"!"
"This is…"
In the shut-in's house, Alicia, who was in the dressing room, was humming a song while tidying clothes. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a robe in the corner.
Alicia picked up the robe and pinched the two decorations on it that resembled rabbit ears.
"…Beast Robe?"
She didn't think much of it and hung the Beast Robe on a hanger, preparing to put it into the wardrobe.
"...!"
Halfway through the motion, Alicia's movements paused. A strange idea surfaced in her mind. Hesitantly, she put the robe on herself, a bottle of perfume clutched in her hand.
...
"There are no humans left anymore…"
In the alley, Diego had both hands braced against the wall, his pupils filled with terror, his back soaked with sweat.
He had never dreamed of something like this.
After Sui found someone who could control him, she actually threw all shame out the window and said right in front of Hori Kyoko that she wanted to play roleplay.
She wanted Diego to act as an elf who had strayed into a beastman nest and stubbornly resisted to the death no matter what.
Then what would she play?
Sui didn't say. She just kept snickering together with Hori.
And with such malicious, clearly vengeful intent, Hori agreed—damn it, she actually agreed!
She even said she would call Kitagawa Marin over to design the script!
What kind of international joke was this!
"However, heh heh heh, Sui…" Diego sneered coldly. "I've already prepared the celebratory wine for you. When you think victory is in your grasp, don't get too carried away too soon. Make sure to block all your escape routes. Go back to the elf village to see your fellow villagers and elders. Don't get cocky—you're the best.."
"Hmph~~ If you want to catch me, you're still far too early~"
"As expected, I, Dio, am always the final winner~"
Alright, the timing should be about right!
Just as Diego was secretly gloating to himself.
Around the corner outside the alley, Alicia, wearing the Beast Robe, was secretly observing from behind the wall.
"Keh————"
Diego followed the sound and looked over. A fox emerged from one side, staring straight at him.
"?!"
"A fox? Where did this come from?"
The scent of perfume drifted into Diego's nostrils, making him unconsciously pause for a moment.
Sniff sniff.. sniff sniff..
"No musky smell. It actually smells pretty nice…"
At that moment, the fox in front slowly walked toward Diego, squinting its eyes and affectionately rubbing against his calf.
"Eh…" Diego squatted down and rubbed the fox's head with his hand. "A fox that isn't afraid of people is really rare."
"Hmph hmph hmph…" Alicia closed her eyes, letting Diego's hand do as it pleased.
"But you have good taste!"
Diego spoke with satisfaction. He took out a few pieces of jerky from a spatial rift and offered them in front of the fox's mouth.
"Here, here, here. Want some jerky?"
"Keh——!!"
Alicia pouted, puffing up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
She had only decided to roleplay as a fox on a whim. She wasn't a real fox. Being fed? Absolutely not!
But to Diego, it looked like the fox had suddenly stood up on its hind legs, exposing its belly, continuously waving its front paws as if it was acting cute.
"Wow…"
Alicia let out a completely non-intimidating threat.
"Wow?"
This piqued Diego's curiosity. He reached out with both hands and grabbed the fox's front paws: "Oh my, oh my… It even acts cute. So human-like. No wonder some emperor was willing to give up his empire for a single fox."
"Cute…!"
Alicia immediately stopped waving her little fists. Her cheeks flushed bright red, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, revealing her shyness.
Flustered and at a loss, she broke free from Diego's hands, turned her back to him, and tightly covered her eyes with both hands.
Completely unaware, a strange glint flashed in Diego's eyes behind her. He bent forward slightly, fingers spread, assuming a posture ready to pounce.
Before Alicia could react, she was pulled into his embrace.
"Ah~~~...…?" Alicia's voice trembled.
"Smells so good. Let's take it home and raise it." Diego buried his face in the fox's nape and took a deep breath. One hand rested on her chin while the other pressed against her belly, continuously rubbing. "Good girl, good girl, good girl, good girl, good girl, good girl, good girl…"
"?!"
Alicia sensed something was wrong and began to struggle, but it only encouraged Diego's increasingly intense actions.
"?!?!"
Oh no… I think I overdid it…
"Be a little more obedient. My technique should feel really good…"
With the continuous contact between the large hand and her body, Alicia couldn't help but go soft all over. The strength she could muster grew weaker and weaker.
"Very good. I can tell she's enjoying it…"
Seeing the fox in his arms no longer struggling, Diego raised an eyebrow and touched the noticeably larger, fluffy belly.
