Related animals.
I forgot about the pond turtles….because they are hibernating.
However, if we include turtles, we should include lobsters and crabs, right?
I was thinking about that as I watched the shrine building on a mountain northeast of Village Five.
Yeah, it’s already being built.
As a matter of fact, when the construction began, merchants from Village Five and Shashaato City came out in batches, asking me how they could help.
They probably thought I was trying to start a new business.
I explained that I’m not but they still offered me funds.
And of course, the Goroun Company is involved too.
When I was thinking about how to refuse, Youko advised me to just take and spend them without worrying about it….
Ah, thanks then.
Youko said,
「I already informed them that we are erecting shrines for the gods so you shouldn’t bother what the merchants think kon. Use their money with confidence kon.」
I followed her advice and bought all the materials we could find, hired a thousand construction workers, and here we are.
Yeah, there’s power in numbers.
Buildings are being completed one after another.
Magnificent.
It will be completed in a few more days.
Hnn?
Maybe not because it will take time to complete the road from this place to Village Five.
Yeah.
We have to think about that too.
Well, it’s just a normal road though….
Or so I thought but they have already started installing stone pavements and lanterns.
It looks like even the road will be on an eastern theme.
It’s not wrong so it should be fine.
Yeah.
I think it’s not bad.
By the way, why are both sides of the stone-paved road being cleared?
It is necessary since it will definitely develop?
Is that so?
Youko told you to do so?
If that is the case, there’s no problem.
If Youko says it is necessary, it must be necessary.
I will not object.
By the way, as far as I know, we should have only hired a thousand workers. Why do I feel that there are more than a thousand workers working?
Volunteers?
I appreciate that but we can’t have them work for free.
However, that doesn’t mean that I’ll pay them salary.
If I do that, it would set a bad precedent that even if they are not hired, as long as they participate, you can work.
Thus, all I can do is….
Prepare food for everyone.
I asked one of Youko’s subordinates who happened to be nearby to procure food. He said it has already been taken care of.
As expected.
-0-
I’ll leave the details to Youko and think about the interior design of the buildings.
The interior of the main shrine, the dormitory, and the shrine office had already been decided to some extent but what has yet to be decided was the interior of the shrine to be built at the foot of the mountain.
The shrine is divided into smaller rooms and each room is around 12 tatami mats in size. There are 40 rooms like that.
The interior design of those 40 rooms has yet to be decided.
Presently, they are only rooms.
I guess each god has his or her own taste, right?
What should we do then?
Also, will there be a problem if we decorate them differently?
All the rooms are the same. There is a worshiping area in front of the room and a place where to set up the shintai at the back.
I guess we should leave the decoration to the believers.
………
However, what will happen to those gods whose believers can’t come?
In that case….should I just leave everything to the silver foxes?
They’ll just have to decorate it to the point it won’t embarrass the god.
After all, it is difficult to tell which one must be decorated with what.
Maa, let’s just talk about this when the silver foxes arrive.
The sun is about to go down.
If we don’t hurry back to the village, I will be late for dinner.
I need to talk to Ria and the others, the carpenters, and the people who volunteered…..
Ehto, it’s winter so you shouldn’t work all night.
Make sure you go home.
Light and warmth will be provided but you don’t have to work too hard.
The construction site will be guarded at night by the Village Five Security so you don’t have to worry about thievery.
You can go home in peace.
-0-
A few days passed and the silver foxes arrived.
Youko had told them to not go to Village Five when they arrived but to the mountain where the shrines are being built in order to avoid being seen. Because of that, even though there are a lot of them, it didn’t make a fuss.
Little foxes, cute.
They arrived safely but they arrived earlier than expected.
It’s a good thing that the dormitory has been completed.
They don’t have to worry about spending their days outside.
By the way, Kon said there are a total of 92 silver foxes in existence.
And I think she also said there are only 23 who can transform into humanoid form.
However, there should be around 40 in humanoid form.
「Village chief, before you ask any question, something must be done first kon.」
Youko stopped me when I was about to ask.
