Volume 7 Side
Story 2
Do You Like
Puppies?
In a dimly lit room, two shadows were reflected.
Around the two,
suspicious equipment reminiscent of a laboratory was lined up, and magic lights
of various colors were shining.
"So, how's it
going?"
One was a tall,
slender man. His ears and tail, covered in shining golden fur, were illuminated
by the suspicious glow of the magic lights.
"The results
aren't out yet. The prototype was just finished the other day. By the way, where
did you put that prototype?"
The other was a boy
with a neutral voice.
He had been moving
around the room for a while, working on something with the installed equipment.
He put something
thread-like and torn into a purple shining beaker, and then placed a piece of
paper on the lab bench.
A circular magic
circle was drawn on the paper, and on top of it, he placed a plate-like object
that was reminiscent of a crescent moon.
"Since it's a
prototype, it needs to be tested. That's what I thought, so I'm having it
tested now."
"Where did you
send it?"
"Don't you worry.
The other party is a reliable customer."
He sent a dissatisfied
look at the fox-eared man, but at that moment, smoke gushed out from the purple
beaker.
The boy hurriedly took
out the thread-like something from the beaker and placed it on the magic circle
on the lab bench.
"Anyway, I don't
have enough materials to make it in earnest."
"Then we have no
choice but to go get some. I'll be right back."
The fox-eared man
turned on his heel and quickly left the room.
What was left behind
was a boy who continued his suspicious experiment, illuminated by the purple
magic light.
***
One day after school.
Nozomu, having been invited by Irisdina, had gone to the forest on the north
side of the city.
According to her, she
wanted him to help with a request she had accepted at the guild.
Of course, the reward
was to be split evenly, and since it was a request from Irisdina, Nozomu had
readily accepted.
"So, the content
of the request was to deal with some feral hounds, right?"
"Yes, the son and
daughter-in-law of a hunter who died last year made the request. There are two
of them. There have been several sightings of similar dogs in this northern
forest.
The story was that
they wanted them to be brought back and protected if possible, but if that's
impossible, then please take care of it. That's what they said."
"I see..."
The content of the
request was the protection of the hounds. If that was impossible, then the
content was to eliminate them.
Originally, the hounds
in question had been kept by the client's father, and when he had died, both of
them had apparently disappeared.
Dogs that have gone
feral and have come to harm people are then recognized as demonic beasts. The
demonic beasts called Wild Dogs are classified in this category.
In particular, dogs
that have been kept by people are troublesome because they are not afraid of
humans.
One or two would not
be a problem for Nozomu and the others, but they were a threat to ordinary
people and children who did not know how to fight. That was something that
Nozomu, who had experience being attacked, also knew well.
"Nozomu, is there
a place around here where hounds could live?"
"There is. If
they're still alive, there's a high probability that they're living while
moving around the border of the territories of other wild dogs and goblins that
live near the city, so as not to be targeted by them.
But they probably
can't go deep into the forest. There are orcs and Triclops over there."
Wild Dogs are
classified as low-ranking demonic beasts. Although their numbers are a threat,
their abilities are by no means comparable to those of a Triclops.
If they had lived as
hounds, they would have been keenly aware of the threat of other demonic
beasts. And if there were only two of them, they would probably avoid fighting
with other demonic beasts in the first place.
And if they were used
to people, they would not feel any resistance to making a nest near a human
city.
Therefore, Nozomu and
Irisdina began to search near the northern highway.
"Iris, I found a
beast trail. And some relatively new tracks."
The tracks, which
seemed to have been left by the hounds in question, were found in about thirty
minutes.
On the beast trail
that stretched through the gaps in the trees, the footprints of what seemed to
be several dogs remained.
"The number is...
four. The numbers don't match, but the footprints of two of them are smaller
than the other two. They might be dogs that were born this year..."
"So they were a
pair."
Although he had heard
that there were two hounds, there was no information in the request that they
were a pair.
From the small size of
the footprints, it was thought that the two were still children, but a pair
with children could sometimes be more troublesome than a higher-ranking demonic
beast. Because they would bare their fangs with a do-or-die spirit to protect
their children.
