EP.12 The Wolf That Shuns the Sun -2

How would my Divine Beasts react if I told them I'd protect them?

If it were Tia, she'd say she could take care of herself, so she'd boldly ask me to pet her instead.

Miho would be touched by what I said, but she'd end up bristling and saying she'd protect me.

Yata would accept what I said with a smile, yet she wouldn't really take it to heart.

The woman—no, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Divine Beast—before me was different.

Although she was far stronger than me, the wolf-girl shyly thanked me for protecting her.

Her gratitude was so sincere that I felt proud to have protected her.

"I'll be in your care."

"P-pleaase...!"

"Uhht...!"

When I offered my hand and asked that we get along, the brown wolf-girl accepted it.

Her hand, which I now held, was so soft it stirred a desire to keep touching it.

But there was a hidden danger greater than her hand... and that was the wolf's gaze looking up at me from below.

Moist, glistening eyes, her flushed, bright-red cheeks, and the shy way she reacted just to holding hands.

The wolf was so cute that the urge to protect her shot right past the meter's limit.

It was a charm distinct from Tia's.

Tia had the bright charm of a beloved daughter. This wolf possessed the vulnerable cuteness of a small animal that made me want to protect her.

Of course, even comparing a Divine Beast to a small animal was disrespectful, but I couldn't help the feeling she gave me.

"First, let's head inside the cave. The other Divine Beasts will probably start coming this way soon."

"Ah, I understand...!"

Once the introduction was over, all that remained was embarrassment and an awkward atmosphere.

Why was I embarrassed before a wolf I had only just met?

I felt like I'd been caught in an unsolvable riddle, and my heart was in turmoil.

First, I needed to check on Tia's safety inside the cave, so I decided to settle my emotions.

Just as I was shaking my head, trying to dispel my troubles, I felt a soft sensation flow back in through my hand.

"Uhm...?!"

"Ah...! Well!! This is... I-I was so startled that my legs gave out...! S-so I was hoping someone might support me...! W-would that be too much trouble...?"

"I-it's fine! It's not nearly enough to be trouble."

Damn it, this was insane!!

How could anyone refuse when she was looking up at me so pitifully?!

Who could possibly reject that level of cuteness...!! It was no different than a baby bird, drenched in rain, desperately pleading for help!!

In a situation where my heart ached just from looking at her, ignoring her? There was no way that could happen.

If I ignored her, I'd end up seeing a dejected wolf-girl, and if I saw that sight, my heart definitely wouldn't survive.

Regret and guilt would flood her heart until she could hardly breathe.

Ughh...! Even imagining it was horrifying.

"Th-then... could I trouble you to support me a little...?"

"Yeah, as much as you need."

"Thank you, hehe...!"

I couldn't help but be impressed.

The wolf first maneuvered me into a position where I had no choice but to show her kindness, and now, even wearing a shy, happy expression, she was stealing my heart.

I felt as though I had been completely struck by a charm ability.

She truly rattled my heart, enough to make me acknowledge her as a Divine Beast.

I hoped it was not an act. If it was, the deception would be terrifyingly convincing, because she had charmed me completely.

But if her actions truly reflected her personality and feelings...

That was terrifying in its own way.

That would mean her true ability lay elsewhere.

"Come to think of it, what brings you here? To meet Hati?"

Despite the massive commotion, Tia was still sound asleep, completely oblivious to the world.

The fact that Tia slept through the noise proved little could wake her. Even so, I carefully lifted her and settled her against me.

After confirming that Tia was safe, I decided to speak with the brown wolf while we waited for the other Divine Beasts.

"Yees... as you can see, I have a very timid personality, and my family are the only ones I'm close to...! So I came to meet Hati because I wanted to have a conversation for the first time in a while...!"

"I see, but are you okay being this close to someone you've just met?"

"Ah...! Did I make you uncomfortable...?"

I thought she'd sit opposite me, but the wolf was sticking right to my side.

She had flinched and bounced away from a single question, but now she was starting to sniffle and tremble.

"N-no, it's not exactly uncomfortable! I'm just asking because I was wondering if it's okay for you to be near a human who's broken the Divine Beast Rules."

"If that's what you mean, then it's fine...! Because you're so kind...!!"

"That's nice of you to say, but isn't it a little too early to be that sure?"

