After finishing up work in his field, Kai returned to where the Fairy Goddess was. In her arms, she was still carrying Kyuubi while gently stroking the little fox's head. Kyuubi looked incredibly comfortable being held by the Fairy Goddess. Kai couldn't hide the jealousy rising inside him, and it showed clearly through the pout on his face.
"What's wrong, Kai? Why do you look so unhappy?"
the Fairy Goddess asked as she tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand why his expression had suddenly soured the moment he approached her.
"It's nothing... I just think it's about time you let that little fox go, don't you?"
Kai said while pointing at Kyuubi.
"If I let her go now, she'll most likely attack you immediately! It seems she still hasn't forgiven you yet!"
The moment the Fairy Goddess said that, Kai immediately stared directly at Kyuubi's face. The little fox returned his gaze with sharp, hostile eyes. It was obvious that the small creature was still angry at him.
'What a troublesome creature! Wasn't she supposed to help with farming? So far, she's only been causing me problems,' Kai thought with an irritated expression on his face.
"Well then, Kai... now that you're done taking care of your garden, don't you think it's time for you to do something else?"
the Fairy Goddess asked with a smile. She then lifted Kyuubi slightly so Kai could see her more clearly.
"Ah, you're right! I almost forgot!"
Suddenly remembering something, Kai slammed his clenched right fist into the palm of his left hand as though a light bulb had appeared above his head. His expression also brightened again, just like when he first stepped out of the house.
"Pray that I succeed!"
Kai said as he turned around and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment!"
But the Fairy Goddess immediately stopped him. She grabbed the back of Kai's collar tightly so the young man couldn't go any farther.
"Ghk! What is it!? Why did you suddenly grab my collar like that?!"
Kai asked, his expression turning irritated once again.
"I don't know what's going on inside your head or what you're planning right now, but I'm certain it's not what I'm talking about!"
the Fairy Goddess replied, now looking annoyed as well. She was convinced that whatever Kai was thinking about right now was definitely something foolish and troublesome.
"Then what is it?"
Kai asked again while pulling the Fairy Goddess' hand away from his collar.
"Have you forgotten something about her?"
the Fairy Goddess asked in return as she held Kyuubi right in front of Kai's face. The little fox wore an unfriendly expression, her sharp gaze piercing straight at him. Kai's pout deepened the moment he saw Kyuubi's expression.
"What about her? Do you want to cook her?"
"Kyuuuu!"
"Kai! Can you stop saying things like that?!"
Kyuubi looked ready to kill Kai on the spot, while the Fairy Goddess immediately used all her strength to stop the little fox from escaping her grasp and attacking him.
"Sorry, I was just joking... so what exactly am I supposed to do with that creature?"
Kai genuinely had no idea what the Fairy Goddess had been talking about this entire time. Why did she keep shoving that troublesome creature right in front of his face? As far as Kai was concerned, he had nothing to do with her right now.
"Did you forget to feed her?"
Only after the Fairy Goddess said that did Kai finally realize what she had been referring to all along.
"Do I really have to do that?"
Kai asked innocently. That response clearly irritated the Fairy Goddess. She truly wanted to let go of Kyuubi and allow the little fox to beat Kai senseless, but she still tried to restrain herself and remain calm.
"Of course! You need to feed her so she'll stay here and grow bigger!"
"Why should I feed her when I haven't even eaten myself? Besides, what use is she to me if she stays here? Honestly, I don't think I need her to guard my field!"
Veins bulged across the Fairy Goddess' forehead the moment she heard Kai's reply.
"You might think you don't need her right now, but the moment you see your field destroyed after being ransacked by dwarves, you'll regret it dearly!"
the Fairy Goddess said in a threatening tone.
"Hey! Don't threaten me like that! I'll be seriously angry if you actually send those dwarves I've never even seen before to ruin the field I worked so hard to take care of! If that happens, I'll mess you up instead!"
Kai shot back with a frightening expression and suspicious hand gestures, as though he intended to grope the Fairy Goddess' body. Truthfully, the Fairy Goddess was frightened by Kai's movements, but she still forced herself to maintain a firm expression. She absolutely couldn't lose to him.
"In that case, do your job properly and take care of her until she grows into an adult!"