Nozomu and Irisdina
proceeded down the beast trail even more cautiously.
"Nozomu... I
found a den."
Eventually, Irisdina
found a den at the end of the beast trail.
The two of them once
went downwind of the den and, while hiding in the bushes, they peeked at the
state of the den.
The den that the
hounds had made was a simple one, a hole dug in the ground.
In front of the
entrance of the den, two puppies, who seemed to be the children of the pair,
were playing.
"Two puppies...
The number matches. As I thought, they seem to be dogs that were born this
year."
"Yeah..."
While snuggling up
next to Irisdina, Nozomu searched for any presence in the surroundings.
On the other hand,
Irisdina was staring intently at the den, perhaps thinking about the
possibility that the parents were inside.
"The parents...
don't seem to be here."
"Yeah..."
The presence of a
large demonic beast could not be felt in the surroundings.
For the time being,
Nozomu once returned his gaze to the den.
The playing puppies
were still very young. A few months since they were born. Perhaps not even a
month had passed.
Short legs, and a
rounded body. Their fur was not yet smooth, and it was fluffy and frayed like
yarn.
The fact that they had
moved with such young children meant that there was a possibility that they had
moved their den after being chased by other demonic beasts.
Which means, the
parent hounds would probably not go far from the den and would hunt nearby.
In other words, the
parent dogs would be back soon.
"Iris, what
should we do? Should we secure just the puppies for now? Or should we wait for
the parents to come and then attack?"
"Ah..."
Should they wait until
the parents returned and capture them all at once, or should they secure just
the puppies for now?
From the looks of it,
not much time had passed since the puppies were born. Then, their wariness
towards humans would also be low.
In other words,
although it was not known whether the parents would harm people as a result of
going feral, it was possible to hand over just the puppies to the client.
However, in response to
Nozomu's question, Irisdina's reaction was strangely dull.
"...Iris?"
"Ah..."
No, it was more than
just dull.
Wondering what was
going on, Nozomu glanced at the girl next to him, and Irisdina was staring at
the playing puppies with sparkling eyes, like a child.
"F-Fluffy
balls... Two fluffy balls... Ah, I want to pet them. I want to rub my cheek
against them..."
"..."
At the words that had
escaped from the serious-looking Irisdina's mouth, Nozomu couldn't help but
doubt his own ears.
He felt as if he had
just heard some very out-of-place words.
Fluffy balls, fluffy,
rubbing her cheek against them...
"Wh-What is
it?"
"Are you
captivated by the puppies?"
"Wh-What are you
saying? I'm not captivated at all!"
Her voice was clearly
trembling. On top of that, her eyes were darting around in the air. Not
convincing at all.
"Do you like
puppies, Iris?"
"Wh-What is it?
N-N-No, that's not it. It's not like I'm thinking that their big, round eyes
are adorable, or that the way they toddle around is heart-warming, or anything
like that!"
"And 'cute'
is?"
"Justice! Ah, no,
um..."
It was confirmed. This
girl had completely forgotten about the request and had been completely
captivated by the puppies.
The surprising fact
that the dignified and mature her was actually a puppy lover. And her
appearance, as she blushed shyly at being found out, was very charming.
However,
unfortunately, Nozomu could not afford to soak in that afterglow.
"More
importantly, because you shouted so loudly, Iris, the puppies have spotted
us..."
"Eh?"
Because the big, round
eyes of the puppy that had been playing just now were directed at the bushes
where Nozomu and the others were hiding.
And on top of that,
next to the puppy were two large dogs that had not been there until just now.
"And to add to
that, the parent dogs are back."
"Eeeh!?"
"Grrrrrrr..."
The parent dogs, who
were growling with their guard up, were glaring at the bushes. They had clearly
noticed Nozomu and the others.
"What do we do? They’re
completely wary of us now."
"It's fine. For
times like these, I've had a secret tool prepared."
A trump card.
If she said so, it
would probably be reliable, but for some reason, Nozomu couldn't shake off a
bad feeling.