"No...! Even though you're human, didn't you throw your body on the line to protect me, a Divine Beast...? I think that single act is enough to prove your kindness...!!"

"Is that so...?"

Could she not suspect that I had helped a Divine Beast only so I could exploit the favour later?

I believed it was too early to decide, but the brown wolf apparently disagreed.

"And besides... I was so happy...!"

"Huh? About what?"

"That you protected me...! To be honest, I'd never once in my life received kindness from anyone besides my family... So the way you declared you would protect me with force... was truly... truly...! So wonderful that I could fall for you...!!"

"R-really...?"

The brown wolf had been speaking gently and quietly.

But suddenly, her voice grew so loud it seemed to shake the ice inside the cave.

"S-so if it's all right with you...! I-I also want to be your...!!"

"Hmm? Is that voice Skoll?"

"Ah...! Hati..."

The brown wolf had been wringing out her voice and courage, determined to leave not a single drop remaining.

But midway through, the ice wolf returned home and forced her to swallow the words she'd been about to say.

It was a pity that she'd left the most important sentence unspoken, but I could roughly figure out what she'd been trying to tell me.

She was unmistakably asking me to take her as my Companion Animal.

Sure, I might not look it, but I took pride in having survived by reading the room, so I could tell that much.

Ever since I helped her, she had clung to me and made her affection obvious. How could I have missed it?

Failing to notice would have been stranger.

"Hmnh? Skoll...?! Why are you suddenly attacking me?! P-please, calm yourself...!"

"Haaahh...!! Hati, you ruined everything...! It was such an important moment...!!"

Skoll apparently believed I had misunderstood her, so she vented her frustration by repeatedly thumping Hati on the head.

"I barely worked up the courage...!! Take responsibility...!! You have to take responsibilityyy...!!"

"Ugh...! Even if you tell me to take responsibility out of nowhere, I have no idea what you mean! So first, calm down just... urk!!"

Compared to an ice wolf, a human hand was tiny.

But the force packed inside it was making a sound as if it would utterly pulverize Hati's skull, and I was starting to seriously worry about the ice wolf's well-being.

"Sorry~! I did my best to delay our return, but I couldn't manage it!"

"I guess you really did know about all of this from the start."

"I told you on the way here, didn't I? That something good was going to happen to you, husband."

"So that's why you deliberately set our departure date ten days later?"

"Yep, because I saw a future where you'd make that wolf-girl fall for you."

"Even though it means another rival in love, you're fine with that?"

"It's fine. Unlike that fox bitch, I'm a little more generous. Besides, even though she's shy, the wolf has a very good heart, so there's no problem."

"I see..."

Fortunately, all the innocent behavior Skoll had shown so far truly had come from her heart.

It meant there was no chance of a scenario like 'the brown wolf was actually a nasty bitch trying to use me.'

"Anyway, where's Miho? Did the two of you come back alone?"

"Tidying up the scene. If the fox bitch were here right now, it'd turn into a complete mess. So I sent her off to do some busywork beforehand."

"And Miho willingly listened to you?"

"I told her a false prophecy that you'd trip over a meteorite lying on the ground and take a huge fall. Once I did, didn't her eyes just about spin in her head?"

"That's wicked..."

"In times like this, please call it wise. More importantly, husband, wouldn't it be a good idea to stop that wolf soon?"

Skoll, still sniffling back tears and hammering ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hati's head, and Hati, who had already passed out but was continuing to get beaten.

Seeing the pitiful state of the brown wolf wearily swinging her fists, and the thought of the ice wolf dying under the blows, I figured it was time to stop her, just as Yata said.

"Uh, hey... Skoll...?"

"Ah...!! I-I'm so sorry...! To show you such a violent sight...!!"

"No, it's fine. More importantly... I had something to say about what you were trying to tell me earlier..."

"Th-that is...! That's... it's just, well...!"

"You don't have to force yourself to say it again. I've already grasped what you were trying to say."

"I-is that really true...?"

"Yeah, so... would it be okay if I gave you my answer to what you were going to say right now?"

"Yess...!! P-please go ahead...!!"

"Alright..."

I took a deep breath in, then slowly let the air out of my lungs.

It was a necessary process before saying something important. A warm-up exercise so I could fully convey my thoughts.

