Chapter 16
16
Chapter 4: No Problem, Right? (1)
Its round nose was moist.
An adorable snout, small white teeth visible between black lips, and a moist tongue visible when it yawned with its mouth wide open.
Its dense black fur gleamed, and its upturned belly swelled and deflated. Belly, I want to touch its belly. But that would be rude, right? It would be rude... Then instead.
I watched from a distance, unable to resist, and buried my nose in the puppy's paw. Sniff, sniff.
"I'm going crazy.... Such a savory smell...."
It was real... What people who raise dogs were saying, it was real... I'm going crazy, I'm going to get addicted...
Even with my nose buried in its sensitive paw pads, sniffing away, the puppy slept soundly without waking. That was another heart-stopping point.
'It's originally a wary and sensitive child, but it trusts me completely...'
What should I do with this emotion...?
I silently covered my mouth and pretended to sob. I'm so happy, I want to jump for joy! But if I jump now, it'll wake up, but I'm so happy...
'I already feel like I've succeeded in life...'
I was only three years old, but I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
"Are you that happy?"
"Dad, shush!"
"Huh?"
"The baby will wake up! Shush!"
"If it woke up to my voice, it would have woken up long ago when Shana grabbed its paw."
Dad muttered, sounding somewhat sulky, perhaps because of my perception. I think Dad's sulking.
'Surely not.'
He's an adult. Besides, there was nothing to sulk about. I just said the puppy was cute.
Mother, who had been watching, said,
"Shana, your shoulders will hurt if you lie on your stomach."
"It's okay. Oops, shush..."
"The puppy won't wake up, so you can speak with peace of mind. It hasn't eaten or slept properly for days, so it ate a lot and then passed out."
Mother stood me up and stroked my hair. I didn't want to get off the cushion where the puppy was lying, so I struggled for a moment, but I couldn't go against Mother's wishes.
"If I had known Shana liked puppies this much, I would have brought one sooner."
"Yeah, I wuv puppies. I wuv them!"
"What do you like so much? Mom thinks Shana is the prettiest and cutest, so I don't understand."
"They're cute?"
"Hmm. I don't know..."
Mother's eyes, looking at the puppy after examining my fingers, were still cold. I unconsciously took my fingers back and hid them, saying,
"Their fur is soft, too!"
"Shana's hair is soft, too."
"They're warm and squishy!"
"Mom's most beloved cheeks are even squishier and warmer."
"Their noses are moist!"
"Hmm, will you give Mom a kiss on the cheek, Shana? Shana's lips are moist, too."
Mother pushed her face close to mine, annoyingly. When she keeps her mouth shut, she's an elegant and capable beauty, but in front of me, she's a silly fool...
"And, and, uh, they'll grow this big!"
"Ah. Shana will grow, too... Shana, don't grow up too fast..."
"When they grow this big! I can hug them tight!"
Dad, sitting on the sofa, said, "Dad is big, too. I can hug you, Shana." I answered sullenly.
"Dad isn't... fluffy..."
"......"
Too sleek. Of course, as a human, being sleek is better.
Dad made an indescribable face and muttered.
"Should I grow a beard and hair?"
"Don't. Shana likes your face, too. She'll hate it if you cover it up."
"......"
I hoped he wouldn't aim for the characteristics of an animal. Thanks to Mother's wise dissuasion, Dad seemed to have decided not to attempt such a pointless thing.
That's a relief.
I wouldn't hate it, but Dad's face is too precious to cover up. I wanted him to show off his crazy features that look good even with his hair slicked back for a long time.
"They're just cute, puppies..."
I said they were cute because they were cute, and if you ask why they're cute, I can only say they're cute because they're cute...
"Shana is cuter when she says 'puppy'."
"...Whatever. I'm not talking to Mom."
She doesn't understand my heart.
Of course, people can't understand each other's hearts. They can't understand, and it won't be conveyed unless you say it. But I'm still young, so it's okay to be upset about this.
I turned my head away and puffed out my cheeks. This was more effective than frowning.
However, when I turned my head, I saw the puppy lying there, so the facial muscles that had been deliberately puffed out in a sulk lost their strength and relaxed into a grin.
Ignoring my parents, who were laughing behind me, I took my place in front of the cushion again. This time, instead of lying down, I sat.
I put my palm against my flushed cheek and uttered a word that was bubbling up from within.
"Cute..."
Is this what they call healing? Not that I was in a difficult state in the first place.
Originally, you can do mental healing even when you're not having a hard time, that's right...
