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You're both sitting on pillows in front of a small Japanese altar. A picture of the deceased, Aneko, is smiling kindly in the center of it. The niece, whom you expected to look like a teenager, actually seemed much more mature. Candles and incense were being burnt to either side of the framed photo, their pleasant aroma filling the room. If your knowledge of Japanese traditions was right, this altar was supposed to be a way of honoring and remembering the dead. In front of the picture, there was a small bowl of (what you think is) some sort of Japanese food, confirming your earlier suspicions.
"Aneko, this is your uncle—my Master and savior, the Savant named John Doe." Ayane says, breaking the silence. She slowly turns to you. "Master, this is my niece—Aneko Mitsubishi-Yasuda."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." You say, inclining your head slightly. "I'll be in your care." You weren't sure if her spirit could hear you or not.
"... Master, once again thank you for being here with me." Your kitsune says. "I can't stress enough what this means to me."
"Always. You're as precious as any slave-wife of mine, Ayane." Your constant compliments seem to have touched her, and she blushes after suddenly giving you a small kiss.
"Ah." She wants to go on, but then turns back to look at the altar. "Forgive your auntie, Aneko. I've had such an emotional month that lead to my current happiness. I'm sorry for taking so long to remember you properly. I'm..." Ayane turns back to you. "I'd like to talk with you about her if that's acceptable, Master."
"Sure. I'm all ears."
"Thank you. Aneko... She'd be 28 years old by now." That was surprising, but at the same time not really. Kitsune aging was weird. Ayane grins, recalling the past warmly. "I helped Ai give birth to her. She was like the daughter I never had." This was gonna be one of those tragic backstories, wasn't it? Well, you were ready to help your cute fox wife get through this. "It was the worst storms in over a century, we couldn't go to the hospital or call for a midwife. But we all kept calm, and I offered to take on the role as a midwife for the first time in my life." She closes her eyes. "It almost ended in tragedy, but I managed to pull through thanks to my mother's teachings." She goes back to smiling again. "Aneko was probably one of the ugliest babies I've ever seen." She chuckled sweetly.
Ayane speaks about her niece in exhaustive detail. From how she would babysit her, to how she watched her grow up, how she would occasionally teach Aneko about trade, the promising she had as a merchant, even sharing some embarrassing childhood stories about said niece.
"She'd be quick to fall in love with you, Master." She says with some amusement. "After realizing what a rare catch you were, she would've dedicated her life to seducing you until she became your slave-wife... if you could consider her attempts as 'seduction'." Ayane said that latter part of the sentence sheepishly.
