The Bride Of The Sacred Forest God
Chapters 13. The First Day of Tears

Reda mopped the engawa wood floor again. Before mopping up the other parts, he realizes that it is likely that Aragaki has finished lunch.

He rushes to the dining room and finds Ryuunosuke cleaning his dishes and bowls.

“Ryuunosuke, let me do it.”

“Reda-sama should have lunch and rest. I'll do it. Reda-sama has not eaten yet, right?”

The girl was obviously holding back the hunger at the moment for not finding any other fruit in the forest, but she did not want to show that to Ryuunosuke. With a smile, Reda convinces Ryuunosuke that he has eaten.

Reda asks Ryuunosuke to leave all his dirty dishes and let himself do the job.

After washing the dishes, Reda mopped the floor again.

A hot day feels so long. The sweat keeps flowing. Even until the afternoon, Reda can only mop the outside of engawa. He had not done the task of gardening and picking vegetables. He had also not cleaned the inside of the Aragaki residence.

The sun is starting to set. In the end, the last task he could do was to pick up a little vegetable for breakfast tomorrow morning.

After bringing the vegetables to the kitchen, he met Aragaki in his room. Of course he didn't go into his room. He squealed and saluted from the outside.

The shoji door of Aragaki's room was tightly closed. By preparing the heart, Reda gave her work report today.

“Good afternoon, Nushi-sama. Forgive me for today, I just finished the task of mopping the outside and picking vegetables. Tomorrow, I will try even better so that Nushi-sama is not disappointed. Please, forgive me.”

Aragaki who was in the room did not answer him. Inside the room, he was just busy reading books without caring about the person behind the door.

Reda still had not raised her head because she had not heard anything from her master's mouth. Ryuunosuke who came and saw it immediately approached the girl.

“Reda-sama, why continue to salute like this! Get up and don't be here! It's late at night!”

“I just reported my work to Aragaki-sama and waited for his answer, but it seems that he is still very busy so I wait for him in a moment.”

The little fox was instantly hysterical and opened the door of Aragaki's room.

“Aragaki-sama, why didn't Aragaki-sama say something to Reda-sama?!”

“Why are you so angry, Ryuunosuke? Not usually you do not say hello when entering this room.” Aragaki asked without seeing Reda's face and only saw Ryuunosuke's face

“Aragaki-sama, Reda-sama has made an effort today!”

“Really? But I don't see his efforts.”

“Don't talk like that! Didn't Aragaki-sama ask her to do something heavy so that Reda-sama doesn't see you all day! Ryuunosuke know it!”

“Rather than just being a useless waitress, it's better for her to leave here. The longer he's here, the more disgusting it is to look at.”

“Aragaki-sama, that is so cruel! Ryuunosuke doesn't like to hear it! Ryuunosuke is angry at Aragaki-sama!”

Before the fox stood up, Aragaki closed her book and said to her little servant.

“Ryuunosuke, I don't mind you wanting to keep him as a candidate for ‘bride’, but I don't like your change of attitude that defends him too much like that. I'm still holding myself back, Ryuunosuke.”

Ryuunosuke trembled at hearing that. He knew that his master was holding back emotions, but he did not want the employer's precious ‘bride’ candidate to be treated that way.

Reda salutes back and gives permission from Aragaki. With her feet up, Reda left the residence and went home to the old hut.

From behind, Ryuunosuke chased after him with a basket covered in leaves.

“Reda-sama, Reda-sama!” the little fox ran until it almost fell. Reda helped her with a panicked face.

“Ryuunosuke, what's wrong? Why rush? What did you bring?”

“This is for Reda-sama! Ryuunosuke brought her secretly!”

Reda was surprised to see the contents of the basket. It was Ryuunosuke's leftover food, complete with small wood and lighters to make fire and clothes for him to wear.

“Ryuunosuke, don't be like this! Later Ryuunosuke punished by Nushi-sama!”

