EPISODE 1.3 :: THE FOX GOD IN MY APARTMENT

EPISODE ZERO :: PROLOGUE

EPISODE 1.1 :: VEGETABLE GRAVEYARDS

EPISODE 1.2 :: A GUEST IN THE TOMATOES

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;When the man had pointed out that Inari was entirely naked, the young god felt his face go red with embarrassment as his tail wrapped around his front to create at least a small sense of modesty.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;R-right,&#x22; Inari stammered. &#x22;Um... yeah...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;He turned around to go back into the fancy indoor outhouse and hurried to put on the tattered clothes he had swiped the night before. In the light, they looked worse off than they had in the dark and Inari felt self-conscious given the lovely, vibrant colours the human in the other room was wearing. Or maybe he was just anxious about meeting city humans for the first time and already bungled the situation so much as to make them afriad of him... Inari shook his head, trying to get rid of such negative thinking, and re-entered the other room.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Um...&#x22; Inari had no idea where to start and he shifted his weight awkwardly from foot to foot. &#x22;Wh-where should I start?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The man with the stunning complexion had his arms crossed over his chest, almost looking intimidating if it wasn&#x27;t for the curiosity Inari could see in his eyes. &#x22;How about you start with how the heck you got into my apartment.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;In Naoki&#x27;s mind, the young man before him was the image of a kicked puppy. Having dressed himself in rags, he somehow seemed even smaller than he really was and the shy demeanour after such an entrance had confused Naoki. There were so many thoughts going through his head that he almost felt embarrassed with himself when the young man with the fox tail and ears gave his answer.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Well, I&#x27;d assume I was brought up here by whoever found me in my fox form in the greenhouse...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Right...&#x22; Naoki said, rubbing a hand over his face. &#x22;Well then, how about a name?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Inari.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Hi, Inari. I&#x27;m Naoki and this is my staff member, Mirai.&#x22; Naoki gestured to the still shocked Mirai standing in the doorway.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Naoki,&#x22; Inari repeated, &#x22;and Mirai.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;What are you?&#x22; Mirai blurted out, her face flushing when she realized how rude that might sound.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I-&#x22; Inari began but Naoki cut him off by holding up a hand.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Mirai, why don&#x27;t you close up the shop. Make up a sign or something that says we&#x27;re dealing with an issue and will re-open in the morning.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Y-yes, sensei,&#x22; the girl said and, with a moment of hesitation to look over Inari once more, she went back downstairs to the shop.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Don&#x27;t you want to know the answer to her question?&#x22; Inari asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Yes, but it can wait for her to come back. It&#x27;s only right that we both hear your story in it&#x27;s entirety since the both of us found you sleeping in my greenhouse.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari nodded his agreement but remained quiet. He didn&#x27;t want to offend someone who had cared enough to bring him upstairs in his fox form. He took a deep breath of relief, his nostrils filling with the scent of cooked meat again, and his eyes looked to the plate on the counter behind Naoki. Naoki didn&#x27;t miss how the young man&#x27;s eyes had wandered, or that he had licked his pale lips as he locked onto something.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Hungry?&#x22; Naoki asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Immediately those vibrant green eyes darted back to meet Naoki&#x27;s and Naoki felt his breath catch at how mesmerizing they were. When Inari nodded sheepishly in response to the question, Naoki reached for the plate and gestured to the low table in the living space of his apartment. He followed behind the strange human-like creature that had emerged from his bathroom until they were seated opposite each other at the kotatsu. Naoki set down the plate and a set of chopsticks, sliding both across the table towards Inari.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The young fox god was not entirely clueless on the function of chopsticks, but never having used them himself, he had no idea what to do with them. Instead he carefully picked up the pieces of chicken with his fingers, devouring the meat quickly so as the get the embarrassment over with. He was certain that the human who cooked for him was going to be judgmental.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Thank you,&#x22; Inari said quietly, sliding the empty plate towards the middle of the table.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;As for a fork next time if you need one,&#x22; Naoki replied, not harshly in the least.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari looked up at him curiously, wanting to ask Naoki about his choice of words, his use of the phrase &#x22;next time&#x22;, but before he could, the girl called Mirai was back and cautiously joined them at the table. She sat next to Naoki, squishing beside him rather than at a side of her own nearer to Inari. The fox god felt saddened once again that he had frightened her and looked back down to the table&#x27;s edge.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Well,&#x22; Naoki said, &#x22;now that we&#x27;re all here, I think we should hear your explanation.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Alright... um...&#x22; Inari was once again unsure of where to begin so he thought once more about the last several hours he spent getting to the city and thought maybe that was as good a place as any to start. &#x22;My name is Inari and I&#x27;m a member of the Kitsune Gods of the Harvest under Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Day. But... I don&#x27;t... I&#x27;m tired of all that.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Mirai looked at the dejected, young god with compassion in her eyes that Naoki watched carefully. He was still unsure of this young man, even if he did feel bad for how ragged he looked.