I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 33: Five-tailed Fox, Ema, and the Palace Attendant's Robe
Another door-opening kill?

Uesugi Tetsu, who had already pushed out a section of the blade with his fingertips, was stunned to find that the thing holding his ankle was actually...

A little fox that is completely snow-white?

In fact, it is not quite right to say that the fox is completely white, because in Edo Castle where it rains frequently, you will inevitably be covered in mud after taking just two steps, and the same is true for the little fox.

It was no more than thirty or forty centimeters long, and its originally snow-white, fluffy fur was covered in black mud.

But the fox didn't seem to care about all this. It just wagged its five short, thin, snow-white tails and stared at Uesugi Che with its sapphire-like pupils.

Wait, five tails?
Uesugi Tetsu's vigilance, which had just been lowered, rose again. The legendary three-tailed fox with three tails can be called a "demon".

That five-tailed fox must be a great demon?
After staring at the top of the little five-tailed fox's head for a while, Uesugi Che was surprised to find that it actually belonged to "Zero Star".

what's the situation?
"Squeak, squeak."

Uesugi Tetsu felt his trouser leg being pulled by it again, and the five-tailed fox squeaked, obviously wanting him to follow it.

What will the destination be?
Is it a trap full of potential dangers? Or a treasure trove of old treasures?
interesting.

In any case, Uesugi Tetsu's curiosity had been aroused. As an outsider who was not afraid of death, there was no reason for him to be afraid of a mere mysterious local fox.

"lead the way."

Uesugi Tetsu pouted at the fox.

"Squeak!"

The five-tailed fox seemed to understand human language. After receiving the answer from Uesugi Tetsu, it cried out excitedly and trotted along, leaving behind a series of clear plum-shaped footprints on the muddy road.

Uesugi Tetsu looked at the ground.

Although this set of footprints is quite obvious, there should be only a handful of intelligent demons in Edo Castle, so generally speaking, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Perhaps because it was afraid that Uesugi Che could not keep up, after walking a few steps, the five-tailed fox turned around and called out to him twice in a low voice.

"Don't rush, don't rush."

Uesugi Tetsu took a step forward and covered up all the fox's footprints with his own steps.

As the five-tailed fox walked for a while, Uesugi Tetsu was surprised to find that he had hardly encountered the large number of monsters wandering around Edo Castle.

Even if he saw it, the five-tailed fox seemed to be able to predict the future and easily lead him to avoid it.

You know, in the past, he would basically be hacked to death by a wandering ronin with just a few swords and sent back to the world within ten minutes.

After stopping at another corner, Uesugi Tetsu crouched down and asked softly, adding a respectful title: "Brother Fox, can you sense the movements of these demons?"

"Squeak."

The five-tailed fox nodded proudly, confirming his statement.

This ability is too strong.

Uesugi Che's eyes were burning with excitement. If he could capture this five-tailed fox, wouldn't exploring the map in the future be as easy as turning on a perspective cheat?
"squeak."

As if aware of Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts, the five-tailed fox shook its head solemnly at him and continued walking forward.

How come this fox is so smart?

Uesugi Che shook his head secretly. If the other party cooperated, he could also try to ask the office worker netizens if they had any ways to subdue the Shikigami.

But if they don't cooperate... Uesugi Tetsu is still more respectful of other people's wishes, especially when the other party is a friendly big demon who may be hiding his strength.

It’s better to just follow quietly and see what the fox is going to do.

After walking quietly for a short distance, Uesugi Tetsu saw the five-tailed fox stop in front of a half-buried torii gate and stand up.

It seemed to be saying, "This is it."

Uesugi Tetsu looked inside and found that not only had the vermilion paint on the torii gate fallen off completely, but the narrow approach leading to the shrine was also covered with black, sticky moss. The trees on both sides grew wildly, twisting and winding, looking eerie and terrifying.

From the front, the entire shrine looks desolate and dilapidated, as if no one has been here for a long time.

Why does it feel like a boss room?

"Want to go up?"

The five-tailed fox nodded, squeaked twice, and walked up the stairs first.

Uesugi Tetsu had no choice but to follow. He put his hand on the hilt of the sword and looked around vigilantly, ready to draw his sword at any time.

But this journey on this gloomy road was extremely smooth. Apart from the fact that my feet were a little slippery, no accidents occurred.

Is it because I crossed the torii gate and entered the shrine grounds...

