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The school year is off to a rocky start, you think as you walk along the street, the blooming sakura trees creating a fairy tale atmosphere around you. The pretty blossoms aren’t enough to banish your depression. You hadn't anticipated that your arch nemesis Minamino Shuichi would be in your class again.
Handsome, smart, perfect Minamino. The top of the class in every subject. Couldn't he give everyone else a chance for once?
You short-cut through the park, passing other students who had paused to make the most of the last hour of sunshine. As you move further into the park, the crowd thins and then disappears entirely.
That's a little odd, you think. You look around curiously, wondering if perhaps you've not noticed some sort of attraction. Has there been an accident or incident that has drawn everyone else's attention?
But the park looks totally normal. Trimmed green grass, empty benches here and there, the red torii gate of a shrine leading to...
Wait. What? There's no shrine in this park. The shrine is across the road.
You approach the arch, peering beyond into... just the park. Frowning, you step through, wondering if this is a joke. Or perhaps part of a movie set that was left behind?
A large sakura tree blooms in front of you. There’s nothing unusual about that. It is the season for them, after all.
But what causes your breath to catch in your throat is the human figure hanging from a rope tied to a branch. The figure is wearing a school uniform. In fact, you recognise that uniform as the Meiou boys’ uniform. You hurry over, your heart in your mouth.
As you fumble at the rope, the little boy gives you a wide, toothy grin. Then he lunges forward and bites your upper arm, teeth sinking through flesh. You yell and stumble backward, clutching your arm. He hangs there, swaying slightly, manic grin bleeding. Arms too long for his body reach for you...
You run -- but the gate seems so far away. It's getting further and further away, though you should be getting closer to it.
A rasping laugh comes from far too close behind you. You run faster, crushing sakura blossoms beneath your shoes.
Finally, the gate begins to loom larger in front of you. You're getting closer... your lungs burn and your legs ache.
You fly through the gate and crash into something that appears out of nowhere. You tumble head over heels and land on the grass, sprawled out. You let out a cry of startled pain.
It's then that you notice that something isn't right about your body. Your body isn't yours anymore.
"Where did you come from, little one?"
Long fingers explore your fur. You try to protest as you scramble awkwardly to your—far too numerous—feet.
"Where's your mother?"
Undeterred, the hands take hold of you, lifting you up. You stare into a very familiar face. Forest green eyes. Blood red hair. It's Minamino, your classmate. Minamino, who always has his nose buried in a book, ignoring everyone around him. Minamino, who has consistently held the top spot in the class rankings for as long as he’s been at Meiou…
Of all the people...
It's just your luck to end up with the one classmate you really can't stand.
"I suppose I can't leave you here."
Of course he can, and you try to tell him that, but Minamino doesn't understand your cries. You find yourself tucked in his warm uniform jacket and carted off like a kitten in his arms.
"Shuichi, you know that we have a no pet rule."
The kind-faced woman stares down at you with a conflicted expression. She’s Minamino’s mother, you assume. She shares his pretty looks, though her hair is darker than her son’s. Though Minamino grates on your nerves like sandpaper, you can’t bring yourself to think badly of his mother and her kind smile.
However, that reminds you of your own mother, patiently waiting for you to get home from school. How long will it be before she begins to worry?
Unfortunately, you can’t think of any way to reassure her. Your communication skills are seriously lacking in this new, tiny body.
"Mother, I found her in the park. She's alone. What else could I do?"
Minamino presents you with another piece of fruit, which you take skeptically. Being fed like this is not your preference, but it's better than not being fed at all. Minamino has made up a small shoebox for you, creating a warm and fairly comfortable space. Said box is currently on the dining room table, you a wary occupant.
"Do you even know how to take care of a fox kit, Shuichi? What will you do with her when you have to go to school?"
That sounds like a concern that your own mother would have raised in this situation, and you wonder how Minamino plans on getting around it. Not that you’d mind being left alone. That would give you an opportunity to get away from him and…then what? The suburban streets have never intimidated you before, but that was before you were turned into a baby fox with no defence against the feral animals lurking in the alleys and parks of the city.
The animals might not be your only problem, either. What if another teenager spots you like Minamino did, and takes you home? Or, worse, what if that teenager decides to torment you—or hurt you?
Minamino is hardly your best friend, but he certainly isn’t the sort of person who would enjoy tormenting a helpless animal…at least, you’re pretty sure he isn’t.
"I know how to look after a kit, Mother. As for school, it's the weekend. I'll try to arrange something over the next two days."
"Shuichi..."
His mother's voice is resigned. You can tell she's given up, and Minamino knows it too. He turns his pretty emerald eyes to her.
"Don't worry, Mother. Leave this to me." He sounds confident, and you wish you felt the same way about the situation.
The woman gives a weak smile and pats his shoulder before leaving the room.
Minamino looks down at you, expression contemplative. You show him your tiny teeth. Minamino holds up another piece of apple and you reluctantly accept it, just as resigned as his mother is to the situation.
None of your classmates have ever seen Minamino's room. It's really quite underwhelming. There's a few photographs here and there, a potted plant on the desk, and nothing else of any note. It's spotlessly clean.
Minamino sets your shoebox down on the floor near the bed. "Stay," he says, though you don't really have any intention of going anywhere. In fact, you're feeling rather sleepy at the moment.
But the sight of Minamino removing his shirt quickly gains your attention. He shows no hesitation in changing his clothes right in front of you and you only turn away just in time to avoid seeing him remove his pants, because that's really a bit too much.
Now in casual clothes, Minamino leaves the room.
You contemplate using the time to explore his room, but really, it doesn't seem worth it. You fall asleep as the sun slides beneath the horizon.