CHAPTER 33
“—What are you doing here?”
I found Chili Raccoon, Reef, lying on the ground as if dead.
I thought he was dead, but he twitched as he sensed my presence.
“—So you came out of the house. Here, take this.”
Reef held out the fruits and mushrooms he had been carrying.
The colorful berries looked quite appetizing.
But it was suspicious—he had seemed far away, yet suddenly he offered me food almost as a tribute.
“—What’s this? Why are you giving it to me?”
“—Tch… friend…”
“—You expect us to become friends if I take this?”
“—Yes.”
Reef struggled to get up.
Judging by the mud and scraped wounds on his body, he must have gotten hurt while gathering the fruit.
I wasn’t a demon, so I felt a twinge of sympathy for him.
“—Why go this far?”
“—You’re pretty strong. You understand things… hmm?”
His eyes widened as he looked at me.
He had clearly noticed the changes from my evolution.
“—Y-Your quills… they grew? What? What happened? You… were a porcupine too?”
“—Quiet. Don’t make a fuss.”
“—O-Okay.”
Reef slumped, clearly intimidated.
The way he looked at me so submissively was oddly endearing… but also made a masochistic part of me want to tease him.
“—Alright.”
“—Huh?”
“—Even if we’re not friends, I’ll take you as a subordinate.”
“—Subordinate…?”
Reef tilted his head, growling softly.
I furrowed my brow, pretending to be angry.
“—What? You don’t like it?”
“—N-No! I do.”
Yet despite his bright tone, his answer sounded lukewarm.
Reef cautiously spoke, watching my reaction.
“—I-If I’m a subordinate, I can stay in the house, right…? I have nowhere to go if I lose my home…”
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
Our first meeting hadn’t gone well, and he was a bit irritating, but he was the first being I had been able to talk to freely in this world.
I realized that since meeting him, I hadn’t felt lonely.
Of course, surviving constantly left little time to dwell on loneliness.
“—You find your own food.”
“—O-Of course. So… I can live here with you, right? Right?”
I reluctantly nodded at his insistence.
It was funny that he asked permission to live in his own house.
In this world, apparently only strength mattered; law and morality didn’t count for anything.
I turned the conversation away from the guilt creeping up.
“—Wow, you gathered a lot.”
I bit into one of the berries in Reef’s hands.
It was crisp and sweet, perfectly ripe.
“—Where did you find all these?”
“—Over the rocky cliffs, and for the blue ones, along the mossy stream downstream.”
“—I see. They’re delicious. Good job.”
I answered vaguely, since I had no idea where these places were. Then I suddenly asked Reef a question.
“—So how much time has passed since I was driven out?”
“—About half a day?”
“—Half a day… you spent the entire daylight?”
Reef nodded.
Looking at the sky, it had already grown dim—time had passed quickly.
‘Evolution takes about ten hours, it seems.’
After two experiences, I resolved to evolve only when I was completely safe.
Having eaten all the fruit, my stomach started to feel full.
The experience points floating in my vision no longer surprised me.
I considered going to the stream to check my appearance, but the day was ending and I felt sleepy; it seemed better to rest.
“—It’s cramped.”
“—I didn’t expect two of us to sleep here. But if we stick close, it’s fine.”
Reef laughed, rubbing his nose against mine.
I lay on the Belzer pelt spread on the wooden floor, gazing at the ceiling.
A small stone hanging above emitted a gentle light.
I was full, in a sturdy house sheltered from the wind.
I wasn’t lonely, now that I had someone to talk to, even trivial conversation.
“—That sound is amazing. How do you make it?”
“—Huh?”
Reef asked, lying beside me.
I raised an eyebrow—apparently, my throat was unintentionally producing low-frequency vibrations.
“—Why did you stop? Keep making it. It’s making me sleepy…”
Reef yawned widely, a mix of cleverness and goofiness, impossible to read.
What must he be thinking?
‘Oh right, the witch mentioned a curse.’
“—Um…”
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Reef’s body began glowing faintly and changing strangely.
He looked at himself and shook his head.
“—Looks like my curse is activating. Today’s a double full moon, huh.”
“—What? What’s happening?”
I jumped up in surprise.
Reef’s fur fell away as he underwent a bizarre transformation.
“—W-What…?”
“—Nothing to be scared of. This is my second talent… and my curse.”
He trailed off.
I had no idea Reef possessed a second talent.
He muttered bitterly as he observed his hairless body.
“—Strange, right? An animal whose form changes uncontrollably…”
“—Oh my…”
I didn’t know what to say. Under the gentle light, his apricot-colored skin was revealed.
Long, slender limbs, distorted skeletal structure…
Finally, it was clearly a human form.
His height remained the same as the raccoon’s.
The young face looked like a girl just entering puberty.
Brown hair like his fur swayed on his shoulders.
Prominent collarbones, slightly rounded breasts…
A flat stomach, narrow waist, and smooth area between the legs—it was shockingly explicit.
I felt guilty and turned my head.
