Author: 猫夜叉 (Nekoyasha)
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Eris was really angry.
“You’re lateeee!” the devil in angel’s clothing as she ran up to me and hugged my legs. “I was so lonely,” she added as she looked up at me with teary eyes and puffed-up cheeks.
“I am sorry, Lady Eris. Still, I thought I was coming home rather early.”
And that was the truth. What with the stampede and everything, the training camp had ended a day earlier than planned, and I had just gotten back.
“Without you there, I felt sooo downcast.”
Oh really now.
“But, but, I feel fine now!”
Fufu, cute… wait no!
I knew better than that. After all, she had seemed completely fine when I had seen her lying on my bed through the slightly open doorway when I had gone to check my room.
“Anyway, Yuno?”
“Yes, Lady Eris?”
Her round eyes were fixed on something behind me.
“Whaaat’s thaat?” she asked, pointing at Fenrir, who was sitting on its haunches behind me.
–– That’s right. Fenrir would be living with me from then on.
“She’s a wolf I befriended at the training camp,” I said, patting Fenrir’s head, and the light in Eris’ eyes went out.
“……She?”
“Yes?”
She… ah, I see. She’s asking whether Fenrir’s a she.
Fenrir’s a divine beast, so… but do they even have genders anyway?
“…Answer however you like,” Fenrir’s voice echoed in my mind. I did as I was told and answered Eris’ question.
“Yes, she’s a she,” I said, thinking it somehow felt right, as I smiled at Eris.
A shadow fell over the devil’s face.
“…A pet?”
Pet… well, I guess she would be one, officially.
“Yep,” I said, Fenrir’s golden eyes turning towards me.
“What is a pet?”
“Something like a comrade,” I answered, and Fenrir’s tail began wagging back and forth.
Fufu… cute. She really resembles a dog more than a wolf like this.
“Where will she live?” the devil asked, shaking slightly. The black nightgown she was wearing somehow really fit the feeling she was giving off.
“In my room, until we get a dog kennel.”
When we had gone to ask him for permission to keep Fenrir, the head of the house, Argos Flame, had told me that we had to build a dog kennel for Fenrir. However, even with her appearance changed, Fenrir was still a divine beast, so I had tried to get Argos Flame to reconsider that, but–
“– Very well. It will be calmer like that anyway,” was what Fenrir had said, and the whole thing had gotten nowhere in the end.
In the end, I came to the conclusion that Luna’s father wasn’t very good with animals.
“In my and your room?”
It’s my room. Mine!
“Yes, she’ll be staying in my room for a while.”
“Is that… so,” she said, staring off into the distance with a hand on her chin as if deep in thought.
‘…Well I’ll be; she’s the splitting image of Luna,’ was what came to my mind, when–
“Cuteee!” Eris said in a meltingly sweet voice as she began stroking Fenrir’s head. She had a huge, bright smile on her face, completely unlike her expression from before.
…Fufu. Right. It seems like even Eris is weak against things kids her age find cute.
“What’s her name?” Eris asked, looking up at me, still stroking Fenrir’s head.
“…Name, huh.”
Now that I think of it, we didn’t decide on one.
Her official name was ‘Fenrir’, but there was no way we could call her that; Fenrir had disappeared from the forest after the stampede, so us continuing to call her that would cause quite the uproar.
While I was busy worrying, Luna appeared in the corridor outside.
“What are you two talking about?” she asked as she crouched down in front of Fenrir and began petting her just like her little sister.
Strangely, Eris began to pout the moment she did so.
“Well, I was wondering what to name her,” I said, and Luna’s purple eyes began to glitter.
“She’s – Pochi,” she said with a voice as clear as the tinkling of a bell, nonetheless causing me to flinch.
“…Pochi?”
“Yes,” Luna answered, petting Fenrir with a calm expression. She somehow managed to give off the air of a saintess playing a musical instrument in the highlands while the wind was blowing, an altogether serene and tranquil feeling.
“She is elegant, noble, and beautiful. And thus – Pochi.”
That makes no sense whatsoever. Pochi is the most generic name imaginable.
