Chapter 57
(My, the dog-like traits are progressing. I wonder what breed she’d be.)
To clarify, she was referring to Yuka, who currently resembled a dejected puppy neglected by its owner. An aura of loneliness radiated from her entire being. Just minutes ago, she had been like an overjoyed dog greeting its beloved owner returning home.
(How should I put it… She’s downright cunning, my next life…)
It was infuriating precisely because she wasn’t doing it on purpose, leaving no room for criticism. Damn this puppy-girl…
As for how things had come to this, we must rewind a few minutes.
After completing a year of training in Hollow Garden, we had returned home. Though in this world, only an instant had passed—we had arrived back at the exact moment we’d left for Hollow Garden.
Yuka was glancing around restlessly. It would be tactless to ask who she was looking for.
Ah. Her eyes began sparkling. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I could see an invisible tail wagging furiously behind her. Suppressing an internal sigh at the illusory dog ears and tail that shouldn’t exist, I noted that Yuka’s apparent mental regression wasn’t just my imagination—she really had grown younger in mind.
The cause? TS—gender transformation and reincarnation. The vessel of the soul, the body, had changed, and with it came effects on the psyche. There were several symptoms, but in Yuka’s case, it manifested as temporary mental age regression. A rejuvenation of the spirit. This was why she had seemed so childlike in Hollow Garden. And let me be clear—it absolutely was not because my training had reduced her to an infantile state.
"Lord Albert~! I’m back~!"
Yuka waved at Lord Albert with a beaming smile. Just how young was her mental age now? Thanks to reincarnation, her body had regressed to that of an 18-to-20-year-old human. But her mental age seemed even younger—early teens, perhaps? Or more childlike? A delicate line to gauge.
Lord Albert noticed us and raised a hand slightly—only to suddenly flush red and awkwardly turn away. Yuuka tilted her head in confusion and trotted toward him, but—
"…! S-sorry, Yuka! J-just give me a moment! We’ll talk later, just the two of us!"
To my astonishment, Lord Albert ran off.
As for the abandoned Yuka?
"Eh… Wh-why…? Did I do something wrong…?"
She was crushed. Utterly crushed. The tail that had been wagging wildly earlier now drooped listlessly—I could see it, not with my eyes, but with my heart.
And so, we return to the beginning. The negative aura of loneliness Yuuka now emanated was palpable. Fine. I’d give her the push she needed.
"Go see Lord Albert already."
"But… I…"
"Ugh, enough! You’re being insufferable! Now march over there—to Lord Albert’s side!"
"Uu… Fine…"
Grabbing her reluctant hand, I dragged her along. What a handful. Moping around won’t change a thing, you know.
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