“It’s the truth anyway. If I had known earlier, I would’ve confessed before getting dragged here today. Who would willingly ask for trouble?”
“That’s exactly my point—it’s even stranger. Why didn’t you try looking sooner?”
“……”
Right. He dodged that question earlier too. Honestly, it had always bothered me, ever since we found the witch’s copperplate—actually, even before then.
Normally, you’d expect someone cursed to desperately want it lifted as quickly as possible, yet Kalz always acted lukewarm about it. He claimed it was to avoid further disappointment, but was that really all there was to it?
“I know I asked this before, but it’s important, so let me ask once more.”
“What exactly are you getting at?”
“You… Do you actually not want to turn back into a human?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Yeah, of course. That’s what the original story said, and logically, anyone would want to return to normal. But his behavior constantly suggested otherwise. If he really didn’t want to change back, I might be wasting my efforts entirely.
I needed clarity now. Who knew when another chance like this would come, a moment where neither of us had anywhere else to run?
“Don’t brush me off like that. Are you absolutely sure you want to turn back? Your lack of urgency might just come from fatigue or resignation, right? Deep down, you truly want to be human again, don’t you?”
“Does it really matter that much?”
“Of course it does—it’s your own life. If there’s some reason you’d rather remain a beast, tell me clearly. No matter what it is, I won’t laugh or get angry; I promise to take it seriously.”
Perhaps uncomfortable with my persistent stare, he turned his head away slightly. But this was one moment I couldn’t back down from. I firmly took hold of his face in both hands, turning him back toward me.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Answer me clearly. I won’t let go until you do.”
His fangs poked out from his snout in irritation, but his eyes trembled slightly, betraying his unease. Still, I refused to retreat even an inch, holding him firmly in place. Eventually, Kalz gave in.
“…I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on my answer. No, I don’t want to stay a beast forever. Satisfied now?”
“Really? You swear that’s true?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I won’t ask again.”
Only then did I release my grip on Kalz’s face. He muttered something under his breath, turning away again. Why bother sulking when he was obviously going to stay by my side anyway? Regardless, since he had clarified, we could confidently continue investigating the curse.
With that small confrontation resolved, relief washed over me, swiftly replaced by a chill creeping through my body. My nose tickled, and before I could stop myself—
“Achoo!”
Achoo, choo, choo…
My sneeze echoed spectacularly throughout the quiet warehouse, embarrassingly loud. The acoustics here were even better than a karaoke room. At the thunderous sound, Kalz glanced over his shoulder at me, then slowly reached up to his coat buttons.
Wait… was he about to…? Without realizing it, I stared at him expectantly with wide eyes. When our eyes met, he grimaced and abruptly stopped undoing the buttons.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, it’s just… you suddenly started unbuttoning your coat…”
“I felt stuffy sitting like this. Is there a problem?”
Of course. I’d misunderstood again, embarrassing myself for no reason.
“So, what was with that intense look just now?”
“It was nothing. You’re the one suddenly undoing buttons. Honestly, what exactly were you thinking? Typical beast—so indecent.”
It was meant as a playful joke, but Kalz’s stare instantly turned frosty, colder than a winter tundra. Brrr, cold. The temperature felt like it dropped by ten degrees in an instant. It was already chilly enough without him punishing my joke this harshly.
Unable to endure his piercingly contemptuous stare any longer, this time I was the one who turned my head away. Was it really necessary to glare at someone that intensely over a simple joke?
As I sulked quietly, something soft dropped onto my head. Peeking out from under it, I asked curiously, “What’s this?”
“I just took it off because I was feeling hot. Cover yourself or don’t, it’s your choice.”
Honestly, if he was going to be thoughtful anyway, why act so prickly about it? What was I supposed to do with this tsundere lion? Still, my mood brightened instantly. Hiding my rising smile behind Kalz’s coat, I wrapped myself in its warmth and lingering scent. It almost felt like being held by him. To disguise my embarrassment at that thought, I hurriedly blurted out nonsense.
“You’re hot even though it’s this chilly? Must be nice having fur. If you’re still hot, you can always give me your shirt too.”
“My shirt has nothing to do with temperature.”
“Achoo!”
Achoo, choo, choo…
At that moment, another sneeze burst out, even louder than before—and embarrassingly accompanied by a trickle of snot. As I secretly wiped it away, hoping he hadn’t noticed, my gaze accidentally locked onto Kalz’s startled eyes.
“Is it really that cold?”
Did he just see my runny nose? Ugh, I’d hoped it was too dark for him to notice. Covering my embarrassment with a weak laugh, I shrugged.
