There was a commotion within the school. A black car had driven in, along with two people dressed in black suits. The whole school saw them as they drove into the campus and entered the right wing of the school building where the offices were.

“Who are they?”

“I got a message. They just entered the teachers’ office.”

“They look like detectives.”

“Pst…I heard that a student went missing.”

“No way?”

“That’s interesting.”

“Who was it?”

The special class was filled with murmurs, and Demund shut out the sounds to focus on his book. Because he was going to the MMA Club lately, he had to use all the spare time he had to reach his satisfactory level of learning. That, and…Enariss was on his mind.

He glanced over at her. Was this incident related to her?

By the looks of it, it wasn’t. Enariss had returned to her normal self, but Demund sensed something amiss with her personality. It felt more forced than before. She was chatting with a group of girls, smiling and laughing, but her expression felt distant.

At least to Demund, anyway.

〄 〄 〄

“Are you a coward?”

“Uh, no.”

Demund quickly shook off the insult that the tall boy had given him. Or rather, the insult Davis had thrown at him. The student looked at him with his sullen eyes, his lips curled up in dissatisfaction, and shoulders sulking down his body.

“Why won’t you fight me then? Just challenge me, please.”

Demund scratched his cheek. His obsession was weird. “Why me?”

“I…just felt like…it,” stuttered the boy. He coughed once. “Just challenge me already, coward.”

“Uh…”

Despite his insults, his mundane tone of voice did not match his words. It was monotone, and it didn’t contain the anger or frustration one would expect. No, there was definitely frustration. But it felt more like desperation.

“Look, give me time to think,” said Demund. “It’s only been two days.”

“That’s long enough. Just hurry, chicken.”

Demund shot a menacing glare at the boy, and he twitched. While very subtle, his arms moved slightly upwards, like he was trying to defend himself instinctively. Demund frowned internally.

Why would a person like him—

He paused.

“Tomorrow. I’ll fight you tomorrow.”

“…….okay.”

Without another word, Davis turned back and headed to his usual group of friends. Demund, while acting like he was doing something else, kept his eyes on the boy. One of the friends slung his arm onto Davis’s shoulder and said something to him with a smile. Davis just nodded sluggishly.

…Demund didn’t want to get involved.

Nothing good came from being involved. He was too busy; he didn’t have more time to spare.

His tutor had always instructed him to not butt his nose into other people’s business, and he knew the practicality of it. As people who had to travel quickly, they couldn’t get caught up on things and had to move like shadows—there one moment, gone the next. It had been driven into him for two years.

But this wasn’t Shaden’s world. This was Demund’s, where he admired superheroes and wanted to be like them, even though he was seriously lacking in many places.

There was also the matter of Enariss. He wanted to find out what bothered her so much.

“Hah…”

Why was everything crashing into him at once?

〄 〄 〄

“You should come by more often,” said Mrs. Harken as she brought Demund some cookies.

“Thank you.”

Demund fetched a cookie from the plate after Alina and Clara each grabbed one. Clara retreated to the side of the room while Alina chewed on her snack, looking through her phone.

“It’s just not the same without Jothan,” stated Mrs. Harken. “Everything has been too quiet.”

“I like it that way, actually,” said Alina through a mouthful of chocolate.

“I’m sure Jothan misses you too, Mrs. Harken,” said Demund.

She nodded. “I’m glad that you came. We never had the chance to thank you for helping Alina.”

Demund waved his hand. “It was nothing.”

Demund had always felt at home when he came by to Jothan’s house. But it just didn’t feel the same without him. Without the presence of his friend, the house felt significantly more distant, even though he was surrounded by people he had known for years. While he had come by to receive ‘thanks,’ he was itching to leave. The family also seemed to lack some of the vibrant air it had held before. Like Mrs. Harken had stated, things felt more…quiet.

The cookies were great. But with each bite, Demund felt a kind of pressure on his stomach, perhaps out of nervousness. Or uneasiness. The longer he sat on the chair, the more he felt like a stranger in the household. In his mind, he knew they weren’t. But because Jothan had always mediated the air between him and his family, Demund wasn’t as relaxed.