Something that must be done?
Ah, right right.
Kon-san, Kitsu-san, and the others transformed back to their fox form and all the silver foxes gathered in front of me.
Then, they bowed to me.
「We, the silver fox race, a total of 92 people….no, ninety-two foxes, accept the invitation to migrate and have come. We offer our lives, our loyalty, and our entire race to village chief.」
In response, I nodded like a boss and said,
「Your lives and loyalty, I’ll keep them. I welcome you.」
Then, howls of the silver foxes echoed.
With this, the welcome ceremony for the newcomers is over.
The truth is, I don’t think we have to do this since we have never done so aside from this group.
However, Youko insisted that it was an important ceremony.
「Even if they can transform into humanoids, they are still animals. If you don’t tell them who’s the boss and who’s the subordinate, things will get troublesome later kon.」
And that explanation convinced me.
I was glad that it went through without any incidents.
-0-
Now, I look at those in humanoid forms who did not participate in the ceremony.
Who are they?
I mean, are they even silver foxes?
Ah, they seem to be Youko’s acquaintances.
I was thinking of greeting them myself but Youko stopped me.
「This gentleman here is the village chief I serve kon. No disrespect will be tolerated kon.」
Ehto, Youko.
Are you threatening them?
They all cowed.
「I am the red fox Seki.」
「I am the black fox Noir.」
「I am the round face fox Pon desu.」
I am Hiraku.
Nice to meet you.
Ehto, why are you here?
「Thank you very much for helping the silver foxes in their time of need. We are relieved that someone helped them since we were unable to even though we knew what was going on.」
It looks like Seki will be the one who’ll explain on behalf of the group.
In other words, they were worried about the silver fox race so they came with them to check where they are migrating to.
「We would like to use this time to take a step forward. We would like to help Youko-sama and the silver foxes. Thus, we’d like to migrate here as well.」
You’ve already talked with the silver foxes, haven’t you?
That’s what I thought but the fox Kon-san shook her head.
「They told me about it but I did not say anything. Everything is up to village chief and Youko-sama’s decision.」
I see.
Youko?
「I know about their race but I’ve never met these foxes. This is also the first time I heard of their plan. I’ll leave everything to village chief.」
I see.
Just to confirm, only those who are here will be migrating?
「Yes. We are from different races and we are all chosen by our respective races to assist Youko-sama and the silver fox race.」
Ehto, ah, thanks for lining up. Now you are easier to count.
…..18.
The dormitory is big enough.
That’s acceptable.
Honestly speaking, even if there are another hundred or so, we can accommodate them.
Since they all can take humanoid forms, they will be helpful in managing the shrine.
Alright but….
「Great. Village chief, Youko-sama, we will follow your orders along with the silver foxes’.」
Good.
That’s the most troublesome part.
Then, I accept your migration.
Once again, I’m looking forward to working with you.
「Yes, we offer our lives and our loyalty to village chief.」
Ah, right.
「Your lives and loyalty, I’ll keep them. I welcome you.」
「Yeah」
Saying that, the red fox Seki transforms back to her(?)(gender-neutral) fox form.
She has red fur, or rather, orange fur.
Ah, and her tail is bushy too.
The others also transform back into their fox forms.
There are ten red foxes.
There are five black foxes.
There are three round face foxes.
The black foxes have pitch-black fur.
No, no, there’s no problem with that.
Their tails are shriveled but there’s no problem with that.
That’s normal.
The problem is…the round face foxes.
Yeah, you guys.
Ah, I know they’ll have bushy tails.
Most have bushy tails after all.
However, their faces are round, just like their race’s name.
Ehto, I mean…..
I’m not sure if I should say this but, I’m very curious so I think I should.
May I?
Thanks.
Okay, I’ll say it then.
Round face foxes are tanukis, right?
You’re not foxes.
Everyone was surprised when they heard what I said.
Eh?
Youko is surprised too?
-0-
Round Face Fox Pon: What….did you…..
