Chapter 361: Mikon Mikon Mikon
The fox dancer looked resentfully at Shirou, who sat upright and remained unmoved. "I've spoken to you so clearly, yet this is your reaction," she said. "Do you really think so little of me?"
"No, Dancer-san!" Shirou looked up and met her eyes directly.
"Mikon! Yes! What is it?" The fox dancer lowered her head bashfully, whispering under her breath, "Suddenly looking at me so passionately like that..."
"What happened before was a misunderstanding. I believe you've already realized that I am different from the people here," Shirou said sincerely.
"Well, at first I thought you were an Onmyouji or from some demon-hunting clan, so I observed you while I was dancing. But once I saw you were carrying children, I lowered my guard. Besides—"
The tail behind her swayed left and right, and her folded hands fidgeted as she said bashfully, "You gave me that hairpin, didn't you? Doesn't that make us even more of a match? I'm single, and you're single, so there's no harm in trying to date, right?"
"I won't be staying in this world for long," Shirou continued.
"If it's true love, no matter which world—past or future—I'll follow you there. That is what a wise wife does!" The fox dancer clenched her fists. Her outlook on romance had always been proactive and aggressive.
"I'm sorry! I am currently not in a position to form romantic connections with other women. Ah... of course! Dancer-san, you are a very charming and good woman. In the future, you will definitely find someone more suitable for you," Shirou said, choosing his words carefully to comfort her.
In his mind, he thought: For example, someone you'll like so much that eventually, even your split-off 'Tamamo Nine' forms will all come charging in to fight a Holy Grail War on the Moon just to snatch that Master away.
"Mikon! It appeared! The 'Good Person' Card! With one soft sentence—'you're a good person'—I've been dumped! Is the 'Dancer' attribute no longer popular in this era? Has my charm failed to meet the current standards of beauty?" Her fox ears stood straight up, and she covered her face with her kimono sleeve, collapsing onto the floor.
"That's not it! Dancer-san, you are obviously a very charming woman! I believe that charm won't change even in tens of thousands of years. Your peach-colored hair is very cute, your fluffy ears and soft, bright tail—because you groom them so well—look lustrous even indoors. And there are those soft, elastic paw pads..." Shirou waved his hands frantically, trying to console her.
"Mikon! You dump me, and then you say such heart-stirring things—you're doing this on purpose, aren't you! And every word is coming straight from the heart, you're truly a beast among beasts!" The fox dancer blushed, unable to handle the earnest praise. After a moment, she snapped back and shouted, "Wait! My hands don't have paw pads!"
"Ah, sorry! Because your faces are identical, I accidentally mixed you up with a 'woofing' cat-maid," Shirou apologized immediately.
"How infuriating! So those compliments just now were actually for some other woman! I didn't expect you to know my background from the start—and you're a companion of my enemy to boot!" The fox dancer jumped up and glared at Shirou, the fur on her tail bristling.
She was in a life-and-death competition with the other Tamamo Nine members. Back when they were a single entity, they had experienced all sorts of dark histories together that they'd rather not recall.
Now, while the Tamamo-no-Mae in the form of a shrine maiden was the main body in name, in reality, none of them yielded to the others. This Tamamo claimed to be the purest shrine maiden, while the other clones were the "dark histories" and various flaws (or "moe" points) split off from her divinity.
For instance, one tail represented the aspect of boundless luxury and manipulating hearts, such as "Daji." Another represented the primal, wild side—the tail that was Tamamo Cat. There were also tails representing cruelty, holiness, and so on.
Because their source was the sun—the primordial Nine-Tailed Goddess—every single one of them was incredibly powerful. They had different personalities, but all were quite willful.
It was their instinct to devour the others and return to a single whole. Once they met, they were destined to try and consume one another to complete themselves.
'Right, right, just like that Namekian who became the God of the Earthlings...'
"No, no. In a way, I suppose I'm someone from the future relative to you. I'm just an outsider who came here to resolve some matters. I already knew some things about you, and of course, Tamamo Cat is also a companion. Truthfully, from my standpoint, I hope you all can get along more peacefully," Shirou explained quickly.
The fox dancer rolled her eyes at Shirou and said crossly, "Well, I figured that much out already. Just seeing how you adopted those two kids despite there being zero benefit for you tells me you're just a harmless, soft-hearted 'good guy.'"
"Fine, fine. I won't pester you about this anymore. Being too clingy would lower my value as a woman. I really have no luck in love, do I? Where is my 'Handsome Soul' hiding?" The fox dancer waved her hand dismissively.
