Chapter 42: Eve of the Festival (4)

Juicy was looking at me.
And I was looking at Juicy.

“Um, um, Lord Wof… good evening!”
“Good evening.”

We exchanged greetings. Juicy bowed slightly, her dog ears twitching as her tail wagged.
Then she leaned closer, sniffing me softly—sniff sniff—and suddenly frowned.

“Um, Wof-sama, there’s the scent of lots of other females on you.”
“Eh—?”
“Um, it’s been there for a while now, woof, but lately it’s gotten… deeper.”
“T-That’s…”

Before I could explain, Juicy grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
She led me to a storage room—one of the many in this mansion.

Inside was dim, filled with piles of bedding—blankets, pillows, sheets.
The only light came from the moon and stars shining through the window.

“Woof!”

Juicy gave a small bark and hugged me tightly.
Her soft, warm body pressed against me—light and fluffy, yet full and firm enough to feel dangerously pleasant.
Then she began rubbing against me, nuzzling over and over again.

“J-Juicy!?”

She didn’t answer—just held me tighter, silently, insistently.
Ah—this is marking! Wait, what!? Her hair, ears, and tail just turned pure white!

No way—this can’t be happening!

“W-Woof! Woof, woof—whine… Wof-sama…”

Pseudo-Divine Relic: Fenrir—t-this is bad…!

I instinctively transformed into Generous.

My purple-haired, purple-eyed Generous self looked straight at Fenrir Juicy.
She clung to me even tighter, her tail wagging so hard it looked ready to snap.

“…Juicy.”

I gently stroked her head, running my fingers through her now-white hair and soft dog ears.
Her chest pressed firmly against me—its warmth and elasticity almost melting through our clothes.

And… everything about her felt different from Shiro’s calm, lukewarm stillness.
Juicy was warm.

There was nothing we could do but stay like this until the transformation time ran out.
Neither of us could afford to be seen like this.

It was getting hot.
Maybe because the room was sealed and filled with bedding—the air was stifling.

Juicy, too, was sweating as she held me close, her body still except for her wagging tail.

Sweat trickled down my forehead, large droplets running down my cheek.

“Lick…”

Suddenly, Juicy licked the droplet from my face.

“!?”
“W-Woof, I-I licked you… it tastes salty.”

Her purple eyes shimmered faintly as she looked up, smiling shyly.

“It’s salty because it’s sweat.”

I blurted out something stupid in my confusion.

“Um… um, Wof-sama… woof… I wanted to stay like this forever…”
“…Juicy…”

I stroked her head, gently touched her ears, and we held each other.

Eventually, Juicy returned to her normal form—and then I did, too.
We both laughed softly.

Then we sat down and talked—
about everyday things, the Fire Dungeon, the upcoming EVENT, and Haiyan’s business ventures.

“Um, you’re planning to mass-produce those light orbs?”
“I think there’s a strong demand for them.”
“Ah, I see! As expected of Wof-sama!”
“It’s nothing much. By the way, I heard Tasan’s villa is recruiting maids?”
“Ah, yes. We’re having trouble finding enough.”
“In that case—perhaps you’ve already heard from Munieka—but there’s a proposal from Torquetum to hire Menos Dolls as maids.”
“Um, um, Menos Dolls? What are those?”

I gave her a simple explanation.

“So that’s what they are. What do you think?”
“Woof, that would be wonderful! Very reassuring—please go ahead!”
“And along with that, I plan to connect the villa and my home through a gate.”
“Eh—um, your home, Wof-sama’s!?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“Um, um, no! That would be amazing! I’ll definitely convince Sister Dova and the others from Torquetum! Absolutely!”
“Th-thank you very much.”

For some reason, she was fired up—her determination almost radiating heat.
From there, our talk drifted to her sisters—Sue and Sedici.

When I said I’d met them, Juicy nodded knowingly.

