Of All Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #62
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s POV
I finely brushed the
golden fur with the comb. There was not a single part of the fur that
was clumped together, so the fur fell as soon as it was combed and the texture was
even pleasant to the touch.
"---I don't need to comb it! Karmeut has really good
fur!"
Because no fur got stuck by the comb, it felt that the
comb itself was useless. When it comes to combing, I like the rewarding feeling
when I made it feel soft, so I was a bit disappointed.
Well, if the fur itself is good, that is the
best.
Karmeut seemed to be in a good mood. He was lying on his
back and waving his tail, but when one side was finished, he rolled over and
showed the other side.
The action made me laugh.
So
cute! How can I not feel the cuteness when a majestic wolf rolled around for
me?
It doesn’t give any effect, but Karmeut liked it so much,
so I continued brushing his fur. The golden fur was shiny and beautiful, giving
the illusion that I was combing sunlight.
Every time the comb moved, Karmeut closed his eyes like
he really enjoyed it.
I'm
glad he likes it.
I smiled unknowingly and brushed the fur more thoroughly. Brushing the head, ears, neck, back,
legs, and finally the tail, and then I put the comb down.
"There, it’s finished!"
The wolf got up when I said it was over. Then he jumped
onto the sofa and rested his chin on my thigh.
His soft, waving tail seemed to say: “Pat me on the head.” I had no choice
but to move my hand at such actions.
Although wolves are canines by nature, their dispositions
are completely different than dogs.
Am I deceived? It might be strange to say this, but
Karmeut in the form of a wolf was full of cuteness.
As I stroked his furry head, his tail wagged even harder.
Then he suddenly raised his head and pushed me in the face.
"---!"
I was startled by the moist and slippery tongue that
licked my lips.
"Ka, Karmeut~!!"
I grabbed his shoulder and put strength on my arm to try
to push him away, but he didn't budge.
Gee,
he's really strong!!
As he whined and gave in to my strength, Karmeut gently moved
his head away. I sighed and wiped my face with the napkin on the table.
Hm,
it's nice, but this kind of
affection is kind of burdensome since I get drenched in saliva...
As I was wiping my face thoroughly, I felt a hand
touching an area that I hadn't been able to wipe.
"I'm sorry. I did too much, didn't I?"
I shook my head as Karmeut used his hand to wipe my face
with a very sorry expression.
"No, it's okay."
A smile appeared on his lips when I said that it was
okay. After meticulously wiping the area I had wiped once more, he stroked my
hair.
"I'm really sorry. It
was just so good that I moved without thinking."
"...?"
Karmeut smiled shyly while
saying that. His face was so handsome at that moment that it was hard to take
my eyes off him.
I mean, what was so good about it?
"...does it feel good to have your fur brushed?"
Is
it because that was the first time his wolf fur had been brushed? Could it be
that this kind of thing is unexpectedly his taste?
“Of course that felt good, too.”
Karmeut shook his head while saying that. Then he lowered
his hand. Then he moved his hand, which had been stroking my head, and caressed
my cheek.
“But the better one is for you to be by my side in your
human form without hesitation.”
Whoa
whoa whoa!! Seriously, don't rush in like this!!
"Oh, that's---!!"
"It's not that I don't understand. ...But sometimes,
you became embarrassed and run away in the form of a crow, so it was a pity in
many ways."
His frankness and his behavior of looking straight at my
eyes are really... bad for my heart!
"I, I did, huh?"
"Yeah. But that didn't happen when I was in the form
of a wolf. Maybe that's why I felt better."
His act of kissing my cheek after saying that was as
natural as flowing water. I couldn't even react, so I blinked and jumped out of
my seat a moment later.
"K- Karmeut...!!"
"I will always respect your opinion. ...However, I
want you to know that someday, I want you to be by my side as a human being and
to make you smile."
The way he grabbed my hand and kissed the back of my hand
looked desperate. Rather than the touch of his lips on the back of my hand, a
strange emotion rose in me when I heard his earnest voice.
Somehow, I felt sorry for running away in the form of a
crow when I was so startled.
