"I swear I won’t touch a rat again."
"I swear I won’t touch a rat again."
Only after taking this solemn oath did Midsummer release me from the hellish face-washing session. Even as I swore, she continued scrubbing my face, leaving my words garbled.
"Did anyone else touch the rat?"
"..."
Levinas and Saebyeok both shook their heads frantically. Levinas even shook her entire upper body as if to emphasize her innocence.
It was clear—they were determined to avoid the same fate as me. After witnessing firsthand what it looked like to be treated like human laundry, I couldn’t blame them.
"You’re absolutely sure?"
"Yeah, I didn’t touch it."
"Levinas didn’t touch it either!"
They both extended their hands, palms up. Unsurprisingly, their hands were spotless. Levinas had only headbutted the rat, and Saebyeok had used her teeth, leaving their hands clean.
"...Well, they do look clean."
They passed inspection. Meanwhile, I was left to stew in my own sense of injustice.
I wanted to explain the truth, but the sight of the kids clasping their hands together in a pleading gesture made me sigh. They hadn’t done anything wrong, after all. There was no reason to take it out on them.
"Gyeoul, rats are dirty, so you must never touch them again, okay?"
"Yes..."
I felt utterly drained. With no energy left to argue, I let Midsummer hold my hand and lead me back home. It wasn’t much, just a supportive gesture, but it felt comforting.
"Gyeoul, wait at the door for a moment. I’ll grab a towel."
"Okay..."
Drip, drip.
Water dripped from my clothes, forming small puddles on the floor. Sophia, who had just stepped into the entryway, frowned at the mess.
"Why do you look like a drowned rat?"
"A d-drowned rat…?"
I hated rats now. The mere mention of them made me feel deflated, like Pavlov’s dog salivating at a bell—except in my case, it was despair.
"...My apologies. Comparing a cat to a rat was quite rude of me."
That wasn’t the issue, but before I could clear up the misunderstanding, my reflection in the mirror caught my eye.
Drooping ears, a sagging tail, and slumped shoulders—my appearance truly resembled that of a drowned rat. It almost felt like the rat I’d kicked was exacting its revenge.
"So, how did this happen?"
"They said I bit a rat and made me wash my face for twenty minutes."
"You bit a rat?"
"No, but I didn’t get a chance to explain before they started scrubbing me."
I looked down at my hands, now soft and spotless thanks to the purification powers of the pond.
"That must have been upsetting."
"Yeah..."
Sophia always understood me. Her empathy made me feel a little better, so I took a step closer to her.
"...But did you scrub your hands thoroughly?"
Sophia’s expression shifted. Her lips smiled, but her eyes didn’t. My beastfolk instincts screamed danger.
"Y-yes, I scrubbed them thoroughly..."
"Good. Never touch a rat again."
Even Sophia seemed to hate rats. It must’ve been a hard day for rat beastfolk.
---
After drying off with a towel, I slumped onto the sofa.
The kids hovered nervously nearby, stealing glances at me.
Were they feeling guilty because only I got scrubbed? I wanted to tell them it was fine, but a thought stopped me.
The kids were still inexperienced with the world. They probably didn’t know how to handle a friend who was upset. We’d never had a fight before.
This was a good opportunity to teach them.
Though I wasn’t really angry, I decided to pretend I was.
"W-Wangya..."
"Hmph."
I turned my head and avoided their eyes, exaggerating my movements for effect.
The kids didn’t realize I was acting.
"W-Wangya, here! This is Levinas’ favorite carrot! I’ll give it to you!"
Levinas pulled a flawless carrot from her pocket and held it out.
Levinas knew how to appease an upset friend. The problem was Saebyeok.
Saebyeok was always stoic and reserved. Could she mend things with an angry friend without showing emotion? I glanced at her curiously, a little worried.
"Uh… here."
From her pocket, Saebyeok pulled out something alive—a grasshopper.
Wait, wasn’t that the one she caught earlier? The one Midsummer told her to release?