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;How does a god get tired of their life?&#x22; he asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;The kitsune are a blessing and a curse. the farmers of the outlands worship us and leave offerings that are always loved and appreciated, but if we&#x27;re caught we&#x27;re held captive and abused unless we can get out on our own. I want to help the people who need it, not just the ones to take advantage of our skills. I wanted to see the city but was never allowed to as city folk have strayed far from the gods and the more dated practices of worship.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Mirai then asked, &#x22;How do you help people?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;At this Inari smiled, recalling the pride and joy he felt at restoring the plants he passed on his way through the city. &#x22;Through their crops. I didn&#x27;t mean to sleep for so long in your greenhouse. I only needed someplace safe to rest for a little while I found somewhere proper to go, and I saw those sad tomatoes and made them... we&#x27;ll I helped them back to the way they were.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;You did that?&#x22; Naoki was incredulous, the skepticism slowly trickling out but he remained cautious. &#x22;How did you fix them?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. &#x22;Magic.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;How do we know this isn&#x27;t a trick? My mama always told me that foxes used to be trickster devils when they were more common.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari winced and he could tell Mirai felt bad but he equally understood why the girl felt that way. She wasn&#x27;t exactly wrong. &#x22;I... I can show you. If you want, that is. I&#x27;m just as well to leave you be. I&#x27;ve overstayed my welcome and don&#x27;t want to cause any more trouble than I already have.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;No!&#x22; Mirai exclaimed and then looked nervously over to Naoki. &#x22;I mean... Sensei, he doesn&#x27;t have anywhere to go and if he really can save those tomatoes that got returned yesterday...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki was quiet, but he knew that Mirai had a point. He was trying his best to be the big tough voice of reason here, but there was no way he could simply throw this strange creature out into the street. He was too pre-... Naoki shook his head to stop the though and sighed.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Mirai is right,&#x22; he said slowly, thinking about his words. &#x22;While the city is a safe place for most of those who live here, it still has it&#x27;s dark corners where danger likes to creep in the dark. You can stay here on one condition.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari beamed, sitting up as tall as he could, &#x22;Of course! Name it!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;If you can fix the rest of the dying plants downstairs and agree to help out with my shop, I can make up a space for you here.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari got to his feet and danced in a little circle excitedly. &#x22;Absolutely! Let&#x27;s get to it!&#x22;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Downstairs in the greenhouse, Naoki was stunned into silence as he watched the young man with the fox ears carefully caress the dying plants until they slowly grew colourful and bright once again. The tomatoes were even fuller than before, the flowers smelling even more strongly. It was as amazing as it was unbelievable and Naoki hardly knew how to respond let alone how to wrap his head around what he was seeing. The last of the plants had been brought back from the brink of despair and Naoki watched as Inari took slow, deep breathes, his eyes locked lovingly onto the clay pot in his hands before turning to the incredulous Mirai and Naoki with a big grin.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;So?&#x22; he asked, voice full of giddy joy.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I... Wow...&#x22; Mirai murmured. And all Naoki could say was &#x22;Yeah&#x22;.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;You know, those bags of dirt over there are probably the cause. I don&#x27;t know what&#x27;s in it but they smell funny in a bad way and I&#x27;m almost positive that&#x27;s what had these poor things crying out.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;It&#x27;s, um, fertilizer. It&#x27;s supposed to be the best, but it&#x27;s more of a herbicide than anything else.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Herbicide?&#x22; Inari asked, cocking his head to the side.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;It&#x27;s plant killer to get rid of weeds like dandelions and stuff,&#x22; Mirai explained.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari was still confused. &#x22;But dandelions are great for the bees. They&#x27;re very important on the farms where fruit is grown since without the bees, the fruit trees would be helpless.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki held out his hand, feeling like Inari was getting upset about the idea. &#x22;I don&#x27;t use herbicide. And all of my pollinators are the butterflies.&#x22; He gestured around them as a few flitted on by over their heads. &#x22;So there&#x27;s nothing to worry about here. My fruit trees are fine.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. &#x22;So what else would you like me to do?&#x22; he asked. He was eager to work, to prove himself as a useful house guest and show Naoki that he wasn&#x27;t making a mistake by letting a stray god stay within the greenhouse.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Well,&#x22; Naoki thought for a moment, &#x22;with these plants back up to quality, they can be put back with the others so customers can buy them.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I&#x27;m on it!&#x22; Inari beamed, and picked up one of the plants and scurried away before Naoki would even say where they went.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;At least he&#x27;s full of energy enough for that,&#x22; Mirai giggled as she watched the tip of Inari&#x27;s tail disappear around the corner.&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki made a small noise of acknowledgement but didn&#x27;t say anything else. He felt all of this had happened too quickly, too easily, but was unsure of how to address it without sounding overly suspicious. People didn&#x27;t believe in the gods in the city the way they used to. So to just accept that Inari was a young god on the run was... well, it was a lot even with the proof shown right before Naoki&#x27;s eyes. How was he just supposed to go with it all?