DTMT 02

Chapter 2

 Don’t Touch My Spines!

Please don’t wake up. I sincerely wish you a deep sleep.

Up close, the White Tiger was several times more terrifying than it had looked from afar.

Its massive head was covered in glossy, fluffy fur. The black stripes running from its body to its face looked like countless sharp eyes staring straight at me. Beside its nose—bigger than my entire body—its majestic white whiskers spread out proudly.

Alright. If I do this quickly and leave, I won’t get caught. Just three. Please, just three. I’m sorry.

I took a deep breath and moved closer.

The moment I saw its claws buried in its fur, my spines trembled uncontrollably. It felt like those claws could strike me at any second, making my head spin.

Still, I couldn’t stop.

I forced myself to push aside the fear and moved closer to the whiskers. My goal was right in front of me!

But how do I cut them?

Now that I thought about it, I had no scissors or knife. I didn’t even have hands to use them.

In the end, I decided to use my only weapon—my teeth.

And to do that…

I had to bury my face into that thick, fluffy cheek fur.

Holding my breath as much as possible, I moved my face close to the base of the whiskers.

Then—

As if tickled, the tiger’s face slowly shifted.

Oh damn.

My heart pounded like a freshly caught fish, ready to burst out of my mouth.

I pressed my face against the tiger and waited until it stopped moving again. The moment it became still—

I bit down again.

Crunch, crunch.

This stupid tiger—its whiskers were so thick they wouldn’t cut easily.

My jaw felt like it would fall off as I chewed with all my strength.

And then—

Snap.

The first whisker fell.

Yes! My lifespan is increasing!

With one success, I grew bolder. I pushed my face deeper toward another whisker.

At that exact moment—

The tiger’s cheek fur poked into a very unfortunate place.

My tiny, precious nostril—like a little raisin.

It was already so small, and somehow it went right in.

Ugh… it tickles…

“…Ch! Ch! …Ch!”

I froze.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Right in front of me—

A pair of sharp eyes gleamed.

The bright yellow pupils expanded, then narrowed into vertical slits. The eerie movement stopped exactly as they locked onto my face.

“Grrrrr.”

The tiger’s murderous growl shook the air. Its red gums and terrifying teeth flashed at me.

“Hhk—”

Overwhelming fear consumed me, and everything went black.

When I woke up after fainting, I was in front of that pot again.

It was a relief that I hadn’t been swallowed whole by the tiger—but the situation wasn’t any better.

I was about to become boiled hedgehog.

“Lord Idrish, is this one a scout too? This is already the third this month. At this rate, we should move our residence soon.”

A scout? What nonsense. What kind of crazy person would assign a hedgehog as a scout? Even if I scouted, I can’t speak!

“No. We won’t move.”

“We’re not? Well, I suppose moving over something this trivial would be strange. This hedgehog even broke through the barrier to get in. It might actually just be a wild animal.”

The small man kept babbling to himself.

Idrish? Is that his name?

It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember why, so I focused on their conversation instead.

“Then let’s confirm what this creature is.”

“Of course! The classic method works best. The water is fully boiled.”

“Bring it.”

The man walked toward me.

No!

I shoved my head into a corner and curled up, but he immediately grabbed me and dragged me to Idrish.

Idrish’s golden pupils widened, then narrowed vertically.

I felt it again—

That chilling sensation.

Killing intent. Fear.

This is…!

Those eyes—

They were exactly the same as the White Tiger’s.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just the eyes. His messy white hair, pale skin, and perfectly symmetrical features all resembled that tiger.

A chill ran down my spine.

What, narcissism?

Did he love himself so much that he raised a pet that looked exactly like him? That’s… kind of weird.

“Boil it, then roast it nicely and serve it on my table today.”

“Squeee!”

Even hearing something so horrifying, all a weak little animal like me could do was raise my spines.

“Are you really going to eat it? I thought it was just for torture. Honestly, hedgehogs take so long to prepare—it’s not efficient at all…”

Idrish shot the small man a sharp glare.

“Ah—yes, yes. That’s not the point right now. I’ll do as you say. This mouth of mine, honestly… such a reckless mouth!”

The man laughed awkwardly, showing his buck teeth, then slapped his own mouth a few times.