Because he felt as if
he had witnessed a similar situation just the other day.
"This is it! The
glove that the former owner used to wear. If I wear this glove with the owner's
scent, they should think of me as one of them!"
His bad feeling had
hit the mark.
Her appearance, as she
took out a small tool with a confident look, was a spitting image of her
younger sister. And the faint smell of disappointment that was drifting was
also a spitting image.
"No, that's a
glove from over a year ago, right? The former owner's scent has probably long
since faded, hasn't it? And besides, no matter how much you wear a glove, if
it's you, Iris, who's wearing it, there's no way they'll let their guard
down... hey, listen to me!"
Although he thought it
was useless, he interrupted, but of course, Iris wasn't listening.
She put on the glove
and approached the dogs with a confident look. All in her vision was the fluffy
balls now.
"Come, it's okay.
I'm a friend..."
Irisdina was
approaching with a loving smile. In front of her, the dogs were still growling
with their guard up.
And they had lowered
their heads and were baring their fangs. They were completely in a battle
stance.
"...Huh? That's
strange."
"Of course it is.
Good grief, you sisters have the same pattern of behavior..."
If they were this
wary, it would probably be impossible to take them back now.
"Iris, if it
comes to this, we have no choice but to eliminate them..."
"No, that's not
happening! I will protect them no matter what!"
However, Irisdina was
full of the intention to protect them, and she didn't seem to have any
intention of yielding at all.
Her personal feelings
were on full display, and there was no sign of her yielding. Her usual calmness
had completely vanished.
Is the magic of fluffy
balls truly so terrifying...
"Then how are you
going to protect them? If you take them by force, there's no way they'll open
up to you, and even if we take the time to let their guard down, they might be
dealt with by other adventurers in the meantime..."
"Ugh..."
However, since she
still had the rationality to listen, she was quickly at a loss for words when
he cornered her with logic.
While making a sad
face, her gaze was going back and forth between the fluffy balls and Nozomu.
Her sad, moist eyes
were strangely stirring Nozomu's guilt.
(Please, don't look at
me with those abandoned puppy-like eyes!)
As for Nozomu, if
possible, he didn't want to eliminate them, but since the request was what it
was, he couldn't just ignore it.
At that moment, a
voice that Nozomu and the others also knew well echoed.
"Huh? Isn't that
Nozomu? What are you doing here?"
"Feo, why are you
here..."
The one who had
suddenly appeared was Feo, dressed in adventure gear.
On his back was his
beloved staff, and he was holding a large bag.
"I also saw the
request. The one that said that recently, some unusually fearless Wild Dogs
have been wandering around, and to deal with them."
Feo's gaze was
directed at the hound parent and child who were growling behind Nozomu and the
others.
The parent dogs also,
as if they had noticed the meaning of Feo's gaze, turned from Nozomu and the
others to face him. Just like when they were facing Nozomu and the others, they
were firmly gripping the ground with all four limbs, in a stance ready to
pounce at any moment.
"Feo-kun, wait a
minute. They haven't gone feral yet! It's too soon to deal with them as demonic
beasts!"
"No, that dog
over there has been showing its wariness for a while now..."
"It's just wary
because we suddenly came. It's okay, if we take our time, they'll understand
that we have no hostility!"
Irisdina cut in
between the hound parent and child and Feo.
Irisdina was trying to
persuade him that there was no need to kill them. But Feo, while making an
apologetic expression, flatly refused her proposal.
"Even if you say
so. I'm sorry, but as for me, I can't yield this position. Please
understand."
Irisdina at once began
to emit a dangerous aura, and Feo casually readied the staff he was carrying on
his back.
As the atmosphere
between the two suddenly became tense, Nozomu hurriedly stepped in to
intervene.
"Hey Feo, calm
down, and you too, Iris."
"What are you
saying? There's no way I can just leave these cute fluffy balls... I mean, these
small lives!"
"You just said
fluffy balls, didn't you?"
Even while emitting
such a dangerous aura, her mind was still filled with the fluffy balls.
At the sheer gap,
Nozomu couldn't help but let out a retort.
