Bonus Story — “The Enduring Wolf and the Unrestrained Dog” — Demonland Arc

The day after I recovered, it was Huey’s turn to come down with a fever.

Mother accompanied me as we went to visit him.

By the way, even after we became mates, Huey still came to my house every day. Apparently, there’s no rule that says the male always has to visit the female’s home.

Since he came over so naturally, I’d never thought twice about it—until today.

On the way to his house, Mother told me something interesting.

During mating season, when a male frequently visits the female’s home, it means “I don’t want anyone else to see my partner.” The same applies when the female visits the male’s place.

Well, in my case, it’s probably also because I’m still not used to beastkin customs, and walking outside alone could be dangerous.

Still, hearing that made my face light up on its own.

The more I walked, the closer I was to Huey—and that thought alone made my steps lighter, even though I was just going to visit a sick friend. My tail wagged restlessly, twitching with every bounce.

Ahh, long live mating season!

Even that annoyingly lovey-dovey air hanging over the world didn’t seem so bad anymore. It was like the whole world was celebrating me.

And with that, we arrived at Huey’s house.

As we stepped inside, I realized something: despite everything that had happened, this was actually the first time I’d ever entered through the front door.

The last time I came here, I might’ve, uh… broken in through Huey’s window during my little meltdown.

“Breaking and entering,” followed by “assaulting the homeowner”… not exactly pleasant terms, but thankfully both Huey and my parents had deemed it “forgivable circumstances,” since I’d been an adolescent locked away during my first mating season.

…Of course, the part where I straddled him afterward was definitely not forgivable, though.

"Thank you for coming, Mimosa dear. You’ve only just recovered yourself, and yet you came to visit. Huey will be so happy."

Lost in thought, I looked up to see his mother smiling warmly at us.

She offered tea and snacks, but I was too worried about Huey to sit still, so I asked about him right away.

"Ah, yes, you must be worried. His room’s right over there—go on, check on him."

"Is that alright?"

I wondered if he was well enough for visitors, but when I looked back, she had that gentle, knowing smile of someone watching something sweet unfold.

"It’s mating season, dear. Don’t be shy—go on!"

"A-ha-ha-ha-ha…"

What’s with all the adults trying to leave the two of us alone lately!?

Sure, it’s because of mating season, but still—it’s embarrassing!

Blushing furiously, I darted into Huey’s room, pretending not to hear the laughter and cheerful “Ah, youth!” from behind me.

Whew…

I softly closed the door.

Since it was a sickroom, the curtains were drawn, leaving the space dim and quiet.

Huey’s faint scent lingered in the air, and I instinctively took a deep breath.

In that instant, memories from that day flooded back—

No no no! I came here to visit him! I’m not doing that again, not today, not ever!

I didn’t even know who I was trying to justify myself to as I mentally chanted excuses, but my dog ears twitched at the sound of Huey’s quiet breathing.

Taking a deep breath—strictly to calm my racing heart, not because I wanted to inhale his scent, obviously!—I stepped closer to the bed.

Calm down! You’re here to check on him, not to sniff him! Heart, behave! Tail, stay still!

I leaned over the bed and saw Huey sleeping peacefully, a damp cloth resting on his forehead. His breathing was soft and even.

My heart thumped even harder.

His face when he’s awake is already strong and reliable, but when he’s asleep like this—unguarded, a little innocent, those trembling eyelids and slightly parted lips—he’s just so… irresistibly handsome…

I swallowed hard, and the sound snapped me back to reality.

No! I’m here to visit! Not to pounce on him in his sleep!

Shaking my head, I chased away the bad thoughts and looked at him again, this time with a clear mind.

Aah… he’s so cute.

Up close, I could still see traces of the little angel he used to be.

Taking advantage of him being asleep, I studied his face closely. His cheeks were flushed, and a faint sheen of sweat covered his skin—probably from the fever.

You know that look someone gets when they’re usually dependable but suddenly seem fragile? For some reason… it’s kind of… alluring.

Ack! No, bad thoughts!

Snapping back to my senses, I straightened up. I hadn’t even realized how much I’d leaned over him.

Trying to compose myself, I glanced around and spotted a basin of water on the shelf beside the bed.

The cloth on his forehead had gone warm. Carefully, I removed it, dipped it into the cool water, wrung it out, and placed it back over his brow.

Watching closely to make sure I hadn’t woken him, I thought his face looked a little more relaxed now.

Maybe the cool cloth felt good.

The small act of helping him made me quietly happy.

"…Mmm… Mimosa…"

"Hyah!?"

Huey had just said my name.

Heart pounding wildly, I leaned over to check, but his eyes were still closed. No reaction.

After a moment, his breathing steadied again, and I sighed in relief.

Phew… just talking in his sleep. I thought he’d woken up for a second.

Then it hit me.

Wait—he said my name in his sleep!?

Does that mean he’s dreaming about me!?

Panicking, I stared at his face, but of course, I couldn’t tell what he was dreaming about.

Ugh, my heart won’t stop pounding!

Trying to distract myself, I touched the cloth on his forehead—it was still cool, so there wasn’t anything else to do.

