A swarm of helicopters hovered relentlessly over the skies of Hokkaido. It was hard to imagine anyone having the nerve to pull something like this off—except the Four Pillar Families of Asia.
Inside one sleek, glossy red helicopter emblazoned with the Kamakiri family crest sat Haruna. Just a week ago, she had been shackled hand and foot by Mina—yet somehow she had escaped. Her face was caked in heavy makeup, her hair bleached pink, and she wore a thick fur coat, as if she already knew she was coming here to claim victory.
Thanks to Hiroshi, who had always been lurking around Mina, they had managed to trace Mina and Yu's destination to Hokkaido.
After terrifying countless locals with their recklessness and arrogance, the helicopters had been circling the area for hours, scanning for any trace of Mina's signal. Some panicked residents described the region as a deathly black hole—once you went in, you never came back out.
But why would Mina come to a place like this?
From high above, Hiroshi stared down through the helicopter window. There was still no promising signal—nothing but a dense, impenetrable fog blanketing everything below. Even their radar was useless.
An unease crept into his chest.
Could it be that Mina had run into trouble?
He glanced sideways at Haruna. She clearly hadn't grasped the gravity of the situation. Being escorted by such an overwhelming armed force had probably convinced her that Mina's life was already in her hands. He let out a dry, mocking remark.
"Even the locals don't dare come here. Plenty of people have died—buried alive by snow, or frozen solid."
Haruna merely snorted. She casually perched herself atop the back of a male Kamakiri retainer, sitting on him as if he were nothing more than furniture—as if she were already the head of the family. Her arrogance was blatant.
"Isn't our family's number-one rule alive, I see the person—dead, I see the corpse? I'm not leaving this place until I've seen her body with my own eyes."
So cruel. Just like her sister. Hiroshi thought silently. But no matter how vicious Haruna was, she was still nowhere near Mina's level.
"After all, Mina is your real sister," he said flatly.
Haruna shot him a scornful glance, smirking as she stuffed a carrot into the mouth of her "human chair."
"And you dare call me cruel, cousin? If you were really worried about me, you wouldn't have unlocked my chains in the first place."
Hiroshi laughed. He raised a cigarette to his lips—but the thin, oxygen-starved air in the area caused it to burn out almost instantly.
His sense of foreboding intensified. He flicked the useless cigarette away and asked casually,
"So after you kill Mina… what do you plan to do once you take Kamakiri's command seat?"
"What else?" Haruna snorted. "I'll expand Kamakiri by any means necessary. We can't let those pathetic lesser families look down on us."
Easier said than done. Hiroshi kept that thought to himself. Still, there was another reason he had agreed to help this disposable pawn.
His eyes drifted toward the darkened interior of the helicopter. It felt as though someone else—someone unseen—was quietly listening to their conversation.
No matter what, they had to find Mina before the ring ceremony took place.
---
The fog gradually began to thin as massive bathhouses across the mist-covered city fired up at full capacity, sending pillars of steam into the sky. Music rang out once more, and the festive atmosphere returned—livelier than ever.
With Lady Shigonami's return, the village's hostility toward outsiders had been temporarily set aside.
Inside an exquisitely designed grand bath, white fox motifs adorned the walls—so lifelike they hardly seemed painted. They were reflections of the women themselves.
A fox spirit village.
Beautiful women everywhere, swaying beneath hot water and seductive steam. The air was thick with an intoxicating, heady fragrance—one that could easily make a first-time visitor drunk on sensation alone.
They touched one another freely, teased, caressed—completely unashamed, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Even though she'd seen it many times before, Duyen still felt embarrassed.
Behind her, the fox queen Shana gently massaged her back.
Nearby, the other fox women eagerly listened as Dao told her story. At this point, Dao had practically been swallowed whole by the village. Her face was flushed red with alcohol. Meanwhile, at another bath platform, Nayeon was engaged in a drinking contest with the village girls.
"Another! Another! One more!"
Nayeon was completely naked save for a towel wrapped around her waist, chugging from a large jug as if it were nothing—though her legs were already starting to wobble.
Compared to the women around her, Nayeon's body was rather petite.
Dangerous.
Letting these beautiful fox women surround you like this was dangerous.
