The masks dropped by the phantoms of the [Lost Inn] are indeed valuable. However, from the looks of it, they don't seem to have any special abilities.

When a phantom dies, it vanishes without leaving even a piece of clothing behind, but in rare cases, some of the items it wore when it disappeared may remain.
It is said that the probability of such items being dropped increases in proportion to the power of the illusion, but these dropped items often have lower abilities than the treasure. Phantom drop items are, in a sense, shards of the illusion.

If you ask me whether they are rare or not, they are rare, but they don't seem to me to be the kind of items that the members of the Fox Mask Enthusiasts Association would follow without question. The design sense is quite good, but modern technology could easily reproduce it.

The change in Sora's expression in response to my question was dramatic. The holy atmosphere that she had been wearing until now dissipated, and her eyes became black and white.
When she turned around and looked behind her to make sure that there were no other foxes, she let out a trembling voice.

'What are you talking about, White Fox-sama? You've got to be kidding me. ............'

'This mask, I got it the other day when I defeated a phantom in the treasure house.

'! What? Huh? What? What? Heeeee!!!'

Sora's complexion turned blue, then red, then blue again . Interesting. .......

But what the hell did Sora and the others think this mask was?
Remove the mask and look at it carefully. It's just a mask. It's just a fox mask.
The design is excellent, and it certainly has a strange atmosphere, but if it were me, I would have preferred a "reverse face" with the ability to transform, rather than a fox mask like this. Is that too much to ask? .......

'Huh? Let's see. ...... Mmmmmmmmm......?

'Hey, can this mask be sold at a high price? Valuable?'

'? U, sell it?

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I see. ...... So it's a valuable item that you can't imagine selling. But you see,......, I don't understand the value of this mask.
It's a good idea to have a mask that has a hole in the middle for your eyes. You can see what's in front of you even without the treasure.

You can see what's in front of you even if you don't have a treasure trove. The only girl in the fox mask club who wasn't wearing a mask approached me and said in a hushed voice, as if she were telling me a secret.

I'm not a white fox. You are not a white fox, and your mask was obtained in the treasure house,......?

I finally noticed the urgency in his words.

Are you ...... confusing me with someone else?



'No,........................, no... It's a ......... lie,............'

Sora let out a thin scream and twisted her head around as if she was trying to escape reality. Her behavior is more appropriate for her age than it was when we first met.
I put my mask back on and comforted Sora, who seemed to have made a mistake.

'Well, well, well, that happens sometimes. ......'

'Why didn't you tell me when you pulled me out?

'............'

I don't like it when you say that. She's the one who suddenly said, "This way," and took me to the meeting place of the fox face lovers' association. I was just puzzled the whole time.

'Then, then, what is the Fox Mask Lovers' Association?

'Huh? It's not ............? It seems like everyone was wearing a fox mask.

'.................. Is that possible? Is there such a thing? What do you mean? ...... No, no, no. I didn't learn it!

I'm not sure what to say. If you're going to say that, ...... then what was the right thing to say in that place?

For once it's not my fault at all. It's Sora's fault. It's also the fault of the fox mask club for making such a child an errand boy. But it would be immature to point that out to Sora.

I showed my hard-boiled maturity.

'Well, well, if you honestly confess and apologize, she'll forgive you.

'What? You'll be forgiven? Did you say it's forgiven? No, of course not! I said it, you know! I said it! You're the White Fox-sama, clearly!

'Yeah, ............, you can't do that, you have to be clear about reporting and liaison. Do you know what 'report, contact, consult' means?

'Why do you have a real mask? Only the sacred white fox should have that!

'Eh? It's just a small fish drop from the [Lost Inn].

'?

Well, there's also the question of how many people wander into the inn in the first place, but the phantom disappeared after a simple conversation. It is not surprising that there are several of them out there.

'In the first place, isn't the system itself strange that a white fox mask is a sign of a white fox? Isn't the system itself strange? There may be mistaken identities, and I think the system needs to be changed. Why don't you consult with them?

'----!!!'

Sora sits down, covering her ears at my suggestion.
There are plenty of white fox masks. I'm sure there are plenty of fakes that can be made.

'It was just a coincidence this time, but there might be people who approach you wearing masks with bad intentions.

