"Kai…"
"What is it?"
"Are you still angry?"
"Not really."
Kai was clearly upset. The reason, of course, was their earlier conversation.
"There's really nothing I can do about it… you truly need that many offerings for me to gain a physical form in this world," explained the Fairy Goddess, not wanting to see Kai upset.
"I get that… but seriously… do you think I can gather that amount so easily? Especially the mining part! I don't want to go back to that place ever again!"
"Is that why you look so frustrated?"
"Of course, that's not the only reason, but it is definitely one of the biggest."
Kai still looked upset.
"Don't worry, even without going to the mines… you can still get mining materials… for example, by digging with your hoe in your field!"
"But the results are completely random, right? I can't rely on something like that!"
"That's true… I'm sorry."
"Enough already… you don't need to apologize again!"
Even though Kai said that, the upset look on his face didn't fade, leaving the Fairy Goddess still feeling guilty.
Then once again, Kai felt the presence of something watching him. He scanned his surroundings in search of the source, but just like before, he found nothing.
"So, Fairy Goddess… you said the thing that's been watching me is a pet, right?"
Kai asked as he continued searching for the presence that was observing him.
"Yes, that's right," replied the Fairy Goddess, finally lifting her head after keeping it lowered in guilt.
"Then how do I find it?"
"Hm? What is it, Kai? Why do you suddenly want to find it? Weren't you not interested in pets?"
"That's true… but if it keeps watching me, it makes me feel really uncomfortable."
Kai didn't sense any danger from the gaze of whatever creature was observing him, but he hated the idea of constantly being under its watch.
"The easiest way to catch it is by feeding it!"
"In the end, no matter where you are, animals will always obey the one who feeds them… for some reason, I feel like you're not so different from them."
"Kai, could you not treat me like a pet!"
The Fairy Goddess puffed up her cheeks to show that she was angry.
"So how do I feed it?"
But Kai ignored her sulking and asked the more important question.
"Hmm… you can't feed it directly, like how you make offerings at my lake… you'll need to provide it with a pet bowl and a pet house."
"What the heck?! That's just troublesome… and wait, is this pet supposed to be a dog?"
Truthfully, Kai didn't really like dogs, but since he was inside a game world, that did seem like the most likely option.
"No… the pets you can raise aren't just dogs, but all kinds of creatures."
"What do you mean?"
"Depending on your luck, you could even get a mythical creature like a Phoenix or a Unicorn."
"What the heck!? That's awesome!"
Since this was a game world, what the Fairy Goddess said had to be true. In fact, her very presence was proof that such beings existed. Just yesterday, Kai had even felt as though he had come across such a creature himself.
"So there's no other way for me to catch it…? With my current funds, I'm sure there's no way I could buy those two things you mentioned."
"You can actually buy a pet bowl for 300, but it's impossible for you to get its house, unless you make it yourself."
"So what you're saying is… I can't get it?"
Kai truly longed to obtain that mystical creature. He was certain the girls would admire him if he managed to claim it as his own.
"It's not impossible… but you'll need that bowl to feed it. Are you fine with spending most of your money on that?"
"This is your fault for leaving me with so little money in the first place… if only you weren't so stingy."
"Sorry, but Kai, I already explained—that's the rule. You can't keep blaming me for it."
Although Kai's expression still showed his displeasure, he decided not to press the matter any further for now.
"I don't mind buying it now… besides, I can always gather food in this forest."
Kai spoke as he picked up a berry he found and slipped it into his bag.
"Forgive me, but I'll make sure to repay you once I have a physical body!"
"And when will that happen?"
The Fairy Goddess lowered her gaze again, looking dejected with guilt. If she could lighten Kai's burden, she certainly would. Yet even she felt that the tasks given to him were far too difficult.
"Before I explain how to capture it, you need to remember this: feed it every day, or it will leave you."
"I get it… in the end, every creatures only obeys the one who feeds them."
"I'm glad you get it, but could you please choose kinder words next time?"
"Enough. Just tell me what I need to do!"
The Fairy Goddess took a deep breath before continuing her explanation.
"Kai, if you want to capture it without a pet house, you'll need to make sure it willingly follows you wherever you go."
"It always watches me whenever I come to this forest, so I'm sure it'll follow me right away… so what else do I need to do?"
"Second, of course, you'll need to meet the creature face-to-face!"
"I can only feel its gaze… so how am I supposed to meet it?"
"It's simple—you just need to move toward the spot where you felt that gaze coming from!"
The Fairy Goddess gently pushed Kai forward, urging him to step closer to the place where she believed the creature was hiding. Since Kai had been glancing in that direction for a while now, she was certain it was there.
"Hey, are you sure we can just walk up to it like this? Won't it run away if we get too close?"
"It's always watching you, isn't it? So even if it runs away now, it'll definitely come back to you later."
"…That's true."
Kai moved ahead, checking around the trees and bushes where he thought the creature might be lurking. Yet no matter how much he looked, he still couldn't find it.
"Hey, Fairy Goddess… why do you believe me so easily? What if this feeling of being watched is nothing more than my imagination?"
"Don't worry, Kai… I believe what you're sensing is real—it's not just in your head."
"And why are you so confident about that?"
"Because what you're feeling is one of your abilities, Kai."
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"You know… it's like a detection sensor whenever someone or something is watching you from the shadows. In a game, it would be like an exclamation mark popping up above your head when you sense it."
