The Fox Hole (Multiversal Restaurant)

Chapter 72:

– Haru –

A couple hours later, I woke up feeling warm and relaxed, with Naruko snuggled comfortably in my arms. As I slowly opened my eyes, I smiled at the sight of her peacefully sleeping face, her breathing slow and steady. My golden tails were wrapped gently around her soft, fluffy red ones, and it felt so comfortable that I almost wanted to drift back to sleep again.

Naruko stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open to meet mine. We both chuckled softly, slowly untangling our tails, taking our time and enjoying the soft sensations.

"Morning, beautiful," I said quietly, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips. She kissed me back eagerly, holding the moment a little longer before pulling away with a small sigh.

"Morning, Haru," she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes as her fox ears drooped slightly. She looked adorably disgruntled as she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "Ugh… I really don't wanna get up. Can't I just stay here with you instead?"

I laughed gently, brushing her silky hair out of her eyes. "You can stay here as long as you want," I told her gently, still running my fingers softly through her hair.

Naruko laughed, rolling her eyes with playful exasperation. "Yeah, I could—but then I'd have to deal with Tsunade yelling at me again. I might be a demon fox now, but she's a real devil. You have no idea how scary she gets when she's pissed…" She shuddered dramatically at the thought, and I couldn't help chuckling. Naruko was probably the only person I knew who could face down literal Endbringers but still tremble at the idea of getting scolded by her boss.

Although Tsunade had become Rias's Rook now, so her fists were probably pretty scary…

I briefly thought about suggesting we shower together, but I hesitated. I wasn't sure if she was ready to move our relationship forward yet. We hadn't crossed that boundary so far, and I didn't want to pressure her.

Then, without warning, Naruko stood up from the bed and began nervously tugging off her shirt. I felt my heart rate spike immediately as her breasts bounced softly into view. My mouth went dry at the sudden sight, and she glanced shyly in my direction, her cheeks flushed bright red.

"I—I was going to take a shower," she stammered softly, looking both nervous and hopeful. "Do you, um… wanna join me?"

My boxers suddenly felt uncomfortably tight as I watched her, completely speechless for a second. "Are…are you sure about this?" I finally managed.

She blushed even deeper, fidgeting slightly. "Just so you know, we're not having sex yet. But, um…" She bit her lower lip shyly. "We could do other things…if you want."

She turned around quickly, giving me a full view of her perfectly shaped backside as she walked into my bathroom. Any hesitation I felt immediately vanished, and within seconds, I was out of bed, stripping off my boxers eagerly before following her inside.

…

I walked out into the restaurant from the back hallway, unable to stop myself from grinning. I paused just inside the doorway, leaning comfortably against the wall as I watched Naruko hurry toward the front door. Her cheeks were still glowing a deep red, and I couldn't help feeling proud that I'd put that blush there.

"See you later," I called softly, enjoying the sight of her twitching fox tails and shy smile as she paused by the exit. She glanced over her shoulder, gave me a quick, embarrassed wave, and slipped outside.

We'd gotten into some fun in the shower…

Chuckling to myself, I moved behind the counter and started drumming my fingers absently on the wooden surface. The restaurant was empty, which wasn't surprising since I'd overslept well past noon. I hoped no one had shown up earlier only to find the place closed and be disappointed.

Just as I was starting to wonder who my first customer of the day would be, the door swung open, and Harry Potter stepped inside. It had been weeks since I'd seen the young wizard, and he looked around the restaurant with obvious relief at finding the place empty, except for the two of us.

"Hey, Harry," I greeted him, smiling warmly. "It's been a while."

"Hey, Haru," Harry responded, giving a relaxed wave as he approached the counter. "Yeah, sorry about that. Things at school have actually been going pretty well, believe it or not. I'm kind of enjoying being a student these days—which still feels weird to say."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "So, does that mean you've changed your mind about dropping out after the Triwizard Tournament?"

