A moment later, Kuro slowly drew his face away, leaving behind a delicate thread between them, so fragile it seemed as though the distance alone could snap it.
At the same time, he withdrew his left hand like a serpent satisfied after a successful hunt.
His gaze settled on his fingertips, glistening faintly as though they had just emerged from the dampness of a quiet marsh.
"It seems you truly enjoy a dance like this, Caster."
Tamamo puffed out her blushing cheeks before answering in a spoiled voice, "That's only because you've already memorized every weakness a fox like me."
Kuro let out a quiet chuckle. Without hesitation, he cast aside the hidden layers and allowed something like a serpent to begin its slow journey across the sea of flower petals within the forbidden garden, making its way toward the secret nest concealed deep inside.
"Ah..."
Tamamo's brows knitted ever so slightly. A soft breath escaped her lips as her arms tightened around Kuro, as though she wished to embrace the fullness spreading through her.
Lifting Tamamo into his arms, Kuro began to move slowly, allowing her to savor every wave that gradually eroded her awareness.
"Mmh... nhh... nhh..."
The fox girl's arms rose and wrapped around Kuro's back as she rested her face against his shoulder, accompanied by the soft, steady rhythm of her breathing.
"Nn... mmm..."
From beneath the spread of petals concealing the secret nest, a flow like a spring finally finding its source began to spill forth, leaving the thigh-high socks damp.
Some of that warmth dripped away, falling onto the narrow alley below like rain in the middle of summer.
Yet a moment later, amid the warm reality they had created between them, an idea crossed Kuro's mind. Without hesitation, he quickened his movements, drawing a sharper reaction from Tamamo than before.
Even so, Tamamo made no attempt to stop him, simply allowing Kuro to take the lead.
"Hah...! H-hngh... ♡"
As her soft breathing became increasingly difficult to conceal, she bit down on the fabric at Kuro's shoulder, trying to muffle her voice despite how futile the effort felt.
Her fingers tightened around his clothes as though turning them into an anchor, keeping herself from being swept away by the waves.
The next moment, Kuro's movements came to a halt. Something like a warm current filled that hidden core in overwhelming abundance. Tamamo's body reacted once more, her shoulders trembling faintly as she received the warmth.
Yet because there was simply too much of it, a small remainder slipped through the narrow gap and dripped onto the pavement of the alley below them.
A short while later, everything came to a stop. Silence settled over the narrow alley, broken only by the soft sound of their breathing as it gradually returned to normal.
Tamamo remained against Kuro, her body still trembling faintly. After a few seconds, she lifted her face and looked at her husband through half-lidded golden eyes.
"...Darling," she whispered in a spoiled tone. "A game that... ends far too quickly... will never be enough to satisfy... a fox like me."
"Don't worry," Kuro replied gently. "I just thought of a new game for the two of us. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
"Fufufu~" Tamamo gave a soft, breathless laugh. "I certainly hope you're right... darling~."
***
Some time had passed since the incident in the narrow alley earlier. Tamamo had since replaced her black shorts with a short skirt, and now, Kuro and Tamamo were once again walking side by side along the sidewalk of Kuoh Town.
With every few steps, tiny droplets occasionally fell like morning dew, leaving faint traces of moisture on the pavement without drawing any notice from the people around them.
At the same time, several passersby couldn't help but stare at the pair for a little longer than necessary.
The two looked so perfectly suited to each other that they seemed to naturally draw attention wherever they went, earning more than a few envious or irritated glances from those they passed.
Neither of them paid much attention to it, however. Whenever they happened to notice someone staring, Kuro and Tamamo would simply return the gaze with a friendly smile before continuing on their way as though nothing had happened.
Then, suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on Kuro's face. Without breaking his stride, he secretly circulated a small amount of Prana just to tease Tamamo.
"Nhn-!?"
In an instant, the frequency of something within the fox girl's body increased, causing her to flinch slightly, as though a fox had just had a pile of white snow dumped on top of its head.