She pursued mutual love and prioritized the other person's happiness above all else. If it were just a one-sided, fruitless crush, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
According to her rich experience of several thousand years in romance, one-sided devotion—trying to win someone's heart so blindly that it derails normal life—always led to bad results.
Having learned her lesson through millennia of love, the Nine-Tailed Fox's heart had grown quite a bit. But to speak more of it would bring tears—bloody tears...
Recalling her past experiences, Tamamo-no-Mae—who already suffered from various psychological traumas—shuddered. She hugged herself, looking deeply wounded.
"It's good that you can understand. By the way, has anything strange happened in this city, or have any strange people appeared?" Shirou asked with a sigh of relief.
The fox dancer tapped her lower lip with her index finger, thinking for a moment. "If I have to say, the atmosphere nearby is indeed a bit odd. But even without those oddities, isn't the human world always full of hardship?"
At this time, Tamamo's state of mind was different from her versions in other eras. She was currently in a period of emotional recovery, traveling the world to heal her heart after a romance. She had finally taken a liking to a responsible man, yet he gave no reaction at all.
The woman shot Shirou a look and said, "Right now, I just want to quietly be a dancer and travel among mortals. So please, don't drag me into your mess."
"Thank you. That's enough for me." Shirou nodded. Looking at her, he still felt a bit bad, so he spoke up to encourage her: "Tamamo-san, you'll definitely be fine! The person who loves you is waiting for you in the future. It's just that the wait will be a bit long... and the result might be a little different from what you imagine..."
Life always brings surprises. For a woman who had experienced too much, her criteria for an ideal partner were no longer based on superficial things like appearance, wealth, or talent. Gender was no longer important either; it was the deeper, more essential soul—the "Handsome Soul."
The woman had a unique fondness for souls—it could almost be called a fetish. She had absolutely no resistance against a "Handsome Soul."
However, the more excellent a person is, the more beings they tend to attract—like Nero, Altera, Elizabeth, Gilgamesh, Medusa, Astolfo, Charlemagne, and so on...
"Of course! A handsome soul can be felt at a single glance. Shirou-san! When I love, I always give it my heart and soul! If you don't love with everything you have, you can't be called a wise wife! So I believe! My ideal partner will definitely love me and only me to the absolute max!" Tamamo-no-Mae spoke with a mysterious confidence.
Shirou was speechless. He was offering sincere advice. Even in the future, the people Tamamo fell for seemed to have "Harem King" constitutions, and she always appeared as a latecomer.
By the year 2030, the girl Hakuno who shared her life on the Moon was beyond popular. Then there was Guda-ko, who joined Chaldea in 2015. Thinking carefully, her past mess of lovers were either Emperors or Kings, all masters of "Three Palaces and Six Courtyards"... though some of those weren't led by her current spiritual core.
'Of course, as a world-toppling fox spirit, her own nature naturally attracts trouble. Who knows how many people were captivated the moment they saw her and claimed her as a 'waifu,' even though many things weren't her intention. As a top-tier Servant, she's naturally participated in many Holy Grail Wars and had many encounters... Is all of this karmic retribution?'
Shirou thought as much, but he figured it was better not to say it. He just hoped she would cause fewer troubles during this time...
"Shirou-san! Don't think I don't know! You're thinking something very rude. I don't know exactly what it is, but I feel like you have absolutely no right to talk!" The fox dancer raised an eyebrow and glared at Shirou.
'Wait a minute? Talking like that, doesn't this situation also apply to myself? No, no, it must be an illusion.'
Shirou shook his head, clearing the stray thoughts from his mind.
"Waaaaah~!" Just then, the cry of a baby came from outside.
"It seems Tasuke is awake. Well then, goodbye. I'll head back to the room." Shirou stood up and bid the dancer farewell, preparing to check on the children.
"What are you saying? How can a clumsy man like you take care of a baby? I'll help." Tamamo followed him.
Shirou's room was like the dancer's, on the left side of the second floor. Walking all the way to the end, they reached it.
Opening the door, they saw little Atsu had already climbed out of the bedding. She was holding Tasuke, having brought over clean warm water to wipe the baby's bottom. She was finding clean cloth strips and preparing to change his diaper.
"Little Atsu, Little Tasuke, Big Sister has come to see you." Tamamo stepped forward and greeted them with a kind smile.
"Grandpa, welcome back! Ah! It's the pretty big sister who was dancing in the street!" Atsu looked up and shouted in pleasant surprise.