During that time, Skoll gulped, looking as tense as could be.

I faced her and spoke.

"You know? Contrary to what you're thinking, I'm not a particularly great or kind person. I'm a useless guy who's always complaining about everything and weak to boot."

"Ah..."

"To be honest, saving you was just a whim. Normally, I'd have judged the situation coldly and left you alone. That's how selfish a bastard I am."

"W-wait, please...!! Why are you putting yourself down so much...?"

"I'm not putting myself down so much as telling you the reality of what kind of person I am. Isn't it better than regretting it later once you really know?"

"I'll never regret it...! No matter how poorly you judge yourself, to me, you're a kinder person than anyone...! That fact alone will never, ever change...!!"

I'd only protected her once. Why was she so blindly, faithfully convinced I was a kind person?

Why on earth?

I honestly couldn't understand.

"S-so please, don't put yourself down anymore...!"

Her promise to trust me warmed my heart and revealed exactly what kind of person she was.

She really was a fool in how nice she was...

That was my honest assessment of Skoll.

"Alright, I'll stop."

In any case, now that I'd even assessed her, continuing to try and change her mind was a waste of time.

So, it was probably about time for me to make a decision as well.

"Skoll, if it's alright with you, would you please become my Divine Beast?"

"Yes...?"

"I-it's just that, one way or another, I'm still a pretty useless guy, so I'm in need of your help..."

Agh, I was the one saying it, but this was really embarrassing.

It was the first time I had formally asked a Divine Beast to become my Companion Animal, and my nerves had gotten the better of me.

I should've been able to make the offer more smoothly and gently...!

Thoughts like, 'Did I use words that were too cringey because I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was trying to come up with something to say in a hurry? Or did I say it too half-heartedly?' were not in short supply.

"So, if it's okay with you... huh?"

Drip! Drip!

The sound of water droplets falling suddenly reached my ears.

When I turned my head back from having averted it in embarrassment, there was Skoll shedding tears as if she couldn't believe it.

"S-sorry!! I guess asking you that really was out of my league...!"

"No, that's not it...! This is just from happiness...! I'm crying because I'm so happy...!!"

"H-huh? Was becoming my Divine Beast such a happy thing...?"

"Yess...!! I-I've never once been needed by anyone...!! Other Divine Beasts have always ostracized me and called me timid...! And yet...! And yet...!! You not only protected me, you're even telling me you need me...!! Do you know how happy I am...! Huuuh...!! Uwaaahh!!"

In truth, Skoll was a wolf who had endured severe emotional hardship.

I had assumed Hati's twin had lived as comfortably as he had. The truth was the exact opposite.

Skoll, who differed from Hati not only in gender but also in personality, was deeply affectionate and needed someone to stay by her side. Yet because of her uniquely timid nature, she had been unable to get along with anyone, ignored, and had lived in solitude.

Despite such painful circumstances, Skoll had lived without telling a soul. Only now, having met me, who needed her, was she pouring out to me all the grievances and pent-up resentment she had kept buried in her heart.

As Skoll sobbed, recounting stories that could only be called truly heartbreaking, I gently wrapped my arms around her body and patted her softly.

As someone who had been ignored by others like the brown wolf, I knew.

I knew what state of heart she was in right now, what kind of anguish she had lived with.

And how to comfort her heart when she was grieving like this...

"Hnk...!! Hngk...!!"

"...You can cry as much as the hardship you've been through."

I knew how reassuring it was to feel another person's warmth while crying without restraint.

I resolved not to release my hands from holding her body until she could release all her pent-up feelings and stand on her own.

***

"Seon-ju...!"

"Have you calmed down a little now?"

"Yees... thankks to you..."

"I'm glad. You suddenly started crying, so I wondered if it was my fault and got a real shock, you know?"

"Hk...! I-I'm so sorry...!"

"That was a joke. You've had things that were too much to handle, right?"

"Yees..."

"In that case, you can cry in front of me as much as you want. If it's really hard, you can even come into my arms."

"Seon-ju, you really are so gentle..."

"I'm not. This time was just a coincidence. A coincidence."

It was truly only by coincidence that the pain she was enduring was identical to the pain I had endured in the past.

Had her problem been different, or had I lacked my precious family, I might have been powerless to help.

So this matter was far from any gentleness on my part—at least, that was what I thought.

