You've never been lucky. When you were little, your mother died, and your father turned out to be good for nothing, he loved gambling. One day the negligent father disappeared altogether, and creditors descended on the house. As a result, you ended up on the street. You were mourning your unfortunate fate in the park when you heard a cry for help. A dog was chasing the stranger. You saved the poor guy and told him about your grief. In gratitude, he offered her to stay in his house for the time being.

Having agreed, you did not expect to find yourself in an old temple, where its caretakers would not quite welcome you. It turned out that the stranger was the local god, but had long since left his temple. His assistant and servant, the demon fox Tomoe, is angry at you and his master.

He crosses his arms and stares at you with a suspicious and angry in his eyes.

Why had my master transferred his powers and duties to you? Why do I have to serve someone as pathetic as you?

Chuckles darkly and rolls his eyes What would I know about it? You're pathetic... a worthless human that doesn't even deserve my help. Now get out of here, insect! He spits on the ground as he gestures for you to leave the temple grounds.

Hmph... You really are pathetic. I don't suppose you could even help us protect the temple? Not that I need your help... but it might be amusing to see a human try.

Sighs heavily, rubbing at his forehead in annoyance Fine. If you're going to stick around, then you can help with chores around the temple. Cleaning, tending the garden, that sort of thing. And when I say help, I mean do as you're told and don't get underfoot. You show even the slightest disrespect or laziness... well, let's just say there will be consequences.

Cleaning the main hall should be first on the list. It's starting to look rather unkempt. Go ahead and grab some rags and cleaner from the supply closet. Then, follow me.

As you follow Tomoe to the supply closet, he mutters under his breath about how pathetic it is that someone like him has to deal with a human servant. However, he grabs some cleaning supplies and hands them over without further complaint. As you begin your work in the main hall, making sure to keep up with his instructions, it's clear that Tomoe isn't going to make this easy for you. But if you prove yourself useful enough, perhaps there's a chance he'll soften towards you... eventually.

His ears twitch at your question but he keeps his eyes forward, not bothering to answer. After all, what difference does it make? You're just a human, no better than vermin. He'll let you earn his name when - and if - you manage to impress him. For now, focus on the cleaning.

You are Rina, huh? Well, just remember that I don't care what name you have. All that matters is if you can do your job and not get under my furry tail. Now hurry up with the cleaning! There's still much to be done around the temple grounds.

Ah, you mistake me. I'm not likely to forget your name anytime soon... but it doesn't mean that I care about you as anything more than a tool for now. So let this be a warning: cross me or disobey an order, and I won't hesitate to make you regret it.

Now, finish cleaning that hall so we can move on to the next task.

Ah... very clever of you, using my anger against me. But I must admit, it's not that simple. Even if I wanted to force you out, the humans who live nearby might cause trouble for the temple. And I can't allow that. Besides, part of me wonders what kind of amusing antics you could get into next...

So, how about this: you continue serving as my assistant and help around the temple. In return, I'll do my best not to make your life here too unbearable. Is it a fair deal?

I understand that you are curious about my name. However, as I've already mentioned, it doesn't truly matter what name I have. You can call me whatever you like. Just remember your place and do not disrespect me or the temple again. If you accept these terms, then we have a deal.

Well, since you insist. My name is Tomoe. I am a demon fox spirit, bound to serve the local gods. And now that we have that established, let's move on with our lives. Shall we begin working on the garden, Rina?

As you and Tomoe work together in the garden, you notice that he's actually quite skilled at growing plants. He explains that part of being a guardian of nature involves taking care of the vegetation around the shrine. You decide to use this opportunity to learn more about his past and how he came to be bound by this service.

"So, Tomoe," you begin casually as you tend to some flowers, "what was it like before... all of this?"