The Crazy Killer Whale’s Favourite Penguin

Episode 39: Be Careful of What You Wish For (XII)

“Iprus!”

Lia ran to Iprus, who was wearing a neat maid’s outfit for the first time in a while.

“Lady Lia!”

She smiled broadly, holding the ends of her skirt and bowing her head lightly.

“As of today, I, Iprus, will serve as your handmaiden in Weil. It’s an honor to officially serve Lady Adelia again.”

“Please take good care of me.”

After exchanging a casual greeting with Iprus, Lia smiled brightly like everything was fortunate and good.

“Tomorrow is the day I go to the Weil family’s estate. Just nice, I have something to learn urgently from you.”

“Something to learn?”

Iprus blinked curiously. Then, Lia held her hand and asked, 

“How… how do you get back to being an animal?”

“Yes? What is this all of a sudden…”

“It was decided that I’ll learn to animalize at the Weil estate, but I can’t become a penguin in front of them.”

“Aha. That’s why you want to receive special training from me.”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s not difficult to animalize and humanize…”

“It’s not difficult?”

“Yes. But if you ask me how to do it, it’s very difficult to explain how.”

“Why?”

As Lia tilted her head with an innocent expression, Iprus dutifully answered the question, even though she felt like stroking her hair.

“Lady Lia, can you explain how to breathe? Or how to move your eyes or your arms?”

“Ah…”

Lia opened and closed her fists as if wondering if there would be any difficulties, then had an expression of realization.

“Oh, you’re right.”

“Look. Animalization and humanization are so natural for demibeasts that it’s difficult to explain them separately.”

“Hmm. It’s going to be harder than I thought…”

As Lia frowned in thought, Iprus clapped her hands as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“Ah! I don’t know if it will help, but there is something I have prepared before I come here.”

“What?”

“Can you take a look at this?”

After clearing her throat confidently, Iprus took a bundle from the corner of the room and slammed it down, bang!

As she unwrapped the cloth, the contents inside began to show.

“My God, this…!”

Lia quickly covered her mouth.

It was because what was in the cloth were perfectly finely crafted stones.

Delighted, Lia looked at Iprus with half-tearful eyes.

“Can I accept these pretty stones…?”

“Of course, I carried this heavy burden for the lady. Wouldn’t it be easier to become an animal if you imagined yourself sitting on those rocks?”

“I’m impressed, Iprus… no, Rus!”

Iprus smiled as though she was the one who had been given a gift.

“The lady is happy, so I’m happy too.”

Looking at Lia, who could hardly take her eyes off the stones, Iprus tried to suppress the feeling of dying from cuteness overload.

“Ah, if you leave it as it is, someone might clean it up, so I’ll bring you a basket or something. Please wait.”

“Yes!”

Hearing Lia’s energetic reply, Iprus smiled lightly and went out of the room.

Walking quickly to a spot a short distance away, she grabbed her heart and took a couple of deep breaths

“Ah. It seems that it’s a godsend that Lady Lia has a cute appearance instead of a stern look…”

With that, it was time to calm down and move on.

Then, Iprus caught sight of Suradel walking from the end of the hallway.

“Oh, Sir Suradel. Are you going to Lady Lia?”

“Yes. The gift I’ve been making for weeks is finally complete.”

“So you pretended to be looking for Lady Lia and made it secretly.”

“Yes. Anyway, where are you going? Is the thrilling reunion with Lia already over?”

“I’m going to get a basket to put the stones I gave to Lia. The real reunion ended a few weeks ago, that’s why this one didn’t take long.”

At the word ‘stones’, Suradel slightly frowned as if it was too much.

“Gifting stones is a foul.”

“But isn’t it Sir Suradel who gave that kind of gift?”
(TL/N: If I’m not misunderstanding, since Suradel ‘gave’ Iprus to Lia as a gift, in a way, it’s a foul too ^^)

“…Is that how it is?”

“Of course.”

Seeing Iprus shrug her shoulders lightly, Suradel burst out laughing.

“I think I know why you’re so loved. Of course, I don’t like anything but Lia.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Then I’ll go see Lia.”

“Yes. I’m busy too, so I’ll be on my way.”

