01: Here Comes the Rainy Season! …Or So I Thought, but My Appetite Is Endless!
“It’s really pouring, huh…?”
“Arwf… (Yeah…)
”
Here I am, staring through the window at the scenery outside. The young lady, her face on my head, heaves a sigh of disappointment. Normally I’d be playing fetch or tag with her during our lunch break, but the weather today is pretty lousy.
“I really wanted to go out and play today…”
“Arwrwf… (Ohhh, Lady Mary, please don’t take it out on me and muss up my chest fur…)
”
The young lady pets me with an incredible degree of control as she hugs me from behind. I’m so frustrated—but the petting feels so fluffy and nice. Twitch, twitch.
The drizzle continues, obscuring the outside of the mansion in white. It’s too bad we can’t go outside, but I do love the smell of a rainy day. The mansion is surrounded by nature, causing a pleasant mix of the scents of the forest and earth to waft through the air.
“Arwf, arwf. (Come to think of it, this is the first time it’s rained since I came to this mansion.)
”
Maybe the climate here is just pleasant; it doesn’t get cloudy that often. Still, we aren’t exactly facing a water shortage, either, so this must be a good area to live in. Apparently it’s considered frontier land from the capital’s perspective, but nobody comes to settle. There are no signs of cultivation here, despite the amazingly delicious vegetables from the old man’s fields and the fertile land.
If you go really, really far south of the mansion, you’ll see human villages here and there, but the excessively expansive forests
to the north remain untouched by human hands. They were so pristine that the elves we were sheltering have gotten permission from Papa, the marquis of this frontier, to build a new village in it.
Well, if nobody’s going near that forest, that works for me, as long as nothing gets in the way of my peaceful pet life. I can never let anyone know that monsters actually live in that peaceful forest—or that I’ve made friends with them.
If it gets out that I’m Fenrir, King of the Fen Wolves, I can kiss my pampered pooch days goodbye.
“Woof, woof. (Yeah, I definitely can’t let that happen.)
”
I made up my mind a long time ago. I vowed that I would abandon any and all combat potential and stick to being a mutt. I’m so cool.
“Routa, your hair is a little squishy right now,” she says, dissatisfied, burying her face into my back.
“Woof? (Wait, really? Is it getting bushy?)
”
Len pokes her face out of my mane. “Squeak. (It is indeed damp. And altogether uncomfortable.)
”
Quit complaining. All you ever do is sleep. How about you try to stay awake for once?
“I know! Let’s give you a good brush! That should fluff you right up!”
The young lady goes to get my personal brush.
“Woof, woof! (Oh boy, brush time! I looove a good brushing!)
”
I didn’t realize this when I was human, but getting your hair brushed feels really good. Using a hind leg to scratch behind my ear isn’t bad, but this is nice in a different way. And if it’s the young lady brushing me, it feels even better.
Lady Mary sits on the living room carpet and pats her lap. “Okay, Routa, put your head right here.”
“Arwf! (Yesss! Lady Mary’s lap pillow! Hype!)
”
After I lay my head on her delicate thighs, the young lady immediately begins running the brush through my fur.
“Oh, wow! Routa, look, your hair’s coming off.”
“W-woof?! (Wait, no way! Am I going bald?!)
”
Without my fluff, won’t my cute factor get reduced by half?
“It must be shedding season. How fun! There’s so much coming off.”
Shedding season? Oh, right. I’m a dog. Even my fur goes through a replacement process, huh?
I’m a dog, after all! Just a dog! Everything’s fine!
“Wow, amazing. Look at these clumps coming out!”
What? No, if that much is falling out, then maybe I should be worrying. It’ll grow back, right? I’m not going bald, am I?
Given her smile, Lady Mary seems to be enjoying my hair loss a little too much as she brushes me.
“There we go. Next is your belly!”
“Woof. (Okay.)
” I roll over, begging.
“Does it feel good?”
“Woof, woof! (This is the best!)
”
Now that I’m on my back, I have a much better view of her face. She truly seems to be having fun, which means it’s more than worth it getting brushed.
“S-squeak. (Do not turn over so quickly, beloved. You could have crushed me.)
” Len climbs up to my belly. “Squeak! (Girl! My lord’s grooming should fall to me! Be grateful that I’ve magnanimously yielded this to you—)
”
“Would you like me to brush you, too, little mouse? Just leave it to me!”
“S-squeak, squeeeak! (N-no, no, no! That isn’t what I meant! Ah—ahheee…!)
”
Every time she challenges Lady Mary, the petting gets the better of her. Once she’s under the brush, Len’s resolve melts away like cotton candy.
Once Len lies limp in exhaustion, someone summons the young lady. “My lady, it is almost time for your studies,” calls Miranda, the beautiful, bespectacled, neat-freak maid, with a bow.