They continuously ran their hands over her body, as if flooding her with some strange surge of dopamine that only made her drink harder. Nayeon threw both arms into the air and shouted,
"This is nothing! Back when I was in college—I could down fifty cans of beer—urk!"
She suddenly vomited violently. Duyen jumped to her feet.
"Ah—Nayeon! Are you okay?!"
Two fox-masked women quickly caught Nayeon and waved reassuringly at Duyen with shy smiles.
"There's no need to worry, Miss Duyen."
"We'll take her back to her room."
Their smiles were… mysterious.
Duyen could only give a bitter smile. She had a feeling they had other plans in mind—but she couldn't prove anything. Still, the women here were kind at heart, so she trusted them to take care of Nayeon.
But Nayeon wasn't the only one.
Dao was currently in the bath with one woman on each arm, rambling nonstop. Two naked village girls beside her enthusiastically stroked her skin and long legs.
"Wow, look at this skin…"
"Your legs are so long."
Dao beamed, bursting into laughter—looking like some perverted villain from a third-rate TV drama. At least she was beautiful.
"Of course," she bragged. "I'm a professional model, you know. Sure, I'm not as tall as Duyen or Yu, but back in college I was top-two hot girl material. Well… top one was probably Mina."
Shana snorted with laughter and took another two gulps of wine.
Just recently, Dao had been depressed and falling apart—now she was here, bragging nonstop. And the more she bragged, the more she accidentally let things slip. Somehow, that carefree spirit suited her.
Realizing she'd said too much, Dao waved her hands quickly.
"Anyway—let's drop that. Anyone wanna hear about the time Duyen saved me from that scumbag I used to call my ex-boyfriend?"
The moment she finished, countless hands shot up across the bath. Only Duyen panicked.
"Hey—no, no—don't!"
Too late. Shana eagerly dragged her back down and hugged her from behind, teasing softly,
"What's the harm~? I like hearing it again~"
Duyen turned her face away, mortified.
"I seriously can't deal with you people…"
And so they listened eagerly as Dao reenacted the story with dramatic gestures.
"…Then he tried to slap me. But Duyen stepped in just in time and took the hit for me."
"You can't imagine her expression then—her eyes were sharp like knives. She didn't move an inch."
"She stared him down and said, 'I forbid you from touching her.'"
Gasps echoed throughout the bath.
Duyen buried her face in her hands. She definitely hadn't said it like that. Shana, half-drunk, nuzzled her face into Duyen's shoulder and murmured,
"Oh… like a hero, huh…Always Duyen—always stepping forward to save everyone…"
Duyen sighed softly.
"But most of the time… I don't really manage to help anyone."
Shana turned her face back gently, smiling.
"Who says that?"
"…That's exactly why people love you, Duyen. You don't have to be afraid. Just be yourself."
Warmth spread through Duyen's chest.
It was true—she had changed a lot. And much of that was because she had finally learned to acknowledge herself. But she couldn't have done it without Shana and these friends by her side.
The village women murmured in amazement.
"I didn't know human men could be so violent and frightening."
"That's why I say—they deserve to be nothing more than food."
Dao shuddered.
"You're not… actually going to eat them, right?"
Duyen laughed, assuming it was just a joke.
Rested her hand against her chin, Dao frowning slightly.
"Now that you mention Jinsung… it's kind of strange. Ever since that reunion, I haven't seen him or his little gang anywhere."
Duyen's eyes widened in surprise. Shana's didn't. A faint, almost imperceptible glint of cruelty flickered in her gaze as she murmured,
"Yeah… I've been wondering where they disappeared to as well."
Dao suddenly turned her head left and right, as if searching for someone.
"Oh—speaking of which, I haven't seen Mina come in to bathe yet. I asked her to join us earlier."
At the mention of Mina's name, worry tightened in Duyen's chest. Even after returning to the human world, Mina's mental state hadn't improved much. It wasn't hard to understand why—they had spent far too many years trapped in Yomi. But Duyen knew there was something else weighing on Mina's mind. Something deeper.
The sliding door slowly creaked open.
Everyone froze.
Mina had finally come to the bathhouse. Her face was as cold and expressionless as ever. She stood there naked, a single towel draped over her slender body. It did nothing to diminish her beauty.