He took a gulp of milk and sneaked a glance at the clock. The hands on the clock had barely moved.

Then Demund realized that one of his legs were missing. It probably didn’t help improve the mood either. Mrs. Harken was looking into the distance like she was recalling a memory from the past. Demund glanced at Alina, who seemed to be overly focused on her phone. Clara had already retreated to her room after grabbing a few more cookies—Demund had heard her footsteps go up the stairs.

He felt Mrs. Harken’s stare switch over to him, so he focused on the cookie in his hand and chewed slowly.

“Do you think it was right for Jothan to leave?”

Demund looked up and quickly gulped down the dough in his mouth.

“Jothan? To the Islands?”

“Sometimes I think it would have been better if he had stayed. Don’t you feel like that too?”

“I…”

Demund paused.

“He’s enjoying his time, isn’t he? That’s what he said in my letter.”

Mrs. Harken let out a sigh.

“Mom, he’ll be fine,” interjected Alina while reaching for another cookie. “Stop being so worried.”

“I know, honey.”

Mrs. Harken got up as something beeped in the back. “Stay as long as you want, Demund. The laundry needs to be dried.” With a smile, she left the room through the back door.

Demund turned to Alina. “Things really are quiet here now.”

Alina shrugged. “Everyone’s being so moody about it.”

“Aren’t you too?”

“Not really.” She crossed her legs and stretched her arms, and yawned. “It’s nice and peaceful.”

“Does Clara think the same? She’s even quieter now.”

“She was always quiet.”

Demund wiped his hand on a tissue and tossed it into the trash bin. “I’ll be going now.”

“See you. You need help putting on your shoes?”

“I’m joking,” she added after seeing Demund’s frown. “Don’t trip on the way.”

“I won’t.”

Demund closed the door behind him and put on his shoes. The clear day’s air was refreshing on his nose after the sweetness of the chocolate chip cookies.

What if Jothan had stayed? Then he wouldn’t have known Alina as much, but at least the air would be more natural and relaxed.

He got on his bike and began pedaling. There would be no running tonight, or for the rest of the week. Enariss was busy with something. He’d run alone, or maybe just circulate on his bed. Or both.

They hadn’t restarted the study group yet. They took different classes, making things complicated. He’d have to study alone. And run alone.

Then there was that thing Enariss had mentioned. Studying over at her house during the weekend. Was it still valid? How would he bring it up?

A queer thought passed through his mind.

How much did he really know about Enariss?

〄 〄 〄

Friday afternoon. Demund stood across from Davis and stretched his legs as the judges prepared to begin the day’s first set of matches. Rhyne was also participating today; he had been challenged by someone lower ranked than him.

The air felt very warm from Demund, and yet he felt isolated on the stage. He was about to fight, but he didn’t feel excited. A stark contrast to the heat he felt in the wintery crisp while deflecting the harsh blows of a certain wolf-girl. His body felt dull, and he breathed in deeply.

…Nope. He assumed he would never feel the same as Shaden. The difference between them was tremendous.

He stared at Davis. His power was thickening his skin (or was it hardening it?) to fend from attacks. From what he had seen in a video, the blows that Davis threw packed quite the punch. It probably explained why he looked a little bloated all the time like fat was clinging on to his muscles. It was a little distasteful, to be honest.

He wanted to get this over with. He didn’t have time to waste.

Davis, too, stretched his arms out and blasted some punches in the air. His face, though it still held the dull, saggy air it usually had, radiated with keen excitement. His body looked like it was trembling slightly.

Demund cracked his fingers. Now—how would he make this look realistic?

Davis hadn’t said anything to him so far since yesterday except a nod that felt like thanks. The situation was…very peculiar.

Trying not to let anyone notice, Demund turned his head to the side while faking a stretch. Davis’s group was there—one person who was watching, four others who were snickering about while their eyes were focused on someone’s tablet.