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Sensei?&#x22; Mirai&#x27;s voice pulled Naoki from his muddled thoughts.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Huh? Sorry, Mirai. What was that?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The girl frowned slightly and put her hand on Naoki&#x27;s arm. &#x22;Are you okay, sensei? I know he startled us at first, but I don&#x27;t think Inari is a danger. I think he could really be a big help. I mean, look at those plants! If he sticks around, we&#x27;ll never have to worry about anything wilting while it&#x27;s here.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki couldn&#x27;t argue with that, but the idea of just keeping Inari around to keep the shop thriving felt...selfish. He needed to come up with something of a plan, an agreement that benefitted everyone without causing a co-dependency. He continued pondering the issue as he watched Inari skip back towards them, clearly ready to move more plants to their proper spots within the shop&#x27;s greenhouse. Almost back to wear Naoki and Mirai stood, Naoki watched Inari get distracted by a small grouping of butterflies, twirling in a circle beneath them and beaming brightly. It was such an innocent scene, how could Naoki feel anything other than compassion towards the young god?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Inari,&#x22; he called, and the young god looked over at him, &#x22;come here for a second.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari&#x27;s expression changed slightly, caution entering his eyes but the smile still remained as he lightly skipped over. &#x22;Yes?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;When it comes to living in the city, it can be expensive. You&#x27;ll need money to pay for food and rent, and you&#x27;ll need a job to get that money.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari pinched his chin in thought, &#x22;Hmm. I never thought about that.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I already agreed to let you stay here if you brought my plants back from the brink,&#x22; Naoki continued, &#x22;but if you&#x27;d like a job to save up for a place of your own, I can offer you that. Mirai and I both agree we could use you around here and I&#x27;d give you a fair wage for your services.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Work here?&#x22; Inari asked, that beaming smile edging back onto his face. &#x22;Really?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;If you want to. I&#x27;ve been meaning to set up a delivery service with all of the flower orders I get. Mirai is in school during the day so she isn&#x27;t able to do it and someone needs to stay here to watch the shop. It would give you a chance to learn your way around the city.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari felt like his heart was soaring. It hadn&#x27;t been a full day yet and Inari had found somewhere safe to stay and a purpose to fulfil! His face was beginning to hurt from how wide his smile was. &#x22;When do you want me to start?&#x22; he said with a toothy grin.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki chuckled, &#x22;You can start right now if you&#x27;re up for it. Mirai can show you the ropes of the greenhouse while I get some flyers printed about starting deliveries. We can have you biking around the city to advertise first thing tomorrow.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari clapped his hands together excitedly.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Sensei, there&#x27;s just one problem,&#x22; Mirai chimed in.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;A problem?&#x22; Inari asked nervously.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Well, yeah,&#x22; Mirai said looking over Inari from top to bottom. &#x22;We can&#x27;t have you working in rags like that. You&#x27;ll need some proper clothes.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki nodded, &#x22;Mirai&#x27;s right. We&#x27;ll need to get something for you.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I can run home and grab something for today, sensei. And maybe take him shopping?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki nodded. &#x22;Mirai&#x27;s right,&#x22; he said to Inari. &#x22;I can give you some money for clothes and Mirai can take you to the shopping district, it&#x27;ll be good for you to learn about where the main spots are before you start making deliveries.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Why don&#x27;t we go now?&#x22; Mirai suggested, looking at Inari with a smile. &#x22;We can find you something from my place and then go shopping for clothes of your own.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Okay!&#x22; Inari said but then looked to Naoki. &#x22;That&#x27;s okay, right?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Of course. Let me get you my card, Mirai, and then you two can go have fun. Just don&#x27;t be gone for too long. We need to show Inari the ropes of the shop before we re-open tomorrow.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;You got it, sensei!&#x22; Mirai smiled. &#x22;We can get to know each other a bit more.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari matched Mirai&#x27;s grin. &#x22;Sounds like fun,&#x22; he said, but if he was being honestly, Inari was nervous. As excited as he was to be in this exact predicament, being faced with his greatest wish was still surreal. But if there was one thing Inari knew how to do, it was to play along until things felt right again. If he could prove that these humans could trust him, then he could trust them as well.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;---------------------------------------------------------------------------&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;AUTHOR NOTE :: Did you know you can read chapters early by joining my Patreon? Free updates will be posted here every other Wednesday, but will be available for Patreons first every single Tuesday along with some bonus shorts on special occasions that will NOT be shared here. Check it out at &#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;a href=&#x22;https://www.voyce.me/patreon.com/lucienwelsh&#x22; rel=&#x22;noopener noreferrer&#x22; target=&#x22;_blank&#x22; style=&#x22;color: rgb(156, 39, 176);&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;patreon.com/lucienwelsh&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;/a&#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