"As for me, I
can't yield either. After all, my future life depends on it."
"No, your life of
abject poverty is more than half your own fault, but if it's just a little,
I'll lend you some, you know?"
Although Feo's life of
abject poverty was mostly his own fault, as expected, he couldn't just leave
such a hostile atmosphere as it was.
Although Nozomu's
wallet was not particularly well-off either, for the sake of his comrades who
had saved him, he was not averse to lending a hand.
But such a wish of
Nozomu did not reach him.
"Very well. If
you come at me with force, then I will only return it with force."
"That's what I
want, let's go."
The tension that was
flowing between the two swelled at once.
Even if for various
disappointing reasons, the two of them were high-ranking powerhouses even among
the third years of Solminati Academy. Naturally, their spirit was not ordinary.
The parent dogs, who
had been hit by the dangerous aura of the two, widened their eyes for a moment,
and furthermore, the young puppies let out a cry that was close to a scream,
"Yelp!"
The next moment, Feo
moved.
He quickly took out
two spheres from his pocket and slammed them to the ground.
An intense flash of
light and an explosion. Next, the kicked-up white smoke covered the vision of
Irisdina and Nozomu.
"Wha!?"
"A flashbang
right off the bat!?"
While robbing Irisdina
and Nozomu's vision with a flashbang and a smoke bomb, Feo quickly activated
his body strengthening with his talisman magic and dashed towards his target.
The hounds were in a
state of panic from the sudden flash of light and explosion.
"Kuh!"
While her vision was
almost completely blocked, Irisdina quickly constructed a formula.
She shot a magic
bullet at Feo, who was hidden by the smoke screen.
The released magic
bullet, despite the fact that the opponent was almost invisible, had accurately
caught Feo, who was running past the side of Irisdina and the others.
However, that magic
bullet, before it could hit Feo's body, dissipated with a popping sound.
It seemed that Feo had
also used a simple magic barrier in addition to his body strengthening.
"Hahaha, for now,
I'll be taking these kids! See ya~!"
"Whimper,
whimper..."
Feo, who had rushed
over to the side of the puppies, quickly stuffed them into the bag he was
carrying on his back, and after leaving a strangely infuriating line, he
retreated.
The anxious whimper of
the puppies echoed in the smoke-filled surroundings.
A few seconds later,
what was left in the place where the smoke had cleared was Irisdina, who was
frozen with a dazed expression and her hand raised, and the parent dogs, who
were running around in confusion, their children gone.
***
Feo, who had completed
the securing of his target, was on his way back to the cabin in the residential
district that served as his base.
This was a cabin that
Tom had rented for his alchemy experiments, and it was originally a workshop
made by an upperclassman.
Tom, who was working
in the workshop, received the target prey from Feo and, after picking it up, he
checked the puppies' health condition.
The puppies, perhaps
because they had been brought to an unfamiliar place, were trembling while
letting out an anxious whimper.
"So, you used a
smoke bomb? It would be a problem if a strange smell got on the fur..."
While asking Feo a few
questions, he sniffed the fur.
Perhaps because of the
smoke bomb, it was slightly smoky.
"It can't be
helped. It was a tag team of Nozomu and the princess, you know? Rather, it's a
blessing that I was able to shake them off with just that."
"...You managed
to get away well."
"It's because
Nozomu had completely let his guard down. If he had been in a battle stance, I
would have fled immediately."
While listening to
Feo's circumstances, Tom couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Nozomu and Irisdina.
Both of them were already top-class powerhouses at Solminati Academy.
A young man with a
sense of presence comparable to a beastman and outstanding swordsmanship. And a
talented woman who could master all arts from magic to swordsmanship.
Precisely because he
knew the abilities of the two well, the fact that Feo had been able to escape
was close to a miracle.
"Now then, shall
we begin..."
"Whimper,
whimper..."
"I'm sorry. It's
not like I'm going to waste your lives..."
Along with a
meaningful line, Tom picked up one of the puppies and disappeared beyond the
door.
Feo sat down on a
nearby chair with a look of relief.