He couldn’t tell exactly, but if his guts were correct, those were a group of intimidators. The way their eyebrows moved, their overly-extended smiles.

But who was he to judge? His aunt had often told him to never judge a person by their skin. Or ears. Or tail. But the idea was the same. Keep wary and keep an eye out for potential sources of benefit.

Not that he had ever had the chance to apply it. His tutor always did the talking.

The whistle finally blew, and Demund decided to charge in first. He feigned a surprised expression as his blow did nothing to move the tall boy’s figure and stumbled on purpose as he landed on the ground. Davis charged at him with his hands out, and Demund yelped as he was slammed on the chest, tumbling backwards. He made sure to keep his prosthetic out of harm’s way. It was pretty expensive.

Davis had a triumphant look on his face and was brimming with confidence now. Demund’s keen ears could hear the crowd’s whispers, and he shrugged internally. They could think whatever they wanted.

He got up and raised his arm.

“I give up!” he stated. “His physique’s too much for me.”

The judge nodded and blew his whistle. The match ended, and Davis walked up to him, a big smile on his face.

“Good fight,” he muttered. “You weren’t that bad.”

“What did you expect? Our rankings are completely different.”

But the smile on Davis’s face was quickly fading away. He looked like he was about to say something, but didn’t. And without turning back, he headed straight towards the group he always lingered in. Demund got off the stage and joined Riley. Rhyne’s fight was still in progress, so he stood and watched.

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He looked over at Davis. The members of the group didn’t even look up to greet him, and he sort of retreated to the back and stood there, the smile now completely gone from his face.

It was better not to get involved.

There was a time when he had wanted to help a slave that was being whipped. His aunt had stopped him, saying that empathy would get him nowhere. He had disagreed with her, but her ideas resonated inside of him—especially now when his hands were so full of work and adjustments.

Well, he had done what he could. By losing, maybe it helped out the student in some way. His rank would now be lowered by one, but it was nothing to fuss about.

When Riley won his match with a smile, the trio went to do some exercises.

〄 〄 〄

“I heard you lost today,” mumbled Enariss. The car silently rolled down the street, the sound of its quiet engine barely filling the silence that existed between her and Demund.

“It sort of happened.”

“Did you lose on purpose?”

“I was caught off guard.”

“Didn’t you surrender? Why?”

Enariss was being awfully grumpy in a weird way.

“I saw something interesting, and I thought I had to lose. Besides, going up the ranks too quickly isn’t that fun, is it?”

“Oh. I see.”

Enariss’s cheeks swelled slightly, and she leaned against her hand, her elbow propped against the side of the car.

“So Ena. Are we meeting this weekend?”

He saw Enariss’s body twitch slightly.

“……Sorry. Maybe next week.”

“Alright.”

A slightly awkward silence loomed between them, and Demund cleared his throat to continue the conversation.

“Our first test for advanced biology is next Tuesday, right? Are you ready for it?”

“Somewhat. It’s a quiz,” she corrected, “so I haven’t stressed about it that much yet.”

She turned to Demund. “Are you aiming for a hundred again?”

Demund chuckled. “What. Scared of losing your number one position?”

“…No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not!”

She punched him on the shoulder with a force Demund hadn’t anticipated. He grunted and rubbed his shoulder. Enariss was unusually tense.

“Is there anything on your mind?” he finally asked after seeing Enariss space out.

“…what?”

“You look like you’re bothered by something.”

“Did I look like that?”

She touched her face and pinched her cheeks.

“You’re definitely distracted by something,” said Demund worryingly.

“…It’s nothing.”

She let out a short sigh.

The car had already arrived at Demund’s house, so he didn’t have the chance to ask her further. He got out of the car and cast a worried glance at his friend.

“If you need anything, I can help.”

She smiled.

Demund watched the car drive away. He saw Enariss’s red hair fall to the side through the back window.

