Chapter 1 The Beginning

A tiny ramen shop deep in a Tokyo alley opens only after midnight. Its owner is a nine-tailed fox sentenced to serve a thousand bowls of ramen to lost spirits, and customer number 999 turns out to be an ordinary human who can see his tails.

“Are you really sure you want to do that?” the other person asked, raising an eyebrow. Aito nodded slowly, with no hesitation left in their eyes.

The sky began to turn orange-pink, small clouds drifting lazily along the horizon like a painting someone had carefully touched up as a gift.

“If this keeps up, we’ll need a new plan.” The voice was soft but firm enough to make everyone there turn and look.

Time passed slowly, as if stretched out, every second filled with suspense, until the sound of a bell finally broke the silence.

That night Aito couldn’t sleep. They stared at the ceiling thinking about everything that had happened, before deciding on something that would change everything afterward.

Aito smiled without realizing it. A strange feeling formed in their chest. It wasn’t fear, but an excitement they hadn’t felt in a very long time.

All the way back, Aito replayed those words again and again. Perhaps the answer they had been searching for had been closer than they ever thought.

A cool wind passed by carrying the faint scent of rain, as if nature itself knew something was about to change forever.

Everything seemed to end well, but deep down Aito knew this was only the beginning of a much bigger story.

Aito took a deep breath, trying to sort the tangled thoughts fighting in their head. Everything had happened too fast, so fast there had been no time to brace for it.

Footsteps drew closer, one step at a time, until at last they stopped before the same door. The silence that followed lasted so long they could almost hear their own heartbeat.