The Moonlit Lake

Ever since I came to this other world, I'd picked up a certain habit.

Staring blankly up at the night sky, just like this.

"…It's especially bright tonight."

Countless stars whose names I didn't even know, packed densely across a deep indigo sky. And above them, two moons — one red, one blue — glowing with a luminous brilliance.

Looking up at a sky so utterly different from the barren heavens over Seoul, where the occasional glint of a satellite was all you ever got, I was reminded all over again that the ground beneath my feet was not my homeland.

I wandered for a while, savoring the cool night breeze.

"Where the hell did she go, though."

I'd already checked the entire area around Osmon's house, and still there was no sign of Ren, who'd supposedly gone out for a walk.

Ren.

My second companion on this adventure of who-knew-how-long. Lucy would never admit it, but she seemed to have taken a real liking to her too. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Judging by the state Violet had been in the last time I saw him, I had a feeling that once we got closer, Ren was going to give us plenty of headaches of our own. But compared to the journey so far — days of barely exchanging a handful of words unless there was business to discuss — that much was nothing.

"…Sigh. Who am I kidding."

Honestly? Fine. I'll say it.

I'd fallen for her at first sight.

Because everything about her was just that captivating.

Ah — it wasn't just her face. Though, objectively speaking, Ren's face and figure were both exceptionally beautiful. Just before dinner alone, when she'd stretched her arms over her head, I hadn't been able to tear my eyes away from the curve of her chest and the soft line of her underarms.

But more than anything else, what had seized my heart were those lush red wings on both her arms. Passionate as a roaring flame, with soft feathers that gleamed with a healthy sheen. Watching her drape them over Lucy, I'd been so jealous I could have lost my mind. I'd brought it up over lunch out of pure envy, never expecting I'd actually end up with a feather of my own.

"Wonder if she'd do it if I just asked once."

Next chance I got, I was going to ask. And if she said no, well — I still had a secret weapon up my sleeve.

…Bird beastkin still eat chicken, right? She said she used to be human, so…

I was walking along, lost in thoughts like these, when —

"Oh."

— a wide expanse of lake came into view. Stars and moons shimmered beautifully across the surface of the water.

"A lake at night has a real kind of charm to it."

I was standing there admiring the scene, as picturesque as a painting, when a voice called down from above my head.

"Huh? What, you come out for some air?"

"…Ren?"

"Perfect timing. Come on up."

I turned toward the sound of her voice. Right beside me, perched atop a large boulder, was a familiar silhouette.

"Just a sec."

So she was up there sightseeing, then. I climbed onto the rock — and the first thing that met my eyes was —

"Huh?"

— several pieces of black fabric that looked oddly familiar.

"What's this?"

I picked up one of the small scraps of cloth that had been lying there and tilted my head, when Ren's voice came from close by, sounding distinctly uncomfortable.

"Put that down."

"Those are my underwear."

"…What?"

Had I misheard her? Unable to process what Ren had just said, I turned toward the direction of her voice — and —

"WAAAAAAAH!!"

"Ugh, damn it. My eardrums."

— there she was. Not a scrap of clothing on her, perched on the rock, drying her thoroughly soaked body.

"Hey, hey hey hey, heyyy—!!"

"Speak human, will you."

I clapped my hands over my eyes and whipped my head away — but the moonlight was especially bright tonight, and Ren had turned slightly toward me as if she had something to say, and so my brain, the absolute bastard, had already locked that single fleeting glimpse of Ren's bare body into permanent storage with perfect clarity.

"What the hell is with that getup—!!"

A healthy, well-toned body, the kind that clearly saw regular exercise — firm muscle across her back, a faint set of abs. And those full, soft breasts, free of any clothing, swaying gently in a way they never did when she was dressed.

"I went for a dip. As you can see, my arms are like this, so I can't dry myself off. I'm just sitting here air-drying."

I'd only caught a glance, so I couldn't be sure, but from the fact that the tips that should normally have been protruding weren't visible… she was surprisingly modest down there… ahem.

"Hey, uh… you said you can use Taoist magic, right? Don't you have something that could dry me off?"