“Aww, I was still brushing Routa… Boo…”
I second that boo. More free time for the young lady, please and thanks.
“I… Excuse me! If it pleases you, I can continue brushing him for you!”
The higher-pitched voice comes from Toa, who was waiting behind Miranda. Her black pigtails are bouncing around like usual. So cute.
“You would do that?! Thank you so much, Toa!”
“O-of course, it’s no trouble at all!”
“I’ll leave him to you, then! Okay, Routa, once my afternoon study session is over, let’s play some more!”
“Arwf…! (All right, work hard!)
”
Led by Miranda, Lady Mary leaves the living room.
Toa and I are the only ones left. Oh, I guess Len’s still here in my tummy fur, too, in rapture.
“Um, okay, Routa, I’m starting!”
“A-arwf! (R-right. Bring it on!)
”
With everything that’s happened, Toa’s gotten pretty used to me, but I can tell that she might still be a little scared. I can hear the tension in her voice, and it’s making me nervous, too.
“D-don’t bite me, okay?”
“Arwf, arwf. (I won’t bite. I’d never bite you.)
”
I do want to nibble on those pigtails, though.
“D-does it hurt?”
“Arwf. (Not at all. You can be firmer if you want.)
”
Very timidly, Toa continues to pass the brush through my fur. The sound of the rain outside and the pleasant feeling of the brush prove to be a lethal combo, and I start nodding off.
“Ah-ha, Toa’s slacking off!”
“Arwf? (Hmm? Who’s there?)
”
I open my eyes to see three maids surrounding us.
“I—I am not
slacking off! I’m in the middle of a very important task given to me by the young lady!”
“Relax, I’m only kidding. You’re so serious, Toa.”
With a shrill laugh, the short-haired maid squats down in front of me.
Urgh—a little more, and I could see…
From behind her, the two other maids look down at me with keen interest. Now that I think about it, I’ve been at the mansion for a pretty long time, but I still don’t have the names and faces of all the servants down. I mean, playing with the young lady and eating food with the old man are generally the only things I ever do. I’ve had no interaction with the other maids, who are always busy at work.
I figured the maids were a little scared of me after I got ginormous so quickly, but ever since I became friends with Toa—the one who was the most
skittish around me—the attitudes of the others have softened up, too.
“Hello, Routa. I guess this is our first time meeting. My
name’s Betty.”
“And I’m Connie.”
“…I’m Mira.”
The short, red-haired one is Betty. She has cute freckles and seems lively.
The one with the fluffy gray hair is Connie. She has kind, downward-sloping eyes, and she gives off a soothing aura.
Mira is the one with the long black hair. She’s beautiful, but the absence of expression on her face is distinctly doll-like.
I see them a lot while they’re cleaning the mansion and doing other stuff, but this is the first time they’ve ever spoken to me.
“You were so scared of him before. But now you can touch him, huh?”
“I-I wasn’t—I wasn’t scared!”
“…You definitely were.”
“Yes, you were indeed.”
“Hrnng…”
Toa groans, at a loss. Though she puts up an argument, pigtails bobbing all the while, she’s no match for the three of them.
Listen here, ladies. I’m the only one who’s allowed to tease Toa. If you want my permission, you’ll have to pet me first. Now come feel how fluffy this fur is.
I roll over in front of the trio of maids.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just that we’re not busy right now, so we thought we’d help you brush him.”
The three have brushes gripped in their hands. This must have been their plan all along.
“Th-thank you!”
“Don’t worry about it!”
“The more hands we have, the faster it will go.”
“…It may take a while because of his size.”
Yep. Because I’m so big, giving me a thorough brushing is no walk in the park.
All right, I’ll take you all on at once.
Each of the four maids around me starts brushing her chosen spot. Their movements are slow and deliberate. I’d expect nothing less from the maids of this mansion.
Well, except for Toa.
“Hrnng… You’re all so good at this…”
Don’t worry too much about it. Your unsteady brushwork feels plenty good in its own right.
“Oh, right. Would you like some of these? They’re treats sent from the family house.”
“Arwf! (What? Yes, please!)
”
Meat isn’t the only thing I love! Sweets are right up my alley.
I crunch into the cookies the redheaded Betty gave me.
“And I have something of my own for you.”
A muffin, huh? This tastes great, too! It’s so soft and fluffy.
“…Have this.”
A pretzel! It’s crunchy, with the perfect amount of salt! Amazing!
“H-hey, we shouldn’t be feeding him outside of his regular meals without asking. Especially not people food.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Even chef James was laughing about how he
would eat anything and everything. And I’m sure he’ll finish his meals just fine. Right?”
