In the end, I didn’t manage to get off the bed and huddled at the very edge, holding out as best I could.
Contrary to my worries, the atmosphere in the bedroom was peaceful and cozy. Just as Ahin had said, nothing happened as long as I didn’t make the first move, and it turned out to be a typical quiet night between a predator and its prey.
“Vivi, don’t even think about sneaking a touch.”
His earnest warning reached me from behind.
“I won’t.”
Now branded as a sneaky rabbit, I tossed and turned irritably.
It was a strange mix of relief and disappointment that he wasn’t treating me any differently than when I was a rabbit. I should be grateful that he wasn’t prying into everything just because I could talk now.
“Don’t kick off the blanket.”
Ahin sternly advised as he pulled the blanket up to my neck.
I turned my body slightly and glared at him, only to find that today, once again, he was buried deep under the blanket. I’ve never met a predator so sensitive to the cold.
“Vivi, your eyes have turned into triangles again.”
“They’ve always been like this.”
“How do you—”
“I know now, what I look like.”
I interrupted Ahin’s words with a confident retort. I had been looking in the mirror constantly while Meimi attended to me.
“What do you look like?”
“What do I look like…?”
I didn’t expect him to ask that. Feeling a bit flustered, I touched my face, still facing away from him.
“My nose, the nostrils are round….”
“And your eyes are triangular?”
“…….”
“Are you even human?”
When will I ever be able to win against Ahin in a verbal spar? Now it felt awkward to even deny that my eyes were triangular, so I kicked the blanket in frustration. It was a small act of rebellion, and in that instant, my vision shook.
“What are you doing?!”
Ahin had wrapped me tightly in the blanket, even propping a pillow under my head. I now resembled something like a cocoon, preparing for metamorphosis.
“I told you not to kick off the blanket.”
He repeated his warning and buried his face into his pillow, lying on his stomach.
With his head turned to the side, our eyes met in midair. Watching him, lazily sprawled out, I finally managed to speak.
“Hey, Ahin.”
“Go ahead.”
“…Are you really not in pain anywhere?”
I couldn’t stop thinking about the cold sweat that had formed on his forehead when he pretended to be sick.
“What about you, Vivi?”
“Me?”
“You said it hurts this much when you change into a human.”
So he remembered. My toes tingled, and I wriggled in the blanket. But with my entire body wrapped up, it was nothing more than a pathetic squirm.
“Ear—”
I tried to sit up for the conversation, but the blanket blocked me, flipping me over instead. Ahin chuckled softly and helped me lie down properly again.
“…I met your Grandfather in the study.”
Resigned, I lay back down and opened my mouth.
“You probably heard from Meimi that he wanted to take me to the temple.”
Hesitation lingered on my lips.
As the silence stretched on, Ahin, lying diagonally, propped his chin on his hand. I fixed my gaze on the innocent ceiling, but the anxiety I had been suppressing suddenly surged up like a flood.
‘…It’s a curse!’
‘Didn’t the priest declare it a curse from the Beast God?’
In that short moment, a whirlwind of emotions swept through me. I didn’t want to bring up such words to Ahin.
‘Was it really a curse?’
Suddenly, my vision was blocked by something warm and rough. It was Ahin’s palm, covering my eyes.
“Why are you covering my eyes?”
“It would be bad if you cried right now.”
His voice, strained as if holding back, scratched at my ears. Sometimes he tells me to cry, other times not to—there’s no understanding this predator’s mind.
“…I’m not crying.”
“Just in case. Go on, keep talking.”
Fearing to question his reasons, I stayed still with my eyes covered, letting out a sigh. Being wrapped up in a blanket and having my vision obscured by a hand… Wasn’t this an absurd situation for a serious conversation?
“I….”
Yet, despite it all, I felt strangely at ease.
“I hate the temple. It might not have been the main reason, but I was abandoned because of what the priest said. So when you took me to the temple, I really hated you.”
“I’m sorry.”
An apology from Ahin’s mouth? I was so startled that I shook my head. But his hand, still covering my eyes, stubbornly followed, preventing me from seeing his face.
“…I hate the basket even more.”
As I confessed, more things I despised flooded into my mind. I hated the tightly shut door, the fangs, and even the harsh words from Grandfather!
But if I said too much, I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences, so I bit my lip to stop myself. Just then, Ahin’s voice broke the silence.
“You must have used your pheromones on Grandfather because you hated the temple and the basket so much.”
“……”
“And then Grandfather used his pheromones in defense, which caused you to turn into a human.”
He was a sharp predator, capable of deducing everything from just one piece of information.
Since there was no need to explain further, I focused on what Ahin’s reaction might be. After all, it was clear I had shown hostility toward his Grandfather.
“You should have kicked him with your hind legs.”
“What?”
His unexpected reaction left me speechless, and the hand covering my eyes was finally removed. When I could see Ahin’s face again, he had a mysterious smile that was hard to read.
“I’ll make sure to give you another chance soon, so be ready to use those hind legs.”
If it were Ahin, he would truly find a way to create that opportunity. The thought of it made my feelings complicated.
Slowly reaching out, he meticulously straightened the disheveled blanket around me.
At this point, I was practically wrapped up like a cocoon. The stifling warmth, as if trapped in a heat island, made me squirm, trying to free at least my arms.
“Ahin, what are you really doing?”
“I keep thinking that Vivi will end up touching me.”
“I swear I won’t touch you, I promise.”
At least, not tonight. So please, let me out of this blanket.
But just as I forcefully twisted my shoulders, the blanket was pulled back up to my neck. Ahin, gripping the blanket tightly, asked in a soft voice.
“Do you promise on your rabbit’s liver?”
How could I casually bet something like my liver? I gave him an incredulous look, but he responded with a kind smile. My face, already flushed with heat, turned even redder as I shouted in frustration.
“I promise on my liver that I won’t touch you!”
“No, I still don’t trust you.”
Ahin, like someone building a sandcastle, carefully wrapped me up in the blanket once again. I tried to push his hands away coldly, but it was nothing more than a feeble struggle.
* * *
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