My gaze drifted around the room again… and then stopped at the small gap of his unbuttoned shirt at his chest.

Maybe… maybe I should take off his clothes and wipe away his sweat…?

No, no, no, no!!

Because of my past life knowledge of certain… situations, the more I tell myself not to think about it, the worse my imagination gets!

Like a kind rookie nurse taking care of her patient, or sweating out the fever through some passionate activity, or my big syringe of love ready to administer a special treatment…

Wait, no—there’s no syringe in this life!

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

Hmm… even if I don’t wipe him down, he must be thirsty after sweating so much. But sitting up to drink might be tough for him…

Then maybe… I could give him water… mouth-to-mouth?

Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!!

I grabbed my head and twisted around frantically—silently, of course, so I wouldn’t wake Huey.

After a while, I felt like I’d calmed down a bit. I peeked over at him again.

Naturally, my eyes were drawn to his lips.

They parted faintly with each quiet breath he took.

Maybe because of the fever, they were dry and cracked.

"……"

Holding my breath, I stepped closer to the pillow.

With a trembling hand, I reached out and lightly traced my finger over his dry lips. His warm breath brushed against my fingertip.

"……"

A ticklish, almost electric feeling spread through my chest. Before I realized it, I was running my finger over his lips again and again.

"…Ah."

My fingertip caught on a tiny bit of dry, peeling skin.

It must hurt, having them this dry…

The thought slipped out before I could stop it, and I found myself leaning closer—until my tongue brushed his lips.

I licked gently, moistening the peeling skin bit by bit, focusing on softening the rough spots.

Once they felt smoother, I slowly ran my tongue across the whole surface, giving them back their shine.

…slrp… smch…

The faint, wet sounds reached my ears, sending heat surging through my body.

It wasn’t a kiss—our lips never met.

But his lips felt so soft against my tongue, and so warm—hot, even—probably from the fever.

I had no idea how long I’d been doing it when—

Huey’s mouth twitched slightly.

That tiny movement made me realize—my tongue was just about to slip inside his half-open mouth.

I jerked back, staring at his face.

His lips glistened, slick with my saliva, catching the dim light like something forbidden.

My eyes darted upward—thank goodness, his eyes were still closed.

The realization of what I’d just done hit me all at once, and my face went up in flames.

I—I did it again!! I attacked Huey again!!

My hands flew to my mouth, but that only made it worse—my tongue and fingertips still tingled with the memory of his lips.

"~~~~~~~~!!"

B-but it doesn’t count if he was asleep, right!?

Right!?

Still, when I looked closely, his face seemed even redder than before… and his breathing, a little uneven.

He wasn’t fully awake, but—yeah, I definitely affected him.

If I stayed here any longer, I’d end up corrupting this poor innocent boy!

I bolted for the door and dashed out of the room.

A loud clatter! rang out behind me—probably something falling over when I slammed the door—but I didn’t have the luxury of caring!

"Oh? Mimosa dear? Why are you in such a rush…?"

"I’m just—going to get some fresh air!!"

"Eh? Oh, I see."

Avoiding their puzzled looks, I hid my burning face and hurried straight out the front door.

"Pwaaah~~!!"

Bathed in wholesome sunlight, I took several deep breaths.

For a moment, I found myself thinking that by breathing deeply like this, I was exhaling the air from Huey’s room—the air I’d taken into my lungs—and the thought made me feel oddly lonely.

Ah, no, no, stop that.

Am I some lovestruck maiden, or a pervert trying to sink her fangs into an innocent young boy…?

The same old dilemma surfaced again, dominating my thoughts.
How many times have I come back to this?

But then, like a ray of light, my mother’s voice echoed in my mind.

"It’s completely normal for a girl just entering puberty to feel curious about boys’ bodies or want to touch them, so there’s nothing to be ashamed or guilty about, okay?"

And then Huey’s words followed right after:

"I like the Mimosa you’ve been since waking up."

"You’re definitely not a guy—you’re totally girly."

Yeah, that’s right!
Huey said he liked me just as I am!
It’d be rude to him if I kept sulking and overthinking like this!

So I stretched my arms high and switched gears.

When I returned to Huey’s house, the lady who’d been chatting with his mom noticed me.

"You should’ve gone to wake Huey since you came all this way. Was he still asleep?"

"Ah, no, no! I only came to visit and check on him!"

Maybe she found it strange how quickly I’d run off earlier, because she went to check on Huey herself.
The words ‘I may have taken a few liberties while he was sleeping’ stayed safely hidden behind my smile.

After all, a girl in heat can’t help herself, right? That’s just how it is.

"Just watching his sleeping face makes you happy, huh? Ah, young love and hormones—it’s such a sweet time. I wish I could go back to those days."

It wasn’t just his sleeping face I was watching, though…

I swallowed that dangerous thought and kept a pleasant smile as the two mothers laughed together.

And just like that, Mom and I headed home. My little hospital visit was over.

Huey’s room… is apparently a den of temptation.
For now, I suppose it’ll be his turn to come visit my house instead.
Yes, yes, that sounds much safer.