Harry shrugged thoughtfully. "Honestly, I don't know anymore. At first, leaving after the tournament seemed like the only option. But lately, with Hermione and everything going on at Hogwarts, I'm actually starting to rethink it. If things keep going like this, maybe I won't need to leave after all."

I nodded in understanding, then asked curiously, "Speaking of Hermione, how come she isn't with you today?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck nervously, shifting his weight. "Well, actually, she's kind of the reason I'm here. Hogwarts is having this big dance soon—the Yule Ball—and Hermione and I are going together."

I grinned broadly. "Sounds fun. What's the issue, then?"

Harry grimaced slightly, clearly embarrassed. "Apparently, since I'm one of the champions, I'm supposed to lead the first dance. But I've never danced in my entire life—I don't know the first thing about it! If I don't learn, I'm going to embarrass myself in front of everyone."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Harry shot me a playful glare, and I quickly raised my hands in apology. "Sorry, sorry—Relax. I'm sure we can find a yokai around here who'd be more than happy to teach you how to dance. Trust me—you'll be fine."

At that exact moment, the front door of the restaurant swung open again, and Enri stepped inside, followed closely by Alice. My girlfriend had an amused look on her face when she saw me standing awake behind the counter.

"Oh good, you're finally up," Alice teased lightly, giving me a playful smirk as she approached. "I was prepared to kick you awake if you were still sleeping!"

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I'd love to see you try."

Enri blushed softly, ducking her head with a shy smile. "I would have just gently woken Lord Haru up."

I gave her a grateful smile, appreciating her kindness as she moved behind the counter and started putting on her apron. Enri hadn't been spending as much time in the restaurant lately. After Carne Village was destroyed, she started attending high school in this world instead. I'd thought about it a lot and decided it wasn't fair for her—a teenage girl—to work here nearly full-time, even if she was from a magical / feudal world originally. She deserved to enjoy life as a regular girl, too.

Enri let out a sigh when she noticed some leftover dishes from the night before still piled next to the sink. "Really, Lord Haru? You're hopeless sometimes," she muttered affectionately, immediately loading them into the dishwasher.

Alice had already turned to greet Harry, giving him a warm smile. "Hey Harry, long time no see. How've you been?"

He flushed slightly when he glanced at her, suddenly embarrassed. He repeated the same explanation he'd just given me, although he seemed much more uncomfortable admitting that he couldn't dance to my beautiful, psychic redheaded girlfriend.

Alice simply shrugged, unfazed. "Honestly, I can't dance either—or at least, I don't have any memories of ever dancing. It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she reassured him. 

Harry visibly relaxed at her words, giving a relieved nod.

Alice then turned back to me, a curious look on her face. "By the way, Haru, where's the pipsqueak? Your mother was looking everywhere for Kunou, but she's not at the palace."

My good mood evaporated instantly. "Kunou? She's not here," I said slowly, feeling worry start to claw at my chest. "I thought she was with Tanya. Did she seriously run off again?"

Alice frowned, concern flickering in her eyes. "Already checked with Tanya. She hasn't seen Kunou since earlier."

I let out a deep sigh, running my hand through my hair. "Shit. Mom and I were both exhausted—Kunou must've taken advantage of that."

Harry quickly pulled out his wand, aiming it toward the center of the restaurant. "I can try a locator spell," he offered hurriedly, muttering under his breath. A faint white glow pulsed from the wand. 

It spun for a few seconds… and then pointed directly toward the front door.

Yeah, not very helpful.

I sighed, running a hand down my face. Of course. That confirmed exactly what I suspected. Kunou, my mischievous little sister, had definitely run off to play hero in another world. For a ten-year-old kitsune, she managed to create more chaos than anyone else I knew.

"I guess we're going on a little rescue mission," I said reluctantly, stepping around the counter. "Knowing Kunou, she's probably causing trouble for someone…"

Just as I started toward the door, the whole thing exploded inward with a loud crash, sending splinters flying everywhere!

My heart jumped into my throat as Kunou ran inside, breathless, her golden hair a tangled mess of leaves and dirt covering her clothes. Thankfully, aside from looking like she'd just fought an army, she seemed perfectly fine physically.