"Ah, I get your analogy now."
Since this world was so much like a game—or rather, because it was a game world—Kai immediately understood what the Fairy Goddess meant.
"But then, why didn't I feel anything back when I was offered that cake?"
"Sorry, but this isn't a survival game, so there's no built-in danger-sensing instinct for situations like that."
"Ah, I see… that makes sense."
Kai nodded, satisfied with her explanation.
"In that case, warn me before something like that happens again! I knew there was something suspicious about your behavior back then, but I'll never understand unless you tell me outright!"
Yesterday's experience was one of the worst he had ever gone through. He was determined to stay far away from that cake.
"Sorry, Kai… I just didn't want to ruin your good mood back then."
"I already heard your explanation. Next time, don't repeat the same mistake."
"Yes, I understand."
Most of what had happened yesterday was indeed his own fault—he hadn't realized soon enough that the cake he had accepted was dangerous, even though there had been plenty of warning signs from the reactions of those around him. So he had no right to place all the blame on the Fairy Goddess.
"So, what should I do next after I finally find it?" Kai asked, eager to change the subject.
"The third step… is to try getting along with it. You just need to make it like you, and then it'll follow you home."
"I see… sounds like an easy task. After all, it always makes time to watch me whenever I enter the forest."
"Yes, that's true."
Kai then stepped forward, moving away from the Fairy Goddess. He planted his feet wide apart, folding his arms across his chest. A confident smile spread across his face.
The Fairy Goddess was puzzled by his attitude—until she noticed a creature standing not too far in front of Kai. Looking more closely, she realized it resembled a fox cub… except it had nine tails swaying behind it.
"Kyuubi… I never expected you'd attract the attention of a Kyuubi," the Fairy Goddess said in shock.
"Of course! Who do you think I am? Something like this is only natural!" Kai replied proudly.
"But Kai… you have to be careful. I've heard that Kyuubi are hard to approach and often play tricks."
"Tricks? What could a little thing like that possibly do?"
"A lot of things… but what matters is you need to be cautious when dealing with it. Its movements are unpredictable."
Kai wasn't convinced that such a small creature could cause much trouble, but it was better to heed the Fairy Goddess's warning. Her words might not always help, but she had never once lied to him.
Kai slowly walked toward the creature known as Kyuubi. Of course, he had heard that name before. It was a mystical being from Japan, one that often appeared on the Japanese TV shows he used to watch. So Kai was more or less familiar with it.
But just as he managed to get close, the Kyuubi suddenly leapt away from him. Kai's eyes widened in shock at its reaction.
"What the—!? Why did it suddenly jump away from me!?" he demanded, glancing toward the Fairy Goddess.
"I told you before, didn't I? It can be mischievous," she replied with a smile. She wasn't trying to laugh at him—she simply thought his startled face was amusingly cute.
"Damn it! Just you wait!"
Kai didn't let it bother him too much. Instead, he chose to chase after the little creature.
No matter how hard he tried, the Kyuubi always managed to slip away just as Kai was about to catch it. At one point, he even ended up crashing onto the ground after lunging at it. The little fox-like being seemed to laugh at his failure.
"Kikikikiki!"
"You little brat! Once I catch you, you'll regret laughing at me!"
Kai scrambled back onto his feet and tried again, but the Kyuubi only had to hop aside to avoid him.
"Damn it!"
Kai tried to catch him again.
"Not done yet."
Kai pushed himself back to his feet.
"This time for sure—!"
But once more, the Kyuubi evaded with ease.
"I give up!" Kai finally declared.
The Kyuubi stumbled mid-step at those words, as if startled.
"Whatever… it's probably useless anyway, just a nuisance. There's no point in me chasing it around anymore," Kai said with a defeated tone.
His clothes were covered in dirt and grass stains, and his resigned expression only made him look like he had completely given up. There was no trace of guile, no hint that he might just be using a trick to lure the Kyuubi closer.
"Wait, Kai! Why are you suddenly giving up like that?!"
The Fairy Goddess called out, unwilling to let him quit so easily.
"After thinking it through, it doesn't really make sense to keep it right now… I don't have much money, and I'm not sure I want to waste my own food supply just to feed it. You know, I'd have to feed the both of us—and it might not even be useful to me in the first place, right?"
"…When you put it that way, I guess you're not wrong. But weren't you so fired up about getting a pet just a moment ago?"
"That's true. At first, I thought having a mystical creature as a pet would be cool—make me stand out, especially in front of the girls."
"Kai… so that was your real reason…"
The Fairy Goddess looked utterly disappointed after hearing his true motive.
"Anyway, I'm heading home to clean myself up!" Kai said as he turned away, seemingly forgetting all about the Kyuubi still lingering nearby.
"Kyuuu!"
With a cry, the Kyuubi dashed toward him and bit down on his pants leg.
"Oi, what's your problem?! Why are you suddenly biting my pants? Just so you know, I'm done playing around with you—so go on, shoo! Hush, hush!"
Kai tried to chase the creature away, but the little fox refused to let go and kept clinging to him. Not knowing what it wanted, Kai eventually gave up and let the creature tag along all the way back to his house.
"Well, Kai… doesn't this mean you just got yourself a Kyuubi as your pet?"
The Fairy Goddess muttered as Kai ended up bringing the Kyuubi back home with him.