Enariss fell as her body relaxed, her back squishing against the now-empty seat. She looked at the ceiling of the car and hugged her bag in her arms, holding it tightly.

She felt the slow throb of her heartbeat within her head. Thump, thump, thump, it went, dissipating her thoughts with each blow. She closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind, but the flow of blood to her brain did not stop, bringing in more broken pieces of doubt, confusion, and frustration from her heart, weakening her consciousness with each passing second.

She didn’t know what to think. For the first time in years, she felt utterly lost.

〄 〄 〄

Two pairs of feet crunched snow underneath their boots as they treaded the white streets. Shaden tucked himself even further into his hood; he couldn’t have people seeing him as his stealth skills were not active. Mistilia wouldn’t be able to sense him otherwise.

He looked at the girl and saw her tail wagging rapidly.

“Do you like snow that much?” he asked, mist flowing out of his mouth.

Mistilia’s tail paused for a slight moment before it began to wag again.

“I like snow. It’s nice.”

“You’re…right.”

Snow really was nice. It made the world around him quieter and peaceful, and the slight chill of the cold made him want to cuddle. With his arms, at the moment, but Mistilia’s fur sure looked nice.

During the winter, many beastmen grew excess fur on their bodies to fight off the cold. Mistilia, who had grown up further north, was covered with dark and light brown fur the ran across her arms like padding. From what he had seen, the back of her neck was also covered with fur. Her hair itself had become lusher, and maybe even her eyebrows had gotten thicker. Her tail was certainly bushier.

The transformation had been instant. Once the temperature dropped below freezing, her hair/fur had begun to cover her.

“My father didn’t wear anything,” she had told Shaden, but he had absolutely insisted that she wear a coat. Sometimes, their difference in culture startled Shaden. It was little things, like smelling each other, but he had seriously been flustered when she had suggested licking a cut on his side after he had been injured.

“You can’t do that,” he had told her.

“Why? My mom would do it for me.”

“…Do you do this to other people?”

“I guess my friend. She’s a girl!” she added after seeing Shaden’s frown.

“And what did she say?”

“She said…that she would appreciate my nature.”

“……Mistilia, just…don’t do it to guys. They’ll get the wrong idea.”

“Okay. But I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

This was just one of the many culture shocks he had experienced while spending more time with her. He guessed it was fine.

Probably.

The streets were becoming more crowded as they approached the center of the town. The winter festival was progressing splendidly along its second week, and bigger stores and statues were being set up to celebrate the coming of a new year, which would be tomorrow night. They were currently here to scout out some good places to watch the magic from.

It was Mistilia’s first time experiencing a real winter here in Danark. Winter festivals were a new tradition to her—in the north, where it snowed every year, they celebrated the new year with lots of meat from hunting.

She had told Shaden that it was just her, her father, and her mother—occasionally a few others---who huddled together in their home during the eve of every new year. Plenty of meat would be brought in to celebrate, but that was it.

Currently, her eyes were sparkling like jewels, and the swishing of her tail had become even more intense. Shaden wanted to touch it, a little.

He reached out a hand and her tail brushed against his skin. It felt incredibly smooth and silky. Mistilia didn’t seem to notice, but he still pulled his hand back in slight embarrassment. He’d have to give Shidey lots of pets later.

“What’s that?” Mistilia asked while pointing towards a stand. “It smells nice.”

“Hot—”

He stopped himself. Hot chocolate. Could he really call it that? He had tried it, when was it, three years ago, and he remembered it being a little less sweet than what he had expected. There had been a chocolaty scent to it, but it just wasn’t the same. He didn’t even know the name of it.

“It’s a warm, sweet drink,” Shaden explained. “Want some?”

Mistilia nodded furiously, and their short journey of devouring wintery snacks began.

〄 〄 〄

“Why don’t you spend time with us?” asked Shaden’s mother. Shaden was fastening his jacket on himself, preparing to go out into the cold, winter night. It was around ten thirty, and the whole family was also preparing to head outside.