"Anyway, what do you want to do about my offer? It's fine if you don't want to, but..."

"No! I want to become it...! No, I will become it...! Seon-ju's Companion Animal...!!"

"Is that so... Thank you for accepting. Then, once again, I'm in your care!"

"I-It's me who should say I'm in your care...!!"

The process of forming a Companion Contract was simple.

As long as the human and animal who were to bond were in contact, the human's part was done.

The contract was completed once the animal sincerely chose the human as its Companion Keeper.

The burden seemed rather one-sided, but that was how the contract worked.

The Companion Contract was originally a contract that came into being so that humans could borrow the power of animals, so it was only natural that the contract couldn't be formed if the animal refused.

An animal should refuse any human unlikely to cherish it.

"It's done...!"

"Really?"

Just in case, I checked the back of my right hand, and there, a fourth Mark was inscribed.

It proved that Skoll had become my Companion Animal.

"Oh! Skoll, where did your Mark end up..."

Before I could even finish asking, Skoll presented a posture of flopping flat onto her back.

Commonly called a submission posture among dogs, she was openly exposing her belly to me.

I was puzzled as to why a wolf would suddenly take such a posture, but the reason became clear right away.

On her abdomen—to be precise, at a spot located below her navel—the Companion Mark was inscribed.

I assumed she had exposed her belly to show me the Mark, but one question remained.

"Hey, um..."

"Yees...?"

"Why did you inscribe the Mark in a place like that, of all places?"

Unlike humans, animals could inscribe the Companion Mark wherever they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wished.

The Mark on her lower abdomen must have reflected her own wish.

"Of course I inscribed it on my belly to pledge my submission to you, Seon-ju...!"

"I understood that part, but given the Mark's location, it's basically a cunt stamp..."

"Yees...?"

"No, nothing..."

A wolf as innocent as Tia would never have chosen that location deliberately.

This was also a coincidence. A coincidence.

As the wolf had said, she intended to inscribe the Mark on her abdomen, but it just happened to end up inscribed between her abdomen and groin.

That had to be it, right...?

"Seon-ju..."

"Mm?"

"Umm, I have one thing I'd like to ask of you...!"

D-Don't tell me it was a request to just grope the Mark now inscribed on her all over in order to bond?!

"If it's okay with you... m-my...!"

"Wait...! I'm not ready yet...!!"

"Please give me a name...!!"

"Huhh...? A, a name...?"

It seemed the rotten thing had been my own brain.

Of course. Right. There was no way a pure wolf would make such a wanton request, was there?

Haah... It was just me who was the crazy bastard.

"A name? Don't you already have the name Skoll?"

"That's true, but... it still sounds like a boy's name, so I don't like it... So I was hoping that this time, you could give me a new, pretty name, Seon-ju...!!"

"Are you sure? My naming sense is at a level you could call atrocious, you know?"

"It's fine...! Just receiving a name from you would make me happy...!!"

I wasn't sure if I could change a Divine Beast's name on a whim, but certainly, Skoll was a name that didn't suit this wolf.

I racked my brain for a new name, but finding one that suited a brown wolf proved surprisingly difficult.

"Sorry, I gave it a lot of thought, but a decent name doesn't come to mind. So I don't think I can rename you."

"Is that so... Ah! I'm sorry for making a pointless request...!"

"It's fine. Ah! Still, instead of a name, I did think of a nickname. How about 'Kor'?"

"Kor...?"

"Yeah, just drawing out the last syllable of Skoll into 'Kor.'"

Tia already drew out my own nickname, so giving the wolf an equally elongated name felt appropriate.

In fact, the intonation of Kor was softer and more feminine than Skoll.

"Kor... Kor...! Kor...!!"

"How is it? Is it okay?"

"Yees...! I like it so much...!!"

"Then is it okay if I call you Kor from now on?"

"Yes!! Please do call me Kor...!!"

Kor, who had just moments ago been weeping as if her heart was torn apart.

But now, she was smiling brightly, like a flower petal blooming bright after a spring rain.

For no other reason than gaining a nickname of her own...

Even the smallest gift from me made her happy.

Thinking of it another way, it also meant that she genuinely liked me, which, on the contrary, made my face start to burn.

"Seon-ju...!"

"Mm?"

"I-If it's okay... could you call me by my nickname just once...?"

