After Gender Swapping, I Became the Daughter of a Yandere Mother with Animal Ears—With the Help of My Yandere Mom and Powerful Sister, I'll Live as a Fox Girl - Chapter 19: The Bridge of Destiny

“Uh… you’re not going to eat me, right?”

Yorikoma looked at Kohaku in fear.

“I’m serious. If you don’t want to be eaten, find the way back and the mirror quickly!”

“Aaah! I’m sorry! I’ll find it right away!”

Yorikoma cried out in a near-tearful voice and increased her pace, moving as if chased by something terrifying…

“Yorikoma… too fast… wait…”

I tried to follow her, but she quickly disappeared into the darkness.

“Yorikoma…? Where are you… please answer me…”

My calls were met only with silence.

“Uh… sob…”

“Onee-chan? Are you crying?”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. The fear that had started to consume my heart was something I had never experienced in my peaceful life in Japan.

“I’m sorry… It’s my fault for saying weird things… But don’t worry, she’s not stupid. She’ll come back soon.”

“Uh… yeah…”

Kohaku gently embraced my trembling body.

“…And I’ll always be with you.”

Her kind whisper in my ear further stirred my emotions.

“Uh… Kohaku…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

I hugged Kohaku as tightly as I could. She silently accepted it, even though I was a man, nearly thirty, on the inside… It was embarrassing, but I couldn’t contain my feelings.

☆★☆

“Mashiro-sama! Kohaku-sama!”

After a while, Yorikoma’s voice echoed from afar. It seemed she was safe.

“I found a path! This way! Please come!”

We followed Yorikoma’s lead to the spot she had found.

“This is…”

A narrow path cut through a vast underground canyon, hardly looking natural.

“Can we get across this…?”

Fortunately, the walls were lined with glowing white crystal-like minerals, providing good visibility. The path was narrow, barely wide enough for one person, and below was a sheer cliff. Falling would certainly be fatal…

“But if you were hiding a treasure, this would be the perfect place, right? It’s sparkling and beautiful.”

“Indeed…”

While the sparkling aspect might not be particularly relevant, this narrow path seems unlikely to be a natural formation. It could have been constructed to protect the treasure.

“I’m fine with this kind of path.”

“I should be okay, too. The one I’m most worried about is Onee-chan…”

“…”

I remained silent, peering down into the abyss of the canyon. The darkness was so profound that the bottom was invisible. A fall would almost certainly be fatal.

“No, I can’t do this… It’s impossible…”

“Then Onee-chan, you wait here. It’s okay, we’ll be quick.”

Kohaku smiled reassuringly and began to move ahead with Yorikoma.

“Wait…”

Left alone, anxiety surged within me. I tried to call them, but my faint voice no longer reached them.

“I can still catch up…”

Watching their retreating figures, my breathing became ragged, my heartbeat thunderous.

I don’t want to be alone…

Compelled to follow them, I cautiously stepped onto the narrow path. My legs trembled with fear, and my rapid pulse caused my body to shake uncontrollably.

“Calm down, this is wider than a balance beam… I can easily cross this.”

I muttered to myself, trying to stay composed.

“Okay… just a little more.”

With each cautious step, I moved forward.

“Just a bit more… almost there…”

“Squeeeeee!”

Suddenly, a piercing shriek echoed around me.

“Magatsuhi!?”

I reflexively turned around. A bat-like creature was diving straight towards me.

“Damn…!”

I ducked instinctively to dodge, but my feet tangled, and I lost my balance.

“Ah…!”

I felt myself thrown into the air, and then a severe impact hit me, and everything went black.