By Zephyria 
Is this really right?
I now understand why Wilton Roberts told me to take this medicine after washing up thoroughly. If I had gone in and out of the bath with these things attached, drying the fur would have been a nightmare.
I hesitated in front of the mirror for about ten minutes. When I gripped the tip of a drooping ear and recoiled at the strange sensation, my newly acquired tail gave a lazy wag. The suddenly appeared ears and tail did not move according to my will. Yet, it was truly surprising that the sense of touch was so complete.
Is this what it feels like to grow an extra hand? It felt less like a part of my body and more like a balloon tied to me. It was cumbersome and suspicious.
It tickled when touched and hurt when squeezed.
I wonder if Ruben knows such things exist in the world. The child is well-versed in Alchemy, so he probably does.
He said it wasn’t a poison and would work on me too. Indeed, he was right. It wasn’t a physical transformation of my body, but rather an illusion that made both me and others believe such things were attached to my body.
But how could a mere illusion produce such sensations?
In the mirror, the triangular beast ears perched atop my head pricked up. The tail poking uncomfortably out from my trousers was fluffy and swayed gently, even without my intention.
Just two minutes after taking the suspicious medicine.
I had become a half-human, half-beast.
I checked just in case, but I couldn’t tell if anything else had changed besides the ears and tail. My fingers and toes were still perfectly human in shape, and my physique hadn’t changed much, so my clothes weren’t tight.
I examined the inside of my mouth particularly thoroughly. I spent a long time in front of the mirror with my mouth open, checking the shape of my tongue, teeth, and throat. This, too, didn’t seem much different from before. Of course, I had never examined the inside of my mouth in such detail before, but…
However, when I opened my mouth, only a beast’s sound came out instead of a human voice.
“Grrr.”
I read the manual—which had been tucked under the cushion where the medicine bottle sat—for the umpteenth time.
「
This product was developed to provide visual, tactile, and auditory pleasure to humans by simultaneously activating hallucination magic and electric magic that reacts to a special formulation administered orally.
For use, administer a single oral dose of 50ml of the liquid drug. Effectiveness may decrease if consumed with water or other food.
Please be sure to check the expiration date on the bottom of the box.
Do not consume if white or yellow crystals have formed in the contents. If an abnormal product is returned to the Alchemy Society within the expiration date, it will be exchanged for a normal product.
As it is set to activate immediately after ingestion, please use it in a safe location.
Non-human species may experience severe side effects; absolutely do not experiment.
The effective duration of this product is 6 to 8 hours. There have been no reported cases of problems with consecutive use, but use for more than 5 consecutive times is prohibited. (The Alchemy Society is not responsible for side effects caused by excessive consecutive use.)
The effect of this product is randomly assigned from the animals in the database. (8 types of dogs, 3 types of cats, 2 types of rabbits, 3 types of foxes, 3 types of bears, 1 type of lion, 1 type of tiger, 12 types of birds. If you transform into an animal not belonging to these categories, please report it to the Alchemy Society for a small token of gratitude after verification.)
Caution is required if transforming into a predator, as side effects such as increased strength may occur.
In the case of some users with high Mana sensitivity, linguistic abilities tend to synchronize with the data, but they return to normal after the product’s duration ends. This effect is normal and non-compensable.」
A manual like this should have been placed on top of the medicine; what kind of spite is it to tuck it at the bottom so one can only see it after taking it?
Am I a dog, a cat, or a fox right now?
Since the tail was this fluffy and large, it likely wasn’t a tiger, lion, or bear. If I had become a bird, would I have grown wings? Then I wouldn’t have these stupid ears on my head.
At that thought, the tips of my pricked-up ears drooped backward again.
It was disconcerting to have a pair of strange ears hanging from my head while my human ears were still fully present.
No matter how many times I reconsidered, I couldn’t understand how this would help with a marital spat. How am I supposed to apologize or soothe him when I can’t even speak properly?
Deeply troubled, I looked at myself in the mirror from close up and then from afar.
Still, at this size, it should be well-hidden if I cover it with a robe.
For now, if Ruben even laughs upon seeing this bizarre sight, it’s half a success. At least he’ll think that I put every effort into soothing his heart.
I rummaged through the wardrobe and put on the largest hooded robe I could find.
After confirming once more that Titi was fast asleep, I immediately left the main building.
* * *
Following Ruben’s presence, I arrived at the top floor of the guest villa.
Since this villa was originally left vacant, there was no one guarding it.
I didn’t notice the paintings on the walls or the patterns of the carpets on the floor. I didn’t have the mental capacity to notice such things. I assumed they had been decorated appropriately.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I strode forward and stood before the bedroom door where Ruben was staying. I knocked twice and pushed back the robe. Then, instead of waiting long for an answer, I pulled the door open.
A sharp voice was heard immediately.
“I clearly said I wanted to be alone! …I, said…”
“…Whimper.”
“…Mika?”
…The voice softened.
My face flushed with shame at showing such a pathetic sight before the one I love.
Ruben was sitting on the edge of the bed.
I wondered if he had even intended to sleep. He was dressed neatly, not having undone a single thing—not only the uncomfortable shirt and vest, but even his belt. I first checked his somewhat haggard complexion and the area around his eyes. Fortunately, they weren’t wet.
No, how is that fortunate? It would have been better if he were crying.
As I stood by the door, hesitantly gauging his reaction, Ruben’s mouth fell open as he looked at me. I stared blankly at his lips, parted just enough to fit a single finger. Even without a mirror, I could feel my ears and tail drooping.
