Chapter 70

“How many times do I have to tell you that shapeshifting is a basic requirement to become a true yokai!”

“Lin doesn’t know about that! Lin likes it the way it is right now!”

“It’s not about what you like!”

“I don’t know! Lin doesn’t know! I won’t do it even if I die! Aaaaaahhh—”

Lin pressed her ears tightly against her head. With her eyes shut, she swayed her body left and right, making noise to block Yu Hwa’s voice.

“Juin! Grandma keeps telling Lin to transform! Do you want to see that?”

“Maybe I want to?”

“Then I’ll do it!”

Lin’s resolution, which seemed willing to dare death, changed with a single offhand comment from Carami.

Yu Hwa squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her neck back. She looked like her blood pressure was rising.

“Juin, why is Grandma so angry?”

“It’s natural for the elderly to become sensitive over trivial matters.”

Lin clicked her tongue, feeling sorry for her. “Juin, Lin won’t end up like that when she grows up.”

“Stop talking back and focus!”

“Alright then.”

With that, she pouted.

Feeling the urge to give a light smack on the head, Yu Hwa was frustrated that she couldn’t even do that due to the contract.

The class in progress was about shapeshifting. It was a type of transformation magic comparable to polymorph in magic.

It is essential for yokai possessing beauty, not just yokai, to learn this skill that captivates others and compels them to give everything they have.

“My appearance has become young like this too.”

Yu Hwa’s appearance transformed to be as young as when she first met Carami.

“It can be considered a type of shapeshifting.”

“Ooh?”

“No matter how Lin grows in the future, if she wishes, she can maintain her current appearance.”

Even while living a life longer than eternity, one could maintain beauty for life. It was a blessing that anyone would covet.

However, to achieve that, it was necessary to progress step by step.

“May I ask a question?”

While the two foxes trained, Carami, who was leisurely savoring tea, raised her hand.

“Go ahead.”

“Why does your tone change?”

Yu Hwa nodded. She had wondered when that question would come up. It was all within expectations, so she began to answer without any difficulty.

“Unity. If only the appearance changes, then the behavior must also be altered accordingly. Otherwise, the effectiveness of shapeshifting would be drastically weakened.”

“It’s not a hobby, is it?”

“No, it’s not.”

“You have that concept, then. I understand.”

Carami nodded her head as if she understood it all by herself. Since Yu Hwa assumed she wouldn’t listen anyway, she casually ignored her.

Yu Hwa was teaching shapeshifting to Lin.

Completely transforming into a different appearance from the beginning is very difficult. Conversely, the more similar the shape of the projection to the spirit’s form and physical body, the higher the success rate.

The Hoyo clan is a beast kin mixed half-and-half with fox and human. In other words, the easiest form for Lin to shapeshift into is a fox.

Whoosh.

Yu Hwa’s form, which performed a somersault in mid-air, transformed into a pure white fox in an instant. It radiated a mysterious aura that would lure someone into following if encountered in the mountains.

“Give it a try. Draw the desired appearance inside the fox bead.”

Nodding her head, Lin held the fox bead and concentrated. Lin’s spirit power flowed into the bead. The bead absorbed the power and emitted light, enveloping Lin.

When the light faded, Lin’s outline was no different from before. Only her hands and feet were covered in pink fur.

“Kyah! Lin became a fluffy ball!”

***

The class for today ended. To sum it up, there were several trials and errors, but Lin somehow succeeded in learning shapeshifting.

Now turned into a cute baby fox, Lin nestled inside my clothes. She wriggled in my arms and peeked her head out.

“Juin. It’s super warm here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Your smell is really strong too. Hehehe.”

Hearing that, Lin showed no intention of stepping out even a single step. Since she looked so happy, I couldn’t chase her away. I decided to think of it as her working hard.

“Shall we stop by a cat café on the way?”

“Lin doesn’t like that. Lin hates meowing.”

“Why not?”

“The meowing cats keep snuggling up to Juin and stinking up. I don’t like that.”

Knowing that foxes are territorial animals, could it be that they are wary of the smell of other animals? It might be her reason for rubbing her body against me to mark her scent.

Although the cat café earns a decent income, it’s merely a side job. If Lin dislikes it, I must refrain from going.

“I understand. Then let’s skip it today and buy some meat that Lin likes. We should also get skewers that Seira likes.”

“Sounds good!”

We went to the market and bought dinner.

On the way home, Lin was tired and sleeping soundly inside my clothes, while I quietly strolled through the alley alone.

Seira’s house is located on the outskirts of the city. The number of people decreases, the facilities become old, and security isn’t very good.

Seira is strong enough to protect herself, so there’s no problem, but if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t recommend the outskirts.

The reason I bring this up is to imply that one can be a target anywhere, anytime.

“Hey, who do we have here? Isn’t this the famous cat café proprietor?”

An unfamiliar voice echoed in the empty alley.

With a hunched back and hands in pockets, a scruffy one-eyed hyena beastman blocked my path.

I turned around upon sensing movement from behind, and hyenas had appeared, blocking my escape route while chuckling sneakily.

Seira once told me that hyenas are one of those who disrupt the city like street cat people, referred to as scavengers.

She had warned me several times to be careful of scavengers, as they are easy prey if they are not beastmen.