“Arwf, arwf! (Right! Hell could freeze over and I’d still eat everything the old man gave me.)
”
“Oh…,” mutters Toa. “I’m, um, sorry, Routa. I don’t have anything for you…”
“Arwf! (It’s fine!)
”
In exchange, please let me nibble on those pigtails.
But seriously, I have all these pretty maids surrounding me, giving me free snacks and taking care of me… Is this heaven?
I can’t get enough of this pampered pooch life!
“Wow, look at how much came off!”
“It’s quite the heap. And yet he doesn’t look different at all, even though he lost so much hair from the brushing.”
“…So fluffy.”
With the brushing over, the maids are now holding piles of white hair in their hands. You could probably make another me out of all that fur.
“Arwf… (Phew… That was refreshing. It could just be my imagination, but I feel lighter.)
”
I stand up and check out my newly brushed body.
The rainy weather made my fur all clumpy, but now I’m nice and fluffy again. Despite losing all that fur, I’m even more of a pillow than before.
“Wow!” says Betty. “You really are huge, huh? Your legs are so long that when you stand up, you’re even taller than me.”
“A-arwf! (N-no, I’m not!)
”
I’m still an adorable puppy. I’m only a few months old, y’know.
Just to be safe, I lie back down.
“Um, thank you all so much, everyone!”
“Woof, woof! (Thanks a ton!)
”
Toa and I thank the other maids together. Well, they probably didn’t understand anything I said. But at times like this, all that matters is that my feelings were conveyed.
“Don’t worry about it!”
“It was very fun. I hope you’ll allow us to brush him again.”
“…So fluffy.”
“That’s all you’ve been saying for a while, Mira.”
“Let’s be off. That was a fun break, but it’s time to get back to work.”
“…So fluffy.”
Mira is reluctant to leave, so Betty and Connie end up dragging her away.
Heh. Another one has fallen victim to my fluffy charm.
“Routa, I have to go, too.”
“Woof! (See you later!)
”
After putting the brush away, Toa leaves the room.
Now that I feel refreshed, I could take a morning nap, but I’m not sleepy yet. It’s still raining, so I can’t go outside. Maybe I’ll use this chance to explore the mansion.
“Squeak. (Phew, they’ve finally gone. My word…)
”
Len, who was hiding in my fur throughout the entire brushing session, pokes her head out.
“Arwf. (You were trying to escape the brush so much that you were tickling me to no end.)
”
“Squeak, squeak. (Hmph. You are the stranger one, beloved, for allowing mere humans to lay hands upon you with such familiarity.)
”
“Arwf. (You say that, but you were feeling pretty good there yourself.)
”
Heh-heh. The body doesn’t lie.
“S-squeak! (That is wholly untrue! A-although perhaps it would be all right to allow it once in a while!)
”
“Arwf, arwf. (Uh-huh, sure. Another refreshing
tsundere response.)
”
I rise, and, with Len on my head, I leave the living room.
“Arwf? (Huh? This doorway’s a little tight.)
”
When I try to pass through, my body gets caught a little. Were the mansion’s doorways always this narrow? With my body rubbing against it, the hair they spent all that time brushing and fluffing up might get flattened back down.
“Arwf, arwf. (Well, whatever. Where should I start my exploration?)
”
I’ve seen most of the first floor already, so I’ll head to the
second. I only ever come to the second floor to visit Papa in his study. It looks like the guest rooms and such are on the second floor, too.
“Arwf! (That gives me an idea! Maybe I’ll go to Zenobia’s room.)
”
She’s always the one challenging me, after all; I’ve never been the one to approach her. I think I’ll go give her a little scare. I’ll just barge into my favorite freeloader’s room and have some fun before dinner. Even though it’s still daytime.
Trotting across the long carpet laid atop marble, I come to the great hall. I take the large staircase nearby up to the second floor, then look to either side.
“Arwf… (Let’s see if I can pick up Zenobia’s scent…)
”
My Fenrir—er, my dog
body sure comes in handy at times like this.
“Arwf. (Got it. This one.)
”
Zenobia’s room is the farthest one in the second floor’s east wing.
“Woof, woof! (Zenobiaaa! Open uuup!)
” I call out from outside the door before hearing a flurried pattering from inside. “A-arwf? (Huh? What’s happening?)
”
As I stand there in surprise, the door opens a crack and Zenobia peeks out.
“O-oh, it’s you,” she says. “Did you need something?”
“Arwf, arwf! (Let’s go play, Zenobia! But no trying out new swords.)
”
“……” Zenobia pokes her head out of the door and looks around. After confirming nobody else is in the hallway, she opens the door for me. “…I don’t know what you want, but if you want to come in, you may.”
“Arwf! (Yes!)