And I could not say anything because I began to feel that
he liked me that much, that he considered me special.
...is
that alright? I am a being that should not have appeared. In the original game,
wouldn't I appear as a black dot on the background screen? Or one that shows in
a battlefield background?
Is
this the result of my struggles to survive? Is this really correct? Of course,
I also like Karmeut. He’s precious, he’s special, but…
I thought to myself, ‘is
this really the right thing to do?’
Of
course, as long as I am here, I think it is natural for things to change. But,
but...
Is
it correct to change things from the original storyline? Is it right for
Karmeut to look at me with this kind of gaze and heart? Could it be that I
actually made a huge mistake?
"---Rainelle?"
"...ah, uh. What is it, Karmeut?"
Karmeut's brows furrowed slightly, then they returned to
normal. And then, as if worried, he inspected me thoroughly and opened his
mouth,
"...Are you
uncomfortable because you've been a human for a long time?"
"...hm?"
"I think it's the first time I've seen you in your
human form like this for so long... ...Isn't that overkill? Isn’t it hard?
Would you like to go back to being a crow?"
I closed my mouth as I saw his golden eyes trembling with
concern. It felt like my heart melted –although it was an illusion- when I saw
him worrying.
Yeah,
what's the use of coming here and worrying like this! Let's focused on the present for now!
"No, it's not hard."
"Still..."
"It's really not hard. There wasn't anything worth worrying
about, I think? Well... Of course, humans can't fly, so that's a little bit of
a problem."
Once
I tasted the sensation of flying, I couldn't let it go. Should I say it's
addictive? Should I say it's a given? It felt similar to putting on clothes and
shoes when going out.
"Do you like flying that much?"
"I can't even imagine not being able to fly anymore!"
Ha…,
when I think about it that way, parrots that are kept at home don't enjoy this
kind of pleasure. Usually,
there are a lot of dangerous things, such as crashing into a window while
flying, or going to the kitchen and getting hurt by a gas fire, so they clip
the wings1...
It was an unavoidable measure to live with humans, but I
realized that it was a terrible thing to do.
Haa,
I don’t think this is the first time that I feel relieved after becoming a
crow.
Come on, this isn't the time to think about
this! Look at the way he still looks at me anxiously!
"Uh, um. Anyway... Thanks for your concern, Karmeut."
Karmeut smiled softly in response. ...But the feeling of
worry in his eyes didn't seem to go away easily.
"...if you’re tired, go back right away to your crow
form. Okay?"
"Okay. ...Then, if I want, can I stay in my human
form?"
"Of course, as much as you can. Would you like to
test how long you can stay a human while you’re at it right now?"
"Um- okay! I was wondering how long I could change
too!"
He laughed. Then he looked at me for a while as if not
knowing what to do, and then he kissed my cheek again.
Heat rushed to my face at the touch of his lips which caused
a ‘chu’ sound.
"Even if I do this, you won't return to the form of
a crow?"
"Ka, Karmeut!"
"If you go back because you’re embarrassed, it would
be a waste. Don’t you think so?"
As he said that, the man smirked. I trembled with
emotions that I did not know whether it was embarrassment or angriness due to
his actions.
"Karmeut, you’re so unfair!!"
"Well, I'm just
trying to be a little unfair at times like this. You’re always running away,
right?"
"Because it's embarrassing!!"
"You're going to test how long you can stay in human
form right now, so you can't just change and run away, can you?"
"Really!! Woo!! Then cake! I want to eat a bunch of
delicious cakes!!"
"Pfft, haha... Okay, okay, I'll give you as much as
you want, but... won’t it disrupt your diet?"
"What is that!"
"Don't you want to eat something delicious for
dinner? Not the kind of raw meat,
fruits, and grains that you always eat."
Those words roused my ears.
Eh, that's right! When I’m in the form of a crow, my food
is more limited than when I’m a human.
In that sense, the skewers that Namuel bought were a
deviation(?)! It's grilled with salt, but a crow shouldn't eat salted food like
that.
"...what’s delicious?"
"Anything? Is it okay if it’s what I used to eat
when we were together?"
