—And now for today’s trend corner! Today’s trend is incredibly fresh!—
—The hidden gem and mascot of FoxPhone! It’s Kogami Inari-chan!—
—Ahh, I saw her too! She’s super pretty, isn’t she? Is it really true that there was no editing?—
—If they’ve been raising such a hidden gem like her, it makes sense they hadn’t chosen a mascot until now.—
As soon as the morning TV show came on, Inari changed the channel with a vaguely troubled expression.
—Ehh? Inari-chan? Of course I know her! She’s sooo cute!—
—Just like that, the number of people being charmed by the fox-eared girl who suddenly appeared on FoxPhone’s official site is rapidly increasing even in Tokyo…—
“…Mmm. I suppose one could say the plan was a success, but still, seeing one’s own face on the TV is rather… embarrassing, no…”
Indeed, the massive overhaul of FoxPhone’s official site had been, in the end, a huge success.
As befitting the name FoxPhone, the striking debut of a beautiful girl dressed as a fox-eared shrine maiden had instantly gone viral across every medium nationwide. Alongside the release of new products, ads featuring Inari with an awkward smile had been plastered everywhere, spreading at a pace that showed no signs of slowing.
Naturally, FoxPhone began receiving all sorts of requests, though it seemed the company was thoroughly screening them. Especially checking for involvement from Lion Telecom. Putting that aside, the initial goal—"establishing an image for Inari"—could be considered achieved.
From now on, no matter what Inari did, if FoxPhone’s presence loomed in the background, most people would be content to think, “Oh, this must be some publicity stunt with FoxPhone behind it.”
“Mm. Things are progressing well. Most splendid indeed.”
While saying so, Inari popped a magic stone from an orc into her mouth.
Apparently, the amount of magical power a stone provided varied by size, but when it came to orcs, there seemed to be little difference from goblins or wolves.
—Magical power has increased!—
“Now then. How much hath this ‘status’ of mine shifted, I wonder?”
Her level had increased, and she had absorbed both wolf and orc magic stones. Curious to see the changes, Inari looked at her status and murmured, “Oh?”
Name: Kogami Inari
Level: 18
Job: Fox Shrine Maiden
Stats:
Attack: E
Magic: A
Physical Defense: F
Magic Defense: A
Agility: E
Luck: F
Skills: Kogetsu Summoning, Divine Power Lv8, Kogami-ryu Aikijutsu, Divine Concealment
“Hmm… Magic itself hath not changed, yet magic defense hath risen. ’Twas one of those ‘almost-A’ B’s… so that must be it.”
As for the Magic stat, she understood that A wasn’t the cap. It simply meant she still had a ways to go before pushing past A. The other unchanged values were likely for similar reasons. But growth was certainly happening. With each level up, she could feel subtle shifts occurring within her.
“Now then, I suppose I must reserve the next dungeon… though with the current state of affairs, choices seem slim, hm?”
Sewer-type dungeon with slimes and giant rats: Tokyo Dungeon No. 5
Swamp-type dungeon with lizardmen: Tokyo Dungeon No. 6
Underground prison-type dungeon with undead: Tokyo Dungeon No. 7
These three dungeons were the least popular, especially No. 5 and No. 7.
Likely because they gave off a strong impression of being dirty. Tokyo Dungeon No. 6, despite being a swamp, was still more popular than the other two.
Surprisingly, Tokyo Dungeon No. 9 was quite popular. Apparently, bug-related items that dropped there could fetch a high price.
“Hmm… mayhap I should give No. 7 a try. One could even say the banishment of wicked spirits is my specialty, after all…”
As she operated her Awakener Phone to make a reservation, a call came through—Akai from FoxPhone.
“Good morning. Do you have a moment?”
“Mm, good morning. What business hast thou this morn?”
“To begin with, what do you think about using more “noja”s to emphasize your cuteness?”
“May I hang up now?”
“No, then to the point. A new dungeon has appeared in Akihabara. It appears to be a temporary dungeon… and our company will be taking charge of the response this time.”
Inari nodded, now understanding the situation. They likely wanted her to take on that dungeon. As far as she was concerned, there was no reason to refuse.
“So then, thou wouldst have me handle this dungeon, aye?”
“Yes. We’ve heard you prefer solo operations, so we’ll support you with items and such from our side.”
“Very well, I understand. I shall head there at once.”
“……”
“Mm? Doth something trouble thee?”
“I was just thinking… ‘I understandeth’ would’ve sounded cuter.”
“Is that so. Well then, I shall see thee on-site.”
After ending the call, Inari let out a small sigh.
“These modern notions of ‘cute’… I understand them not, truly…”
Given that this was one of the darker aspects of modern culture, whether Inari would ever grasp it… well, that remains uncertain.