”
I slide my body through and enter Zenobia’s room.
“Arwf… (Whoa…)
”
Her room isn’t exactly what I’d call girly, though I should have expected as much. Unlike in Lady Mary’s room, with its wafting floral aromas, my nose picks up more barbaric odors: iron and oil.
I’m smelling the swords hanging on a nearby wall. How many does she have
? Even an arms dealer’s jaw would be on the floor if they saw this collection. She’s already broken so many over my
head. I didn’t think she still had this many left…
Zenobia used to be an amazingly talented adventurer, and you’d think she’d have a lot of money, but she never gives the impression of being rich. Is it because she poured all her earnings into swords…?
Besides the weapons, the room only has a bed, a closet, and a desk, which holds tools for weapon maintenance. The level of femininity in this room is pretty low.
“What is it? You’re spending an awfully long time staring at the wall. Could it be that you, too, understand the inherent value in swords?”
“Arwf! (Of course not!)
”
In fact, my distaste for swords has been rapidly increasing with every one you swing at me. My boyish love for deadly weapons now lies dead in a grave.
“I see, I see. Then I’ll tell you stories about these swords today. Each of them has a glorious origin.”
Zenobia happily begins selecting swords from the wall.
“Arwf… (It sucks not being able to communicate…)
”
Well, those who understand my words but still
can’t pick up on what I’m saying—like the Fen Wolves—are just as much of a pain. I keep telling them I’m a pet dog, not Fenrir, but they won’t listen to me.
“Oh, that’s right. Would you like to snack on this while listening to my story?”
Zenobia produces a wrapped bundle from the bag in the corner of the room.
“Rations from my adventurer days. I brought it because I felt bad getting rid of it, but it’s about time I do something with it. It’ll start to mold when it gets humid,” she says, opening the wrapping, revealing the blackish mass within.
What is that?
Rations remind me of the adventurers who came to the forest on an investigation. They were eating this claylike stuff, acting like it was awful.
“Sniff, sniff. (Hmm, hmm. Well, it doesn’t smell strange or anything.)
”
“Wait a moment.”
Zenobia places a hand on the sword at her hip before cutting
the block of rations into thin slices, all in the blink of an eye.
“Arwf! (Whoa! I couldn’t even see her hands move.)
”
Even with the eyes of Fenrir, too—I didn’t even see her put the sword away. I heard only the ring of the handguard as she sheathed her weapon. She really is something. As long as she has a proper sword, she can actually land a hit on Len.
“Arwf? (Wait, is this meat?)
”
The sliced provisions are faintly red, and the scents of spices and meat gently waft into my nostrils.
“I made these myself, so they aren’t much compared to Lord James’s smoked meats, but…”
Zenobia’s handmade food? I don’t care what it is, I need
to eat it.
She pinches a thin slice of meat and holds it out for me to wolf down.
“Arwf! (This is beef jerky!)
”
The sweet-and-salty meat, the sharp, spicy aroma—I can’t get enough of it. In fact, it’s so spicy that I start to want some sake.
“Squeak! (Share some with me, as well!)
”
Oh, give me a break. The freeloaders around here are all gluttons.
I toss a piece of the dried meat in my mouth up to Len, who is perched on my head.
“Squeak, squeak. (Oh. This isn’t bad. It’s a different flavor than smoked meats have, with their gentle, smoky scent. This firmness, this spice… It’s
quite addictive…)
”
Len munches on the dried meat in pure bliss. Man, she’s been losing her wild nature pretty quickly. It’s getting hard to believe she’s actually a giant, terrifying blue dragon. She’s slipping into the role of a pet pretty smoothly.
“…I’ve been seeing that mouse around a lot lately. Friend of yours?”
“Arwf? (Oh, yeah, well. Just don’t look at her too closely, okay?)
”
Zenobia’s the only one in the mansion who doesn’t wear rose-colored glasses. If she stares long enough, she might realize who Len really is.
“…Mrgh. I wonder why staring at it fills me with this innate sense of fear… The color of its fur is familiar, too. I feel like I’ve seen
it somewhere before…”
Wait—oh no, oh no! She’s already onto her.
“Squeak. (Hmph. You did well to damage my jeweled scales back then. Still, I am not the type to hold grudges. I shall forget about that in exchange for this meat.)
”
After getting off her high horse, Len ignores Zenobia and chomps into the dried meat.
I’m begging you. Please
treat the fact that your identity is under suspicion with a little more caution. If our peaceful pet life ends, we won’t be able to eat this delicious food anymore.
“This odd sense of intimidation… Could this mouse be another monster?”
“Arwf?! (Crap, did she figure it out?!)
”
You’re not wrong, but hold on! She’s totally harmless! I promise, she won’t hurt you!
