Klang.
Feeling full, I placed the bowl beside my body while lightly tossing the spoon back into it, now that there was no porridge left inside.
The warm sensation spreading throughout my entire body made me feel as if I had been born into this world once again, even though I still did not know where I was.
Even though the porridge was not that much, it was enough to make me feel alive again and begin hoping for many things, including those related to them.
I was sure... Everyone in this room, or even the room where I first woke up, must have some kind of connection to me. I could feel it from the faint memories that were slowly beginning to surface.
Even so, those memories felt like nothing more than wind passing through my head before disappearing moments before I could properly and clearly remember them. How irritating.
I stretched out my hand to take back the bowl I had placed earlier, it would not be good to leave it lying around carelessly after eating.
I stared at the bowl in my hands for quite a while, there were so many things I desperately wanted to know again out of curiosity.
If I remember correctly... I am seventeen years old now... I hope I am not remembering it wrong. It has only been five months since the day I was born, yet I do not even know what day it is right now.
That age, which was close to adulthood, signified that a fox was ready to have a life of their own and form a new group consisting of the family they had just created.
In truth, there was no specific time for us to reproduce, nor were there any special rules forbidding us from doing so.
Even a small fox as young as seven years old could already have children if a teenage or adult man happened to fall in love with her.
It took less than half a year for women to give birth to their children, and usually they could have at least two or more offspring from a single pregnancy.
If they wished to increase their number further, they could immediately give birth again during the next cycle as many times as they were capable of until they no longer could.
We were free to mate anywhere as long as there was mutual attraction between us and the man was prepared to support the family he had created.
If I looked at my body again... I did not think I had ever mated with anyone before, there were only two possibilities I could think of.
Either I used to be a quiet girl who rarely socialized, or there simply were no men interested in me.
... However, whenever I tried to think about it again, there was a shadow of someone from the past that always appeared in my memories.
Even though I could not see their face, simply thinking about that blurry memory made my heart feel warm.
Did I love that person in the past if they were a man? Or were they simply another woman like me who cared deeply about me?
Before I could think any further, I could feel someone walking toward me.
There was no one else close enough to where I was sitting, which meant that person was definitely approaching me intentionally.
I could see both of their legs stop right in front of my curled-up body, even though I was slightly hunched over while staring downward.
"How is it, Lin? Do you like it?"
The same voice from when I approached him earlier, which meant the person standing before me was—
I slowly looked up at his face, which was smiling happily after seeing me finish the portion he had given me, while he bent slightly with both hands resting on his knees.
—Kayo.
"Y-yes... It tasted really good, thank you," I replied in a quiet voice, almost like a whisper.
His smile widened even more, showing his white teeth, indicating just how happy he was seeing me finish the porridge without leaving anything behind.
After that, he took some distance before finally sitting against the wall right beside my right side.
He stretched out one of his legs while the other remained bent with his hand resting on his knee, truly a posture that men seemed to love when sitting down.
His body looked rather slim, perhaps almost the same as mine. Judging from the way he sat, our heights were probably only a few centimeters apart.
"Are you still hungry? We still have some porridge left in the pot. I was planning to save it for the others who will wake up later. Want some?"
Hearing his question, I quickly shook my head in panic as a sign of refusal toward the offer he gave me.
"You made it for them... I do not want to take away the rights of others who are in the same condition as me," I replied in a louder voice than before.
"... Well, at least you are still the same Lin that I know. But... You lost your memories, didn't you?"
My eyes widened with excitement, I felt as though I was standing very close to the truth. Perhaps too close!
Without realizing it, I turned my body toward him, accidentally causing the bowl with the spoon inside it to fall onto the space between where we were sitting.
I moved my face closer to his, not too close, perhaps there was still a handspan left before our faces could touch each other.
"W-what do you mean by that?" I asked.
Kayo fell silent for a moment before pushing me back with both of his hands, perhaps he felt uncomfortable with his body being close to mine.
"Calm down... Looking at your reaction, it seems my guess was correct, huh?" Kayo asked while continuing to maintain that small smile on his face.
"Maybe... I should tell you all of this, but are you sure? This might take a little while, do you really not mind?" he said, feeling that my time would simply be wasted if I listened to all of his story.
"I do not mind! Please tell me everything. Who exactly are you, what kind of relationship do all of us have to end up here, and why did I lose my memories..."
"And then... To all of you, who exactly am I? I want to know everything!" I said with excitement that I could no longer hold back.
I let out every question I wanted to know directly toward him without any hesitation, this was a chance I absolutely could not let slip away right now.
Kayo used both of his hands to ask me not to get too close to him again, perhaps I had made him feel a little uncomfortable.
"If you truly want to know... Alright, I will tell you everything from the beginning—"
—
Before Kayo could finish his sentence, someone suddenly rushed toward us in panic while wiping the sweat covering his face.
He looked exhausted after earlier I noticed him entering this room through the door, most likely from the room next door.
Kayo, seeing him like that, immediately stood up and tried to calm the person down so he could explain what had happened.
Faintly, I could hear that they were indeed talking about something related to the room next door, which meant—
"Lin, come with me. I will explain everything while we help them, alright?"
Kayo suddenly turned toward me to invite me to go with him. Before I could even answer, Kayo had already begun walking toward the door as if he was certain that I would follow him.
... I did not know what was happening, but there was no way I would simply stay here and wait for him to come back—
"W-wait for me!" I quickly stood up and hurried after him, who had already left the room ahead of me. Geez... What is happening?