"Really... small..."
I spread my palm wide. Would it be about two of my palms? My hands are really small, but it only takes up two.
How old would it be?
'When it was in human form, it looked older than me.'
It looked similar to Raven, who grumbled and left with an annoying announcement that he would be back soon, or a little younger.
'Why is Raven coming back again? Is he a phantom thief or something? Leaving with a strange announcement...'
For a while, I was going to be busy playing with the puppy.
"Do you like it that much, Shana?"
"Yeah!"
"Don't you have something to say to Mom and Dad, who allowed it?"
Ah. That's right.
I jumped up. I would have completely forgotten if it weren't for Mother's subtle words.
First, I put my arms around Mother's neck, who was sitting close to me, and kissed her on the cheek with a smack.
"Mom, thank you. I love you!"
"Aww, Mom loves Shana the most, too!"
"No more kisses."
I firmly pushed away Mother, who was trying to shower me with kisses on the cheek in succession. If I left her alone, I didn't know when I would be able to break free...
Mother is cool and pretty and all good, but she's a bit persistent.
And then I walked towards Dad, who was already kneeling on the sofa with an expectant look on his face.
I didn't have to wear squeaky shoes in the living room where I spent time with my parents. So good.
I put my arms around Dad's neck and kissed his smooth cheek with a smack.
"Dad, I love you! Thank you."
"Shana... Dad loves you, too."
"Uh, uh... Don't cry..."
Dad is handsome and looks like a foreign actor, but he's too easily moved and cries a lot. Is he really a cold person outside...? He needs to behave properly outside...
'The rumors Maria heard must have been nonsense.'
I patted the corners of Dad's eyes, which were glistening with emotion, with my sleeve.
"Shana!"
"No!"
And I slipped out, timing it to avoid being hugged. Of course, Dad must have let me off easy.
"Shana, you hug that Shifter just fine!"
"Don't compare me to the puppy, Dad..."
"Shana..."
"The puppy is a baby, a baby!"
"......"
Dad made a serious face, as if he was reflecting. Yes, get a grip, Dad.
"You have to hug babies tight and say they're pretty..."
Dad, and Mother, who had approached unnoticed, spread their arms wide without a word.
What, why.
"......?"
"You have to hug them tight, right?"
"You said you have to say they're pretty."
"...Not me!"
These people, really.
"Not me, Shana is already three years old. Not a baby! A child!"
"Shana is our baby forever."
"Ah, really..."
Well, I know that feeling. Even when Mina gets older, even when she grows taller than me, she still looks like a baby to me.
But these parents have a weakness for their daughter, so I had to instill in them the idea that "Shana is all grown up. She's an adult. You shouldn't treat her like a baby" so that I wouldn't be embarrassed in front of other people.
If Raven treats me like a baby in front of him, I'll cry.
"Here! A real, real baby!"
"Hmm?"
"It's so small! A baby!"
"I don't think so."
Dad poured cold water on me again. Hmph.
"What do you mean, no..."
"Shifters are a race whose age cannot be determined by their appearance."
Mother kindly added.
"When I saw her yesterday, this girl was as big as His Highness the Prince. But when she's a puppy, she only looks a month or two old. So in reality, is she about 10 years old?"
"She managed to survive. It seems to be a long-lived species. They say that the longer a species lives, the longer their infancy is, so few survive."
"There are also nobles with bad hobbies who try to tame them from infancy and use them as guards, so."
"But it's hard to take care of them for 10 or 20 years, so they quit halfway through."
My parents exchanged words.
"Wow, so cool..."
To think that she's actually lived for at least 10 years, even though she's so young.
'How hard it must be to live in a baby's body...'
I, who had at least gained muscle and could run on my own, had not forgotten the humiliation of my newborn days.
'Those humiliating days when I couldn't get clean unless someone helped me, even after I pooped...'
Somehow, I had to cry to let them know my condition, so I endured the shame and made a "waaah" sound from that time...
Looking at her appearance, she seemed to have grown enough to be not very uncomfortable when she was human, but even so, it would be a terribly weak and frustrating state for this child.
This little puppy, which is only two of my palms, was now even admirable.
Looking at it lovingly, I carefully poked the puppy's paw. I shouldn't wake it up. I want to hear it cry. Its black eyes were so cute when they sparkled. Seeing it sleep so peacefully, I feel like it's starting to trust us. Ah, I want to talk. I want to wake it up...
Then Mother asked.
"What are you going to name it?"
