EPISODE 5.2 :: KITSUNE GOODIE BASKETS

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 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 5.3 :: ONCE A LIAR, NEVER A THIEF

EPISODE 6.0 : NOTICE TAKEN

AN AUTHOR NOTE

BONUS : OMISOKA - a holiday special

&#x3C;p&#x3E;It was only about twenty minutes or so at the most before Higurashi had eaten his fill, but Inari continued to use his abilities to bring the plants to a flourish. He knew he was pushing the limits of the plant life itself - it could only be put through this process so many times before it would wither from exhaustion alone - but the young god was too caught up in his little mission. Telling the boy to stay put, Inari ran to the store front and returned with a slightly damaged flower basket that Naoki had set aside. Surely he wouldn&#x27;t miss it.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;What&#x27;s this for?&#x22; Higurashi asked, wiping the sweet juice of a strawberry from his chin with the back of his hand.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;To take home,&#x22; Inari smiled and started loading the basked with the vegetables he had produced, putting more of the berries on top. &#x22;Assuming you have somewhere to go?&#x22; Inari realized how rude it would be to assume this boy had a proper home if he didn&#x27;t have one. Or was it more rude to assume he &#x3C;em&#x3E;didn&#x27;t&#x3C;/em&#x3E; have a home?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Thankfully, Higurashi nodded, &#x22;Yeah, I have somewhere to go... Thanks...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;You&#x27;re welcome,&#x22; Inari beamed.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I guess... I should go then...&#x22; the boy said awkwardly.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Okay,&#x22; Inari said, still smiling. &#x22;Come find me if you need anything.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Really?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Well, yeah. I told you I&#x27;d help you out, didn&#x27;t I?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;A suspicion that was more mild than before crept back into Higurashi&#x27;s voice and he asked, &#x22;Why &#x3C;em&#x3E;are &#x3C;/em&#x3E;you helping me?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;A few months ago, a stranger helped me the same way and now we&#x27;re friends. I felt the need to pass that kindness on.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Is it common for kitsune gods to help tunnel rats like me?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The term confused Inari and he tilted his head. &#x22;Tunnel rats?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Higurashi sighed, &#x22;The poor people who live in the access tunnels from the outlands into the city. Tunnel rats is what the city people call us.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;That made Inari sad to hear. This boy was definitely in need of some proper meals and maybe a bath, but he was a person all the same. That meant he deserved the same amenities as everyone else. &#x22;You don&#x27;t look like a rat to me,&#x22; Inari said quietly.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Higurashi shrugged, &#x22;It is what it is. Thanks for the food.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;As the boy turned and began walking away towards the back door to leave Inari called out, &#x22;Wait!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;What?&#x22; Higurashi said as he turned around.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Will you share that basket with anyone? Or will you keep it to yourself?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The boy&#x27;s eyes narrowed, &#x22;What are you trying to say?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Just that... I want to be sure there&#x27;s enough there.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Oh,&#x22; Higurashi said, somewhat surprised. &#x22;Well, um, I&#x27;ll give some to a few others when I get back...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;You think that basket will be enough?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Yeah, well, we&#x27;ll split it up evenly so everyone gets something.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;What if I brought more to you tomorrow night?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;What?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari had come close enough to grab Higurashi&#x27;s free hand, &#x22;What if I brought another basket to you tomorrow night? That way everyone &#x26;nbsp;will definitely have enough to eat.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I...&#x22; Higurashi didn&#x27;t know what to say.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Just tell me where I need to be, and I&#x27;ll be there. I promise.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari&#x27;s face was so genuine that it was throwing off the boy more than when he had been suspicious of this fox-eared weirdo. It took him a moment to free his hand and when he did he said, &#x22;Let me think about it.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The answer was satisfying enough to Inari that he nodded with a smile. &#x22;Okay.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Okay,&#x22; Higurashi repeated and then he saw himself out the back door of the greenhouse.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;#&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The next morning, Naoki woke up with a groan. His head was pounding with an aggressive anger and the man was already cursing Kosuke&#x27;s name for having dragged him to the bars as the festival wound down. At least he&#x27;d made it home in one piece.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Carefully, he eased himself out of bed and made his way into the other room in search of a glass of water at the least and maybe some painkillers if needed. The apartment seemed far too quiet, but in a way Naoki was thankful for it as he polished off two full glasses of water in a row before splashing his face with the kitchen tap water. Though it wasn&#x27;t until after he had dried his skin that he looked up and saw the clock.