Episode 25

As I sat alone resting, I fell deep into thought.

Why do I get so instantly annoyed whenever I see women around Aron?

Is it because I'm in the middle of the Engraving process? Even though it shouldn't matter once I fully understand the Engraving and mature as a beastkin.

Maybe it's because he was the one who approached me first, yet he's playing around with other women.

'It feels like the guy who confessed doesn't even care.'

How would you feel if the person who confessed wanting to date you was flirting with another girl the very next day?

Even without thinking deeply, it was obvious I'd be angry.

That's exactly how I feel right now.

"I think I'm getting angry again..."

I looked toward the room right next to where Aron was resting.

For all I knew, he might have already called over some other elf with a great body to play with. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠When he went to meet the beastkin, women swarmed around him too.

"I should go check for myself."

Ultimately unable to hold back, I got up from the bed.

The moment I reached for the doorknob, the door opened first, revealing Aron standing on the other side.

Seeming slightly flustered, as if he hadn't expected me to be right at the door, he asked.

"Where are you going?"

"...I was getting hungry, so I was about to come suggest we get something to eat. Perfect timing you showed up."

"I came for the same reason. Good timing indeed. Let's tell Eri and all eat together."

"Can't we just eat, the two of us, without her?"

"Why? Are you uncomfortable?"

I glanced left and right, wary of the elf suddenly appearing.

"Of course I'm uncomfortable. Her way of speaking, her behavior... everything about her is incredibly irritating."

"She's a bit unique, but her way of speaking isn't that bad, is it? If anything, it's quite polite, don't you think?"

"It's not just about her way of speaking."

"Eri also calls Ryeong-i 'unni' and gets along with her. I think Eri would like you even more than Ryeong-i."

At Aron's answer, I pouted my lips, and just then, she came up the stairs.

She ascended leisurely and spoke in her characteristically mature voice.

"Of course. I like anything cute. By my standards, Mia is plenty cute too, so it would be nice to become friends."

That smile again.

A smile that, while she's laughing, seems to hide a thousand snakes within it. Now I understood why Seoryeong Unni was so disgusted by her.

"I'll think about it. Becoming friends takes time, you know."

"Then shall we spend some time getting to know each other over dinner?"

It was a normal dinner invitation, but it made me tense up for no reason.

"Okay. Let's talk over dinner."

In the end, the three of us, including Aron, ended up going to a restaurant in the village.

*

Upon entering the restaurant, the interior was clean.

I thought it would just smell like plants since it was full of them, but that wasn't the case. There was a scent of meat, and the decor was like any ordinary restaurant.

"So elves don't just put plants everywhere, huh."

"Of course not. Especially we dark elves see nature not as an unconditional object of worship, but as an entity to coexist with."

"So do you eat meat from livestock too?"

"Naturally. It's only natural for the strong to hunt the weak in nature, right? I consider livestock to be a part of that."

I liked her much better than those stuffy elf bastards outside.

Those stuck-up White Elf bastards outside have rules they must follow even when killing, so they won't eat meat given by humans.

"I like you much better than those fussy bastards outside."

"Then will you call me 'unni' now?"

"I'll think about that a bit more first. So, what will you have to eat?"

Since it was a restaurant, there was a menu prepared.

It wasn't a paper menu; it looked like it was made from wood carved naturally into a menu shape.

"I'll have my usual bread and salad. The salad with minotaurus meat, please. Aron, will you have your usual steak?"

"Maybe. Any new menu items? I feel like trying something new."

"This is just a restaurant set up for atmosphere, not one with a real chef, you know."

"Hmm, maybe I'll try soup this time. I had plenty of meat until yesterday since I was at Ryeong-i's place."

At those words, Eri's expression hardened.

The corners of her mouth trembled slightly, and her gaze slowly turned toward Aron.

"You met that fox first? I'm certain we had an agreement that you would come here first this time, since you went there first previously..."

At her voice, which had grown a level colder, Aron frantically shook his head.

He pointed at me with his finger and said.

"Mia said she wanted to learn about beastkin quickly, so we went there first. This time it really wasn't my choice, okay?"

At Aron's excuse, Eri's gaze this time turned to me.

"Is that true? Mia, you said you wanted that?"

I was a bit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flustered by her cold gaze, but I nodded.

"Yes, I'm a Quarter and I don't know much about beastkin, so I asked to go first."

"Is that so? Well, then it can't be helped. I must understand young Mia."

Aron let out a deep sigh of relief.

"So what will you have, Aron? The usual steak and wine, perhaps?"

"I guess so. So Mia, what do you want to eat?"

"Mia is still young, so how about this, what young elves often eat? It's a meal favored by elves around Mia's age."

As she said this, Eri pointed to a fruit juice and an omelet rice.

It was food I normally liked, so I was about to nod, but then I overheard a conversation from an elf family nearby.

"Our daughter is still young, so shall we get the omelet rice and juice?"

"Yeah! The kids' set is the most delicious!"

Hearing a child say that started to irritate me.

The way she'd been treating me like a child since earlier, and the way she spoke as if she knew everything about Aron. Every little thing was getting on my nerves.

'Now that I think about it, wasn't she like that from the moment we met?'

