Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Kasha's Rage (3)
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『Gob's Perspective』
Kasha burst into my room, and with Sera charging in too, it turned into a three-way standoff.
"...? You haven't heard yet?"
Sera said, her eyes widening round.
"Heard what?"
Kasha shot back.
"That Gob was originally human."
"...? What are you talking about?"
Kasha tilted her head, looking like it was the first she'd heard of it.
Tsk. I didn't want to tell her.
"Judging by your reaction, it's news to you."
"He was human? No way."
Kasha glanced at me.
"Kehhe."
I snorted and turned my head away sharply.
"Gob. Why didn't you tell Kasha?"
When Sera's gaze turned to me, I averted my eyes.
The reason I hadn't told Kasha I was human. What was it again?
First, the timing never felt right.
Second, I figured nothing would change even if I did.
Third, it was too much hassle to go explain it to her.
Fourth, she was a bitch anyway, so it didn't matter if she saw me as a monster or a human.
Thinking about it, I had excuses for days.
But the real reason? I just hated that beast girl.
My feelings were hurt beyond repair, and I couldn't even stand the sight of her.
She'd already cursed me out and beaten me up as much as she could, so what was the point of clearing up the misunderstanding now?
I didn't want some forced apology, and I wasn't about to forgive her with just a single "sorry."
I understood Kasha's side. She didn't know I was human and thought I was a monster.
But understanding it logically didn't make my heart follow suit.
Even knowing it was a misunderstanding didn't erase the painful memories.
Someone might tell me to stop being emotional and judge rationally.
But emotions can't be convinced with logic.
Why do people wail at funerals? It's not like crying brings the dead back.
Explaining every reason I hadn't told Kasha the truth would take forever.
But picking just one wouldn't get the point across.
So I said nothing.
"Sigh... It's late anyway. Let's talk tomorrow."
Sera let out a deep sigh and led Kasha out of the room.
She fixed the broken door on her way out.
...The room fell quiet.
Once again, Kasha had just caused chaos and left.
Adding today's mess to everything else, she was seriously due for jail time.
If this were South Korea, she'd have been locked up long ago without needing today's incident.
Plop. I threw myself onto the bed.
After tormenting me like that all this time, was she seriously expecting a simple "sorry" tomorrow to make it all go away?
Did I have to accept that shallow apology and forgive her?
For some reason, my throat burned, and my chest felt tight.
Bam! I grabbed an innocent pillow and hurled it at the wall.
"Kehu..."
I let out a heavy sigh.
Fine. If she comes, I'll forgive her right away.
Logically speaking, there was no reason to hate her.
Just end it cleanly and never see her face again.
Sera wouldn't have much to say about that.
『Sera's Perspective』
Sera's room.
Sera was struggling to convince Kasha.
An hour had passed since they started talking, but Kasha still wasn't persuaded.
"I've told you a dozen times already, but Gob was originally human before he became a goblin."
"No way! He's one of the Demon King's lackeys!"
Kasha shouted.
"Why do you think that?"
Sera asked calmly.
"He smells good."
"And that's a problem?"
"Of course it is! Have you ever met a goblin that smells good?"
Sera realized Kasha's pride had kicked in.
When Kasha got prideful, you had to tread carefully to avoid bruising it.
"I've never met a goblin that smells good either."
"Right? Exactly."
First, agree with her to slip in gently.
"You don't like Gob anyway, right?"
"Of course not! Why would I like him?"
"You just like his scent a lot?"
"Not a lot. Just a little."
"You don't like Gob. You just like his scent a little?"
"Yeah."
Circumvent her pride gently.
"I think if he were a normal goblin, he'd never smell good. He'd just stink."
"That's what I'm saying. That's why it's suspicious!"
"It is suspicious. I didn't believe it at first either."
Empathize as much as possible to break down her walls.
"But since Gob was originally human, maybe that's why he smells good? Humans care about hygiene, after all."
To Sera, Gob's scent wasn't that inexplicable.
"Hmm... Maybe? But even if a goblin washes well, I doubt it'd smell like that..."
Kasha's sensitive nose saw it differently.
"Maybe he's influenced by the Demon King. We're guessing that's why he turned into a goblin."
"See? I knew it."
"But being influenced by the Demon King is different from being his subordinate, right?"
"Isn't it the same?"
"I've been influenced by the Demon King too, but I'm not his subordinate."
"Oh, right..."
Kasha couldn't argue with that.
"But how are you so sure he's human?"
"Once I started seeing him as human, everything made sense."
"What do you mean?"
"It was when we first met..."
Sera slowly recounted the past.
She skipped the sexual parts and only mentioned his human-like qualities.
...After talking for a while.
"Hearing that, he does seem human."
Kasha didn't believe it at first, but Sera's persistence won her over.
"So you'll go apologize to Gob?"
"What?"
"For everything you've done to him so far."
Sera didn't know all of Kasha's actions.
But she clearly remembered the violence directed at Gob.
"Do I have to apologize? I thought he was a monster."
"Of course you do."
"I'm the one who's wronged here. If I'd known he was human, I wouldn't have done it."
"Even if you didn't know, wrong is wrong."
Sera hugged Kasha like she was scolding a child and patted her back.
"Fine. I'll apologize."
Kasha mumbled, burying her face in Sera's chest.
"Good thinking."
Sera felt relieved knowing Kasha would apologize.
"But why do you always take his side?"
Kasha peeked out from between Sera's breasts.
"What do you mean?"
"You've never taken my side once."
"Hehe. Were you upset that I kept siding with Gob?"
"Obviously. Just say it."
"Of course it's you."
The answer was immediate. No need to think.
The time they'd spent together was worlds apart in both quantity and depth.
No matter how well she got along with Gob, it paled compared to her time with Kasha.
The cabin days were brief, and those feelings had faded.
But she'd known Kasha for decades, sharing life-and-death journeys.
"See? Sera's the only one for me."
Kasha rubbed her cheeks against Sera's breasts.
"Gob's a pitiful guy."
Sera embraced Kasha's head and stroked it gently.
"You're strong, so I sided with the weak one to balance it out."
Sera skillfully massaged Kasha's ears.
"Hng..."
Kasha moaned and hugged Sera tighter.
She'd always loved having her ears touched.
"You'll end up getting along with Gob fine, so don't worry too much."
"How am I supposed to get along with him now..."
Kasha mumbled dreamily, her tail swishing lazily.
'So cute.'
Sera's lips curved into a smile at Kasha's puppy-like adorableness.
Sera knew.
That Kasha sometimes blurted out "you smell good" to people.
And that it didn't take long before she said she "liked" them.
For Kasha, "you smell good" was basically synonymous with "I like you."
It had always been that way.
'Come to think of it, this is the first time Kasha's said a guy smells good.'
That's why Sera had misunderstood her as a lesbian all this time.
'She's not a lesbian. She just hadn't met a guy who smelled good until now.'
After nearly a century of life, she'd finally found a male she liked.
It made sense why she'd pounce on such a rare find. Though rape was still off-limits.
'I want to push them together, but the situation's tricky.'
As long as Gob had a goblin's appearance, dating or marriage would be impossible.
If he found a way to become human, she could shove them together without worry.
'At least as close friends for now. I'll push when the chance comes.'
In the end, Sera decided to play cupid.