Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Smitten Slime VER.N. DAWN
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[Kyuu, kyuuw, kyukyuu.]
The smitten slime hummed as it crawled up Dun's arm, across his shoulder, over his head, and back down his arm.
A damp straight trail was left on Dun's Briane wolf fur.
"What's up with it?"
"No idea. What on earth did you do to that slime?"
"...I just kept hugging it while I slept?"
It had felt cool and squishy, so he'd kept holding it. He'd thought it might burst if he tossed and turned, but somehow it had survived and kept clinging to him.
Meanwhile, Rihaowel's eyes went wide at the mention of hugging a slime while sleeping, and she let out a startled cry.
"What? Why would you sleep hugging a monster?"
"It was cool..."
"Did you sleep in a hunting ground?"
"I slept in a grassy spot with good sunlight. Was that a hunting ground?"
Rihaowel's face filled with worry, scrunching up in distress.
"I told you to be careful around monsters, even the weak ones. All they think about is killing humans. Why do you always pick the most heartbreaking things to do?"
Why do you always pick the most heartbreaking things to do.
Dun hated yet loved that phrase and expression. He hated that she was upset because of him, but it made him happy that she cared so much.
It felt like a heavy fist thudding against his chest.
As Rihaowel looked like she might actually cry, a subtle anxiety made his heart race.
"Uh, um, I mean..."
He flailed his hands awkwardly in the air, racking his brain to soothe her.
"...Honestly, I'm back in one piece, so you're not that upset, right?"
The words that came out after racking his brain were off the mark.
Dun hesitated, then looked up to gauge Rihaowel's expression.
He couldn't be sure, but it really looked like she was hurt.
"Whatever. You're not injured anywhere?"
"No way. Mom, do I look funny? Smile a bit. My hair's all frizzy now. The kids said I look like a monkey, ook ook."
Even as Dun flailed and explained, the furrow between Rihaowel's brows didn't smooth out.
To quickly erase that crease, Dun kept babbling.
You know what monster I saw today? I saw Lycus bugs. They weren't as big a deal as I thought. And the boss Lycullin was such a du—
Rihaowel stuffed a top-grade recovery potion into Dun's mouth. His words couldn't continue thanks to it.
To look good to Rihaowel, Dun gulped down the potion that had zero effect on him and grinned, showing his teeth.
"Wow, Mom, I'm totally fine now! Thanks!"
"So you're 'fine now' means you weren't fine before?"
"That's not what I meant!"
As Dun's heart pounded at Rihaowel's furrowed brow, the slime beside him grew anxious too.
It bowed its head just like Dun and trembled.
"You're all I have in this world, Dun."
"Same for me."
"You'll eat, right?"
Whether she'd forgiven him or not, Rihaowel flashed a stunning smile. Afraid to miss the chance, Dun answered quickly.
"Y-Yeah!"
"How many bowls of rice?"
"Half a bowl... no, one bowl... actually, two!"
"You'll eat salad too? No being picky?"
"Yeah! Give me everything! I'll eat it all!"
[Kyuu! Kyuu!]
The smitten slime energetically vouched for him from Dun's side.
That night, Dun sat beside Rihaowel as she kept scooping more rice for him, forcing down the veggies he didn't like along with the rice. It was pure agony.
* * *
Dun wasn't one to eat much to begin with.
It was a habit from the orphanage. Knowing that stretching his stomach would only make him hungrier for more, he'd kept his portions tiny to shrink it.
After being born into this game world called "Ninapinta," he'd had to ditch eating even more. Born in the middle of nowhere, he'd grown used to starving.
The stronger the desire for something, the greater the accompanying pain.
Hunger, loneliness, pain, sadness—if he convinced himself they were nothing, they really started feeling like nothing.
From a young age, he'd brainwashed himself every time hunger hit: I hate food, I hate eating. And miraculously, he really started hating it.
After joining the Hunter Association, he'd gotten by on vitamin capsules for meals, so the habit stuck hard.
He'd reached the point where eating something tasty felt foolish, so meal times were Dun's greatest torment.
But the surest way to make Rihaowel happy was to eat well, which was a real dilemma.
"Our pretty Dun eats so cutely too."
"Ugh."
Dun stuck out his lips and swallowed the soup he'd nearly spat out.
Every time he forced spoonfuls of soup into his mouth, Rihaowel beamed with pride.
Agh, it felt like soup was about to come out his nose. Dun shoveled another mouthful and smiled at Rihaowel.
"Haa..."
After the meal, Dun soaked in a large wine barrel filled with warm bathwater.
Through the small bathroom window, a tiny crescent moon like a fingernail was visible. Hot steam rising from Dun's bathwater escaped the window, scattering over the little moon.
Cooler air slipped in place of the steam, brushing his skin refreshingly.
The water smelled of the Roqueurin herb bath salts Rihaowel had prepared. Because it was herb-based, the water was green.
[Stamina recovers quickly.]
It was the effect of the Roqueurin herb. A medicinal plant that rapidly restored stamina. He'd gathered a ton from the mountains, and Rihaowel had turned it into bath salts for him.
The bloating from overeating eased a bit in the fresh scent of the Roqueurin herb.
[Kyuuw, kyu...]
The slime on Dun's head spread out lazily too.
Dun floated the smitten slime in the bathwater.
[Lv. 15] Smitten Feel-Good Slime
The slime seemed pleased too, as modifiers piled up in front of it.
"Why are you kyuu-ing when you're under my control? Tell me."
Dun poked the slime's cheek with his finger.
[Warm... Nice...]
The slime's garbled words reached him. This thing had been holding out on him on purpose.
With its low intelligence, unlike the Lycus bugs, the slime's vocabulary was limited. It mostly kyuu-ed, occasionally expressing itself, and blinked its eyes often.
The slime waddled through the water toward Dun and rubbed against his arm.
[Cool... Nice...]
It slimed up his arm and settled comfortably back on his head.
[Nice... Nice...]
It started swaying on Dun's head, singing that it liked him.
[Kyuuw, kyuuw.]
It was like a music box tune.
In the small bathroom, the slime's singing voice carried softly through the steam.
Dun scrubbed his grimy body while listening to the slime's song.
[Really nice...]
"You little... gonna drown me?"
After finishing his bath and getting ready for bed, the slime crawled over his face while singing.
It was blocking his nose, nearly suffocating him, so Dun peeled it off his body.
"Go away."
For his own sake, Dun flung the slime far away. He had a cool pillow now, so no need for the slime. Plus, after the bath, it was uncomfortably warm.
[Hug... Hug...]
The slime whined pitifully, annoying him again. It was getting on his nerves.
Hating the whimpering, Dun spread his arms and pulled the slime into a hug.
The bluish slime suddenly glowed faintly and turned pink.
[Like... Like...]
"You can change color too?"
The slime seemed to understand, nodding slightly in Dun's arms. It didn't really have a head, so he wasn't sure, but it felt like affirmation.
"I'm gonna sleep, so no more kyuu-ing. Turn off that heat from your body."
[Like...]
"Got it. Hurry up and sleep."
[Love...]
"..."
Dun sighed, patting the spoiled slime until it fell asleep.
Because the slime was so hot, Dun ended up sweating buckets as he slept.