“Mom, I spent the whole day with you,” said Shaden while pulling on his socks. “Dad said I could be with my friend tonight. She’s always alone.”

“Yes, but it’s been a long time since we spent new years eve together as a family. Rother is gone too…”

“You have Melany. And Dad.”

“Why don’t you bring your friend to us?”

“Mom…”

“He’ll be fine,” interjected Shaden’s father. He was carrying Melany in his arms, who was half-dozing, unaccustomed to staying up so late. “Lytha told me that he can handle himself.” He winked at Shaden, avoiding his wife’s dissatisfied stare. “Have fun,” he whispered.

“It’s too cold…and it might snow…you might get lost,” mumbled Shaden’s mother.

“I’ve done this countless times before,” stated Shaden.

“That’s what worries me…”

Shaden was only eight. Melsei, who wasn’t aware of Shaden’s training regime, was naturally worried. His father, on the other hand—not so much.

Garthan wrapped his hand around Melsei and hugged her. “Go on, Shaden. Enjoy the night.”

Shaden nodded and got up. Making sure his dagger was safely tucked in his pocket (his aunt would yell at him if he forgot to carry it around), he opened the door of the house.

“Maybe we’ll see each other there.”

“Maybe.”

He closed the door behind him and took in a deep breath. His nostrils stung from the cold, and he rubbed his hands together.

〄 〄 〄

He met Mistilia in front of the Academy.

“What took you so long?” she complained as her tail swished on the snow. Her arms were crossed, and her head was tilted up to allow her to see Shaden from underneath her hood.

Shaden blinked twice. “But I’m on time?”

"You’re still late. I’m dying to go.”

“We still have a lot of time left,” said Shaden after checking the time with his magic.

“…I’m cold. Let’s go now.”

The cold was making them both jittery. Shaden rubbed his hands again.

“Do you remember the place?”

“Of course!”

They had spotted out somewhere great where they could celebrate new years together. As promised, Shaden had fetched two bottles of hot chocolaty drink on his way over. The stores were all open tonight, and the city was filled with bright lights. They’d all go off soon though.

Mistilia held a bag of snacks in one hand, and Shaden worried that it may have gotten crushed due to the way she was holding it. But worrying no further, he walked up the stairs to the Academy and took his position next to the wolf girl.

“Careful not to drop your things.”

“I know. Then get ready. Three, two one—”

Without counting down fairly so Shaden could begin at the same time, Mistilia leaped off the snow and began dashing into the illuminated streets. She was still as energetic as ever, and Shaden felt like she had become even more so over the month he had spent with her.

He scratched his head but instantly trailed her footsteps, too clearly visible on the snow.

As expected of a wolf. She was incredibly fast, and at some point, he saw the pair of feet turn into a pair of feet and hands imprinted into the snow. He had never seen her run on all fours, and it displayed the excitement she was experiencing. Determined not to lose, Shaden strengthened his legs and chased after his friend.

〄 〄 〄

“What!” exclaimed Mistilia.

When she arrived at their designated location, on top of the building next to the giant statue of some kind of bear, Shaden was waving at her, leisurely sitting on the snow with his legs crossed. She quickly jumped up the sides on the building and sat down next to Shaden. Then she noticed Shaden’s heavy breaths that created swirls of vapor in the air.

“How hard did you run?”

“Really. Really. Hard.”

“Stupid.”

“Hey, at least I beat you.”

The wolf girl’s frustration was smudged on her face, and Shaden laughed. Pushing himself had been worth it, though his heart was thumping like a rocket engine. How long had it been since he ran that quickly? A few months at most—the latest was when he had been chased by a leopard-like beast in the woods.

After kicking some snow away, she sat down next to Shaden.

“I was moving slowly so I wouldn’t break the cookies.”

Shaden lifted an eyebrow and glanced at the bag in her hand. It looked terribly smudged.

“But the cookies. They’re—”

“Don’t say it.”

She glared at Shaden and pulled her cookies to herself.

“……ha. Haha. HAHAHA!”

