Chapter 25: Human(4)
Chapter 25: Human(4)
Please read the afterword!
*
I couldn't offer even a hint of resistance as Leona grabbed me by the collar and dragged me along. Whenever I tried to say something, she growled like a beast, and even when I tried to break free using strength, she didn't budge. Instead, she tightened her grip, pinning me down so I couldn't dare rebel.
Eventually, fearing my clothes might actually tear, I half-gave up and followed wherever her footsteps led. Whether it was luck or not, there wasn't a soul to be seen in the hallways.
Stop—
Leona finally came to a halt once we reached a secluded corner of the building. At the same time, I felt the crushing grip on my collar slowly begin to loosen.
As soon as she let go, I took a couple of steps back and straightened my clothes. Her strength had been so immense that the fabric around my neck was completely crumpled.
"...Hey."
While I was busy fixing my appearance, Leona called out to me in a low, heavy voice. It wasn't the stiff, formal tone I heard during every lecture; it was a voice thick with menace. I couldn't help but freeze mid-adjustment.
When I forced my stiff neck upward, my eyes met a pair of predatory golden pupils. They had been blue just a moment ago, but now they were the same golden hue as mine.
The moment Leona looked me in the face, she spoke with absolute certainty.
"You saw it, didn't you?"
"... ..."
"If you hadn't, you wouldn't have acted like that. Be honest. You saw it?"
There was no reason to deny it. I had done it specifically to confirm my suspicions in the first place. However, the pressure radiating from Leona was no joke.
I barely managed to calm my racing heart and squeezed out an answer. I couldn't help the slight tremor in my voice, though.
"I—I saw it. Something popping out of your head..."
"... ..."
"...Was that an ear?"
Curiosity is curiosity. At my cautious question, one corner of Leona's mouth quirked up into a smirk. Then, she answered with an action instead of words.
Twitch—
A pair of triangular ears sprouted from Leona's deep brown hair. To anyone's eyes, those were animal ears, not human ones.
Just as I suspected, Leona wasn't human; she was a Beastkin.
'Then, is the reason she wears pants to hide her tail?'
I was busy forming a plausible hypothesis in my head when Leona retracted the ears back into her hair and spoke cynically.
"Is your curiosity satisfied now? What, you want me to show you the tail too?"
"Uh... no. I'm good."
Her way of speaking was something I just couldn't get used to. The Leona I knew was a blunt student who rarely showed emotion, but now she was just... like a delinquent. A bully.
The fact that her impression had changed 180 degrees just because her speech had turned rough created a jarring sense of cognitive dissonance.
"Whew..."
As if her head were a mess of complicated thoughts, Leona ruffled her hair roughly and let out a deep sigh. I waited quietly while she organized her mind.
She must have had her reasons for hiding her identity, and now I had discovered that secret. For her, things must have become as tangled as they could get. If I had known it would be like this, I would have just ignored it and moved on, but my curiosity had gotten the better of me.
"What should I do? Getting rid of him without anyone knowing is too risky... Should I blackmail him? This is driving me crazy..."
"... ..."
Leona's mutterings reached my ears clearly. It was even scarier because it didn't sound like empty talk; she sounded like she meant it.
Sensing a strong omen that my personal safety might soon be in grave danger, I called out to her cautiously.
"Um..."
"What? You got something to say?"
The moment I called her, Leona questioned me with a cynical expression and tone. I flinched for a second before letting out what I wanted to say.
"Well... I won't tell anyone about your identity, so you don't have to worry too much."
"If you were in my shoes, would you believe that so easily?"
"Well... I don't know? I don't know what kind of circumstances you're dealing with."
It was a plain, honest answer without a single lie mixed in.
As soon as Leona heard my reply, she let out a sharp, scoffing breath and spoke as if grinding her teeth.
"Is this bastard playing games with me...?"
"... ..."
I shouldn't have said anything. I swallowed hard, feeling my knees go weak from the sheer weight of her threat.
Normally, I would have maintained my composure as much as possible, but for some reason, thinking straight was difficult right now. Was it because of the overwhelming pressure emanating from Leona?
"Whew... No. Forget it. Anyway, don't you dare breathe a word about me being a Beastkin. Got it?"
"...And if I do?"
"I'll tear you limb from limb."
Leona growled just like before. I was terrified because it felt like she actually would, but one question still remained.
Why was Leona living her life at the Academy while hiding her true identity? If I asked this, she would probably get irritated again, but it was a question worth asking.
After calming my frantically beating heart as much as possible, I mustered the courage to ask Leona.
"...There's one thing I want to ask. Can I?"
"You still have things to ask in this situation?"
"Curiosity is curiosity."
"Good grief. You're not even a Cat-kin; why are you so damn curious? Fine. I'll be generous. Ask."
Leona crossed her arms and tilted her head. As she crossed her arms, her voluptuous figure was clearly outlined through her school uniform.
I tried my best to keep my eyes from wandering to inappropriate places and spoke.
"Why did you enroll in the Academy while going so far as to hide your identity?"
"I don't believe I'm obligated to answer that."
"Hmm... I see. So that stiff attitude you've had until now was all an act?"
"That's the only way people won't suspect I'm a Beastkin. You humans think of us Beastkin as a hostile and savage race, don't you? I just took advantage of that."
I nodded at her answer.
As I had mentioned before, humans treated Beastkin as savages or primitives. Furthermore, there were quite a few humans who viewed Beastkin as slaves.
Also, because of their naturally bellicose nature, there was a widespread perception that Beastkin were fierce. Because of this, people assumed there could never be a Beastkin with a rational and stiff personality like Leona's. She had indeed utilized that well.
"Are you going to keep acting like that?"
