BSLFS 33

Chapter 33

“That’s the first time you’ve worn that, right?” I spoke to Layla while we waited for our meal. Today, she was wearing the blue dress she had made the other day. It was the first time I had seen it in the past few days.

“…Yeah…!” Layla stood up from her chair as if saying, I’ve been waiting for this! and twirled around.

“How is it?”

This little exchange had become a daily routine over the past few days.

“It suits you really well.” I smiled warmly.

Whenever we did this, she would look as happy as the time she had finally gotten the horse she’d wanted for her birthday. I couldn’t help but do it.

…Well, it really did suit her. She looked like a doll a noble lady might have. When we showed it to the elderly tailor, she had even asked Layla to stand at the shopfront as a kind of attraction for customers.

“What do you think, Raiga?” Layla continued, asking the wolf who was busy fixing his bedhead with his hands.

He stared for a moment, then turned toward the wall and muttered, “Well, it’s fine, I guess.”

I chuckled and said to Layla, “…That means he thinks it suits you quite a lot.”

Then I looked at Raiga, who was diligently grooming his fur.

“Raiga, if your bedhead bothers you, just turn back into human form.”

He murmured, “I see,” and returned to human form.

Turning my gaze back to Layla, I noticed she seemed lost in thought.

“Natasha and Raiga… their reactions are kind of similar, aren’t they? …Are all beastfolk just shy? Today, I heard that Theodore is Natasha’s husband—”

As she spoke, Layla’s voice grew louder and her pace faster.

“…Back at my temple, the teaching was that priests should give up the desire to have their own things and remain unmarried in order to support those who have nothing. But Theodore’s deity teaches, ‘By making yourself happy, you bring happiness to everyone.’ And, and Theodore plainly said that his happiness was marrying Natasha—”

“Kyaa!” Layla covered her face.

“Then Natasha, still facing the wall, said, ‘Hurry back,’ but her ears were a little red. Isn’t it ridiculously cute when beastfolk’s fluffy ears blush like that!?”

“…Yeah, I agree with that.” I nodded. I could picture the director’s expression perfectly. That couple was always like that—sometimes enviable, sometimes heartwarming, sometimes exasperating.

Layla took a sip of water and caught her breath.

“So, what was I talking about again?” she tilted her head.

“You were saying that the director and Raiga have similar reactions… or something. Similar… maybe?” I tilted my head. Well, when you put it that way…

“They’re not. Where?” Raiga muttered, still facing the wall.

—Only his head had returned to wolf form, his body still human.

…He had turned back into a human because his bedhead bothered him, but didn’t want his expression to be seen, so he returned only his head to wolf form.

I exchanged a glance with Layla and smiled.

“Yeah… they are similar, definitely.”

While we were doing that, our food arrived. For Raiga and me, it was brunch, and for Layla, an early lunch. The menu was meat sauce pasta. I had given a large batch of tomatoes we had received to the innkeeper as a thank-you for always helping us, so she had prepared dishes using those tomatoes for a while.

“Wow, this is delicious again today!” Layla said, enthusiastically slurping up the pasta. I couldn’t help but smile at how endearing she looked.

It’s fine—she’s just a normal, cute girl.