Related animals.
I forgot about the pond turtles….because they are hibernating.
However, if we include turtles, we should include lobsters and crabs, right?
I was thinking about that as I watched the shrine building on a mountain northeast of Village Five.
Yeah, it’s already being built.
As a matter of fact, when the construction began, merchants from Village Five and Shashaato City came out in batches, asking me how they could help.
They probably thought I was trying to start a new business.
I explained that I’m not but they still offered me funds.
And of course, the Goroun Company is involved too.
When I was thinking about how to refuse, Youko advised me to just take and spend them without worrying about it….
Ah, thanks then.
Youko said,
「I already informed them that we are erecting shrines for the gods so you shouldn’t bother what the merchants think kon. Use their money with confidence kon.」
I followed her advice and bought all the materials we could find, hired a thousand construction workers, and here we are.
Yeah, there’s power in numbers.
Buildings are being completed one after another.
Magnificent.
It will be completed in a few more days.
Hnn?
Maybe not because it will take time to complete the road from this place to Village Five.
Yeah.
We have to think about that too.
Well, it’s just a normal road though….
Or so I thought but they have already started installing stone pavements and lanterns.
It looks like even the road will be on an eastern theme.
It’s not wrong so it should be fine.
Yeah.
I think it’s not bad.
By the way, why are both sides of the stone-paved road being cleared?
It is necessary since it will definitely develop?
Is that so?
Youko told you to do so?
If that is the case, there’s no problem.
If Youko says it is necessary, it must be necessary.
I will not object.
By the way, as far as I know, we should have only hired a thousand workers. Why do I feel that there are more than a thousand workers working?
Volunteers?
I appreciate that but we can’t have them work for free.
However, that doesn’t mean that I’ll pay them salary.
If I do that, it would set a bad precedent that even if they are not hired, as long as they participate, you can work.
Thus, all I can do is….
Prepare food for everyone.
I asked one of Youko’s subordinates who happened to be nearby to procure food. He said it has already been taken care of.
As expected.
-0-
I’ll leave the details to Youko and think about the interior design of the buildings.
The interior of the main shrine, the dormitory, and the shrine office had already been decided to some extent but what has yet to be decided was the interior of the shrine to be built at the foot of the mountain.
The shrine is divided into smaller rooms and each room is around 12 tatami mats in size. There are 40 rooms like that.
The interior design of those 40 rooms has yet to be decided.
Presently, they are only rooms.
I guess each god has his or her own taste, right?
What should we do then?
Also, will there be a problem if we decorate them differently?
All the rooms are the same. There is a worshiping area in front of the room and a place where to set up the shintai at the back.
I guess we should leave the decoration to the believers.
………
However, what will happen to those gods whose believers can’t come?
In that case….should I just leave everything to the silver foxes?
They’ll just have to decorate it to the point it won’t embarrass the god.
After all, it is difficult to tell which one must be decorated with what.
Maa, let’s just talk about this when the silver foxes arrive.
The sun is about to go down.
If we don’t hurry back to the village, I will be late for dinner.
I need to talk to Ria and the others, the carpenters, and the people who volunteered…..
Ehto, it’s winter so you shouldn’t work all night.
Make sure you go home.
Light and warmth will be provided but you don’t have to work too hard.
The construction site will be guarded at night by the Village Five Security so you don’t have to worry about thievery.
You can go home in peace.
-0-
A few days passed and the silver foxes arrived.
Youko had told them to not go to Village Five when they arrived but to the mountain where the shrines are being built in order to avoid being seen. Because of that, even though there are a lot of them, it didn’t make a fuss.
Little foxes, cute.
They arrived safely but they arrived earlier than expected.
It’s a good thing that the dormitory has been completed.
They don’t have to worry about spending their days outside.
By the way, Kon said there are a total of 92 silver foxes in existence.
And I think she also said there are only 23 who can transform into humanoid form.
However, there should be around 40 in humanoid form.
「Village chief, before you ask any question, something must be done first kon.」
Youko stopped me when I was about to ask.
