Chapter 26

■ Chapter 25. Human (4) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

Even as Leona grabbed my collar and dragged me along, I couldn't resist at all. If I tried to speak, she would growl like an animal, and if I tried to break free by force, she wouldn't budge. Instead, she would grip me even tighter to prevent any rash resistance.

In the end, I gave up halfway, fearing my clothes would tear, and followed her as she moved. Fortunately, or perhaps not, there was no one in the corridor.

Suddenly—

When we finally reached a sparsely populated corner of the building, Leona stopped. At the same time, I could feel the grip on my collar gradually loosening.

As soon as she released my collar, I took a few steps back and straightened my clothes. The force she used had wrinkled the area around my neck.

"...Hey."

After a while of straightening my clothes, Leona called out to me in a low, gravelly voice. It wasn't the rigid tone I heard during lectures but one filled with threats. I couldn't help but pause in my efforts to straighten my clothes.

When I reluctantly lifted my stiffened head, I met her eyes, which were now golden like a predator's. They had been blue just a moment ago, but now they matched mine.

As soon as Leona faced me, she spoke with a confident voice.

"Did you see it?"

"..."

"If you hadn't, you wouldn't have acted like that. Be honest. Did you see it?"

What reason did I have to deny it? I had done it to confirm, after all. But the pressure emanating from Leona was intense.

I tried to calm my trembling heart and managed to respond, though my voice still quivered slightly.

"I saw it, I saw it. Something came out of your head..."

"..."

"...Are those ears?"

Curiosity is curiosity. Leona smirked, lifting one corner of her mouth at my cautious question. Instead of words, she responded with an action.

Plop—

A triangular ear sprouted from Leona's chestnut hair. It was clearly not human but an animal's ear.

As I had suspected, Leona was not human but a therianthrope.

'Does she wear pants to hide her tail?'

I was formulating a plausible hypothesis in my mind when Leona, who had hidden the ears that had sprouted from her head, spoke sarcastically.

"Is your curiosity satisfied now? Why don't I show you the tail too?"

"Uh... No, it's fine."

Indeed, her tone was still unfamiliar. The Leona I knew was a taciturn student with little emotional variation, but now she seemed like a delinquent.

Her tone had become harsh, and her appearance had changed 180 degrees, creating a sense of dissonance.

"Huh..."

Leona, looking as if her mind was in turmoil, roughly ran her fingers through her hair and sighed deeply. I waited silently while she collected her thoughts.

She must have had her reasons for hiding her true identity. Now that I had discovered her secret, her situation must be quite complicated. If I had known this would happen, I would have pretended not to notice, but my curiosity had gotten the better of me.

"What should I do? It's too dangerous to make you disappear without a trace... Should I threaten you? I'm going crazy..."

"..."

Leona's muttering reached my ears. It seemed she wasn't just saying it for show but genuinely considering it, which made me even more afraid.

I had a strong premonition that something serious might happen to me, so I cautiously called out to her.

"Hey..."

"What? Do you have something to say?"

As soon as I called out, Leona asked me with a sarcastic expression and tone. I flinched for a moment before speaking my mind.

"Y-You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone about your true identity."

"Would you believe that if you were in my shoes?"

"Uh... I don't know. I don't know what your situation is."

An honest and straightforward answer, without any lies.

Leona, upon hearing my answer, exhaled sharply and said with a mocking tone.

"This brat isn't joking around..."

"..."

I regretted speaking. The feeling of fear was overwhelming, and I swallowed hard.

Normally, I would have tried to remain calm, but for some reason, it was difficult to think clearly. Was it because of the pressure emanating from Leona?

"Huh... No, forget it. Anyway, you must never reveal that I'm a therianthrope. Got it?"

"..."

"What if I do?"

"I'll tear your limbs apart."

Leona growled, just as she had before. It was terrifying, but I still had a question.

Why was Leona, who was hiding her true identity, attending the academy? If I asked, she might get irritated, but it was worth asking.

I tried to calm my trembling heart as much as possible and mustered the courage to ask Leona.

"Is there something I can ask?"

"Do you have to ask something in this situation?"

"Curiosity is curiosity."

"Ugh. You're not a Miao, yet you're so curious. Fine, I'll indulge you. Ask."

Leona crossed her arms and nodded. Her figure, revealed through her uniform, was quite curvaceous.

I tried to keep my gaze from wandering to inappropriate places and spoke.

"Why did you hide your true identity to attend the academy?"

"I don't think I have an obligation to answer that."

"Hmm... I see. So, the rigid attitude you've had so far was all an act?"

"It's to avoid being suspected as a therianthrope. Humans think of us as aggressive and barbaric, right? I'm just using that stereotype."

I nodded at her answer.

As I mentioned before, humans treat therianthropes as barbarians or primitives. Some even consider them slaves.

Moreover, therianthropes are known for their aggressive nature, which has led to the widespread belief that they are savage. Therefore, it's assumed that a therianthrope like Leona, who is rational and rigid, doesn't exist. She has used this assumption to her advantage.

