Kays Translations

Chapter 80 pt.9 [Kevin and Marian] ◆

I was running around and playing in “The Lost Forest” for the first time in a long time when I heard a woman scream.

　It was not a scream of falling down or being scratched by a branch, but a scream of fear for my life, so I ran as fast as I could in the direction of the voice.

　I saw a blonde-haired girl surrounded by three wild dogs. The dogs were all scrawny and looked murderous. The girl was carrying a white shoulder bag, and the wild dogs seemed to want the shoulder bag.

　I’m sure if she just threw away that shoulder bag the stray dog would go away.

　I am a seventeen-year-old, dog-type beastman weighing 52 kg. I can’t talk to her in my canine form, and if I appeared, since I’m much bigger than a wild dog, I’d only end up scaring the girl.

　While I was wondering what to do, one of the wild dogs bit the shoulder bag, followed by the other two.

　The girl is pulled to the ground and unable to speak. The three dogs bite the shoulder bag, and the girl is being stepped on and dragged by them. She may have lost consciousness because she is being subjected to so much.

　Let’s go after all. They might bite the girl in their fit of excitement.

　As I approached the bag, the three wild dogs looked frightened and moved away from the bag. They were so scared of me that they easily gave up on the food they had finally managed to get.

　The three wild dogs ran away with their tails tucked between their legs.

　I quickly returned to where I had hidden my clothes, put them back on, and then went back to the girl and called out to her. The girl was shaking with her eyes open.

　When I approached her, she turned her eyes to my face, but only for a moment did she look frightened. I wondered if she had noticed that I was the very large dog she had seen earlier. I wondered if he had noticed me. They appeared at the same time I did.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you hurt?　Oh, your arms and legs are covered in scrapes. You didn’t get bit, did you?”

“Yes.”

“Can you stand up?”

“Stand, yeah.”

　I helped her to her feet, but her legs were wobbly. She was about 15 years old.

“Did you come to this forest alone?”

“Yes, I did. I heard there were medicinal herbs growing here, but I couldn’t find any. When I came to, I was surrounded by dogs…”

“This is the first time I’ve seen stray dogs ​​here. You were just unlucky today. But I don’t think you should come here alone. It’s called the ‘Lost Forest’. People get lost and starve to death here.”

　The girl looked up at me as if she wanted to say something. She was quite small. I was 5’10, but this girl was only about 4’11 feet tall.

“What about you?　You don’t get lost?”

“Oh, yeah. I never get lost. I’ve been coming here to play since I was a kid.”

“Yeah.”

　Dog-type beastmen do not get lost in the “Lost Forest”.

　I walked with the girl till we got onto the street. She said, “It’s okay now,” so I waved goodbye. In the end, she never asked me, “Was that big dog you?”. But I knew she thought it. Because I could smell her nervousness the whole time.

　She was small, plump, and cute, but I would never see her again. Even if I did, she and I would never get along.

　When I got home, a neighbor kid ran up to me.

“Kevin, play with me.”

“Yeah, sure. What do you want to play?”

“Fee-chan, dig a hole.”

“Digging holes. No problem. Hold on, I’ll get a shovel.”

“I’ll dig by hand.”

“With your hands?　You’ll get hurt. Don’t do it.”

　Sophia is only three years old, so her speech isn’t very good.

“Fee-chan, you can dig a hole.”

“When Sophia grows up and can turn into a dog, then you can dig a hole with your hands.”

“Fee-chan, Fee-chan.”

“What is it?”

　For some reason, Sophia stopped talking there. I waited for a while, but she didn’t say anything more. Maybe she forgot what she was going to say. She’s three years old after all. Sure enough, the topic suddenly changed.

“Kevin, do you like cream puffs?”

“Cream puffs?　What’s that? I don’t know what they are.”

“It’s delicious. It’s in the ‘Hideaway’.”

“Mm-hmm.”

　Without really understanding what the cream puffs and the “hideaway” were, Sophia suddenly went home.

　Some days later, Sophia’s grandmother brought the cream puffs over to share with me. She told me that the name of the shop was “Hideaway,” and that the owner knew that Sophia was a dog-type beastman and was looking after her.