Shortly after parting ways with Iprus, Suradel arrived in front of Lia’s room.

After confirming that the door was slightly open, Suradel opened it fully without question.

“Lia, I’m here.”

Instantly, he made eye contact with an Adélie penguin that was perched proudly on a pile of stones.

The posture and expression were perfect, as if she was posing to show off to someone.

A suffocating silence flowed between the two.

About five seconds later…

“Uh… have a good time.”

As if nothing had happened, Suradel averted his gaze and closed the door.

Tachak.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

After Iprus went out, I hugged an armful of round, smooth stones.

Then, in a voice full of regret, I said with a sigh.

“It would be quite ugly to sit on rocks in human form…?”

I wanted to quickly learn how to return to being a penguin and build a pretty nest by stacking stones.

When I thought about that, I had a strong desire to return to being a penguin.

With a serious expression, I started shaking my head hard.

“How do I get back to my animal form?”

Iprus said that it was as natural as breathing or moving the arms, so if I gather my strength, it might be easier than I thought.

Kkuu.

Just in case, I tried to strain my body until my face turned red, but nothing changed.

The body, which did not change when needed, felt cruel.

“When I’m sniffling alone at night, I change well…”

Well, if it would change so easily, I would have figured out how to do so within the first few weeks of being a demibeast.

With a small grunt, I picked up a stone and gently stroked it.

“Pretty baby, I’ll sit on you nicely the day I become a penguin.”

It was then.

In an instant, my field of vision was lowered and I was buried in the clothes I was wearing.

Pak.

Shaking my head to and fro, I slipped out of the baggy clothes.

“Wow…?”

I blinked blankly. I had suddenly become a penguin.

Then, to grasp the situation, I stretched my neck and checked my body.

A combination of dense black and white fur.

I was definitely an Adélie penguin.

‘Gosh, I must have a talent for animalizing!’

I covered my mouth in admiration… Well, I tried to do it, but because of the flat wings that didn’t even reach my mouth, I hit my chubby stomach instead.

It was the first time I went back to my animal form when I wanted to.

Of course, the timing was a bit odd to say I wanted it, but anyway!

‘Will Rus be surprised when she sees me?’

I imagined Iprus coming back into the room with the basket.

If I were to sit proudly as a penguin on a nest of stones…!

Nine out of ten people would make a fuss and applaud my amazing talent.

As soon as I made my decision, I immediately bit a stone and began to shape the nest.

I was excited at the thought of sitting nicely on new stones. To the point where I could hum.

“Hmm, mmmm~ hmmm~”

I didn’t know when Iprus would come in, so I hurriedly piled the stones, but when I felt the presence of a person, I hurriedly climbed on top of my masterpiece.

Then I lifted my chin and posed.

But what is this?

“Lia, I’m here.”

Unexpectedly, it was Suradel who opened the door and came in, and when I met his eyes, I froze on the spot, as hard as ice.

He stared at me, without saying anything as if he was stunned.

After several seconds since such a cold silence came…

“Uh… have a good time.”

Leaving those words behind, Suradel closed the door and left.

Tachak.

The sound of the door closing snapped the mind which had been stained white like blank paper back with shame.

‘Damn it, what should I do…!’

‘Did you notice that I’m the human Lia? If nothing else, you must have noticed that I’m Adelia of the Magic Tower! No, but why such a reaction? Is it because you’re so upset?’

A myriad of thoughts were quickly spinning through my head.

Then, the door burst open again, and Suradel poked half of his body out with an embarrassed expression.

“Sorry to interrupt your good time. I forgot one thing.”

What… what?

Confused by the unexpected situation, I stared at him with my eyes wide open, and he took out something from the subspace.

Click.

After taking a picture of me with a photo tool, Suradel, with a satisfied smile, started to pull the door.

“I’m done. Then I’ll go now, Lia.”

…Didn’t he just say ‘Lia’?

Whether it was the penguin Lia or the human Lia, it meant that he noticed that I was Lia.

Ame: OMG THIS IS FABULOUS!!!!! The moment has come!!!!!!!! Better than I imagined!!!!!!!!!! *bows down to author-nim*