few days ago. Upon waking, he couldn't remember the content, but he was baffled as to why he would inexplicably gain so many Cuddle Points after waking up.

Suddenly, someone patted Kyogawa from behind, breaking his train of thought.

<strong>[Ding! Cuddle Points +6]</strong>

Senju Kyogawa didn't need to turn his head to know who it was; after all, not just anyone could contribute six Cuddle Points at once.

Kyogawa turned his head, and sure enough, he saw Senju Hashirama, his older brother in name.

Kyogawa stopped thinking about the nonsensical dream. Since he had gained the Cuddle Points for free, he wasn't losing anything, was he?

"Come on, Kyogawa, let's go home and eat!" Senju Hashirama said to Senju Kyogawa, wearing his bowl-cut hairstyle and flashing a mouthful of white teeth.

Infected by Senju Hashirama's smile, Kyogawa couldn't help but reveal a smile of his own. He and Senju Hashirama headed toward the place called "home."

The shadows on the ground slowly lengthened, but the small, thin child now had a tall figure accompanying him, making him look no longer alone.

The night he regained his freedom, Kyogawa had a strange dream.

In the dream, he was still his current age and his current appearance.

This was the first time Jingchuan had seen his real-world appearance so clearly in a dream, so he curiously stared at his reflection in the lake for a long time.

"Hmph, a monster is a monster! How could we ever play with a monster!"

Suddenly, a boy's mocking voice rang out. Jingchuan thought he was being addressed, but when he turned his head, he saw a group of children gathered in a circle ahead.

"My mom said I'm not allowed to play with you!"

"You're always so filthy, don't even think about playing with us!"

A few other boys chimed in, chattering away.

"Go on, pick up our ball, or I'll beat you up!" shouted the tallest boy in the group.

Is this bullying? Tsk, becoming scum at such a young age. Jingchuan thought. Having been bullied as an orphan in his past life, he despised such bullies more than anything.

Jingchuan walked forward and happened to step on the ball lying on the ground, which let out a hissing sound as it deflated.

Hearing the noise, the boys immediately looked over.

"Big brother! The ball is leaking!"

"Strange, it looks like someone stepped on it?"

Can't they see me? Jingchuan wondered to himself.

"Hmph! It must be this monster's bad luck! He ruined our ball!"

"Big brother! Beat this monster up!"

"I'm not a monster! The ball didn't leak because of me!" a childish voice cried out from the center of the group.

"He dares to talk back! Big brother! Get him!"

Jingchuan grew angry. He picked up the ball, intending to throw it at the boys to scare them.

One of the boys, facing Jingchuan's direction, suddenly saw the deflated ball floating in mid-air. Terrified of ghosts and spirits, the boy shrieked in fright.

"Ah—Big brother, look, look! The ball is floating!!"

The other boys turned their heads to look as well.

They saw the ball, which was hovering in mid-air, suddenly move and drift toward them.

"Ahhh! A ghost!"

In an instant, the woods were filled with the boys' wailing.

The boys scrambled away, leaving behind the small boy they had been cornering, who looked about the same age as Jingchuan.

The boy wore an old orange shirt patched in several places, and he had several scrapes on his body, looking quite disheveled.

However, the boy was adorable, with golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and six whisker-like marks on his face, making him look just like a Fox Boy.

Jingchuan set the ball down, preparing to leave.

"Wait! Um... thank you for saving me." The boy's childish voice reached him.

What! He can see me? Jingchuan turned around in shock, only to find the Fox Boy staring fixedly in his direction.