Chapter 47: Noja-Loli Fox Spirit – Sudama
The first thing I did after reviving from being burned to death was get myself a smartphone. As a modern person, I can’t go without a way to keep in touch.
While I was groaning about how much it hurt my wallet, Sudama made a suggestion.
"I’ve been wanting one of those ‘sumapho’ things myself. If you pick one out for me, I could cover your share too, Inori."
"What!? Seriously, Sudama!?"
I still have no idea where Sudama keeps getting her money from, but you’re supposed to lean on your well-off elders. Much appreciated.
So I took Sudama along to buy smartphones. Since I wasn’t sure if she even had an official family registry, I bought two under my own name and handed one over to her.
The clerk did a quintuple take when he saw the fox-eared loli shrine maiden. Can’t blame him.
I don’t know how many centuries ago she decided, "I won’t hide my ears and tail," but she’s stuck with that stance even in the big city. She even goes to the supermarket like that. At this point, the regulars and the staff there all know her.
Last time I went with her, people kept calling out: "Lettuce is cheap today!" "We’ll put a 30% discount sticker on this in the evening!" What a smooth talker. That’s the wisdom of age for you.
I debated between getting her a kid’s phone or a senior phone, but in the end I recommended a standard smartphone.
Sudama’s diligent. If I teach her the basics, she’ll manage just fine. I mean, she already knows how to bake cookies using the oven function on a microwave. It won’t be long before she’s paying with barcode apps. She might even start collecting reward points.
Does she even have a credit card? No idea.
The first person I contacted with my new phone was Snow Fox. I wanted to know how Hina was doing. Asking her directly would be tricky. If remembering what she did to me made her mental state collapse again, that would be a disaster.
"Hina-san seems to be recovering quite a bit. She’s still down, but well, it’s not like she was ever completely stable in the first place."
Texting was too much of a hassle—or rather, I wanted to see his face while we talked—so we met at a nearby café, where I asked Snow Fox about Hina’s condition.
There hadn’t been any dangerous incidents like her nearly turning into a villain again. The real issue was that she seemed to be spending more time without even the energy to set her head on fire.
Matters of the heart are complicated. No one solves everything in just a few days. When I said, "We’ll just have to support her however we can," Snow Fox nodded in agreement.
His iced coffee was already half gone, the ice clinking with a crisp clink as it rolled in the glass. After a moment of hesitant silence, Snow Fox finally spoke.
"By the way, Inori-san. Do you know why I chose this hero name?"
"Haven’t asked."
"I just like foxes."
I stared at Snow Fox for a moment. He stared back.
…? …!!
"Sudama!?"
"What even is that!? An illusion!?"
"Feels like she could pull something like that off, but nah, that’s probably just her natural state."
I’d told Nemunemu before—Snow Fox doesn’t really have anything to do with either snow or foxes. I always wondered why he picked that name.
Turns out he just named himself after something he liked. Makes sense now.
"No, that was seriously terrifying… It was like some wild delusion becoming reality…"
After I got roasted by Inferna, Sudama appeared.
At that time, I’d heard Snow Fox shouting, "Ehh!?"—which meant, of course, that his shock was directed at Sudama’s existence.
I mean, if a fox-eared loli shrine maiden suddenly popped up in front of you, you’d definitely wonder, is this real life?
"Figures, huh? She’s actually my childhood friend."
"How did you even stay sane!?"
"Yeah, I wonder that myself."
…At least my preferences didn’t get warped. Probably.
My values, on the other hand, definitely did.
Because when faced with this fox-eared loli shrine maiden, all I can see is someone grandma-like. And thanks to that, I’ve ended up being able to rely on her without hesitation.
…Maybe something inside me really did break.
"Want me to introduce you?"
"I… I’d probably lose the ability to speak altogether."
"That’s kinda your default state anyway."
It would probably be like how he froze up in front of Raiden.
Sudama might mind, but since I’ve already gone through that myself, I’d be able to smooth things over, chat with her, and keep the atmosphere from getting too awkward. Did the same thing with Raiden already, after all.
"By the way, I don’t remember too clearly, but didn’t Sudama transform into some giant monster-looking thing? If that’s her real form, are you really fine with it?"
"…I’m fine with it."
You don’t have to say it so solemnly.
Snow Fox adjusted his glasses and asked for my opinion.
"I put ‘fox’ in my name just because I like them, but when I thought about it, I don’t actually have any fox-like traits. I even discussed it with Nemunemu—like, should I add some fox-ear-looking protrusions on my visor? What do you think, Inori-san?"
…Crap. Nemunemu must’ve really taken my offhand comment to heart.
Looks like the remark I made—"Snow Fox isn’t really snowy or foxlike, huh, lol"—ended up getting relayed straight to Snow Fox himself.
That wasn’t what I meant at all. Honestly, I think the name works perfectly fine as is.
Still, Nemunemu’s already proposing hero costume modifications to Snow Fox. Guy’s serious about his work.
"First off, how are you even able to communicate properly with Nemunemu?"
"Because I’m the only one who can, it actually works out pretty well."
"That’s a gift. I can never figure out what Nemunemu’s trying to say. Next time I talk with him, can you tag along?"
"I don’t think I’m nearly skilled enough to ‘translate,’ but hey—since I doubt you’ll ever ask me for help with communication again in my lifetime, sure, why not!"
Snow Fox answered cheerfully.
Good. That puts my mind at ease.
Otherwise, being stuck between Nemunemu—who can only communicate through gestures—and D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.—who can only talk in that weird Detonate-syntax—might’ve actually fried my brain.
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