“Nushi-sama?” Ryuunosuke was surprised to hear the call

“It...Aragaki-sama did not want me to call him by name so he allowed me to call him by that name.”

“Hiks..”.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Forgive me for not being able to protect Reda-sama so well! Forgive me for Reda-sama having to accept all those evil words from Aragaki-sama! Hiks..hiks...”.

The sound of crying was clearly heard to the ears of Nagi and Ginko who happened to be near the back door.

Reda who hugged her tried to hold back her tears so as not to make the fox even more sad.

“Ryuunosuke, sweet little Ryuunosuke. It's our first day and it's been pretty good. Aragaki-sama wants to talk to me and give me a task despite not seeing me at all. That's been good. Tomorrow will be better.”

Reda let go of her embrace and wiped away the poor little fox's tears.

“See, Ryuunosuke's eyes in a short time had already turned red. Let's smile. I've been trying to be strong today, Ryuunosuke must also be strong. Tomorrow we fight again, yes.”

“Hiks...hiks..”.

“Ryuunosuke is sweet when smiling. I want to see your tail sway like this morning. Let's try to show me.” Reda tried to seduce the fox so as not to grieve anymore with her friendly smile

The fox wiped away her tears and started to smile little by little. He started wagging his tail and hugged Reda back. They hugged each other with laughter.

After that, Reda gave back the basket Ryuunosuke had brought to the little fox.

“Why returned?!”

“Ryuunosuke, remember Nushi-sama's orders? You can't break it. Nushi-sama could have seen you now because he is the Protective God of this place. If the will and Ryuunosuke are punished, our plan to make Nushi-sama smile will fail.”

“But..”.

“Remember Ryuunosuke, our plan can only be done 3 months. We must make Nushi-sama smile and become the Nushi-sama Ryuunosuke likes. Don't make him angry with this. Bring it back with you. I'm okay.”

Relax as much as possible to smile and force gently so that the fox will understand.

Until Ryuunosuke finally understood, he brought back his basket. Reda saw the fox go through the back door and then go back to her hut.

As soon as he entered the hut, Reda sat on the tatami while taking her breath. Unknowingly, tears rolled down her cheeks and at once the friendly smile shown to the little fox vanished.

“Huwaaaa..hiks...hiks..

He was crying alone in a dark hut with no light. Her tears could not stop remembering all the things Aragaki had said during this one day.

[Don't ever serve me dishes touched by your dirty hands!]

[I would not eat food cooked with the dirty girl's hands]

[That dirty katami isn't as bad as having to see you in this room. Exit]

[From now on, he has to take care of this place. Clean up this whole house and do business in the garden. Except cooking and touching my clothes, let him clean everything himself]

[I will not change my orders. Also, never feed him again. Let him try to find his own food. I won't let him take anything in the garden. If he wants to eat, have him look for himself in the forest]

[Dirty girl, never be friendly with that fake smile of yours and never call my name with your mouth once in a while]

[Rather than just being a useless servant, it's better for him to leave here. The longer he's here, the more disgusting it is to look at]

All day long, all he received were rejections and insults.

“Dad, mother, please strengthen your child. Reda fights for Aragaki-sama and Ryuunosuke. Reda only needs to fight for 3 months for Aragaki-sama to smile. But.but why does it feel tight and sick like this. Hiks..”

The cry kept coming out of the poor girl. All day she kept holding all her tears and tonight she spilled them so hard to talk.

Outside the closed door of the hut, there was a figure quietly listening to the cry. He put the basket he was carrying outside the door of the hut and ran without a sound.

It was the little fox who came back to give his basket to the poor girl. As soon as he heard the screams of the girl's cries, the fox came back crying. She cried in front of the back door while hugging her own tail.

“Hiks..Reda-sama, forgive me. Ryuunosuke apologized, Ryuunosuke apologized. Hiks..”

The cry of the little fox was heard by the two adult foxes nearby.

And unbeknownst to all, it was seen from afar by the ruler.

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