Chapter 60: I’ve Been Through Too Much
I knew that the people around Hoyeon would end up being trials for me.
It was surprising to see Black Wolf act like that, but since he’d been close to Hoyeon since childhood, I figured he might go easy on me, even if I was the son of his enemy.
But I never expected Hoyeon herself to be one of my trials.
Sitting casually on the edge of my bed, she gave me a fresh, radiant smile while asking a question that was… really difficult to answer.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, she had changed from head to toe.
The fortunate part was that it was easy to tell what had changed.
The unfortunate part was that everything had changed, so there were too many things to point out.
To make matters worse, I’d just been given a warning by Black Wolf not too long ago, so dealing with her now felt more complicated than usual.
And of all times, she had to ask that question now. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
“…You changed into one of the outfits you bought at the department store.”
Even if it was Hoyeon, I didn’t know how to answer a question like this.
Whenever women ask these kinds of questions, it usually doesn’t end well.
“Yeah. Anya picked it out and dressed me… How is it?”
So that’s why it looked so well put together.
No wonder it seemed more polished than Hoyeon’s usual style.
Now that I think about it, that meant she’d been stuck with Anya this whole time.
I remembered seeing Hoyeon’s expression change at the department store.
At first, she looked shy and a little surprised. But toward the end, it was obvious she just wanted to leave.
I managed to escape by pretending to be exhausted, but it seemed she hadn’t been so lucky.
“It looks good. Seems like going to the department store was worth it.”
No lies there. She looked genuinely beautiful. It didn’t have the same destructive power as the dress she wore earlier, but it was still striking enough to catch everyone’s attention.
Her half-lidded eyes, likely from exhaustion, only added to the effect.
If it weren’t for the deadly nature of her question, I would’ve admired her openly.
Instead, I was racking my brain, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.
“…Right?”
“If I had to give you one piece of advice, it’s to be careful when you’re eating. If something like red sauce splashes on your new white clothes, you’ll be really sad.”
I’d never seen Hoyeon stain her clothes while eating, but it didn’t hurt to offer some advice.
After all, she usually only wore black clothes.
“…I see. Anyway, you’re saying I look pretty!”
Hoyeon’s face lit up with a smile, and I felt like I’d just barely managed to survive.
I was relieved that she was satisfied with my answer.
Phew… I’m glad she let it slide.
But just as I started to relax, she spoke up again.
“Also… don’t you have anything else to say?”
Apparently, she wasn’t done yet.
Her tail stood upright, and she stared at me expectantly, clearly fishing for more compliments.
I was relieved Black Wolf wasn’t here to see this.
If he’d been watching, I might have died on the spot.
“…The skirt’s shorter than usual. And you changed your stockings too.”
“Yup! Anya picked them out for me! Aren’t they cute…?”
Luckily, she seemed satisfied with just a little more praise.
Without risking my life, I could simply compliment her exactly the way she wanted.
But a question suddenly popped into my head.
“…By the way, Hoyeon. Where’s the hole for your tail on the skirt?”
I’d always been curious about it.
Her tail moved so freely, but it never flipped up her skirt.
The skirt moved along with her tail but never flipped over.
Her tail moved a lot — sometimes violently — so why did it never lift the skirt?
“Hehehe… huh? Tail hole? Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know since you’re not a beastfolk.”
Her exhaustion must have made her more talkative because her voice had a lazy, light tone to it.
It felt a little wrong to satisfy my curiosity while she wasn’t fully alert, but I told myself it was fine since I only wanted to know how it worked.
However, contrary to my expectations, Hoyeon didn’t just tell me.
She reached for her skirt with her hand.
***
Despite being exhausted from Anya’s “outfit marathon,” I was grateful to her in the end.
Thanks to her, I got to hear Dogeon compliment me.
No matter how tired I was, a few words of praise could lift me right up.
It felt like he could read my mind, picking out exactly what I wanted to hear.
I guess that’s something insiders are good at.
For once, I was glad he was an “insider.”
It would be nice if he only said those kinds of words to me…
But if he really started showing off, he’d probably say the same things to other girls too.
…Yeah, I don’t like that.
Just as those thoughts started creeping into my mind, Dogeon suddenly asked me a question.
“…By the way, Hoyeon. Where’s the hole for your tail on the skirt?”
At first, I thought he was going to say something important.
But no, he wanted to know something that only beastfolk would understand.
Just as I was about to explain it normally, a mischievous idea popped into my head.
What kind of reaction would Dogeon have if I suddenly lifted my skirt in front of him?
