Chapter 30

※Note: This is written in a picture diary style, so it contains many illustrations. People who are not good at illustrations should probably avoid reading it. (Since the text is written with the illustrations in mind, I do not recommend viewing it without the illustrations.)

Today, the first snow fell on the plains.

The snow lightly whitened the training ground of the fortress and stopped almost immediately, but I feel happy thinking that winter is starting again.

In contrast to yesterday, today was a warm day.

The sun was strong during the day, and the little snow that had accumulated yesterday melted and turned into mud.

Since the ground is in the worst condition, I decided to play inside the fortress. I will play tug-of-war with the towel with the one-eyed knight.

A question I've had for a while.

When I am carried by Mother, she bites the back of my neck, and for some reason, all the strength in my body drains away. My limbs go limp.

I've always found this mysterious, but I think I've recently figured out the reason.

It's probably because if you move while being carried, you might fall and get hurt, so your body is designed to automatically lose strength when the back of your neck is bitten.

Instincts are amazing.

By the way, when Father carries me, he often uses this style. I am placed inside his mouth.

I get nervous every time, thinking I might be accidentally swallowed, so I wish he would stop doing it…

Human hands are wonderful.

They don't have the soft paw pads like mine, but when they gently stroke my head with their warm hands, it feels so good that I melt.

Tina and the commander have slender fingers and stroke me gently and delicately.

However, I also love the big, rough hands of the one-eyed knight. When they are in front of me, I can't help but rub against them.

When I went to play at the fortress, Tina gave me a handmade rabbit plushie.

She is not very good at sewing, so the stitches were rough and the rabbit's face wasn't cute, but I was very happy. I immediately clamped it in my mouth and swung it around. It was fun!

I bit the rabbit's long ears and limbs, and pulled its body with my hands. It was good.

Tina seemed to be worried at first because she had given it to me as a pillow, but then she gave up and said, "If you're having fun, that's fine." Thank you. I'll go ahead and enjoy it.

The plushie's neck broke in less than a day.

I'm sorry, Tina…

Tina said, "I'll practice my sewing and make something that can withstand your rough play, so please wait!" But I was depressed for a while after breaking the rabbit plushie.

Then, one day, I was called by the commander. When I followed her, she secretly handed me a doll. It was a bisque doll made of porcelain.

It was made by a craftsman in the capital, and the peach-colored dress, socks, and shoes were all meticulously crafted.

And of course, the doll itself was exquisitely made. It had a realistic face of a human child, beautiful blue eyes that seemed to have a soul, and shining golden curls...

...Commander, it's not... it's not what I want...

The doll I want is not like this...

Because someone has been putting fruit on the trees to feed them, small birds often come to the small garden on the west side of the fortress.

From there, if you look up, you can see the windows of the one-eyed knight's and the commander's offices. When everyone is busy with work, I often spend my time here. When the work is done, the one-eyed knight will call me from the window.

Today, while I was taking a nap there, the birds gathered without me noticing. They were buried in my fur and resting, but since it was a bother, I didn't chase them away and continued to doze.

Then, some knights on duty happened to pass by and, upon seeing me and the birds, they looked deflated.

Our carefree appearance must have taken away their motivation to work.

I like to stick my body between the legs of a standing human. This position makes me feel safe.

So, I often position myself between the one-eyed knight's legs, but I have a feeling he is slightly troubled by this.

It seems that a lot of snow fell last night, and today the plains are covered with a large amount of snow. This will take a while to melt.

While everyone at the fortress is working hard to clear the snow, I am running around in the snow with high spirits.

It's so much fun!

When I tried to jump onto the snowman that Kicks spent an hour making, my jumping power was insufficient, and I kicked its head off with my front paws.

The head of the snowman that I kicked fell to the ground and was tragically destroyed.

Kicks was depressed, saying, "It was a masterpiece." I'm sorry...

I was secretly kidnapped by the commander, who said, "I have a present for you," and I was trembling with fear—since the bisque doll I received before was too much for me to handle. If I bit it, I might be cursed—this time, I received a dress instead.

It's not a cheap pet dress, but a cute peach-colored dress that matches the bisque doll. The commander must have measured my body size while petting me the other day.

I wasn't particularly interested in clothes or dresses, but the elegant lace and intricate embroidery made my heart flutter. I am a girl, after all.

Excitedly, I put it on, and it fit perfectly due to the custom-made design, but it was so tight that I couldn't move easily.

My legs were hard to move, and it felt a bit uncomfortable.

My mood dropped significantly. I might not be good with clothes.

After being admired by the commander, I showed my dress to everyone at the fortress, and they said it suited me, but my mood didn't improve.

Being naked is the best.

I am fluffy all year round, but it seems that my fluffiness increases in winter. I don't really notice it myself, but everyone keeps petting me.

It's unfair that I can't feel the comfort of my own fur! It's my fur, after all!

The dress I received from the commander the other day is not cheap, even if the amount of fabric used is less than a human's.

However, I haven't worn the dress since then. I pretended not to notice the commander's expectant gaze.

Because clothes make me feel restrained. I don't feel free.

When I showed the dress, my tail drooped, and the commander didn't force me.

But she doesn't seem to have given up completely.

This time, she gave me a cute shawl. You don't have to buy so many things for me.

But I kind of like this shawl. It's cute but not too childish, and the design is elegant. Most importantly, it doesn't hinder my movements.

I don't really feel the cold, so I don't need clothes or warmers, but since the commander is happy, I'll wear it sometimes.

When Kugaru comes to play in the snow, he always walks on the snow cautiously at first, even though he has been in contact with snow many times.

