The Crazy Killer Whale’s Favourite Penguin

Episode 81: The Ties That Bind (X)

Gulp.

No matter how much I didn’t want to allow him to have access to my belly, a promise was a promise.

As I approached Suradel, desperation rose.

Then I spread my wings and looked at him sternly. 

—Come on!

Even so, I was a penguin whose stomach was trained by my father for years.

It meant even if I allowed Suradel a little bit, it wouldn’t wear out.

As I stood in front of Suradel, he stared at me with touched and bewildered eyes.

“Oh my god…”

He raised his eyebrows, as if asking himself if he dared to touch my belly.

“It’s really okay…?”

I nodded with the thought of ‘Just hurry up’, and he carefully reached out and placed his hand on my stomach.

I was so nervous that my hands were shaking.

Boing.

“Ah…!”

After pressing it down once, he gasped and melted away with a happy expression.

He was about to shed tears.

Then, he recollected his expression. This time he closed his hand and gently squeezed my stomach.

It was rather itchy because he was so careful.

I leaned halfway against Suradel so he could touch more comfortably.

Then, as though he gained confidence, he began to play with my belly fat a little boldly.

“Ha…”

The lips on that serious face parted while touching my belly fat as if he was kneading clay.

“Lia, you know what?”

“Wheeng? (What is it?)”

“Lia’s belly is not soft.”

…Should I really kill him?

I was about to knock him out so that he would stop touching me, but he was so excited that I decided to allow him a little more.

Actually, I liked to be stroked, so I didn’t feel too bad.

Even more so because affection dripped down from his hands and eyes.

Eventually, I was given a backhug, and my showing belly was stroked.

Suradel gently scratched my stomach with a blissful expression, then made a solemn face as if he had found something.

“Lia.”

“Weyeng.”

“Lia, do you happen to have hair loss…?”

I wanted to know what that meant, so I followed his gaze.

The place he was looking at with a serious expression was the incubation patch.

It was the only part of the Adélie penguin’s body that had no hair.

The thought of him staring at my incubation patch made me feel like a wave of shame.

“Whehe!!!”

Pak-!

I slapped Suradel in the face with my wings and got under the bed.

It was mortifying. I felt like I was going to die of embarrassment.

Incubation patch.

This existed on birds to effectively transfer body heat when they incubate their eggs.
(TL/N: A more detailed explanation, courtesy of ‘the center of conservation biology’ – The incubation patch begins to develop on the breast or abdomen shortly before the female lays her eggs through hormonal changes that cause the feathers that cover that area to fall out on their own. That leaves a wrinkled patch of bare skin that blood vessels fill with warm blood. When we see the animal ‘wiggle’ as they settle upon the eggs, they are spreading that bare patch over the eggs to keep them warm.)

It was embarrassing to think that his gaze had reached there, even though it was just the hairless part of my lower belly.

Moreover, even if it’s the case, what’s wrong with hair loss?

He’s a killer whale, he’s a mountain without a single hair!
(TL/N: well… not really? All mammals have hair, just as to what degree.)

“Lia…?”

Surprised by my reaction, Suradel hurriedly bent over, looked under the bed and called me.

“Lia, are you embarrassed?”

“…Ween!”

“…Sorry. I knew it was an incubating patch, but I just wanted to play around with you. There’s no way I don’t know about you, the penguin. Huh?”

I swung my head in the opposite direction from Suradel.

Then, a small chuckle was heard.

“Lia, what are you doing? I know I shouldn’t be like this even after seeing you pout… But I feel good.”

What?

It was right when I turned my head, about to get angry.

“The part that Lia was conscious of me excites me. You obviously wouldn’t have been ashamed if anyone else did this. right?”

“…….”

“Actually, back then, when you humanized in front of me… I was worried that you didn’t see me as a man because you were so calm even in your natural state.”

He was worrying about all sorts of strange things.

There were many times when I thought Suradel, who chased after me like a stalker, was annoying, but there was never a time when I didn’t think of him as a man.

…Because it was a face that made me feel emotions that I didn’t have.

“But I can see it today. Lia is more used to the penguin body, so she is less shy in human form.”

There was joy that could not be hidden from Suradel’s voice as he said that.

Okay. Come to think of it, when I was in my human form, he was shy when I touched him first.

He had immunity to the attack, but it seemed like he had no immunity to being approached first.