"Hah— The feel is really good. What a plump one!"
"Ugh!!"
A strong, strange sensation instantly swept through Alicia's entire body.
"Sniff sniff… So fragrant. I must keep it."
"Wuuu——"
Overwhelmed by shame and embarrassment, Alicia found strength from somewhere and headbutted Diego hard. Then, while he was still dazed, she escaped.
"…Huh?"
"Don't even think about escaping!"
Diego chased after her.
A chase between one person and one fox unfolded across the streets.
Although the fox's running speed wasn't particularly fast, she could precisely slip through every gap that Diego couldn't pass through, greatly delaying him.
The chase finally came to an end in front of a certain apartment.
In her panic, the fox ran up the stairs. That was a dead end—unless she grew wings, there was absolutely no way to escape.
As a top student well-versed in legal studies, Diego knew full well that adopting a stray fox required going through special procedures.
Just like how pet cats and dogs needed certain things around their necks, a fox would need one too.
Therefore, he calmly took out the "proof" he had bought on the way during the chase.
"Where do you think you're escaping to, little fox…"
Accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, Diego revealed a smug smile. Following the fragrant scent all the way up, he finally stopped in front of an apartment door.
Diego scratched his head, furrowed his brows tightly, and said hesitantly: "Strange. The scent stops here. Could it have gone inside the apartment?"
"Eh, Dio-kun? What are you doing here?"
Just then, Kitagawa Marin's voice came from behind Diego.
"Kitagawa?"
Diego slightly turned his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "I ran into a fox on the way. It insisted on following me home. It was really clingy, but it just disappeared. Have you seen it?"
"No, I haven't seen it…" Kitagawa Marin thought for a moment and replied.
After hearing that, Diego nodded and asked again: "Then what about you? Why are you here?"
"Eh——? Dio-kun, your memory is really bad. This is little Kita's apartment!" Kitagawa Marin teased. "Does that fox have any special features? I can help look for it!"
Diego held up two fingers: "Well… it has a unique scent, and its body is very plump."
"Very fat…?"
"That's right, very plump!"
When mentioning "plump," Diego nodded frantically with an expression of "great minds think alike."
"But the scent disappeared in front of the Little Sun Apartment door. I was wondering if it snuck inside." Diego pointed at the apartment door.
Kitagawa Marin tilted her head in confusion: "Then why not just ask little Kita.."
"…Oh, right. That makes sense."
Ding ding ding ding ding ding dong——!!!
"Coming, coming————"
A series of hurried footsteps sounded. Kita Ikuyo opened the door. Behind her stood Alicia, who was fidgeting helplessly with the hem of her skirt with both hands.
Upon seeing Diego, Alicia stammered a greeting, her voice louder than usual: "G-Good afternoon!"
Kita Ikuyo immediately asked:
"It's the teacher. May I ask what brings you here?"
"Nothing much. I just wanted to ask if you've seen a fox at the apartment entrance. It's the one I lost."
Diego's gaze gradually lost focus, as if he was thinking of something else.
Strange… Why is Alicia here…
Kita Ikuyo forced a smile. The cold sweat on her forehead made the smile seem fake and strained: "Hahaha… No, no. How could I possibly have picked up a fox…"
"Alright."
Diego lowered his head, seemingly giving up.
"Phew——"
Seeing that, Alicia let out a sigh of relief.
"Sniff… sniff sniff…"
But just then, Diego's nose twitched.
The fragrant scent still lingered in the air. He carefully traced its source.
In just an instant!
Diego's pupils contracted. He instantly locked onto Alicia, flashed behind her, placed both hands on her shoulders, and took a deep, forceful sniff.
"Eeeeyaaaaah!!"
Under the pressure of a top predator, Alicia was instantly terrified. Her face flushed hot, tears welling up, and she plopped down onto the floor with a thud.
"Found it…!!"
His dinosaur-like pupils contracted as if spotting prey. Diego took another step closer.
"Keh~…"
Alicia's eyes held fine teardrops. Her hands clutched the collar at her chest. Her throat trembled lightly. She looked completely embarrassed and at a loss, with a shy and timid appearance.
The unconscious sound she made also confirmed Diego's guess.
Click!
He completely ignored the shocked and embarrassed expressions of Kitagawa Marin and Kita Ikuyo behind him.
"???"
Dio is so scary…