Please to Kitsune-sama!

Chapter 133 : Kitsune-sama Learns the Difficulty of Egg Dishes

Tamagoyaki. Or thick rolled omelet. Its method was, in truth, rather simple: one merely had to roll the egg.

Yet—yet!—it was not so simple in practice. The act of flipping and rolling the egg was troublesome, and thus most folk relied upon a square pan, the so-called tamagoyaki-ki. But Inari knew naught of such things. In the long-ago days, ere her village fell to ruin, she had once seen a mother in her household kitchen make a fine rolled omelet with a round pan.

“If I have seen it, then surely I may do it,” thought Inari. That was her mistake.

Thus the dish that ought to have been tamagoyaki ended its life as scrambled eggs. Inari gazed upon the plate with a most forlorn face.

“Mm… far trickier than I had reckoned. I had thought it a simpler thing.”

To be sure, scrambled eggs were still a delicious egg dish. It was not that they were lesser, only that the sadness lay in failing to reach the intended goal. Setting that aside, she poured tea, sprinkled furikake upon rice, and pressed her hands together: itadakimasu. She ate deftly with chopsticks while the television she had idly switched on played the news.

—Now, please see this footage. The Awakened famed as one of the Rankers, Black Witch, was today sighted flying above Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture.—

“Flying? Ahh, that orb, mayhap. Ho, she doeth fly well.”

The viewer-submitted video showed a woman clad in black soaring through the sky, and the cheers of onlookers could be heard behind the camera.

—Sir, you saw the Black Witch flying, is that correct?—

—Totally awesome! People can really fly now?!—

—She looked amazing!—

—I wanna embrace the darkness too!—

Excited voices filled the broadcast. When asked, the Black Witch’s office had commented only, “We march ever deeper into the abyss of darkness.”

Inari nodded. She knew not the meaning, but it seemed folk rejoiced. Since she herself had no need of the orb, it was well that it found its way to one who desired it. She finished her scrambled eggs and furikake rice, sipped her tea, and washed the bowls. As she dried her hands, her name drifted from the television.

—It has been several days since the incident of the Shinjuku dungeon gate. As yet, the Awakener Association has given no details, save that it was a dungeon requiring specific compatibility. The clans involved have all declined comment.—

—Once more it was said to be the solo work of Kogami Inari, affectionately known as ‘Inari-chan’—

“My epithet hath become that?”

Inari washed bowls as the words reached her ears. To be called with the chan honorific felt embarrassing indeed. Yet it was affection, and affection was good. No need to pour cold water upon it.

As she finished drying her hands, her Awakener Phone chimed with a call—from Yasuno. Strange, that she called directly, and not through Akai.

“Moshi moshi, ’tis I.”

“Ah, good day. First, let me thank you again for your work the other day.”

“Nay, if it did serve, I am glad. But? Hath aught else arisen? Another trouble, mayhap?”

“…Do I truly sound like a woman who only brings trouble?”

“Ho-ho-ho. Only, since thou bypassed Akai, I thought it must be urgent. Was I mistaken?”

“Ah—no, not this time. This is a request brought straight to the Association itself, a little different in direction from the usual matters.”

“Hm?”

Yasuno’s tone carried some hesitation, as if weighing his words.

“Truth is, the Itou city in Shizuoka has formally requested a meeting with you.”

“A… ghost tale? Alas, I know naught save the faceless man.”

“Not 怪談, but 会談. A meeting, not a ghost story.” (T/N: 怪談 Ghost Stories and 会談 Meeting both pronounced Kaidan)

“…And what would they speak with me of?”

She tilted her head. Yasuno chuckled faintly at her innocence.

“It hardly matters what. The idea is: a famous awakener meets a mayor or governor, they talk, and support ratings rise. With your fame from Shinjuku, it was inevitable.”

“Ahh. Aye, I grasp it now.”

“So it falls to the Association rather than any clan. If you accept, you’ll be paid the standard honorarium.”

“Mm…”

Inari cared little for the pay. She could easily refuse.

“Well, very well.”

“Truly!? That helps immensely! Of course, refusal would have been fine too, but it’s always best to maintain good relations with local governments. Then—three days hence. We’ll send an escort!”

There was no reason to refuse. To accept such a thing was no burden. With that thought, Inari ended the call.