I'm a thankful fox in Tokyo

Chapter 2: The Fox Returns a Favor
"I'm talking to you! You—"

Hiroki Takada noticed that Higashino Yu was staring at his mother's room, so he walked over and pushed him, but saw that he didn't respond.

When I turned around, I found that the light in my mother's room had gone out at some point.

"What happened? Is it broken again? Forget it, just go. If you really just want to visit my mother, then come back after she wakes up."

Takada Hiroki was a little annoyed. He waved his hand, ordered Higashino Yu to leave, and was about to walk into the room.

Suddenly, a fishy wind blew towards him. Before he could react, he felt dizzy and his whole body was out of control and he stood still.

Immediately afterwards, he was knocked to the ground, and his body hit the ground with a dull sound. He felt a sharp pain and was stunned at the time - falling down when one is unprepared is much more painful than falling down normally.

He rubbed his waist with a grin, turned around and saw Dong Yeyu standing behind him.

The boy was in a bit of a strange state, with his right hand spread out as if holding something, and his eyes were staring vigilantly at the room.

The room was unusually dark at this time. Hiroki Takada could not see anything, but he did not suspect anything unusual.

A Japanese-style room without windows in a house looks like this. When there is no light, visibility is limited to being able to see your fingers when you stretch out your hand.

This kid is sick!
Looking at the young man in front of him who said he wanted to repay his mother's kindness but behaved strangely, Takada Hiroki became furious.

He got up in a somewhat embarrassed manner, waving his hands and scolding.

"Asshole! Get out of here!"

Ono Masazo, who was watching from the sidelines, shook his head and laughed at himself in his heart that he had become less courageous as he grew older, and was actually frightened by a few words.

This guy is just a stupid kid who knows nothing and only knows how to play tricks.

In his mind, he prepared the words of advice that a master should give, chuckled, walked up and was about to speak.

call!
Suddenly, a ball of faint blue flame rose from Dongye Yuping's open palm, and then slowly shrank. The flame, which was as big as a human head, was compressed into a faint spark.

Then he placed his thumb on his middle finger and flicked it lightly. The spark drew a brilliant arc like a meteor, and finally hit the invisible darkness and burst into countless sparks.

However, the sparks that should have dissipated quickly seemed to have touched something flammable, adding fuel to the fire and suddenly expanded into a huge, cold, dark blue fireball.

There was a crackling sound in the shadows, as if something was burning.

"mom!"

What happened at that moment was beyond Takada Hiroki's understanding, but he didn't have time to think about it. His mother was the only thing in his mind. He screamed and was about to rush into the sea of ​​fire, but was pulled back by Ono Masazo who was in doubt.

"Calm down! That's not ordinary fire. It only burns evil spirits."

With the help of the light and fire, Hiroki Takada was able to see clearly the monster in the room.

It was a spider as big as half the room, without any physical form, and half of its body had passed through the wall of the room, as if it was trying to escape.

At this time, being burned by the fire, it began to struggle violently, constantly making shrill and inhuman wails.

The fireball filled the small Japanese-style room and lasted for dozens of seconds. It gradually dimmed as the monster became silent, and finally disappeared into thin air.

The Japanese-style room returned to silence.

Ono Masao glanced at Higashino Yu and wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say it. His expression was confused and a little nostalgic.

Hiroki Takada also had a dull look in his eyes and was speechless.

Click.

Dong Yeyu walked into the room and pressed the light switch. The dim light came on immediately. The furnishings in the room remained the same and had not been damaged in any way.

He knelt down beside the old woman and bowed slightly: "I forgot to tell you that the dried bonito flower rice you made was delicious. Thank you for your hospitality."

After saying that, he stood up and left without paying any attention to Takada Hiroki and Ono Masazo who had not yet come to their senses.

Only when the footsteps disappeared did Takada Hiroki suddenly stand up and crawl into the house to check on his mother's condition.

After finding that she was not hurt, he turned to look at Ono Masazo, who was sitting in the corridor in a daze.

"Oonomiyaji?"

Ono Masazō glanced at Takada Hiroki with a guilty look, straightened his clothes, and knelt on the floor.

"I'm so sorry!"

"My cultivation was not good enough and I almost made a big mistake. I will return the money to you. Mr. Takata, I am busy with the affairs of the shrine, so I will take my leave."

After he said this, he stood up, frowned, and walked out of the entrance while muttering something.

"Blue fire, I seem to have heard of it somewhere before."

But as soon as he stepped out of the entrance hall, his expression and demeanor immediately returned to that of a shrine chief.

The attendant trotted forward and said, "Ono Miyaji, are we going back to the shrine?"

"Yes. By the way, please keep the gift money that Takata-san gave you just now."