"Will you continue to do this in the future?"

"Of course. To graduate without revealing my true identity, I have to endure."

"Is it worth it?"

Therianthropes are a species with particularly strong 'instincts.' Unlike demons, who fight their inner evil, therianthropes don't try to suppress their instincts. It's more accurate to say they can't.

In any case, instincts are inseparable from therianthropes. No matter how disciplined Leona is, she can't suppress her innate instincts. Just the way her ears popped out when I provoked her is proof.

Leona, aware of this, smiled bitterly, a completely different expression from before.

"...It's worth it. If it weren't, I wouldn't have enrolled here."

"It must be tough."

"Of course, it's tough... Hey, stop prying. How long do I have to answer your questions?"

I was disappointed. I was so close.

My disappointment must have shown on my face, as Leona furrowed her brow.

"What's that disappointed look for? Do you want to die?"

"Sorry."

"Huh... Anyway, don't tell anyone that I'm a therianthrope. Got it?"

"Got it. And one more thing."

"Do you have another question?"

Now she looked exasperated. But I didn't back down and asked my question.

"Did you hear everything I said in the cafeteria earlier?"

"Yeah, I heard it all. Why?"

"I was curious about your thoughts."

"Huh?"

Leona looked at me with a bewildered expression, clearly thinking, "What's wrong with this guy?"

"You're a therianthrope, so you can't have a good opinion of humans. I was curious about what you would think after hearing my story."

"You're really... Ugh. You're worse than a Miao. Are all humans like this?"

"I'm just curious. Especially about other species."

"Damn..."

In the end, Leona shook her head, seemingly giving up on my endless curiosity. I inwardly rejoiced but tried to keep my expression neutral.

After a moment, Leona, with her arms still crossed, stared at me intently. I waited silently for her to speak. Her golden eyes had returned to their blue color, indicating she had calmed down.

After some time, Leona's tightly closed lips parted, and her characteristic sarcastic voice flowed out.

"I won't tell you."

"Huh?"

"I won't tell you. Did you really think I would answer?"

As I was taken aback, Leona smiled and walked toward me. I hadn't noticed before, but now that she was close, I realized she was quite tall. I had to look up slightly, so she must be over 175 cm.

Anyway, Leona stood confidently in front of me and slowly raised her hand. She then pressed my cheek, making my lips protrude.

"Ugh? What are you doing..."

"By the way, why is our red cat so curious?"

Was she calling me a red cat because of my red hair? But my priority was to get her hand off my lips.

Of course, no matter how I struggled, she didn't budge. Therianthropes have superior physical abilities compared to other species, and Leona's strength was overwhelming. It wasn't just difficult; it was impossible to resist.

While I was resisting, Leona maintained her smirking face and issued another warning.

"I'm warning you again. If you reveal that I'm a therianthrope, I'll cut out your tongue. Tearing your limbs apart is too much trouble, so I'll let you off with that. Got it?"

"Y-Yes..."

It's the same, but I had to agree out of fear.

Leona, satisfied with my agreement, nodded and released my cheek. It was only a moment, but my cheek was tingling.

"I hope you keep your mouth shut. Before that..."

Swoosh—

While I was rubbing my tingling cheek, Leona stretched her neck and brought it close to my neck. I tried to back away, startled, but she grabbed my wrist, preventing me from moving.

"Sniff. Sniff. Sniff."

Then, Leona began to sniff my neck. The subtle sensation made my face turn red, and I tried to pull away, but it was futile. All I could do was push her head away.

But she didn't budge, so I had to shout, flustered and stuttering.

"What, what are you doing?"

"What do you think? I'm trying to remember your scent. But you smell like musty books."

Leona sniffed my scent for a while, then pulled away. After a moment, she released my wrist. I quickly checked my wrist.

A deep, red bruise was clearly visible. I rubbed it, wincing in pain, and asked, puzzled.

"Why do you want to remember my scent?"

"To check if you're doing anything unnecessary. How can I trust you?"

"..."

"Now, are we done? I'm leaving."

Leona tapped my head a few times and walked away. I rubbed my wrist and watched her leave, then called out her name.

"Leona!"

"Ugh... What?"

She roughly ran her fingers through her hair and turned to look at me. Her expression clearly said, "If you say anything unnecessary, I won't let it go."

I regretted calling her but asked the last question I wanted to ask.

"Have you read the Zayon Chronicles?"

"What? The Zayon Chronicles?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

Leona exhaled sharply. She waved her hand and answered in an annoyed tone.

"No. I don't find it interesting at all. I don't care."

"...Got it."

"Then I'm leaving. If you ask me anything else, I'll ignore it. Got it?"

Leona left, her words lingering. I held my bruised wrist and watched her disappear from my sight, then suddenly remembered something odd.

"...Not interesting? Does that mean you've read it?"

As I muttered this, a pair of ears sprouted from Leona's head, whether she heard me or not.