Chapter 12
Editor: Mirial
I spoke, my head resting on top of Legato’s lap.
「Is it fine for Squad commander to be loafing about over here? Even though we’re all so busy?」
「Just for a bit. Thanks to the guarding incident, my work was cut down. Nidel-dono sure cos here quite often.」
It seed like Legato had accepted being a lap pillow, and continued his conversation as usual. However, what Legato said surprised . I didn’t think he’d know of my little spot.
「…Have you perhaps seen playing truant here before?」
「Yeah, many tis.」
「Why didn’t you talk to , then?」
「…I thought it’d be bad to disturb you. It always seed as if you were tired.」
Sure, I only ca here when I felt down or was awfully tired. For soone to have noticed like that, it was certainly quite embarrassing.
「The first ti we t was also here.」
At Legato’s next words, I was quite taken aback. Was he perhaps talking about the happenings from nearly ten years ago?
For him to rember such a trifling incident, and furthermore recognise that it was , it was completely outside my expectations.
「At that ti you helped with my injury, thank you very much for that.」
At Legato’s words, I was convinced that he was talking about the ti I was thinking of.
「…You have a good mory…to rember things from so long ago.」
「Ah, it was Nidel-dono as expected. Actually, I wasn’t that confident.」
He said cheerfully above my head, sothing in his voice hinting at the joy he felt.
「Actually I realised it was Nidel-dono only after a few years had passed.」
「That’s because I also shut myself in the tower in the beginning.」
「I had always wished to express my gratitude for that ti, but in the end I was rescued by you this ti…If there’s anything I could possibly do, I’d like to repay that too.」
I smiled at the conscientious Legato. What happened 10 years ago was just a re whim of mine, whereas this ti was due to work obligations. Moreover, I was the one who ought to be grateful for this ti.
However, I felt like taking advantage of Legato’s kindness. He’d even given a lap pillow. In that case, let’s ask for a few more wishes.
「Then, please pet ,」
「……Huh?」
「When I was a cat, didn’t you pet ? That’s beco sowhat of a habit.」
Legato sat silently in response. While I was thinking “He’s lost interest after all,” Legato started speaking cautiously.
「Um…when Nidel-dono transforms into a cat, how much of your human consciousness do you retain?」
「I only have my human consciousness.」
When I replied straight away, Legato once again turned silent.
「…So then you remain in a completely sane state?」
「That’s right, I’m completely sane.」
Legato’s words hit the spot, and I trembled with laughter. When Legato beca perturbed, his words turned clumsy.
From Legato’s viewpoint, it must have seed as if I wasn’t sane when performing those actions.
「You’re good at transforming into cats.」
「Not just cats, if it’s transforming into animals, I think I’m most probably the best in the country. Please keep it a secret, since I don’t speak too much of it. But still, I did sothing inexcusable to Squad Commander-dono.」
「Yes?」
「I made you mistake that you weren’t hated by animals, didn’t I?」
Perhaps he realised I was teasing him, for Legato gave a wry smile.
「Certainly, this was the first ti I beca attached to an animal.」
「I can beco a cat even now, but I’m too tired to use any magic…it’s one of those transformations that requires quite a bit of power.」
「It must have felt terrible, staying like that every night during the guard.」
「I was happier than Squad Commander-dono, I was dozing off after all.」
Legato and I conversed as if to mutually appreciate the efforts we’d taken during our ti as guards. If one had heard our tone of voice, it would have seed overly formal, but the atmosphere was quite amicable. Only we would understand the pains we took during guarding.
For so reason, those days felt distant now.
As we spoke, I felt a hesitant finger touch , through the hood. I had pulled the hood lightly over my head, but that finger flipped it over and Legato ruffled through my hair. He seed to be petting just as I had requested. “What an earnest fellow,” I thought, lying on my side, curling my lips into a smile.
「…It’s the sa.」
Legato, who was ruffling his finger through my hair spoke words of admiration.
「What is?」
「It feels the sa as your coat when you were a cat.」
「Is that so?」
Legato, while moving his hand about as if to confirm the feeling, muttered 「How amazing」, greatly interested. At first he seed hesitant, but gradually his hand’s movents smoothed out and Legato started skillfully petting my head in the sa manner when I was a cat.
The familiar hand movents caused to feel sleepy. “Be it cat or human form, the feeling of being petted is the sa,” I mused.
However, one could only have their head petted as a cat. If I asked for sothing like “Please pet my body” it’d end up taking on a wholly different aning.
I would only like to be petted normally, I thought, laughing a little to myself.
From the day when I first had a conversation with Legato, I was aware of the thing sleeping in the depths of my heart.
Legato had always been special, he was one of the anchors that supported my heart. I’d always been longing for that honest figure. Always.
Legato was kind and earnest, causing him to always be taken advantage of, always getting the short end of the stick.
He was just like .
When I brought my hand to my face, intending to rub my drowsy eyes, my wrist was caught. I raised my head in confusion. Legato had caught my wrist, and was staring at it unblinkingly. When Legato’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, they seed much longer than it.
「…Nidel-dono, are you all right? You seem to have beco a lot thinner?」
「Is that so?」
While doubtfully thinking, “Did Legato really know well enough to tell whether my wrists had beco more slender or whether I had thinned?” I gave a wry smile. However, Legato hit the nail on the head. I had surely lost weight in the past one month or so.
The wrist Legato had caught felt warm.
「Are you eating and sleeping properly?」
「I’ll try to do so from the day after tomorrow and onwards.」
At my reply, Legato seed to have perceived my attitude towards life, and knit his eyebrows. But thinking that it couldn’t be helped with the business going on right now, he gave a sigh and lowered his hand.
My gaze fell on that hand, and I once again was srized by it. Near the base of his finger, there was now another wound. While thinking in amazent “He gets injured quite often,” I grabbed and pulled that hand towards , pressing my lips against the wound that was slightly oozing blood. His hand trembled in surprise, but I licked that wound, and poured my magic into it.
In the midst of my movents I suddenly realised that I wasn’t a cat right now, I could have used healing magic through my hands too. “Sh*t,” I thought, but what had happened couldn’t be undone. I’d done it subconsciously.
Pressing my lips onto the wound till it was healed, I let go of the hand. Legato looked down at with a dazed expression. Looking at that face, a smile rose on my face and I felt like teasing him.
「I’ve repaid you for my ti as a cat.」
Legato made a puzzled face and looked around our surroundings.
When I gazed at Legato, asking through my eyes, “Oioi, do you really intend to repay ?” Legato made a serious face as if he’d co to a decision, leaned over and left a fleeting kiss near my cheek.
Extending my body towards the face that soon parted from my skin, I too grazed his cheeks with my lips. I t Legato’s widened blue eyes. I gave a sly grin.
I placed my head back on his lap and Legato turned stiff for a mont.
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The Coming-of-Age Ceremony passed without incident and life returned to normal in the Royal Palace.
One could often see the sight of the Squad Commander’s footsteps on the way back ho intermingling with those of a black cat, or that of a bird fluttering down through the window into the Squad Commander’s room.
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