Her attitude had been strangely suggestive that it was unlikely Aron and I were together.

It was like she was looking at a guardian and a young child. Now that this image was becoming clear to me, it was natural I found it irritating.

"No. I'll just have the steak and wine too. That seems more delicious."

"Are you sure? It's a rather mature taste."

"It's fine. I can handle it just fine."

"Is that so? Then I'll order the same for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you."

A short while later, the food arrived, and Aron began eating normally.

I stared at the wine I was trying for the first time, then took a sip. The much stronger aroma and taste compared to beer made me jolt in surprise, and I put the glass down.

"Aron, is wine supposed to taste like this?"

"Why? Doesn't taste good?"

"Yeah... You have it. I don't want it."

As I handed over the wine glass, Eri, who had been watching, spoke up first.

"As expected, you're still young. You don't appreciate the deep taste of wine. Aron really likes wine, though."

Irritated by yet another instance of being treated like a child, I finally couldn't hold back and interjected.

"Even so, is it really better than fresh grapes? Isn't wine just spoiled grapes anyway? You should eat grapes that are plump and tasty to eat."

Eri looked at me for a moment, as if she hadn't expected me to interject.

Aron also seemed flustered, as if he understood the meaning behind my reply.

"Mia, why suddenly..."

Aron tried to mediate, but it was no use.

Eri cut him off by interjecting first.

"It's not spoiled grapes, it's made from perfectly ripe grapes. They are strictly different, you know."

"If the grapes are ripe, you can just eat them as they are, so why not do that?"

"Isn't it to enjoy them in a more delicious way?"

"Eh, wasn't wine originally a drink that came from grapes spoiling?"

Truthfully, I don't really know how it's made either.

I think I heard it's called fermentation, but isn't fermentation also when food spoils and molds make it? I only have that level of knowledge.

"It would be better if you both just stopped..."

Aron's words once again failed to reach their conclusion.

"So, Aron, do you prefer wine? Or do you prefer grapes more."

"Yeah. Which one do you like more? Tell me straight."

Sensing a strange battle of wills, Aron immediately tried to stop it, but instead found himself caught in the middle.

A seasoned elf and a wolf who had just bared its claws.

Stuck between them, he was in a situation where he had to choose one side.

Aron quickly racked his brain.

'Wine is Eri, and grapes are Mia?'

He had vaguely thought that Mia might change to be like this someday, but he hadn't expected her to engage in a battle of wills with Eri so soon.

And it was strangely different from Ryeong.

Usually, if Eri provoked Ryeong like this, Ryeong would get so angry she'd flip the table. But Mia was parrying with similar retorts and trying not to back down.

'Maybe it's because it's her first time and she's young, so she's fearless.'

Besides, Eri was much stronger compared to Mia, so by beastkin instinct, this situation shouldn't even be possible.

'Is it because of the obsession of not wanting to lose someone she likes again?'

If not an obsession, it also looked like the instinctual behavior of a beastkin protecting her male.

Either way, he couldn't escape the difficult situation.

On his left was Eri looking at him with a chilly gaze, and on the other side was Mia glaring at him, thoroughly annoyed.

"Eating both... probably isn't an option, right?"

At that answer, the two replied simultaneously.

"Of course that's not possible."

"Of course it's not."

His ambiguous answer made both their expressions worsen.

"But when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it comes to food... shouldn't everything be eaten in harmony? Whether it's grapes or wine, both..."

As Aron rambled on incoherently, Mia was the first to shoot up from her seat.

Her clenched fists were trembling, and tears were welling up in her eyes.

In a voice full of irritation, she said.

"I'm leaving. I'm full."

And she immediately left the restaurant.

Watching her go, Aron let out a deep sigh and looked at Eri.

"Did you really have to do that? I told you roughly what state she's in."

"Isn't attacking when your opponent is weak the basics of a fight? And it's your fault, Aron. How long are you going to neglect us?"

"That's...! *Sigh* I'm going to go after her for now."

Eri nodded with a relaxed expression.

Watching Aron's retreating back, she muttered softly.

"You shouldn't have made her jealous in the first place."

Eri, who thought it couldn't be helped after waiting decades only to potentially be stolen by a young, green girl.

*

I'm so annoyed I could go crazy.

My body doesn't feel good, and Aron keeps acting so irritating.

And what's with that elf.

If he was going to be like that, he shouldn't have brought me along.

No, why should I even get annoyed by this in the first place?

It's not like I'm jealous, it's just annoying.

"Ah, seriously!"

My emotions won't calm down. My thoughts are all jumbled up, I feel like I'm going crazy.

On top of that, my stomachache won't stop.

"Mia! Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

I glanced at Aron who had followed me and quickly turned my head away.

"What do you want, you pervert bastard who likes grandmothers. You like an elf who's hundreds of years old that much? Then why did you keep me around?"

The moment Aron grabbed my arm, I tried to shake it off, but I lacked the strength.

Staring at my still-captured arm, tears began to fall drip by drip.

"Why does nothing go my way... I said I'm annoyed... but... why is it like this..."

My vision blurred, and my pants felt damp.

"I feel dizzy..."

I immediately collapsed into Aron's embrace.