“She is a very nice person, you should go there. And the food is cheap and delicious.”

“Okay.”

　Sometimes there are ordinary people who are not afraid even when they know we are beastmen. We share information about them. and remember them as important people. It also means that if something happens to them, we should help them. This is the first time I have received information about a young female civilian.

　I work at a bookstore in the royal capital. I have a bento lunch every day, but one day I went to “Hideaway.” The owner was very lively and had a bright smile. The store was filled with a nice smell, and it was clean and comfortable.

　Today’s daily special was stir-fried lamb with apple. It’s very delicious. It was cheaper than I expected and I wanted to come here again. Just as I was about to leave, the girl came into the restaurant. She was with a man who looked like her father, and they seemed to be very close.

　I tried to pass her, pretending not to notice her, but she noticed me. Then the man who was with her noticed her immediately.

“Do you know each other?”

“Um, well, no. I don’t know him.”

　I don’t know. It’s not that I particularly wanted her to thank me, but I was a little hurt. I had just eaten a delicious meal, but the happiness I had felt moments ago was gone.

　A few days later, I decided to go to “the Hideaway” with a dog-type beastman friend of mine. When I told him the owner’s information, he said, “If it’s a cheap and tasty place, I’ll go too.”

“Welcome!”

　The owner made an “aha” face after greeting me. Then, when she brought us some water and a small salad, she handed me an envelope saying, “I have been keeping this for you.”

“Is it for me?”

“Yes. A customer who came to the store on the same day as you said, ‘If that person comes again, please give it to them,’ so I kept it the next day.”

“Thank you.”

　My friend was grinning because the color of the envelope was a pale pink, the kind of envelope a woman would use.

“What, was it love  at first sight?　You do have a pretty face I guess? What kind of girl is she?”

“It’s nothing like what you’re expecting. She’s just a normal person.”

“Oh, a normie. That’s too bad.”

I haven’t told anyone about what happened in the “Lost Forest” because it would be a long story. The day I mention that I might have been recognized as a beastman, all hell would break loose.

　When I got home, I read the letter. There was something unexpected written in the letter.

“To the person who helped me,

　I am sorry for calling you a ‘stranger’ even though you helped me. I’ve been keeping my visit to the Lost Forest a secret from my father. I have a little bit of magical power, and I want to work as a potion maker, but he’s against it, telling me not to do it because I don’t have enough magical power. He said it would be fine if I got married and became a wife.

　So if I said I knew you, I wouldn’t know how to explain you, so I just said it that way on the spur of the moment. I am so sorry.

　Actually, I found out your secret that day. I was upset after being attacked by a wild dog and finding out your secret. I’ve been bothered by the fact that I never thanked you properly. Please let me thank you again sometime.

Can we meet again at the “Hideaway”?　I can go to that restaurant this day at noon. I don’t know when you’ll be off, so feel free to ignore this letter if it is not convenient for you.　Marian”

“So you did recognize me.”

　What is this about? There are three dates written. Does that mean she’ll wait up to three times?

　I would normally never accept an invitation from someone who knew I was a beastman. Worst case scenario would be that a number of her acquaintances would be there with her, and I might be treated like a spectacle, “Wow, this guy is a dog-type beastman?” If that happened, I would have to quit my job.

　But, I don’t think that girl would do something like that.

　Above all, the owner of the store is a normal person who didn’t change her attitude even after finding out that Sophia, Karin and Victor are dog-type beastmen. Even if I were to be attacked, they wouldn’t join forces with those guys.

　I went to the “Hideaway” in the afternoon on the first date. I couldn’t relax since I was taking my time off work, but I had to meet her and at least make sure she kept quiet. No, maybe I should just pretend not to notice and ask, “What do you mean, a secret?”

　When I entered the store, the girl was there. She was wearing much nicer clothes than when I met her in the forest. When she noticed me, she stood up.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Hello. It’s been a while. I’d  like the daily special.”

“Me too.”

“Two daily specials. Please wait a moment.”

