Chapter 3.1 – The Fox and the Young Lady

She was plagued by deadlines all weekend. It seemed she threw herself into work to erase any stray thoughts.

Among the works she was handling, there was one where the protagonist was a silver fox. The fox, proud of its beautiful fur, wanted to have human friends, so it learned transformation magic and descended to the village. However, just looking like a human didn’t mean it could make friends. The fox didn’t know how to interact with people and gradually became lonely.

A girl approached such a fox without hesitation. The girl taught the fox how to make friends, and they became close through various games. But there are no secrets in the world. One day, as their friendship deepened, the fox was caught transforming by the girl.

This was the content of the first volume. The author of the next volume was still working on it, so she hadn’t received the manuscript. Therefore, she didn’t know what would happen to the fox and the girl afterward. If it followed the beautiful conclusion of a fairy tale, the girl would keep her friendship with the fox even after learning its identity.

What if she were in the girl’s position? She wasn’t sure. She might sulk for a few days. Her capacity wasn’t broad enough to immediately understand and empathize with the fox’s position.

As she read the story and drew pictures, the lonely silver fox lingered in her mind. It could be due to sympathy for living alone in the forest without family. But the part that kept circling in her mind was the scene where the fox and the girl met.

At the entrance of the large forest, a child in old clothes digging the ground and a girl approaching that child to be friends.

Her head throbbed. There was a sense of déjà vu, something on the verge of surfacing but frustratingly elusive. She had never seen a silver fox in her life.

‘Miss.’

Ah, come to think of it, the teacher’s hair was silver. The pure white color reflecting sunlight was so beautiful and transparent.

Thinking of the beauty relieved some of the frustration. Perhaps the reason that part of the text kept lingering was because of the teacher’s silver hair. It was good as a reference material.

Still, a corner of her brain insisted there was more, urging her to think a little harder, but she soon shook off the unease and focused on creating the fox’s fur color.

The author had contacted her through the communication device, emphasizing several times how important the fox’s fur was. It was a crucial element in the next volume’s story, needing to captivate the readers.

Thinking of an ordinary fox made it a difficult request, but recalling the teacher made it simple.

Indeed, the saying that beauty inspires artists was true.

She dipped the fine brush in paint and meticulously expressed the fox’s fur. As the fox, being the protagonist, appeared in every illustration, the teacher frequently came to mind. Each time she planted a hair on the fox, his face floated up.

Whether it was the teacher’s smiling eyes or the fox’s coy, thin eyes, they seemed similar. She felt confident she wouldn’t be surprised if the teacher’s true identity was a fox.

Oh, she had deliberately tried not to think of the teacher’s n*ked body, focusing solely on painting except for eating and sleeping…

It was counterproductive. Even if thinking of the teacher ultimately helped her work, there should be limits. She tightly gripped the brush and glared at the canvas. No matter how she looked, it was a canvas, yet the teacher seemed to be wrapped around its surface.

“I am reviewing. Reviewing.”

Though no one was listening, she felt guilty, moving her hands and chanting review, review like a mantra. She promised the teacher she would review. Now, she was merely fulfilling her duty as a student.

Unconsciously, she ended up drawing the child the fox transformed into resembling the teacher. Even the eye color was identical. It was evident how much she had been conscious of the teacher while working, just by looking at a few illustrations.

If the teacher discovered this, it would be embarrassing for both of them. But she was satisfied with the result and was reluctant to erase and redraw it.

“Hmm…”

As she rubbed her temples, deeply pondering which part to modify to maintain the essence, Selly spoke up.

“Miss, what exactly are you drawing?”

“Huh?”

Selly pointed at the canvas with a face that suggested she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“This, this.”

“Ah! What is this!”

She screamed in shock, standing up abruptly after seeing where Selly’s finger pointed.

She was crazy. A demon must have temporarily possessed her hand. There was something indecent there that she couldn’t believe she had drawn. 

What was I doing in a children’s fairy tale…

She had to erase it immediately, erase it! In a hurry, she swiped the brush across that part. Once she roughly covered the scene and the shocking part disappeared from view, she calmed down somewhat.

“Phew… Selly, you didn’t see anything.”

Selly placed a teacup on the table, looking at her in disbelief.

“I thought you were drawing an illustration of the human body.”

“Th-that can’t be.”

“Why not? What’s wrong with that? But what you just drew is not suitable for children…”

“Stop!”

Before Selly could say more, she grabbed the magical eraser and erased it thoroughly, leaving no trace. It was truly a good purchase this time.

She had drawn g*nitalia on the fox’s first transformed body. Even though it was n*ked, the unspoken rule in illustrations was to subtly cover such things, but she made an unusual mistake due to thinking of the teacher.

The fact that the child resembled the teacher made it even more embarrassing. She filled the erased part with falling leaves, feeling Selly’s gaze on her cheek.

“Why, is there something else you need?”

“Miss, are you sure nothing happened during the lesson?”

“No, nothing happened.”

“But you’ve screamed over ten times while working.”

“…Not that many.”

She couldn’t meet Selly’s eyes confidently. It wasn’t just once or twice that such things had happened over the past few days.

Yesterday, she mixed red and white colors and thought of the teacher’s center, causing her to panic. Even this morning, she tried to draw a fence but ended up drawing a male pillar, prompting her to punch the canvas.

She was reviewing excessively.

Replacing the grotesque image from her childhood with a pretty shape in her mind was good if she thought positively. But it couldn’t help but feel like a disservice to the teacher. If the teacher knew, he would surely be displeased.

Ha― she let out a deep sigh.

Today was the third lesson. Thinking about the upcoming lesson made her feel hot and sweaty.

Last time, she only had a brief look with her eyes, so today she couldn’t avoid describing it. She considered postponing the lesson for a day, but unless she broke the contract, the time would come anyway. Having seen the teacher’s entire n*ked body, she couldn’t back out now.

It was something she had anticipated and resolved to start.

She wanted to complete the course without any issues, marry Felix, and have a satisfying first night together.

To steady her weakening resolve, she slapped her cheeks twice. The teacher is the teacher. He is not a man. He is a living angel statue. She repeated it earnestly.

Labeling the solid thighs, impressive size, and beautifully colored n*pples as art pieces allowed her to regain her composure.

* * *

After finishing her work, it was dark outside. She faintly heard the sound of carriage wheels rolling outside the window. It seemed the teacher had arrived early, although it wasn’t time yet, so she put on a shawl and stepped outside.

As she descended the stairs, it felt like her heart had dropped to her feet. With each step forward, her heart pounded so much that she nearly stumbled.

Before opening the front door, she practiced her expression. She might accidentally make a perverted face while thinking about the body under the clothes.

With all preparations complete, she went outside. However, when someone all too familiar descended from the carriage, her face twisted, rendering her expression practice meaningless.

“Oh my, Erica. What a surprise. You even came out to greet your sister!”

Diana waved her hands briskly as she crossed the yard.

Diana had said she’d be late. How could she return from a business trip so quickly? Feeling annoyed, Erica retreated back into the mansion.

Diana, smiling broadly, ran over and hugged her tightly with open arms. Her embrace was filled with a strong perfume scent. She struggled to break free, but Diana rubbed her head against her cheek.

“Ugh, get off.”

“Did you miss your sister that much? Maybe I should have come earlier.”

…It’s really impossible to have a conversation with her.