Every human present took a step back as he stared at them, his eyes piercing them like twin daggers. While some of them looked thoughtful, others just appeared angry that he was lecturing them, but that only made him angrier. He kept his glare up for several more seconds before turning back to the tanuki.
“Like I said, take your families and head to the location on that sheet of paper. Someone will be waiting for you there. They’ll escort you to a place where you won’t have to commit crimes to survive.”
The tanuki group stared at him, their expressions uncomprehending.
“Why are you doing this for us?” their leader asked.
It was a stupid question in his estimation, but he answered it anyway. “Because if humans and yōkai don’t learn to get along, then this war will never end.”
Kevin turned around and headed for the door. He paused upon seeing someone’s reflection in the window, but no one was there when he turned around. After a second of searching, he shook his head and left the fast food restaurant. Seconds after he exited the McDonalds, Lilian and Iris emerged as well and trotted up to him.
“Kevin…” Lilian started, only to trail off.
Kevin stopped walking. “Is it wrong that I sometimes find myself disgusted by my own species?”
Lilian didn’t speak at first. She walked behind him and pulled him into a hug. Kevin unconsciously relaxed as he felt Lilian’s front press against his back, and he placed his hands against hers as she rubbed his back with her cheek.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve sometimes wished I wasn’t a kitsune, but I never felt that way because I hate kitsune. I don’t really know how to answer you. But I do know that not all humans are bad. Your friends accepted me even after they found out that I wasn’t human, and you never once disliked me for being what I am. I’m sure there are plenty of humans who feel the same way you do. They’re just afraid of what could happen to themselves and their families if they speak up.”
“Hm… yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Ufufufu, of course I’m right. Don’t you know how this works? Whenever the hero is feeling down and needs some kind of moral support, it is always his main love interest who comes to his rescue.”
“Or his mentor,” Kevin added.
“Tch. I’m not letting some shaggy dog help you like that. This is my job.”
Kevin smiled. Lilian didn’t dislike Kiara anymore, but she still felt somewhat threatened by the powerful inu, perhaps because of how much he respected the woman. He didn’t rightly know, but he made a note to tease Lilian about it later.
“Aw, whatever!” Iris interrupted the pair. “Let’s just get going. We’ve already wasted enough time here.”
The girl continued grumbling as she entered their car. As the door slammed shut behind Iris, Kevin and Lilian shared a look.
“What’s got her panties in a twist?” he asked.
Lilian looked thoughtful. “I don’t know, but you need to use another expression. Iris doesn’t wear panties.”
Kevin facepalmed. “Just… just get in the car so we can leave.”
After holding the door open for Lilian, Kevin made his way around to the driver’s side, slid in, turned on the car, and left McDonalds.
It was only after nearly ten minutes of driving that Kevin realized something.
“Oh, crap! I forgot my homework!”
“Psh! That is just too funny!”
“Shut up, Iris! Anyone would forget their homework after what we just went through!”
“Whatever you say, Stud.”
“Tch!”
“Ufufufu, you’re so cute, Beloved!”
“Et tu, Lilian?”
***
That was quite entertaining.
Justin sat in a booth, munching on some fries. Kevin, Lilian, and Iris had just left. He could see them holding a conversation through the window. He wondered what they were talking about, but felt he could take a pretty good guess. Several minutes later, the trio entered their car and drove off.
It looks like those three are doing well.
He was glad to see that Kevin and the others were okay. Truth be told, he’d been worried about them. Since he was so busy these days, he never had time to check up on any of his friends. He hadn’t even visited Arizona since that failed ambush four months ago. He’d always wanted to see how they were holding up, but he could never find the time.
At least now he’d been able to see them again. That had to count for something.
The group of tanuki left soon after Kevin and the two kitsune. No one stopped them. The other people within McDonalds sat at the booths that hadn’t been destroyed or stood around, some even sat on the ground, their faces scrunched in contemplation.
While he was not privy to their thoughts, Justin could easily imagine what they were thinking about. Kevin’s speech had been quite impassioned, very arousing. It made those who’d been blinded by propaganda stop and think. Lilian cheerfully healing every human within the small restaurant had also gone a long way towards reinforcing Kevin’s words. It helped that she was so beautiful. Men were always suckers for beautiful girls.
He briefly entertained the idea of informing Commander Paine about the group of tanuki, who would surely head for Neo Seiryuu now. It wouldn’t be hard to send a detachment and intercept the group—but, no, that wasn’t a part of his mission. He would let the group go. It would be more entertaining that way.
Besides, what Commander Paine doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
Nodding at his decision, Justin reached for another fry. He blinked. His hands came back empty. Looking down, he realized with a start that all of his fries were gone, meaning he must have eaten them all.
Strange, I thought there were more…
Standing up, Justin made his way over to the cash register. At that exact moment, a familiar Prius came rushing back into the parking lot and, seconds later, an even more familiar face burst back in through the doors. As a furiously blushing Kevin walked over to the booth that he’d been sitting at, grabbed his backpack, and rushed back out, Justin stopped in front of the cash register, where a stunned-looking young man stood.
“Excuse me.” Justin got the boy’s attention. “Can I get another order of fries, please?”
