Chapter 12 - A New Companion

Note: Sorry for the wait! 2.5k words!

A few minutes passed. I recovered my HP and was able to stand properly on my own.

“Oh, right. Yumemi, thanks for this.” I gave back the stun gun to Yumemi. She nodded and put it back in her bag.

“Yuu-kun, how about putting that kid inside your jacket to warm it?”

“Great idea.”

I followed her idea and made it warm so it would get a good rest. We’ll have to wait for it to wake up.

Oh, right. I never appraised the living one yet.

[Inari Fox A - Level 1]
[Inari Foxes are cowardly fox monsters that live in groups and feed off MP floating around in the air.
They usually stay in their nest and breed.
They have unique red patterns on their body, usually passed genetically.
Due to their diet, they stored MP in their blood, so their blood slowly mutates and gives a chance for others who consume it to mutate into a stronger being too.]

Cowardly? You’re joking, they fought bravely to let the babies escape!

… Well, ranting to the system won’t get me anywhere.

Still that wolf slaughtered them and it looks like he enjoyed it too much… Maybe it thought of itself as the strongest species or something.

Remembering how he ate up those baby foxes… made me a little sick and pissed off.

If it was Lucky who it toyed with, I probably would rush immediately and kill it even if I have to sacrifice myself!

“Yuu-kun… you’re making such a scary expression, you know…”

“Yeah… sorry. I was imagining something and it pisses me off.”

“... Don’t blame yourself too much… I wasn't even able to do a thing back there…”

She’s saying that while blaming herself.

“Yeah… you too, Yumemi.” I tapped her shoulder lightly.

I can’t let her worry about these kinds of things that can’t be fixed.

I briefly saw the corpses that were blown away to the safe zone.

“I wonder, which one is this kid’s parents?”

All of these foxes at glance look similar, but they do have distinguishable patterns unique to their own.

“Since it’s genetic, this kid’s parents must have a similar pattern…”

I looked at the pattern of the baby fox inside my jacket, and found a matching pattern from a corpse.

3 stretched lines on the forehead as if it’s drawn by human fingers. Little red gradient on the front paws, and tail. The only difference is the baby fox got a red nose, might be from the other parent, but the similarity is more than enough.

No other foxes had similar patterns either. It seems like it’s the mom.

[Inari Fox Corpse] [Durability: 4.3]

“That means we got 43 minutes left.”

“Huh? That’s just…”

Yeah, there is not much time left… I hope this kid can say proper goodbye to its mom.

>x<

Around 15 minutes later, the baby finally woke up and popped his head out from my jacket.

“Good morning, little one~” Yumemi said, in a motherly manner.

My parents used to do that to me and Lucky too, they were too clingy from the get go since we are family.

Yumemi managed her distance from the baby fox so she didn't startle it.

“Kyaun?” It tilted its head, looking puzzled. It’s probably the first time it directly saw a human face too.

It backed down a little back inside my jacket, before popping out its head again out of curiosity.

Yumemi smiled and slowly reached out her back hand from below so it could sniff her scent. After a sniff, it licked her hand slowly.

“Fufu… what a cutie…” she chuckled in a low voice, not wanting to startle the baby fox.

The baby fox is calm unlike Lucky, but its warmth brings me back to where I met Lucky as a pup.

After some time, it finally looked up and saw my face. I thought it would startle it, but it is rather fine looking at me.

Is it because it’s surrounded by my scent already?

.. ah, right.

“Sorry, little guy. There is not much time left.”

I took the baby fox out from my jacket, and I put it down next to its mom’s corpse.

It looked at its mom’s corpse and jumped around.

“Kyaun!” It was a happy cry at first. “Kyaun…?” then a puzzled one… “Kyaun… Kyaun! Kyaun!” Then a desperate one tried to snuggle and woke its mom up.

And finally…

“KYAUUUUUNNN!” the baby fox broke out in tears.

… I prepared myself for it, but it seems like me, and Yumemi couldn’t hold our tears too.

I sobbed quietly, meanwhile Yumemi hugged the baby fox with its mom’s corpse, and cried along with the baby fox.

“Don’t worry… We’re here…”

“Kayun! Kyaun! Kyaauuun!”

“Yeah… you may cry…”

“Kayaun! Kyun!”

“Crying won’t give anything… but it will make you more relieved…”

For some reason, I feel she sounds so convincing saying that.

