Chapter 52
“Are you trying to comfort me?”
Cecilia’s fingers gently stroked the bear’s head.
—Grrr!
Berry let out a short cry, as if affirming it.
He couldn’t string together human words to soothe her heart, but at the very least, he hoped that gazing upon this quiet, beautiful scenery would help her calm down a little.
This was his secret hideout. Even stray monsters that crossed the borderlands had never been seen here. It was a place meant solely for him.
Though now there’s one more person sharing that secret.
Still, he didn’t regret it.
Yuri’s dark brown eyes flicked upward. Cecilia, wearing a gentle smile, was quietly gazing across the lake.
It was a little different from the smile she usually wore. It seemed more touched somehow, more alive.
Cecilia took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold air, then let out a short exhale.
The lingering tremor she had felt all the way here slowly faded away.
Her pale green eyes turned to the side.
That was probably thanks to this considerate bear’s thoughtfulness. She was grateful for it.
It’s kind of like a puppy bringing over its favorite stuffed toy to comfort someone.
And wasn’t that just adorable?
Cecilia carefully tried to sit down, then remembered that her clothes weren’t something she needed to worry about. She plopped down freely instead.
Startled by her unexpected action, the bear hesitated for a moment before settling down a short distance away from her.
“Why are you keeping your distance like that? Come here.”
When Cecilia patted the ground beside her, the bear hesitated, then shuffled closer, his body wiggling as he pressed up against her.
He moved so cautiously that it made her want to tease him.
Cecilia raised an eyebrow slightly, then grinned and leaned back against Berry’s body as if draping herself over him.
—……Grrh!
The bear flinched, and the tremor of his surprise was clearly conveyed to her. His body rose and fell sharply at first, then gradually steadied.
“…Thank you, Berry.”
Cecilia’s quiet words fell between them like a small pebble.
The sound of his steady breathing soothed her heart. The warmth was a bonus.
It was amazing—and something to be grateful for—that the presence of a creature she couldn’t even speak with could bring her such comfort.
Cecilia blinked slowly, then spoke in a casual tone.
“Since you shared your secret place with me, I’ll tell you a secret of mine that I’ve never told anyone.”
—…….
A secret? Out of nowhere?
Up until then, Yuri hadn’t thought much of it.
He was curious, but he didn’t expect anything particularly shocking.
At first, he had been highly suspicious of her and kept a close watch.
But ever since she came to Lottreven, she’s hardly ever hidden where she was going.
And she shared everything she did there with him sooner or later, so there wasn’t much he wouldn’t already know.
Unless it’s something from her time in Eldova?
An embarrassing past, maybe.
Still, it didn’t seem like it would be anything major.
Just as he relaxed and rested his chin on his forepaws—
“Actually, I can see things that others can’t.”
The offhand remark dropped suddenly.
Yuri, who had been blinking idly, froze.
…Things others can’t see?
Ghosts? Some kind of supernatural phenomenon?
As he struggled to figure out how to take her words, Cecilia—who had been watching his reaction silently—let out a small laugh.
—Grrr!
Feeling like he was being teased, he lifted his head, and Cecilia tapped his nose lightly with her fingertip, as if to calm him.
“It’s not ghosts or anything, so there’s no need to be scared.”
It was as if she had read his thoughts.
Berry’s snout twitched. He tried to act calm, but inside, his thoughts were running wild.
Seeing things… like reading my thoughts, or—
No. If that were the case, she wouldn’t be treating “Berry” so familiarly.
He barely managed to rein in the anxiety spreading like wildfire and rolled his eyes. Cecilia was still observing him with a gentle smile.
Then her gaze slowly traveled down along his thick, fluffy neck.
“You don’t need to be that nervous. I can’t read your thoughts exactly.”
That really doesn’t seem true. It really feels like she can.
Yuri, who had been lying sprawled out, slowly pushed himself up. He sniffed the air and stared at her suspiciously, then pressed his mouth shut.
Seeing his wary eyes, Cecilia was about to continue speaking, then burst out laughing instead.
And in a mischievous voice, she drew a line.
“We’ll stop here for now.”
What?
“I’ll tell you what I can see once we get closer.”
—Grrraaah!
She got his hopes up and then pulled back all of a sudden!
Yuri protested fiercely, but Cecilia’s calm expression made it clear she had no intention of continuing.
Even when he nudged her with his nose insistently, she didn’t say another word.
She did, however, explain why.
“It’s a secret I’ve kept to myself for a very long time.”
—…….
“I do think it’d be okay to tell you, but… when it comes down to it, I guess I don’t quite have the courage yet.”
Cecilia drooped her eyebrows awkwardly and rubbed Berry’s head.
“I’m worried you might think I’m strange. …Though you probably wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”
With a reason like that, it felt wrong to push her further.
Swallowing his dissatisfaction, Yuri leaned his head against her body.
He couldn’t speak, but his intent to comfort her seemed to get through.
Cecilia savored the warmth and buried herself in his fur.
Then she sniffed once or twice and suddenly sat bolt upright.
“By the way… are you really okay?”
As she lifted her hand and parted his thick fur this way and that, her brow furrowed deeply.
“I feel like I smell blood.”
—Grr!
He nearly jumped out of his skin when she suddenly started sniffing him like that.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—it didn’t seem to be because he smelled bad.
Yuri calmed his racing heart and subtly pulled his body back.
Cecilia moved closer by exactly that much and continued carefully checking him for injuries.
“I’d feel awful if you got hurt because of me…”
—…….
“And I can’t exactly take you back to the castle to see a doctor.”
She muttered bitterly.
Receiving her touch while curled up, Yuri lowered his head.
The truth was—
…I did get a little scratched.
Just a tiny bit, though.
How she managed to smell it was beyond him. It was astonishing.
Trying not to let the injury be discovered, Yuri curled himself up even more—then lost his balance on the sloping path that led down to the lake.
Huh?
His eyes widened.
He didn’t even have time to react.
Splash!
“Eek!”
A huge spray of water erupted, as if a boulder had fallen in.
Cecilia raised her arms to shield herself from the splashing droplets, staring dumbfounded.
—Grrraaah!
The icy water snapped him to his senses instantly.
Letting out a loud roar, Yuri sprang back onto land.
He shook himself vigorously to fling off the water, but he was still freezing.
Cecilia watched the hopping bear with a blank expression, her lips twitching—then—
“Ahaha! Berry, what are you doing?!”
—Grr!
“Why are you suddenly rolling around by yourself?!”
—Grrraaah!
Embarrassed, Yuri roared louder for no reason, but Cecilia’s laughter wouldn’t stop.
He let out one short protest cry, then turned his body away in defiance. He wasn’t sure it would help her avoid seeing him, but at least he wanted to try.
As if it had all just been harmless teasing, Cecilia laughed with an airy sound and pretended to look away.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop teasing you.”
—Grr!
“Still, it’s kind of amazing. You really react like you understand everything I’m saying.”
—…….
“Hmm.”
Cecilia looked like she might start questioning him again—but then, as if she’d lost interest, she simply gazed off into the distance. For Yuri, that was a relief.
“Alright. You must have your own circumstances too.”
—…….
“This land is full of secrets, after all.”
Was she really uninterested, or was she just pretending not to notice because she sensed his discomfort?
Feeling guilty, Yuri curled up even more.
After sneaking a glance at Cecilia for a while, he gently nudged her with his snout—
carrying an apology for the fact that he couldn’t tell her the truth.
