Chapter 61: A Relationship Deeper Than Friendship
Would trying to untangle the Gordian Knot with your bare hands feel something like this?
“…So… is it wrong for friends to just visit without asking first?”
“Yes.”
“…And there’s no need to exchange money?”
“That depends on the situation, but generally, it’s better not to.”
“…You don’t have to bring what they ask for, and… oh… um… you don’t show them the inside of your skirt either?”
The more I talked with Hoyeon, the more absurd it became. Hoyeon’s idea of “friends” seemed more like attendants or servants.
Considering her status, it wasn’t hard to imagine how people approached her or treated her. But this? This was too much.
She hadn’t even formed a proper, normal friendship, and being treated like a figure to be worshipped had distorted her understanding of what friendship was.
Add her ignorance to the mix, and disasters like the one earlier were bound to happen.
Even now, byeolbi was probably keeping an eye on us. Sure, she claimed to be indifferent, but could she really just stand by?
The thought filled me with dread.
“…Then what is a friend supposed to be…? The friends I knew… what were they?”
Where was I even supposed to start fixing this?
I wanted to say it was just about mutual respect, but if I said that, she’d probably misunderstand again.
Teaching someone whose upbringing had been so different wasn’t easy. Sometimes, she’d say things that defied common sense.
“For example, no matter how close you are as friends, you don’t suddenly undress in front of them, barge into their home demanding meals, or anything like that.”
“…I see.”
“And you don’t sleep over without saying anything first. You don’t need to wake them up for every meal either. If you’re doing these things because you want to, that’s one thing, but if it’s just because you think that’s what friends do, then please stop.”
It was exhausting to correct her point by point, but I tried to tackle each misunderstanding one at a time.
Thankfully, she wasn’t stubborn and was learning bit by bit.
I thought about telling her to stop flicking her tail at me, but since I didn’t know much about beastfolk culture, I decided it wasn’t my place to comment.
Honestly, it felt kind of nice, too.
After an hour of lecturing, I felt I’d made at least a little progress.
“Hoyeon, so what’s a friend?”
“Mutual respect… um… so no undressing in front of them, no sleeping over without permission, no sending them on errands and paying them for it…”
“…Yeah, that’s good enough.”
My time hadn’t been wasted after all. Was this how Hoyeon felt when she taught us?
I couldn’t tell from her expression when I’d shown her my report card, but she might have felt this same sense of satisfaction.
I managed to score third place, after all.
“But… Dogeon.”
“Yeah?”
With a look full of pure, untainted curiosity, she asked me,
“Then… does being friends mean it’s okay to peek while someone’s bathing?”
Ah.
Honestly, I’d glossed over that incident too much. I knew I’d have to face the consequences someday, and it seemed Hoyeon was ready to make me pay for it.
“Well, you see…”
Since there weren’t many pieces of furniture in the room, we were sitting on the floor while I taught her. The moment felt appropriate.
I shifted into a kneeling position.
“Dogeon?”
“…I’m sorry!”
Bowing my head to the ground, I poured as much regret as I could into my apology.
Honestly, when I saw the two neatly folded outfits by the river, I couldn’t resist my curiosity and desire.
Maybe it was the strange, sweet scent that had been tickling my nose since the day before, clouding my mind like fog.
Of course, after nearly cracking my head open on a rock, I snapped out of it right away.
I should’ve restrained myself. Even now, I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t been able to.
“I couldn’t fight curiosity or desire. I’ll accept whatever punishment you deem fit…!”
***
Curiosity… and desire. Those are two things that are hard to resist.
As a human—before even being a man—I knew firsthand how difficult it was to suppress those feelings.
Having lost much of my humanity as a child and then regained it later, I could feel their intensity even more.
I hadn’t understood why I was like that as a kid, but later, I found out.
The cause was my mother.
It was something she admitted to me later. Being an entity from beyond the stars, she apparently lacked emotions or anything like that.
She also told me, with an unsettling candor, that she hadn’t originally planned to have a child but suddenly felt the urge to and did it anyway.
Perhaps because of that, half of my traits seemed to stem from her.
Well, I got them back by the time I was seven, so I guess it worked out.
Anyway, back to the present.
I stood up from where I’d been sitting.
In front of me, Dogeon lay flat on the ground, as if bracing for punishment.
If he wanted punishment, I had to deliver. I didn’t want to leave him feeling guilty or burdened.
I lifted my foot and gently stepped on his head.
After applying light pressure, I withdrew my foot.