He had been worried
about whether Nozomu and Irisdina would catch up with him.
However, this cabin
was on the outskirts of the residential district.
No matter how quickly
Nozomu and the others had returned to Arcazam after that, it would probably be
impossible for them to find this place right away.
Thinking so, Feo let
out a sigh of relief and picked up the remaining puppy. The puppy was tense,
its limbs stretched out stiffly, and it was looking around with an anxious
expression.
But the next moment,
the entrance door was suddenly blown away with a roar.
"Wh-What!?"
"That's as far as
you go, you ruffian!"
"It's the
princess!? How did you find this place!"
The one who had
appeared after blowing away the door was Irisdina, who he had thought he had
shaken off.
She was holding a bare
rapier in her hand, and her entire body was overflowing with fighting spirit.
"It would have
been impossible for me alone. However, now we have reliable comrades!"
""Awoooooon!""
Behind her was the
figure of the parent dogs. It seemed they had had them track Feo's scent all the
way here.
"Woof, woof
woof!"
At the appearance of
the parent dogs, the puppy that Feo had picked up let out a joyful cry.
"Kuh, you made
the parent hounds your allies?"
"I did not make
them my allies. We joined forces!"
"Kuh, Tom, can
you hear me! We're under attack! Let's run!"
"Eh, eeeh!? Hey,
uwaah!"
Suddenly, from beyond
the door, a cutting sound and a falling sound could be heard.
Next, a commotion of
thuds, bangs, and crashes echoed.
"What!? Tom, what
happened!"
"Nozomu cut
through the wall and is charging in from the opposite side. By the way, to
think that Tom was the one pulling the strings from behind..."
It seemed that in time
with Irisdina's charge, Nozomu had launched a surprise attack from the back.
It was a complete
pincer attack. Truly, a tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the back.
Of course, the
opponent they were currently facing was a far more terrifying existence than a
wolf or a tiger.
"Now then, don't
think you can escape now."
"Kuh, like I'd be
caught in a place like this!"
Still, Feo did not
surrender.
He held the puppy he
had picked up tightly and once again made the flashbang and smoke bomb explode.
While robbing the
opponent's vision, he activated his body strengthening and a magic barrier. He
tried to escape through a nearby window.
"Too slow! The
same trick won't work twice!"
However, this time,
Irisdina would not let him escape either.
She quickly blocked
Feo's escape route, poured magic power into her rapier, and cut through the
magic barrier like a piece of paper in a single stroke.
"Hiiiiih! It
grazed me, it grazed me!"
At the killing
intent-filled rapier that had grazed his cheek, Feo couldn't help but let out a
scream.
Furthermore, as if to
deliver the finishing blow to him, who had cowered, Irisdina thrust her rapier.
The thrust she had
unleashed grazed Feo's fox ear and pierced deep into the cabin's wall.
"For the sake of
our friendship, I didn't hit you. But if you try to run again... I will cut
you."
Would you have
cut him without a second thought if he weren't your friend?
While letting out such
a question in his heart, Feo raised both his hands and surrendered.
The freed puppy rushed
over to its parent dogs and began to fawn on them single-mindedly, as if to
erase its anxiety until now.
"Now then, I must
rescue the remaining one."
While smiling at the
state of the puppy, Irisdina took a step into the back of the room to rescue
the remaining puppy.
"Nozomu, the
culprit here has been captured. As for the root of all evil... huh..."
Irisdina stepped into
the laboratory with a triumphant air, but she couldn't help but freeze at the
sight before her.
The broken wall of the
cabin... this was probably the hole that Nozomu had opened when he had charged
in. However, the person himself was holding a bare katana and had a dazed
expression for some reason.
On the desk in the
middle of the room, a paper with a magic circle on it was placed, and beside
it, Tom was holding a puppy with his left hand and was frozen with an
expression of astonishment.
What caught his eye
most of all was what Tom was holding in his right hand.
It was a brush with
very fine bristles. It was clearly not something for a human to use, but for
grooming the fur of a horse or other animals.