　After the owner left, the girl held out a package to me.

“Thank you so much for helping me out back then. This is the shoulder bag I made for you. If you don’t like it, please throw it away.”

“Can I open it?”

　The girl nodded, so I opened the paper package right there. It was a dark blue shoulder bag, the same style as the one she had used that day. The inside was divided into two sections, so it looked easy to use.

“Thank you, Marian. I will take good care of it. Oh, I didn’t tell you my name. My name is Kevin.”

“Kevin, thank you for saving my life and coming to see me today.”

“So, about the secret you mentioned in your letter.”

　Then the food was brought out. The owner put down the daily special, saying, “It’s seafood and melted cheese bread.” It smelled amazing.

Illustration (By Mitemin)

“Wow, that looks delicious.”

“Yeah, it looks so good.”

　The hot bread was really good. I burned my mouth, but I thought it definitely tasted better when it was hot. Marianne was also smiling and saying “It’s hot” as she ate it.

We finished eating, repeating “delicious” to each other, and then started talking.

“About the secret I wrote in the letter, I won’t tell anyone. If you want me to forget, I will.”

“Yes, I would like you to forget it.”

“What secret?”　I decided not to play dumb. I could tell that Marian was very nervous and was trying to gather her courage. In fact, she was so serious that I felt embarrassed that I had ever suspected that she was going to make a spectacle of me.

“Yes, that’s right. If it’s a favor for the person who saved my life, I’ll forget it.. But can we have lunch together here again sometime?　I’m seventeen, already an adult now, and I work at a general store, so I have enough money to have lunch here.”

　　I didn’t ask why. Because I wanted to see her again too. But I wonder if Marian understands. A relationship between a beastmen and a normal person, even if they are just friends, usually end in disaster. Because both sides would be very much against it. So I told her so honestly. If people around me knew the truth about me, they would be very much against it.

“I don’t care. But if you don’t like it, I’ll give up.”

　As she says this, Marian’s eyes well up with tears, and I think, (how cute). She is cute, but I wonder if it’s okay to be in a relationship with Marian, knowing that the end would be disastrous.

　I was pondering, wondering what to say, when the owner said, “Here, Please try this if you’d like. These are cream puffs,” and placed two small plates down.

“These are very tasty. My neighbor gave them to me and I ate them once.”

“This is my first time eating it. Mmm! It’s delicious!”

　The inside is chock full of thick cream. We both looked at the owner at the same time and he was smiling. When we told her, “It’s delicious,” she replied, “Good. It’s a pastry that doesn’t last long, so I can’t leave it behind,”

“You know what?  How about we meet here sometimes, have a meal like this and chat? As friends.”

“Is that OK?　But occasionally?　Like how  often?”

“Once a month, maybe.”

“Eh. Not that often.”

　I watch with tenderness as Marian’s eyes sparkle with hope, then drop their heads in dejected dismay.

“Well, how about once every two weeks?”

“I’m so happy! Oh, my goodness. I have to get back to work now.”

“Yeah, I’ve got work, too.”

　We finished our cream puffs and Marian offered to treat me, but I declined. We each paid our bill, and we split right and left down the street.

　I had lunch with Marianne twice more since then. Our biweekly meeting has now become once a week. Every time I go, I order the daily special, and every time, every daily special is delicious.

　Marian told me that she was sewing me a jacket right now. Making such a large project makes us feel like lovers, rather than friends.

　I have no idea what the future holds for Marian and me, but I think, “Everything will work out.”

　One night, I was sitting on a stump on the front porch of my house when Sophia came over.

“What, you’re still up?”

“Kevin, you are here.”

“Of course I’m here. It’s my house. Oh, yeah, I’ve been to the Hideaway four times now. Everything you order there is delicious.”

“Mai-tan, all the food is delicious.”

“Yes, it is.”

　Thanks to that store, I was able to meet Marian again. What’s more, it’s a place that doesn’t hate beastmen, in fact it’s kind to them. I want to keep going there with Marian forever.

TL Note:

4’11-150 cm

5’10-180 cm

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