“…There. Punishment.”
Stepping on a friend’s head wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.
When it came to teasing him verbally, it was fun, but doing something physical? Not so much.
Even after receiving his punishment, he remained stuck to the floor, showing no intention of getting up. I brushed the dust off his head and helped him stand.
“Get up. It’s over.”
Dogeon looked at me, still incredulous.
“…But I saw you two… naked. Are you really just going to let it go like this?”
“You already got scolded by Anya for that, didn’t you? Besides, I don’t think you did anything unforgivable.”
The Complex Stares He Gave Me Made Me Feel Relieved, So I Couldn’t Help Adding One More Thing.
“But if you try peeking at another woman like that… it won’t end like this.”
“…I get it. I’m sorry.”
Even if he said that, he’d probably do it again. And worse, while doubling down on it.
“If you’re sorry, then answer just one more question for me.”
“Huh…? Okay.”
As I listened to Dogeon talk, a thought crossed my mind. Once he built his harem, would he forget about me, his friend?
From the way he spoke, it felt like I had even less presence than the noisy upstairs neighbor.
So, I came up with an idea.
If being friends wasn’t enough, why not aim for a relationship deeper than friendship?
With that in mind, I asked Dogeon,
“I want to… form a relationship that’s a little deeper than friendship. Would that be okay…?”
“…What?”
I knew the next step after being friends was being best friends. Dogeon should understand exactly what I meant.
I wanted to be best friends with him.
I knew it wasn’t something you could just decide to do, but I still wanted to say it out loud, even if it was only words.
It made me happy, after all.
But Dogeon’s reaction was strange.
He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders again, just like earlier.
What now?
“Hoyeon, do you really understand what you just said?”
Where did all that guilt from earlier go? Could someone really switch their attitude so quickly?
“…Of course, I do!”
Did he think I was an idiot? This wasn’t something worth overreacting to.
“…Really?”
“Yes!”
I felt a little hurt. Was I the only one who thought we were close enough to be best friends?
Even now, Dogeon hesitated, as if weighing his answer carefully.
“Hoyeon, I’m interpreting what you just said as you wanting to… date me. Am I right?”
…Date? Who with?
Me? With Dogeon?
How did it suddenly turn into that?
For a moment, an image flashed through my mind. Dogeon calling my name, me smiling back, and at night… us lying on the bed together─
Ah. My stomach tightened. Why was I reacting like this? I wasn’t even in heat!
“N-No… That’s not what I meant… I just wanted us to be best friends…!”
I was so flustered, and my stomach hurt so much that I couldn’t speak properly.
How did “let’s be best friends” turn into “let’s be lovers”?
“Hoyeon, are you feeling really tired right now?”
I wasn’t sure if it was exhaustion or just dizziness, but my vision swam. Was that fatigue? I didn’t know.
Between the embarrassment and the stomachache, I couldn’t tell what was what. I even thought I heard Dogeon whispering my name.
Maybe I really was exhausted.
“…Yeah. I think I’m really sleepy…”
“You look like it. How about you go get some rest?”
“…Yeah, I think I should.”
If I stayed up any longer, I didn’t know what kind of nonsense I might end up saying.
It seemed best to follow Dogeon’s suggestion and head to bed.
After all, dealing with Ana had worn me out, and Dogeon had flipped my understanding of common sense, leaving my head spinning.
“Goodnight, then.”
“…Sweet dreams.”
Leaving those words behind, I fled back to my room.
Had I gone crazy? Thinking it over again, I realized that, based on my choice of words, Dogeon’s misunderstanding wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
I’d have to be more careful next time.
Anya’s gift—clothes that were somewhere between casual wear and a uniform—didn’t seem suitable to just drape over a chair, so I hung them properly on hangers.
I wanted to grab my pajamas, but with so many new clothes added to my wardrobe, I couldn’t even see where they were. I gave up.
Instead, I jumped onto the bed in just my underwear, closed my eyes, and tried to sleep. But then, I wondered what it would be like if Dogeon were on the same bed.
Why was I thinking about that?
I didn’t even know why. The idea of being in a relationship with him felt foreign, yet… not entirely unpleasant.
…At this point, I didn’t even know myself anymore.
I wasn’t sure if I was male or female.
Even asking my mother for advice felt… too embarrassing for this topic.
If I asked my father, he’d probably demand to know who this “punk” was.
But really, having Dogeon next to me would be nice.
I couldn’t shake that thought before falling asleep.