"Okay... K-Kor."

"One more time...!"

"Kor."

"Just one more time...!"

"Kor."

"Hehe...!!"

I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

Some of my brain cells had apparently staged a revolt.

I had always believed Tia alone embodied cuteness. Now Kor had claimed a place beside her.

Several of my brain cells that had always called only for Tia had today turned into the new powerhouse Kor faction and had declared war.

My mind inevitably began to blur...

...

...

...

Anyway, Kor's delighted smile was, to that extent, cute.

"Skoll...?"

"Ah, Hati... you're finally awake...! Sorry, for hitting you hard enough to knock you out...!"

Only after everything had ended did the ice wolf finally regain consciousness.

Just how would he accept this current situation?

I suddenly grew curious.

"No, that's fine, but what are you doing right now? Why are you in a submission posture before a human...?"

"Well, you see...!"

Kor started explaining everything that had happened while I was unconscious, seeming happy about it.

Hati's expression shrivelled like a rotten apple until he finally interrupted Kor and challenged her.

"What in the world do you mean? That you formed a Companion Contract with that human?! Do we not have a mission to swallow the sun and the moon for the sake of our great father's achievement?!"

"Th-That's true, but... I don't want to...! A mission for father's sake...! I'd rather have someone who needs me right now...!!"

"Skoll!!"

"Hk...!!"

The real Hati, who hadn't even gotten angry when he'd been called a dog, was furious beyond belief.

Was this matter truly that serious...?

To be fair, it was only natural to get emotional if it was about your own family, but I hadn't realized it was something to warrant such rage.

"Dear husband, over here for a moment..."

"Huh...? Uwah?!"

Yata suddenly yanked on one of my arms and dragged me to a spot far away from the two wolves.

I was startled by the suddenness of it, but I could guess a little about why she was doing this.

"Is Hati angry enough to try and harm me...?"

"No, it's not that. Hmm~ Just wait a little bit and you'll see."

"Huh?"

Yata's instruction to just wait made me tilt my head, but since she said I'd find out soon, I decided to refocus on the conversation between the two wolves.

"Sorry, Hati...! But I still want to go with Seon-ju...!!"

"What in the world is so good about that utterly pathetic human that you'd follow him?! For us Divine Beasts, a human like that is a single mouthful..."

"Hey."

"Hmm...?!"

In that moment, the surrounding temperature rapidly soared and began to grow hot...

The cause lay with Kor, who had changed from before.

Flames had suddenly ignited and begun blazing fiercely across Kor's ordinary brown fur.

The blazing fire was red at first, then orange, then gradually turned white, and at some point shifted to blue.

A blue flame, known to be the hottest.

But Kor's flame went beyond blue and took on a bluish-purple hue, and it was so hot that I began to sweat even at a considerable distance.

If Yata hadn't evacuated me beforehand, my body might've been cooked or charred...

"S-Skoll?"

"What did you just say?"

"Y-Your name..."

"Before that."

"A pathetic human... Ughk!!"

Kor was emitting flames so hot that ice melted quickly, yet her eyes were endlessly cold.

"Are you crazy? Who do you think you are, talking down about my precious Companion Keeper?"

"Skoll...! Calm...!"

"Calm? Do I look like I can calm down right now? I let it slide because you were my little brother. What? Pathetic...? A mouthful...? Should I just break that muzzle of yours so you can't swallow a single thing ever again?"

With sheer fighting spirit alone, Kor drove Hati to the wall.

Then, she kicked the ice wall right beside Hati, trapping him.

The so-called "wall slam" that was said to make any woman's heart race.

However, the one on the receiving end was a male, and his heart was probably racing in an entirely different sense.

"Even with a younger brother, there's a line you have to keep. If you badmouth my precious person one more time... I'll kill you then, got it?"

"I-I'm sorry!! I was wrong!!"

"Then behave yourself from now on. Got it?"

"I... I got it!"

With her eyes glinting lethally, Kor melted down the ice wolf with nothing but words.

Watching Kor and her tremendous contrast in character, only a single thought filled my mind.

What if, just in the off chance, I must absolutely never, ever make her angry...

That was how much Kor's enraged appearance overflowed with force to the point of bursting outright—she was the very picture of a formidable big sister.

"W-Whoa...!!"