On a cloudy Sunday, after the mid-semester tests were over, Momo took Sumire out to the shopping district. Momo claimed that there was a new bookstore being opened, and she wanted to check it out. While Sumire was not as avid a reader as Momo was, she decided it was a nice day to go out.

Still, she kept an eye for any spiritual disturbances, as she often did whenever she went outside. However, the neighborhood was quite peaceful, without any trace of yokai lurking nearby. She allowed herself to relax for a bit.

That was when she felt a surge of strong spiritual energy. It was similar to what she had felt a couple weeks ago. There was no doubt now that a very powerful yokai was hiding in this shopping district, trying very hard to not be noticed by yokai hunters.

The question was, where?

“Huh? I don’t remember this udon shop being here”, Momo mused as they walked past a shop, breaking Sumire out of her panic. The sign hanging over the entrance read ‘Kitsune-Ya Udon’.

Momo entered the shop without warning. In her panic, Sumire followed her. She still needed to find where the yokai was so she could let her grandfather know. She couldn’t hope to defeat or seal the yokai on her own, but her grandfather could alert nearby yokai hunters, and she could help them defeat it.

And yet, there was the source of the spiritual energy, standing behind the kitchenette. A beautiful woman deftly prepared bowls of udon for her customers, and Sumire could tell that she was definitely not human.

“Welcome to Kitsune-Ya— Oh, it’s you two”, a familiar voice said, and Sumire was suddenly face to face with the one and only Shiba Natsuno.

“Natsuno? You’re working here as a part-timer?” Momo asked incredulously.

“Well, it would be a full-time job if my mom had her way”, Natsuno answered, tilting his head toward the woman behind the kitchenette. “But hey, thankfully child labor law is a thing!”

Sumire was still frozen on the spot as she tried to process the entire situation. The woman behind the kitchenette was a yokai, a very powerful nine-tailed fox spirit who could be no other than Tamamo no Mae — a legendary yokai from the folktales of old. And yet, she was right there, managing an udon shop in the middle of a shopping district, in Tokyo, hiding in plain sight while no one was the wiser.

No one except Sumire and Natsuno, it seemed.

Even now, Sumire could see the faint outline of her tails. Sumire wondered if she should say something, do something, anything. But then her running mind screeched to a halt.

Natsuno called Tamamo no Mae ‘mom’.

The epiphany struck her like lightning. Sumire turned sharply to Natsuno, and an understanding flashed behind Natsuno’s silver eyes. Natsuno gestured to the backroom, and somehow, Sumire’s legs moved on their own to follow him.

“Relax, will you? She’s not gonna destroy Tokyo or anything”, Natsuno said as soon as they were sure no one could overhear. Sumire eyed Momo, who was now chatting with Tamamo no Mae, doubtful.

“Does anyone know about…” Sumire couldn’t bring herself to finish her question.

“No one”, Natsuno said, serious. “So please, don’t spread the word around?”

It was the first time Sumire saw Natsuno like this, like a lost child whose entire life could shatter if Sumire wished so. And it would be so easy for her — all she had to do was to inform her grandfather about Tamamo no Mae’s presence.

It brought her to her next concern.

“Are you part-yokai?” she asked.

Over the centuries since Susanoo no Mikoto had opened the Gate of Yomi, there were places where humans and yokai lived in peaceful coexistence. Some yokai were revered as minor deities, while others lived like humans. This coexistence often resulted in part-yokai being born into the world.

Of course, many part-yokai had to hide their identity out of fear of rejection and banishment to Yomi.

“What if I am?” Natsuno asked back cheekily, but Sumire knew it was all an act. Fear shone through Natsuno’s expression, clear as the sky on a cloudless day.

It was the first time someone had been afraid of her. Somehow, it made Sumire feel uncomfortable.

Sumire turned away, unable to answer. She had her duty as a yokai hunter to seal every yokai into Yomi. Yet, she couldn’t do it to Tamamo no Mae. To Natsuno. 

It went against everything that her grandfather had taught her. All yokai were dangerous, and Tamamo no Mae, as strong as she was, was one of the most dangerous yokai out there. She knew this.

And yet.

“Get back to work and stop scaring my customers!” Tamamo no Mae suddenly entered the backroom, flicking the back of Natsuno’s head with her manicured fingers.

“I’m not scaring her!” Natsuno replied indignantly.

“Sumire, what are you doing back here? Let’s go eat! Ms. Tamaki made us kitsune udon!” Momo said excitedly as she pulled Sumire out of the backroom. Sumire eyed Natsuno briefly, bewildered at the name the yokai used as an alias. But then she was shoved into one of the seats. A steaming hot udon was already placed before her.

“Would the customers like some tea?” Natsuno asked dryly, almost sarcastic.

“Yes, please!” Momo answered happily, blissfully unaware of everything that happened around her.

“Be nice to the customers, or you’re wiping the store clean after closing”, Tamamo no Mae — Shiba Tamaki? — threatened.

“This is child abuse!” Natsuno protested with a groan, but went to serve the tea as he was told anyway.

Sumire eyed the udon bowl before her, poking suspiciously at the triangle-shaped fried tofu with her chopsticks. She couldn’t sense anything spiritually harmful from the food, and the smell alone made her mouth water. Perhaps it was okay to eat.

She picked a few strands with her chopsticks and blew on them a few times.

The noodle was still hot, but it was cooked to perfection. The broth itself was hearty and flavorful, equal parts salty, sweet, and savory, warming her mouth and stomach. Meanwhile, the tofu pouches were deep fried to golden brown, shaped like fox ears, and filled with gooey soft-boiled egg.

“It’s delicious!” Momo exclaimed, smiling brightly. “The tofu pouches are so soft and fluffy, and the egg inside it is just perfect! Ms. Tamaki, may I have more?”

“Why, of course!” Tamamo no Mae replied happily, before making Natsuno serve the tofu pouches to Momo and Sumire.

“Man, here I was trying to diet”, Momo said, before stuffing her mouth with freshly served egg-filled tofu pouches. Her cheeks bulged out with food, and a look of utter bliss settled onto her face. “Mmmm, it’s soooo good.”

“Diet? Pah!” Tamamo no Mae rolled her eyes. “Young girls like yourselves need to enjoy delicious food! Your body is still growing, after all!”

“Hear, hear!” Momo chirped. “Sumire, are you okay? You don’t like the udon?”

“Um. It’s good. I’m just…” Sumire was unsure how to continue.

“Here! Try the shrimp-filled tofu pouch instead!” Momo plucked a tofu pouch from her bowl and passed it to Sumire’s bowl. “You like seafood, right?”

“Mm”, Sumire agreed, before trying the tofu pouch. It was really good, it surprised her.

While they ate, Momo chattered with Tamamo no Mae about everything and nothing. Sumire ate in silence, preferring to watch her friend instead.

However, when Natsuno reemerged from the backroom to carry clean bowls, she couldn’t help but watch him warily.