Inuyama Tamaki IF: The Fox's Wedding Ch.1: The Fox Mask Curse ~A Crossdresser Becomes a Real Girl~

[System Message: Today, on the official NoriPro channel, we're starting the "New VTuber Debut Countdown! Emergency Collab Stream." Everyone watching, please subscribe and leave a like!] "Hey hey! Sorry to keep you all waiting! I'm NoriPro's general producer and the silver fox-eared boy-girl VTuber, Inuyama Tamaki!" A bright, slightly chaotic voice echoed through the streaming studio. Its owner was a petite girl... no, boy — with long silver hair tied up in fluffy red ribbons. His deep amber eyes sparkled as they faced the thousands of viewers on the other side of the screen. He wore a Japanese-style dress in white and red, with silver fox ears on top of his head and a bushy tail peeking out from around his waist. A small bell choker at his neck jingled softly with every movement. Yes, this was Inuyama Tamaki. NoriPro's proud — and slightly unusual — flagship talent. "Today we've got our newbies here for a pre-debut face-reveal stream! They're all nervous, so I'm gonna hype things up! Brace yourselves, okay?" Tamaki said this and winked at the three new VTubers sitting beside him. They were frozen stiff with nerves. Not that anyone could blame them. After all, the VTuber industry was now proper social infrastructure. Stream viewership regularly surpassed TV programs, and a popular talent's every move could drive a massive economy. It was actually pretty normal in this industry for a company's general producer to personally run a newcomer's face-reveal stream. "Okay, let's start with self-introductions. Take your time, no rush." When Tamaki gently prompted them, the first newcomer nervously opened their mouth. Tamaki nodded along, occasionally throwing in jokes to ease the mood. He glanced at the comment feed, picking out funny comments and turning them into laughs. His talk skills were nothing short of genius. (Good, good, this is going well. These kids are nervous, but they're speaking up properly.) Tamaki pumped a fist quietly out of camera range while thinking this. Watching his juniors debut was always a joy. The stream ended a little past nine at night. "Great work, everyone! You guys were amazing — hard to believe it was your first stream!" When Tamaki clapped, the newcomers finally let their shoulders relax. "Tamaki-senpai, thank you so much! I was so nervous my mind went completely blank..." "It's fine, it's fine! On my first stream, I forgot to turn the camera on and did thirty minutes of dead air!" "What!? Isn't that a broadcast accident...?" "Yep! But you know what? Those thirty silent minutes actually made me trending, and fifty thousand people showed up to my next stream! You never know what'll turn out to be a blessing, right?" Tamaki laughed, flashing his fang. His brightness finally coaxed smiles out of the newcomers. A relieved atmosphere settled over the studio. He helped pack up the equipment and went around greeting the staff. Before he knew it, the clock hands pointed to ten. Tamaki returned to his desk and let out a small sigh at the mountain of paperwork waiting for him. "Haa... overtime again today. Well, that's what being a general producer is, I guess." His desk was covered with next month's streaming schedule, merchandise sales reports, and sponsor contracts. Tamaki reviewed each document one by one, pen scratching along. His profile in that moment was completely different from the laughing figure on stream — dead serious. NoriPro. Officially Nori Production. A VTuber agency celebrating its fifth year, occupying an entire office building in the city. About thirty talents, about fifty employees. Annual revenue around 1.5 billion yen. Not the industry's biggest by any means, but known for its talents getting along well and its warm, family-like atmosphere. The one entrusted as its general producer was twenty-year-old Inuyama Tamaki. (Though "producer" sounds fancy, what I actually do is basically odd jobs.) Tamaki thought this while scanning documents. Planning streams, training juniors, negotiating with sponsors, sometimes even counseling talents through their problems. Sure, the work spanned everything. But Tamaki loved this job. More than anything, he loved seeing everyone smile. There was just one thing. Something he couldn't tell anyone. Tamaki reached for his desk drawer. Opening the bottom one, he found a single photograph inside. A photo of himself from high school. In it was a delicate boy with the same silver hair and amber eyes as now. (I'm... actually a boy.) Tamaki picked up the photo and stared at it for a while. Inuyama Tamaki. A boy on the inside. That was this VTuber's biggest gimmick. On stream, he'd laugh and come out with "Actually, I'm a boy, you know~" and send the viewers into a frenzy. That was Tamaki's style. But his true feelings, he could never tell anyone. (The truth is... I want to be a girl. I've always thought so.) Tamaki put the photo back in the drawer and stretched big. "Well, that's impossible anyway." The moment he muttered that, the internal phone on his desk rang. "Whoa! That startled me... Yes, this is Inuyama." "Ah, Tamaki-kun. You're still here? Could you come to the president's office for a moment?" It was the voice of NoriPro's president. Tamaki replied "I'll be right there" and hung up, quickly tidying his appearance before heading to the president's office. He knocked on the door, and a voice said "Come in." "Excuse me. President, you called for me?" When Tamaki opened the door, the president was at his desk reading through a thick stack of documents. A man in his mid-forties who always smiled, but whose occasional sharp glance marked him as a shrewd businessman. "Ah, you're here. Have a seat." Tamaki sat on the sofa and waited for the president to speak. The president slid the documents toward Tamaki and said with a serious expression: "Tamaki-kun, this is sudden, but... I want to entrust you with a major project that will decide our agency's fate." "Huh? The agency's fate?" "Yes. The