The bristles of the
brush were densely entangled with what seemed to be the puppy's fur, and the puppy
in question was, for some reason, letting Tom do as he pleased with a blissful
expression.
"Nozomu, what is
this?"
"Brushing...
apparently."
"...Huh?"
Weren't they trying to
use the puppy as an experimental material? There were also suspicious-colored
chemicals and a magic circle laid out... But brushing?
A question mark danced
in Irisdina's head.
"That's cruel,
both of you! To destroy my workshop like this!"
"No, um...
eh?"
Tom, who had been
frozen holding the puppy, raised his voice in protest while crying, and snapped
at the confused Irisdina and the others. That further fueled the confusion of
the two.
"C-Can I explain
the details?"
Tom, who was shouting
while crying. Nozomu and Irisdina, who were running around in confusion. And
the blissfully sleeping puppy.
In the chaotic
situation, Feo began to explain the circumstances with a weak voice.
***
It all began when Tom
wanted his own workshop.
Tom, who was looking
for a suitable property, had found one that had been abandoned because the
owner of the workshop had left Arcazam. He had just recently rented it at a
cheap price.
However, since he had
used up almost all his funds to rent it, as a result, Tom had been running
around for a while to raise funds.
At that time, he had
been approached by Feo with a story of whether he wanted to make a certain
product, and he had been thinking of earning money by cooperating with that.
For that job, he absolutely
needed animal fur. And high-quality fur with a good texture.
So Feo had gone around
capturing animals. Tom had secured the fur by brushing them, and had been
diligently making the product.
"H-How
confusing..."
Nozomu, who had been
explained the circumstances by Feo, couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Feo had, from the
beginning, had no intention of taking the puppies' lives. After taking some of
their fur, he had apparently planned to return them to their parent dogs.
Incidentally, as for
the Wild Dog request, he had just seen it on the guild's bulletin board and had
not accepted the request.
"Honestly, this
is a huge loss for me. My stored materials are gone, and my workshop is
broken..."
"If you had
explained the circumstances from the beginning, Feo, something like this
wouldn't have happened..."
"Don't be a fool.
Information is life in business. In this situation where we haven't even
started mass production, we have to be most careful about information leaks,
you know?"
"Well, that might
be true, but... Even so, selling beast ear goods..."
Incidentally, the
product that Tom was making was beast ear goods that used animal fur. Yes, the
same type of cat ear magic goods that Somia had.
In fact, in a corner
of the laboratory, not only cat ears but also ornaments in the shape of the
ears of various animals such as mice, horses, sheep, and deer were lined up.
"Will this
sell?"
"We've already
received orders from a very small number of people. Among our major customers
is also the princess's younger sister..."
"Ah, come to
think of it, Somia-chan also had one..."
What Nozomu remembered
was the figure of the girl who had been happily wearing cat ears in a vacant
lot in the commercial district.
That figure, which he
had remembered along with a headache, certainly suited her well.
"...I don't know
about that! Have you seen it, Nozomu!?"
"Yeah, she was
very cute. Well, what happened after that was a bit..."
Irisdina was indignant
at the fact that she had not known at all.
Although Nozomu had
not told her because Somia herself had asked him to keep quiet, it seemed to
have been quite a shock for Irisdina herself.
"H-How come..."
Irisdina hung her
head, as if it were the end of the world.
Then, the two puppies
they had protected rushed over to her, who had fallen into the depths of
despair, and began to lick her face.
"Whimper,
whimper..."
"Are you
comforting me...?"
Irisdina, with tears
in her eyes, hugged the puppies, overcome with emotion.
She was hugging them
as if to say that she would never let them go. The puppies whimpered a little
painfully, and the parent dogs raised their voices in protest, "Woof
woof!"
When Irisdina
hurriedly loosened the strength in her arms, the puppies fawned on her, licking
her. And the pattern of Irisdina putting strength into her arms began to
repeat.
"Good
grief..."
At Irisdina and the
dogs, who were repeating a loop like a comedy routine, Nozomu had a wry smile.
"More
importantly, Nozomu-kun. You'll compensate me for that, won't you?"