Shaden burst out laughing, and Mistilia’s whole face became as red as a tomato.

“You were moving slowly on all four limbs to protect the cookies—HAHAHA!”

“Hey, cut it out!”

She pushed Shaden and he fell on the snow, still laughing. Mistilia crossed her arms and pouted, looking away from his direction.

“What’s so funny?” she grumbled, and Shaden’s laughter only became worse. He rolled on the roof, holding his stomach with his hands.

“Sorry—it was just—your expression—HAHAHAHA!”

“I’m going to go.”

“Ha—wait! Okay, okay, I’ll stop.”

Shaden cleared his throat and wiped the tears off his eyes. Then he fell back-first on the roof again and looked into the sky. The unending, clear sky speckled with countless twinkling stars.

“Thanks. I haven’t laughed like that in a while.”

The fantasy world was as refreshing as ever.

“Hmph.”

It was so easy to understand, unlike reality.

“Thank you, Misty.”

Shaden got up again and crossed his legs. “Sorry if I offended you.”

“Err—”

She tugged on her hair and scratched her cheek. “Don’t laugh at me next time.”

“I got it.” He held in a stifle by pinching himself. It was moments like this that made him forget that he was in a real world rather than a dream.

Simple, nice, relaxing, and free—with a tinge of otherworldly cuteness. Where he felt like a protagonist.

He took in a deep breath.

“So. It’s our last day together.”

“……………”

Shaden looked at the wolf girl who was examining the bag of cookies in her hand. Reading the mood, he quietly looked into the air, checking the time. They still had some time left until the new year.

“……where are you going?” she finally asked.

“Nowhere in particular. Just following my tutor wherever she goes for the time being. How about you? Are you planning on staying?”

It wasn’t just a long farewell because Shaden was leaving. Mistilia, now that she had passed her tenth birthday, had to choose where to go soon.

“The Headmistress—the Lady,” she corrected herself, “told me I could learn from her. Whenever I wanted.”

“Ah. So, will you?”

“I don’t know. I have friends here, and…”

She trailed off.

“…your family, right?”

Mistilia nodded. It had been a while since she had taken refuge, and the severity of her parents’ predicament was still unknown to her. She wanted to see them soon, but the situation was a delicate one.

For all she knew, they could be dead.

Using magic, Shaden warmed up a bottle of the chocolaty drink and gave it to Mistilia. She accepted it with both hands and placed it against her cheeks.

“It’s warm.”

“Of course it is.” He warmed the remained bottle and held it in his hands. “How about the cookies?”

Without saying anything, Mistilia opened the bag and peeked inside. Then she tossed it into the air.

Shaden quickly caught it with his telekinesis, and Mistilia looked like she had been hit.

“…...they’re ruined.”

“I know.”

Shaden placed the bag in his hand and looked inside. Everything was scattered around—only crumbs, no cookies.

Mistilia opened her bottle and took a small sip. With her yellow eyes, she sheepishly looked at Shaden, her ears drooping.

Shaden held in a giggle and cleared his throat.

“They’re still edible.”

He poured some of the crumbs into his mouth and chewed. The scent of dough filled his nostrils, and the broken sweetness pleased his tongue.

“It still tastes good,” he said honestly.

“Really?” Mistilia’s ears went back up.

“Here, try some.” He handed over the bag to the wolf girl and took a sip out of his drink. Her face lit up as she tasted the crumbs.

“I guess…it’s okay.”

Chewing on the remains of the snack, the two of them shared a moment of silence. Suddenly, the streetlights began to shut off one by one, and people’s excited cheers could be heard from all around the city. Then soon, everyone became quiet.

“It’s starting,” whispered Shaden. He himself had only seen it once, and that was while he was among the crowd, surrounded by his family.

Silently, a streak of orange shot up from the center of the city and continued to soar upwards. It slowed down and hovered above the city like a flare, illuminating the crowds like a small sun. Everyone, including Shaden and Mistilia, held their breaths as the new year approached with each passing second.