project is called the 'Fox's Wedding Plan.' Our popular VTubers will actually wear shrine maiden outfits and perform a dedication concert at a real shrine. A unprecedented large-scale event fusing virtual and reality." Tamaki's eyes went wide. "A real concert in shrine maiden outfits? That's a project that overturns everything we know about VTubers..." "Exactly. That's why if it succeeds, the agency's profile skyrockets. If it fails... well, various things happen. You need to approach this with that level of resolve." The president said this and looked Tamaki straight in the eyes. "As our general producer, you have the deep trust of your juniors. I want to appoint you as the project's general director." Tamaki was speechless for a moment. (A project that decides the agency's fate... huh. The pressure is insane.) But more than that, another emotion welled up inside Tamaki. (A big event we all create together. Our juniors singing and dancing in shrine maiden outfits... it's definitely going to be fun.) Tamaki raised his head and nodded firmly. "Understood! I, Inuyama Tamaki, will make the 'Fox's Wedding Plan' a success no matter what! I want to give our juniors the best memories possible!" The president smiled with satisfaction at Tamaki's answer. "Good, I'm counting on you. The venue is an old shrine called Kitsunebi Shrine. About two hours by train from the city center, up in the mountains. First, go do a site inspection tomorrow." "Kitsunebi Shrine... a fox connection, huh. It might be perfect for my character too!" "That's part of why I chose you. A silver fox-eared boy-girl VTuber running a fox shrine's event. There's no one better suited." Tamaki laughed bashfully, his fox ears twitching on top of his head. The next day. Tamaki changed into casual clothes and took a series of trains toward Kitsunebi Shrine. A white blouse, red skirt, hair tied with the usual red ribbon. The fox ears and tail were, of course, removed and tucked into his backpack. Even without the headband, Tamaki looked more than cute enough to pass as a girl. (Well, I'm a boy on the inside though.) Tamaki thought this while watching the scenery flow past the train window. The city's buildings gradually thinned, replaced by greenery. After about two hours of riding, he arrived at the nearest station, then took a taxi for fifteen minutes. Up a mountain road, there was Kitsunebi Shrine. "Wow... what an atmospheric shrine." Tamaki got out of the taxi and couldn't help but voice his awe at the sight before him. The shrine, perched on the mountainside, was surrounded by the "Kitsunebi Forest" — centuries-old cedars standing in rows. The approach stretched about a kilometer, lined on both sides with rows of stone fox statues. The air was cool and crisp, quiet as if the city's noise had been a lie. (So this is Kitsunebi Shrine...) Tamaki straightened his back and began walking slowly down the approach. Each step on the stone pavement echoed with a pleasant click. Every time the wind blew, the cedar needles rustled. Past the approach, a grand torii gate appeared. Tamaki bowed before it and stepped into the grounds. Ahead stood the worship hall, and beyond it the main shrine, dignified and imposing. "Amazing... the air is different. It feels... sacred." As Tamaki looked around the grounds, an old man with a white beard approached. He wore a white hunting robe and had a gentle smile. "Welcome to Kitsunebi Shrine. I am the head priest here. My name is Kitsunebino." "Ah, nice to meet you! I'm Inuyama Tamaki from NoriPro. I came today for a site inspection!" Tamaki hurriedly bowed. The head priest watched him and smiled warmly. "Yes, I've heard about it. The dedication concert. Please, take your time looking around." The head priest guided Tamaki through the grounds. "This shrine has about eight hundred years of history since its founding. We enshrine a fox as a divine messenger. It's particularly famous for blessings in matchmaking, and in recent years young visitors have been increasing." "Eight hundred years! That's incredible history. It has matchmaking blessings too?" "Indeed. There's a legend passed down at this shrine." The head priest said this and stopped in front of the worship hall. "About eight hundred years ago, a fox divine messenger is said to have lived in this land. That fox fell in love with a human girl. But a love between human and divine messenger could never be fulfilled, and the fox vanished in its sorrow. The fox's feelings are said to have settled into a single fox mask." "A fox messenger's love... what a bittersweet story." "Yes. That fox mask is said to still sleep somewhere in this shrine. Whether it has the power to grant wishes, or brings a curse instead... the truth is known to no one." As Tamaki listened to the head priest's story, he felt his chest stir for some reason. (A fox mask... the power to grant wishes...) Such a convenient story couldn't possibly be true. Even as he thought that, something caught deep in Tamaki's heart. After finishing his talk with the head priest, Tamaki walked around the grounds alone. Where to set up the concert stage, how to arrange seating, what to do about sound and lighting. As general producer, there was a mountain of things to consider. "Hmm, the stage in front of the worship hall should work. But building a stage in a sacred place feels a bit disrespectful..." Tamaki took notes while examining every corner of the grounds. Suddenly, he noticed a small shrine tucked behind the office. "Huh? A small shrine back here... Is this a place people don't visit much?" Driven by curiosity, Tamaki approached the small shrine. It was old and weathered, with weeds growing all around. Clearly, it wasn't a place that received regular maintenance. That's when Tamaki's foot hit something. "Whoa! What's this...?" Looking down, something white was peeking out of the soil. Tamaki crouche

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Inuyama Tamaki IF: The Fox's Wedding Episode 1: The Fox Mask Curse ~A Crossdresser Becomes a Real Girl~