"...Eh?"
At the voice that had
been suddenly called out, Nozomu couldn't help but let out a listless voice.
Upon closer
inspection, Tom, with a freezing smile on his face, was pointing at the wall
that Nozomu had cut down.
The hole that Nozomu
had opened was about two meters vertically and less than one meter
horizontally. Not only the wood of the wall, but also the tiles that had been
plastered on the inside had all been cut through, had fallen to the floor, and
were shattered.
Incidentally, these
tiles, since alchemy also deals with magic-infused chemicals, were a special
type that had been treated in various ways such as for soundproofing and magic
resistance, and they were quite expensive.
Specifically, a single
one of these special tiles was priced at an amount equivalent to Nozomu's three
days' worth of food expenses.
And there were clearly
more than twenty of them, which had completely returned to dirt.
"Since you cut
it, Nozomu-kun, it's only natural, right?"
"Umm, Tom. Are
you angry?"
"Why would you
think I'm not angry?"
To think that he had
finally obtained his long-awaited workshop, and then this had happened, it
couldn't be helped.
At the very least,
unless these special tiles were replaced, it would be dangerous to use it as a
workshop.
"My workshop is a
mess! The fluffy ears and tail that I had just made are covered in rubble!
Anyone who wouldn't be angry at this is the strange one!"
"Ah, huh? You're
a fan of beast ears too?"
"What are you
talking about? There's no craftsman who wouldn't be angry if their own work was
destroyed!"
Absolutely right.
Although it felt as if
a lot of his personal preferences were mixed in, if you think about it, his
lover also had beast ears. It was natural for him to be enraged.
"Umm,
Feo..."
When he sent a look to
Feo as if asking for help, the fox-eared young man had a shining smile and gave
a thumbs-up.
"Now then, I'm
going to go make another sales pitch."
And he had firmly
abandoned Nozomu. When money was involved, he was a man who, as always, did not
waver.
"As for these
dogs, I'll leave them to the princess!"
"Umu! I will take
them in properly at the Francilt family. If I explain that they will become
fine guard dogs, Mena should also be convinced!"
And Feo, without giving
Nozomu a chance to cling to him, left the workshop. He disappeared into the
crowd in an instant.
"Leave it to me.
I will raise you to be fine hounds that will not lose to your parents!"
On the other hand,
Irisdina was raising the puppies high and was making such a declaration with a
triumphant air.
The lifted puppies
were happily wagging their tails. Irisdina was happily fluffing the puppies.
Without noticing
Nozomu's plea for help, she was engrossed in the puppies. She could only see
the fluffy balls now...
"Um,
please..."
"O-f c-o-u-r-s-e!
Right!"
"Yes..."
At Tom, who was
pressing him with such a fierce look, Nozomu had completely raised the white
flag.
He was ridiculously
scary. Specifically, he was as scary as his master when she was angry.
After that, by Tom's
order, he ended up cleaning the messy workshop with Irisdina until the evening.
Nozomu's eyes, as he
was cleaning the wall he had cut down with a broom and a dustpan, were said to
be as cloudy as a dead fish's from the side.
Unlike the mentally
exhausted Nozomu, Irisdina was in a good mood from beginning to end, being
encouraged by the puppies.
Incidentally, the
puppies had also been playing with Nozomu, but Nozomu, whose trauma had been
gouged by the intimidating presence of the enraged Tom, had not noticed at all.
How pitiful.
Nozomu's recovery was
when, the next day, the returned-to-her-senses Irisdina had told him with her
own mouth that she had hurriedly paid the workshop's repair costs to Tom.
By the way, the money
for the repair costs had come from the split request fee and her own private
funds.
After that, the hound
parent and child, who had been taken in by Irisdina, were said to be serving as
the Francilt mansion's fine guard dogs under her education.
"By the way,
Tom-kun, do you have any dog ears?"
"...Eh?"
Incidentally, it was
said that such a conversation had been held on the spot when the repair costs
were handed over.
After that, this story
would cause another outrageous trouble, but that is another story.
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