EPISODE 2.3 :: FROM A PLACE OF KINDNESS

EPISODE ZERO :: PROLOGUE

EPISODE 1.1 :: VEGETABLE GRAVEYARDS

EPISODE 1.2 :: A GUEST IN THE TOMATOES

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 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;Inari skipped down the hallway, looking around at all the shop fronts and the people, allowing himself to take it all in and embrace the feeling of such crowds rather than becoming overwhelmed by them. It was a feat easier said than done, however, and Inari was finding it difficult to look around for a present for Mirai while also paying attention to where he was going. After the third person scolded the young fox god for bumping into them, Inari took it significantly slower, trying to keep close to the walls to stay out of people&#x27;s way.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;However, the more he walked, the more he wished he hasn&#x27;t been so foolish and taken off without waiting for Mirai. The longer he walked around the labyrinth of the shopping mall, the less confident he felt in getting back. Not to mention that there was no chance that Mirai hadn&#x27;t noticed he was gone by now... With a sigh, Inari tucked down another hallway to get away from the density of the crowd in this one and to form a new game plan: get back to the food market.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;#&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Outside of the mall, Mirai paced back and forth at the entrance nearest the foodcourt as she waited for Naoki to arrive. The girl had done her best to run around looking for Inari, but had entirely lost sight of him.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Mirai!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The girl turned around and saw Naoki running towards her. She jogged to meet him halfway and collapsed into his chest. &#x22;I&#x27;m sorry, Naoki! I just went to clean up after lunch and then he was gone!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki could feel just how upset the girl was and hugged her tight. &#x22;Mirai, it&#x27;s fine. We&#x27;ll find him. He seems like a bit of a magpie to me. I wouldn&#x27;t be surprised if something caught his eye and he got turned around after trying to take a closer look.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Mirai took a step back and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand while Naoki rubbed her shoulders. She was genuinely worried about her new friend and that worry was more than clear. &#x22;What should we do?&#x22; she asked, calming down.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;We&#x27;ll go to the security desk and give them a description of Inari and we can also see if we can spot him as well. It&#x27;ll be okay, Mirai. This is all... well this is new to all of us but... well...&#x22; Naoki sighed. &#x22;This has been a really weird day, hasn&#x27;t it?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Mirai offered a small smile, &#x22;It really has, Sensei.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;With a sharp exhale, Naoki put his hands on his hips and exhaled sharply. &#x22;Let&#x27;s go find our new little friend, yeah?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Yeah,&#x22; Mirai said with a nod, and the two of them headed back into the mall.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki and Mirai went straight for the security desk and gave their full description of Inari. Mirai covered what he was wearing and Naoki covered his looks. &#x22;Um, if he isn&#x27;t wearing a sunhat,&#x22; Naoki also added, &#x22;he might have a headband with fox ears on it.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The security guard made a curious face. &#x22;A fox ear headband?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;H-he&#x27;s a little eccentric,&#x22; Mirai said. &#x22;But that&#x27;s all the more reason why we&#x27;re worried...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Right,&#x22; the guard said and added the note into his computer. &#x22;I&#x27;ll put this out to the staff walking the mall. We&#x27;ll call you if we find anything.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;And if we find him first?&#x22; Mirai asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Come back here and let me know.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;#&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari wasn&#x27;t sure how long it had been. It was difficult to tell with so much going on. The hallway he had gone down didn&#x27;t have any external windows so he couldn&#x27;t even see the sun. Although with the way the light was refracted and reflected in all of the glass, he doubted he&#x27;d be able to read the sun for the time. He found a bench in the center of the hall and sat down, crossing his legs and setting Mirai&#x27;s bag in his lap. After all that, he still hadn&#x27;t been able to find anything for Mirai... or for himself. Running off truly had been foolish.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;A noise to Inari&#x27;s right had his ears twitch beneath the had and he carefully looked over. Two men in matching blue clothes were talking to each other. Inari could only hear them in fragments but he caught enough.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;... white and red shawl ...&#x3C;/em&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;.... short cut-off jeans ....&#x3C;/em&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;... out-of-place sunhat ...... fox ears ...&#x3C;/em&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;These strangers were looking for him.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari moved quickly but cautiously as he got off the bench, holding Mirai&#x27;s purse tightly to his chest as he started down the hallway in the opposite direction from the matching men. He didn&#x27;t know why they would be after him other than they knew what he was. Had they been following him? If so, then for how long? They didn&#x27;t look like they were from the countryside so there shouldn&#x27;t have been a way for them to have been in the group that followed him here, right?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Hey,&#x22; Inari heard and he made the mistake of turning around.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;When he made eye contact with one of the men, he caught the glimmer of recognition in his eyes and immediately turned back around, picking up his pace.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;A second called &#x22;Hey!&#x22; had Inari breaking into a run, doing his best to duck and weave through the crowd. Inari went into panic mode just as he had when fleeing the farmers the previous night. He knew he was causing far too much trouble in the hallway, drawing more and more attention to himself with each person he bumped into, but there was nowhere to hide in a place like this. There were too many people watching for him to be able to slip out of sight, too many people for him to shift into a fox and disappear.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari risked a look over his shoulder, but before he could get a look at whether or not the matching men were still following him, Inari collided with something tall and firm in front of him. He turned back around and looked up to apologize immediately when-&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Inari?!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;It was Naoki. Thank the &#x3C;em&#x3E;gods, &#x3C;/em&#x3E;it was Naoki.