The night was thick with shadows, swirling like whispers among the crumbling walls of an ancient, abandoned temple. In the middle of the wreckage, a silver-haired girl with fox tails crouched low, desperately stuffing wilted vegetable leaves from a garbage bag into her mouth. Not far off, Yu Sheng stood frozen behind the remains of a shattered wall, his eyes wide with disbelief as he took in the strange sight before him.
For a long moment, they just stared at each other through the gloom, neither speaking. Of all the encounters Yu Sheng had imagined (though he wasn’t counting that earlier headbutt), this was one he was sure he’d never forget.
The fox-tailed girl’s golden-red eyes widened, flickering with shock, delight, and maybe a hint of disbelief. She slowly stood, still clutching a fistful of wilted leaves, her body trembling slightly. Then, as if something had suddenly clicked in her mind, she pointed directly at Yu Sheng, her voice trembling.
“A human?!” she gasped, her words barely a whisper at first before growing louder, almost frantic. “A human! You… you’re a human! Who… who are you? Where did youe from?”
Yu Sheng blinked,pletely thrown off. He had nned how he would introduce himself, prepared his questions, and even thought of how he’d politely wave off the earlier headbutt. But the moment she spoke, all his rehearsed lines vanished. This wasn’t what he’d expected.
What did she mean, “You’re a human?” Was it really that surprising? Had she never seen one before—or had it just been that long? And then, something else struck him as odd.
Was she looking at him as if she were seeing him for the very first time? But they’d already crossed paths earlier when he had been fighting that monster. Granted, that encounter was chaotic, and yes, she’d headbutted him—hard—but his face hadn’t changed, had it?Even if she hadn’t really noticed him before, surely she remembered the guy she had identally killed? Yet, she was acting like he was aplete stranger.
“We… we’ve met before,” Yu Sheng stammered after a moment. “Outside, not long ago. You said you were going to save me. Do you not remember?”
The fox girl tilted her head, her confusion deepening. But before she could respond, her attention drifted elsewhere. She nced down at a bag of kitchen scraps lying nearby, her eyes glowing with hunger in the dim light.
“Is this… yours?” she asked haltingly, as though she was piecing the words together after a long time without speaking.
“Uh, yeah…” Yu Sheng replied, not entirely sure where this was going.
“Can I… eat it?” she asked, her voice quick and breathless. She clutched the leaves in her hand, fighting the urge to gobble them down right there. She chewed what was already in her mouth, ncing nervously at him. “I’m hungry. So hungry. Sorry…”
Her hands shook as she spoke, her voice tinged with desperation. She seemed to be battling more than just hunger—something darker, more dangerous, something barely kept under control.
Yu Sheng squinted, almost certain he’d seen faint shadows swirling behind her, lurking like predators in the darkness, waiting for her to falter.
But as quickly as they appeared, they were gone.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped out from behind the wall, cautiously approaching her. There was something very wrong about this girl—apart from the fact that she had fox tails. Still, he couldn’t just leave her there.
“You can’t eat that stuff,” he said, trying to sound firm. “It’s all…”
He trailed off, suddenly realizing he didn’t really know what it felt like to be as hungry as she seemed to be.
By now, she had crouched down again, her patience clearly wearing thin. She reached out, her fingers scrabbling to gather the scattered scraps.
“Wait! I’ve got some food!” Yu Sheng blurted out. His hands fumbled through his pockets as he remembered the snacks he had brought.
Finally, he pulled out two small packaged buns and a palm-sized chocte bar—his stash for ate-night work snack.
The fox girl eyed him warily but with a flicker of hope. Moving slowly, Yu Sheng showed her how to open the packaging. The crinkling sound seemed deafening in the stillness, and as the smell of fresh bread filled the air, her eyes lit up. In a blink, she lunged forward, grabbing his hand in a vice-like grip and pulling it toward her mouth.
“Whoa!” Yu Sheng yelped, yanking his hand back just in time. She was shockingly fast—and much stronger than she looked. He managed to pull his fingers free just before her sharp teeth snapped shut. Even so, her fangs grazed his finger, drawing a tiny bead of blood.
“How long has it been since you’ve eaten?” he muttered, shaking his hand and inspecting the scratch.
But the fox girl didn’t seem to hear him. She devoured the bun with an rming speed, her cheeks puffing out as she stuffed more into her mouth. Her eyes grew wide with every bite, and Yu Sheng couldn’t help but worry that she might choke.
“Hey, slow down!” Yu Sheng said, stepping in front of her as she fixed her gaze on the second bun. “Take it easy. If you eat too fast, you’ll choke. Understand?”
“I… understand…” She nodded vigorously, swallowing with some difficulty.
He handed her the second bun, watching closely as she fumbled with the wrapper. Her movements were clumsy, but her strength was startling. She easily tore through the packaging, reducing it to shreds in seconds. She ripped the bun in half, but she paused just before cramming it into her mouth. Perhaps remembering Yu Sheng’s warning—or maybe realizing the preciousness of the food—she started tearing it into smaller pieces, eating more slowly this time.
As she ate, her gaze kept flickering towards the chocte bar still in his hand.
“This is chocte,” Yu Sheng said, holding it up. He hesitated, an uncertain expression crossing his face.
His thoughts whirled. “Irene,” he called out silently in his mind.
A familiar, irritable voice responded almost immediately. “Yu Sheng! Where in the world have you been? You disappeared again! I’ve been trying to reach you—”
“Things are a bitplicated,” he replied quickly in his thoughts. “I’ll fill you inter. I need your help with something first.”
Irene huffed impatiently. “Fine. What is it?”
“Uh, dogs can’t eat chocte, right?”
“…Correct,” Irene replied, sounding confused. “It’s toxic to them. Why—”
“What about foxes? Can foxes eat chocte?”
“Foxes? Probably not,” she mused. “They’re canines too, after all. A lot of human food can be dangerous for other species. Honestly, your diet is bizarre—even to beings like me. You humans eat the strangest—”
Yu Sheng cut her off. “What about fox spirits? You know, foxes that have transformed into human form?”
For a moment, there was silence. Then Irene’s voice returned, incredulous. “…Excuse me?”
“I’m standing here with a starving fox girl,” Yu Sheng exined hurriedly. “She’s got white hair, red eyes, multiple tails—possibly nine, though it’s hard to tell right now. And the only food I’ve got left is this chocte bar.”
There was a pause as Irene processed this information. Finally, she spoke again. “Well, if she’s got that many tails, she’s probably powerful enough to handle a bit of chocte. If she can’t… well, what’s the point of all that power? But hold on—weren’t you in some forsaken world? How in the world did you find a fox girl there?”
Yu Sheng, feeling reassured by her response, had already stopped listening. He offered the chocte to the girl but warned, “Here, but try a little bit first. It might not be good for you.”
Her face brightened, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. “Thank you!” she eximed, eagerly fumbling with the wrapper. She took a cautious bite, and the moment the chocte touched her tongue, her entire face lit up with pure joy. Her eyes fluttered shut as she savored the taste, clearly overwhelmed.
Yu Sheng watched her, a little amused. “That’s all I’ve got,” he said, spreading his hands apologetically. “I hope it helps. By the way, what’s your name?”
She looked up at him, her expression softening into one of deep gratitude. “Thank you,” she said again, more sincerely this time. Then, with a slight smile, she pointed to herself. “Foxy.”
“Sorry?” Yu Sheng blinked.
“Foxy,” she repeated, her smile widening just a little. “That’s my name.”
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