“S-squeak, squeak, squeak?! (Wh-wh-wh-wh-what? Y-y-y-you want to fight? I warn you, I shall show no mercy…!)
”
Frightened, Len scrambles to get her short limbs into a kenpō stance. The fact that Zenobia once hurt her seems to have been sufficiently traumatic.
“Ah! Yes, suspicious indeed…!”
“Arwf, arwf! (No! She’s not suspicious at all!)
”
As she directs a dubious stare at me, I lower my head and inch away from her.
Oops. The bed’s behind me. Nowhere to run!
Just then, my tail, wagging uneasily, strikes the pillow on the bed. The impact bounces the pillow down to the floor.
“Arwf. (Oh, excuse me.)
”
Then I notice that something was hidden underneath the pillow.
“Arwf? (What’s this?)
”
It’s a white, fluffy, pom-pom-looking thing.
“Arwf… (Is this…a stuffed animal?)
”
It’s a little yellowed and worn from use, but it appears to be a stuffed dog. It kinda looks like me, actually. But maybe it’s my imagination.
“Th-th-th-that’s, um… It’s not what you think!”
In a fluster, Zenobia jumps over and sweeps up the stuffed animal, hugging it to hide it behind her arms.
“This is… When I went to buy a sword in the capital, this had been left out in the item shop next door! The poor thing had become faded in the sun and was the only one unsold…! I certainly did not buy it because I thought it looked like you!”
“Arwf. (You know, nobody asked about that.)
”
Still, Zenobia has a stuffed animal? I guess she does have a cute side to her.
I was worried that her room full of swords would be bleak all the way through, but I guess it has at least one properly feminine aspect.
Actually, Zenobia denied it, but the stuffed animal clearly looks like me.
“Aaarwf? (Zenobiaaa? What sort of games are you playing with it every day? Do you talk to it and have it ‘reply’ to you in a high-pitched voice?)
”
“Wh-why are you looking at me like that?! I have nothing to be guilty about!”
This way she has of getting flustered—she’s definitely giving it a good-night kiss every night and greeting it when she wakes up in the morning. As I stare at her, a secret smile behind my eyes, her face rapidly reddens. Finally she looks down and starts trembling.
“Get… Get… Get…”
“Arwf? (‘Get’?)
”
“Get ooouuutttttt!!”
“A-arwf?! (I-I’m terribly sorry for the intrusion!!)
”
Stricken by Zenobia’s thunderous roar, I frantically scramble out of the room. With
the rest of the jerky.
“Arwf… (Hoo, that was scary. Guess I teased her too much. It distracted her from Len, so all’s well that ends well, but still…)
”
After bidding farewell to the teary-eyed, stuffed animal–clutching Zenobia, Len and I decide to continue our exploration elsewhere.
All right, now then. Where should I go next? I toss the remaining pieces of jerky into the air and scarf it down all at once.
“Munch, munch. (Whenever I eat dried stuff, it makes me really want alcohol. The strong kind.)
”
Oh, that’s right. Papa’s study is right over there. I’ll go play with him, and in exchange for letting him pet me, I’ll get him to give me some alcohol.
Mwa-ha-ha! Don’t have to worry about drinking during the day. I can have as much as I want of the highest-quality stuff without anyone telling me not to. “The absolute best” is the only way I can describe being a pet to rich people.
“Aaarwf, aaarwf, aaarwf! (Paaapaaa, lettt meee iiin!)
”
Three doors away from Zenobia’s room is Papa’s study. I call out to him from outside his door.
“Squeak. (This is starting to feel less like exploring the mansion and more like going around pestering people for food.)
”
Business as usual. No problems. What kind of pet would I be if I refused what they practically threw at me?
“Squeak. (If you want someone thrown at you, I’m still here. Won’t you have a taste already?)
”
“Woof. (That’s strange. I can’t hear you.)
”
I flat-out ignore Len’s advances, as usual.
“…Arwf? (…Huh? That’s weird.)
”
Normally he opens the door right away, but today it’s taking a while. I wonder if he’s engrossed in work.
“…Please, give me the truth, Dr. Hecate!”
“Hmm, I don’t know…”
I hear talking from inside the room. Judging by the words, Hecate must be here, too. I can hear their voices through the door.
“Please don’t tantalize me like this! How does it look, Doctor?! What are the symptoms?! Could it be getting worse?!”
“Arwf…? (S-symptoms…?)
”
Papa’s grave voice startles me. The only person around here who’s gotten sick recently is the young lady. She was looking real bad at the time and had a very high fever, but the herbs I brought back should have cured her.
“Arwf…?! (Wait, has Lady Mary’s illness come back…?!)
”
I use my front paw to open the door and jump into the study.
