Getting on Nerves
Getting on Nerves
The woman, looking at me with an expression as desperate as if she had lost her country, still didn't let go of the thread of hope.
-Munch munch...
".....Gulp."
Even though I was chewing with my cheeks full, the woman still swallowed her saliva as she looked at the remaining pieces of meat.
What on earth was also a mystery was why she was deliberately getting so close to a stranger and watching me eat.
"A-Are you really going to eat it all...?"
'This is deer meat I caught with great difficulty, of course I should eat it all. What are you talking about?'
I wanted to say that, but thanks to my cheeks still being puffed full, the woman was spared from hearing harsh words.
What do I mean?
Because I was eating with both cheeks full, it was thanks to me that she didn't hear harsh words from me.
Anyway, it was thanks to me.
"Ooh-ooh..."
The woman started making a pitiful expression, as if asking if I really wouldn't give her any.
And as for me, seeing that expression,
"?"
'What is this? Is she trying to be cute?'
What's with this bitch suddenly?
Of course, I was dumbfounded.
If she knew it wasn't going to happen, she should just give up obediently. Now it seemed like she was openly protesting for it.
-Chew chew... Gulp!
I chewed thoroughly and swallowed so I wouldn't get indigestion, then glared at the woman in front of me.
As if telling her to get out of my sight so I could eat.
But even so, she didn't avoid my gaze and kept staring at my meat.
My mood suddenly plummeted.
I had been in a good mood, eating delicious meat after a long time.
Thanks to her, my meal ended with an awkward, not-quite-full feeling.
"Ugh, damn it. I'm not eating it."
When I said that, the woman's expression brightened considerably.
As if the meat was now hers.
So, I decided to clear up the misunderstanding once and for all.
"I'm not giving it to you. I'm going to bury it in the ground, you know?"
When I said that, the answer I got back was even more absurd.
"It's fine if you throw it away! Then I'll just brush off the dirt and eat it!"
And she said that with a bright smile.
I was so dumbfounded that I was momentarily speechless without realizing it.
Actually, her desperate expression was a little cute, so I was just being a little mischievous to tease her, but if she answered like that, I had nothing to say.
I had said it to tease her, but she replied as if she was genuinely relieved by it, which made me feel unnecessarily sorry.
After tearing off another piece of meat, I pretended to give in and handed her a skewer.
At that, the woman's expression brightened considerably.
"Are you, are you giving it to me?!"
-Nod nod.
"Wow! Thank you so much!"
As she said that, she tried to take both the half-eaten skewer and the untouched skewer, so I intercepted her hand.
I wasn't trying to be mischievous this time.
It was just that,
"This one's yours."
I handed the woman a new skewer, still with all six pieces intact.
And I gave the one with only about half left to the man.
"Oh..."
It seemed the woman had intended to eat the three-piece one, or share the amount to eat fairly.
Hmph, absolutely not.
"P-Please don't do that..."
"For a guy who keeps peeking at my chest, there's no such thing."
For this bastard who's been sneaking glances at my chest since earlier, there's no meat.
When I said that, the man flinched and trembled slightly, then took the skewer without even making eye contact with me.
"Eek. I'll apologize on Reed's behalf..."
As expected, isn't this country girl just too kind-hearted?
I don't know why she's hanging out with a guy like Reed, but she was too good for him.
But that bastard didn't even say thank you.
##
"Phew...! Thank you so much. I was on the verge of collapsing from starving all day."
The three of us, including myself, were walking in the same direction.
This girl was so talkative, she kept talking to me the entire time I was chewing meat.
The girl's name was Mari.
And the guy subtly following behind was Reed.
'This bastard isn't looking at my butt again, is he?'
Honestly, it's a reasonable suspicion. Right?
Anyway.
These two said they were adventurers in Riverrun.
The reason they met me now was because they were on their way to complete a quest.
The quest's content was a preliminary investigation of a Dungeon that had appeared in a certain village.
Of course, since they were still Bronze-rank Adventurers, it wasn't about clearing the Dungeon or investigating what monsters appeared, but a simple mission to merely investigate its location and entrance size.
"By the way, Lunia-ssi, what business do you have in Riverrun?"
"I'm going to become an adventurer too."
"Uh... uh? Really?"
What's with this bitch suddenly again?
Kalle had said the same thing, and this bitch Mari, when I said I was becoming an adventurer, suddenly didn't even try to hide her flustered expression.
