Chapter 43: An Unavoidable Encounter
Once they realized he was accepting it, they couldn’t stop themselves, and for a first time, there was a strong sense that they had gone too far.
Though his sleeping face showed that he was of age, it still looked young; yet inside, he carried a calmness as if he had already seen through many things, making him feel older than they were.
"I’m glad we met Qiong Xing."
"Yeah. Me too."
Meeting one’s mate was a miracle.
Then what about meeting one’s destined mate?
A beastman and a human falling in love was a miracle.
Then what about a human choosing a beastman slave as their mate?
They had given up on that.
He had thought it was impossible.
He had cursed being a beastman.
He had resented humans.
He had thought of dying more times than he could count.
Deemed no longer useful, all that remained was to wait for death.
But then they met.
No, he had been able to meet him.
A miracle encountered at the very end.
If there truly was a god, he would offer endless gratitude to them.
The miracle that gave him Qiong Xing.
The miracle that let him meet Qiong Xing.
As long as Qiong Xing was there, he could live.
Without Qiong Xing, he could not live.
The moment Qiong Xing died would be the moment he died.
For Qiong Xing’s sake, his life was nothing to regret.
A destined mate decided without his consent.
Even so, once they met, he understood.
Qiong Xing was a part of him.
His other half.
"I love you, Qiong Xing."
"I love you, Qiong Xing."
You are mine.
...
This might really be bad.
"Isn’t it about time you showed your face?"
"......."
It was impossible.
When Qiong Xing woke up that morning and immediately remembered the shameful state he had been in the night before, he found himself unable to leave the futon.
"Qiong Xing, do want to eat?"
"...Please go ahead without me."
"..."
"..."
He wanted a little more time to reflect.
Even if it had been necessary, the fact that it had happened did not change.
What if they thought he was disgusting?
What if, because it was his first time and he had reacted so strongly, they thought he was lewd?
He must have made such a strange face, and surely the talk about being mates could never just be treated as if it never happened.
"I’m not going to say it!!"
"Eh?"
It seemed the words had slipped out loud.
Adding embarrassment on top of embarrassment.
"Was it really that unpleasant for you, Qiong Xing?"
"No—th-that’s not it. It’s not that I disliked it..."
Rather, he was worried that they might have come to dislike him.
"For us, it was amazing."
"Yeah. If Qiong Xing allows it, we could even continue from where we left off right now..."
"Don’t!"
He shouted in a panic, wondering just what they thought they were saying.
In the heat of the moment, he stuck his face out from the bed, and now there was no way to retreat.
"If you’re worried about what happened yesterday, then for us it’s nothing but a good memory."
"Exactly. We were really happy to be able to touch you."
"...I see."
Hearing their impressions only made him more embarrassed, but if he hadn’t left them with a bad impression, then maybe that was enough.
Resigning himself, he got out of bed, and as a morning greeting, the two of them kissed his cheeks.
"!!!"
Sweet. Far too sweet.
He desperately fought the urge to dive back under the covers out of embarrassment.
"Cari wants to greet Mama too."
Cute.
The shame from just moments ago was blown away and it was replaced by a maternal instinct that shouldn’t even exist.
Cari who had apparently woken up at some point looked at Leander and Elias and tugged at Qiong Xing’s pant leg, wanting to do the same.
"Will you greet me too, Cari? Thank you, I’m happy."
With a small chu sound, Cari looked completely satisfied.
Determined not to let go of this healing presence, Qiong Xing picked him up and didn’t release him again until they left the room.
Now then, today once again was medicinal herb gathering.
Once again, he had been earnestly and happily gathering herbs as usual, but how had things ended up like this?
"You bastards, do you really think you’ll be forgiven for doing something like this to me?!"
"......."
"Oh? You’ve got a big mouth for a human who can’t even lift a hand or a foot, huh?"
"......."
"Let’s just kill this noisy brat already."
It seemed they had stumbled into a very awkward situation.
Though "stumbled into" might not be quite right, after all, their presence hadn’t been noticed yet.
If that was the case, the wisest course of action would be to quietly withdraw while they still could.
When Qiong Xing glanced to the side, his eyes met those of Leander and Elias who were watching the situation together with him.
When Qiong Xing nodded, the two of them nodded back in return.
It seemed his intention to avoid trouble had been conveyed.
As expected of his mates.
Just as they slowly started to step back, their eyes met his.
"......"
"......."
Tch!
"(Help me!!)"
Desperate eyes pleading for help.
"(N-no, thank you.)"
Qiong Xing shook his head vigorously in refusal.
It was true that in a past life he might have been a police officer, but that was his past life, not his present one.
More than anything, he wanted nothing to do with troublesome situations.
Besides, he now had a child he needed to protect, so quietly withdrawing here is the right choice.
"What are you doing?! Hurry up and help me!"
"(Please read the room.)"
Despite it being obvious that they were trying to leave, he still asked for help.
It felt less like a request and more like an order.
And now that the supposed opponents had noticed them as well, Qiong Xing and the others had no choice but to step out from the bushes where they had been hiding.
"What the hell are you guys?!"