Chapter 92

That "change" suddenly visited Kohaku one morning. Or rather, when she woke up, it was already "like that," so it must have happened while she was sleeping.

In any case, the "change" had occurred in Kohaku's body as she woke up as usual.

"Ugh... Good morning..."

"Good morning, Kohaku. It's great that you woke up before I came to wake you. ...I'll just wipe the damp bangs from your face when you wash up."

"Um."

Kohaku usually wakes up about an hour later than we do. It's not because she stays up late... she goes to bed about an hour earlier than us, so she gets more sleep.

She can now get dressed, wash her face, and brush her teeth on her own, but sometimes her hair is still messy, so Anna always makes quick adjustments without hurting her self-esteem.

Oh, the collar of her dress is a bit folded. I'll subtly fix it later.

Kohaku, with a sleepy face, walked over and sat down at the table where we were gathered. As Anna stood behind her and reached out to touch her hair, she suddenly froze with her hand suspended in the air.

"Ko... Kohaku, your tail...?"

"Hmm? What's wrong with Kohaku's tail? Hehe... It's fine to pet it sometimes, you know."

"No, that's not it...! Your tail... Your tail has split into two!! Kohaku's!!"

"Huh?"

Oh, even though she usually doesn't like us touching her ears or tail, this is unusual. I thought. But the next moment, I raised my head from the newspaper and looked at Kohaku when I heard what Anna had screamed.

What does it mean that her tail has split...? Since the table was in the way, I couldn't see the crucial tail. I hurriedly got up from my seat and moved behind Kohaku.

"Oh no... Kohaku's tail has split into two?! What should we do... Is there a doctor who can see Kohaku...?"

"What? Kohaku's tail has split? What's going on?"

Noticing that Anna was flustered, Kohaku seemed to realize that this wasn't just a trivial matter and got up from her seat. Indeed, Kohaku's tail had become two. However, it didn't look like it had split due to an injury. It just looked like her usual fluffy tail had increased to two.

Kohaku spun around to look at her tail, chasing it like a puppy, which was kind of cute... but this wasn't the time to think about that.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt, but... what's going on? Split... What's wrong with Kohaku's tail?"

"Let me see your tail for a moment, okay? I'll touch the base."

"Um... be gentle, please..."

Kohaku stopped spinning and, with a serious expression, stuck out her bottom. I gently lifted the hem of her dress and slowly touched the base of her fluffy tails. Both tails seemed to be growing from the area where our coccyx is. I could confirm that the bones inside the tails had split into two.

The nerves and muscles seemed to be the same in both tails. They were both trembling anxiously, and when I gently grabbed them, they slipped out of my palm as if unconsciously resisting.

It seemed less like a new tail had grown and more like Kohaku's single tail from yesterday had "doubled."

For now, it didn't seem to be painful, but we should take her to the clinic as soon as it opens. However, since Kohaku said she's a "kitsune" and not a beastkin, I'm not sure if there's a hospital that can treat her.

Currently, the most numerous species in the world are "humans," but there are various races among "humans." Beastkin are the second most numerous, so there are many doctors who can treat them. Dwarves share many medical treatments and medicines with humans, so there are a few clinics in large cities like Lindemen.

But for Kohaku's species... is there a doctor? And like elves, there might be religious reasons why they can only be treated by doctors of their own kind, which I don't know about.

No, in any case, there should be a doctor in Kohaku's hometown. Fortunately, since she's not in pain, the possibility of a serious illness is low. If we head to the capital, Huang, right away, we should be able to make it.

"Leana, what do you think? Kohaku's tail has split... It doesn't hurt, but what's going on...?"

"Kohaku... try to stay calm and listen."

"Um, okay..."

"Kohaku's tail has doubled. It's not split, but the tail that was one yesterday has become two. I don't know the cause, so as soon as the clinic opens, we'll take you to a doctor and ask if they know any doctors who can treat your species."

"...Huh? The tail has doubled? That's all?"

"Anna, can you arrange a car to the city with the magic train station? And can you look up the route to Huang? I'll ask the hotel staff if there are any doctors in this city who are familiar with different species. When I get back, we'll take you to the doctor. Kohaku, can you wait in the room for a bit?"

"Understood."

"Wait, wait a minute!! Kohaku's tail is not a strange disease!! It's not!!"

As we were about to run out of the room, Kohaku stopped us.

We both turned to Kohaku, who had her hands in her skirt, touching her bottom and holding both tails, looking dazed.

"I was surprised when Anna said it had 'split'..."

"But, Kohaku... suddenly having an extra tail is a big deal. For humans, it would be like waking up with three legs. Even if it doesn't hurt, you should see a doctor..."

"It's not a disease. How should I put it... Anyway, I'm hungry, so can I explain after we order breakfast?"

Kohaku, holding the room service menu and seriously choosing her breakfast, made us exchange glances. We had been worried about the emergency, but it seemed Kohaku knew something about her tails.

We calmed down, chose our breakfast, and after ordering through the speaking tube, we faced Kohaku again.

"This is a sign that Kohaku has become an adult."

"An adult...? But your height... doesn't seem to have changed at all..."

I looked down at Kohaku's dress. If she had grown taller, the length would have changed, but it hadn't. And besides her height, there didn't seem to be any significant changes in her body.

Anna and I looked at the two tails that were now swaying behind Kohaku.

"No! I'll grow taller later! Anyway, in the kitsune clan, tails increase as they grow older... This is a sign that Kohaku has become an adult... or is starting to become one."

Kohaku, puffing out her chest proudly, made me smile. She looked so cute even though she was saying she had become an adult.

But to avoid complicating things, I decided to move the conversation forward.

"So, the increase in tails... is it like a normal part of growing up, like how human boys' voices change?"

"Yes. So it's not a disease or an injury, and it doesn't hurt or itch. You two were so worried about it being 'split' that I thought something had happened to my tail."

Hearing that, Anna and I both sighed in relief.

So... it was just something we didn't know about, and for Kohaku's species, it was a normal occurrence. We relaxed and were able to enjoy our breakfast as usual.

Well, the staff who knew us were surprised when they saw Kohaku's two tails swaying behind her. When we explained, "Kohaku's species grows more tails as they get older," they nodded in understanding.

Kohaku is considered a rare beastkin, but we don't need to explain the details.

Oh, I should tell Fred and Eddie.

"Is there anything else that has changed? Any changes in your body... or anything we should be aware of and take care of?"

I was on guard for things like a change in balance that might affect her movements, but Kohaku's response was unexpected.

"!! Yes... I can't eat carrots anymore, and I feel like I need to eat pudding four times a day, including snacks. And I think I only need to take a bath every three days."

"…Lady Leana, it seems there are absolutely no changes in Kohaku's condition."

"Seems so."

"?! Why? Why did you figure it out so quickly?!"

Taking advantage of our ignorance about the "kitsune" species, Kohaku had tried to make up convenient stories for herself, but we saw through her plan instantly. Of course.

"Kohaku, you need to keep clean every day because you move around and sweat."

"Ugh... I like soaking in warm water, but I don't like getting my head wet..."

"Also, Kohaku, you can't be picky about food."

"Ugh..."

While smiling wryly at Kohaku's weakness about water in her ears, we finished our enjoyable breakfast.

Afterward, while drinking tea, we pondered, "How should we explain Kohaku's extra tail to Fred and Eddie without surprising them?"