“A little? Maybe it’s because we’re underground. The floor’s pretty chilly.”
“…Did I make a mistake asking you to sit here?”
“What nonsense are you talking about now? I chose to sit here. If you really feel guilty, though, you’re welcome to hand over your shirt too.”
It was a playful remark intended to cheer up Kalz, who seemed unusually remorseful. I turned away, wiping my nose and expecting his usual snarky retort, “Stop talking nonsense.” Yet there was only silence. Confused, I glanced back to see him seriously gripping the buttons of his shirt.
Wait… was he actually going to take it off? Absolutely not! The two of us trapped here was already embarrassingly cliché enough. If he started stripping too, I wasn’t sure I could handle the ensuing awkwardness.
“Stop! I was kidding! Don’t take off anything unless you can peel off your fur as well.”
“Are you suggesting I die?”
“Haha, I didn’t mean it that extremely.”
My laughter came out weak and drained. Well, how could I feel energetic after a day of working in the cold without even eating properly, with nothing to show for it?
Still wearing a serious expression, Kalz suddenly stood up. “Wait here.”
He returned a few minutes later, carrying an enormous, dark red cloth—larger than any blanket. Where in the world had he found that?
“Cover yourself with this. It’s dusty, but better than nothing.”
“Wow, thank you!”
I immediately wrapped myself up in the cloth he handed me.
“By the way, is this expensive too?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I was thinking I should keep it clean if it’s valuable.”
“You worry about the oddest things. It’s just a normal piece of fabric, so relax.”
In that case, I wouldn’t hold back. I bundled myself tightly in the cloth, which was so large that I could even spread part of it onto the cold floor beneath me. With the stone floor’s chill blocked, things instantly felt much better.
But wait—where exactly had he gotten this from? There were no windows here, so it wasn’t a curtain. Yet it seemed oddly familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
While puzzling over it, my eyes caught sight of Kalz, now standing in only his shirt. Somehow, I’d ended up hogging every piece of available warmth. Guilt tugged at me. After hesitating briefly, I lifted a corner of the cloth and offered, “If you’re cold, want to come inside too?”
“……!”
His head snapped sharply away, as though he’d heard something utterly outrageous. Seriously? I was just trying to be polite! Typical beast—always paranoid that someone was going to jump him. What a waste of such a huge physique.
Without even glancing my way, Kalz waved his hand dismissively, rejecting my offer.
“Forget it. You’re the one without fur—cover yourself properly.”
He wasn’t wrong, but it still felt humiliating somehow. Seriously, how was someone without fur supposed to cope with this injustice?
After a short while, warmth spread inside the cloth, pleasantly heating my body. As the chill gradually subsided, another sensation quickly emerged—
Growl.
Hunger. Truly, I was living a life dictated purely by instinct now. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I cautiously glanced at Kalz through a gap in the cloth, but his face remained as impassive as ever. Had he heard it or not? Feeling my stomach shrink again, threatening yet another embarrassing growl, I hastily spoke up to cover it.
“Are you really not cold? Should I give back your coat? Don’t catch a cold on my account.”
“Forget it. Do I look as fragile as you?”
“Fine, suit yourself. Just don’t blame me if you end up sick.”
Throughout our conversation, my stomach rumbled several more times, though thankfully drowned out by our voices.
“At least you’re warm, even if you’re hungry—”
Or so I thought until reality struck again. Damn it, all that effort had been pointless! Mortified, I flopped onto the floor, grumbling quietly.
“Honestly, couldn’t you just pretend you didn’t hear? You really have no sense of tact.”
“Your stomach’s complaints are too insistent to ignore.”
“It can’t be helped, okay? I haven’t eaten all day!”
“You can’t even handle skipping meals for a single day?”
“One meal, maybe. But a whole day? Maybe you’ve been a beast so long you forgot, but humans actually die if we don’t eat. Ever heard of starvation?”
Of course, I wasn’t actually going to die after missing one day of meals, but it sure felt dramatic enough to complain about it.
“Is it really that serious?”
“Not right now, but eventually, sure.”
“How much longer can you hold out?”
“How would I know? I’ve never starved to death before.”
My tired, half-hearted rambling gradually tapered off, and at some point, Kalz grew oddly quiet. Curious, I glanced his way, noticing his expression had become serious again. Seeing him look concerned made me feel a little better.
“…Wait here.”
“Where are you going now? Don’t tell me there’s an Artifact that magically produces food or something?”
“There isn’t.”
All those incredible magical artifacts, yet none that created food? Still, him telling me to wait meant he probably planned to bring back something edible. At the very least, something chewable—even leather would do right about now.
