Please to Kitsune-sama!

“Magic stones, huh? Well, not bad for some pocket change.”

Kanda dropped the glowing stones into a small pouch at his waist, then turned toward Inari with a bright smile.

“Kogami-chaaaan! That was amazing—there wasn’t even a chant, right!? What was that!?”

“Just a simple foxfire, naught more.”

“Ohh right, you’re a Fox Shrine Maiden or whatever! What level are you? I’m 7!”

“Level 1, I am.”

She didn’t think it was worth hiding, so she answered plainly. The whole party simultaneously responded.

“What!?”

“You used a fire spell with that kind of power at level 1…?”

“Incredible. I think we’ve found an unexpected gem.”

“Haha, you’re awesome, Kogami-chan! Just that one move made this whole matching worth it!”

“O-oh. ‘Tis… gladdening to be praised, aye?”

Inari had deliberately used what she thought was a relatively harmless attack. But it seemed it had still gone a bit too far. Well, nothing could be done about it now. With a quiet sigh in her heart, she began mentally crossing off several of the other spells she had considered using.

“Alright, let’s keep pushing forward!”

Kanda had a bit of a natural leader vibe, and just like that, he took the lead again.

The goblins varied slightly in weapons, but not so much in strength. Now that Inari had seen them firsthand, she could understand why they were labeled beginner-level enemies.

At the same time, though, a question arose.

Who had created such a thing? Was it the same entity that made the status system?

And if so… which god was responsible?

With those questions lingering unanswered, the group reached the back of the cave.

There, seated in a crude chair, was a larger goblin who shrieked at their approach.

“A Goblin Leader! Kogami-chan, hit it with a blast!”

“Very well.”

Inari didn’t really see much difference aside from its gear, but she fired a ball of foxfire just the same.

With a fwoosh, the small flame struck the Goblin Leader’s head and blew it clean off. In its place, it dropped a slightly larger magic stone and a rather questionable-looking headband.

“A one-hit kill, huh…”

“Looks like we weren’t needed at all.”

“Seriously impressive…”

“Umu…”

Even hearing such things, Inari could only let out a muted groan. But she now understood very clearly: this so-called beginner dungeon was far too easy. Honestly, she didn’t need teammates for something of this level.

“Oh hey, that’s a Goblin Leader’s headband… It’s an F-rank item, but anyone want it?”

“Hm? Thou can tell what it is just by looking?”

“Not really—item data is all public online these days.”

“Goblin Leader’s headbands are pretty popular because they’re easy for anyone to use.”

Shimbashi chimed in with that detail, but Inari had no interest in the item whatsoever.

Still, she understood something important: these items were of the same nature as what they called “artifacts.”

While the others chatted excitedly, Inari’s thoughts cooled.

Monsters that shouldn’t exist in this world. Corpses vanishing without a trace. Artifacts that could be obtained with ease.

“What hath become of this world…? Where doth it head…?”

She didn’t know. But in that moment, Inari made a decision.

She would act alone from here on.

She had seen the power of these so-called Awakeners. And based on that, she judged them unnecessary.

Surely, they were strong—but if Inari wanted to move freely, it was better to be alone.

And so, she declined the post-dungeon item split, accepted only one magic stone, and made her way to the housing that had been arranged for her.

…

“Ohh… So this is it. Free for half a year, is it…”

The place Inari arrived at was a small house not far from the Japan HQ of the Awakener Association.

It was a two-story reinforced concrete home, modern in every sense—though to Inari, it just looked like a box-shaped mystery.

“’Tis beyond me… but certainly fine craftsmanship.”

In truth, the house was a bit dated, and being close to HQ wasn’t necessarily a perk. But that didn’t matter to Inari.

When she inserted the key and opened the door, she felt something stir within her.

“Hmm… Now that I think on it, this may be the first time I’ve ever had a home of mine own…”

She’d never had a “home” before. The abandoned village she had lived in had simply been a place she occupied—not a place that belonged to her.

Even this house was only borrowed, not hers. But it still felt… different.

The furnishings and appliances inside were modern, but to Inari, they might as well have been alien artifacts.

“Well, television I understand now… I saw one earlier.”

It seemed the house was fully functional from the start, but that didn’t help much. There was just too much she didn’t know.

The first immediate problem? Lighting.

“There be lights indoors, aye… but where is the string!? I know how it works, I do! Pull the cord and the light goeth on and off, aye!?”

That kind of lighting had mostly disappeared long ago—but Inari’s knowledge stopped at exactly that.

She wandered around the room in confusion, eventually discovering the wall switch. Then she fiddled with the faucet, inspected various knobs, and generally made a small ruckus before finally collapsing onto the couch.

“The times… they changeth far too swiftly… ‘Tis all too troublesome—!”

Modern civilization had changed so much, it overwhelmed her. The string-less phones, the vanishing dials—it was all new, all exhausting.

And just learning to live in this world… would be a mountain of work all on its own.