“Yes, they told me, Sue-chan and Sedici-chan.”
“They’re not at the party tonight, huh.”
“Um, Sedici-chan’s asleep—it’s her bedtime. And, um, Sue-chan… because of how she looks, parties are kind of impossible.”
“Ah, yes… given her appearance, that makes sense.”
“Right, woof. Because of how she looks, she’s often been kidnapped or attacked since she was little… people can’t help but reach out to her.”
“That sounds rough…”
“Um, um, woof. Sue-chan is actually a fan of the Witch.”
“Eh? A fan of the Witch?”
“Y-Yes! That’s why she wants to become an explorer. She’s really talented too—she doesn’t have a relic, but she once fought barehanded and defeated a low-tier gold-class monster, even though she nearly died doing it.”
“Wait—barehanded!? She took down a gold-class monster!?”

She’s basically a monster. That appearance, with that level of skill — she clearly has the talent to be a First-Class explorer.

“Y-Yes. But because of her personality, she hasn’t been granted permission yet. If she could just calm down a little, I think the approval would come.”

“Her speech is a bit rough, sure… but that’s true of Shesh too, isn’t it?”

“Um, um, Shesh-chan is actually quiet by nature, but Sue-chan… if she doesn’t like someone, she’ll hit them—no matter their position or rank. Once, a Fourth Prince tried to use his status to force a marriage on her… and she nearly beat him, his entourage, and his guards to death.”

“…I-I see.”

“Um, um, and that sort of thing has happened several times.”

That’s just thuggish.
Even if the other party was completely in the wrong, with someone of that rank, she should’ve stopped at half-dead.
That’s what I would’ve done. That’s what I do.

Still… with that beauty, she really has had it rough.
It’s no wonder she dislikes men.

“By the way—about Sedici.”
“Ah, yes. Woof, Sedici-chan?”
“She mentioned a whirlpool. Do you know what she meant?”
“Woof. I’ve been told the same thing.”
“You too, Juicy?”
“Yes. She once said I was a whirlpool, gracefully drifting in the starry sky. What did she say to you, Wof-sama?”
“Um, she said mine was a whirlpool that changes shape—sometimes large, sometimes small. Hard to read, apparently.”
“Um, um, Wof-sama… woof! Then, I want to become the whirlpool that drifts beside yours!”
“You already are beside me.”
“Woof!”

Her face lit up with a radiant smile. Juicy’s smile always gives me energy.

The topic naturally flowed to her sisters, and from there, to the reason she had been with Alweld.

“You were there just to show face?”
“Um, yes. Since they’re the top clan in this city, the Tasan family was greeting them formally. I was only an attendant. So I was surprised to see you there.”
“I was surprised too.”

Honestly, I’d been shocked — and hurt.
But, well… whatever I think of them, Coon Hunt really is the number-one clan in this city.

Unfortunately, that’s just a fact. I hate them, though.
Even setting Alweld aside, there’s too much history between us.

“Um, um, was it… Alweld who attacked you, Wof-sama?”

Juicy’s expression turned tense — pure hostility in her eyes.
She already knew I’d been injured. She could probably guess the rest.
So I told her honestly.

“Yes. He ambushed me… and completely defeated me.”
“Ah… Wof-sama…”
“But next time, I’ll win. I will win.”

I’ve trained and studied desperately to reach this point.
And yet — even now — I might still not be able to beat him.

In experience and technique, Alweld is far superior.
I still haven’t found that final piece that could bridge the gap between us.

And time before our rematch is running out.
I can feel it drawing near.

Am I the only one who senses it?
Maybe Alweld feels it too.

“Um, um, woof! You’ll be fine, Wof-sama! You’ll definitely win!”
“Thank you.”

Yeah… that gave me courage.
Juicy smiled at me — bright and gentle like the sun — and stood before me formally.

“Um, today… woof! I’m so happy I got to see you, Wof-sama! Your scent, your warmth—it was all so, so… woof! So much fun!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”

I shouldn’t feel guilty—nothing inappropriate happened—
but still, this strange sense of guilt lingers.
Nothing inappropriate… right? Just hugging… right?
Still… was that really just hugging?

“Um… Wof-sama?”

Juicy tilted her head, looking puzzled.
I gave a wry smile.

“…We should probably head back.”
“Woof!”

Juicy barked cheerfully.