A Fox's Maid (33 page)

“
Whatever. The point is that I know what you’re really afraid of, and I think you’re being stupid. You are you and your old man is just some jerk you’ve never met. You’re not him, and you’re not the type to treat Lilian like some kind of object. You’re way too nice for that.”

Kevin said nothing. His eyes remained focused on Eric, who’d never sounded so… intelligent before. Was this really his perverted best friend?

“
If you love Lilian, then be with her. If you want to fuck her brains out, then by all means, have at it. In matters of the heart, it is best to go with your instincts. The question you should be asking yourself isn’t, ‘will I end up being like my old man and leave some poor, innocent girl with a child?’ The real question you should ask is, ‘am I really willing to let this chance at happiness slip away because I’m too afraid to act on my feelings?’”

“
That…” Kevin needed a moment to find his voice. “That was surprisingly profound coming from you.”

“
I have my moments.” Eric clapped Kevin on the shoulder. “Now, let’s go back inside. I want to finish watching
Shinobi Natsumo
.”

“
Sure.”

“
And if I missed Natsumo getting stripped naked because of you, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“
Eric!”

“
What?” Eric shrugged. “I’m just sayin’.
”

Chapter 9

A Picnic Gone Wrong

The room was dark, so dark that very little could be seen. The only source of illumination came from a monitor in the corner, which allowed those present to see vague outlines of various objects arrayed around the room.

Sitting within this room were two figures. Only their silhouettes were visible, two outlines of darkness. They were seated at a small table, sitting opposite of each other.

A fist banged against the table several times.

“
I now call this first meeting of the Lovely Lilian Lovers Club to order.”

“
Dude, there’s no need to be so loud. There are only two of us here.”

“
Two of us? Where’s our third member?”

“
He said he had something important to do.”

“
He had something―oh. Right. I forgot I had him doing
that.
”

“
That? What’s that?”

“
Nothing. Nothing. Just a small favor I asked for. He’ll be stopping by in a little bit. Let us not worry about him and start this meeting. To order!”

The fist banged again.

“
Okay. Seriously dude. There’s no need to do the whole fist-banging thing. There’s still only two of us here. And why do we have the lights off?”

“
Don’t say that, man!” The first voice whined. “You’re totally killing my vibe! Just pretend this is a big meeting filled with thousands of people. It’s not like that day isn’t far off anyway. Lilian’s popularity is growing daily. Already she’s being hailed as the most beautiful girl in school. It’s only a matter of time before more people join our club. And it’s dark in here because we’re in the process of plotting our diabolical scheme. All diabolical schemes must be plotted in darkness. That’s how this stuff goes.”

“
Uh huh… and just where did you get that?”

“
From the Dungeon Master’s Guide.”

“
Ah.”

“
Now then! Enough dilly-dallying and silly questions! We have a meeting to get on with.” The figure leaned its left forearm against the table. “Do we have their itinerary?”

“
Yes.” The second silhouette held up a clipboard. “Our stalking―um, our reconnaissance has borne fruit. It seems they will be traveling to Mountain View Park today.”

“
Excellent! Do we know what time they’re leaving?”

“
No.”

“
That’s fine. I set up a couple dozen spy cameras all around their complex. All we need to do is watch the one by their front door and we’ll know exactly when they leave.”

“
When did you have time to do that?”

“
Never mind that. Now, to the computer!”

“…
Uh, right!”

***

Lilian hummed a soft tune as she waltzed about the kitchen. Her hips swung to a silent beat. If her tails had been out, they would have been swishing about as well.

Today was going to be a special day. Last night she had convinced Kevin to go on a picnic with her. Lilian’s lips curled in delight. This would be their first picnic together, and one that he had promised when they’d gone shopping so long ago. She hoped it would become one of many.

This is so exciting! Kevin and I are going on a picnic!

Kotohime stood with her hands clasped behind her back, watching her charge scurry about the kitchen with a look of amusement. Lilian had always been an unusual kitsune, but it had never been more evident than now.

Very few of their kind enjoyed cooking, and even fewer enjoyed cooking for others. Most kitsune didn’t even know how to cook. They had no need to learn when they could convince someone else to do it for them, and aside from that, the Pnév̱ma Clan had several chefs who cooked for them.

Ever since that day several years ago, when Lilian had encountered a young Kevin, she’d become interested in learning how to cook. Kotohime could only assume that meeting with Kevin had been one of those defining moments in the young kitsune’s life. From that moment on, Lilian had wanted to learn how to be a good mate, and apparently, good mates knew how to cook—at least according to those manga Lilian made her buy.

