EPISODE 1.2 :: A GUEST IN THE TOMATOES

EPISODE ZERO :: PROLOGUE

EPISODE 1.1 :: VEGETABLE GRAVEYARDS

EPISODE 1.3 :: THE FOX GOD IN MY APARTMENT

EPISODE 2.1 :: AND MIRAI MAKES SIX

EPISODE 2.2 :: INARI'S GUIDE TO GETTING LOST

EPISODE 2.3 :: FROM A PLACE OF KINDNESS

EPISODE 3.0 :: AN INTERLUDE

EPISODE 4.1 : DANIEL'S DAUNTING DARE

EPISODE 4.2 : THE FAIRNESS OF FLOWERS

EPISODE 4.3 : WELCOME TO KITSUNE GARDENS

EPISODE 5.1: NOT ALL FOXES ARE TRICKY BUT SOME ARE

EPISODE 5.2 :: KITSUNE GOODIE BASKETS

 EPISODE 5.3 :: ONCE A LIAR, NEVER A THIEF

EPISODE 6.0 : NOTICE TAKEN

AN AUTHOR NOTE

BONUS : OMISOKA - a holiday special

&#x3C;p&#x3E;The sun was hot as it beamed in through the windows of Naoki&#x27;s apartment. Like a cat, Naoki dozed in the warmth and fought the tug of morning that was trying so hard to wake him. The sound of the alarm was no more than background noise...&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Wait...&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki sat bolt upright, blinking away the blurriness in his eyes before getting up and scrambling around his place in search of his phone. Following the beeping, he finally found it and checked his control app for the security system. The warning was only for the motion sensors and not any of the doors which was immediately strange to Naoki. He was positive no one was left in the building before he came upstairs, so for the sensors to go off without any of the doors being opened... He was just about to check the camera feeds on his phone when a call started coming through. Seeing it was Mirai, he answered it.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Morning, sensei!&#x22; came Mirai&#x27;s excitable voice. &#x22;Everything okay up there?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki felt confused by the question. &#x22;Yeah, everything&#x27;s fine. Something wrong with you?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;No. It&#x27;s just, well, sensei, it&#x27;s almost nine and everything is still locked up tight.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki swore under his breath. &#x22;Sorry, Mirai. I overslept. Do you have your spare keys on you?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Always.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;So I can leave you to open up? I&#x27;ll be down as fast as I can.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Of course, sensei. See you soon.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Thanks, Mirai.&#x22; Naoki ended the call and made his way to the bathroom. Having fallen asleep almost immediately upon getting upstairs the previous night, he was in desperate need of a shower and a set of clean clothes.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Having made it into the shop as quickly as he could, Naoki flipped the open sign on the shop front and made his way into the greenhouse to look for Mirai. It was a Saturday so she would probably spend most of the day lending a hand around the garden and he guessed that she was probably replacing the sweet trays that were set up for the butterflies. Naoki&#x27;s plan was to move the dead plants out to the dumpster and move the saveable plants into new planters with fresh soil before too many customers came in. When he couldn&#x27;t immediately find Mirai, he wasn&#x27;t concerned and figured he would just get to re-potting, knowing the girl would come find him if she needed anything. However, once he reached the back of the shop, Mirai was standing there fidgeting nervously with her braids. When she saw him approach she ran up to him immediately.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Mirai, is everything all right?&#x22; he asked, instantly worried about the girl.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Um... I found... I found something and.. I...&#x22; she stammered, unable to finish the sentence. &#x22;I... um... you should see this for yourself, sensei...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki nodded and followed the girl further into the back of the greenhouse, a sense of unease curling in his stomach as his mind recalled the strange motion-sensor alarm that had gone off at some point in the night. He kicked himself for not telling Mirai to wait in the shop until he had looked into things closer. It was foolish to put her at risk like that.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Over there... In the... In the tomatoes.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Tomatoes? Naoki thought. There shouldn&#x27;t have been tomatoes all the way back here. Mirai moved behind Naoki, timidly following behind him as he cautiously moved towards the plants that shouldn&#x27;t have been there to begin with. The two planters of tomatoes were shining and full as if they had been meticulously cared for and what was wedged between them and the pile of useless fertilizer made him gasp.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Is it dead?&#x22; Mirai asked, voice full of concern and she looked around him.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I&#x27;m not sure,&#x22; Naoki replied. &#x22;Stay here while I take a look.