… did she perhaps once go through something like this too?

… if so, that explains why she was afraid to take life.

All those trembling of her made sense now…

Even though it’s what we needed to do to survive here, I sure am some jerk, huh?

“Kyau…n…”

Once again, the baby fox got tired and fell asleep.

Yumemi fell asleep too. I guess all the stress has caught up to her.

I once again covered her and the baby fox with my jacket.

I then put together my hands and prayed for the baby fox’s mom.

[Inari Fox Corpse] [Durability: 0.9]

Around 9 more minutes, huh…

… Still, it would be a waste to just let it disappear, isn’t it?

Maybe I can make a memento for the baby fox?

Well, it’s going to disappear soon anyway. It’s worth a try.

With less than 1.0 left on the corpse’ durability, I carved the gums and managed to take out the fangs.

[Inari Fox Fang] [Durability: 0.4]
[Inari Fox Fang] [Durability: 0.6]
[Inari Fox Fang] [Durability: 0.3]
[Inari Fox Fang] [Durability: 0.7]

As I thought, its durability won’t drop.

“... I should’ve tried doing it on another Inari Fox corpse before the baby’s mom, shouldn’t I?”

Well, thank goodness it worked out anyway.

Just when I was thinking what memento I should make for the baby fox… only one came to me.

A collar, or you can say a necklace. That way it can put the memento on…

But my biggest problem is that we don’t have any materials to tie the fangs together… ah, there is one.

B- but… doing it may cost my life…

But still…

“Alright… let’s do this.”

I took out my knife and walked toward the two who were sleeping.

“... gulp.”

My heart is beating so fast…! More than when I fought the Starwing Bat for the first time… this is scarier than I thought…!

“Calm down, my right hand! When the lion’s still sleeping, it’s your chance…!”

After I calmed my hand from shaking up…

I cut around 4 strands of Yumemi’s long hair.

“I wonder if she will kill me after she finds out.”

… And so, managed to tie the four fangs together and made a necklace.

[Inari Fox Fang Necklace] [Durability: 2.0]

It somehow combined the durability of each fang. But now that I think of it, once the baby fox grows I will need some more strands to make a bigger necklace.

I would be screwed won’t I?

If only I took some loose hair strands… Well, that means they are lower quality and will snap easily, not to mention I will be marked as a pervert for randomly collecting her loose hair.

I could’ve asked her in good manners when she woke up, but I don’t want to disturb their sleep.

Besides… I have to get stronger than that wolf as soon as possible.

“There’s no time to waste.”

I left the necklace on top of the baby fox, and again broke my agreement with Yumemi to solo hunt some EXP.

>x<

I finally found out about the bats.

[Starwing Bats]
[Bat monsters with star-like patterns on their wings.
They feed off the light, but will get sleepy immediately and go back to the darker place to sleep.
They are often found in a dark place but near the light source.
They live in swarms, and their screech is to signal danger to the others.]

So the reason why they are close to the Glowing Moss was to feed off the light. They have means to feed on something without giving any demerits to other things.

I guess most of the monsters in this cave should be like that?

“Then that gray wolf must be abnormal…”

After taking down more bats and filling my EXP gauge to x6, I came back to the safe zone.

Yumemi finally woke up after a nice long sleep, meanwhile the baby fox is still sleeping.

What awaited me was Yumemi holding the necklace I made with her hair to tie it up.

I can see her smile saying “You remember what I said, right?” and yeah, I remember the phrase she used. That the hair is a woman’s life or something.

“But you still have plenty left, don’t yo–”

*Sriing*

The stone knife I made for her flew and grazed my cheek.

I touched the place I felt kinda warm, and found blood dripping from the scar…

“You see, while I was waiting for you, who once again left me and hunted monsters alone…”

She walked past me and picked up the knife from the ground.

“I trained my [Throwing] skill to level 4~!”

Level 4!? I shouldn't have gone for long, just how many times did she throw to get to such a level!? Or her will to hit me is enough for her to raise the skill level so fast!?

“Don’t worry, I missed your vital parts. Since I don’t want you to die, Yuu-kun~ I wonder how many times you are going to make me worried sick~?”

She placed the knife below my chin and lifted my face up.

“Uhm, Yumemi…san? Don’t you think you are contradicting yourself by hurting me–”

“Who gave you permission to talk back, I wonder~?”

