Way too early on Monday morning, Eva was strolling along the fox road. Remembering what had happened last time she came to visit the old cat youkai Ayami, she stepped through the final torii carefully, ready to dig her claws into the beam it was mounted on. Though in a pleasant surprise, a simple wooden board had been placed on this and the next beam supporting the roof, presumably to keep foxes from falling into the open barrels used for brewing sake underneath.

Walking across it and climbing down a wall to reach the floor safely, Eva began to move up to the door her sixth sense was telling her Ayami was behind. But as she came closer, her vulpine ears picked up the sound of voices behind it.

“No, you will be polite to our temporary assistant this coming week.” Eva could make out the voice of the elderly youkai she had met before.

“But why? She’s just some stupid foreign youkai.” A notably younger female sounding voice complained.

“Because foreign or not, she arrived as only servants of Inari do, and thus she is entitled to at the very least that much respect from you young lady.”

“But why does it have to be me?”

“Because it will do you some good to learn how to show respect to others if you ever want to inherit this brewery. Now go fetch one of the spare uniforms, I am sure she will be arriving any moment.”

Instead of a verbal response all Eva heard was loud huff and the sound of footsteps moving away.

After hearing a sigh from the elderly lady still there, Eva pushed open the door and stepped outside. The area taken up by the brewery was surprisingly small to her. Besides the Building she just had been in, which was actually L-shaped, with the area she had been in being the smaller half of it, only one more building stood in the area encircled by the metal fence running around the property. Said second building looked more like Ayami’s residence than part of the Brewery, but then again, it might also serve as storage to an extent.

The elderly lady left standing by her younger relative turned around, the tobacco in her long pipe lighting up gently for a moment. As she exhaled a small puff of smoke, Ayami addressed the Kitsune before her.

“So how much of that did you hear?”

Under the old youkai’s stern gaze, illuminated again by the embers in her pipe, Eva felt it wise to just tell her the truth. “Not much, I think just the tail end where she complained and you sent her to fetch uniforms.” She admitted, her tails sedately swinging from side to side, left hind paw scratching the dirt underneath her.

“Well then it can’t be helped.” Ayami says as another small cloud of smoke escapes her mouth. “Not like it would have taken you long to notice her, distaste, for foreigners anyway. Kuroko is a sweet child, but her lazy layabout of a father never taught her respect and always blamed others for his misfortune.” In a much quieter voice that Eva nearly didn't catch she mumbled. “Never saw what my sweet Akiko saw in him.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“I see.” Eva said with a flick of her ears. “I’ll try not to let it get to me too much.”

“No no, do tell her firmly when she is out of line.” Ayami replied with a shake of her head. “She won’t be your superior, and as an older person, and servant of Inari, even as a foreigner she should address you politely or not at all. Which is something she really needs to learn.”

“If you say so.” Eva responds, giving the best approximation of a shrug she can while being a fox.

“Now if you could please take a more mundane shape before she returns, or any of the early workers arrive.”

“Okay.” Eva said in acknowledgement before she transformed into her usual human shape, hair tied back into a bun, and a simple hoodie and jeans covering her body. Leaning against the building’s wall, the Kitsune enjoyed the silence as the two watched the sun crest over the nearby hill to the east.

As the first rays of sunshine hit the roofs of the two buildings making up the small brewery, the first workers walked in through the main gate before them. All of them quickly greeted Ayami with a polite bow before heading into the second building. When they left, all wore the same white coveralls and hair nets and gathered a bit away from the two youkai where they chatted with each other.

By the time Kuroko returned, the sun had already reached the gravel covered ground between the buildings. She definitely looked a lot younger than everyone else here. If Eva had to guess she’d assume she’d just barely finished 9 or 10th grade in school. She was wearing the same white coverall and hairnet as the rest of the staff, and was carrying another set for Eva, which she handed over wordlessly, avoiding even looking at the German.

“Is that how you greet your grandmother’s guests?” Ayami hissed quietly, but with a sharp bite to her words that made the younger girl flinch.

“Here you go Miss Mayer.” Kuroko forced out between her lips, still avoiding looking Eva into the eyes even as she turned towards her fully.

“Hmph.” The elderly cat youkai grumbled as she motioned for Eva to follow her. “Come I will show you where to change, then I will introduce you to everyone.”

Eva gave a quick nod as a reply before she followed her inside. Taking off her shoes in the genkan, Ayami looked at her surprised but said nothing. She instead led the way on through a short corridor into a nice living room with enough seating for a sizable portion of the workers outside, with two doors and a staircase leading on.

“This is the ladies' change room.” Ayami said as she led Eva to the door inlaid with the Kanji for woman in a lighter wood than the door itself. Inside there were a few benches and a dozen or so lockers.

“Please put on the actual uniform.” She said as she opened a locker and pulled out her own. “I do not trust your Kitsune magic to keep fur and hair out of my product.”

“Of course.” Eva said, slightly ashamed as she had been studying the uniform closely with the intent to just recreate it magicly. Instead she went to one of the open lockers and quickly changed into the provided clothes and pulled the hair net over her head.

“Now I hope you are ready to meet your colleagues.” Ayami said as she took in the changed Kitsune and pushed open the door of the changing room.