CHAPTER 4
THIS CANNOT BE A MAID!
Driving in a car for six plus hours with only three pit stops and no sleep was exhausting, as Kevin could now attest to. It was enough to make his respect for Kiara and Heather, who’d made this drive during their spring break last year, soar.
Since neither Lilian nor Iris had a driver's license, he’d been forced to drive them all the way to California. It was the first time he’d ever driven that far. Before this, the farthest he’d ever gone was from Peoria to Phoenix. That was only half an hour, however. Now, he could state with absolute certainty that driving from one state to another sucked. How some people could drive across the country and enjoy it was beyond him.
Los Angeles’s freeways weren’t as congested as they might have been. Kevin believed this was due to the time. It was late. The sky had long since ceased showing the sun, and instead it revealed an endless expanse of dark velvet. There weren’t any stars to be seen, but in a city with so many lights, Kevin figured this was to be expected. Having lived underground for the past four months, he’d grown used to not seeing any stars anyway.
Iris and Lilian were both asleep, sitting in the back of the car, leaning on one another. Kevin smiled when he saw them in his rearview mirror. They were like a furry bundle of gorgeousness.
Following Kiara’s directions, Kevin eventually closed in on their destination—a place called The Yōkai Café.
But first, he needed to find a place to park.
Parking in Los Angeles wasn’t so different from parking in downtown Phoenix, except it cost nearly twice as much. There was no such thing as free parking in this city. It took Kevin nearly fifteen minutes to find a parking spot that wouldn’t require him
to use all the money in his wallet.
It was a dingy parking garage. The walls were covered in grime and something that looked suspiciously like blood. Rust-stained railings added another level of foreboding to the place. Kevin felt the hairs on his neck prickle, but he tried not to let his own fears get to him as he slowly parked in an empty space.
After unbuckling his seatbelt, Kevin got out and opened the door to the back. He leaned in, preparing to wake up Lilian—
—when he paused.
Red hair gently shimmered in the low light, framing a face that could enchant men with a single glance. With her eyes closed, her long lashes were visible. Her delicate nose twitched once, wiggling in a manner that could only be called cute, like a chipmunk. Luscious lips of a soft pink sat parted on a face that made angels lash out in envy. Kevin’s breath left him, stolen by the sight before him.
How is it that she keeps doing this to me? I should be used to this by now, shouldn’t I?
But he wasn’t used to it. No matter how many times he saw her, no matter that he and Lilian had already taken that final step, he still couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. Iris might have been sex on legs, but Lilian’s beauty went beyond concepts like “sexy” and “seductive.” Kevin couldn’t really describe it, but if he had to choose between the two, he would say that Lilian was more beautiful than her sister every single time.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Kevin placed his hand under Lilian’s chin and lifted her head up to face him. He crawled onto the back seat, leaned in, and pressed his lips onto hers.
The first kiss didn’t wake her, so Kevin kissed her again. On the second kiss, Lilian’s mouth parted and she returned the kiss. A pair of hands soon slipped underneath his shirt, and a set of nails tenderly scraped against his back, causing his skin to tingle. Kevin responded by reaching behind Lilian, grabbing a handful of her ass, squeezing it, and pulling her closer. Muffled moans echoed between the sound of smacking lips. A tongue penetrated his mouth, and Kevin didn’t hesitate to engage it in a little oral foreplay. Lilian slipped her hands from his back to his chest, where she proceeded to push him down so she could straddle his waist. Kevin complied—
“MMMMMMM!!!!”
—or at least, he tried to comply. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten that the door was open and he was sitting on the very edge.
The world around him blurred. Two muffled screams echoed in the empty garage. Pain exploded in the back of Kevin’s head, and the harsh crack of skull meeting pavement echoed around them.
“Ugh…” Stars filled his vision, but he pushed past that in favor of checking on his mate. “You okay, Lilian?”
“I ban beel my bongue.”
“W-what?”
“My bongue. I ban beel my bongue.”
“I have no clue what you’re saying.”
“Bib ib bo babe ib beel bebber.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Bub on ib.”
“Whatever you’re saying, stop it.”
Lilian pouted at him. Kevin didn’t know if she was upset that he couldn’t understand her, or that he wouldn’t do what she was asking of him. Either way, he wouldn’t get the chance to find out, as Iris had woken up and was now laughing at the two of them.
“Gwa ha ha ha ha!”
“Stop laughing,” Kevin grumbled as he pulled himself out from underneath Lilian. “It isn’t funny.”
“You’re right. It isn’t funny. It’s fucking hilarious!”
He and Lilian glared at Iris, who lay on the back seat, her feet kicking in the air and her arms wrapped around her stomach. She wasn’t wearing her shoes, and her thighs flexed as she kicked her feet. Mirthful tears streamed from her eyes as she laughed herself breathless.
Kevin couldn’t stand how even when she was laughing like this, Iris still looked unbelievably sexy.
“You two got so caught up in sucking each other’s faces off that you completely forgot the car door was open! Oh, gods! That’s absolutely hilarious! You two can be so stupid sometimes that it cracks me up!”
“Ban I bunifh er?” Lilian asked.
