IJEBPSCLB 37

chapter 37

“…Is this real?”

This isn’t a dream, right?

Unable to believe the reality before me, I pinched my cheek.

The stinging pain told me this was real.

“I became human.”

“Wow. I really became human.”

The force that had always been blocking me was gone.

It felt like all the pathways in my body had opened.

I could clearly feel a cold energy moving freely throughout my body.

I had imagined the moment I would become human again thousands of times, but I had never expected it to happen like this.

I hadn’t even considered that he could be in so much pain.

And even less had I imagined that I would turn human in that situation.

“I thought I’d failed during the humanization adaptation period and would never be able to become human again…”

Alongside my desire to become human, there had always been a lingering fear that I might never succeed.

“But I actually became human like this…”

Rather than joy, I felt dazed.

It was like staring at a mirage.

“Ah. My body.”

After blanking out for a moment, I looked down at my arm—and realized I wasn’t wearing a single thing.

I became aware of my nakedness almost immediately.

“At least something to cover…”

I looked around and hurriedly grabbed a blanket.

Rustle, rustle—the sound of the blanket being pulled toward me echoed.

“…There’s no way he was watching, right?”

Pulling the blanket closer, I shot him a wary glance.

Then I buried myself deeper inside it and rolled over, dragging almost the entire blanket toward myself.

I looked like some kind of cocooned creature.

Despite my excessive caution, he seemed to have anticipated this situation—he had already turned his back to me.

Perhaps because of his terrifying regenerative ability, the white tiger—who had been drenched in blood as if soaked in a giant tub—now had stopped bleeding, and fresh flesh was forming.

Once I had gathered enough of the blanket, I wrapped it over my head, leaving only my eyes peeking out so I could see.

I gripped the blanket tightly to prevent it from slipping.

Then, wrapped up, I climbed out of bed and waddled forward.

I probably looked like a sausage from a hot dog suddenly turning human and awkwardly walking on its own.

“A mirror. Where’s the mirror?”

As if nothing else mattered, I walked straight toward it.

The oversized blanket dragged along the floor behind me.

Because it was hard to move, I took small, quick steps until I reached the mirror.

Standing before it, what I saw wasn’t a cat.

It was a girl, desperately wrapped from head to toe in a blanket far larger than her body.

The mirror reflected a girl with fresh green eyes, like grass glistening under sunlight.

Strands of pitch-black hair poked out messily from the white blanket, standing out sharply.

I lowered the blanket from my head to my shoulders and pulled my hair free.

“…Is this me?”

Blink.

I closed my eyes and opened them again.

The girl in the mirror still stood there, wrapped in a blanket.

Rather than slender, it would be more accurate to call her thin.

Even wrapped up, her frailty couldn’t be hidden.

Her black hair fell to her waist.

It was as dark as my fur had been when I was a cat—like it had swallowed darkness itself.

Her pale skin contrasted with the black hair, making it look even whiter.

Like the moon glowing in the night sky.

I absentmindedly touched my hair.

The girl in the mirror did the same, with an awkward expression.

“…It’s me.”

Seeing that expression—like someone eating bland food—I knew without a doubt that the reflection was me.

Watching the mirror mimic my movements made it real again.

Yesterday, I almost died.

Today, I became human.

You really never know what life will bring.

I stared blankly at my reflection.

“Um… what… what should I do…?”

It was all so sudden that my mind turned completely blank.

The hundred-plus things on my “when I become human” bucket list had long since gone on vacation somewhere far away with Santa Claus.

I tore my gaze away from the mirror and trudged back.

Hearing my footsteps approach, he turned his head toward me.

Our eyes met.

Green eyes and blue eyes crossed.

One human.

One white tiger.

The situation between Ian and Ariel had completely reversed.

Before, it was a kitten and a human.

Now, it was a human and a white tiger.

I exhaled and tried to speak.

“Ah… ah…”

My voice came out rough and cracked, unused for so long.