"Bread with meat? And salad, and... The red water, too?"
"Wine? ...I don't know, so let's try it at a later time
after you get used to being human, okay?"
When Karmeut didn’t really allow me, I was barely able to
contain my complaint.
Needless
to say, there's nothing good about drinking alcohol for animals, but, khhh...
that's a bit of a bummer...!!
If I
were a monkey, I could eat naturally fermented fruits2 and get drunk! Eh, no, I don't like it that
way, because then I won't be able to fly! Very, very, very ignorant!
I was disappointed, but I
wasn't strong enough to challenge myself. I didn't know what would happen.
Therefore, I answered as I nodded my head,
"Okay. So
the rest is fine?"
"Of course. Then, would you like to eat the cake
first?"
"Yes!!"
Immediately afterward, Karmeut called the servant and
gave the order to bring the cake. Then he took my hand.
"...?"
"We will have some time until the cake is done, so let’s
stay like this."
"Uh… huh?!"
He pulled my hand and I fell into his arms.
I, I
can't get used to something like this---!!
"Haah... As expected, it’s good."
"What, what?"
“Just, everything. After all, you are amazing.”
Karmeut mumbled the ‘you’re amazing’ part as he buried
his face in my shoulder. My face
burned and my heart began to beat violently due to the light touch of his breath
and body temperature, but I couldn't move.
The last time he slept on my lap overlapped with what was
happening now, and I couldn't move.
A small chuckle tickled my ears. His body got tightened
with mine as I felt a little more
strength in the arms hugging my waist.
"Ka, Karmeut..."
"A little bit more, okay?"
While muttering ‘a little bit more’, Karmeut snuggled his
head slightly as he hugged me tighter.
And his breath touched the nape of my neck. The next
moment, something soft and warm touched my neckline which shocked me.
"---!!"
I barely managed not to
turn into a crow.
Aaaah!
Mouth, lips! Lips on my neck!! Hold on, wait! Ca, calm down, let's calm down! I
was the one who wondered how long I could be in human form! So...!!
"How are you, Rainelle?"
"Ka, Karmeut, you’re really...!!"
"I’m so happy, I'm sorry. I want you to stay like
this a little longer."
"Hey, take your lips off...! Uu?!"
"Ah, can't you do it a little longer? I don't know
when we'll be able to be like this again…"
The way he whined while tightening his arms and rubbing
his head...
What
are you doing?! You’re like a kid!
But
that's a big gap, so it's more attractive… Crazy!
"Hey, it tickles...!"
“Then as long as it’s not ticklish?”
"Uh, that's..."
I hesitated and was unable to respond. Karmeut’s shoulders
trembled and he laughed out loud. And
then, by surprise, he pecked my lips.
"I'm telling you,
Rainelle. If you’re like this, I can't just leave you alone."
"Go, leave me alone! Back off!"
"I don’t want to."
"Why?!"
"Well? Hmm, if you can guess the reason, I'll
stop."
...this
is a joke! You’re teasing me! You're obviously making fun of me!!
I rolled my eyes when I realized he was teasing me, but
he just laughed. His face showed a happy smile that was enough to overshadow
the more mature atmosphere he had ever since he became the Emperor.
Ah,
this makes me feel weak again... Well, it's not that I hate it when Karmeut is
like this...
I'm
ashamed though! I am so ashamed! I'm shy enough to want to kick a blanket! I'm
not used to it!
Amid my inability to
answer, Karmeut became even bolder as his fingers slowly descend along my
waistline. The touch was so light and subtle that it gave me goosebumps.
The golden eyes staring at me were dark. I felt like I was being eaten by that
gaze and it gave me the chills.
But
why? I didn't feel like running away. No, if it's Karmeut...
The idea that it was okay
to be eaten came to mind and then disappeared. Was it because it was chilling,
but not scary? I closed my eyes.
***
Notes:
1 Wing clipping is the process of trimming a bird's primary wing feathers so that it is not fully flight-capable.↩
2 Naturally fermented fruits: Yes, it’s real. It can happen under certain conditions. It’s said that it’s not uncommon for fallen apples to ferment. ↩
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