“I have no clue what you just said, but go ahead.”
“Bay!”
Without warning, one of Lilian’s tails extended to incredible lengths and smacked Iris in the face. It was a mighty fine pimp slap. Iris slammed into the other door, busted through it, and tumbled to the garage pavement.
“You’re paying for that damage,” Kevin told Lilian, who didn’t seem to care.
“Borb ib.”
“… Ow,” Iris moaned from where she lay.
***
The Yōkai Café looked very out of place, sitting as it was between two large buildings. Composed of red bricks instead of steel, the café gave off a very quaint feel. Small columns stood on either side of a wooden door with a bell attached to it. Glass windows situated on either side of the door had murals on them, a depiction of a maid with cat ears and a tail followed by the words The Yōkai Café written in looping cursive.
The lights were still on inside, so Kevin strolled up to the door and knocked three times. A short pause ensued. He glanced at Iris and Lilian. They both shrugged in response to his gaze. Several loud thumps came from inside, and it sounded like they were getting louder.
Just then, the door burst open—
“Yes?”
—and a giant woman with red skin and horns on her head answered it. It was an oni!
“KYA!”
Kevin, Lilian, and Iris screamed like little girls and clung to each other. Iris and Lilian went a step further and wrapped their tails around the three of them as if it would somehow protect them. The woman stared at them with one of those, “not this again,” expressions.
“Can I help you three?” she asked.
After realizing that, no, the oni wasn’t going to kill them, Kevin extricated himself from the two kitsune. Lilian and Iris still looked a little shook. In fact, they looked downright distrustful of this red-skinned woman.
He coughed into his hands several times, trying to ignore his flushed cheeks. “Uh, ahem, um, we’re here because we wanted to talk to Kuro, and, um, we’re here to deliver a message from Neo Seiryuu.”
The oni’s expression quickly shifted into something pleasant, though the large fangs jutting from her upper lip made the smile on her face look terrifying.
“Oh! You must be Kevin Swift!” Kevin shuddered. For reasons he couldn’t understand, the tone this woman used frightened him. Was it because she was an oni? “Come in, you three. Come in. Kuroneko-hime is expecting you.”
“Kuroneko-hime?” Iris muttered as the trio were led into the café. “Please don’t tell me the woman who runs this joint is a weeaboo too.”
“I can’t believe you would say something like that,” Lilian said. “And what do you mean ‘too’?”
“Let’s keep the comedy routine to a minimum right now,” Kevin said to the pair, who responded with a quick “Kay!”
Kevin hadn’t known what to expect from a maid café in America, but he was surprised to discover that it looked nearly identical to the ones in Japan. Warm wood-tiled flooring gave the interior a welcoming appearance. Blue on white striped walls made the place seem festive and bright, while potted plants added more color to the atmosphere. Tables and booths were situated around the floor. It looked like someone had taken a maid café straight from an anime and transplanted it into the real world.
The oni led them to a table. Kevin set his backpack down and held out the chairs for Iris and Lilian, and then he sat down himself.
“Just wait right here for a second. Okay, hon? I’ll be right back with Kuroneko-hime.”
“Okay.” Kevin shuddered again. “Thank you.”
The oni woman tittered for a moment before strolling to the back room with an odd sway to her hips.
“I don’t know why, but that woman gives me the creeps.” Kevin rubbed his arms as though he felt a slight chill.
“Maybe it’s beca
use she’s an oni,” Lilian suggested.
He frowned. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“Say, Stud, how come you don’t call me Iris-hime?” Iris suddenly asked.
“Is that a trick question? Why the heck would I call you that?”
“Because I’m sex incarnate and you love me. What?” Iris asked upon noticing Lilian and Kevin were both giving her a deadpanned stare.
“That was incredibly arrogant, even for you,” Kevin said.
“Too arrogant.” Lilian agreed.
“Tch! Whatever. You know I’m right.”
Even though he teased Iris about her arrogance, he wasn’t sure he could deny her words either. Having had sex with Iris on numerous occasions since that first time, Kevin was aware that Iris really was, just as she said, sex incarnate. There were times when Kevin though Iris’s entire purpose of being was for the sake of giving and receiving sexual pleasure.
He thought it was kind of sad if he was honest.
“Oh, my. So, you three are the ones who’ve come carrying a message from Daven. You’re a lot younger than I expected you to be.”
A woman walked up to them while they bantered. No, walk was far too simple. She sashayed her way over to them, her hips swinging with a simple yet sensual elegance. Long hair the color of twilight hung down to her waist, messy yet sophisticated. Eyes like jades contained no small amount of amusement as they looked at him, Lilian, and Iris. Her pursed, ruby red lips, curled into a smirk that looked both beautiful and deadly.
Kevin had met many gorgeous women in his life. He lived with quite a few of those gorgeous women. This woman had a body that could rival Kotohime’s. Her large chest jiggled pleasantly as she showed it off without a care. The kimono she was wearing had quite the gap in it as it hung loosely down her shoulders, making him think of her as more of a geisha than a yamato nadeshiko like Kotohime.
A Fox's Alliance (American Kitsune Book 10) Page 11