It wasn’t a meow.

It was a human voice.

It had been so long.

I tried a few more times, touching my throat.

I could feel the unfamiliar vibration of my vocal cords.

I felt like I might cry.

It had been about ten years since I last spoke—since I was nine.

Feeling his gaze, I grew self-conscious.

Well… I’m shocked, but he must be even more shocked.

The cat he’d been living with suddenly turned into a person.

And not even a child beastkin—but an adult one.

The odds were ridiculously low.

I opened my mouth and carefully tried to pronounce,

“Hi…”

…Ah.

The pronunciation came out weird.

I cleared my throat and tried again.

“Ahem… Hello, Ian.”

Saying his name out loud felt strangely unfamiliar.

Even though I had repeated it countless times in my head—when I was angry, in pain, or frustrated—it felt different now.

A strange ticklish feeling lingered.

I fidgeted with the blanket, making sure it was still secure.

“Ah… maybe I shouldn’t call him like that.”

I’d grown too familiar internally and casually called his name.

But normally, you don’t address the head of a family so freely.

For a moment, I remembered the version of him from the original story—somewhat unhinged.

If he hadn’t kidnapped me from the garden, we would never have crossed paths.

Even as beastkin, the difference in our status was like heaven and earth.

I probably wouldn’t have even dared look up at him from afar.

Realizing my mistake, I cautiously corrected myself.

“Or… um… should I call you… Head of the Kadellion family…?”

It really was an awkward relationship.

Should I be more formal?

“…If he rules a region, should I call him ‘Your Majesty’?”

All the etiquette I’d learned seemed to have flown out of my head.

Clutching the blanket like a lifeline, I bowed deeply in perfect historical-drama fashion.

“For Your Majesty, I, Ariel, humbly offer my greetings.”

My voice sounded solemn and dramatic.

Oh right, they usually add something else.

“It is an immeasurable honor to meet you.”

I lifted my head slightly to peek at him.

What I got in return was a look that clearly said: Are you insane?

“…May I dare speak Your Majesty’s name?”

At that, Ian burst out laughing.

Hey! Stop laughing! Your wounds are reopening!

As his skin split again while regenerating, I stared at him in horror.

First, I needed to stop this laughing white tiger.

“Why, got a problem?”

—“I humbly ask if there is any issue…”

…Huh?

Ah. I messed up.

My thoughts and words got mixed.

Side effect of becoming human again.

“My words just now were not mine, but… another personality inside me…”

His expression clearly said, You’ve got to be kidding me.

Ah… so this is how he’s been reading my face this whole time.

The more I spoke, the worse things got.

“So… I mean…”

“…yeah.”

Even after giving up the formalities, talking to him was still difficult.

He suddenly felt distant.

How am I supposed to treat him?

This is insane.

Because of this weird situation—being a cat turned beastkin—I had no idea how to speak to him.

I had only called him casually in my head because he couldn’t hear me.

I brushed off my knees and flopped onto the bed, still wrapped in the blanket.

Like a cicada stuck to a tree, suddenly laid sideways.

“…How am I supposed to live now?”

Everything felt difficult.

How to live, how to treat Ian…

I probably needed to start planning how to survive in the beastkin continent.

***

Allen knocked on the door as usual.

“Come in.”

It seemed the pheromone rampage had ended.

“Looks like he recovered quickly this time.”

Allen felt a faint disappointment.

He didn’t want to work with his boss—but having him around reduced workload.

He straightened his voice and opened the door energetically.

“Good morning—”

“…doesn’t seem like it.”

Allen froze.

On the bed in front of him was a naked woman—under the same blanket as his lord.

Ian was sitting up, but that wasn’t the main issue.

“…I see.”

Allen forced his expression to remain composed.

Seeing his boss in bed with a woman.

A naked woman.

…Should I quit?

For the first time in his life, he seriously considered writing a resignation letter.

Closing his eyes tightly, he spoke:

“My lord… have you finally lost your mind?”