Open the door. The first thing I felt was the sticky, greasy, and fragrant air.
The secret kitchen that Citry had prepared was now completely transformed into a fried tofu factory.

I didn't expect this to happen. ...... I'm the one who asked Citry to prepare the kitchen, but I didn't expect it.

The kitchen was piled high with wooden boxes. The first material had been prepared by Citri, but there were obviously more than that.

When I looked at Sitri beside me, he shook his head.
If the contents are all ingredients for fried tofu, then Sora has already found the source of the ingredients in such a short period of time.

'I see. ...... I'm surrounded by talented people, aren't I?

Has she already decided to go in that direction?

Unfortunately, I can't keep up with her. It's okay if I help out once in a while, but it's not like my favorite food is fried tofu.

The sound of oil popping. In the kitchen, there was Sora, wearing a mask and waving a frying pan frantically, and me, wearing a fox mask, with my legs crossed in the air in a pompous manner.

Sitri's expression hardens, and he looks up at me softly.

He rubs his eyes and stares at me again, floating in midair.

It's me. It's me. A mask won't disguise my eyes. It's closer to me than to Klach Andrich.

Sora's gaze turns to me, and her eyes widen in surprise.
When she noticed me, I took off my fox mask and gave her an unnecessarily cool grin.

I say in a good looking voice.

'...... Well, well, well. ...... I'm not going to ask you who you are, you're my fake. You've had your way with me.

What?

He opened his hands and looked down at them.

'I'm a fake ..................?

'This is the real one! Aaaaah!

Citrine hugged me with a yellow scream.
I was looking at the scene with wide eyes, but then I hugged my knees as if in a daze.

I don't know what's going on,.......

No, but if you think about it--I'm not this good looking.
I don't know what it is, but you look very strong for the same outfit. I don't know what's going on here, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

I gave up on pursuing the matter further because it seemed to be too much trouble, and moved my gaze to Sora's and got right to the point.

'Sora, that mask, I gave it to Gaff-san.

' ........................? I'm not sure what to say. What ......? Why?


Sora is very confused. The way she looks at me and me holding her knees alternately shows that she doesn't understand the situation at all.
But don't worry, I have no idea either.

'Cause you looked like you wanted it. I didn't need it anymore. ............ Well, that's about it, and I'll take care of the rest.

'? What ......?

The hunt for criminals being conducted by the lights is ............ going to be settled nicely. The lights are not my subordinates, and they are much more independent than I am.
I was the one who mediated between them, but I don't know what happened after that. Maybe he's just happy to have a connection with the strange but highly-specialized foxface club.

All I have to do is to take in our wild children.



The real me, the one who was kneeling there, said.



'.................. I'm leaving, too.

'............What?


I blinked, and the real me had transformed into my sister fox.
A small voice came from behind the mask. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I see. ...... Fox monsters are said to have the ability to transform people, but can a sister fox transform into a person as well? But why was she transforming into me?

Sora's cheeks twitch, and she makes a crazy noise.

'What? Wait, wait, wait! What, why?


The sister fox picks up the fried tofu from the frying pan beside her, gulps it down, and swallows it thoroughly before saying.


'.................. I'm bored.

'? ! ! I'm bored,............? I'm bored? I'm not sure what to do.


I'm not sure what to do.


'I can't read the air. The tension has dropped. I can't do this anymore. I'll just go sightseeing and go home. Thanks for the fried tofu.


He really has no sense of responsibility.

............ But sometimes I forget that the fox girl was an illusion in the first place.

'Such ..................'.

The moment Sora muttered in dismay, her sister fox was gone.
It really is an absurd and terrifying power, even though she was watching closely.

But illusions are usually absurd.

But to be transformed by a fox is ...... really pitiful. I'll have to file a complaint with my brother later.
But first, Sora needs help. I don't throw things out without thinking like my sister fox.

I pushed Citri's head into my palm a few times and said, "I don't know if you understand the situation or not, but you have a thin smile on your face.

'Sitri, take care of it.

'............ My wife, my wife, my wife.'

'............ Don't get a taste of that.












How come I'm the only one who gets this .......

Sora, who was supposed to spend the rest of her life as a priestess of the Fox God, has been completely hunted down by the bosses of the organization.

It's a good idea to take a look at the website to see if there's anything you can do to help.



In the first place, when the fake is an acquaintance of the real, the situation is a bit confusing, but the latter is fatal.

At any rate, it means that one more member of the real mask holders - the boss - has been added.

And Gaff does not know that the person who gave him the mask is a fake. In the first place, it was Sora who assured him that the person who gave him the mask was real.

The situation had already become irreversible.
He hadn't done anything wrong, he had only listened to the boss's words, but he felt he was in a tight spot.


Where on earth did I go wrong? Was it because Senhenhenbanka had the mask? Was it because Sora had judged the boss just by looking at the mask? Was it because she was stubborn when Gaff asked her about it? Or was it because she didn't reveal the truth along the way?



There's only one answer: .............


In the empty kitchen, Sora shouted to herself as if to say to herself.




'I'm not wrong! I can say it with pride! I was ordered by the boss, the White Fox-sama, to fry the fried tofu, so I did! If the boss says we're going to take over the world with Inari-zushi lunchboxes, then it's our duty as priests to obey him! The boss's word is absolute! You can't doubt it! I've done all I can!


I can feel the confusion in the headquarters, which I communicate with regularly.

In the first place, the strategy of frying the oil is far removed from the past movements of the organization.

Something's going on. I sense a huge, inexplicable swell of fate.