The moment Duyen saw her, she lit up.
"Ah! Mina!"
"Mina! Come over here!" Dao called, waving at her despite being tipsy.
Mina lifted her head.
When her eyes met Duyen's, a faint light returned to them—
—but the moment she saw Shana's arm wrapped possessively around Duyen's waist, the warmth vanished.
A killing chill spread from her like winter air itself. Even the steaming hot bathwater felt as though it might freeze over. The others subtly shifted away from where she stood.
Then Mina suddenly went rigid.
Her eyes locked onto the mirror across from the tub—the mirror reflecting all of them leaning back in the bath.
All she could see… was her own reflection.
It…
It…
Duyen immediately sensed something was wrong. Instinctively, she followed Mina's gaze toward the mirror.
She saw it too. Whatever was surrounding Mina—
It was horrifying.
The others avoided looking directly at her, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary. Just a little surprised. That was all. One of the girls stood up bravely and approached Mina.
"Come on, girl. Join us. You must've had a long journey. Our bath might help ease your mind."
But the instant she grabbed Mina's hand—
Mina violently flung her away. So hard that the girl crashed onto the tiled floor, leaving everyone stunned.
Duyen quickly stood and stepped toward Mina, but Mina staggered back instead. Her eyes trembled, glassy, on the verge of tears.
It was as if she could see her own reflection in Duyen's eyes.
Her voice shook.
"You… you can see it too… can't you…?"
"Mina…" Duyên reached out—
—but Mina turned and bolted from the bathhouse, slamming the door behind her.
"Mina!"
Duyen tried to run after her, but Shana held her back.
"Don't, Duyen. Let her be alone… until she's ready to accept what she is now."
Outside, Mina's heart pounded violently against her ribs. She struggled to breathe, tears spilling freely down her face. So that was why they looked at her that way?
So from the very beginning…Even Duyen could see it?
Then why—Why did Duyen still smile at her like that?
Why did she still call her beautiful?
Beautiful?
What happened to me…?
The image of her reflection replayed in her mind as she leaned against the wall, gasping for air.
Then—
A strange sound.
As if something had just switched into combat mode.
In an instant, Mina's hand transformed into a razor-sharp biological blade and slammed into the wall, pinning a shadowed figure in place. The intruder turned pale.
It was Dali. The small girl in the fur coat.
Mina glared at her coldly.
"Hmph. Sneaking around outside the women's bath?"
"H-Hey, easy!" Dali stammered, scooting away from the deadly blade. "Whoa… that thing's sharp."
Mina snorted and retracted the bio-blade. Her hand returned to normal. Dali quickly put on her usual mischievous grin.
"Relax. I'm not here for anything shady. I was looking for you to return this."
She pulled something from inside her coat—
A ring.
Strangely designed, set with three gems—green, purple, and red.
The Iron Sovereign ring. The command ring of the Kamakiri clan.
It had been so long since Mina last saw it that she'd nearly forgotten it existed. And now, staring at it again, her feelings were no longer the same.
No excitement. No anticipation. Not anymore.
Noticing her hesitation, Dali smiled faintly and held it out.
"…I made a few adjustments to it. Try putting it on."
Mina eyed her suspiciously. That only made her doubt Dali more. And yet… the crushing weight of clan responsibility didn't feel the same anymore.
She took the ring and slid it onto the middle finger of her right hand.
A strange sensation—
As if something had just been pulled back inside her.
What…?
Was she imagining it?
Dali beamed.
"I figured you wouldn't need it anymore. Someday… you might even reclaim your radiance without it. But for now, just wear it."
"Yeah. I get it. Shut up." Mina said flatly while examining the ring, startling Dali.
"Ah… well. Anyway. Why not head back to the bath with them?"
Mina studied the ring, replaying Dali's cryptic words. Ever since putting it on, something inside her felt… lighter. Still, she couldn't stand this girl.
"By the way," Mina said coolly, "your face is still incredibly annoying."
Dali gave an awkward laugh as Mina turned and walked back toward the bathhouse.
Left alone, Dali stared at the deep, fresh gouge carved into the wall by Mina's biological weapon.
She whistled softly.
"Who needs radiance…? She's terrifying enough already."