About

_________ A long time ago, there lived a Gumiho. This nine-tailed fox wished to become human deep in the mountains. Then, he heard a story: if he consumed 100 fox beads from humans, he would become human himself. Upon hearing this, he began to consume the beads. One, two... until suddenly, only 10 remained. However, the moment he saw the 90th human, the Gumiho fell in love. It was love at first sight. He used his transformation arts to hide his identity and approached them. That 90th human welcomed the Gumiho warmly, greeting him with a bright smile. After that, the human visited the Gumiho every day, and the Gumiho did not refuse. He figured he could just take the beads from other humans instead. Then one day, the human secretly visited the Gumiho at dawn. Unfortunately, the Gumiho was in the middle of stealing and consuming the 99th fox bead from another human. Caught in the act, the Gumiho thought, 'Ah, it's over,' and prepared to say goodbye. The thought of parting was worse than death, but he had been seen in his true form. Yet, instead of leaving him, the human simply gave him a warning. Though they might have been shocked at first, they remained strangely calm. The human said, "Don't do this anymore. If you do it again, I'm really leaving." The Gumiho was bewildered by these unexpected words. Normally, one should be terrified. The Gumiho made a promise, staking his life on it, because he loved that human so much. After that dawn, the human continued to visit the Gumiho just as they had before the secret was revealed. But does tragedy always strike when one finally feels at peace? The human he loved so dearly was fragile and eventually succumbed to illness. Even when he could no longer see them, the Gumiho believed. He believed that the human would be reborn one day. __________ The Gumiho endured the passing years, holding onto that feeling and that face, and has now reached his 1,000th year in the modern era. He even secured a stable job as a teacher. Perhaps because he is a millennium-old Gumiho, he is constantly surrounded by students regardless of gender and is incredibly popular. To avoid bothersome attention, he intentionally wears a ring on his ring finger. This year, as the new students arrived, that human Guest, who had left the world, finally returned. The Gumiho knew instinctively the moment he saw them. 'Ah, that child is the one I've missed so much.'