Seeing how clustered Nana was getting, Yuki’s lips curled up as she leaned forward. “Help me wash my hair.”

 “Huh?” Surprised by the request at first, Nana smiled and nodded her head. “Okay.”

“It must be tough….” Nana began as she gently ran her hands through Yuki’s hair with some soap. “Unlike my race, your tail will get all messy if you do not take care of it from time to time.”

“Nothing I can do. In order to not be caught by humans. I have no choice but to be careful with my disguise. Even if my tail gets dirty and snarled up, I will just need to take the time to take care of it. After all, it is never good when one’s fluff is matted and snarled.” Yuki replied as she closed her eyes. Nana was currently washing around her ears, and it felt quite calming. 

“I think the fluffiness fits you very well,” Nana said as she gently scratched Yuki’s ears. She could see that Yuki was enjoying it. “It’s too bad you have to hide your real appearance. You look much cuter this way.”

“You look cute as well with your horns and tail. I will shine your scales for you later if you brush my tail for me.” Yuki decided to do an equivalent and exchange. Nana was the only one she could be her true self around now. The past few months had allowed her to see Nana as someone she could sincerely rely on. She just hoped this would never change from now and forever. She had read things about cultivation in her past life, so the idea of friends was not uncommon in my novels but also not common in many as well as they would always stab you in the back. But the novels that showed friendship, that friendship would always last an eternity. She had taken the gamble. There was no going back now, so she hoped it would work out to where her and Nana would face all odds from no one and into the future.

“Mmm… I would like that.” Nana nodded as she continued to wash Yuki’s hair. 

After about ten minutes, Nana was satisfied and rinsed the soap out of her hair before standing up and reaching her hand out to Yuki. “Let’s get you dried off.”

 “Mmm…” Yuki took the extended hand and stood up. She then shook her entire body allowing the motion to run through her tail, ringing the water out to partially dry it out. Nana found it interesting how Yuki could wring the water out of her tail in such a way. 

With Nana’s help, Yuki was dried off and dressed. Luckily some of the clothes prepared for the girls were loose, so her tail did not get squashed, but it did make the back of their long nightwear rise up over their butt, exposing the undergarments that they had on.

A little earlier…. 

Up on one of the peaks, Elder Nishikawa was looking in a certain direction. She waved her hand, creating a barrier around a certain immortal cave within the outer sect. “These girls need to be more careful….” Letting out a small sigh, she smiled when she thought about how close the two girls had gotten over the past few months. “But to think that the three big ancient clans had all joined the same sect. And could all be found in this small kingdom. A fox, a dragon, and…. A phoenix….” Elder Nishikawa’s eyes flashed slightly, turning an orange color before quickly returning back to their normal color. “They both choose the right sect…. But from the look of things, their clans must not be in good shape or have been wiped out…. I will need to speak to my elders about this soon.” 

Elder Nishikawa did not plan to tell anyone about the two girls. She had noticed Yuki right off the bat as she had once met a foxkin before. This was why she would not allow anyone else to take Yuki. No matter what. It was not until being around Nana for a while that she realized that Nana was also not human. She did not know her race until she had revealed herself to Yuki. It was then that she was glad these two girls met. She was glad they came to this sect. And one of the reasons why she would risk her life to protect them. They were now her personal disciples, so she would do everything she could for them. But she also wanted them to grow naturally. Allow them to find their own path. Once they gained proper strength, they could finally reveal to the world who they were.

“I will need to keep this barrier up from now on. This way, no one can sneak peeks into their immortal cave. Those old men say they don’t use their divine sense for such things, but I know they do!” The reason why Elder Nishikawa was watching the girls all the time when they were in the sect was because she wanted to make sure there was no one else trying to peek. If they saw Yuki and Nana’s true forms, all hell would break loose. Now with the barrier up, she did not need to peek into their privacy. The barrier made it so she could tell if anyone directed their divine sense in that direction.

Back inside the immortal cave, Yuki and Nana both had a tail in hand and were grooming them. Yuki was gently wiping every scale on Nana’s tail while Nana dried and brushed Yuki’s tail to make it ultra fluffy. “Yuki, can I sleep here again tonight?”

 “Mmm… We should rest tonight and then go to the treasure pavilion first thing.” Yuki really could not wait to actually get some techniques. Anything that could make her more powerful was always welcomed.