In addition to recording data on the little foxes, Cid also began keeping notes on the cat Kirara.
Which spots made her the happiest, what she loved to eat, what she didn't like…
Overall, Kirara wasn't a picky eater.
As an omnivore, she ate just about anything, though it went without saying that, as a cat, she absolutely loved fish.
She disliked dishes that were too troublesome to eat or food that was very hot.
Her tastes were pretty similar to the old uncle's.
After the old uncle had given Kirara three full fluffy-creature massage sessions, Kirara now loved perching on his shoulder.
It was a good thing the old uncle had never slacked off on his physical training.
Otherwise, he might not have been able to carry this cat around.
Kirara also really enjoyed listening to stories.
Unfortunately, the old uncle didn't have many stories in his head, and most of what he did have were fragmented bits and pieces.
So he could only take the parts he knew, add his own interpretations, and describe them.
Little Eula didn't help at all—she just hugged Kirara, lay on the bed, and watched the old uncle tell bedtime stories.
The poor old uncle truly never imagined that one day he'd have to tell bedtime stories to a child.
To avoid disappointing little Eula, the old uncle first wrote down the stories he came up with, then performed them dramatically for little Eula and Kirara.
In short, the old uncle's days in the forest were just that simple and unadorned.
During the day, he trained with little Eula, researched fox-petting and elemental energy; in the evening, he told bedtime stories to little Eula and Kirara.
The only real disturbance was probably…
"You there! Hand over the pretty girl obediently! Let me… enjoy her properly! Otherwise, this disciple of Torachiyo will…"
A particularly down-and-out ronin suddenly appeared in the small courtyard and started spouting nonsense.
After sensing the scent of blood in the air, the old uncle didn't hesitate—he struck with a first-strike kill.
Then he buried the unlucky fellow a little farther behind the cabin.
And that was the end of that.
Cid found it hard to describe his time in the small cabin.
He could only say that, when he came back to his senses, he realized time had passed far too quickly.
He had done everything he could—every little fox and every adult fox had been thoroughly petted.
An adventurer can't stay in one place forever.
The old uncle stroked the head of the lead fox. "My journey is about to begin again. When I leave, I'll keep the cabin here and leave some food too, but if I come back, it'll probably be after a very long time…"
The fox simply looked at Cid. As an Inazuma fox with a slight understanding of human nature, it still understood what Cid meant.
It only nodded, then leapt up and rubbed against the old uncle's neck in a friendly gesture.
The old uncle, now an expert in fox body language, naturally understood what the lead fox was expressing.
"Alright, alright, I'll definitely come back to visit you all!"
One could only say that the foxes' farewell ceremony was truly grand. As the old uncle left, seeing the foxes sitting inside his cabin seeing him off filled him with deep reluctance.
"Old uncle, why do I feel like the foxes seem happier about gaining a cabin for themselves?"
Little Eula said this while holding the cat-form Kirara.
"No way. The foxes are still very reluctant to see me go."
The old uncle couldn't speak for much else, but his time researching foxes had been extremely rewarding.
He could still read their body language and movements.
He could even understand parts of their fox speech.
For example, right now, the fox calling the loudest was shouting something like…
Great King! Great King! Great King, Great King! (Purely a meme; it didn't actually call him that—just the tone, when translated, sounded a bit like it.)
You with the long slender tail! Take good care of the two-legged beast! No matter where you go, you are a fox our clan can be proud of!