“—It looks strange, doesn’t it?”
“—Ahem, n-no… um… You’re an adult, right? How old are you?”
“—Of course I’m an adult. I’m twelve. All Chili Raccoons are considered adult by five years.”
“—Ah, twelve. So fully grown… hmm.”
Animal and human ages differ in perception.
Cats and dogs mature in one to two years. This raccoon, though twelve, had clearly aged more than a human twelve-year-old.
‘Still, this is amazing.’
I covered my eyes with my paw.
Through the gap, his naked body was fully visible.
He looked unmistakably human—a cute little girl.
“—Achoo!”
Reef sneezed violently.
He shivered, clearly cold.
Even without wind, the night forest was chilly.
Covered in fur, I didn’t feel it as much; naked Reef must have been freezing.
“—Ugh…”
He wrapped himself in the Belzer pelt from the floor.
“—Hey, what am I supposed to sleep on?”
“—You… have fur.”
“—Even so… never mind.”
I let it go.
Seeing him as a child rather than a raccoon, a long-forgotten sense of care rose within me.
I had been socially conditioned for decades to protect children and the elderly.
That conditioning persisted even after becoming a beast.
I had always struggled with children—unpredictable and explosive.
“—Do you have to stay like this?”
“—A night, maybe. By morning, it’ll pass.”
“—Good enough.”
I swallowed my bitterness and curled up in a corner.
Better to forget all these thoughts and sleep.
By morning, all problems would be solved, and I could start fresh.
Just as I was about to drift off, something snuggled into my arms, prompting me to open my eyes.
“—What are you doing?”
“—C-cold.”
“—I’m not your blanket.”
I pushed him away with my hind leg, but the more I pushed, the closer he clung.
“—It’s not like I’m worn out. Just tonight, please. I’ll fetch more fruit tomorrow. Okay?”
“—Hmm.”
A sudden sense of déjà vu struck me—memories of my early childhood, when I was close with my sister, overlapped with Reef’s warmth.
‘He’s like my little sister. Just tonight, he is my little sister.’
I gave in and opened my arms. Reef smiled brightly and snuggled in.
“—Ahh… finally comfortable.”
His appearance was childlike, but his voice and actions were mature.
I snorted and closed my eyes.
“—Why did an animal become human? This curse… the talent called ‘Transformation’…”
Reef chattered in my arms.
“—Quiet.”
I growled, silencing him.
He hesitated, then fell asleep, leaving me awake.
I thought of waking him, but then he’d chatter annoyingly, so I let it be.
‘An animal turning human… as a curse…’
I wondered: if humans become beasts, what am I? Am I cursed too?
‘What am I? Why am I here?’
I felt an uneasy sense that mere survival wasn’t all there was to this world.
The morning sun rose high.
Birds chirped loudly among the branches, waking me.
Reef, who had been sleeping in my arms, had disappeared from the treehouse.
Probably gone to find food.
‘Feeling refreshed.’
The exhaustion from the ant colony struggle had vanished.
The growing pains in my spine from evolution were gone.
I felt as if I were newly reborn.
Outside, the clear morning air filled my lungs.
I felt a premonition of a good day.
‘What should I do today?’
I probably needed to gather food for dinner.
And I needed time to adapt to my evolved, quilled body.
I walked to the stream for water.
Unlike last time’s muddy water, today it was so clear I could see the bottom.
‘Nice.’
I examined my reflection.
My face hadn’t changed much, but the horn on my forehead had grown about a hand’s length. The sharp quills looked quite threatening.
‘How do I use these quills?’
I flexed my muscles.
With no one to teach me, I had to figure it out myself.
I learned to raise and lower the quills like Belzer had.
‘Can I shoot them?’
I remembered Belzer firing quills like arrows. I tried to replicate it, but couldn’t control it.
Perhaps shooting quills required a special skill or talent.
Rustle.
The bushes behind me moved.
A small horned rabbit peeked out.
Morning must have brought it to drink.
It hopped to the stream and drank.
‘Perfect.’
It was hungry in the morning, and this was a chance to test my evolved strength.
I lowered my upper body, raising only my hindquarters.
With my hind legs, my hips swayed side to side like a feline.
Pawing the ground, I lunged forward.
Immediately, I realized something was wrong.
I launched too far and crashed into the stream.
The horned rabbit leapt away, mocking me, and disappeared into the bushes.
I pulled myself out, shaking off the water.
Drops flew everywhere, soaking the ground.
‘My strength is way higher than before… I thought I could catch it.’
My body’s performance had improved too much.
I resolved to adapt to my stronger, evolved body as soon as possible.
“—Hahaha, really a foolish animal. Fool. Bravo. Look at you all wet and pathetic. Are southern animals all this stupid?”
I felt veins pop on my forehead as I scolded at nothing.
“—And you are… what?”
If you want, I can also make a polished, naturalized English version that reads smoothly like a novel, keeping the story, character voices, and tension intact. This one is a literal translation.
Do you want me to do that?
