Chapter 11 The Cultural Festival Begins
Hikigaya never expected it would be a nine-tailed fox.
This wasn't an illusion—it was the true appearance of the fox spirit. That much, he could tell.
Which also meant this was a real nine-tailed fox. There's a world of difference between "transformation" and "manifestation," and the power levels they represent are on completely different tiers.
In Japanese tradition, the nine-tailed fox—also known as the Celestial Fox—was once revered as a sacred beast. The nine-tailed fox Tamamo-no-Mae was modeled on this Celestial Fox image. But thanks to that story, the once-sacred Celestial Fox became a symbol of seduction and destruction.
"Lord Rakshasa King."
The dainty nine-tailed fox bowed before Hikigaya.
"What do you want from me?" Hikigaya had recovered from his initial shock.
No matter how beautiful it looked, at the end of the day, it was still a fox—not a human.
"I just wanted to explain to my lord, I didn't mean to hurt that girl on purpose."
The nine-tailed fox looked pitiful and full of sorrow.
"She was behaving inappropriately at the shrine, so I stepped in to punish her."
"You're an Inari god?" Hikigaya asked.
Inari, full name Inari Ōkami, is a major deity in Japan. Worshiped nationwide, not only by farmers but by merchants as well. Even today, Inari remains widely venerated. People pray to Inari for good harvests, thriving businesses, traffic safety, disaster avoidance, and general good fortune. There are tens of thousands of Inari shrines all across Japan—some just tiny wooden altars, others grand complexes like Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha.
But to bump into an Inari god that just so happens to be a nine-tailed fox? Hikigaya found that a bit ridiculous.
It's not like you grow a new tail every day...
"Yes, I've been receiving offerings from the locals in this area for a long time now."
Huh? That made it sound like this wasn't what she originally did for a living...
"So what did you do before?"
"Um…" The nine-tailed fox looked wronged. "I don't really remember."
So in other words, you've lived for a long time?
Come to think of it, since she's a nine-tailed fox, shouldn't she be incredibly powerful? Aren't strong yokai supposed to rival gods? Why does she seem so... submissive?
"Alright…" Hikigaya was feeling confused. "Even if that's the case, why explain it to me?"
"Because you're the king of the land." The nine-tailed fox looked even more puzzled. "You rule the earth, and all living things revere you. I was afraid you might not like what I did."
Okay, this conversation was getting nowhere…
This chick didn't act like a nine-tailed fox at all. Did she grow those nine tails just for cuteness?
"I see… Well, I actually kind of like it. Do as you wish." With that throwaway line, Hikigaya walked away.
The days that followed passed uneventfully.
The students of Class 2-F poured almost all of their spare time into preparing and rehearsing for their performance at the school's cultural festival. Everything was in full swing.
As for Hikigaya, he continued to go to and from school with Ena, spent his free time reading in the Service Club, hung out at home chatting with Komachi, and even practiced martial arts at night. A calm, yet fulfilling daily routine.
Then finally, the day of the cultural festival arrived.
The opening ceremony was held in the gymnasium.
If he remembered correctly, in the anime, Sagami didn't do very well as the chairperson during this part.
But there was no way something like that would happen with a nine-tailed fox involved.
In fact, when "Sagami" got on stage to speak, the whole place first entered a trance-like state, and then—as if everyone had just popped something—they immediately went into party mode.
This might be the most fired-up opening ceremony in Sobu High's history. Seriously, once a yokai invades your everyday school life, don't expect anything to go normally…
Blinding lights erupted from the stage, while the audience below sang and danced—it was absolute chaos in the gym.
Hikigaya could tell the fox was having a blast. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying it too.
He couldn't even tell whose voice he was hearing anymore—everything had blended into the music. This wasn't an opening speech; this was a full-on rave!
If an event that was supposed to be just a few motivational words turned into this, Hikigaya could only imagine how wild the next two days would be with this fox around…
She clearly came here just to have fun, didn't she? All that talk about "punishment" was just an excuse…
This time, "Sagami" would no doubt be the center of the entire festival.
The fiery energy of the opening spread like wildfire across the whole school.
Hikigaya was practically squeezed out of the gymnasium by the crowd.
When he got back to Class 2-F, the classroom was a whirlwind of activity.
"Makeup crew! What are you doing!? That face paint's way too light!"
"Why are you so nervous? You'll be fine. People are just coming to see Hayato anyway, no need to worry."
The girl with glasses was yelling at the top of her lungs, while Miura walked around giving words of encouragement. She was probably trying to be supportive, though given her verbal skills… well, whatever, as long as it worked.
Everyone seemed to be doing their part.
Hikigaya walked in and, for some reason, felt a bit guilty—he didn't have anything to do.
"Hikigaya-kun." The girl with glasses spotted him amid the chaos and charged over like a missile. "Can I trouble you to do reception duty at the door?"
He let out a sigh of relief. Finally, something to do. Otherwise, he felt kind of awkward...
"What do I need to do?"
"Just answer people if they ask about the showtimes. Even though we've posted a schedule on the door, it still feels low-class without someone at the entrance."
Ma'am, you've picked the right man for the job—when a god-slayer is on reception duty, you're operating at a world-class tier.
"OK."
Hikigaya nodded, walked over to the entrance, unfolded a long table, and set up two or three folding chairs.
He arranged everything neatly and sat at the door, next to a wall where the event schedule poster was pinned.
Then…
What the hell? Why is the nine-tailed fox walking around in her true form!?
Hikigaya stared down the hallway, shocked.
But he quickly realized something—the people around him didn't seem to notice her at all. In other words…
He looked back into the classroom. Sure enough, the real Sagami was standing in a corner, looking confused, like she'd just woken up.
That damn fox had snuck out! Clearly, everything she said before was a lie. Very well, it seems my divine ass-kicking hand has another target now!
Then, Hikigaya saw her eyes light up as she ran toward a girl.
Who else could it be but Seishuin Ena?