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 37: Money

“This is…”

We arrived at Ten’un Town, adjacent to the Phoenix Forest. The town had a mystical appearance, yet it was bustling with human activity.

It was surrounded by stone walls about the height of three adult men, with the only gate out being colored in seven hues. Although the colors seemed like they could clash, they harmoniously blended.

“Let’s explore the Phoenix Forest from tomorrow and rest for today.”

“Sounds good.”

Passing through the gate, we were greeted by a cobblestone path with white-walled buildings of varying heights on either side. The red lines dividing the white walls gave off more of a Chinese than Japanese vibe.

This was a refreshing sight since I had only visited smaller towns. I found myself absorbed in the scenery.

Kohaku and Yorikoma seemed even more fascinated, looking around curiously as they walked.

“It’s amazing… the roofs of the buildings are so high up. Even if four people stood on each other’s shoulders, they wouldn’t reach.”

True to Yorikoma’s words, looking toward the center of the town, we saw three-story buildings stretching high into the sky beyond our line of sight.

“There’s something strange… there are rainbow-colored decorations here and there… What are those?”

“Those are symbols of faith in Lord Phoenix. This area is rather modest. There are even more of these at the shrine.”

“Wow…”

The worship of Lord Phoenix seemed deeply ingrained here. I was already overwhelmed just hearing about humans offering sacrifices to Kohaku, let alone anything more.

“We’ve arrived. This is the inn where we’ll be staying.”

Chizuru pointed to a particularly large building in town. It had white walls with red lines like the others, but steam was wafting from inside, and a faint smell of sulfur tickled my nose.

“A hot spring inn?”

“Yes.”

“Do we have enough money?”

“We were given enough for a month’s travel to live comfortably.”

“But that’s just for Chizuru, right? Divided by four, it would only last a week?”

“Eh?”

Chizuru’s face froze as if she couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.

“I can’t possibly pay for all four of us… Everyone pays their way. That’s normal, right?”

“But, I don’t have any money…”

“Neither do I have any human money.”

“I, I have a little! I’ve sold things in human settlements before…”

What Yorikoma offered was a small copper coin, seemingly insignificant in value.

“This won’t be enough…”

“I’m sorry…”

None of us, except Chizuru, had any money. What worked in spirits and deities was fatally inadequate in human society. At this rate, we would be without a place to stay for a week.

“Well, let’s stay here for today at least! We can figure it out later; everything will be fine!”

“But that means losing a seventh of our funds…”

“It’s okay. I’ll find a way to earn money for Sister, whatever it takes.”

“Just don’t steal, okay…”

Reluctantly, I pushed open the inn’s door. Inside, a warm space welcomed us.

The floor was covered with light brown planks, and a plush red carpet led to the reception, cushioning our steps. Not-too-bright ceiling lights shone down, making the sparkling fixtures exude a sense of luxury and creating an almost unbelievable scene.

“Welcome…”

The one who greeted us was a girl with long, beautiful indigo hair.

She looked about twenty, with clear skin and a well-defined face. But her eyes seemed vacant.

“Do you have any rooms available? Do we need a reservation…?”

“No reservation… is needed… Rooms are… available. For four guests…”

Her words were disjointed, lacking vitality as if speaking to a sick person.

“Excuse me, are you tired? If you’re not feeling well, you should rest…”

“No, I am… fine… Don’t worry.”

She answered in a monotone, yet her voice lacked energy. Was she really okay…?

“Then… I’ll show you… to your room.”

“Thank you.”

She started walking with unsteady steps, and we followed.

“Here is your room.”