“Don’t be mad, bro~”
I raised three fingers:
“I swear, in this lifetime as a fox, I’ve never harmed anyone.”

I’m a good spirit, my lord!

Song Jiu’an looked at me deeply, then tossed aside my tail and turned to leave.

Hmm… what does this mean? Is he leaving me to fend for myself?

The system, which had been thrown into the corner, scrambled up and exchanged a silent look with me.

---

Song Jiu’an found a rope and tied it around me.
Wherever he went, he’d tether me to something.
No regard for a fox’s dignity.

At the moment, the sun was setting, and once again, he’d tied me to a tree.
He went to the river, caught a few fish, and sat down in front of me to roast them.

I opened my mouth, hinting that the fox was hungry too, but he ignored me.
The system nudged my leg: “Say something sweet.”

I cleared my throat and cooed:
“Brother~ I’m hungry toooo~”

System: “…”
Song Jiu’an: “…”

---

Eventually, Song Jiu’an did feed me some grilled fish.
It wasn’t until I finished eating that I realized this man avoids eating meat, so… was the fish meant for me from the start?

I felt a little giddy. Heh, this stubborn man is really all talk.
Wait a minute… it was just two grilled fish! Why am I so happy?

I shook my head. Can’t let myself get carried away by love; I don’t want to end up eating wild vegetables for the rest of my life.

---

Song Jiu’an kept me tied up for about a month, during which he caught countless demons, big and small.

Once he confirmed I was nothing but a lazy fox, only interested in eating and drinking and with no interest in harming anyone, he finally untied me.

I rubbed my sore wrists and grinned:
“I told you I was a good spirit, but you didn’t believe me.”

Song Jiu’an looked at me with a complicated expression. “You can leave now.”

Those three words struck me like a bolt from the blue.
I widened my eyes. “You’re kicking me out?”

“Song Jiu’an, do you have any conscience? I’m still a baby fox!”

I grabbed his arm and started bawling:
“I can’t hunt, I’m a useless fox. I tried offering to work for food, but they rejected me, saying I looked too seductive!”

I wiped my tears on his clothes:
“How am I supposed to survive without you? Boohoo.”

Song Jiu’an glanced at the wet spot on his shoulder and, after a moment of silence, said,
“Fine, you can stay.”

I was still sobbing loudly, but my ears perked up, attentively listening to every word he said.

“You’re a demon, after all. It’s better to keep an eye on you.”

“I’ve never seen such a useless demon, one who only knows how to eat and drink.”

“Since we’ve crossed paths, not killing you is part of my responsibility.”

“Keeping you from harming others is my duty.”

---

I asked the system: “Didn’t we already complete the mission? Why can’t I go back yet?”

System: “Go back where? Your original body died from overworking and reading novels late into the night. If you return, your soul will also vanish.”

What?! I just stayed up for two nights, and now I’m dead?

The system scoffed: “Are you serious? You only stayed up two nights that week. How about the week before when you barely slept at all because of work?”

Me: “…”

Staying up late is dangerous. Be careful when binge-reading novels.

---

To be honest, I’ve grown rather fond of Song Jiu’an, setting aside gender and all that.

He looks good, and as long as I stick with him, I don’t have to worry about food and drink.

In just half a year, I went from being a scrawny fox to becoming round and plump.

Winter was freezing cold, and I liked to stay in my original form, since my thick fur kept me warm.

After finishing some post-dinner fruit under the eaves, I looked up and saw a few snowflakes falling from the sky.

Song Jiu’an approached from a distance, looking like someone out of a painting.

He picked me up and placed me on his lap, gently smoothing my fur.

Then, all of a sudden, poof, I turned back into my human form.

I curled my fingers awkwardly.

Awkward… really awkward.

I have no idea why, but I haven’t been able to control my transformations lately.

Song Jiu’an had just returned, and his body carried a bit of chill.
With my fur gone and only a thin magical layer of clothing, I shivered at the cold touch.

I slid off his lap, but as soon as my feet touched the ground, the cold made me jump back into his arms.
“Cold, cold, cold! Let’s go inside.”

Song Jiu’an stood up, and I clung to him, wriggling a bit to make sure I wouldn’t fall off.

And then I noticed his ears had turned red.

Hmm… I leaned in and bit his ear.

Song Jiu’an let out a low grunt.

Oops, sorry, it’s the fox nature. My teeth were itching.

---

It seems like Song Jiu’an has started to like me.
Due to my unstable transformations, I often turn back into a human in the middle of the night, freezing over and over again.

So, I set my sights on Song Jiu’an’s bed.
His hands are warm when he touches me, so his bed… should be warm too, right?

I quietly lifted a corner of the blanket and slipped inside, inching closer to him.

Song Jiu’an rolled over, pulled me into his arms, and, in a sleepy voice, said,
“Sleep, and be quiet.”

I sighed contentedly, feeling warm.

I glanced at Song Jiu’an… still so handsome.

This guy, he’s seriously good-looking.

Those lips… they look so soft. What did it feel like when I kissed him last time?

Maybe I should try again.

Song Jiu’an opened his eyes, and this time, there was some emotion in them.

I tried hard to discern it. It seemed like… desire?

The back of my head was pressed down, and I felt gentle, lingering kisses.

Uh oh… I think I’ve really fallen for him.

---

When I woke up, the snow was still falling outside, and the wind caused the branches to shake the snow loose.

Song Jiu’an was getting dressed, and I hid my face under the covers, feeling too embarrassed to face anyone.

The system, which had been out of my life for a while, slipped in through the door and told me it had found a new host.

“Stay here and live well. I’ll come back to check on you when I can.”

Song Jiu’an glanced over, and the system instantly fell silent, waved at me, and slipped out through the door again.

Song Jiu’an approached, bent down, and looked me in the eye:

“So, aren’t you going to get up and give me an official title?”

I bit my fingertip, squeezed out a drop of blood, and handed it over.

A blood contract, sealing us as partners, bound in life and death.

Song Jiu’an pressed his forehead to mine, leaving a light kiss on my brow and lashes.

The embrace of a lover is my first true home in this world.

Look, the snow has stopped.

-The End-