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Very slowly, Naoki stepped away and approached the small intruder in his greenhouse. A fox that seemed smaller than Naoki would have expected was curled up into a tiny ball wrapped up in tattered clothing. Naoki was very careful as he knelt down beside it, wondering how on earth it managed to get into the city, let alone in the building. He reached forward and cautiously ran a hand over the vibrant fur. It was so soft he felt almost mesmerized by it. When the creature didn&#x27;t stir beneath his touch, Naoki inched a little bit closer, resting a hand near the creature&#x27;s white chest. He held very still as he felt his hand move gently up and down with the fox&#x27;s breathing. Although, if he was being entirely honest, Naoki wasn&#x27;t sure if he was more relieved or less that the little thing was alive.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;It&#x27;s alive,&#x22; he said quietly to Mirai and he saw the girl&#x27;s shoulders relax as she released a steadying breath of relief.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Maybe it&#x27;s hurt or something?&#x22; she asked, coming closer.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Maybe... Can you watch the storefront for a bit while I take it upstairs?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;You&#x27;re going to put it in your apartment?!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki smiled, amused by the girl&#x27;s reaction. &#x22;Well, it can&#x27;t stay down here and I&#x27;m not sure what would happen if we called the authorities. It&#x27;s safer to put it upstairs and look into our options.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Right. Will you let it just.. run wild? It might make a mess.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;It should be fine in the bathroom. I&#x27;ll set down some water and see if I have anything that&#x27;s safe for it to eat.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;With that settled, Naoki used the raggedy clothing to swaddle the fox and walked back to the storefront, fox in his arms, with Mirai. Thankfully, the morning was still early enough for the shop to be empty of customers so Naoki made it upstairs without anyone around to see him holding a wild animal as if it was a baby. He set the creature on the floor of the bathroom, leaving the light on when he closed the door and went to sit at his desk to do some research.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Most of what he found was rather dated information from before The Collapse or silly local fairytales he remembered reading back when he was a child. There wasn&#x27;t much on how to care for one, but at least he already knew foxes were carnivores so he pulled out some meat from the fridge to cook up for it. He wasn&#x27;t sure how raw chicken meant for human consumption would affect the animal so he felt cooking it would be suitable. Once it was awake, Naoki might have a better idea of if it was hurt or sick and he could go from there to find out who he should get in contact with.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Just as the chicken was ready to be set out on a plate, the door of the bathroom swung open with a bang.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Something smells delicious!&#x22; a young man with fiery hair exclaimed and Naoki let out a scream.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;When Inari awoke, he was immediately disoriented. He could tell he had reverted back to his animal form from the low angle from which he observed his surroundings, but that didn&#x27;t explain what he was looking at. He vividly remembered being in a paradise of a greenhouse and guessed he had fallen asleep from expending too much power on those sad tomatoes; so why was he now in a strange white room without windows? As he felt himself grow fully conscious, he stood up and gave a shake to stretch out his paws, his pack, and his tail. Inari then carefully focused himself and the shift happened for the third time in two days. Slowly, he felt his limbs extend and his body rise until he was standing on two feet. When he opened his eyes again, Inari was pleased to see he was standing in front of a mirror. He could finally see if his image looked just as he hoped!&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari took a step closer to the mirror to look at his face first. His vibrant green eyes remained the same even in this form and his features were very fine. Part of him wondered if he was too feminine but shrugged it off since he liked a cuter look while in any form. He was short in stature but was okay with that as well since it meant he could still fit into small spaces that would keep him safe. His hair was fiery, tones of orange and red mixing together in a similar way his fur did and came to about his chin. A good length that he could have some fun with if he wanted to. He had seen photos of humans who had done a whole range of wonderful things with their hair and Inari wanted to see if he could do the same if he had the chance to try it himself. All in all, the young god felt he had done a great job with himself... except for one little thing...&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Well... make that three little things.