On the center of the glowing ball, the number ‘10’ appeared.

Then it became ‘9’.

8.

7.

They held their breaths.

6.

5.

A low murmur rippled through the city.

4.

Shaden turned his head towards Mistilia, and their eyes met. Shaden grinned and gave her a thumbs up sign.

3.

“You might want to cover your ears,” he said.

2.

“What?”

1.

A thunderous boom reverberated in the air as the ball of glowing orange exploded like a supernova. The light spread out like a bomb, covering the sky in a sudden brilliance similar to that of the rising sun in the morning. Magic kept the light lingering in the air like polar lights, and golden streaks that resembled glitter or a drop of paint in clear water formed in the sky, spreading out in a circle. The whole city was basked in a gentle glow of yellow and orange, and the people began to cheer.

Before the colors died away, multiple new streaks of light short up in the air, this time faster and smaller. They too, exploded into clouds of illumination, decorating the darkness with red, blue, green, purple, and all the other colors of the spectrum.

“Beautiful, right?” commented Shaden.

While different from the fireworks from his own world, the ones here were exotic in their own way. It was similar to seeing an artificial aurora—simply magical.

“Yeah…” Mistilia breathed. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and her mouth slightly hung open, her ears and tail still in awe at the spectacle.

“Happy new year,” said Shaden with a smile. “I got you something.”

Mistilia’s attention turned to Shaden as he pulled out something from his coat. Her ears fluttered in anticipation as Shaden handed her a small, brown package. She tore the paper apart and put its contents in her hand.

“A…glove? Gloves?”

“I saw your hands, and they looked callused.”

“Callused?”

He reached out and held Mistilia’s hand, making her palm face upwards.

“The thick parts on your skin,” he said, pointing towards the upper part of her palm.

“Ohhhh.”

He let go gently. “I heard that many female swordsmen wear gloves to keep their hands free of scars.”

Mistilia instinctively sniffed the leather gloves and felt them in her hands. Honestly, Shaden felt like he had made a mistake. He had completely forgotten that Mistilia was a beastman, a race that ran on all four limbs and tore through meat with their fangs. It was nice since the store had provided holes for fingers since beastmen’s claws would poke through the top, but in reality, gloves were simply unnecessary.

“Do you…like it?” he asked cautiously. He hoped Mistilia’s feminine heart would shine through.

He cocked his head internally. Did she even care about her looks?

Thankfully, Mistilia equipped the gloves, sliding them onto her hands. She gripped them a few times to feel their texture.

“It’s comfortable,” she said.

Shaden let out an internal sigh of relief.

“….”

“What?” asked Shaden.

“…thank you.”

The wolf girl turned her head away, but her wagging tail displayed her emotions too clearly. So, she liked it very much. Shaden cheered inside.

“!!!!”

Shaden was caught off guard as Mistilia pushed him down, pinning his arms on the roof with her arms. He was about to retaliate when he saw her eyes.

Time slowed. He felt a chill crawl up his spine.

The wolf’s yellow eyes glowed intensely as the moonlight reflected off of their surface. Shaden saw her pupils dilate. He knew that look. He knew it too well.

When beasts were about to lunge at him and chew his face off, they had all given them that look.

“……”

“What?” Mistilia was speaking quietly again.

She pouted her cheeks and made a gurgling sound.

Then she spat on his neck and let go. Shaden, stunned, lay on the ground, trying to comprehend what happened.

Mistilia’s face was all red and glowing. She stood up.

“G-goodnight!” she stuttered as she jumped off the roof.

Shaden frowned. He raised his hand to his neck and touched it. It was wet and gooey with spit, and when he brought it to his nose, had a weird scent.

Recovering from the shock, he wiped his hand in the snow and tried to spot Mistilia in the dark. She was already gone, hidden behind the buildings.

Well…that was unexpected, Shaden thought to himself.

The sad thing was, today was the last day of the week, so when he woke up, he’d be in the other world.

Well…

He was confused. What and why?

Oh well.