Hiroyuki had no idea he’d be rooming with a monster until the day he finally arrived at his new home.

It had been his grandfather’s, originally, a charming little house hidden deep in the woods at least a full hour’s walk from the nearest town, the town itself several hours ride by train from any of Japan’s major cities. More than a few happy childhood memories were wrapped up here amongst the beautiful scenery and well-maintained garden, and for the twenty-five-year-old mangaka, it was a welcome change of pace from the hustle and bustle and stress of life in Tokyo, a retreat where he could work on his stories undisturbed by his parents’ scheming for wealth and power. Why his grandfather had bequeathed the house to him, Hiroyuki wasn’t quite certain, but he vowed that one day he’d prove himself worthy of such a gift.

Mind you, as wonderful as it was, there were complications. After all, neither his prior visits to the house nor his grandfather’s will made it clear there would be a kitsune sharing the space…

“Ohh, dear Hiroyuki, why do you look so glum?” a silken voice demanded teasingly, and atop his futon, Hiroyuki watched the utterly gorgeous young woman squirm fitfully in crimson ropes, golden eyes of unnerving and monstrous beauty examining him in turn. “After the way that awful mayor insulted you, tweaking his nose was the least I could do for you.”

“Did I ask you to?” Hiroyuki groaned despairingly. What little he knew about kitsune, or yokai in general, came from his grandfather’s stories, but one fact that had borne out since he found one as his roommate was that they had little conception or use for human morality. Tomoe was not a monster, strictly speaking, for she certainly didn’t leave broken bodies or ruined lives in her wake, and as an entity attached to him, his well-being would always be her priority. That said, she was still a trickster at heart, always eager to humble the haughty and tweak the noses of the powerful, so many of the boons she’d brought him usually came at the expense of another she’d deemed worthy of taking down a few pegs. Every few days, she’d return from her wandering with money stolen from a neighbour, or household tools pinched from local businesses, the latter leaving his modest garden shed and the house itself crammed to bursting with other people’s property.

But this was beyond the pale. “You do know how much the mayor loves his golf trophy, right?” he demanded, raising the golden prize in his right hand.

Tomoe giggled. “Of course, I do, silly! That’s why I took it!” the kitsune answered proudly. The first flickers of uncertainty passed over her beautiful porcelain features, and full pink lips turned downwards in a worried pout. “Don’t you like it? I think it would look nice on your drawing desk, help inspire you.” Ropes creaked as she idly strained against the bonds, both the coils binding her wrists behind her back and her upper body beneath her generous breasts holding firm. “There’s no need to tie me up over it.”

Sighing, Hiroyuki set the trophy down and sat beside the kitsune, his heart racing a mile a minute as it did every time he came close to her. He’d always been nervous around women, the few instances he dared to approach someone he liked resulting in embarrassment and heartbreak as his only rewards, and on some level, he’d resigned himself to living a life alone. And Tomoe was more than just an ordinary woman. From the very moment he awoke to see her looming over his bed, he’d been stricken by the sight of her; the glossy dark hair that cascaded down her back in a river of midnight, her pale, smooth skin, the fullness of her breasts, her long, shapely legs. As per normal, she was clad in a robe of close-fitting crimson silk that barely remained on the right side of decency, cut low to reveal her cleavage and short enough to offer a tantalizing glimpse of her perfect thighs. Her monstrous attributes were rather intriguing as well, the fox-like ears poking up from the top of her head and the trio of dark-furred tails that swished eagerly behind her doing little to detract from her astonishing beauty. That she was friendly, adventurous and kinder to him than he had any right to expect only deepened his attraction, and not for the first time, Hiroyuki felt guilty that such a magnificent being would risk getting into serious trouble all for the sake of a loser like him… especially since tying her up seemed to be the only way to get her to stop. “I know you don’t like this, Tomoe,” he said, making sure to choose his words carefully lest he offend the yokai. “But I can’t have you stealing everything you come across. I know you do it for my sake, and I’m flattered. But it’s not right to take other people’s property.”

“Property…” the kitsune repeated haltingly, as if unfamiliar with the concept. “You humans have such bizarre notions.”

“We do indeed,” Hiroyuki responded, unable to keep from smiling. “Listen, having you here in my life means more to me than I can express, and I don’t want to lose you because either you end up getting discovered, or I find myself arrested for theft. You’re amazing, Tomoe, and I want to keep you safe.”

“And taking things from others would jeopardize your household,” Tomoe finished, understanding finally blossoming in those beautiful, alien eyes. “Oh, very well, if it will make you happy. Would you like me to bring everything back?”

“Yes, but only if you can stay hidden,” insisted Hiroyuki. Without hesitation, he released the kitsune from her bonds, red ropes sliding off her incredible figure. “You mean so much to me, Tomoe. And I… I can’t lose you.”

Inhumanly beautiful eyes focused in on his face, and the touch of her hand against his cheek sent shivers of pleasure racing along his spine. “Then you won’t,” the yokai answered firmly. “And if bringing you material things won’t make you happy, then serving as your kitsune nyōbo will.”

Hiroyuki had but a moment to blush before her lips crashed against his own, passionate and hungry, while delicate, slender fingers seized his wrists in a grip of steel and pinned him down onto the futon. “Oh, don’t look so surprised, my dear Hiroyuki,” Tomoe purred, breath warm and wanton in his ear. “I may not understand all the strange laws and traditions you humans possess, but I do know desire. And you do desire me, don’t you?”

Groaning in pleasure, the human gave a firm nod, and the monster’s eyes lit up in delight. “Then let’s not waste any more time. It’s been a century since I’ve had a man, after all, and never a good one like yourself…”