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's just that, Lunia-ssi is so pretty..."
What my being pretty and being an adventurer had to do with each other, I wondered.
Honestly, experiencing the same reaction twice made me a little curious.
So when I asked,
"I, I naturally thought you were going to become a noble's concubine..."
Fuck.
This bitch is suddenly getting on my nerves?
I didn't hide my displeasure and let it show intensely.
Hissing and huffing, I avoided Mari's gaze as if I was sulking.
But then, the answer that came back again was,
"Sulking Lunia-ssi is cute... Ah, oh. Sorry..."
-Boom!
Hearing those words, I was instantly shocked.
It was as if thunder was striking in my head.
It was so shocking that I even stopped walking.
Seriously, objectively speaking.
Why did my behavior suddenly become so childish?
Until then, I hadn't really hesitated in my actions.
But after hearing Mari's words, I felt a sense of incongruity somewhere.
"U-Um. Lunia-ssi...?"
I started to re-examine my actions once again.
I was mischievous towards Mari who asked for the meat I was eating.
Just because I felt like my meal, the fullness I was feeling, was being taken away.
And just now, I ended up sulking at Mari's words.
Of course, that can happen.
Of course, one can misunderstand, and naturally, if one hears such words, one can feel bad.
To Mari, who said such things to me, I showed my displeasure intensely.
Up to that point, it was well within the acceptable range.
But the problem was what came after.
I pretended not to hear Mari's words and avoided her gaze.
It was like saying, 'I'm sulking, so read the room.'
This kind of behavior, this kind of way of speaking.
To be honest, this is completely...
'It's so girly...'
It's not a derogatory term for women.
When women act tsundere or grumble, it can sometimes seem cute.
But I'm a fucking man.
I can't believe I actually did such things.
The most important thing was that I thought it was natural while doing such things.
"Lunia-ssi, I'm sorry. I said something that might make you feel bad."
No matter how much I thought about it, I didn't seem to have changed.
My being a man was still the same, and my way of thinking was the same as before I was possessed.
Wait.
No way, really?
Suddenly, a hypothesis came to mind.
Even if the core was male, my body was female.
When water and soil meet, they become muddy water.
So,
I, my body, was currently mixing.
Bullshit.
'Don't fucking bullshit me. My gender identity is male. If you refute, you'll go bald. Fuck you.'
Suddenly, a man's voice came from behind.
"Lunia-ssi. How long are you going to stand still? Mari is uncomfortable because she's trying to read your mood, isn't she?"
"R-Reed...!"
Mari flailed her arms as if telling Reed to be quiet.
And then, as if it were true that she was reading my mood, she kept glancing at my eyes.
If I had realized it even a little later, I might have ended up living as a woman like this.
'Phew... I am a man. I am a man. I am a man.'
And a true man doesn't tolerate another male giving him shit.
I turned towards Reed.
"What, you fucking bastard?"
After saying my piece, I turned my head back and continued walking.
"Lu-Lunia-ssi...! Let's go together!"
"W-What...?"
Hmph. Fucking charismatic.
##
"Oh? Lunia-ssi, where are you going?"
When the sun had set to some extent and everyone was looking for a camping spot, I quietly packed my belongings.
Mari, seeing that, quickly asked.
Indeed, the more people there were, the less time each person had to stand Night Watch, so it would be better if I stayed.
So I answered Mari.
"I'm going to sleep separately, by myself."
"...Yes? Why?"
Mari asked, as if she genuinely didn't understand.
"But... you won't be able to sleep properly alone..."
"It's fine. Because somehow, I feel like he'll touch my chest when I'm asleep."
-Flinch.
"Y-You keep swearing in people's faces since earlier...!"
"Then is it okay to sneak glances at someone's chest the first time you meet them?"
"Eek!"
Look at that.
Seeing him get angry with such audacity, it's clear I hit the nail on the head.
This bastard, how dare he.
I once again displayed my insane deductive skills and turned my steps.
"Y-You need to be careful...!"
Mari didn't seem to have any intention of opposing my stubborn will and just looked at me with a worried expression.
What about Reed?
It was too obvious to see.
It wasn't to the point of wanting to kill me, but he had a deeply pissed-off expression.
Actually, the safest thing would be to set up Night Watch duty with those two and sleep for a set amount of time.
But honestly, who knows if those two approached me with some ulterior motive?
For me, who had only been possessed in this world for about a month, it was difficult to trust someone I didn't know.