NOVEL NEXT Chapter 361 – Shrine exploration
Chloe and Steph were still on their date while exploring the capital. So far, they had walked around a lot and had a rather romantic-seeming brunch in a chic restaurant. Afterward, the duo continued exploring and eventually found a shrine dedicated to Mira, and the dog-girl really wanted to take a closer look. Mira was the one who gifted her magic, after all, and she wanted to properly thank her for that and thought a shrine might be a good place for that.
“Ohhh!” The moment the two entered Mira’s shrine grounds, Steph’s face lit up. “Rather than a shrine, it’s a whole temple complex!” There were many buildings of varying sizes that lightly looked like Asian-themed temples in perfect condition, and countless fox statues were placed on pedestals all over the place. In the middle of the main grounds was a massive statue of a very elegant-looking full fox. “Whoa, that’s the second most beautiful fox I’ve ever seen!” She seemed to like it a lot. “She is fluffier than you, though… Sorry.” She sounded slightly apologetic while she glanced at the pink fox next to her.
“…” Chloe wasn’t sure how to react to any of that. "Feyfey told me a lot about Mira, she seems to be quite a fan, but it’s my first time visiting a shrine, too. She really is very pretty. Fluffy, too! Even more than Feyfey!”
“Whoa, wait a moment!” Steph walked around the statue and noticed something. “She doesn’t have one mega fluffy tail, but actually multiple ones!”
“Oh, you are right! Let’s see... One, two, three... Nine in total! Wow!” Chloe also got more interested in it. “Wait, nine...? That sounds familiar for some reason...?”
“Really?” The dog-girl tilted her head. “Anyway, stop being so greedy, Mira! There is no such thing as being too fluffy, but what if someone else missed out on becoming fluffy because you needed nine tails? I get it, though! Excellent choice!”
"How about you decide on a stance? Also, I don't think that's how it works..."
“No! Do you mean that no one else missed the chance to become fluffy because of that?”
“Pretty sure.” Chloe nodded and rolled her eyes at the same time.
“Perfect! Good job then, Mira!”
“Ahaha...”
“Didn’t the wolves say that she also has a humanoid form? I wonder if there’s a statue of that somewhere, as well. Oh, do you think she also has nine tails in that one?!”
“I don’t see why she wouldn’t. Though, it might be hard to walk or keep your balance with that much tail? I already have some issues every now and then.”
"In your defense, your tail is worth three or four of Mira’s, so...” Her eyes wandered between the foxes. “See, Mira’s cheating! You’re actually fluffier! You win in both categories! Number one in being the fluffiest and most beautiful fox!”
"A-Again, I don’t think that’s how it works, either... Thank you, though...” Chloe’s cheeks turned red.
“No, it’s definitely how it works!”
"Also, Feyfey only has one tail, and it's fluffier than mine...”
"..." Steph turned silent and started pouting. "Shut up, and let me compliment you!"
“I-I’m sorry...?”
“You better be!” The dog-girl pouted even more. “If I say you are the best, then you are the best!”
“O-Okay!”
“Good girl!” She was happy that she finally understood it. “Alrighty, let’s see if we can find a statue or something similar that shows her humanoid form!" Saying so, Steph gave Chloe's hand, she was still holding, a short squeezing before dragging her with her.
“S-So eager!”
“That’s another thing you have to get used to!” The violet-haired girl smiled at her. “That’s one of my most defining features!”
“That shouldn’t be too hard~.” Chloe smiled back at her. “Most of the time, I’m the same!”
“Yay! That’s-, ohh?” Happy about that, Steph suddenly noticed something inside one of the shrine buildings while the two were walking around. “I think I found it! It looks like an illustration of what we were looking for!”
“You’re right!” Chloe also found the art of a fox-woman, seemingly in her mid-twenties. Not that her actual age would have to do anything with it. Her ears had the same size and shape as those of Chloe, and she had long pure white hair, with a few strands of it being teal colored. Her eyes were teal, as well. The most striking feature was her many tails, though. Basically the entire background was filled with them. All nine of them had the same coloring as her hair. Most of them were white, with the tip of each also being teal. “She looks so pretty and elegant!”
“She really does look so elegant!” The dog-girl nodded a few times. “Her style is amazing, too!” She focused her attention on the figure of Mira, of which a lot could be seen as her clothes were somewhat revealing. She was wearing a top with detached sleeves and a bit of midriff showing, combined with a skirt that was open at one side. Both were mainly black with teal highlights and some colorful applications and accessories on them. It was hard to judge her height without a reference, but her overall figure looked similar to Maya's, maybe slightly more slender. "Midriff does things to me..."
“Hey!” The pink fox-girl had noticed her detailed stare.
“Ahaha...” She awkwardly rubbed the back of her head before continuing. “In terms of being pretty, she’s still number two, though!”
