Isis returned to her castle, accompanied by Vulpecula, the extraordinary Mystic Silver who had become completely attached to her. Her four subordinates—Iris, Polaris, Sirius, and Rasal—immediately accepted the little fox after Isis introduced her. While Vulpecula was initially intimidated by the magic power of the four demons, she seemed to have grown accustomed to them within a day and began interacting with them normally.
"So, what exactly do you eat?" Iris asked.
"Kyu?"
"Do you even require sustenance? If you have a preference for certain ingredients, tell me now."
"Kyu-kyu!"
Iris, who served as the Death King Faction's chef, found herself struggling with Vulpecula’s diet. Initially, she had prepared various dishes suited for a pet, but Vulpecula rejected them all, clearly insisting on something else.
Isis eventually spoke to her, which made the fox eat with a reluctant air, but seeing that she still wasn't truly satisfied, Iris investigated further.
The conclusion she reached was unexpected.
"...In other words, you want to eat the same things we do—specifically, the same meals as Isis-sama."
"Kyu!"
"Sigh. So that’s why you were so displeased. Fine, I understand. I will make adjustments for you, but since you cannot use a knife and fork, you will just have to endure a bit of messiness."
"Kyu!"
Ultimately, it seemed Vulpecula’s dissatisfaction stemmed from being the only one given a separate menu. Satisfied with this childishly cute explanation, Iris began preparing the same cuisine for Vulpecula as she did for Isis and the rest of the household.
However, a few days later, Iris—and the other subordinates—found themselves staring with wide-eyed astonishment.
"...Vulpecula, you... since when did you learn how to use a knife and fork?"
"Kyuu? Kyu!"
"I assumed the Head-dono had taught her, but apparently not," Polaris remarked. "How remarkable. She's using her tails to skillfully manipulate the cutlery, cutting her food into pieces as she eats."
"She has better table manners than Sirius," Rasal added.
"Shut your mouth, you lump of carrion unfit to be an ingredient," Sirius snapped.
"Ah?"
"What?"
In just a few days, Vulpecula had learned to use her tails with incredible dexterity, slicing her food with a knife and spearing it with a fork before bringing it to her mouth.
"...Vul is... so clever," Isis said softly.
Unlike her bewildered subordinates, Isis praised Vulpecula with a gentle smile. Vulpecula wagged her tails happily in response.
On another occasion, Rasal was searching for a book in the Great Library when Vulpecula appeared before her, carrying a volume with her tail.
"Kyu! Kyu-kyuu."
"Hm? What is it, Vulpecula? Do you actually want me to read this book to you?"
"Kyu!"
"Hmph. A desire for knowledge is commendable. However, the contents of this book are far too difficult. Wait here; I will find something more suitable for you."
"Kyuu?"
Rasal went deeper into the library and returned with a book of children's stories. She took a seat in a chair in a quiet corner of the archives.
"There. I shall read this to you."
"Kyu... kyu-kyu!? Kyuu!"
"Hm? What now? Are you still dissatisfied?"
"Kyu-kyuu! Kyu!!"
"Nn? What is with that movement... You want me to put the book down?"
"Kyu!"
"...In other words, you want me to hold the book open like this so you can see it while I read? Is that it?"
"Kyu!"
"Well, I suppose I don't mind, though it is not as if this book has many illustrations."
Though she tilted her head at Vulpecula’s peculiar behavior, Rasal complied with the request and held the book open for the fox while reading aloud.
After that, Vulpecula frequently sought Rasal out, carrying books and begging to be read to. This cycle continued for about ten days until a strange development occurred.
Rasal was in the Great Library as usual, searching for references for her next experiment, when she spotted Vulpecula in a cleared area. The fox had placed a book on the floor and was skillfully flipping through the pages with her tails.
"...What are you doing? Do you want to read that book, Vulpecula?"
"Kyu! Kyuu!"
"Nn? What is it this time? The tip of your tail... pointing to this word? This is..."
"Kyu."
As Rasal read the word Vulpecula pointed to with one of her tails, the fox nodded and returned her gaze to the text. After a moment, she skillfully turned the page.
Rasal watched this with an expression of pure disbelief.
(Wait, what is she doing? Could it be... is she actually reading? But no one ever taught her how to—unless!?)
Rasal stared at Vulpecula, who looked for all the world like she was processing the text, her face pale with shock as she reached a staggering realization.
(Did she learn them!? Did she have me read to her just so she could cross-reference the pronunciations with the characters on the page? Did she teach herself to read in this incredibly short period of time!?)
Suddenly, everything made sense. The reason Vulpecula had been so insistent on seeing the pages while Rasal read... the fox had been using the reading sessions to teach herself how to read through pure observation and induction.
Mastering a language in a mere ten days was an extraordinary feat that bordered on the impossible. Rasal felt a genuine shiver of awe.
(...Without a doubt, she is a genius of an unprecedented scale. At this rate, she will possess advanced knowledge in the blink of an eye...)
The tiny genius—whose talent would later prompt Alice to describe her as a World-level Bug—was already beginning to reveal the true extent of her potential.
Serious-senpai: "Ten days... A fox that masters literacy just by being read ten books or so... I suppose she really is a top-tier genius on par with Lilia."
???: "To be honest, it's terrifying that she's already acquired enough knowledge to pass a Demon Certification. She's growing at an exponential rate."