“Wow, what brings you to such a rundown place, proprietor? You’re carrying delicious-looking things in both hands.”

“You’re with a human and a Hongho, brother. Finding a place to stay isn’t easy, is it? So you’re forced to come to a remote area like this.”

“Right, I totally forgot about that.”

The one-eyed hyena, called ‘brother,’ laughed frivolously, realizing something he hadn’t before, and clapped his hands.

The laughter that had been echoing in the alley slowly faded. The eyes of the hyena staring at me still glimmered, but I didn’t feel the laughter behind them.

“So, how’s business these days?”

“Well, it’s doing reasonably well.”

“Damn, I’m envious. I thought my street cat friends suddenly went missing and died or something, but then I heard they’re working at a café? That really surprised me.”

“They’re all working hard. I’m grateful for that.”

The hyena continued the conversation as if they were close friends.

“So, what do you say? Are you thinking about hiring our scavengers?”

“Unfortunately, the staff positions are filled.”

“Who said anything about hiring? Everyone has their own roles.”

The hyena subtly revealed its true intentions. It was obvious what their purpose was for approaching me.

“Let’s cut to the chase. What do you want to say?”

“Damn, I like your straightforwardness. It’s refreshing. We’ll keep your café safe for you. I hear there’s been chaos with the dog clan lately, right? We’ll chase those dog bastards away for you. We don’t like them either.”

Although they look like hyenas, their nature is actually closer to cats than dogs. They are much more like cats.

What they’re saying sounds plausible.

“What’s the catch?”

“Nothing less or more; just give us half your profit. Damn, that’s quite generous, right? Ain’t that right, guys?”

The hyenas began to chatter among themselves.

Half the profits?

That’s laughable.

“With that money, I could hire trained guards. Why would I hire scavengers?”

“Hmm, I’m just being nice here. A businessman’s intuition is essential, but it seems you lack a bit in that area? Don’t you want to do business in this field?”

Suddenly, the hyena began to lick its claws.

It was a signal to be alert.

“I see. I must have lacked intuition.”

“Right? It’s good you realized that now.”

“There’s actually a job that would suit a hyena better. I completely overlooked it.”

A perfect job popped into my mind that would suit a hyena.

“Why don’t you handle food waste disposal? I can provide you meals, so I don’t think a salary will be necessary.”

“What the hell?!”

The hyena’s smirk vanished in an instant, replaced by a menacing expression.

It seemed like a threat, but honestly, I wasn’t scared. Despite its fierce appearance, the body looked rather frail compared to its size.

The ribs were visible, making it look quite pitiful.

“However, I don’t buy male slaves. Are there no female hyenas around? If there’s a female hyena who can handle food waste at my café, I’d appreciate it if you could refer her. Then I’ll express my gratitude suitably.”

The hyena was trembling with rage, its shoulders heaving as it breathed heavily.

“This guy must be completely insane. Does having a bit of money make you forget reality? Do you think this is a human city? Do you think the guards will protect you?”

The hyena looked around.

“Why didn’t you bring a Hongho with you this time? I couldn’t touch you before for fear of bringing bad luck, but today is a lucky day.”

With a belief that there wasn’t a Hongho, the hyena’s lips curled up into a sinister grin, revealing its rotten fangs as it approached me threateningly.

In this tense moment, Lin suddenly popped her head out.

“Juin, it smells bad here.”

“Ho, Hongho?”

“Juin, who are these rascals?”

“They’re bad people trying to take Lin’s dinner.”

“What?! Who’s trying to take Lin’s food?!”

With that, Lin leaped from my arms, landing in a heroic pose on the ground.

“No one can take Lin’s food! Not even the master will allow it!”

Lin dashed toward the startled scavengers.

Melancholic screams echoed through the alley.

***

After easily dispatching the scavengers, we returned home safely.

While Seira prepared dinner, I let Lin, now back in her human form, sit on my lap.

‘This is the right time.’

Since hearing the shocking truth about slave liberation, I’ve been wrestling with thoughts.

I’m in a position where I must someday free Lin and leave Vestia, but I worried about being tied down by future problems after freeing her.

“Lin, being a slave is not good.”

“Slave?”

So what I thought of was brainwashing Lin. No, that’s a misnomer. It might lead to misunderstandings. What I’m doing is implanting the correct common sense.

I need to instill in Lin that being a slave is bad while liberation is good. Lin is still young, so her sense of right and wrong isn’t well established yet.

I’m providing Lin with the normal common sense so that she doesn’t end up like those peculiar beastmen.

“Right now, Lin is my slave. Slaves are of a lowly status, and people ignore and bully them.”

“But Jun isn’t like that.”

“Well, that’s because I’m a kind slave trader. The world isn’t all like me. Not like those hyenas from earlier.”

Comparing those hyenas made Lin nod as if she understood.

“On the other hand, liberation is about gaining freedom from those kinds of people. It’s very good.”

“Oh?”

“My goal is to liberate Lin and set her free. Liberation is not abandonment but freedom. Do you understand?”

“I understand perfectly!”

This is the same phrase I hear whenever she doesn’t get something.

But it’s okay. If I keep saying it, the idea that liberation is good will take root in Lin’s mind.

“So, in the future, you must not take revenge on me or anything like that, okay?”