Something that must be done?
Ah, right right.
Kon-san, Kitsu-san, and the others transformed back to their fox form and all the silver foxes gathered in front of me.
Then, they bowed to me.
「We, the silver fox race, a total of 92 people….no, ninety-two foxes, accept the invitation to migrate and have come. We offer our lives, our loyalty, and our entire race to village chief.」
In response, I nodded like a boss and said,
「Your lives and loyalty, I’ll keep them. I welcome you.」
Then, howls of the silver foxes echoed.
With this, the welcome ceremony for the newcomers is over.
The truth is, I don’t think we have to do this since we have never done so aside from this group.
However, Youko insisted that it was an important ceremony.
「Even if they can transform into humanoids, they are still animals. If you don’t tell them who’s the boss and who’s the subordinate, things will get troublesome later kon.」
And that explanation convinced me.
I was glad that it went through without any incidents.
-0-
Now, I look at those in humanoid forms who did not participate in the ceremony.
Who are they?
I mean, are they even silver foxes?
Ah, they seem to be Youko’s acquaintances.
I was thinking of greeting them myself but Youko stopped me.
「This gentleman here is the village chief I serve kon. No disrespect will be tolerated kon.」
Ehto, Youko.
Are you threatening them?
They all cowed.
「I am the red fox Seki.」
「I am the black fox Noir.」
「I am the round face fox Pon desu.」
I am Hiraku.
Nice to meet you.
Ehto, why are you here?
「Thank you very much for helping the silver foxes in their time of need. We are relieved that someone helped them since we were unable to even though we knew what was going on.」
It looks like Seki will be the one who’ll explain on behalf of the group.
In other words, they were worried about the silver fox race so they came with them to check where they are migrating to.
「We would like to use this time to take a step forward. We would like to help Youko-sama and the silver foxes. Thus, we’d like to migrate here as well.」
You’ve already talked with the silver foxes, haven’t you?
That’s what I thought but the fox Kon-san shook her head.
「They told me about it but I did not say anything. Everything is up to village chief and Youko-sama’s decision.」
I see.
Youko?
「I know about their race but I’ve never met these foxes. This is also the first time I heard of their plan. I’ll leave everything to village chief.」
I see.
Just to confirm, only those who are here will be migrating?
「Yes. We are from different races and we are all chosen by our respective races to assist Youko-sama and the silver fox race.」
Ehto, ah, thanks for lining up. Now you are easier to count.
…..18.
The dormitory is big enough.
That’s acceptable.
Honestly speaking, even if there are another hundred or so, we can accommodate them.
Since they all can take humanoid forms, they will be helpful in managing the shrine.
Alright but….
「Great. Village chief, Youko-sama, we will follow your orders along with the silver foxes’.」
Good.
That’s the most troublesome part.
Then, I accept your migration.
Once again, I’m looking forward to working with you.
「Yes, we offer our lives and our loyalty to village chief.」
Ah, right.
「Your lives and loyalty, I’ll keep them. I welcome you.」
「Yeah」
Saying that, the red fox Seki transforms back to her(?)(gender-neutral) fox form.
She has red fur, or rather, orange fur.
Ah, and her tail is bushy too.
The others also transform back into their fox forms.
There are ten red foxes.
There are five black foxes.
There are three round face foxes.
The black foxes have pitch-black fur.
No, no, there’s no problem with that.
Their tails are shriveled but there’s no problem with that.
That’s normal.
The problem is…the round face foxes.
Yeah, you guys.
Ah, I know they’ll have bushy tails.
Most have bushy tails after all.
However, their faces are round, just like their race’s name.
Ehto, I mean…..
I’m not sure if I should say this but, I’m very curious so I think I should.
May I?
Thanks.
Okay, I’ll say it then.
Round face foxes are tanukis, right?
You’re not foxes.
Everyone was surprised when they heard what I said.
Eh?
Youko is surprised too?
-0-
Round Face Fox Pon: What….did you…..
