"You probably haven't had a decent meal in ages. Hurry up and eat; don't let yourself waste away."
Kawashima Toya enthusiastically brought over a large platter of fried tofu. "Foxes love fried tofu, right? Have as much as you want."
Since Yakumo Yukari was being so generous—offering a starting reward of one hundred thousand Origin Points with potential bonuses—he couldn't possibly mistreat Yakumo Ran. He had to make sure she didn't lose any weight.
"Eh?" Ran was completely baffled by Toya's behavior.
Despite possessing the intellect of a Nine-Tailed Fox, she couldn't comprehend why this human, who seemed ready to execute her just moments ago, was now treating her with such hospitality.
This personality... it's exactly like Yukari-sama!
"Don't stand on ceremony. Eat," Toya urged, frowning slightly. "Did I scare you just now?"
"So hard to please... I suppose I'll just leave it to fate."
According to the System Shop, Yukari's only condition was speed. As for how well Ran lived in the meantime, that was up to her own choices.
After a long pause, Ran finally stepped out of the shadow of the trauma caused by her master. Trembling slightly, she began to nibble on her favorite fried tofu.
"It's... it's delicious!"
After swallowing the first piece, Ran instantly forgot her fear and began eating with gusto.
"There we go. I told you I wouldn't hurt you."
Toya finally smiled and called out to a waiter standing nearby. "Waiter, prepare five more portions of fried tofu."
"Understood." The waiter didn't ask any unnecessary questions and respectfully left to fulfill the order.
Soon, five heaping plates of fried tofu were arranged on the dining table.
Toya watched Ran with a gentle gaze. "Don't rush. Take your time."
"It's so good!" Ran choked out between bites, her voice thick with emotion. "It's been over ten years... I finally get to eat fried tofu again."
"To avoid fading away in this world, which lacks mystery and spiritual energy, I stayed on the mountain for over a decade."
"For ten whole years, I didn't eat a single real meal. I survived by drinking melted snow and eating snow lotuses."
"Don't cry," Toya comforted her softly. "Eat as much as you can. Once you're full, it's time to send you on your way."
"..."
Ran froze mid-bite.
"Send me on my way? You're going to kill me?"
In an instant, Ran's four small paws kicked against the table, and she bolted toward the wilderness outside.
"Wait! Let me explain!" Toya laughed and cried at the same time as he hurriedly chased after her.
A poor choice of words had caused a massive misunderstanding.
With a starting reward of one hundred thousand Origin Points at stake, he couldn't let Ran escape.
Even in her fox form, Ran was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, she was nothing more than a small golden streak in the distance.
"Interesting. Do you really think you can outrun me?"
The corners of Toya's mouth curled up in an amused smile. "A Nine-Tailed Fox worth two hundred thousand Origin Points... do you think I'd let you get away?"
He leaped from the terrace of the resort hotel, smashing into the thick snow below and sending a cloud of white smoke flying in all directions.
BOOM!
The next second, amidst a spray of gravel and snow, Toya vanished, leaving behind only afterimages.
In just over ten seconds, Toya caught up to the speeding Ran. He teased, "Four legs really are fast."
"Why don't you stop and rest? If you tire yourself out and lose weight, it would be a huge loss for me."
"Such speed... this strength..."
"I definitely can't escape him in my current state."
Realizing escape was impossible, Ran stopped running and resigned herself to her fate, closing her eyes as if waiting for the end.
Toya gently picked her up. "It was just a slip of the tongue earlier."
"When I said 'send you on your way,' I meant sending you back to Japan."
"I wanted you to eat more fried tofu so you wouldn't go hungry on the journey."
To ensure Ran would stay calm and wait for her return to Gensokyo instead of plotting an escape every day, Toya explained Yukari's commission, though he left out any mention of the System.
"Yukari-sama asked you to send me home?" Ran looked at Toya with confusion. "But why didn't she come herself?"
"You've crossed an unknown number of worlds. Maybe she couldn't find you," Toya offered a casual excuse.
Ran could tell Toya was being vague, but she chose to believe him.
There was no killing intent in his words or actions, and his eyes were as clear and flawless as the sky.
.....
Not long after, Toya brought Ran back to the resort hotel.
Ran, who loved fried tofu above all else, immediately resumed her meal, not stopping for a second.
Listening to Ran's sounds of joy mixed with tears, Toya chuckled inwardly. She really hasn't eaten normal food in over ten years.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be this desperate.
As a Nine-Tailed Fox, Ran belonged to a top-tier race.
The snowmelt and snow lotuses she consumed on the mountain were definitely not ordinary varieties; they likely possessed immense benefits for normal humans.
But judging by her current eating habits, surviving on nothing but snow and flowers for over a decade must have been sheer torture.
That explained why she was still so obsessed with fried tofu after all these years.
"I should prepare myself too." Seeing Ran eating with zero regard for her image, Toya felt a chill.
If he ever found himself in a similar situation—eating only snow and flowers for ten years—what kind of punishment would that be?
"System, purchase an empty Gate of Babylon!"
[Ding! Consumed 1,000 Origin Points to purchase Gate of Babylon.]
[Item: Gate of Babylon (Empty)]
[Rank: D-]
[Description: A King's Treasury without any Noble Phantasms. Its rank automatically increases based on the quantity and quality of treasures stored within.]
[Price: 1,000 Origin Points]
"Fill the Gate of Babylon with enough gourmet food to last a hundred years."
[Ding! Deducted 100 Origin Points for a century's supply of gourmet food. Automatically stored in the Gate of Babylon.]
Toya nodded with satisfaction. "That should be enough. Now I don't have to worry about ending up like Ran."
Being such a huge foodie, he couldn't imagine surviving on wild herbs for a whole decade.
By this time, Ran was stuffed full. She lay lazily on the table, murmuring happily, "Delicious fried tofu..."
"No matter how much time passes, fried tofu is always delicious."
Toya picked up the motionless Ran and handed her to Kasugano Sora, who wanted to approach but was hesitant. "Sora, take her."
"I can confirm now that Ran isn't dangerous."
Although Yukari had zero integrity or credibility usually, she wouldn't dare scam the System.
If the request said Ran wouldn't bite, then she definitely wouldn't bite.
Sora gingerly took Ran from Toya's hands, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw the fox didn't react aggressively.
"Kawashima, what do you take me for?" Ran lay in Sora's hands, speaking lazily. "I'm not a dog. Why would I bite people?"
Toya chuckled. "I'm only trusting you because of your master's guarantee."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't dare let my guard down."
A Demi-God class fox spirit going berserk would have unimaginable consequences.
She was likely far stronger than a Heretic God.
If a Heretic God had the power to destroy a city, an enraged Yakumo Ran would be even more terrifying.