As I repeatedly tried to open my mouth, I gave my all to think of an answer.
I got found out.
He found out that I could understand human language. (TN: I never knew you were hiding it in the first place.)
Well, yeah, heâd find out, huh. I wasnât really hiding it in the first place. (TN: See?)
Rather, are dogs in this world supposed to not understand human speech?Am I the strange one?
Hmm, just which answer is the correct one?
While I was deeply thinking on how to answer, Alex took a small breath. (TN: Gasp* maybe?)
[Chibi.]
His eyes turned a bit stern when he looked at me.
[Answer me honestly.]
âŠGulp..
I swallowed the things I was about to say* and nodded repeatedly.
Alex placed his hand on his chin and narrowed his eyes.
[As I thought, huh.]
Uhmm, as I thought, am I wierd? Are the dogs around here unable to understand human speech at all?
Somehow, Iâm getting really unsettled.
[I canât find any trace of being a demon, butâŠ]
Alex talks to himself.
[Youâre just an ordinary dog, arenât you?] (TN: Please ask again after meeting at least a hundred dogs like him⊠then maybe..)
Un. I do think Iâm a dog. Arenât I?
I nodded my head and then tilted it, and Alex whoâs looking at me started laughing.
[Well, itâs fine. Wait a bit.]
As he said, Alex brought small pieces of paper and he started writing strange characters on them one by one. About 30 small pieces of cards were done.Alex puts them on the floor.
[Where did you come from? Can you answer using these papers?]
For the meantime, I looked at the papers placed on the floor. The characters written are definitely not j.a.panese nor english characters. I can only see them as wierd lines and curves.
Thereâs no way Iâd understand this.
I laid down on top of the card in front of me.
Alex once again placed his hand on his chin as a sign that heâs thinking.
[âŠYou can unerstand the speech, but not the letters, huh.]
Yep, thatâs right. I rapidly nodded my head.
[Well, of course. Now that I think of it, youâre a dog, after all. My bad.]
Alex picked me up and placed me on his knees, then repeatedly stroked my head.
[Yosh, Chibi, Iâll teach you how to read the letters. I will teach you.]
Fuehh?
I was utterly shocked.
Itâs not that Iâm bragging, but I hate studying. My performance back at school wasnât so good. My english was especially bad. (TN: Everything he said aside from english is just like me. heh..)
Even though I thought I was lucky to have turned into a dog because I donât need to study!
[Oi, donât make such a dissatisfied face. You, donât you have something you want to tell me? You wonât be able to express what you want to say with just yes and no, you know?]
Those words. .h.i.t at me like an uppercut. (TN: I just made the âuppercutâ part.)
I wonder what kind of face Iâm wearing right now. Why is Alex able to tell what expression the dog me is making?
[Then, letâs start with these letters, alright?]
Alex started teaching me about those letters while still on top of his knees.
I just noticed it recently but, I shouldnât have been able to understand this worldâs language. How should I say it, itâs like Iâm reading the air or something. Thatâs why when Tess said meat a while ago in a different word, it sounds really different, I just felt that it somehow meant meat in j.a.panese.
In other words, I do not understand this worldâs language. Telling a person to remember the words composed of unfamiliar letters is like telling a person to learn a different language from scratch.
Itâs impossible.
[Hey, hey, donât sleep, Chibi.]
Alex started poking my head with his fingers annoyingly.
Uu.
I think these cards are giving me the same hypnotic effect as books. (TN: I understand what youâre going through.)
[Chi~bi, just for whose sake do you think Iâm doing this for?]
Yes sir, itâs for my sake.
âŠThatâs right. I, I still have to take my body back from Ferdinandâs place, huh. Itâs impossible to do it by myself, I will need Alexâs help. For that sake, I must be able to communicate with Alex at will.
âŠBut I donât think I can, after all.
Iâm, so, sleepy~.
I cramped myself on Alexâs thighs and went to sleep.
From the top of my head I could hear Alex âs exhilarating sigh.
Will he wake me up, I wondered, but he didnât force me to. Instead, he touched my ears as a form of harra.s.sment. He was teasing them with hs fingers.
Shtop it..
While sleep talking, I scratched my ears repeatedly with my hindlegs. Then I pushed my cheek on Alexâs thighs. Alexâs thighs are firm and gives a sense of stability.
When I perk my ears up repeatedly, I could herar a âKukukuâ small laugh from above my head.
Alex pats the top of my body as if to cuddle me.
Ah, that feels good. Do it more
By the way, Iâve been called Chibi since before, is that name already set?
Somehow, Iâve got this really wierd feeling as if I was deliberately named like so, am I just imagining it? (TN: Of course, itâs just your imagination. Itâs not like youâre small or anything. :âD)