“
There.” Lilian beamed as she finished filling the picnic basket. “All finished. Now I just need to make breakfast.”

Before Lilian could start something else, Kotohime placed a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “There is no need for you to prepare breakfast as well. Why don’t you get ready for your picnic, while I prepare our morning meal? I believe that shower is calling your name.”

Lilian pondered Kotohime’s suggestion. She wanted to prepare Kevin’s food, but the idea of taking a shower appealed to her greatly, and Kevin would be waking up soon. While she’d love to take a shower with him, that just wasn’t in the cards right now.

“
Okay. Thanks, Kotohime.”

“
You’re most welcome, Lilian-sama.” Kotohime watched Lilian walk out of the kitchen before scavenging through the fridge. “Now where did I put that hot sauce?”

***

Kevin woke up with a groan. After taking several moments to gather his bearings, he crawled out of his sleeping bag and staggered to his feet.

Moaning and groaning like a zombie from a B-budget horror flick, he stumbled out of the room and made his way into the bathroom. It wasn’t long after entering that his mind went from start-up mode to
high-alert. His eyes widened to epic proportions as he stared at the very beautiful and very naked girl standing in front of the mirror.

Why does she never lock the dang door?
The question flitted only briefly through his mind before other thoughts consumed him.

Kevin didn’t know why―actually he did, but denial kept him from admitting it―but the moment he entered the room and saw Lilian standing there naked, his eyes refused to leave her.

Slowly, ever so slowly, blue irises trailed over Lilian’s body. Even now, after all this time and many instances similar to this one, Kevin couldn’t get over how gorgeous this girl was. Her hair, descending like a curtain of fire, went all the way down to her small, heart-shaped derrière. Several strands lay across key points of her body, wet, shiny and erotically sticking to her skin.

While the hair covering a good portion of her breasts should have alleviated the sexual appeal, it didn’t. If anything, the long locks of hair blocking the view of her nipples merely added a sensualistic allure to the already arousing sight. It didn’t help that Lilian wasn’t actually doing anything truly sensual. She was just being her usual self which, oddly enough, made the entire scene sexier.

After absorbing the sight of her side-boob, his gaze descended, devouring the view of her flat belly and cute belly button like a man starved, before traveling down further. He couldn’t follow the curvature of her spine, but that meant little when he caught sight of her shapely butt. Her tails swished back and forth, covering and then revealing tantalizing glimpses of bare bottom. Following the compass of her tush, Lilian’s gorgeous legs

extended seemingly forever, ending in a pair of oddly beautiful feet. Her cute little toes wiggled on the cold tile.

By all eight-million Shinto gods, there really is something wrong with me.

This wasn’t the first time he had seen Lilian naked. This wasn’t even the 40th time. While Kevin hadn’t bothered counting these encounters of the nude and sexy kind, it felt like the numbers had already expanded into the hundreds—a slight exaggeration, to be sure, but he wasn’t one to sweat semantics.

He should have been used to this. He was used to this, and yet the sight of a naked Lilian still got to him every. Stinking. Time.

“
Kevin?”

Lilian had finally noticed his presence and turned around, giving him a full frontal view of her naked body. Kevin thought his eyes might literally pop out of his skull. Heat rushed to his

cheeks… and just about every other part of his body.

If Lilian noticed how red he was becoming, she did a very good job of ignoring it.

“
What are you doing in here? Did you want to take a shower with me?” At the thought of Kevin finally wanting to join her in the shower, Lilian’s eyes lit up like a million-watt bulb. “I just got out, but I wouldn’t mind getting back in. I could even wash your back for you.”

Kevin only registered her words in an abstract sense; like a deaf person, he could see her mouth moving, but couldn’t hear her words. The entirety of his being was focused solely on the vision of loveliness before him.

“
Kevin?”

Worry overcame Lilian at Kevin’s lack of response. She walked up to him, which invariably drew his attention to her breasts. With each step she took, they swayed, bounced and jiggled in a manner that would have made any man lose it.

Kevin felt blood rushing to his cheeks and another, far more sensitive part of his anatomy. His heart pounded in his chest like a mad drummer in a heavy metal band. He started to grow dizzy as blood fused to his face.

“
Are you okay, Kevin? Your face is all red.” Lilian’s lovely face filled his vision. Reaching up and placing a hand behind his head, the beautiful fox-girl pulled him down until their foreheads touched. “You do feel a little hot,” she murmured softly, her hot breath hitting his lips. “But you don’t seem to have a fever or―eh?”