“Woof, woof! (Papa! Is it true the young lady’s illness has gotten worse?!)
”
In the study are Hecate, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, and Papa, leaning over his desk toward her.
“Dr. Hecate! Please tell me!”
“Arwf, arwf! (Yeah, yeah! Spit it out!)
”
“…Should I? It may come as a shock…”
“It doesn’t matter! You teasing me like this is much worse for my heart!”
“Woof, woof! (Yeah, yeah! Quit acting all high and mighty!)
”
“Dr. Hecate, how does it look?!”
“Woof?! (How does it look?!)
”
“Has my urine gotten any more acidic?!”
“Arwf, arwf? (Has Papa’s ur— …I’m sorry, what?)
”
You mean this wasn’t about Lady Mary’s illness?
“Well, to put it modestly, the graph is trending upward.”
“Guh, graaaahhhh…!” Papa reels backward, looking like he just saw the end of the world.
“Arwf… (Come on… All this for the acidity of Papa’s pee?)
”
I couldn’t possibly care less about this. I thought for sure my lady had relapsed into fever. Papa, this is because you drink too much all the time, isn’t it? Should I drink your share of booze every day instead?
“Yes, so you need to change your lifestyle habits first. I’ve
told you before, very clearly, to stop drinking, haven’t I?”
“I can’t! My evening drink is the highlight of my day! Isn’t there anything else you can do…?!”
“There is medicine, but if I give it to you, you’d probably only use it as an excuse to start drinking even more.”
Playing with the vial she has taken out of her cleavage, Hecate casts a dubious look at Papa.
“I will not drink more…! I promise, I will not!”
Papa crying and clinging to her is seriously lame. He’s always so nice and mild-mannered. The difference is staggering.
“…I just don’t know what to do with you. All that self-control can increase the production of uric acid, too, and you do
have the pressure of your job to consider. I’ll prescribe you this medicine in the faith that you won’t consume any more alcohol than you already do.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”
As Papa lowers his head in thanks, Hecate recrosses her legs. Her smile is too sweet for words. There’s nothing in the world scarier than Hecate when she makes that sort of face.
“As for the price… The amber wine you got yesterday will do nicely. You got a bottle of Serenhorn, aged eighty years, didn’t you?”
“?! H-h-h-how do you know about that?!”
“I know everything about any booze that arrives at this mansion. And you were going to enjoy such fine alcohol without telling me? You’ve been a bad boy, Gandolf. Were you trying to cancel out your medicinally lowered uric acid level with that delicious wine?”
“N-no, never! I wasn’t intending to drink it all in one day. I wanted to enjoy it little by little…”
Papa’s face pales and he starts trembling beneath Hecate’s smile.
Oh well. Guess I’ll help him out already.
“Arwf, arwf. (All right, all right. Could you leave it at that, Hecate?)
”
“Oh, hello, Routa… Routa? You seem to have gotten, well, rather more well-rounded since I saw you last.”
“Arwf? (Huh? Really? Am I an even better pet now?)
”
“Hmm… Well, I think you’ve gotten rounder and cuter…”
“Arwf! (Right? The young lady tells me the same thing!)
”
Being a little rounder must be taking some of the scary factor away and making me cuter.
“Arwf, arwf. (That aside, please don’t tease Papa too much. For his sake.)
”
“What a loyal pet you are. But if you really have Gandolf’s best interests at heart, you might want to convince him to stop drinking. Amber wine has a very high alcohol content, which isn’t good for him. Perhaps drinking it for
him, in his place, would be the kindest thing to do.”
“Arwf. (Hmm, you have a point… No, you have an entire argument.)
”
“R-Routa?!”
I know he doesn’t understand what I said, but he must be able to tell from my attitude, because he looks at me as though he’s been betrayed.
Sorry, Papa. To be honest, I want to try this rare booze from eighty years ago, too.
“In that case, why don’t we drink it right now?”
“Arrrwf! (Oh boy, oh boy! Boozing it up in the middle of the day is the best!)
”
Hecate waggles a finger, and a wine bottle with a gorgeous label falls out of the air. Apparently she’s already figured out where Papa hides his booze.
“Dr… Dr. Hecate, I still have work to do…”
“Oh, it’s fine. We’ll wait until you’re finished with it. While we drink.”
“Arwf! (We’ll wait, we’ll wait! While we drink.)
”
Do your best, Papa. If you can get your work done quickly, there might be a mouthful of it left. Maybe.
“Ngh, oohhhhhhhh…!”
Papa plants himself at his desk and his pen begins flying over his documents at a breakneck pace.
“Here’s some for you, too, Routa.”
“Arwf! (Hooray! Thanks!)
”
The amber color pours into the elaborately designed glass. I adore the glug-glug-glug sound coming from the bottle.