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;For whatever reason, Inari still had his fox ears as well as his tail. Frowning, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on making the animal parts disappear. Suddenly, a dizziness took a hold of him and he stumbled to his knees. After exerting himself so much the previous night, Inari guessed his powers still needed more time to fully recharge. He could deal with this problem later, after finding something to eat.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR&#x3C;/em&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The thought caused his stomach to rumble loudly and Inari got back down to the matter at hand. HE had no idea what time it was, being unable to see the sun in the windowless room. He was thankful for the artificial light above him as he looked around the room. It seemed to be a much fancier version of the outhouses he had seen on the far edges of farming territories and he guessed that this was what indoor toilet facilities must look like. He wondered just how he had gotten into this room but felt he would find out soon enough. He was momentarily concerned a human with questionable motives had brought him here but given that he had been in his fox form, that wasn&#x27;t entirely likely. Turning on the spot, he saw the door behind him and carefully turned the knob to see if it was locked. It turned without issue, signalling that he wasn&#x27;t locked in. Inari planned to open the door slowly and see if he could sneak out, but then the smell of something cooking wafted his way from wherever it was on the other side of the door. The smell of food seemingly turned off the part of Inari&#x27;s mind that had proper reasoning took hold and he threw open the door with a bang.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Something smells delicious!&#x22; he exclaimed the second he stepped out of the room.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Standing in an open kitchen was a tall man with a dark complexion and intricate-looking hair that Inari hadn&#x27;t seen before. He had broad shoulders and a chiseled, manly face and was dressed in bright colours that really stood out against his skin tone. He was incredibly handsome in Inari&#x27;s mind but he wasn&#x27;t able to linger on that thought for too long as the man let out a scream. It startled Inari and he jumped back in surprise before holding his hands, palms out and fingers spread, in front of him.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Wait! It&#x27;s okay! It&#x27;s okay!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Wh-who the hell are...? Where...?&#x22; the man stammered, brandishing a kitchen utensil of some kind as a weapon. Inari wasn&#x27;t sure what it was but it hardly looked deadly.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari opened his mouth to speak but his ears twitched, picking up on the pounding of feet running up stairs. As another door opened on the other side of the room, Inari turned his head to see a young girl burst into the space. When she made eye contact with Inari he offered a small smile, trying to appear as innocent and friendly as he could, but the girl let out a squeak of her own as her face turned bright red.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;S-sensei, w-who...?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I have no freakin&#x27; clue,&#x22; the man said, not taking his eyes off of Inari&#x27;s face. &#x22;Stay over there, Mirai. I&#x27;ll handle this.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;L-let me explain,&#x22; Inari said, his anxieties starting to build as he felt the fear that was clearly sinking into the two humans. &#x22;Please.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The girl called Mirai looked nervous to the man. &#x22;S-sensei?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;It took him a moment, and his eyes narrowed, but the man nodded stiffly and said, &#x22;Okay. But first, put on some clothes.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;Author Note: Thanks for reading this latest chapter! This novel will now be updating on alternating Wednesdays with Episode 1.3 coming on October 6th. However, if you consider joining my Patreon, you can find early, WEEKLY access to new chapters along with other exclusive content! Check it out at patreon.com/lucienwelsh&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 1rem;&quot;&gt;The last time Inari, a kitsune goddess of the harvest, was in the mortal realm, the world was falling apart as humanity struggled against the rages of climate change and overworking the land and sea. Hundreds of years have passed and Inari feels it's time to come back. But in a different way.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Naoki has worked hard his entire life to care for the land he was raised on and continues to vouch for ethical resources by supplying his city with plants and gardening supplies through his shop. When he finds a strange young man in the back of his greenhouse, Naoki gets dragged into a whirlwind of a situation he never would have expected.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[ cover art by Sera Execfia ]&lt;/p&gt;

My Garden Shop Delivery Boy is a Shape-Shifting Fox God