SWNOVELXO Chapter 62.1
Was There Any Good Fortune In The Find?
“Kyuuun…”
“Hm?”
Hearing the cry from below, Yuuri turned his gaze in that direction. There, a filthy puppy lay rolling around. It looked up at Yuuri with pleading eyes and whimpered softly. Though it was dirty, its fur was not bad, and its eyes had a strange light that suggested a strong will.
“Are you lost?”
Yuuri squatted down and gently extended his hand to the puppy. The puppy flinched slightly but did not run away from Yuuri’s smiling hand. When Yuuri gently patted its head, it whimpered as if to cuddle. Animals and humans alike, infants and young ones are made to elicit protection. That’s their weapon. Their cuteness stirs protective instincts and encourages others to safeguard them.
Indeed, Yuuri easily fell for this tactic. In fact, he already liked animals. If it was a cute, adorable puppy, the otome Yuuri was instantly knocked out. Moreover, since it was openly seeking affection, there was no need to hesitate. Without a collar, it must surely be a stray. Thinking this, Yuuri picked up the filthy puppy, determined to take it home.
Back at the hideout, Yuuri decided to wash the puppy with a garden hose. He soothed the puppy, which was trying to escape while barking, and cleaned off the dirt. As expected, the cleaned puppy had beautiful fur. Obviously, a muddy puppy couldn’t be brought inside the hideout. That’s something the mom would be strict about.
“For now, maybe some milk? I’ve never had a pet, so I don’t know what it eats.”
Carrying the puppy clinging to his legs, Yuuri headed to the kitchen. He left it waiting in the dining area when it tried to follow him into the kitchen. Naturally, bringing a puppy into the cooking space was a bit much. After filling a suitable deep dish (choosing one that seemed less likely to break) with milk, he returned to the dining area and gave it to the puppy.
Initially, the puppy looked puzzled, but it quickly plunged its face into the deep dish, desperately drinking the milk. As the contents of the dish dwindled, Yuuri thought cheerfully that the puppy must have been really hungry.
At that moment.
“W-what did you pick up!?”
A high-pitched scream with a strained throat was heard. When Yuuri turned his gaze, there was a child. A ten-year-old with a white snake wrapped around his neck was flailing about. The child, with chestnut curls and navy eyes, was Aroru, the youngest trainee at the hideout, a summoner of monsters.
“Huh? It’s unusual for Aroru to come out of the room without anything happening. What’s up?”
“I came to look because I sensed a monster! Yuuri, what did you pick up!”
“Huh? A hungry puppy?”
“It’s not a puppy!”
“Huh?”
Pointing at the puppy drinking milk with great enthusiasm, Aroru screamed. While Yuuri only saw a regular puppy, Aroru insisted it was something else. Confused, Yuuri tilted his head, and Aroru, stamping his feet, pointed at the puppy and shouted.
“It’s clearly a disguise! It’s not a puppy!”
“Huh? Really? To me, it looks like a puppy… Are you not a puppy?”
“Kyuuun?”
“Aroru, translate.”
“Before you talk about translation calmly, dispel the disguise, idiot!”
Aroru smacked Yuuri on the head while crouched. Though he was just a child and lacked strength, it still hurt, so Yuuri looked at Aroru resentfully. He said something like “You shouldn’t use violence” in a motherly tone, but Aroru’s anger was far from cooled.
With no other choice, Yuuri continued to pat the puppy’s head while speaking to it. After all, he knew this puppy was smart. Generally, it seemed to understand everything Yuuri said.
“Listen, I don’t mind who or what you are, but if you’re in disguise, could you return to your original form?”
“Kyuu…”
“It’s okay. As long as you’re not doing anything bad, no one will hurt you. Right, Aroru?”
“…Only low-level adventurers who lack judgment would attack a monster with no ill intent.”
“But…”
“Kyuu!”
Aroru, who was addressed by Yuuri, muttered in exasperation. The gestures and expressions didn’t quite match his ten-year-old appearance, but Yuuri said nothing. It was well known that Aroru was an unusually mature child. Considering his innate nature and the environment he was raised in, it was quite normal. A child surrounded by adults and having controlled monsters as a summoner was unlikely to be ordinary.
The puppy, now confirmed by Yuuri and Aroru, shivered and then, in the next moment, transformed into a small glowing form. What appeared was a jelly-like, golden, translucent creature about the size of a soccer ball, with a bouncy texture that seemed pleasant to touch. …It was clearly a slime.
“Huh? Did slimes have shapeshifting abilities?”
“High-level ones have disguise abilities.”
“Really? That’s amazing. It’s beautiful. Can I touch it?”
“Kyupii!”
The newly revealed slime bounced up and down as if to say “It’s okay!” Its round eyes were the only thing showing any intention. It had no mouth. Slimes don’t have mouths. So how do they consume food? They absorb it through their bodies and then digest it. Though it looked like the slime had been drinking milk earlier, it was actually just absorbing it.
Yuuri continued to pat the slime’s head, enjoying its unique texture. The jelly-like, sponge-like, bouncy feel was oddly addictive. The slime didn’t seem to mind, happily leaning into Yuuri. It snuggled up and pressed against him, and Yuuri continued to hug and pet it, enjoying the moment. …Even though it was technically a monster, he didn’t care. It looked so cute, after all.