After climbing the long approach to the shrine, Uesugi Tetsu finally saw the main body of the shrine, that is, the worship hall - and of course, the stone sculptures of divine messengers standing on both sides of the worship hall.

Uesugi Che narrowed his eyes as he looked at a three-tailed fox stone sculpture and asked, "Brother Fox, is this you?"

Legend has it that a three-tailed fox can only grow a new tail every hundred years. Doesn't that mean the one in front of him has been alone in this shrine for at least two hundred years?
"squeak!"

The five-tailed fox raised its head proudly. It walked in with light steps and soon walked in front of Uesugi Tetsu, holding a blank light red ema in its mouth.

"Give this to me?"

"squeak."

Uesugi Tetsu squatted down and took the ordinary ema: "You mean, you want me to take this ema away and give it to someone?"

The five-tailed fox nodded heavily.

【Shrine Ema】

[Quality: None]

[Effect: None]

[——An ordinary ema, perhaps giving it to a shrine maiden would have a miraculous effect.]

The introduction of this riddler didn't even mention which shrine or shrine maiden it was... Another nonsensical task.

But in order to win the favor of the five-tailed fox, Uesugi Tetsu didn't mind accepting it.

"Alright." Uesugi Tetsu placed the ema into his storage backpack and nodded to the silent fox. "I'll help you with this. But I'm not sure when it will be completed."

"Squeak!"

The five-tailed fox let out a cry of surprise, and it bit Shangshan Che's trouser leg again, motioning him to follow it inside.

Uesugi Tetsu followed suit and walked into the worship hall with the five-tailed fox. He then saw the cold white robe enshrined in the center of the worship hall.

The robe was exquisitely crafted, dotted with crimson cherry blossoms, and most importantly, free of stains and dust, forming a sharp contrast with the bleak surroundings.

The five-tailed fox jumped onto the altar beside him and squeaked at him twice.

Uesugi Che was slightly stunned, and tentatively asked with a bit of disbelief: "You mean, you want to give this robe to me?"

"Squeak~"

The five-tailed fox arched its robe in his direction.

Uesugi Che, who didn't expect such a good thing to happen, reached out to touch the robe, and the moment he saw its attributes, he thought it was worth it.

【Priest's robe】

【Quality: Super good】

[Effect: Increases the power and casting speed of spells slightly]

[——A robe of a chief priest from an unknown shrine. The emblems and rituals on it have been worn away by time, making it impossible to tell where or when it came from.]

Although Xiao Prajna probably won't be able to fight in this restrictive robe, this will help him in the future. He can wear it directly when he draws a warlock-type demon.

This time, both the human and the fox are very satisfied with the transaction.

After taking the robe, Uesugi Tetsu, accompanied by the five-tailed fox, walked to the torii gate of the abandoned shrine.

He took a few more steps outside, but he no longer heard the brisk footsteps following behind him.

Then Uesugi Che turned around and said, "Are you going to guard this shrine forever?"

"Squeak." The five-tailed fox nodded.

Uesugi Tetsu persuaded him, "No one will come to this shrine anymore. Why don't you follow me to see the outside world?"

The five-tailed fox shook its head silently, turned around under the gaze of Uesugi Tetsu, and walked step by step into the quiet darkness.

——Now that it has seen off the kind guests, it’s time for it to go back.

Uesugi Tetsu stared at its short back and thought of the spotless robes of the chief priest.

Perhaps the five-tailed fox carefully maintains it every day, hoping that when the chief priest returns, he can immediately put on the robe and repair the shrine and restore order.

But until now, it has not waited for the palace priest who should wear this robe, and it also knows that perhaps it will never wait for that person again.

That's why the five-tailed fox gave me this timeless robe.

After sighing for a while, Uesugi Tetsu left Changshi. If he had slept any longer, Lilizi would have noticed something was wrong.

——The five-tailed fox turned around and saw that Prajna, who had taken the palace official’s robe, had disappeared.

So it nodded with satisfaction, and in three or two steps it jumped to the altar in the center of the worship hall, because that was the warmest, cleanest, and had the largest space.

The little fox curled up and fell into a deep sleep.

The damp wind from Edo Castle blew into the empty shrine as usual, but the five-tailed fox did not wake up from its sleep.

Because from now on, it no longer needs to worry about how to take care of the robe.

(End of this chapter)