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari clung to the shop owner, shaking all over with nerves. &#x22;Naoki, there&#x27;s two men after me and I don&#x27;t know who they are but I-I heard them talking and-&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Hey, hey, it&#x27;s okay,&#x22; Naoki said, his voice tense but gentle as he pried the god away from his chest and Mirai went to the men Inari had mentioned. &#x22;Inari, it&#x27;s okay. They&#x27;re only security guards. We asked them to help us find you after Mirai couldn&#x27;t on her own.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;S-security guards?&#x22; Inari was still frightened, his mind running almost too fast to keep up with what was being said to him.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Mirai came back over to the both of them, &#x22;They radioed the security desk so we don&#x27;t need to go all the way back. Are you okay, Inari?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The fox god nodded but didn&#x27;t say much else, his tear-filled eyes large and upset. Naoki patted him on the head over the top of the sunhat and suggested that the three of them head home after such a long day.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;No!&#x22; Inari protested immediately.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;No?&#x22; Naoki asked. &#x22;Why not?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;B-because... Well, because...&#x22; Inari was still hugging Mirai&#x27;s bag and he looked at it as he spoke rather than at his new friends. &#x22;I wanted to find a present for Mirai...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;F-for me?&#x22; Mirai asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I saw two girls exchanging gifts in the food market and I... Well, it seemed like something that friends do for each other...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Mirai and Naoki exchanged a soft look with each other before Mirai put a hand on Mirai&#x27;s shoulder. &#x22;You don&#x27;t have to do that,&#x22; she said. &#x22;But thank you for the thought. I think that maybe the mall was a little bit much for someone who hasn&#x27;t been in the city very long so why don&#x27;t we listen to Naoki and go home for now and try again at one of the smaller outdoor marketplaces?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;It took a moment for Inari to smile at her but once he did, the two of them hugged and Naoki lead the group of them out of the crowded mall.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;strong&#x3E;#&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;By the time they all got out of the mall, it was late enough that Mirai decided to head home instead of coming back to the shop. One Naoki and Inari had walked her back to her apartment, they began the walk back to the shop.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;That&#x27;s nice of what you tried to do for Mirai,&#x22; Naoki said, breaking the silence between them as they walked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I like her,&#x22; Inari said back. &#x22;She&#x27;s very sweet and generous but everything she has is old. I thought... I thought she would like me if I could find her something new.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki let out a low laugh, &#x22;She likes you. Believe me.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Really?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Kid, it&#x27;s been less than a day and you&#x27;re wearing her clothes, you met her brothers,&#x22; Naoki looked over at Inari and was met with the more innocent face it made him smile. &#x22;I promise that she likes you. Mirai doesn&#x27;t have too many friends.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Why not?&#x22; Mirai had been so nice to Inari, he couldn&#x27;t believe that she didn&#x27;t have many friends.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;She says she&#x27;s too busy. If she&#x27;s not at the shop, she&#x27;s with her brothers. I&#x27;ve tried to talk her into not coming around as much or at all, but every time I try to tell her she needs to be social with her classmates, she comes up with one reason or another about why she can&#x27;t. Most of it not being true, I can tell.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;It&#x27;s nice she has such a big family, though,&#x22; Inari commented.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;She&#x27;s certainly lucky those boys found her.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Again, Inari was confused. &#x22;What do you mean?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;em&#x3E;Damn&#x3C;/em&#x3E;, Naoki thought, kicking himself for saying that. Mirai didn&#x27;t often mention the details of her brothers. With a sigh, Naoki said, &#x22;Only the twins are actually Mirai&#x27;s brothers. The older two aged out of foster care together and didn&#x27;t want the same thing to happen to other kids they knew. So instead of worrying about where the other four kids in that house were going to end up, Daichi and Kosuke more or less adopted them.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari wanted to ask more but got the feeling he probably shouldn&#x27;t.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;They&#x27;re good kids,&#x22; Naoki said. &#x22;Well, I say they&#x27;re kids when they&#x27;re not that much younger than I am. I wish I could do more for all of them.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari stayed quiet for a long while as they walked. So much had happened today that he felt exhausted and enthralled at the same time. It had been a lot but Inari had still enjoyed every part of it, every learning experience he had faced so far.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Can I ask you something?&#x22; Naoki asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Sure,&#x22; Inari replied. &#x22;Anything you want to know.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Why did you run from the security guards?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari was quiet for a moment, weighing his words. &#x22;I... Well, in the countryside people still worship the harvest gods like they did before the Collapse. A fox god isn&#x27;t a common sighting out there but it happens and the farmers who tend to see us have habits of trying to kidnap us for their own gains. It&#x27;s scary and I wasn&#x27;t sure who they were. They mentioned fox ears and, well, I just...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Your instincts took over,&#x22; Naoki finished for him and Inari nodded. &#x22;But you trust me enough to stay with me? Even though you hardly know me?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;You&#x27;re different.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;How so?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari shrugged. &#x22;I can&#x27;t explain it, but I know you&#x27;re different. The trade of a job for my abilities is also different than chaining me to a post in your barn.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;That was an image that made Naoki shudder. &#x22;I promise that will not be something I&#x27;d ever do.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari smiled, &#x22;See? You&#x27;re different.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The quiet that came between them as they finished their route to the shop was finally a comfortable one. By the time they got upstairs, it was quite late, and Inari just about collapsed onto the new futon without much thought. Naoki was almost disappointed that he didn&#x27;t get to see him turn into a fox as he draped the duvet over the sleeping young god but figured it might be for the best. There was still going to be a lot to teach Inari over the next few days and it was going to be a lot of work. Naoki just hoped his new friend was ready for it.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#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