Why Tanuki Don't Shape-Shift [Short-Short Story]

"Do you believe that tanuki and foxes shape-shift into humans?"

The man started the conversation this way at a suburban family restaurant called Raccoon.

"Don't you think the ancestors of people with tanuki-like or fox-like faces were those very creatures? I don't believe it, though."

The woman with the tanuki-like face replied while exhaling cigarette smoke.
It was unclear whether she was joking or answering seriously.

The family restaurant during the lunch rush was packed with people of all ages.

"This smoking separation system is truly a waste. It would be easier if cigarettes didn't exist at all."

"That doesn't sound very convincing coming from you, a smoker. By the way, I think the idea that foxes and tanuki shape-shift into humans might actually be true."

The man gave a bitter smile but brought the conversation back to the topic.

"I'm not well-versed in folklore, but I grew up in the countryside and was often told such stories by the old folks."
"There were simple stories about having their inari sushi stolen from their lunch boxes, as well as scary stories about children being spirited away."

"Did you have any experiences yourself?"

The woman pressed her cigarette into the ashtray, interrupting him to ask.

"No, I grew up in the countryside until I reached adulthood, but I never had any such experiences. Neither did anyone around me. Such supernatural occurrences haven't happened in our generation."

The man took a breath, sipped his cola, and continued.

"That's what's strange. It's hard not to think that tanuki and foxes simply stopped shape-shifting into humans at some point."

The woman nodded while lighting a new cigarette she had taken from the pack, urging him to continue the story.

So I formed a hypothesis. Perhaps foxes and tanuki no longer have the energy to bewitch humans.

As science continues to advance, foxes and tanuki are naturally anxious. They worry that their existence might be exposed to humans.

And so, in their anxiety, they have banded together to constantly bewitch humans into perceiving the very idea that foxes and tanuki bewitch people as nothing more than a ridiculous old fairy tale. They've used up so much energy on this that they no longer have the capacity to bewitch humans like they used to.

Having said all that in one breath, the man downed the rest of his cola.

Hey, why are you telling such nonsense to someone you've just met? Aren't you a fox trying to trick me?

The woman asked the man with a fearless smile on her face.

No way! I'm a genuine human being. I think I just have a constitution that's resistant to the magic of foxes and tanuki.

That's exactly why I discovered this family restaurant, Raccoon, and was able to meet you with your tanuki-like face. To put it bluntly, I believe you are a tanuki.

Hahaha. That's an interesting pickup line. But that doesn't prove you haven't been bewitched.

Besides, you might have been lured here, right?

The woman said, her fearless smile still intact.

Hey, do you want me to break the spell?

The man swallowed hard.

At that moment, all the other customers and the staff in the restaurant turned to look at the man.

"So, you really were a tanuki. You're just pretending to break the spell so you can cast another one on me, aren't you?"

"Do you really think I came here without any precautions?"

"It's useless no matter what you do. You're already under our spell."

The woman took a deep drag of her cigarette and blew a surprising amount of smoke at the man.

The man's vision was obscured by the smoke, and he stood up in a panic.

He coughed violently and felt around his surroundings, but the chair and table were gone.

After a while, as the smoke cleared, he found himself in the middle of a rice field.
There wasn't a single utility pole in sight, and a dense forest could be seen in the distance.

"W-what is this?"

The man noticed he was wearing tattered traditional Japanese clothing.

And right in front of him, a tanuki was staring at him.

"This is reality. The world you lived in was all an illusion we created."
"Family restaurants? The internet? Smartphones? There's no way you humans could have created such things."
"Enjoy the rest of your life being deceived by tanuki."

With that, the tanuki disappeared into the forest.