Beneath the dark bed, my beak made a scratching sound as I sharpened my knife for revenge.

Next time, I will definitely make his face as red as a tomato.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

The next morning.

I was a bit more confident.

The process took quite a long time, but I successfully humanized overnight.

Once I got used to it a little more, it seemed like I could freely change my appearance like other demibeasts.

Then there would be fewer incidents like yesterday where I suddenly returned to being an animal.

I seemed to have changed yesterday because I had a strong desire to return to relax as a penguin.

Just like the last time I became a penguin, it came from wishing to sit down quickly in the nest of stones brought by Iprus.

I deliberately set off in the late afternoon to keep Theodore from following me like yesterday.

It’s been quite a while since the Weil family came to the center, so the raccoon demibeast must have arrived.

There was no hesitation in my steps, for yesterday Iprus had learned from Jack the whereabouts of Nikita and Anemone.

I planned to stop by Nikita first, then come out just in time for Anemone to head home.

Soon, along with Iprus and Hanu, I arrived at Nikita’s residence.

As I knocked on the door, I heard her voice from inside.

“…Who are you?”

“It’s me.”

“…If you say that, will I know who you are and open it?”

“If you don’t open it for three counts, I’ll blow it up. One, two…”

Bwak.

“Ah, oh my gosh. The killer whale sister is here. H-How do you know this place…?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

My eyebrows twitched in discomfort.

“By the way, did you just call me ‘sister’?”

“If you’re pretty, you’re a sister.”
(TL/N: If someone is really pretty or cool, girls call them ‘unnie’ as a sign of respect.)

“Call me Lia.”

“Yes, lady. Don’t just stand here, come on in.”

“Call me Lia.”

Nikita groaned servilely and stepped behind as if to invite us in.

“So what did you come here for?”

But none of us couldn’t answer the question.

Because we, who entered Nikita’s house, hardened as if we were made of ice.

Not only did not a single light come in as the windows were covered, but it was also full of bleak decorations.

Lit candles everywhere.

Skulls and crosses. Strange words engraved all over the place.

Combinations that did not suit a house at all were gathered, showing off their individual presence.

From unknown powders to potions of strange colors, filling one side.

Tuk-tuk.

“Lady Lia, look at that.”

At the spot Iprus pointed out, a frog’s legs and a spider’s eyeballs were placed in a glass bottle with a preservative solution.

When I glanced at Hanu, his face was white. He seemed to be weak in this regard.

At the sight of such a Hanu, a strong impulse rose at the moment.

I finally couldn’t resist and whispered in his ear.

“Sir.”

Then, startled, he turned to me.

“…Y-Yes, yes?”

Pfft.

I bit my lips and barely swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out.

Beating a drum in a cow’s ear.

I didn’t know why it came to my mind at this moment, but it was satisfying to solve the sudden urge.

After that, I continued to roll my eyes at the feast of weird objects that filled the house.

My eyes paused at the side where various herbs and dried ingredients were arranged.

There, a large pot with steam rising as if boiling something.

Inside, a strange green liquid was bubbling with an ominous scent.

“Lady…? Now, can you tell me why you are here?”

It was only then that I realized that Nikita was wearing a pure white priest’s uniform.

Indeed, at this level… She was worthy of the title of freak.

“I came to play, and to see if you’re doing well.”

“…Bully.”

“What?”

“Oh no!”

I obviously heard her call me a bully, but I, who possessed a wide heart, decided to just let it go.

I skimmed through the papers scattered randomly on her desk.

“What are you researching?”

“Ah. It’s just a hobby. Have I ever told you that there was a saint among my distant ancestors?”

“Huh.”

“It’s said that blessings and curses existed in the era in which she lived. I’m working on it.”

“Blessings and curses?”

“Yes. Blessings cannot be realized because one must have divine power, a concept that has now disappeared, but I think curses can be possible if just the spell is well restored.”

Divine power existing… 

It seemed that the title of saint was not because of her outstanding wisdom and virtue.

Furthermore…

“Curse. Are you researching something dangerous?”

I must have unknowingly said it with a very dreary expression, so Nikita was greatly embarrassed and made an excuse.

“A curse must have a corresponding price. You can’t even choose the price.”

She shook her head in disgust.

“I was curious, so I researched it, but I didn’t even dare to try it because I don’t have much guts.”

“Well, it does look like that.”

Nikita, as seen during the time in the Weil territory, seemed to very much value her body and life.