“T-There’s just no way you’d honestly think that!” Chloe pointed at the painting of Mira. “She’s leagues above!”
“I’m always serious about the things I say!” Steph looked right at her. “I’d say you actually look somewhat similar, and you're the improved version!"
“Just how do we look similar?! We’re both foxes, that’s all!”
"Yeah, with your ears, color aside, looking almost identical. Also, both of you give out a comfy feel. Mira looks more mature, but your facial features have something slightly familiar, as well!”
“Really...?” The pink fox took a better look at the white and teal one. “I don’t see it. Okay, maybe ears aside, that is..."
“It’s hard to compare yourself to others! Also, you look much better, so I can understand that you don't see it, but I do think there are some similarities.”
“S-Shut up already!” Her blush got stronger.
“I will never!” Steph had no plans of listening to her. "ALSO! Pink is much better than teal! AND! One mega-fluffy tail is much comfier than multiple very fluffy ones!”
“...” Chloe needed a moment. “I-I don’t know how I feel about being compared to a literal goddess...”
“I’m not comparing you to one! I’m putting you above one!”
“That doesn’t make it any better!”
“It sure does!” The dog-girl had no intention of backing down. “Just so you know, I’m also just warming up! I can go much harder on the compliments if you don’t accept the current ones!”
“T-Thank you very much! I’m delighted you think so highly of me!"
“You’re very welcome~.”
“Uuh...” Chloe felt a little bullied, but in a way she could hardly complain. Bullied with love, that is.
“Alrighty, with this fact clarified, let’s go on!” While slightly squeezing the hand she was using to hold Chloe's, she raised her other arm high into the air.
“Gladly!” She was very happy about this change of topic.
“Let’s go!”
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The duo walked around on the shrine grounds for a bit longer while taking in the buildings and statues, but this time it was Chloe who found something that interested her.
“Eh...?” The pink-haired girl suddenly stopped walking while her eyes were peeled on two fox statues sitting next to each other on a pedestal.
“Hmm?” Steph also looked at them. “Another beautiful fox! Is that what all of you have going on? Being criminally beautiful? Well, that applies to everyone in this world, but... Foxes really take the cake! It’s also a single-tailed mega-fluff fox! Very nice! Uh-oh... She might actually be fluffier for real, Chloe...”
“That’s Feyfey!” Chloe tilted her head while staring at the fox next to Mira. “That’s 100% Feyfey! It has no colors because it’s stone, but you can still see the pattern in her fur and her supreme fluffiness!”
“Feyfey?” The dog-girl needed a moment. “Wait, your mom?”
“Yeah! Why does she have a statue here?”
“Are you sure it’s her?”
“Don’t you think I would recognize a statue of my own mother?!”
“Fair point.” There was nothing Steph could say. “Maybe they know each other? Are friends, even?”
“Why would my mom be friends with Mira?!”
“Why not?” Steph looked at her. “Sophia’s friends with Canir, and the wolves seem to be well acquainted with him and Mira. It’s not impossible for Fey to be similar, right?”
“…” She wasn't sure what to reply. "Why do I know so many weird and over-the-top people for it to make sense…? Feyfey knows Mira…? She never told me, though!”
“It’s probably not an easy topic telling someone that you know a goddess?”
“I guess so…” Chloe nodded a few times. “I can also keep nothing to myself, so…”
“Same here! Don’t ever ask me to keep something a secret!”
“Good to know! That’s mutual, by the way! Still…” The fox-girl looked at the statues again. “Even so, why does Feyfey have her own statue here?”
“Hah.” Steph tilted her head. “Maybe they’re very good friends?”
“How good of a friend do you have to be to get a statue in the shrine dedicated to said friend?”
"If I ever become a goddess, there will be tons of statues of you in my shrines!" The dog-girl was on a roll.
“I-I see…”
“How about we ask her once she’s back?” Steph was also interested in the story here.
“Yeah, let’s do that! I’m really curious now!”
As they were unable to get any answers right now, as the foxes in question weren't around to tell them, the duo continued their exploration of the shrine for a while until eventually arriving back in the central area with the giant statue of full fox Mira.
“I guess that’s all, huh?” Steph noticed they were at the entrance again. “Well, it was much bigger than I had thought.”
“Much more surprising, as well!” Chloe was still confused about their findings.
“True!” The dog-girl gave her a big nod. "I would really love to meet Mira and thank her in person! Do you think there’s a way to contact her from the shrines?”
“How, though?” She tilted her head.
“Hmm…” Steph thought about her idea for a bit. Soon after, she lifted the hand she was using to hold Chloe's and put both their hands on the side of Mira's statue. “Maybe we just have to think about her here and pour some magic into her statue to get a connection?”
“As if it’s that ea-!” Without even being able to finish her sentence, their vision suddenly turned white, and the duo disappeared from the shrine grounds.