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;&#x3C;em&#x3E;Shit&#x3C;/em&#x3E;,&#x22; he cursed under his breath. It was well after opening time downstairs.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;#&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Morning, Sensei,&#x22; Mirai smiled as she saw Naoki scramble down the stairs into the shopfront. &#x22;You look terrible.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki held in his groan until the customer she was checking out had left and then said, &#x22;You can thank your brother for that one.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The girl laughed, &#x22;Oh. Kosuke looks &#x3C;em&#x3E;much &#x3C;/em&#x3E;worse. What did you two &#x3C;em&#x3E;do &#x3C;/em&#x3E;last night?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki laughed awkwardly and changed the subject, &#x22;How&#x27;s everything been down here this morning?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Though there was a suspicious look in Mirai&#x27;s eyes, she didn&#x27;t press anything. &#x22;Busy, but we expected that, right? I mean it would be kinda bad if we &#x3C;em&#x3E;weren&#x27;t &#x3C;/em&#x3E;busy after yesterday.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Good. Good. And Inari?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;In the greenhouse. He said he had some deliveries to put together before taking them out.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki nodded distractedly. &#x22;I&#x27;ll go see how he&#x27;s doing,&#x22; he said. &#x22;You&#x27;re okay up here for now?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Yeah, but-&#x22;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Thanks, Mirai.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The girl huffed as she watched Naoki walk away. She was a little worried about him but the shop was too busy to get distracted so she got back to work in the shop front, checking out the customers.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;#&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;In the back of the shop, Inari was hard at work putting together little care packages. He hadn&#x27;t yet heard from Higurashi about where he should go, but Inari felt it best to be prepared. If he didn&#x27;t hear back, then at least he had things at the ready. And it felt good to be productive.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Inari?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The kitsune jumped in surprise and turned around quickly. &#x22;N-naoki?&#x22; he stammered. &#x22;You look terrible.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;So I&#x27;ve heard...&#x22; Naoki tried to say it with a laugh, rubbing a hand over his face. &#x22;What are you doing back here?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Here? Um, well... There were some orders that came in and I thought I&#x27;d put them together before I took the others out since they&#x27;re, um, all in the same area...&#x22; It was a weak story, but Inari hadn&#x27;t expected Naoki to come down after how late it was when he&#x27;d come home the previous night. He hadn&#x27;t expected to need much of a story, instead just hoping that this little endeavor of his would be &#x3C;em&#x3E;his &#x3C;/em&#x3E;thing.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Need a hand?&#x22; Naoki asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Almost too quickly, Inari moved in front of his work to block it from view. &#x22;No, no. I&#x27;m fine. I&#x27;m almost finished.&#x22; Naoki&#x27;s face changed curiously so Inari said, &#x22;You really don&#x27;t look well, Naoki. Maybe it would be better if you went back upstairs to lie down.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Naoki sighed. &#x22;Do I really look &#x3C;em&#x3E;that &#x3C;/em&#x3E;bad?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari offered a small smile, &#x22;You should get some rest.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;A hand came down to ruffle Inari&#x27;s hair and Naoki breathed a hint of a laugh. &#x22;Come get me if things get too busy down here.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Sure thing,&#x22; Inari smiled.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;And don&#x27;t forget your hat if customers come back this way.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari just kept smiling as he watched Naoki walk away again. That had been a close call and he exhaled with relief as he got back to finishing up his packages. He carefully tucked them away as he put his real deliveries in the basket that would be secured to his bike and went into the alley to get on with his duties. As he was just about to ride off, he noticed a small bit of white sticking out from beneath one of the garbage cans beside the door. The kitsune set down the kickstand to keep the bike from falling over and went to investigate.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Sure enough, a corner of a paper napkin had been tucked beneath the empty can and Inari pulled it. Scratch on it in very messy characters was a little note with an address on it. Inari didn&#x27;t recognize the address but perked up when he turned it over and found a crude little map drawn on the other side. With a smile Inari made sure to safely tuck the napkin into his pocket and got to his customer deliveries. The sooner those were through, the sooner he could head underground.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;#&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The map was tricky to follow in the unfamiliar territory that was the subterranean neighborhood but between the gentle light of the bio-luminescent flora and the blessing of his good eyesight, Inari carefully maneuvered his bike loaded with bundles through the maze of shuttered homes. He felt like he had been walking forever, and then he came to a dead end. With a frown, the kitsune pulled the napkin from his pocket again and squinted to try and make out where he could have gone wrong.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;...and then a left... No, that can&#x27;t be right... Or maybe I went right...&#x22; He muttered to himself with a hint of frustration. Why was this so complicated?