"what?"

"Just stay if you're told to. Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Oh."

Is there anyone who doesn't want money? The attendant was a little confused and put the thick envelope into the mailbox of the Takada family.

"By the way, where did the young man named Dongye go?" Ono Masazō asked, looking around.

"Him." The follower scratched his head and asked in confusion, "He never came out after he went in. You are the first one to go out." Upon hearing this, Ono Masazo stopped immediately and looked back at the house that was sinking into darkness.

Blue Fire
He seemed to remember something, and his wrinkled old face trembled.

Then this old body suddenly burst out with incredible strength, picked up his clothes and started running wildly.

His sleeves fluttered, his wooden clogs fluttered, his feet made the wind, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Only the followers with puzzled faces were left standing there in a daze, and a loud shouting was heard in the wind.

"Come on!"

"What a bastard!"

Hiroki Takada glanced at his mother lying on the sickbed and felt frightened.

Just as he was about to chase after her to question Ono Masazo, he was delighted to find that his mother had slowly woken up.

"mom!"

Kazuko Takada looked at her son in a daze, with a bewildered expression, and was stunned for a long while.

"Has anyone been here?"

She seemed to sense something and asked in a hoarse voice.

Takada Hiroki was stunned for a second, then nodded quickly.

"A handsome and tall high school student came here. He called himself Dong Yeyu and said that he had received your kindness and came to visit you specially."

"High school student, who is Dongye?"

Kazuko Takada was a little confused. After a moment, she shook her head, indicating that she couldn't remember.

"Oh, by the way, there's also that old dog Ono Masazura! I'm going to settle accounts with him later!"

Takada Hiroki was very angry when he talked about Ono Masao. He was fooled by that old man. If he hadn't happened to meet that young man who came to repay his kindness, he would have lost his mother.

Takada Kazuko frowned slightly: "Hongji, how can you be so rude to Ono Miyaji?"

“You don’t know, this is what happened.”

Hirokazu Takada told Kazuko Takada what had happened. After listening to it, she sighed and then laughed.

"But it all ended well, didn't it? You, don't make things too awkward. After all, Ono-no-miyaji is the chief priest of Yumuki Shrine."

Seeing that her son was about to say something, Takada Kazuko smiled and patted his hands.

"Okay, I've been lying down for so long, I want to go outside and get some fresh air. Help me sit by the edge."

Wow!

With the help of her son, Kazuko Takada pushed open the glass door at the end of the corridor and sat down with some difficulty on the long corridor called Engo near the courtyard.

"You rest here. I will go and tell your elder brother the good news that you have recovered and ask him to come and see you."

Takada Hiroki said with a smile.

"Will this be too much trouble for Hongguang? He is busy with work too."

"No matter how busy he is, he has to make time. He didn't come before, and now that you're well, if he doesn't come again, that would be unfilial!"

"If that's the case, I'll go to his house and beat him up! Don't worry about it, I'll make the arrangements."

He ran to make a phone call without saying anything. Takada Kazuko could only shake her head helplessly, pounding her leg and looking towards the courtyard.

At this time, the sun had already set below the horizon, leaving only a little pale white afterglow lingering in the sky.

Dusk gradually filled the world, a few stars twinkled against the deep blue background, the occasional sound of a passing car honking could be heard not far away, and Hongji's happy and excited voice could be vaguely heard behind him.

Maybe he was sharing the news of his awakening with Hongguang. Hongji has been an impatient child since he was young.

With a smile on her lips, Kazuko Takada scanned the courtyard with her eyes, then fixed them on one spot, her expression slightly stunned.

On the stone wall of the courtyard, a large snow-white fox was squatting. Its tail was huge, fluffy and clean like a cloud.

It tilted its face to the side, staring at him with those lazy and distant almond-shaped eyes, and nodded slightly.

Kazuko Takada recognized at a glance that this was the little fox that came to beg for food that year, but it was much prettier now and no longer looked so miserable with mud all over its body.

She was stunned for a moment, then stood up. Several crimson cherry blossoms fluttered and fell, blurring her eyes. In the blink of an eye, the fox disappeared.

"You're that kid in high school."

Kazuko Takada understood something and subconsciously turned her head, and found that a few bunches of plump and crystal mulberries had appeared on the side of the edge.

"Hongji, come quickly."

Upon hearing the voice, Hiroki Takada hurried over and was about to ask something when he saw his mother sitting next to him. She smiled and handed him two bunches of mulberries, as if something good had happened.

"This is?"

"A gift from the kid."

Kazuko Takada smiled kindly, her eyes slightly narrowed, and she sighed softly as if she was an elder whom she hadn't seen for a long time.

"She's already so beautiful."

(End of this chapter)