And that impossibly slender waist, those hips as ripe and full as perfectly ripened fruit — looking at a body like that and still claiming she'd been a man… how was anyone supposed to believe it? Not a man. A man-impersonator, at best.

"Hey."

"Y-Yeah!?"

I stood with my back to her, both hands covering my face, carefully filing away the image of Ren's naked body in my mind — and only then did her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice reach me, dripping with sheer disbelief.

"I asked if you have any Taoist magic that can dry me off."

Magic that could dry a body? There was such a thing, sure — but I couldn't use it.

"The only kind I use is lightning-based… you know, thunder and electricity. So unfortunately, no."

"That so? Guess I'll wait a bit longer, then. If you've got nothing else, you can go on ahead. I'll head back once my wings are dry."

With that, Ren closed her mouth as if that had been the only thing she'd wanted to say. I was still standing there frozen, back turned, stunned by how utterly matter-of-fact her tone had been, when —

"Hey. You can look if you want."

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you getting all shy like some little girl."

A snort of laughter, and then Ren started saying the most outrageous things.

"Hell, want to touch?"

"W-Wh-What kind of ridiculous joke is that…!"

"Not a joke."

Then came the sound of movement from her direction. The sound of Ren getting to her feet.

"Hup."

The drip of water droplets. Footsteps drawing steadily closer.

"Go on. Touch."

That was the last voice that remained in my memory.

"WAAAAAAAH!!"

"…Huh."

I'd only been messing with him a little because that face of his, red as a ripe tomato, was so entertaining — and in the end he couldn't take it, screaming as he fled.

"What a ridiculous guy."

Reacting like he'd never seen a woman's body in his entire life.

"This is going to be fun when he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meets Frederica."

I'd never had much interest in women to begin with, so it had never been an issue for me. But remembering how the captain had gone slack-jawed and then collapsed in one hit — yeah, that was going to be a show.

Come to think of it, Frederica had taken a job somewhere near here, hadn't she?

"Eh, whatever."

Watching Huey freak out would be funny, but I had no interest in putting myself through anything unpleasant. No need to go looking for her.

"The wind's nice, though."

It was just a change of body, and yet so many things had shifted. Like how I'd come to enjoy washing in cold water and drying my feathers in the breeze, the way I was doing now. Anyone who saw me might assume I'd grown up in the wild, or that I was some kind of pervert — but so what. If I liked it, that was enough.

…Though the time it took to dry my wings was a bit of a downside.

"Hmm♩ Hmm♪"

— FWOOSH!

I hummed under my breath and gave both wings a powerful flap, sending water droplets exploding outward in every direction.

"Man, still a long way to go."

I settled back onto the rock and stared blankly up at the sky, waiting for my wings to dry.

"I've really changed, haven't I…"

The old me never would have agreed to travel with someone else, no matter what excuse the captain came up with. And that morning, when the guards had blocked our path — the old me would have raised hell, demanding to know who they thought they were accusing.

"Sigh."

In just three short months, far too much had changed.

"It's all because I don't have a sword."

I'd never gone a single day without a blade in my hand. Without one to grip, all I did was stew in useless thoughts.

"Hell, if even just my hands were intact, I wouldn't have any complaints."

If I could just hold a sword — even if I'd become a monster instead of a woman, I wouldn't have cared. Even one hand. Just one hand that could grip a blade.

"Haa. It's already screwed. What's the point of 'if only'…"

I leaned back under the weight of that gloomy mood — and a red glint caught my eye from among the clothes piled behind me.

"What, already?"

He'd been whining about not getting any decent intel lately. What a drama queen of an old man.

"Hup."

Careful not to let the water still dripping from my half-dry wings soak the fabric, I hooked a foot under the sheet of parchment glowing red among my clothes and pulled it free. I tossed it upward, caught it with a wing, and channeled mana into it — and small letters began to slowly surface.

"Let's see."

An artifact designed for communication between members of the group. Something in the shape of parchment that stayed intact even if it got wet or burned. I read the words that floated up across its surface — and then —

"Ugh."

— I seriously started debating whether I should pass this on to Huey and Lucy or not.

The part about a full investigation starting in the country we were currently in was fine. The problem was that it meant I was about to run into the absolute last person I wanted to see looking like this.