“Hehehe… Huh? Tail hole? Oh, you wouldn’t know since you’re not a beastfolk…”
I was sleepy, in a good mood from all the compliments I’d received, and the thought just came to me.
Well, he’s a guy, but he’s also a friend, so it should be fine.
It’s not like my underwear would be visible anyway.
More than anything, I wanted to leave a lasting impression on him.
So that even if he ended up fooling around with other girls later, he wouldn’t forget me.
With that in mind, I slowly stood up and grabbed the hem of my skirt.
Dogeon’s face immediately stiffened, and his voice became urgent.
“Hoyeon, wait, I really think that’s not a good idea— huh?”
“Ta-da~! It’s a double-layered skirt! Were you expecting something else?”
Underneath the outer skirt was another skirt with a hole for my tail. So no matter how much I moved, only the outer skirt shifted.
This was a method commonly used back home. When I asked them to make it that way at the department store, they actually did it.
Dogeon’s reaction was exactly as I’d expected.
He looked like a man who had just seen his world come crashing down.
“…Dogeon?”
No, seriously. He looked like someone who had just watched a person die in front of him.
Did I overdo it?
“…Dogeon? You okay?”
“Hoyeon.”
“Y-yeah?”
Dogeon, who suddenly looked ten years older, spoke in a voice that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.
“I don’t think that kind of prank is a good idea.”
“O-oh… Okay.”
I quietly let go of the outer skirt and, for some reason, felt like I should sit with my hands neatly folded on my lap.
The atmosphere was telling me that if I pushed my luck any further, something serious would happen.
“…Let’s go eat.”
“A-ah… Okay.”
He wasn’t usually like this, but seeing him act like he’d experienced all the hardships of life made me instinctively follow his lead.
Even though he’d been too tired to stand a moment ago, now he was walking with firm, determined strides. I had to hurry just to keep up.
…Did he get mad?
I thought it was just a playful prank, but maybe I went too far.
I figured he’d laugh it off, but I guess not.
I should apologize… but how do I even bring it up?
“Umm…”
I worked up the courage to say something, but Dogeon wasn’t ready to hear it.
Ugh, I hope he doesn’t stay mad at me. I really think I went too far.
I kept glancing at him as we walked, but I couldn’t find the right moment to apologize.
The whole way to the cafeteria, I couldn’t come up with a good idea.
What if this prank makes me lose a friend?
That thought terrified me.
Even worse, Dogeon was completely ignoring me.
He didn’t even glance my way, and when I did talk to him, he responded dryly, without any emotion.
I was lost in thought, worrying over what to do.
Then, suddenly, Dogeon draped something over me.
Huh?
I reached up to see what it was and realized it was an apron.
…What?
“Be careful not to get your clothes dirty.”
His voice was flat and emotionless, but at least he wasn’t ignoring me anymore.
“…So you’re not mad?”
“Why would I ever get mad at you, Hoyeon?”
His voice was still dry, with no emotion at all, but he was helping me like usual.
It was confusing.
So, is he mad or not?
“…Alright. Thank you.”
Even though I hadn’t apologized yet, he was still being nice to me. That only made me feel worse.
I felt like I was sitting on a bed of nails.
I’d done something wrong, but he was acting like it didn’t matter, which just made me feel more guilty.
In the end, I quietly thanked him.
We finished our meal and returned to the dorms, but I still didn’t have any answers.
The moment we got back, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and finally asked him.
“…Are you mad?”
“No, I’m really not mad.”
“…Then why have you been acting like that since earlier…?”
He hadn’t said much.
Even when he did, his voice was flat, like he didn’t want to talk to me.
But at the same time, he wasn’t being mean.
It felt like he was upset, but not upset.
“…It’s just that I felt a bit uncomfortable.”
Uncomfortable?
“Look, even between friends, there are certain boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. What you did earlier is one of those things, no matter how close we are.”
“…That’s… a thing?”
Seriously?
I thought friends were supposed to be able to mess with each other like that.
Aren’t friends the kind of people who come into your house uninvited, drink your cola, and leave a note saying, “I took one, I owe you,” or something?
“…Yeah. So, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do something like that again.”
“O-okay. Then… we’re still friends, right…?”
The way he was talking about “boundaries” suddenly made me feel uneasy.
It sounded like one of those speeches people give before they say, “I don’t think we should be friends anymore.”
I didn’t want that.
I really didn’t want that.
“Of course, we’re still friends. I’m just saying it’d be nice if you understood the boundaries that exist between friends.”
Dogeon’s tone became strangely serious, as if he was about to start talking about something profound.