No, he’s right! I don’t taste good!

I struggled desperately, but the boiling pot kept getting closer. Hot steam brushed against my belly fur. I curled my short legs inward, trying to get away even a little.

It didn’t help.

The water drew closer.

My hind paw touched it.

Before the heat, fear came first.

Save the hedgehog! Save the human!

Then—

“Wait.”

Wait?! Yes, wait! Stop! Stop it!

Idrish picked me up again.

His sculpted face came closer.

Panting, I curled into a ball. My limbs and head tucked into my belly. I peeked at him slightly.

“I’ll take this one and examine it further.”

“Ah, yes. Go ahead. Just say the word if you need anything. A knife, maybe? Or a branding iron?”

This guy really says anything, huh. What do you need a branding iron for?!

“Bring everything.”

Hearing that, I let out a squeak.

“Everything?!”

Hey!!

Idrish grabbed me tightly and carried me outside.

There was an old, rusty cage. As he was about to put me in, he paused and examined me carefully.

“Hmm.”

Now I could clearly see his face.

Silver hair that didn’t seem human, skin just as pale, and yellow eyes like a feline’s. He had many strange features, but overall—

He was very handsome.

No, not just decent—ridiculously handsome.

Of course, since I’m not human anymore, whether he’s handsome or not doesn’t matter to me.

“Reveal your identity, hedgehog.”

Identity? I’m just an ordinary whisker thief. What kind of identity could a hedgehog even hide?

Grumbling internally, I curled up tighter.

But Idrish didn’t seem willing to accept that. He pushed a finger into the gap between my spines.

That’s my face—hey!

He didn’t seem to realize what part he was touching, but he was rubbing my face mercilessly.

I lost it and uncurled.

Then he grabbed one of my hind legs and stretched it out.

“What a strange creature. Your back is covered in spines, yet your belly is full of soft fur.”

He poked my belly.

Poke. Poke, poke.

For some reason, his finger didn’t stop and kept touching my belly fat.

Alright. Time to use my secret weapon.

I bit his finger hard.

My front teeth left a deep mark, and a drop of blood welled up.

See that? It may not be a big wound, but it’s deep. Your finger’s going to hurt all night!

Serves you right.

But instead of dropping me in pain, Idrish simply continued observing me.

…This guy has good endurance.

Then suddenly, his hand stopped.

What is he looking at?

I followed his gaze into the distance.

“What’s that? Looks like a giant hedgehog. Chestnut burr. Seems like your mother came to pick you up.”

Mother? I don’t have a mother.

I stretched my neck and looked toward the forest too. I sniffed the air quickly.

But there was nothing—just dense grass and trees.

There’s nothing there.

As I turned back to him—

Cold sweat ran down my belly.

Idrish smiled wickedly.

“Look at that. You understood everything I just said, didn’t you?”

N-nope. Not at all.

I blinked innocently.

“You’ve been reacting to everything I say. A normal hedgehog wouldn’t understand human speech. Which means…”

Wait. He’s not going to figure out I’m a human inside a hedgehog, right?

No way. That would require way too much imagination.

“You are definitely a beastman.”

A beastman?

I tilted my head.

At that moment—

Idrish’s face changed in a bizarre way.

His pupils widened, and black stripes appeared across his face. His eyes grew sharper, his nose larger and more beast-like.

And on top of his head—

Two white, pointed ears appeared.

W-What is this?

My head spun.

Thank goodness he mentioned “beastman” before transforming, or I would’ve fainted from shock.

Now everything made sense.

Why this place was called the White Tiger’s mansion.

Why he kept demanding to know my identity.

“Grrrr…”

It was the exact same sound I heard before I fainted.

I barely managed to stay conscious, but fear made my body shrink. My four legs trembled like mosquito legs in a storm.

Then—

The black stripes disappeared.

The ears vanished.

His handsome human face returned.

He frowned deeply.

“What is this… don’t tell me…”

His gaze moved to my backside.

Hey—where are you looking?!

“…Did you just pee on my hand?”

Oh.

Idrish’s face twisted in disgust.

He threw me into the cage.

“This insolent thing. Lock it up until it exhausts itself and transforms into a beastman. Don’t give it even a drop of water.”