Her fox ears immediately stood straight up, while her steps briefly lost their rhythm before she eventually managed to walk normally again.
Fortunately, a patch had been applied beforehand. Otherwise, something rather unexpected might have happened.
"D-Dear..." she softly scolded him while glancing at Kuro from the corner of her eye. "Doing something like that all of a sudden is very naughty, you know..."
Her tone sounded like a wife gently scolding her husband. However, the small smile she tried to hide betrayed the fact that she wasn't actually angry at all.
Kuro finally stopped walking.
Tamamo stopped as well and turned toward Kuro. The moment he saw the fox girl's expression, Kuro's smile only grew wider.
"Oh?" He held back a laugh. "But why are you making that kind of expression?"
Tamamo fell silent for a moment. Then, her cheeks puffed out slightly, while her three tails, hidden beneath a veil of illusion, swished irritably behind her.
"Because you're the one who did it, of course." She lightly pinched Kuro's arm in retaliation. "If you want to play, at least give me a warning first."
Kuro let out a small laugh.
"If I gave you a warning, wouldn't that make it less fun?"
Tamamo narrowed her eyes and stared at the man beside her for several seconds. In the end, however, she merely let out a sigh, while a faint smile returned to her face.
"...You're such a naughty man."
"Calling me naughty," Kuro replied casually. "You're naughty yourself, aren't you?"
Tamamo fell silent for a moment before her smile grew slightly wider. Her two fox ears moved gently, as though she had just found an opening to retaliate.
"Fufu~ If I'm naughty, isn't that because there's someone who keeps teaching me?"
Kuro raised an eyebrow.
"So now I'm the one to blame?"
"Of course, dear."
The two of them still managed to share a small laugh before an unexpected incident interrupted their conversation.
"Ah!"
A little girl suddenly came running from behind and accidentally bumped into Tamamo. The fox girl's body staggered slightly from the impact, but Kuro immediately moved and caught her by both shoulders to keep her from losing her balance.
"Easy."
Kuro then turned around to see what had caused the collision.
The little girl had already fallen onto the sidewalk. She looked confused, perhaps not even realizing what had just happened.
Kuro immediately removed one hand from Tamamo's shoulder and bent down to help the girl to her feet.
"Are you hurt?"
The little girl slowly shook her head. Kuro helped her up before checking once more to make sure there were no injuries on her knees or hands.
"Then be careful next time. Don't run too fast in the middle of the street."
The girl gave a small nod.
However, at the same time, Tamamo's expression slowly changed. As a result of the earlier collision, something that had been held in place by the patch from the beginning seemed to shift slightly, causing her body to tense for a moment.
As a result, a little more of the dew from the secret flower bud began to drip than before, leaving a slightly larger patch of moisture on the pavement beneath her. She quickly composed herself, hoping that no one around them would notice.
Tamamo's fox ears immediately stiffened, while her tail moved restlessly behind her.
Without thinking much, Tamamo quickly raised her hand and touched Kuro's shoulder, as if wanting to make sure they stopped before the situation became even more troublesome.
"D-Dear..."
Her voice was much quieter than before.
Kuro, who was still paying attention to the little girl, immediately turned around. The moment he saw Tamamo's expression, it only took him an instant to understand what had happened.
"...I see."
Kuro's gaze then shifted toward the little girl in front of them. He made sure once again that she was alright before standing back up.
"Well then, we'll be going now."
Tamamo immediately nodded. She grabbed Kuro's arm and gently pulled him along, this time walking much faster than before.
"Dear, hurry..."
"Yeah, yeah."
Kuro followed her without asking any questions. The two of them quickly left the area and continued down the sidewalk at a rather brisk pace.
Meanwhile, the little girl they had left behind simply tilted her head. She stared at the backs of Kuro and Tamamo as they grew farther and farther away, her expression filled with confusion.
"...?"
A few seconds later, she shrugged her little shoulders and continued on her way, completely unaware of what had actually just happened.