But she wasn't alone.

Milim sprinted in right behind her, skidding dramatically across the restaurant floor, fists clenched and a huge grin plastered on her face. She whipped around to yell through the now wide-open doorway!

"Your aim stinks, you big blue meanies!" she shouted, laughing gleefully. She then waved her hand and the wood started to collect back together. The door was fixed and started closing itself!

As the door slowly began to close, I caught a glimpse of a dense, alien forest beyond, right before a volley of massive arrows came streaking through the doorway directly toward us.

Enri screamed, immediately ducking behind the counter for cover! Harry panicked, fumbling awkwardly to cast a protective charm. Before he could even finish, Milim sprang into action. In a blur of motion, she effortlessly plucked every arrow right out of the air, twirling them like they were nothing more than sticks.

"That was SO awesome!" Kunou shouted excitedly, practically bouncing on her toes. "Did you see that, big brother?! We totally beat up those evil aliens and then got away successfully! We were real heroes!"

As she struck an exaggerated heroic pose, I finally noticed the small colorful mask covering part of her face, along with a little cape fluttering behind her back.

Of course she ran off to play heroes somewhere…

I rubbed my temples slowly, torn between relief and exasperation. "Kunou, seriously? You can't just run off into random dimensions like that! You know better," I scolded her.

Kunou immediately puffed her cheeks, looking up at me defiantly. "But today we're playing superheroes and we had to save everyone from those bad guys, Haru-nii! Besides, I wasn't alone—Big Sister Milim was with me! We totally beat up those slaughter–something guys and then we beat up the mean blue aliens that tried to attack us later!"

…What…? I felt like I was missing so much information from that explanation.

Milim nodded energetically, placing a protective hand on Kunou's shoulder. "Don't worry, Haru. Nobody got hurt! Well, except for the bad guys I killed and the evil aliens we beat up. But trust me, they totally had it coming! We were being friendly and they tried to capture us and then when we wouldn't let them they tried to attack us with arrows and spears! That's really rude, you know! So I punched a bunch of them but more and more of them kept pouring out of that big tree!"

"We beat up almost a hundred of them before we decided to just leave! Justice prevails!" Kunou declared.

A hundred? Who did they beat up a hundred of…? Did I even want to know?

…Now that Kunou was safely back, I decided it was probably best to start making lunch for everyone. Besides, we could all use something to settle the chaos. Kunou was currently animatedly telling Harry all about her supposed adventures, her tails wagging with excitement. 

I had a feeling I'd need a much more accurate explanation later, once Mom arrived. Right now, her story involved way too many villains and epic battles to be fully believable–I hoped.

I headed into the kitchen, Enri following close behind, ready to help out. We worked comfortably side-by-side, prepping ingredients and cooking up everyone's favorites.

For Alice, I fixed up her favorite classic burger and fries. She was already seated at a table, chatting pleasantly with Harry and laughing along at Kunou's wild storytelling. Harry himself was easy enough. Crispy fish and chips. The smell of fresh fish frying quickly filled the air as I worked. Kunou's choice was obvious—one of her favorites, katsudon. Hopefully, this would settle her down enough for the interrogation she was inevitably going to face from Mom when she arrived.

Yeah, I texted her…

Milim demanded something "tasty and super unhealthy," so I threw together a massive meat-lovers pizza piled high with extra cheese and toppings. When I placed it down in front of her, her eyes practically sparkled with joy. "Oh, this looks amazing! You're the best, Haru!" she declared, immediately devouring half a slice in one bite.

I chuckled, sliding into my seat beside Alice as Enri served Kunou her katsudon. Kunou immediately dug in with a delighted squeal.

I wasn't very hungry yet so I just had a glass of water.

Everyone was happily eating when the front door opened quietly, and Mom stepped gracefully into the restaurant. Yasaka looked better now that she'd had a chance to sleep off the exhaustion from a night full of politics. 

