Experiencing Both Sides
The one who had experienced both sides used her hands and tail to clutch at the slipping clothes. Noticing that my state looked odd, the male adventurer slowly approached.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes..."
I gathered the clothes in my arms and stood up. Skin showed around my shoulders and waist, but since this was a child's body it hardly mattered. Had it been my previous adult female form, I would have been mortified.
"Um..."
The man knelt in front of me. His eyes, filled with worry, scanned my arms and shoulders.
"Did someone scare you?"
Scare me? He must have thought I had been bullied and my clothes torn. I decided to reassure the kindhearted adventurer.
"No, I wasn't bullied."
"R-really?"
"Yes. My clothes were just old and ripped."
"Ah, your clothes... Would you like to wear this, at least?"
The male adventurer took off his own shirt and offered it to me. It was large enough to cover my entire body, which meant he would have to expose his own skin instead. I should refuse.
Just as I was about to wave my hand and say it was fine, Kwon Arin came running toward us from a distance, her face flushed with anger.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
She dashed over, breathing hard, and pulled me straight into her arms. My face was forced against her chest. Kwon Arin quickly caught the slipping clothes before they fell any further. I felt her hands press against my shoulder blades and lower back.
"Mmph...?"
I couldn't see anything. My mouth was buried against her, so I couldn't speak. All I could do was twitch my ears helplessly.
"You crazy bastard! What are you doing to a kid?!"
"N-no, this is...!"
"You stripped a child's clothes?!"
Kwon Arin's shout rang in my ears. The sound was so loud I wanted to cover them, but I was pinned in place and couldn't move. My whole body trembled at the noise I couldn't block.
Is there really no way to fix this? Just as the awkwardness hit me, my ears began to droop on their own, as if trying to shut out the noise.
"Look how frightened the child is—her whole body is shaking!"
"I-it's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"
"A misunderstanding, my—!"
Kwon Arin stopped mid-rant and pressed her lips together. She poked my lower back with her finger, then whispered close to my ear.
"...Misunderstanding?"
"Yes. It's a misunderstanding."
I looked up at her through the small gap. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
"Then... why the clothes...?"
"Mine ripped. He was just offering his shirt."
"......"
Kwon Arin fell silent. She had realized her mistake. I was relieved the misunderstanding seemed to be clearing up.
"I... um... I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."
She bowed her head without hesitation. My upper body, still trapped in her arms, tilted backward with the motion.
"...No, the situation was easy to misunderstand. It hurts my pride a little, though."
"...I'm truly sorry."
An awkward silence settled between us. I glanced around, then tapped Kwon Arin's shoulder.
"Um, my clothes..."
"Ah, right. Should I go get them?"
"Not the clothes—tape. It's in the tunnel Levinas dug."
Going home for clothes would mean climbing up and coming back down again. I didn't want to waste Kwon Arin's time because of me. Fetching tape from the nearby tunnel was the faster option.
"Wouldn't it be better to get proper clothes?"
"Tape will be quicker. I'll just patch it up and head home."
"Hmm... all right."
Kwon Arin returned from the tunnel with a roll of box tape. She seemed ready to help, stretching out long strips for me.
"Adventurer, could you hold Winter's clothes for a moment?"
"Of course."
The kind adventurer kept the slipping fabric in place. I simply stood there with my arms spread out to the sides.
Zip—!
The tape was cut short and pressed on, then wrapped around me like a mummy. Kwon Arin's handiwork wasn't the neatest; the tape stuck to my exposed skin in places. My tail ended up taped flat against my back, making it impossible to wag.
"...Sorry. It looks like some kind of restraint outfit now."
"It's fine. As long as it covers me."
"Right... We should get you home so you can change."
"Yes. Thank you both for helping. I'll be going now."
I bowed politely to the two adventurers. Even though I had caused them trouble, they only smiled warmly in return.
"Be careful on your way back—it might tear again."
"Okay."
My tail tried to wag at their kindness, but it could only twitch uselessly against the tape. I really needed to get home and change.
**
Ding-dong—
I opened the front door and stepped inside. I could sense Sofia in the living room.
"Sofia."