It was still alive. My tail wagged involuntarily at the sight.
The wagging tail was all the kids needed. Taking it as a sign that I wasn’t angry anymore, they scooted closer until they were practically leaning on me.
"Wangya! Are you not mad anymore?"
"Yeah. Actually, I wasn’t mad at all. I was just joking."
"What?! Levinas was tricked!"
Levinas looked ready to dive into my lap but froze mid-step.
Saebyeok, who had been about to lick my cheek, stopped with her tongue halfway out.
The two of them exchanged serious looks, as though silently communicating. Then, with resolute expressions, they nodded in unison.
"Levinas thinks she knows why Wangya pretended to be mad!"
"Oh? Why?"
"Because..."
Levinas wasn’t the brightest, but she wasn’t dumb either. Saebyeok seemed to be on the same page.
"Yeoreum-unniiiii!"
The two of them bolted toward the kitchen where Midsummer was.
“We actually touched the rat too!” Levinas shouted cheerfully.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Midsummer’s scream echoed through the house.
---
An hour later, the kids returned, looking utterly defeated.
"Ugh..."
I decided to give them time to recover and turned my attention to organizing the hunting log.
The log was where I recorded supplies used during dungeon expeditions. Keeping track helped avoid future mishaps.
Two explosive arrows.
Five ice arrows.
I carefully logged the remaining magical arrows when I felt an itch in my teeth.
"Hm?"
Opening my mouth, I pressed on one of my sharp canines.
The tooth was so pointed that pressing too hard could pierce skin, but the itch was unbearable.
Frustrated, I bit into the carrot Levinas had given me, embedding my fang deep into it.
Sophia noticed my strange behavior and approached.
"Gyeoul, what’s wrong?"
"My tooth itches."
"Your tooth?"
"Yeah..."
I needed something harder than a carrot. My eyes darted around the room, searching for a solution.
Sophia, experienced as she was, quickly understood.
"Ah, you haven’t started teething yet."
"Teething? I have to do that?"
"Yes. Unlike humans, beastfolk teeth grow continuously, so they need to be worn down periodically."
Wow. That sounded inconvenient. My expression must have given me away because Sophia chuckled softly.
"It’s nothing to worry about. Just chew on something hard."
"Like what?"
Levinas piped up.
"Shark tail...!"
She chewed experimentally on Sophia’s tail.
Sophia frowned but didn’t push her away.
"My tail isn’t food, but... Gyeoul, do you want to try biting it?"
"Um… only if it’s an emergency."
Wasn’t there another way? My eyes silently pleaded for confirmation.
"For now, try chewing on a candy."
"A candy?"
"Yes. Later, I’ll make you a beastfolk teething candy. It’s tough and sweet, perfect for young ones like you."
"Won’t I get cavities from too much candy?"
"Your teeth keep growing. Cavities are irrelevant."
"Oh..."
Cavities couldn’t damage teeth that regenerated endlessly.
"If you’re still worried, rinse your mouth with pond water. It’ll kill all bacteria."
"The pond can do that?"
"With enough money, anything’s possible."
Money? How much had we invested in that pond?
Still pondering, I grabbed a candy from Midsummer in the kitchen.
Crunch-crunch.
I bit down with my sharp canine, but the itch only got worse.
Why wasn’t this helping? Growing frustrated, I bit harder.
Crunch!
Something hard and sharp fell under my tongue. It wasn’t the candy.
What is this?
I spat it into my hand and stared.
A long, pointed fang.
"...!"
My tooth had fallen out.
My fur stood on end as I stared at the fang in disbelief.
"Ah, so this is your first teething," Sophia said, smiling warmly.
I didn’t feel warm at all.
"My… tooth...!"
Human adult teeth didn’t grow back, and I’d already lost all my baby teeth when I was human.
Was I going to live without a fang forever? Were implants my only hope?
My heart pounded in panic.
Sophia, misinterpreting my fear, smiled gently.
She thought I was simply overwhelmed by my first lost tooth. As a guardian, she decided to comfort me.