Being so close to Lilian, who looked like she’d been lovingly crafted by the hands of angels to perfectly blend enchanting innocence and deadly allure, was too much. It was way too much. The adolescent mind was not meant to be confronted with such flawless perfection, nor something so sexy. Having a body sinful enough to make Satan envious pressing against him didn’t help matters either.

Lilian watched, blinking, as Kevin was launched backwards by the blood spurting from his nose like a fountain. He shot out of the bathroom, the door shattering as he slammed into it like a battering ram, and flew into the hallway. The wall cracked around his unconscious body as he struck it with the force of an armor-piercing artillery round, abrasions appearing around the center of impact.

He hung there for several seconds, and then his body slowly peeled off like the paint on a Gundam that had sustained laser damage, falling face first to the ground where he lay, unmoving, save for the occasional spastic twitch.

Lilian slowly reached up to her face, where she wiped the blood off almost absentmindedly, her eyes never leaving the still form of her (hopefully soon) beloved mate. She eventually closed her eyes and released a content sigh.

“
Oh, Beloved. You always know the best way to make this lowly Lilian feel like the most important person in the world.”

Naturally, Kevin did not answer.

***

“
I’m really sorry about walking in on you,” Kevin apologized from where he sat across from Lilian. His cheeks were still a very prominent shade of red, but at least he was speaking, and without a single stutter to boot. This remarkable showing of coherent dialect was a significant improvement from as recently as two weeks ago.

“
Why are you apologizing?” Lilian tilted her head for maximum adorableness… and to express her honest curiosity. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before. And besides, you know I don’t mind you looking at me.”

“
I know that,” Kevin muttered, looking away. “But it still doesn’t feel right to walk in on a girl when she’s taking a shower.”

“
But I had just finished my shower when you walked in,” Lilian pointed out.

“
That’s not the point!”

“
Then what is the point?”

“
It’s, uh, it’s…” Kevin thought really hard. He could practically hear his brain farting as it tried to come up with an answer for Lilian’s question. “It’s just common courtesy!”

“‘
Common courtesy?’”

She looked over at Kotohime, who graciously explained the concept to her. “Common courtesy is defined as the simple mannerisms most humans are taught as children. Using words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ at appropriate times, always being respectful to your elders.”

“
So it’s basically just good manners?”

“
More or less.”

“
And not walking in on someone while they're in the shower is a part of this common courtesy thing?”

“
I believe that falls more along the lines of common decency,” Kotohime admitted. “In human society, there are recognized standards of propriety, good taste and modesty. Basically, people expect you to behave in a decent and proper way as defined by their social standards.” Kevin squeaked like a rodent when she tossed him a glare. “Not walking in on someone while they’re taking a shower is definitely one of them.”

“
Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t even know you were in there! You didn’t even bother locking the door!”

“
That hardly excuses your actions. It is always proper to knock before you enter a room. And in any case, you should have heard the sound of running water and known that I was in there.” Kotohime set a plate of broiled fish, a bowl of rice and another bowl filled with pickled vegetables in front of her charge. “Here you are, Lilian-sama.”

“
Thank you.”

“
My pleasure.”

“
I was distracted, okay?” Kevin mumbled lowly.

“
And is that a good enough justification for your actions?”

“…
No.”

“
Exactly. It is not.” Kotohime gave a decisive nod as Kevin shrank into his seat, his shoulders slumping. “Now, have some breakfast, Kevin-san, and be thankful that I have decided to cook something for you at all."

Kevin stared at the small bowl of rice and even smaller plate of fish. He looked over at Lilian’s portion, which seemed nearly twice as large.

He sighed.

“
Thank you,” he murmured softly, picking up the chopsticks and using them to start eating. The food stopped halfway to his mouth, however, when a thought occurred to him. “Where did you get chopsticks?”

Kotohime finished setting all of the food on the table, then stood behind Lilian, hands clasped behind her back. “I always carry several sets of chopsticks in my Extra Dimensional Storage Space.”

Kevin used the hand still holding his chopsticks to facepalm, and consequently got rice stuck to his face and in his hair.

“
Dang it,” Kevin growled.

“
You’re making a mess of yourself.” Lilian stood up and leaned over the table, brushing several grains of rice from his forehead.

“
It’s not my fault,” Kevin muttered. When the rice was gone, the fox-girl’s fingers began running her fingers through his hair, her nails gently grazing his scalp. Despite the heat threatening to burst from Kevin’s cheeks, he did nothing to stop Lilian’s actions. It felt really good.

