Ichiro considered again the possibility that he was going mad. After all, he had seen Kumiko transform from a young woman into a lovable little fox, then into a strangely alluring combination of the two. He knew how obscene it was to find such an abomination attractive, but the feeling had reared itself without warning, and by the time he had become aware of it, there'd been no way to hide its effects.

As such, he'd accused Kumiko of trying to seduce him, which he now realized was a harsh way to respond to a situation that should have attracted pity or sympathy more than anything.

It seemed like the lecherous one had been him all along, yet even with the sweet creature trotting by his side, he could not suppress his shameful fancies entirely. The thought of a naked Kumiko acting coy with her majestic ears and tail was just too potent, and Ichiro found to his horror that he wouldn't have minded losing his virginity to that incarnation instead.

He stopped and swept both hands along his scalp in anguish, prompting his fox companion to circle back towards him in curiosity. What's wrong with me? I found pleasure with not just an animal, but a demon too! The gods will surely strike me down for such depravity!

Little Fellow, or perhaps more aptly, Kumiko, gave a squeak before rearing up to drag her paws against his lower legs. This sort of behavior only made it more difficult for Ichiro to reconcile the beauty with the beast, and he was briefly consumed by an urge to kick her away.

However, he knew that Kumiko would be able to exact revenge once she regained human form, so he kept his feet planted and reached down to pick her up. "What do you want?"

She swung her bushy tail at his laden bag, then let out a short squeal. Ichiro swallowed upon understanding what she wanted. "Are you sure? There's not much room left."

Kumiko closed her eyes and nodded to his confoundment. He placed her back down with a heavy sigh. "All right. I'll put you in my bag, but don't say I didn't warn you..."

He opened it up for her to squeeze inside. The imprint of her tail became visible as she wriggled to make herself comfortable and purred in contentment.

"Are you two really the same creature? You seem so childlike."

Kumiko stopped purring and glared at him to show that she was still capable of experiencing human emotions. Ichiro stood up and continued on their journey, feeling very much like a mother carrying a baby.

Cunning of you, indeed. I would never do this for someone else...

It struck him too late that he had fallen into Kumiko's trap by ensuring her paws stayed off the ground. Regretting his poor judgement, Ichiro was quick to pull her out of the bag, which attracted an unhappy whine.

"I'm sorry, but you can't fool me again. Let's go."

Kumiko gave a grunt to further affirm her annoyance before racing forward and forcing Ichiro to run as well. He remembered her earlier promise to guide him towards lodging, so he chose to endure this trouble despite it not being what he'd hoped for.

Soon, the crunch of his footsteps and her soft trotting were all that could be heard. Ichiro considered singing to entertain himself, though the memory of his encounter with the bandits deterred him. He brought a hand up to his abdomen, fearing that the area would begin bleeding again by some chance.

He breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't happen, yet he was haunted all the same by the possibility that his soul would be troubled for years to come.

Unless... Ichiro turned his attention to Kumiko and her swaying tail as she looked only at the road in front. He found it hard to believe that she was the closest thing he'd made to a friend over the past year, and if there was anyone who could help him, it would be her, unusual qualities, and abilities notwithstanding.

She had already revealed an important secret about herself while he had yet to do the same. Ichiro worried that telling Kumiko about his past would shatter her high opinion of him, but perhaps it would also help to strengthen their bond. Either way, he wouldn't know until the moment arrived, so he hoped for favorable consequences.

******

Kumiko still remembered her vow to protect Ichiro from harm and wished to avoid a similar situation to what had happened with the bandits. She used her power to conjure an illusion that would make him appear as a fearsome samurai decked out in bright red armor, with a sheathed sword where his bag was supposed to hang.

Although Ichiro wasn't capable of fighting like a skilled warrior, Kumiko assumed that the sight alone would be enough to frighten anyone with ill intent, and even if it didn't, she could always rush to his defense instead.

The sun continued to drift towards the horizon while a test came in the form of two men whose rough clothing and dull swords marked them as low-ranking samurai. Kumiko held her breath, only to be overcome by relief and amusement when the pair bowed to Ichiro before fleeing past him in a panic.

"What just happened?" Ichiro asked when they were alone once more.

Kumiko couldn't resist giggling, though the onset of a migraine soon brought an end to her mirth. She became more determined than ever to find a place for the night, so that they could get some rest and have their strength restored in the morning.

Whereas it could be argued that this four-legged body was her natural form, she longed to become human again and attract all of Ichiro's love and affection.