Please to Kitsune-sama!

Chapter 232 : Kitsune-sama Decides to Have Fun

—Lion Communications is reborn—newer and stronger!

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—All the functions you could ever want, right when you need them! The composure and strength of the King of Beasts can now be yours!

—For smartphones exclusively for awakener, it’s Lion Communications! Carry the strongest with me by your side!

—The new models are out now! A dazzling lineup of seven colors to charm you…!

—Bring possibilities into your daily life… Lion Communications.

…

“Whoa!”

“How’s that!? Awesome, right!?”

“Mm, mm. At long last, I should say.”

Inside Inari’s home, a Lion Communications commercial played on the television. Since this was its first-ever broadcast on terrestrial TV, Hikaru—the mascot of Lion Communications—had come to watch it together with Inari.

Because the ad emphasized “strength” as Lion Communications’ selling point, Hikaru had to shift away from her idol-like manner and instead present herself with the “strength-focused” personality that was truer to her nature. The posters released beforehand had already received great feedback, so there had been no issue with airing the commercial at last.

“See, lately all kinds of stuff’s been happening, right? Seems like ‘strength’ is becoming a real selling point of popularity these days.”

“Well, that’s how it should’ve been from the start…” Hikaru added with a wry smile. Inari nodded with an “Indeed.”

With the monster attacks in Akabane and Fuchuu, ordinary non-awakener citizens had grown more conscious about safety. That recent case—“Echigo Trading Company’s large-scale raid failure”—was also said to have accelerated the trend.

While awakeners were still treated like idols, “strength” was increasingly valued as one of the reasons behind their popularity. That, of course, had also raised Inari’s own popularity, since she was credited with swiftly resolving such incidents.

The chibi-sized Inari dolls that had just been released had sold out in mere seconds, with some people even enshrining them in their homes as protective charms. It was all rather ticklish for Inari.

“Strength, hmm. I do not believe it to be everything, but mayhap there are things that cannot stand without it.”

“It ain’t some deep topic like that.”

“Mm?”

“No matter what you do, being strong never hurts, right?”

“Well, true enough.”

“People these days are remembering how dangerous the world really is. That’s why strength’s become a trait folks find attractive.”

Once upon a time, there had been a trend that said, “An individual’s strength has no meaning.”

But in the modern age, personal strength carried clear value. Even for those who weren’t awakener, having enough strength to at least escape danger or help someone in need earned them the reputation of being “reliable.”

And awakeners were on an entirely different level—people who leapt far beyond that through sheer overwhelming power. The stronger an awakener was among them, the more magnetic their appeal.

“So, basically, Inari… right now you’re like the embodiment of crazy popularity power.”

“I have not the slightest intention of embodying such a thing…”

“Some are even treating you like a goddess of attraction—just owning your merch is enough to spark conversations, and maybe even start romances.”

“I do not govern such things at all…”

Well, wasn’t that just because she was a current topic of conversation, rather than because of her directly…? Inari thought so, but since Hikaru seemed to be enjoying herself, she didn’t say it aloud. After all, voicing every thought wasn’t what true friendship was about.

“Well, I understand that I’ve become a topic. But when I go outside, I am the same as always, am I not?”

“Ah, see, that’s the thing.”

“The thing?”

“…Inari, your usual range is home, dungeon, supermarket, and convenience store, right? You never go anywhere crowded, where people would make a fuss.”

“Mmm…”

Inari had to admit Hikaru had a point. Going to dungeons might make it seem like she was out and about often, but in reality, she was simply commuting between home and workplace like anyone else. And that wasn’t exactly ideal.

If she really was under such public attention, showing herself as someone who lived by “work is my life” wasn’t a good look. If her influence was significant, then there was a certain kind of image she ought to show. “She’s strong because she devotes her entire life to fighting.” If people started saying that, it could distort society, even if just a little.

“Mmm, I had thought I was living at an easy pace, but…”

—So, it seems Miss Kogami Inari often dives into dungeons. She’s quite stoic, and we don’t really see much of her hobbies…

“This is no good! Absolutely no good! If because of me young ones start pushing themselves recklessly, I could never atone for it!”

“I don’t think you need to atone for something like that… it’s their own responsibility.”

“No, Hikaru, thou art mistaken. I wish for mankind to live more joyously, day by day. If there are those who decide their path by watching my back, then what I must show them… is precisely that!”

“Joy, huh…”

If people really thought, “I’ll get stronger even if it means doing reckless stuff!” then dungeon reservations everywhere would be full every single day. But they weren’t.

To Hikaru, that simple fact already proved “in the end, humans only live the way they want to live.” Inari just rated humanity too highly and expected too much from them. Still, it was exactly because of this side of Inari that Hikaru found herself often coming over to hang out.

“Then hey, how about we go somewhere fun?”

“Yes, that sounds pleasant. Let us head to the park at once.”

“Not the park.”

Hikaru waved a special ticket between her fingers.

“Let’s go to the pool. These days, the most extravagant and fun thing is water leisure.”