"Of course. It's something I have to endure to graduate safely without getting caught."
"Is it worth that much?"
Beastkin are a race where 'instinct' is particularly strong compared to others. Unlike the Demon race, who fight fiercely against their Inner Evil, Beastkin don't even think about suppressing their instincts. To be precise, saying they can't would be more accurate.
Regardless, instincts are inseparable from a Beastkin. No matter how great Leona's self-restraint was, she couldn't suppress her innate instincts. You could see that just by how her ears went pop! the moment I provoked her.
Leona seemed mindful of that as well, as she wore a bitter smile. It was an expression completely different from before.
"...I endure it because it's worth it. If it weren't, I wouldn't have enrolled here in the first place."
"It must be very difficult."
"Of course it's diff— No, hey. Stop prying, will you? How long do I have to keep answering you?"
What a shame. I was almost there.
Perhaps my disappointment showed on my face, because Leona's brow furrowed deeply.
"What's with that look of regret? You want to die?"
"Sorry."
"Whew... Anyway. Don't tell anyone I'm a Beastkin. Understood?"
"I got it. Oh, and one more thing."
"What else do you want to ask?"
Now she was acting irritated, looking completely fed up. But I didn't back down and spoke my mind.
"Did you hear everything I said in the cafeteria earlier?"
"Yeah. I heard it all. Why bring that up?"
"I was curious about your thoughts."
"Huh?"
Leona stared at me with an incredulous look. Her expression clearly said, What is wrong with this guy?
"You're a Beastkin. Naturally, there's no way you'd view humans in a positive light. So I got curious. I wondered what a Beastkin would think after hearing my story."
"You really are... Hah. You're worse than a Cat-kin. Are all humans like this?"
"I'm just a bit curious. Especially when it comes to different races."
"Unbelievable..."
In the end, Leona shook her head as if she had lost to my bottomless curiosity. She looked like she had given up. I cheered inwardly but kept my expression under control.
Soon, Leona crossed her arms and stared at me intently. I also waited quietly for her to speak. Having calmed her mind in the meantime, her glowing golden eyes had returned to their blue color.
After some time had passed, Leona's tightly closed lips parted, and her characteristic cynical voice flowed out.
"I'm not telling."
"Pardon?"
"I said I'm not telling you. Did you seriously think I'd answer that?"
While I stood there dazed, Leona smirked and strode toward me. I hadn't realized it until now, but as she got closer, I could see she was quite tall. Since I had to look up at her slightly, she must have been over 175cm.
Anyway, Leona stood boldly in front of me and slowly raised her hand. Then, she squeezed my cheeks hard, making my lips pucker out.
"Mmph? Whath are you dooing..."
"By the way, why is our little Red Cat so full of questions?"
Did she call me Red Cat because my hair is red? But right now, my priority was shaking off Leona's hand that was gripping my face.
Of course, no matter how much I struggled, she didn't budge. A Beastkin's basic physical ability is superior among all races, and it was too much for me to overcome Leona's strength. No, it wasn't just 'too much'; it was impossible.
While I resisted, Leona maintained her smirking face and issued another warning.
"I'm warning you again: the moment you let it slip that I'm a Beastkin, I'll rip your tongue out. I'll let you off the hook for the 'tearing you limb from limb' part since that would be a hassle for me too. Got it?"
"Yeth..."
It's basically the same thing. But I was too scared to do anything but agree.
Satisfied with my affirmation, Leona nodded and let go of my cheeks. They felt tingly even though she'd only held them for a moment.
"I hope your lips stay sealed. Before that..."
Slide—
While I was rubbing my sore cheeks, Leona leaned her head forward and brought it close to my neck. Startled, I tried to step back, but she caught my wrist, thwarting my escape.
Sniff. Sniff, sniff. Sniff.
Then, Leona buried her nose in the crook of my neck and began to sniff. Feeling my face flush at the strange sensation, I tried to pull away in a hurry, but it was futile. All I could do was try to push her head away.
But she didn't move an inch, so I eventually had to shout. I even stuttered in my panic.
"W-what are you doing?"
"What does it look like? I'm remembering your scent. But man, you reek of musty books."
Leona sniffed for a long time as if trying to memorize my body odor before finally pulling her face away. A moment later, she released my wrist as well. As soon as she let go, I checked it immediately.
Looking at my wrist, a dark red bruise had already formed. I massaged my wrist with a pained expression and asked with a tone of disbelief.
"What are you going to do with my scent?"
"To check on you every now and then to see if you're doing anything stupid. How can I trust you?"
"... ..."
"We're done here, right? I'm leaving."
Leona gave my head a couple of playful pats and walked away with a spring in her step. While rubbing my wrist, I watched her retreating back before calling out her name.
"Leona!"
"Oh, for real... What now?"
The moment I called her, she ruffled her hair aggressively and turned around to look at me. Her face said she wouldn't let it slide if I said something pointless.
I slightly regretted calling her, but I delivered the final question I wanted to ask.
"Do you read the Xenon Biography too?"
"What? Xenon Biography?"
"Yeah."
"Hah."
Leona let out a scoff at my question. Then, she waved her hand dismissively and answered in an annoyed voice.
"I don't know. Never heard of it. I don't find that Xenon guy or whatever interesting at all, so mind your own business."
"...I see."
"Then I'm off. From now on, I'm going to ignore whatever you ask, so don't bother. Got it?"
With those final words, Leona began to disappear from my sight.
I stared blankly while holding my bruised wrist, when a sudden doubt crossed my mind.
"...Not interesting? Does that mean she does read it?"
It was just as I muttered that to myself.
Pop—
Whether she heard my muttering or not, a pair of ears sprouted atop Leona's head.