&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Lost?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari turned around at the sound of a voice behind him and smiled when it saw Higurashi standing there. Even though the boy was wearing that same suspicious expression and had his arms crossed over his chest, Inari was happy to see him.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Higurashi!&#x22; he said with a wide grin. &#x22;I&#x27;m sorry I took so long. I think I got a little turned around down here.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;No, you got it right,&#x22; Higurashi said. &#x22;Did you really think I&#x27;d give a stranger my real address?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari felt his face flush a little. &#x22;No... I guess not...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The boy rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms as he turned around, &#x22;Follow me this way. Everyone&#x27;s waiting.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari jogged a little to catch up to him, and the two quietly walked back through the neighbourhood until they had come to a different dead end street. At the end there was a group of young people ranging from about Higurashi&#x27;s age to much younger. All of them were grubby looking and thin, their skin pale from the lack of sunlight down here. Inari felt a pang in his heart as he got closer, wondering if these children had ever been above ground.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;There you are!&#x22; a little girl called, her arms crossed and cheeks puffed out.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Took you long enough to get here,&#x22; a little boy chimed in from where he sat on top of a garbage can.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Higurashi rolled his eyes at the both of them as he gestured towards Inari. &#x22;This is Inari. The weirdo I told you about.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Six sets of eyes turned to the kitsune and Inari&#x27;s face warmed under the scrutiny as he gave a sheepish wave. There were three older children, two girls and another boy, and three young ones in the same numbers.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Almost immediately the little girl who has scolded Higurashi bounced up to Inari and asked, &#x22;What makes you a weirdo? Is it those ears? Are you a furry?&#x22; She reached up as if she&#x27;d be able to read Inari&#x27;s ears.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;He didn&#x27;t know what a furry was, so Inari kept his answer simple, &#x22;I&#x27;m here to help you out a bit.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Help?&#x22; one of the older girls asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Yeah,&#x22; Inari replied. &#x22;I brought bundles for you. I didn&#x27;t know how many of you there would be so I have extras you&#x27;re welcome to share around.&#x22; Under the careful watch of his audience, Inari pulled out several bags from the basket on his bike and held them in front of him.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;It took a moment but the older kids stepped closer and took the bags from Inari, carefully looking inside.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;They&#x27;re all the same inside. Tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, a few berries and other fruits,&#x22; Inari explained. &#x22;It&#x27;s all freshly picked so it should last for a decent amount of time. The potatoes especially.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Berries?!&#x22; the little boy exclaimed. &#x22;Lemme see! Lemme see!&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The excitement made Inari smile and he looked to Higurashi who was helping the boy go through the package to find the berries he was so excited for. Higurashi felt the eyes on him and looked up to meet Inari&#x27;s gaze. While he didn&#x27;t return the smile, Higurashi did give Inari a nod of respect that the kitsune returned.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;What did you say your name was again?&#x22; the other older boy asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Inari.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Inari. I&#x27;m Satoru.&#x22; Satoru then went around and introduced the others; the little boy was Akira and the little girls were Yui and Lisa, the older girls Asami and Sachi.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;So why did you bring this stuff?&#x22; Sachi asked as she ate a tomato as though it was an apple.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari shrugged, &#x22;I wanted to help. Food helps.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The girl nodded, seemingly satisfied by that answer. &#x22;Do you plan to continue helping? Or was this a one time act of pity?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari frowned, &#x22;I don&#x27;t pity you.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Lay off, Sachi,&#x22; Asami chimed in. &#x22;This is more than anyone else has done for us. We appreciate it regardless of if it&#x27;s just this one time.&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;Are there lots of you struggling down here?&#x22; Inari asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The group looked between themselves before Satoru said, &#x22;Probably. We kinda keep to ourselves.&#x22;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;So if I came back with more packages, there would be people who would appreciate it?&#x22; Inari asked.&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x22;I should think so,&#x22; Satoru said.&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;Inari had an idea. &#x22;Where would be a good spot for anyone to just come and get one?&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;The group once again looked amongst itself before everyone turned to Higurashi. The boy thought for a moment before saying, &#x22;There&#x27;s always the night market...&#x22;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;&#x3C;p&#x3E;To Inari, that sounded perfect.&#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