… I feel like she’s gradually becoming a yandere…

Hmm? What is a yandere? That term sounds so fitting yet I don’t have any knowledge of it, so I think I will learn it later after I raise my level.

But I didn't have any intention to do so until I stocked up to level 20. 7 more to go.

“Where’s your apology?”

“I’m sorry, ma'am!"

“I can’t hear you well~?”

“I’M REALLY REALLY SORRY, MA’AM!”

I want this to be over as quickly as possible…

“Huff…” She sighed tiredly and pulled the knife off me. “I know you are doing it for that kid. Can you at least wait for me to wake up and ask my permission?”

… Ah, so I can ask her permission now?

“... Then, may I humbly ask you for more when the necklace won’t fit the baby fox anymo–”

“Hmm~?” She swung back and pushed the knife, scraping my chin as if in protest to the idea.

Even though this is a safe zone and I can heal small scars by not engaging in combat, she’s abusing the feature too much isn’t she!?

Seems like she’s realizing she’s doing it out of impulse, she pulled out the knife and pouted.

Rather than by monsters, I might be killed by her impulse.

I wonder why being worried about me led her to threatening me…

“I’m sorry, Yuu-kun. But it’s because you broke our promise so many times, okay?”

Rather than promise, I would call it an agreement. But yeah, I agree I’ve been acting so much on my own accord without discussing with her.

We are a team after all.

“Sorry, Yumemi. From now on, let’s discuss things before making decisions.”

“Yes… that kid too.” She looked at the baby fox.

“Yeah.”

Yumemi walked towards the baby fox, crouched down, then put the necklace on it. I can tell its expression became slightly more calmed.

>x<

An hour later, the baby fox woke up. It snuggled out of the jacket and looked around.

Its eyes met with Yumemi and me.

“Good morning, little guy.” I greeted it.

It looked at me curiously. Me too, tilted my head to mimic it. By imitating its movement, I can make it think of me like I’m one of its kind.

Then walked towards me, sniffed and licked my hand.

“Perhaps it remembers you saved him?” Yumemi wondered.

“Or maybe because of my scent. This guy spent a lot under my jacket after all.”

“Kyaun!”

It wags its tail so vigorously while putting its front paw on my leg. I think it now knows we are no threat.

“Yuu-kun, isn’t this kid too cute?”

“Lucky’s cuter though.”

“... Yuu-kun, can you not ruin the mood like that?”

“Kyaun?”

“I can’t help it, Lucky is the best pet I ever had! Call me biased, I don’t care! Though the cutest being is my little sister. She’s an angel!”

Though I still don’t remember any good traits about her, somehow I feel like that’s the case!

Yumemi looked like she’s tired of me, and then picked the baby fox in her arms.

“Let’s forget the creepy baka over there, kay~? He loves acting alone after all~”

“Kyaun~”

“... I can feel pain too, you know…”

… Well, let’s try this on…

“Kaun… kaun kaun…” I tried mimicking its cry.

“Kyaun…?” It tilted its head on my behaviour.

“Yuu-kun? What are you doing?”

“Trying to learn language skills or something. I bet there is one that will let us communicate with the little guy.”

Now that we have the baby fox coming with us, we need to discuss things with it too.

I tried to do so for 15 minutes, and finally.

[Skill Unlocked: Foxlingual Lv 1]
Slightly convert your word into fox language.

“Alright, got it.”

“For real?”

At least now, I can somewhat tell what I want to the baby fox. I can just guess its answers by its reaction.

I pulled the necklace in front of its eyes so it could see.

“Kyauun… kyaun kyaun…” It whimpered when the fangs got to its sight.

“Little guy, this is the only thing I can make a memento of your mom.”

“Kyaun…”

“Do you want to avenge her?”

“Yuu-kun, what are you saying to a baby!?” Yumemi yelled at me. She has the right to.

“I bet that wolf will eat more monsters to gain EXP. It’ll eventually become the strongest monster that we can’t handle. Before that, we have to defeat that wolf.”

“I know that! But…”

“Little guy, do you want to get stronger to defeat that wolf?”

“Kyaun kyaun!” Not even waiting, it answered my question. I can tell that it has determination in its eyes.

“I guess that’s a yes.” I said.

“Yuu-kun!?”

“Kyaun!”

“Uuu… fine! I’m scared, but that wolf also irritates me, so…” Yumemi pondered.

“It’s decided then.”

Our temporary goal: Raising our levels to beat that wolf.