Author's note: From this chapter onwards, I will use single quotation marks for internal thoughts.
Imagine seeing an unspeakable creature with a human face and a beast's body rolling around on the ground — that's how Xi P views this.
Of course, this description is somewhat exaggerated. There are still noticeable differences between Xi P's face and that of a fox. Thankfully, those differences exist. Otherwise Xi P might not just have sat frozen in place, unable to think; he might have reacted far more violently.
Min glances at Xi P, who is still staring at the ground like a statue. So Min pulls out another bag of dog food, scoops up a handful, and extends his hand. Seeing this, the silver fox stops circling and approaches, tail wagging, to begin devouring the kibble from Min's hand. Xi P watches every moment of it!
This finally snaps Xi P out of his stupor. Such a bizarre and twisted scene far exceeds anything Xi P would normally entertain in his imagination, but resembles the ending of some wildly absurd horror film. A wave of nausea instantly washes over him. He leaps from the sofa and dashes straight into the bathroom, struggling to suppress the urge to vomit. He might maintain perfect composure during a high-precision experiment or extinguish a fire on a research vessel without flinching, but this scene, just leaves him utterly flustered.
Although he feels as though he has been tricked, he has indeed agreed to keep a pet, and Min is free to do as he pleases. But allowing that unspeakable monster to roam freely in front of him... that's just utterly unacceptable!
***
'He actually ran away?'
Min is surprised by Xi P's reaction, though it isn't entirely hard to understand. Presenting a fox-like alien with the act of feeding an actual fox — the sight might be somewhat disgusting or terrifying. If Xi P has genuinely been disgusted to the point of vomiting, then perhaps he has gone too far.
Nevertheless, Min decides to leave Xi P in the bathroom for a little while longer. Whether it's setting up the pet supplies or dealing with the various tasks involved in getting back home, it will take time.
***
Inside the bathroom, Xi P finally begins to calm down. He starts formulating a countermeasure — yes, he deliberately uses "countermeasure" rather than "solution". What he wants is to remove the fox creature from his sight permanently, to prevent it from polluting his mind. Naturally, he can't kill the fox. First he can't bring himself to do it, and second, Min will be mad at that.
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That leaves only two options: toss the fox out or return it to where it's bought.
The idea of abandoning it is quickly dismissed. If Min finds out, he will be furious. Besides, it would be rather cruel. Min wouldn't have bought a wild fox as a pet, so this one must have been domesticated.
Domesticated animals lose much of their ability to survive in the wild, and the same would surely hold true here. Unless it becomes a stray pet roaming the city or being taken in by someone else, its chances of survival are slim. In truth, Min's anger alone is enough to rule out this option; whether the fox can survive is merely a secondary concern.
The only option, then, is to devise a way for Min to give the fox up voluntarily — either by returning it to the pet shop, giving it away, or abandoning it. However, this is likely quite difficult. Min doesn't lose interest easily. For him, the mere appearance of Xi P is a powerful motivation to keep the fox, and a remarkably strong one at that.
'Eliminating that motivation is impossible. It must be approached from another angle…'
'Can only rely on negative factors that counteract or even outweigh that motivation…'
'Logically speaking, the possibility of making him believe continued ownership would be detrimental can be divided into two parts: either he himself suffers a loss, or I suffer a loss…'
'If it's my loss, it must carry sufficient credibility — not merely psychological. Because psychological damage is precisely what he wants to see...'
Like conducting an experiment, Xi P gradually enters a state of deep contemplation after regaining his composure. After another minute of profound thought, he devises a countermeasure based on rigorous logical analysis.
If executed convincingly enough, this plan will be highly credible and sufficiently threatening. Moreover, Min will have no choice but to send the fox away! Xi P can't help but feel pleased with himself for devising such a countermeasure.
Pushing open the bathroom door, Xi P steps into the living room.
'What did I just see?!'
Min is sitting on the sofa, cradling the fox against his chest and stroking it. The fox keeps opening its mouth to lick Min's arm. Seeing this scene causes another wave of intense nausea to surge up. Before Min can speak, Xi P dashes back into the bathroom and retches repeatedly.
Fortunately, he manages to hold it in.
'By the Council above, why must there be creatures this uncannily similar to tuefue 86 light-years from Lierus? Why did I have to encounter it, and witness such a revolting spectacle?!'
Xi P's determination to expel the fox from his — no, Min's home — only strengthens.
The silver fox turns its head towards Xi P as he emerges from behind the wall. To Min's surprise, it shows no particular reaction. This may be because Xi P's sunglasses mask his features somewhat. More likely, though, it's because Xi P's scent differs from the fox's. Either way, that's a bit disappointing. At least Xi P doesn't rely on scent for recognition.