What Sora misjudged (but didn't misjudge) was merely being caught up in the change.


The die has already been cast. The priestess of the Fox God is obligated to be a mystical being who is wise and does not make mistakes.


We have no use for a priestess who misjudges her boss. So Sora never makes mistakes and never apologizes.


The real boss and the fake boss both told her to fry the oil. That order has not been withdrawn.
You just keep frying them. That's how they said to take the world. No matter how ridiculous the order is, as long as you don't know what intentions lie behind it, you have no choice but to obey.
So, Sora's role is simple. Take the world by the frying pan. Yes, as a not-so-secret society, the Ten Tails of Deep Fry.



The rest is whatever you want it to be.
Sora, a priestess of the Fox God is just a priestess who serves the gods, not a leader who runs the organization.




Footsteps could be heard from the other side of the door. They sounded vaguely confident. Sora snickers.
Those footsteps must be Gaff. They belong to poor Gaff, who inherited a real mask from a fake boss.


In a way, he's even more of a victim than Sora.
But Gaff's the boss now that he's got the real mask. He has a responsibility to be the boss. That's how this organization is built. There's no room for doubt.


The door opens. Gaff walks in, wearing a fox mask.

Sola takes a deep breath, kneels down to carry out the role of a priest for the first time in a long time, and opens her lips solemnly.




'White Fox-sama. The construction of the fried bean curd production system you ordered is progressing steadily. What should we do about ...... now?




White Fox-sama is an object of worship for the miko. Raising her mask without permission is unacceptable.

In the first place, it was Gaff who hastened the production of fried tofu at the order of the old White Fox-sama.
I'm not sure what to make of that.



'............ Well done. Do you understand the plan for the future?

'............Yes. I have taken your order to heart. I will make Inari Sushi Bento and rule the world.

'What? ............ No, ...... nothing. Do you understand the intent?

'.................. Understanding White Fox-sama's thoughts is far beyond the reach of a mere priestess.'


'Impossible.


Apparently, the new White Fox-sama hasn't been told anything either.
No, there's only one ...... white fox-sama. There is no old or new. There are rumors that the alter egos are meeting with each other, but he is alone.

It's true that when he was Gaff, he might not have needed to know the intentions of his orders. But not now.

But not anymore." After a moment of silence, Gaff said to Sora, who was quietly accusing him.

'........................ At any rate, we can't stop the plan once it's in motion, can we? Isn't it?

'............ Everything is as the White Fox-sama wills it.

'I am the White Fox. I'm in charge of everything.'

'You're right. That mask is the unmistakable sign of the Fox God's representative, and as a priestess I will obey.'

I declare fearfully. But I can sense that Gaff is just as confused as I am.

Now, the minds of Sora and the new boss were in agreement.



'The other day, Master White Fox gave an order. He said to create a new organization. The name of the organization that will enter the front stage is the Ten Tails of Deep Frying.


'? Ummm... ......'


The man who was once known as the King of Thieves and the leader of a large bandit group was not used to this kind of situation.


He groaned with difficulty for a while, but then said as if he had made up his mind.


'The strategy before ............ is novel. Even within the organization, there are those who cannot accept it--confusion can be expected.'

'...... I think you're right.'

'Orders have already been given and ...... issued. Headquarters is also in turmoil. Depending on the situation, there could be civil unrest.'

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


Civil war. As a priestess, I can't nod my head in disrespect, but you're right.


I don't know how they communicate with each other, but as there is no single leader, there is no possibility that they will fight each other.

And in that case, the one who will be in a tight spot is the white fox in front of him who has just inherited the boss. There is no one who would want to board a sinking ship.

Then, the new White Fox-sama said in a quiet but powerful voice.





'I am the guide. Order every member in the vicinity to participate in the mission. Let them fry! Hurry up with the work! Get the stores ready! Get the distribution channels set up!

'............ as you wish.'



The voice was urgent.

I'm not going to let him get away. I'm going to bring them into my ranks. Foxes don't forgive traitors and they don't trust them. That's why Gaff is going to bring everyone in.

No one knows the White Fox is taking over yet. While there's still some credibility left as the old white fox.

And that, oddly enough, was exactly what Sora was going to do.





'Those who disobey, those who follow others, and those who do not follow orders will be purged! All current operations are canceled! Make them work so they can't escape! Get them ready for battle! Issue a large order to headquarters in the name of the White Fox. This is an operation of the utmost importance. I'm the guiding light. I won't let anyone get in my way! Don't back down! Fight! Don't worry. We have the Fox God's blessing!




Once an order is given, it can't be revoked so easily. A leader has a duty as a leader.
There is no other choice but to die or go on.










Three days before the main event of the Emperor's Festival, the city was filled with even more excitement.
Luke and the others seemed to be in high spirits (though they were rarely not in high spirits).

As I was lounging at the inn, Lucia, who was recharging her treasure (which had been depleted by playing), suddenly said something strange.

'Speaking of which, Leader, are you ready for the Martial Emperor Festival? It seems that the number of treasures is quite small this time.

'...... Yes?

Preparations? Are you talking about the preparations for the ...... cheering? Of course I'm prepared. I'm an unrivaled man when it comes to cheering.

Lucia smiled at me, sighed in exasperation and held out a lavishly decorated pamphlet.



'Brother, it's the first round. Do you understand?'

'Hmm?'


I looked down at the pamphlet. On the page was the tournament list for the Martial Emperor Festival.
He blinked and read out the battle card written on the tip of his white fish-like finger.






'............ Krach Andrich vs Krai Andrich?'


'............ How many people have the same name as mine?