The patterns of the cobblestone path were already beginning to look familiar to me. That didn't change the fact that I was still terribly homesick. But this morning, if all goes well, I will finally discover how I can go back to the 21st century.  

I noticed the same fox from yesterday, standing out even though it's fur was as red as the roof tiles. It smiled at me, hopping down, and I blinked my eyes twice in disbelief, wondering if it was my imagination.

The small animal followed us inside the temple and jumped on Momo's shoulder. Neither she nor Mina seemed surprised by that, so I assumed that it was a domesticated fox (or something like that).

"Good morning," I said, my voice still a bit rough from just waking up. 

"Welcome, everything is ready," Momo replied, scratching the fox's chin. She guided us to a trap door on the corner of the room. It was already open, so we walked down the stairs. 

There was an altar with two fox statues, each placed on the extremes of the surface. However, the most eye-catching thing was another living fox, who sat down beside Momo's grandmother, both in front of the altar. It had white fur and was far larger than the one who came with us.

"We'll begin now, Tsura," the elder woman announced, and I looked around to see if there was another person in the room. Instead, the white fox nodded and breathed out a fire that had a vivid blue color, igniting charcoals that were on the center of the altar.

I slowly placed my hand over my mouth as I felt my body freeze. Mina probably noticed my reaction, because she whispered to me, "That's a kitsune... some of them, like Tsura, are servants of Inari and act as messengers between the goddess and us."

Soon enough, the figure of a human was beginning to form within the flames. It was a woman with pale skin, sharp eyes, and pointy ears. She also had markings in the form of slits on both sides of her cheeks. 

"For what reason have I been summoned, Tsura?" She asked in a solemn voice that echoed like a choir of angels. 

The white fox bowed in respect, replying, "It's an honor to be in your presence, Itsuya. There has been an accident with a human. This girl unwillingly destroyed the sacred statue that guards this shrine. Ever since that, she has been transported here from the future."

The woman suddenly glanced at me, and I felt chills down my spine. She had a very intimidating atmosphere, and I didn't even dare say anything, knowing that I ruined a holy image.

"The sacred statue is responsible for the protection of the shrine. It is embedded with magic from Inari herself," she stated and, knowing that the statue was  this  important made me feel even worse. "Human, you must understand how serious of an offense that is. I will allow you to explain yourself."

My body was starting to shiver, but I tried my best not to let it show. I kneeled in respect, and as soon as my voice returned, I spoke, "I am deeply sorry about what happened. I-I... there was a rainstorm, and the temple was the closest place for shelter, s-so I entered... but it was dark, and I didn't see the statue and ended up collapsing against i-it."

"She speaks the truth, Itsuya... I can sense the sincerity in her aura," Tsura replied, making me feel slightly relieved."

"It's not the first time this has happened to a human. Some did it with malice — others, without intention. You were transported specifically to this time because it's the era the shrine, along with the statue, was created," Itsuya continued explaining, her calm voice unchanging. "To amend your transgression with Inari and return to your time, you will have to restore the statue."

I breathed a bit more relaxed after hearing that. So there was a way for me to go back to my old life. All I'll have to do is fix the statue. But how?

As if reading my mind, she said, "It's not a task for anyone. To be more specific, the only one who can do it is the o