'Hey, you, please shut up!

'Oh, yes.

It was a suggestion made with the fox mask lovers' group in mind, but apparently they didn't listen to it.
I sighed a little and folded my arms, waiting for Sora's decision.

It's not my fault this time. I just put on the mask I had to hide my face.


It's not as bad as the tip of my pinky toe, but it looks like a pain in the ass and I'm willing to apologize if that's what it takes. I've used my chin. .......

'So what does that mean?
'You've got the wrong guy?
'But the mask is real?
'But you misjudged the White Fox?
'But it's God's mask, so it's real?
'But as a priest, you're not wrong?
'But he's not the boss?
'Is the organization ...... wrong?
'It was my first ...... job.'

Sora mumbles, as if trying to organize her thoughts.
It's okay. We all make mistakes, I make mistakes all the time.
What's important is the future. It's not like that mistake is going to kill anyone, so let's just take it easy.

Eventually, Sora stood up, as if he had collected his thoughts.
She wavered for a moment as if she were dizzy, but quickly recovered and stared at me.

There were tears in the corners of her eyes. Her clear eyes are looking at me with a fox mask on. Then Sora said.








'You, ............, are unmistakably the White Fox.








'What? No? I'm just a hunter who happened to get the mask.

I'm not sure what you've been listening to me about all this time.
At my response, Sora clenched her fist and pointed her finger at me.

'No, sir. I've made my decision. You are the White Fox-sama whom the Fox God recognized and gave the divine weapon!

'What? No!


'In the first place, if the mask is real, it means the inside is real too! That's what I've always learned! I'm a priestess, a priestess of the venerable Fox God. I've been raised to be one. You can't fool my eyes. Never!


'I see. That's ............ great.'

These are stubborn words.
What kind of meeting is the Venerable Miko ...... Fox Mask Enthusiasts Association (tentative)? Is it fun? Maybe I should join too.

No, but if I join the Fox Mask Lovers Association, will I have to obey the White Fox? I don't like that. I don't like that.

'I mean, I'm not making a mistake.

'No, you're making a mistake.

'I have no intention of harming the organization. If anyone says I'm wrong, they're a traitor.


...... Huh? Maybe he's trying to hide a ...... mistake? Is he a ...... bad boy by any chance?

I'm not sure what to say. I am unrivaled in my ad hoc responses.

Sora's eyes were spinning in circles. She's sweating profusely. But even so, Sora clenched his fist and raised it vigorously.

'A new organization headed by a new white fox recognized by the Fox God. Its name is ............ 'The Ten-Tailed Shadow Fox'. Now that we have one more tail, this one is higher!

'No, no, no, no, you can't do that.

'What?


The Ten-Tailed Shadow Fox. It's an ominous name. In the first place, the word 'fox' doesn't have a good image because of the matter of the emperor's guards, and it could be mistaken for a criminal organization.

Names are important. I've regretted naming my party "Ghosts of Sorrows" many times. I'm so used to it now that I can't imagine changing it, but when I first became a hunter, I was mistaken for a Red Party because of the name and was chased.


I'm stupid, but not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.
I declared to Thora, who rolled her eyes.




'It's not a good name. We're not--'





'Yes, the Ten Tails of Fried Fish.




'? Ten tails of fried tofu?

Sora makes a crazy noise, but I'm serious.

'Yes. Ten tails of fried tofu. Fried tofu is good, it can even save your life sometimes.

It's actually saved me from a fight once. Good food is good. Good taste is what saves the world.

'The name of such a ...... secret organization is "Ten Tails of Fried Fish"? Don't you have any sense?

Sora retorts. A secret organization? Did you say secret organization?
I crossed my arms and said with a hard-boiled expression. Too bad I can't show it because it's hidden by my fox mask.


'A secret organization ......? No, it's not a secret. What we need to do is to create a delicious 'Inari Sushi Bento'. We're going nationwide.

'? Are you serious? Are you serious?

What we need to do is to make fried tofu. We're going to make delicious 'Inari Sushi Bento' with the White Fox's seal.
Of course I won't be participating, but it seems that the phantom of the Lost Inn loved inarizushi, so it's perfect.




I'm--I'm brilliant today.