She walked straight toward us, her 12 golden tails swaying behind her as she gave the group a friendly smile. Then her eyes landed squarely on Kunou, and her expression immediately turned stern. "Kunou, you're grounded," she declared calmly, folding her arms beneath her ample chest.

Kunou instantly whined in protest, her ears flattening dramatically. "But Mama! We saved so many people from bad guys today! We were heroes!"

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "We'll discuss exactly what you did later. For now, you're grounded until further notice."

Milim paused mid-bite, looking genuinely curious. "Wait, am I grounded too?" she asked, glancing back and forth between Yasaka and Kunou.

Yasaka gave Milim an incredulous look. "You're not my daughter, Milim."

Milim tilted her head thoughtfully, suddenly grinning mischievously. "I could be, if I married Haru!"

I choked on my drink, coughing roughly. Alice immediately sputtered, dropping her fry onto her plate as she stared at Milim in shock. Enri, standing nearby with a pitcher of water, made a soft, jealous hissing noise under her breath.

Mom looked startled for a brief moment before quickly regaining her composure. She lifted her chin elegantly and said calmly, "That would be between you and Haru." Then she turned her sharp gaze directly toward me, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Haru, dear…is there something you haven't told me?"

I quickly raised my hands defensively, shaking my head. "No, Mom. Seriously, Milim and I are just friends." Milim immediately pouted, looking genuinely disappointed, so I quickly added, "But she is very cute, though."

Milim's pout instantly transformed into a triumphant smile, nodding happily. "That's right! I'm super cute! I'm the cutest of all Demon Lords!"

I didn't actually know if that was true, but I nodded along anyway! 

After Yasaka finished gently yet firmly scolding Kunou, she finally decided it was time to head home. Before they left, though, I quickly put together a nice bento box filled with some grilled salmon, rice, vegetables, and rolled omelettes—just the way Mom liked. I handed it to her with an apologetic smile. "Here, Mom. Something for later, since you've had such a rough night and morning," I said softly.

Yasaka gave me an appreciative look, nodding gracefully as she took the box. "Thank you, dear. At least I have one child who isn't constantly causing trouble…"

Kunou gave a dramatic whine as Yasaka took her by the ear, gently but firmly pulling her toward the door. "Mama, you're embarrassing me!"

Yasaka ignored her protests entirely. "Goodbye, everyone."

After they left, the door opened again, and my cousin Kirara stepped gracefully inside. She was an elegant three-tailed kitsune with silver hair who usually handled tailoring Yasaka's kimonos, but she was also skilled in many traditional arts—dancing among them. I'd called her earlier, hoping she'd be willing to help Harry learn some ballroom dancing. Kirara approached with mild annoyance, though she maintained her usual polite demeanor. "Haru, you do realize I'm a busy woman, right? Teaching your friend to dance in such a short time isn't exactly easy."

"I know, Kirara," I said sheepishly, giving her my most charming smile. "But you're the best person I know when it comes to anything elegant. Consider it a favor?"

She sighed lightly, giving me a stern yet fond look. "Very well. I'll do my best."

Harry stepped forward nervously, nodding respectfully to Kirara. "Thank you so much, miss. I really appreciate the help."

She smiled warmly at him, clearly charmed by his sincerity. "You're very welcome. Now, let's not waste any time—we have much to cover." She gently ushered him out the door.

With Harry and Kirara gone, customers gradually began to filter into the restaurant, trying to catch the tail end of lunch. Among them were a couple of familiar faces from the Companions—though neither Aela nor Agnar was with them today. Still, the Nords were polite enough, if a bit loud as usual.

Milim remained seated at the counter, happily finishing off her pizza. Alice was leaning against the counter beside her, arms crossed, thoroughly interrogating her about today's misadventure.

"Seriously, Milim, what exactly were you thinking taking Kunou on such a dangerous adventure? She's just a kid!"

Milim puffed out her cheeks stubbornly, crossing her arms. "I am a very responsible Demon Lord! Kunou-chan was perfectly safe the whole time!"