I called her name naturally as I walked in. Our eyes met; she had been resting in the massage chair.
"Child, were you bullied...? What happened to your clothes...?"
Sofia rose from the chair and circled around me. Her gaze fixed on my tail, still stuck to my back with tape.
"My clothes ripped, so I patched them with tape on the way back."
"Hmm... You even taped your tail down."
"Yes. It slipped in on its own while I was taping."
"You let your guard down."
Sofia peeled the tape off my tail. Whatever magic she used, not a single strand of fur came out with it. There was no pain either. My now-liberated tail expressed its joy by wagging rapidly.
"It's strange—my tail just won't listen to me."
"That's because you're still young. It's natural, so don't worry."
Pat, pat—
Sofia gently patted my back. The comforting touch felt nice.
"Is this normal?"
"Yes. A child's body is difficult to control in many ways. You always start dozing off at ten o'clock, don't you, Winter?"
"Ah..."
I could guess what she was getting at. When I had an adult body I could push through drowsiness, but now my eyes automatically closed at ten.
"And you were originally human, Winter. There are bound to be parts where adapting to the differences between the two races is difficult."
"Yes. There are a lot of differences between beastkin and humans. I feel them almost every day."
"Oh...? That must be knowledge only someone who has lived as both can possess."
Sofia's eyes sparkled with interest. As someone who pursued knowledge, she was clearly intrigued by something new.
"Are there other cases like mine—humans who became beastkin?"
"No. You are the only one, Winter."
"Oh... So this is knowledge only I have?"
"Indeed. Won't you share that knowledge with me as well? I am most curious."
Flutter, flutter—
Sofia's tail wagged up and down. I could tell she was excited.
"Well... The instinctive parts are the biggest difference, I think."
"Instinct?"
"Yes. There's something that's hard to control."
"It is a well-known fact that beastkin are instinct-driven."
Even though she already knew this, Sofia still showed interest. She understood that knowledge from someone who had lived both lives would be different.
"From what I can tell, my senses are so sharp that I act more on instinct."
"Your senses?"
"Yes. I used to barely notice smells right in front of me. Now I can pick out individual scents from hundreds of meters away."
"Oh...!"
Sofia let out a rough breath. She seemed satisfied that her thirst for knowledge was being fulfilled.
"Using smell to find things might look beast-like, but there's no reason not to use the abilities I have."
"Quite right."
"So what I'm trying to say is that because I use my five senses more than humans do, I end up acting instinctively."
"Perfect."
She said "perfect," not "I see." It was as if she had already known everything.
"Did you already know this too?"
"Yes. I knew it in theory. But you are the first person to experience the difference firsthand and prove it. Hearing it like this makes me truly happy."
"Ah..."
Proof was important to someone who sought knowledge. She was glad I had actually demonstrated it. Making Sofia happy filled me with joy.
"Is there anything else? If you discover more later, be sure to tell me."
"Um... Actually, I realized something else today."
"What is it...?"
"Beastkin seem to really like having their heads patted."
"Heads?"
Sofia raised her hand above my head, looking puzzled. This was clearly news to her.
"Yes. For some reason, having my head patted feels really good. Levinas and Saebyeok like it too."
"That is..."
Sofia began stroking my hair. My tail wagged happily and quickly.
"Is there something different from humans?"
"Hmm... Winter, did anyone ever pat your head when you were human?"
By the standards of this life, no. My previous life was too long ago; I couldn't remember how it had felt. I shook my head at Sofia.
"Now that I think about it, this is the first time anyone's patted my head since I became a beastkin..."
"...Is that so."
"Yes..."
Sofia's interest visibly faded in real time. I pressed my lips together and watched her expression carefully.
"Winter, having one's head patted is something everyone enjoys, regardless of race."
"......"
"You must have mistaken it because you had no experience of it as a human."
Of course. My face grew hot with embarrassment. My fingers fidgeted pointlessly at my sides.
"I'm sorry. I don't have any experience, so I got it wrong..."
"There is nothing to apologize for. People make mistakes all the time."
Even though I had given her incorrect information, Sofia simply waved it off, saying it was fine. I could only feel grateful for her kind heart.