He lifts his feet unnaturally and walks on his tiptoes, trying to minimize contact with the snow. It's a futile effort in a world of silver.

Watching Kugaru's movements reminds me of a creature from my previous life. A desert lizard or gecko that can't keep its feet on the hot sand and takes funny poses by lifting them alternately.

In Kugaru's case, he will eventually get used to it and start running on the snow normally.

Once Kugaru gets used to the snow, he becomes energetic.

He is strong, and I always lose when we play wrestling.

However, he adjusts his strength so that he doesn't hurt me, but when he gets excited, it becomes a bit dangerous.

He bites my throat gently or jumps on top of me.

So, when I think Kugaru is getting excited, I immediately take a surrender pose.

If you show your belly, you can't attack anymore. That's the rule.

When I take a surrender pose at the best part of the game, Kugaru stops attacking but looks extremely dissatisfied. It's like he has indigestion.

But to protect myself, I will continue to use the surrender pose. I have no pride at all.

Since it's more comfortable, I usually stay in my fox form, but when I take a human form, I want to hold hands with the one-eyed knight.

With pawed front paws, I can only do a high-five.

I grip the one-eyed knight's fingers tightly and walk down the corridor so he doesn't leave me behind.

I saw a wild fox in the mountains for the first time in a while. A real fox.

Its fur was not the silver-white like mine, but a color between yellow and brown, truly fox-colored. It looked delicious.

The tips of its slender legs were dark, and its eyes were sharp and cool.

Or, are foxes that sleek?

...Am I just too round?

Today, Father took me to the lake. I rode on his head while he swam, enjoying the beautiful scenery.

A tiny fox riding on a giant snake moving across the lake must look quite surreal from an objective point of view.

Today, I went to the human king's place with Mother. Mother always takes a human form when she goes to the castle, but I stayed in my fox form. Taking a human form is a bit tiring.

I still get nervous when I appear before the kings, so I hide behind Mother and stay still. The kings and the knight guards keep glancing at me, making me uneasy. Moreover, they are all handsome, like sparkling people, which makes it even worse.

The knights are more refined, less rugged, and more elegant than those at the northern fortress, reminding me of what knights are supposed to be like.

No, I think the people at the fortress are cooler! Really!

Mother went to a separate room for an important talk with the king, and I was left alone in the reception room, feeling anxious, when the eldest prince, who was also left in the room, spoke to me kindly.

It turns out that the prince is a childhood friend of my heart's companion, the commander. I was surprised by this fact. The commander has friends!?

I almost cried, feeling relieved that the commander wasn't alone.

And being told that the prince is the commander's friend made me feel closer to him. Friends of friends are friends, after all.

Although I was still a bit nervous, I became friends with him after sharing a piece of cake.

The cake I hadn't eaten in a while made my cheeks fall off.

My heart rate increases when I see black ink.

I lick my front paws, which are now clean, out of reflex.

My heart is racing.

I was used for a lame one-liner by Kicks.

I won't forgive him for this.

While the one-eyed knight was instructing his subordinates in the training ground, I quietly stayed out of the way, but my eyes were drawn to a sword leaning against the wall.

It had been used in training just now, but it was an old one and had broken in two from the impact of the sparring. It was no longer usable and had been set aside.

In the center of the training ground, the knights continued their serious sparring, and the one-eyed knight was watching them with a stern eye, not paying attention to me.

I quietly approached the broken sword. It seemed the blade was dulled for training.

If it's dulled, it shouldn't be dangerous, right?

I gently pushed the sword with my front paws and knocked it over onto the snow. I picked up the handle part with my mouth and tried to lift it. It's heavy!

Everyone always swings such heavy things. Amazing!

While playing with the broken sword, I was caught by the one-eyed knight and scolded.

I've been gently warned before, but I've never been scolded in such a stern tone.

But it's only right for the one-eyed knight to be angry. I played with a sword that is important to a knight.

I almost cried and managed to say, "I'm sorry..." and went back to my home in the mountains that day.

Today, I didn't go to the fortress but followed Mother on her patrol.

Is the one-eyed knight still angry...?

Today, I didn't go to the fortress but went to play with Kugaru and Father.

Kugaru's reaction to seeing Father for the first time was funny, but I couldn't laugh properly.

Today, I thought I would go to the fortress and apologize to the one-eyed knight again, but I didn't have the courage. I played by the lake at the foot of the mountain, which had frozen for the first time this winter.

My heart was heavy, and I wasn't having any fun at all.

The next day, I decided to meet the one-eyed knight.

The one-eyed knight was working in his office and didn't notice me at his feet, so I nervously sniffed and scratched his boots with my front paws.

My heart felt like it was about to explode, but when the one-eyed knight saw me, he looked relieved and said, "I thought you weren't coming anymore" while picking me up gently.

When he stroked my head and said, "I was too harsh, I'm sorry," the dam in my heart broke. I was relieved to know that the one-eyed knight didn't dislike me.

I cried and repeated, "I'm sorry," and the one-eyed knight smiled, looking troubled, and said, "It's okay now."

Yay, I'm glad we made up!

The one-eyed knight was angry not because I played with an "important" sword but because I played with a "dangerous" sword. In other words, he scolded me because he was worried I might get hurt. I'm really sorry.

That day, I stayed in the one-eyed knight's room with Mother's permission and indulged myself to my heart's content. Hehehe.

After not coming to the fortress for three days, I was asked to help the commander again after making up with the one-eyed knight.

The commander knew about what happened and was worried about me. I'm sorry!

The illustration of the seal's joke is labeled as "iteru" but it should be "niteru."

Thank you to everyone who pointed it out.