“Arwf! (Wow, that’s a really deep color!)
”
Although the liquid is a rich amber color, it isn’t cloudy. It’s extremely clear. Is this the kind of beautiful color an eighty-year
aging process can produce?
Also, there’s a tantalizing aroma wafting from it. A fragrant, almond scent mixed with a subtle hint of flowers in an intricate dance—my nose has never sniffed anything so mouthwatering.
I expect something several grades higher than the amber liquor he’s let me drink in the past.
After taking in a lungful of the aroma, I decide to drink right away.
“Lick, lick. (Whoa! This is amazing…)
”
I don’t feel the sting of alcohol on my tongue even slightly—nothing more than a slightly soft heat spreading through my mouth. The many years of aging have taken the alcoholic bite away, making it all so smooth.
“Arwrwrw… (Best stuff I’ve ever had…)
”
The mellow flavor is like completely ripened fruit sliding down my throat.
Well, damn. This isn’t just delicious. You could buy an entire house
for the price of this stuff.
“Oh, my! It really is amazing. I could drink this all day.”
Hecate is enjoying the amber liquor, too, using an adorable tasting glass.
“Arwf! Arwf! (More, please! More, please!)
”
“Oh, well, here you go.”
No need to worry about uric acid levels with my Fenrir body. I can drink as much as I want.
“Dr. Hecate! Is there any left?!” asks Papa without taking his eyes off the papers as he furiously stamps them.
Hecate wiggles the bottle of amber-colored alcohol and narrows her eyes to check the contents. “You’ll be fiiine. There’s still half…of half of it left.”
“It’s that empty already?!”
“Oh my, but the liquor on this shelf is delicious, too. Perhaps I’ll go ahead and open this one.”
“Arwf! (All right!)
”
“Hnnnnngggggggggghhhhh!”
As Papa cries and finishes his paperwork, we float dreamily away on a cloud of intoxication. Ahh, what a wonderful drink.
“Hoo boy. You reek
of alcohol. Don’t tell me you started drinking while the sun was still up.”
“Arwf! (Old man, dinner! Dinner, please!)
”
Amazingly enough, after drinking alcohol, you get hungry. Wowie. Who would’ve guessed?
Which is why I’ve come to the kitchen for an early dinner.
“Ah, it’s Routa! Drinking before dinner, are we? Must be nice!”
Oh? The lady peeling potatoes over there looks like… Ah, it’s Betty. The short-haired maid straddles a chair as she skillfully glides her knife across the potatoes.
“And you’ve done enough now, Betty. Get some rest. Your scrupulous work is always a big help.”
“Heh-heh! Don’t mention it. After all, I’m hoping for some freebies as a reward, chef.”
“You sure are a cheeky one. I’ll bring you some later, so relax and look forward to it.”
“All right!” Betty jumps and pumps her fist, then skips out of the kitchen.
She seems like a—how do I put this—a shrewd girl. She comes off as a mischievous tomboy, but I’ve never seen her getting scolded by anyone. Which means she must be the reliable type—one who can handle things without making mistakes when the chips are down.
“Ah, you wanted food as well, Routa. Well, you’re in for a treat. Toa shared a very interesting ingredient with me today. She said it was sent from her homeland.”
Really? Toa did that? I appreciate it.
Ingredients from her homeland… Where is
she from, anyway? She has black hair and gives off a youthful impression, which makes her seem Japanese, huh?
“When she brought it to me, she told me it was because she couldn’t give you anything this afternoon. I suppose that makes this partly an apology?”
Huh? This afternoon?
Ohhh. When they were brushing me, maybe? Aw, she doesn’t have to worry about that. They didn’t have to go full body with my brushing, but they did. I couldn’t possibly ask for more than that. But I will
gratefully accept anything given freely. That’s my puppy dog MO.
He places a plate in front of me, covered with a silver lid to keep the heat in.
“Dig in.”
As soon as the old man lifts the lid, billowing steam and an aroma tickle my nose.
“A-arwf?! (I-is this what I think it is?!)
”
A thick steak rests before me. Well, that’s not the unusual part. The old man cooks me extra-thick steaks a lot, since I like meat so much. What I’m surprised about is what the steak is enshrined atop: a white pile. And that white pile is a food I’m extremely familiar with.
“W-woof, woof! (Th-th-th-th-this is rice! Incredible, beautiful, white rice!)
”
It’s a heap of white rice, with a sheen on it, boiled brilliantly to the perfect degree of softness.
“Toa is from the East, apparently. She says that over there, this white grain is a staple. It seems one can prepare it in many different ways, but this time, I just stuck with boiling it.”