The Fairy Goddess once again pushed Kyuubi right in front of Kai's face. That immediately made him pout. He really didn't want to take care of the creature because, in his opinion, it was troublesome and a complete waste of time. However, he also understood that if his field ended up being ruined by other creatures, that would be even more troublesome and waste far more of his time.
"Fine, I get it! I'll feed her!"
Kai said in a resigned tone. He then pulled out a berry he had found in the forest yesterday.
"This is the only thing I have, and I don't have any food for foxes... will this be enough?"
Kai asked, unsure whether foxes in this world could eat fruits or not. If the fox couldn't eat it, then he could only give up. He didn't have any money to buy other food.
"Yes, that's not a problem!"
Surprisingly—or perhaps not surprisingly—the Fairy Goddess immediately approved and placed Kyuubi on the ground so she could eat her breakfast right away once Kai filled her food bowl.
"So I just need to put this berry into her bowl, right?"
Kai asked while crouching in front of Kyuubi's food bowl. He had once played a game where any leftover food could somehow be turned into pet food, so he figured the same logic applied in this world as well.
"Yes, you only need to bring the berry close to the bowl, and it will transform into food for Kyuubi!"
Kai brought the berry in his hand closer to the bowl, and suddenly, the berry vanished from his grasp. In its place, brown-colored pet food appeared inside Kyuubi's food bowl.
Kyuubi happily devoured her breakfast right away. Her anger toward Kai disappeared instantly the moment she received food. Her nine tails swayed back and forth, showing just how happy she was at the moment.
"You only need to feed her once a day, so even if you don't feed her again this afternoon, it won't be a problem at all... although you can still feed her during the afternoon or even at night. Still, I recommend doing it in the morning just in case too many things happen and you don't get the chance to feed her later in the day!"
The Fairy Goddess gave an additional explanation so Kai wouldn't make mistakes in the future when she was no longer around to supervise him.
"I also only need to eat once a day. Does that mean every creature in this world only needs to eat once a day?"
Kai asked after remembering that he himself was only required to eat once per day, even though he could actually eat as much as he wanted as long as he still had food.
"Yes, that's simply how things work in this world... you still need food to survive here, but only once a day no matter what kind of food you eat.... however, you must remember that poisonous food is still dangerous in this world... you could get sick, and in the worst-case scenario, you could even die!"
The Fairy Goddess warned him in an extremely serious tone while pointing directly at Kai's nose. Kai could only nod while swallowing nervously after hearing that warning. Of course, he didn't want to die from something as ridiculous as eating poisonous mushrooms he found in the forest.
He suddenly remembered the cake he had received on his first day in this village. Recalling that made him resolve to make absolutely sure that whatever he ate was truly safe to consume.
"Good, as long as you understand... so from now on, make sure not to feed Kyuubi anything strange, or she'll get sick and never come near you again!"
'So you're more worried about that than my health!' Kai thought after realizing the Fairy Goddess' true reason for giving him that warning.
"If you can feed her properly, she'll grow bigger and attract girls to come closer to you!"
The moment the Fairy Goddess said that, something inside Kai suddenly ignited. He stared at the Fairy Goddess with wide eyes.
"Is that true?"
Kai asked in disbelief.
"Yes, it's true!"
the Fairy Goddess replied while nodding her head.
"Hahahahaha! Why didn't you say that from the beginning?! If you had told me earlier, I would've fed her without even being asked!"
Kai shouted loudly.
The Fairy Goddess desperately wanted to punch him in the head after hearing something so stupid, but she still restrained herself. Why was it that only things related to girls could make him this excited? the Fairy Goddess wondered as she stared at Kai's delighted face.
"Hurry up and finish your food, grow up healthy, and help me attract girls!"
Kai said while stroking Kyuubi's back with a disgusting grin plastered across his face.
There was no need to ask what happened next. Kai's actions obviously made Kyuubi furious.
"Kyuuu!!!"
Without a second thought, Kyuubi immediately pounced at Kai and swung her claws toward his face.
"Wait a second! Why are you suddenly angry?! I already fed you, you know!"
Kai shouted while trying to protect his face from Kyuubi's claws.
"I already told you not to say anything that could make her angry..."
The Fairy Goddess could only facepalm as she watched the scene unfold before her. She was no longer sure whether Kai would actually be able to improve his relationship with Kyuubi and help the little fox grow faster. At this point, she could only hope that Kyuubi wouldn't abandon Kai out of anger toward the young man.