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—The next morning.\n
My only lifeline in the human realm were my combat abilities, so I got into the habit of stretching every morning even after I came to the demon realm.\n
My stretching was just as well finished by the time breakfast was brought in.\n
And, as a hero-prisoner, I would have my breakfast brought in good condition into this prison by bat-like monsters.\n
However—\n\n
“………”\n
I gently opened the door with the sound of being scraped against the wall, and there was a dog about the size of a healthy calf, staring at me and holding a basket full of peaches with its mouth.\n
The dog, with its thick pointed ears twitching and its thick tail wagging quickly, had a soft, deep black fur, was obediently waiting for my action.\n
Wait, its ears are rather small, and its tail and neck are rather thick for a dog… Is it a wolf?\n
Regardless, it was surprisingly black. It was like the darkness itself. We were in the demon realm, so it might’ve been a demon dog.\n
I was very wary, but it didn’t show any signs of attacking me and simply because I liked animals, I opened the door widely and invited the dog into the room.\n
Don’t say I’m soft. I know that I’m rather gullible, but. I’ve never bought any suspicious vases.\n
The dog entered the room as though he was accustomed to it, placed the basket on the table where I usually eat and chat with Azel, and ran back towards me while wagging its tail.\n
Its ears were twitching, as if with pride.\n
It was very adorable. And cool. That was all I could tell. I didn’t understand dog language.\n
“Is that what I’m having for breakfast today? You’re smart.”\n
“? …!!”\n
When I bent down a bit and smiled, the dog tilted his head and frowned with a dissatisfied look, but he immediately opened his eyes in understanding and jumped with a bit of astonishment. It was a comical dog.\n
The dog alternated between staring at his soft paws and at me, shaking its head with a puzzled look, as if with a ‘?!’ mark above its head.\n
As if he was having trouble figuring out what he wanted to do, the dog was visibly disheartened, with its ears flopped down and its tail stuck to the carpet without strength.\n
Moreover, it started to glow faintly, so I lowered myself and gently hugged the dog to do something about it.\n
“?! Woof…”\n
“Mm, don’t be so sad. I don’t know why you’re disheartened but cheer up and let’s eat the peaches together.”\n
“………”\n
Shoom.\n
The dog was able to contain its own light at a speed similar to a firework falling and disappearing and stiffened like a rock in my arms.\n
…I’m kind of sorry.\n
Maybe he didn’t like it. The smart dog must’ve taken me into consideration and decided to be held obediently.\n
I tried to release it thinking so, but contrary to its stiffened body, its thick, fluffy tail in my field of vision was swinging so hard as if it was going to burst.\n
Is it happy…? No, but it’s not even moving an inch. Except for its tail.\n
I thought for a while, and a light bulb went off in my head. I see, I understand now.\n
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it. I’ll tell Azel that you’ve delivered the peaches to me properly. So, you won’t be scolded for taking a short break with me. I just want you to feel at ease.”\n
“………kuun.”\n
The dog stared at me in a somewhat complicated way, but when I smiled again, it turned its face away and flapped its ears, whimpering softly.\n
The variety of facial expressions in the adorable dog was hard, but it changed it to a more relaxed look for me, and I pulled a chair and took a seat.\n
I picked up one of the peaches that were delivered. It was a nice and fresh peach that fit in my hand, with a firm skin and fuzz that was pleasant to touch.\n
I also liked peaches in my previous world. I didn’t have much time to eat, so I always kept a can of peaches at my desk.\n
I hummed a tune after eating my favorite dish for the first time in a long time. The dog, sitting quietly beside me, twitching its nose and listening to me restlessly, was also part of the reason why I was in such a good mood.\n
“Alright, let’s peel off the skin.”\n
“Ruff—”\n
“Hm? What’s wrong?”\n
“…Woof.”\n
“Huh, hmm…?”\n
I held out a neatly half-peeled peach, and the dog called out to me, staring alternately at the peach and me, with its ears twitching.\n
Although it growled lowly like a beast, its eyes were uneasy as though it wanted to tell me something.\n
Hmmm? Even if the dog is smart, it would still be a problem since I’m not smart enough.\n
“Uhm, so do you want me to eat this?”\n
“Woof!”\n
“Ahaha, I see.”\n
“Grr, woouf.”\n
The dog barked loudly, as if it was saying, ‘Maybe…’ then pointed towards me, and ‘I’m happy that we’re getting through each other!’\n
I was glad that I was able to understand it, and that it was amusing, so I laughed out loud and patted the dog’s head.\n
The dog, for some reason, looked greatly troubled and started rolling around on the spot, while trying to say something by growling.\n
Does the demon realm have a lot of seizures? The way it trembles reminds me of a certain demon lord.\n
“Munch, dewishous.”\n
‘Ahaha!’ I laughed at the rolling dog and took a bite out of the peach.\n
The sweet juice began to overflow from the tender flesh, filling my mouth with a wonderful fresh and rich aroma.\n
Reflexively, I groaned and quivered just like that. I’m so happy! It’s so delicious! Mm, delicious.\n
I didn’t have a good vocabulary but eating my favorite food for the first time in a long time was very delicious.\n
There were also peaches in the human realm, but I didn’t have any salary, so I couldn’t buy them when I saw them in the markets that I had passed by during my march.\n
I was guaranteed food, clothing and shelter for free, so I didn’t have the luxury of asking for more money. On top of that, the difference in position was clear between the most powerful people in the country and an outsider with just a slightly high status.\n
“Ah.”\n
I was so hungry first thing in the morning that I was munching a lot and noticed that the juice was spilling from the gap between my fingers.\n
I felt guilty for the bat-like monsters when my clothes got dirty. Also… it was wasteful.\n
It was a bit embarrassing, but there was only a dog in here, so I licked the juice that flowed badly with my tongue, chasing the amount that rolled down to my arm and stuck to my skin.\n
The dog lying beside my feet began to roll all around the room, showing no signs of stopping or slowing down, and howled, “Arrroooo!” It seemed that the seizure was reaching its climax.\n
I was a bit worried but nonetheless, its tail was still swinging energetically like a helicopter, so I left it alone.\n