“Arrrwf…! (Wh-wheeeeeeeeeeew…! Th-this is a steak bowl!! The kind that’s guaranteed to be delicious!!)
”
The nostalgic, sweet scent of the white rice combined with the meat’s juicy aromas have my face planted in the grainy pile before I even remember to thank the old man.
“Scarf, scarf! (It’s amazing! It’s amazing!)
”
Oh, how wonderful it is to taste meat, its juices, and rice that has fully absorbed the sauce. It’s so good I can hardly contain myself.
Everything the old man cooks is wonderful, but it was just a little disappointing that the staples around here are bread and wheat-based products. But that slight disappointment is out the window now. I haven’t had rice in months, and it’s so delicious I could die.
“Oh, look at you. You’re gobbling this down even faster than usual. You really like it that much? Maybe I’ll have to ask the master to add this to the supply list.”
“Woof, woof! (Yes, please and thank you!)
”
While Papa is a frontier marquis, he’s also a wealthy merchant. He should be able to get rice from the East pretty easily. After all, he never seems to have trouble getting anything else he
wants.
“All right, all right. I can tell you’re happy. Your tail will go flying off if you wag it any harder. If the rice has you this overjoyed, then it was worth the young lady Toa bringing it to me. And, seeing she brought it especially for you, I figured you’d eat more than your fill, so I made a lot. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
“Woof, woof, woof, woof!! (Seconds, seconds, seconds, seconds!!)
”
“…You’re going too fast. Calm down a little before you eat,” says the old man with a sigh, though he still dishes me out another heaping helping of steak bowl.
“Arwf!! (Today I eat! Even if my stomach bursts open, I eat!!)
”
“Mrrrumph. (Indeed. Let’s eat plenty.)
”
Seated next to me is a cat with a red coat of fur—I don’t know when she showed up. And before I can process her arrival, she snatches some food away.
“Woof! (Curse you, Nahura! You always appear when it’s time for food! Well, I won’t lose to you—graaaaahhh!)
”
“Squeak?! (H-hey, remember to leave some for me! I cannot leave here when that cook is nearby, if you recall! Are either of you listening to me?!)
”
“Chomp, chomp. (I am, I am. This is incredible!)
”
“Mrrrumph, mrrumph. (I’m listening, too. This is heavenly!)
”
“Squeak, squeak!! (This is going beyond mere absentmindedness!)
”
And so we ate and ate and ate until the pot was completely empty.
“Squeak… (And here I thought
no one could eat until they literally burst.)
”
“Grfh… (Ahh, it was so good… I can’t move anymore…)
”
I roll onto my lady’s bed and lie down. My stomach is bulging, so I’ll have to sleep on my back. And as for Nahura, she ate what she wanted and left immediately.
Well, I doubt I can sneak out tonight to go play anyway. My
stomach is too full. I doubt I could move even if I wanted to. The bed sorta kinda seems like it’s squeaking and creaking more than usual. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because of the added body weight from my binge.
“Squeak, squeak. (This is your punishment for taking my share. If you’ve learned your lesson, then be careful not to overeat in the future.)
”
“Arwf. (But I refuse.)
”
My lust for food cannot be stopped. I will
be eating a ton again tomorrow.
“I’ve never had rice before, but it was really good.”
“I’m so glad you were happy with it!”
The young lady, fresh out of the bath, is having Toa comb her hair. It looks like she’s come to understand the virtues of rice as well.
“Routa’s tummy got really big, too.”
“Arwf…! (Nooo, Lady Mary, please, don’t poke me right now…!)
”
“Was… Was it good?” asks Toa with trepidation.
“Woof, woof! (More than good—the best!)
”
I wag my tail to express my happiness. I feel bad, though—the rice belonged to her, and it seems like I ate most of it myself.
“Hee-hee, I’m glad to hear it. It was so much that I wouldn’t have been able to eat it all myself. Thanks for eating all of that.”
Toa pets me under the chin as I lie faceup, then she bows to the young lady and leaves the room.
Lady Mary yawns. “I’m really tired, too. I’m going to sleep a little early tonight.”
After slipping into bed, she hugs me tight.
“Good night, Routa, and you, too, little mouse. Let’s play lots again tomorrow.”
“Arrrwf. (Good niiight.)
”
“Squeak. (Mm. Those who sleep well will grow up well.)
”
The young lady turns the light off and immediately falls asleep, and I immediately hear the adorably soft breaths of slumber. I should sleep, too, while I’m still basking in the happiness of a full belly.
I have to say, the pet life really is the best life. The food’s great, everyone’s nice, and I’ve made so many friends—something I didn’t have in my previous life. I’m gonna live out the rest of my
days in fun and laziness.
And yet, as the bed continued its cries of protestation, that humble dream of mine would soon crumble into ephemerality…