I opened my mouth and then closed it quietly. I did the same thing once more.
Then, Ruben rubbed his eyes for a moment. And he looked at me again.
“…What, what is this. Wait, what…”
“…”
“Do… you have no voice?”
“Woof.”
“No, …what. What is this… I don’t really like dogs…”
For someone who claimed not to like them, his voice had already melted.
I see. It seems what I’m wearing are indeed the ears and tail of a dog. Since both the ears and tail were pink, matching my own hair color, I hadn’t been able to tell what animal they belonged to.
No wonder I kept wanting to wag my tail after seeing Ruben.
Since he already knew I couldn’t speak and could guess the animal, it seemed Ruben was familiar with this drug. Seeing his reaction, I felt relieved that he didn’t seem to hate it.
Expecting a reaction from Ruben, my tail fluttered like a wind-blown flag.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I reached behind me and lightly gripped the base of the tail to stop it from moving. I have thick skin, so I usually feel numb regardless of who grabs me. However, with this tail, a tingling, ticklish sensation crawled up from inside the skin, making it impossible to grip tightly.
Flustered, I let go and wiped my hand against my thigh. Then, Ruben’s gaze slowly descended from my face to my thigh. My tail began to wag gently again. I bit the inside of my cheek to endure the shame.
As I waited quietly, Ruben pressed one hand firmly over his eyes.
A moment later, our eyes met through the gaps in Ruben’s fingers.
“…This, where did this come from? How on earth did you get your hands on such a crazy prototype…”
“…Whimperrr.”
“No, ha… I’m not blaming you, it’s just. …Come here.”
“…!”
I felt that this was the moment as he opened his arms toward me.
I strode forward urgently and buried my nose straight into his embrace.
As I leaned my cheek against his broad chest, Ruben’s both hands naturally rested on my head. The feeling of his hands slowly stroking my hair was pleasant, but every time he gripped or gently rubbed the pricked-up ears, the tips twitched violently.
It seemed fine when I touched them myself, but when Ruben’s hands touched them, it was so ticklish it was almost unbearable. Gauging his reaction, I lightly shook my head to stop him from kneading my ears, and Ruben let out a hollow laugh.
“Really, because of you…”
“Whimper…”
“Because of you…”
“Urgh, whimper. Woof…”
After staring at me for a long while, Ruben pressed his forehead tightly against mine.
I knew well that it was my fault for sending the child out without permission and then failing to look after him properly, causing a great incident. I also knew better than anyone how shocked Ruben had been today and how hurt his heart was.
Yet, Ruben still couldn’t scold me properly. Far from raising his voice, he showed an enduringly tender attitude, worrying if I might have been startled by my own appearance. I was so grateful and pained by Ruben’s love that whimpering sounds kept escaping me.
A few times, we rubbed our foreheads and cheeks against each other.
Only after the whimpering sounds leaking through my teeth subsided did Ruben let out a deep sigh and look directly into my eyes. The anger had long since vanished from that gaze.
“…Where did you get something like this? Who played a prank? Did you come to me because you were scared?”
“…Hmph.”
“It’s okay. The effect wears off in at most eight hours, so you’ll be back to normal soon. So… uh, you don’t have to try so hard to speak…”
“…”
“But…”
I blinked my eyes quietly. As I stared intently at Ruben’s face, the child gripped my cheeks and then let go. He also gently rubbed my original ears with his thumbs. At that, the new ears on top of my head twitched.
Originally, I was the type to remain quiet regardless of how Ruben touched me. But now, it was incredibly difficult to hide my emotions completely. Even a slight tickle made the tips of my pricked-up ears tremble, and as Ruben hugged me, my tail swung wildly like a dog meeting its owner.
Had Ruben’s touch ever felt this ticklish before? My shoulders kept jumping, and my flushed cheeks felt hot. Even though I wanted to run away, I was in a position where I couldn’t, so I endured it with patience.
Ruben stared at me like that for a while, then closed and opened his eyes tightly. The way the child tried to turn his gaze away with a bashful expression was very familiar to me. For some reason, the inside of my mouth felt itchy.
After a moment’s thought, I stuck out my tongue and licked the child’s cheek.
“…They, definitely, said there was no effect that would make one’s thoughts change into a beast’s.”
“Grrr.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
A silent gaze passed between us for a long time. I rubbed the tip of my nose and lips against the child’s neck once more before lifting my head. Ruben closed and opened his eyes tightly again. Then, he shifted back to sit.
It was a sign for me to come up.
Since Ruben’s legs were parted, I naturally placed my knees on the bed. It became a very familiar position. Ruben hesitated for a moment and then moved back a bit further.
I licked the child’s cheek once more. And I pressed closer. Then, Ruben opened his mouth for me.
The tips of our wet tongues met. As I delved in persistently, Ruben bit my tongue once and then affectionately licked it back. Satisfied by the sweet permission, my tail wagged lazily.
It worked. Ruben is smiling.
Once I overcame the boiling shame, I wanted to see Ruben smile even more.
For the sake of the beloved one’s smile, what imitation could I not perform—be it a dog or a monster? If told to tear silk, I would tear it; if told to do a somersault, I would do it. If Ruben laughs at a few dog barks, I could bark twenty-four hours a day.
I dug up every memory of having been born as a beast a very long time ago. I wagged my tail with all my might. I acted affectionately, intentionally making whimpering sounds.