At the Northern Fort

The foxy me.

Back in my previous life when I was still living as a Japanese person, I had once heard a certain urban legend.

A newly moved parent and child were going shopping. But because they weren't familiar with the area, the mother stopped, lost.

But at that moment, the one that told her the way to the shops was her child who wasn't even 5 yet.

"We need to cross the traffic lights over there, and then make a right. I know this street."

Of course, this was the first time he had come to this place. There was no way he could have known it.

But the reality was that the shop was just where the child had said.

Though surprised, the mother followed his directions, and as they were crossing the traffic lights, the boy muttered in a low, mature voice,

"I… was killed by a car here in my past life."

Gyahh!! I thought, when I first heard that scary story.

But right now I'm not in the position to be afraid. As to why, that's because right now I'm in the same situation as the child in that story.

――I other words, I've been born again with my past life's memories still in my head.

But I'm not a human in this life.

What I'm seeing is a padded hand covered in white fur. No, a padded paw, rather.

Peering into the frozen spring in front of me, I saw myself reflected on the ice.

"Kyun…"

I sighed. No matter how many times I looked at myself, I wasn't a human.

Right now I was a fox pup, with silver-white fur like the colour of snow. Strictly speaking, I was rounder than the fox pups I knew of, there was fluffy fur around my neck like a muffler, and even my tail was probably 9 tenths fur.

If I curled myself up, I would probably look like a ball of fluff lying around.

But the reason I looked this silly might have been because I was living in a snowy mountain. The fur was like a natural coat. Even though I was in the middle of snowy winds on a sub-zero mountain, I was completely fine after all.

And the other reason that I was good with the cold was because I wasn't just a normal fox.

According to my mother in this life, our species is categorised as a type of 『spirit』. In other words, far from being a human, I'm not even an animal.

Apparently we're snow spirits that take the form of foxes, but I don't know much more than that.

Mother has no idea that I have memories of my past life, so she probably didn't tell me anything complicated because she thought of me as a child.

Right now I'm still young, and it's unfortunate to say that just like human babies, I can't speak.

No matter how hard I try, the best I can manage is "kyun kyun".

"Kyun…"

I let out my second sigh for today.

Even my sighs don't sound like "hahh" and instead go "kyun". It's kind of stupid sounding, so I don't like it. There's no feeling of being depressed to it.

And at that moment, I saw a small fish in the spring.

My ears pricked up, and I stepped down onto the thick, frozen surface of the spring. My squishy paws were too weak, so I knew that I couldn't break the ice to catch the fish.

But no matter what, I couldn't help myself.

In my past life, I died at the young age of 18, and it's been about a year since I was reborn here. In other words, if you count things simply then I should be mentally close to 20 already, but occasionally I get drawn into behaviours that match my body's age, and animal nature.

When I see things that move, I feel like chasing them, and I can't stop myself.

It's embarrassing to say, but sometimes I even chase my tail without realising it, and run about in circles.

I chased after the small fish under the ice, and ran around with a pitter patter. The ice was slippery, and I fell about once every five steps. Because my childish head was too big, I found to hard enough to run steadily on solid ground, to say nothing of the ice.

As though sneering at me, the small fish continued to quickly swim here and there.

Damnit, damnitt! I want that fish so bad.

Becoming stubborn, I began scratching at the ice when,

"What on earth are you doing in a place like this, Milfiria?"

from behind me, I heard a woman's dignified and clear voice. Milfiria is my name in this life.

Forgetting about the fish for an instant and turning around, I found a beautiful fox of about a metre tall, staring my way with its light blue eyes.

It was Mother.

"Kyun!"

Letting out a high-pitched cry, I ran up to mother, and nuzzled my head against her forelegs.

"The sun is about to set. It is time to return home, my beloved child."

Unlike me, Mother can speak. I wonder if I'll be able to speak too once I grow up.

Gently biting the scruff of my neck, Mother lifted me up. She walked atop the hardened snow towards our home.

Our home is a cave near the peak of this snowy mountain. The wind doesn't blow in, so there's no worry of getting buried in while we sleep either.

Mother continued into the back of the cave and put me down, before closing her eyes as though concentrating.

And in the next moment, the figure of the large white had fox disappeared, and in its place was a peerless beauty with clear, white skin.

She had long and glossy silver-white hair, and around her neck was a white fur muffler. That isn't fox fur, right?

Wearing an outfit like a Japanese kimono with a somewhat Chinese essence to it, she gave the impression of being a somewhat flashy yukionna.

The breast of the kimono was opened a great deal, and a splendid ravine was visible. Although she's my mother, I have to say that it's quite an amazing chest she has. By all means let it be hereditary.

Indeed. It was Mother in her humanoid form. Although she spends a lot of time in her fox form while in front of me, there are 『certain times』 when she always becomes humanoid.

Those 『certain times』 are when Mother goes down to town.

"Milfiria, I need a few words with you."

In the same beautiful voice as her fox form, Mother called out to me.

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