Alice raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh really? Because from what I've heard so far, your little 'hero' outing involved fighting an entire group of murderous psychopaths…"

Milim grinned proudly. "Exactly! And Kunou-chan handled herself super good! It stinks though that I didn't get to officially name her—I would've picked something super cute. Oh well, next time!"

"Please don't change her name, Milim," I asked her. "We all like her name."

"Fine… I'll name her Kunou just like I named you Haru…" Milim said.

Just then, the door opened once more, and Councilor Tevos stepped inside, accompanied by a few other beautiful asari women I didn't recognize. Probably her secretaries or just friends. Did she have friends…?

They paused briefly in the entrance, glancing around the busy restaurant.

Milim's eyes immediately widened, and she jumped dramatically to her feet, pointing aggressively at the asari delegation. "The blue aliens have returned! Come at me, you big meanies! Fire your bows if you dare—I'm ready for you!"

Tevos froze in surprise, looking completely bewildered. Her companions shifted nervously, clearly unsure how to react. Everyone else in the restaurant went silent, awkwardly watching the unfolding scene. 

"Milim! No, no—these aren't the aliens you fought earlier. They're guests!" I scolded her.

Milim paused, squinting carefully at Tevos and the other asari. After a long moment, recognition finally flickered in her eyes. "Oh! Haru is right. You're different blue aliens. Sorry, my bad." She shrugged casually and hopped back onto her stool as if nothing had happened.

I exhaled a sigh of relief, giving Tevos an apologetic look as she cautiously approached the counter. "Haru…what exactly was that about?" Tevos asked, confusion clear on her usually composed face.

Alice answered for me. "Apparently, Milim and Kunou just had a run-in with another species of blue-skinned aliens in a different dimension. They didn't speak any recognizable language—at least not one that Haru's restaurant can translate. I'm guessing it's because none of those aliens have ever been here yet and the restaurant couldn't "scan" them or whatever it does to make us all understand each other." 

Huh, that was a pretty reasonable explanation for the language problem. Maybe if one of them ever visits here, the issue will be solved. Although that involves getting a large hostile and primitive alien through my front door willingly.

"And…why exactly were they fighting these aliens?" Tevos asked Milim.

"Well, Milim claims she and Kunou tried to be friendly, but the aliens attacked first. So naturally, Milim retaliated and ended up fighting around a hundred of them before escaping back here," I explained.

Tevos's expression shifted into disbelief as she turned to stare incredulously at Milim. "Who exactly is this problem child?"

Milim puffed her chest out, looking deeply offended. "Problem child?! I'm Milim Nava—Demon Lord extraordinaire!" she declared confidently. "I'm Haru's future wife too, you know!"

"Wait, what?!" Alice sputtered.

"Liar!" Enri huffed nearby.

"Do you even know what a wife is, Milim?" I asked her.

"Yes! It means I can be with my bestie forever!" she said cheerfully.

So that was a no… She did not know what it was.

The other girls all exchanged glances, obviously coming to the same conclusion.

Tevos gave me a look, probably questioning my sanity for the company I kept, but I just shrugged in response. She then asked me if I would like the help of some Asari delegation to try and reason with the hostile aliens from the forest world. Asari could meld with other species to instantly learn any language. Also since they were both blue they might be less hostile?

"Maybe tomorrow…?" I shrugged. "Give them some time to cool down a bit." I kind of just felt like cooking today and not dealing with… all that political stuff.

XXX

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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters on there:

The Fallen Gamer ch 327-331

The Fox Hole 78

The Blood Queen 43

A Systematic Tale: The Hero 5

The Fox Hole 77

Thunder and Black Wings 18

The Fox Hole 76

A Systematic Tale: The Hero 4

The Fox Hole 75

The Fox Hole 74

The Blood Queen 42

A Systematic Tale: The Hero 3

The Fox Hole 74

A Systematic Tale: The Hero 2

A Systematic Tale: The Hero 1

Thunder and Black Wings 17

The Fox Hole 73