“Erm, umm, My Lady, What about–”
“…It is fine. I like this human. Call me whatever you wish,” Fenrir interrupted me.
…What a surprise. It seemed like Luna had become friends with Pochi in no time at all.
…Pochi.
“Fufu.”
Whoops, I’ll have to watch out for that now.
“I like Pochi too!” Eris said as she hugged Pochi while Luna watched on with an amused expression on her face.
‘…Somehow, this feels nice,’ I thought to myself, lost in sentimentality. Then I turned round, having felt a gaze on me.
Athena was staring at me through the gap between the door and the doorframe, her red eyes slightly damp.
“Kami-sama?” I called out to her, wondering what she was doing.
“Emm, u-umm… I-I’m sorry. I just happened to be passing by and…” she trailed off as she stepped into the room, fidgeting. I didn’t overlook the fact that her gaze seemed to have been attracted to Pochi the whole time.
“Why don’t you try stroking her too? She’s very fluffy, you know.”
“Uhm… is it alright?” she asked, her eyes dampening even more.
“Of course it is! Now let us go! To the land of fluffiness!” I said, taking her hand and walking back to Fenrir.
Perhaps having guessed what was going on, Pochi laid down on her side.
“Thanks, Pochi.”
I received no answer to that, Fenrir’s golden eyes were fixed on Athena.
“Uhm… erm… excuse me!” Athena said, her pale hand reaching out and lightly touching Fenrir’s ear.
“…! It’s amazing, Yuno-san! She’s so fluffy!” she said, her mouth turning into a triangle and her eyes gleaming.
“Hey hey, she’s really fluffy here too!” Eris said, grabbing Athena’s hand as she pointed at Pochi’s stomach.
And then–
“A-amazing! It’s like a cloud!” Athena said happily, her bright smile evaporating the last of the moistness around her eyes.
––Thank goodness.
I felt happy from the bottom of my heart as I watched all that unfold.
‘I’m back,’ I couldn’t help but think.
Athena was smiling, and Luna and Eris were too.
And at the centre, betrayed by humans from the forest of the divine beast, Fenrir – or now, Pochi.
It’s not like I was trying to justify everything I had done until then, but–
–this was what I had wanted to see.
I turned around and began walking away in silence, so they, so Athena wouldn’t see my pitiful face.
…In fact, my bowels were telling me I had some business to attend to. The perfect excuse to leave.
“–That face… as expected. You have noticed already,” Pochi’s voice rang out in my mind.
…Hm?
“It seems some folk who appear to have some business with your evil god self have appeared.”
…It was my first time hearing about that. However, my bowels were getting rather insistent.
“…Yes. However, I have some other things to do. Could I leave them to you?” I asked.
“Of course. I’ll meet with anyone who tries to get close to you, that’s what we decided on, did we not? So just leave this to me,” came Pochi’s slightly heated answer.
Right, I forgot about that.
“Thanks,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at Fenrir with what I hoped was a reassuring face before hurriedly making my way to the toilet on the second floor.
Ugh… I’m cutting it quite close. It’s one of those that make me think “ah, I can’t hold this one back for long” that come from time to time.
I could have used the one next to my room, but I had already come this far. And I was the kind of person who felt uncomfortable doing their business with other people nearby.
…Still, that’s quite a surprise. I never thought those people who had business with the evil god Noah Fenrir was talking about would actually come.
I had some slight concerns about leaving it all in the hands… or paws, in this case, of Fenrir, but I came to the conclusion that just doing what she said for the time being was probably the best course of action.
Anyway, back to the present, and future.
The battle competition for freshmen. I was going to have to show my strength there and aim for the student council. I knew I could do it, the problem was how much–
–Not good, I’m almost at my limit.
I grabbed the doorknob of the door of the toilet – and it didn’t turn.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Fearing the worst, I knocked on the door.
“…Can’t you see it’s occupied?” came the deep, heavy voice of a man. “……I’m Jesus.”
–– The curtains of a new act had risen. Or at least, that’s how I felt.
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