"Ya ya~!" Tasuke also let out a happy cry.
"Oh ho, as expected, children of any race are adorable. When you grow up, you must have a beautiful soul too." Tamamo took the infant and helped Atsu, skillfully wrapping a diaper around Tasuke.
"Oh, you're very skilled. I underestimated you," Shirou said, surprised.
"Of course! Don't underestimate the results of my bridal training. Is there anything else I can help with?" The fox dancer turned her head and asked Shirou.
"Actually, I was planning to research a porridge recipe for Tasuke so he'll enjoy eating it," Shirou said after some thought. In his memory, the shrine maiden's cooking was quite excellent, though she was only willing to cook for her Master.
"Let me see. I'm actually quite interested in cooking as well; I even signed up for the culinary class of the tongue-cut sparrow in Hell," the fox dancer said as she sat down.
The two began to discuss the recipe.
"I think something sweet, like a red date, red bean, and milk porridge, would be good? Even adult women give that nothing but praise," Tamamo suggested.
"If possible, I'd like a simple method that Atsu can easily learn. That would be best," Shirou said, resting his chin in his hand.
"Oh, how about this then?" Tamamo clapped her hands and wrote down a new recipe.
"Oh, this is good. Let's try it," Shirou said.
"Mm, and it can double as dinner," Tamamo agreed readily.
The two of them boiled a pot of the simplest, plain white rice porridge without any extra ingredients. Then, they poured in milk, added sugar granules, and stirred thoroughly. After mastering the heat, the dish looked as exquisite as those high-end porridges, tasting very fresh, sweet, and delicious.
Shirou took a taste, his eyes lighting up. He gave Tamamo a thumbs-up and praised her with a smile: "This taste is perfect! Tamamo-san, you really are an incredible chef."
Tamamo said modestly, "Well, it's just this much. I'm still a bit lacking as a housewife."
Shirou said, "Eh? In my view, Tamamo-san is already irreproachable, whether as a housewife or a mother."
Tamamo said uncertainly, "Is that so? Is this level really enough? I can't compare at all to my cooking teacher in Hell, and it doesn't even glow."
"No, no, your standards are too high. This cooking is already fantastic. By the way, what kind of being is this 'Beni-enma' tongue-cut sparrow from Hell?" Shirou asked in surprise. Honestly, he was quite interested in that culinary classroom in Hell.
"Hehe~ I see, so I'm great... and I yearn for a world for two on a two-and-a-half-tatami mat. If there are children, it might be a bit of a bother..." Having been praised, Tamamo giggled and cupped her face.
After pouring the porridge out and letting it cool slightly, they used a spoon to scoop some up, blew on it, and fed it to Tasuke.
"Ya ya~!" Tasuke tasted the new milk porridge and immediately broke into a joyful smile.
"Tasuke says it's delicious too. Thank you, Grandpa and Dancer Sister," Atsu said with a smile.
"I see, that's great. Atsu, you should have some porridge too," Shirou agreed with a smile.
"By the way, what are your plans next?" Tamamo asked, glancing at Shirou. She muttered softly, "Otherwise, we could just... all four of us live together or something..."
"Mm, I plan to take them out of the city tomorrow, find a safe place to settle down, and establish relationships with the surrounding villages. That way, even after I leave this world, they can live well," Shirou answered honestly.
"Leaving tomorrow!? Mikon!" Tamamo shouted in shock.
"Mm, I have my own things to do, so the sooner they are settled, the better," Shirou said.
'Tamamo-chan, you're such a dummy for having expectations for Shirou-san!'
Tamamo slumped and covered her face, mentally pounding her own head.
"It seems... Shirou-san's soul is indeed very pure, but it's too pure. In fact, it's already so blinding it's reached the level of light pollution. It's like you're trying to illuminate the whole world—it's too reckless and forced. You won't be happy like that," Tamamo muttered with a pout.
'I'll live here by myself! Just me! And! Who said I can't live a good life alone!'
The Nine-Tailed Fox inside Tamamo's heart roared with tears in her eyes, unleashing a barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs, destroying an unknown hidden ninja village over and over again. After venting, she finally recovered.
"I get it, I get it~! Since it's on the way, I'll help you out a little. Of course, this is for the children's sake," Tamamo said, crossing her arms.
"Ah, thanks. You really are a good person," Shirou gave Tamamo a bright smile. Regardless of the relationship between the shrine maiden and cat-maid in other worlds, he had already decided that the woman in this world was a good friend.
"MIKON!!"
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