“
Ara, you look like you’re enjoying my ward’s actions, Kevin-san,” Kotohime observed.

He looked at the maid-slash-bodyguard, unnerved by her neutral expression. He could never decipher her emotional state, no matter how hard she tried. Like a bank vault, the woman’s thoughts and opinions were locked up and sealed tight.

At least she hasn’t run me through with her katana. Sometimes, you’ve got to be thankful for the little things.

“
Don’t look too into it or anything,” Kevin mumbled. “I’m only letting her do this because I’ve given up on trying to stop her. That’s all.”

“
Is that so?” Kotohime raised her left hand to her face, demurely hiding her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono. “Ufufufu…”

“
And stop laughing like that!”

Kotohime settled down, and Kevin and Lilian began eating. Kevin stuck the
umeboshi
into his mouth--and then promptly leapt out of his seat.

“
WAAA! MY MOUTH IS ON FIRE!”

“
B-BELOVED!”

Kevin ran around the room, his hands covering his mouth, which felt like it was belching fire. Lilian ran with him, trying to calm him down with little success.

“
WATER! WATER!”

“
Quick, Beloved! Stop, drop and roll!”

“
ITS MY MOUTH ON FIRE! NOT MY BODY!”

“
H-hawa!”

“
DON’T GIVE ME SOME RANDOM CATCHPHRASE! HELP ME! OH, GOD! MY MOUTH! IT BURNS!!”

Kotohime watched the two panicking youngsters and placidly ate her food while standing up, her smile hidden behind her chopsticks and her eyes glittering with mischief.

Ufufufu, it’s good to be a kitsune.

***

Breakfast continued after Lilian healed Kevin’s mouth, and the group of three soon became four, when a half-dressed and partially asleep Ms. Swift stumbled into the kitchen. Kevin took one look at his mom, and then he sighed when he saw her state of undress.

“
Geez, Mom,” he mumbled, standing up and walking over to her. He deftly buttoned up her white collared shirt, which looked like it had been thrown on half-haphazardly, before fixing her collar. At least she had a skirt on this time. “You’re completely useless when it comes to anything first thing in the morning. I don’t know how you manage to stay alive when you travel the globe.”

Seriously, his mom had no household talents whatsoever. Oh, she tried. She tried very hard to be a good mother, but the truth was that, more often than not, his mom would act like a younger sibling, forcing him to play the parent.

It should be the other way around.

“
Nnnggggg… coffeeee…”

Resisting the urge to slam his face against a wall, Kevin guided the woman to her chair, which already had her breakfast and a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of it.

The woman’s tired eyes focused on the meal. Then on the coffee. The meal again. Back to the coffee.

Kevin couldn’t keep himself from running a hand down his face when his mom went for the coffee, guzzling it down with much gusto.

Kotohime seemed to find some amusement in this. “Ara, ara. Swift-dono is definitely not a morning person.”

“
You haven’t figured that out already?” Kevin asked with a hint of sarcasm. “Mom’s pretty much useless in the morning. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but panties and a T-shirt these past few days. She’s been known to do that.”

Ms. Swift had recovered enough of her mental faculties by that point to respond. “That’s a mean thing to say about your mother.”

“
Doesn’t make it any less true.”

“
I’m actually kind of surprised by that.” Lilian’s eyes were on Kevin. “You always get up so early that I sort of expected your mom to be an early bird as well.”

Kevin nodded at her words. “Most people assume that, but I learned to wake up early on my own, because I knew that if I didn’t, I would be going to school without breakfast… and I’d probably end up being late, since Mom normally doesn’t wake up until nine or ten in the morning.” He spared a glance at his mom. “I’m actually kind of surprised she woke up so early today.”

“
I’m up early today because I need to catch my flight back to France.”

That caught the attention of everyone at the table, but none more so than Kevin. “You’re leaving already?”

“
Yep.”

“
But you’ve only been here for a few days.”

“
I technically wasn’t supposed to leave France at all until Christmas break,” Ms. Swift told her son. “I still have a lot of work to do. I need to interview several runway models and fashion designers for Vogue, and Elle has commissioned me for a story around Yves Saint Laurent’s Fall collection.”

Kevin’s disappointed frown spoke volumes about his feelings. “Sounds like you’re going to be busy.”

“
Yeah. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it home for Christmas this year.” Ms. Swift gave her son an apologetic look. “I was only able to take time off now because I’m running ahead of schedule.”