MTFBMP Chapter 9

One of Adelaine’s powers was that she could retain the clothes he wore when he changed from beast to human form. There was no reason for him to appear naked.

 

It may sound a bit forced, but we couldn’t make the game explicit, so we came up with it.

 

“Clothes. What am I supposed to wear? I don’t remember.”

 

Adelaine muttered. Somehow, it didn’t sound like the Adelaine I knew.

 

“You must have something you normally wear.”

 

“Well, no. I’ve never really had a reason to wear clothes.”

 

“It’s only natural for a human to wear clothes…”

 

“I’ve been a beast all my life, and this is the first time I’ve looked like this in a long time. Don’t you like it?” He asked innocently.

 

In my memory, Adelaine had tried to conceal the fact that he could turn into a beast as much as possible; he only turned into one when it was critically necessary.

 

“You must have memories of being human, surely you have the clothes you wore then?”

 

“You speak as if you already knew me. So, who was the me that you know?”

 

For some reason, I felt like I was being questioned.

 

‘If you can’t remember, does that mean you don’t remember being human at all?’

 

My head spun, wondering if this was an opportunity or a crisis.

 

“You’re pretty frustrating.”

 

He reached his free arm out of the cage. His index finger touched the brim of my hat, and with a small movement, the crookedly placed cap fell off, and the hair that had bound it together fell.

 

“Hmm. That’s better.”

 

I had asked him to dress himself, but what kind of man would take off what I was wearing?

 

Hovering in midair, Adele’s fingers touched my chin, which had been slanted at an angle by the falling hat, and then slowly pulled it toward him.

 

My body stiffened at the unexpected contact.

 

“Will you look at me when I get dressed?”

 

“Hmph!”

 

Adelaine stood against the bars, now almost in front of me, and he tugged my chin up.

 

And once again, my eyes were filled with Adelaine’s face.

 

He studied me carefully. His eyes, which appeared to be narrowing, were as deep as the sea.

 

They were the color of the night sea, not midday. I couldn’t look away from his eyes, which took on the appearance of a man rather than a beast.

 

I felt like I was being sucked in. Likewise, I forgot my fear and stared at him for a moment.

 

The man shook his head and muttered, “That’s weird.”

 

“What…?”

 

“What, is it not glowing?”

 

“What’s that supposed to be…, ugh!”

 

Before I could finish my question, he yanked me up by my hair. I had to hold on to the bars with both hands and stand as best I could to keep from getting my nose crushed.

 

‘Oh, come on, you’re going to hit my face!’

 

Adelaine leaned in close, making my heart beat faster. The handsome face was getting closer again.

 

So close, I could feel his breath on my skin.

 

“Human, don’t close your eyes.”

 

Adelaine scolded me for blinking a few times.

 

Even without looking, I could feel my pupils fluttering. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes that could not close.

 

Now his lips were really about to touch mine.

 

“It’s weird. You were a little more sparkly when I saw you earlier.”

 

“…It’s normal for a person to not be glowing.”

 

“No. When you came here before, you definitely had a gleam in your eye.”

 

‘Did I see it wrong?’

 

After muttering that to himself, he leaned in closer and sniffed the air, as if checking for a scent. It was an instinctive behavior.

 

Before I could feel a strange relief that we weren’t touching, Adelaine’s lips gently brushed my chin, then stopped just below the nape of my neck. The touch of his fur tickled unbearably, sending goosebumps up my spine.

 

Little by little, he tilted his head and gave the nape of my neck a thorough scrutiny. We were still close enough to touch noses.

 

‘Have I been here before?’

 

There was only one thing I could assume. 

 

What if what I saw wasn’t just a vision, but something real? This was the first time I saw him in person. But if the vision wasn’t fake.

 

‘What is that, then? An out-of-body experience?’

 

The game-like vision flashed through my mind again. I assumed it was some kind of trailer that only I could see. At the end of the intense scene…

 

“Poor wounded flying beast,” 

 

I muttered the name of the quest as it came to mind.

 

Adelaine, still searching me through the bars, stopped dead in his tracks.

 

Ever so slowly, he raised his head. His hair spilled over his forehead as he bowed his head, revealing a pair of beastly eyes that glowed within.

 

“I see, I was right after all.”

 

Sigh. Adelaine laughed at me, looking up, still with his head down. Adelaine’s pupils slit open like a beast that has spotted its prey.

 

It was more like a beast than a man. My throat felt dry.

 

“I’d like to see you a little closer, and maybe I can figure something out.”

 

“…No, I don’t want to.”

 

Using the cage as a shield, I managed to refuse. Adelaine was naked now, so he couldn’t reach for a weapon, and that encouraged me a little.

 

“How do I know you won’t hurt me?”

 

“Why would you think that? I’m just going to look.”

 

For some reason, Adelaine had lost his memory, and his behavior toward me was closer to curiosity than hostility. It didn’t look like he wanted to kill me anytime soon.

 

‘But if I get caught, he might have another change of heart.’

 

For now, I just wanted to get out of his grasp, my survival instincts warning me over and over again.

 

“I want to see more of you.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

“Why? What do you want me to do?”

 

His voice was desperate as if he would grant anything if I asked. It was enough to make anyone fall for it.

 

“Maybe you don’t like how my body looks?”

 

He spoke in an agonized tone and covered himself with one of his two large wings.

 

The golden wings darted between Adelaine and me. Its wings were so large that feathers poked out of the cage. The feathers felt so soft against my body that I couldn’t help but reach out and touch them.

 

They weren’t ugly at all, and the way the wings covered his body obliquely made them look sleek and agile. It was almost like a masterpiece.

 

With the wings, I didn’t have to force myself to keep my head up when I couldn’t find a place to look.

 

“Alright, let go.”

 

The first thing I wanted to do was remove his hand from my chin.

 

If he really couldn’t remember, he wouldn’t recognize me, or even know that he’d been chasing me. I pinned my hopes on that possibility.

 

“Hmm. I don’t like the sound of that.”

 

“Let go, and I will move.”

 

My confidence lightened a bit, as did my demeanor. 

 

“I guess that’s true.”

 

Adelaine nodded obediently and withdrew his hand. A large man’s hand slipped back into the cage.

 

My heart was beating fast once more.

 

“I have listened well, and now it is your turn, is it not?”

 

The words were spoken as if he were looking at me. Slowly, my grip on the bars loosened, and I took a casual step back, feeling my stomach heave again.

 

“Why are you moving away again?”

 

“The cage won’t let me get any closer anyway.”

 

“Then come inside and show me.”

 

“The gate is locked.”

 

“Hmm. Isn’t it?”

 

Adelaine flicked a hand through the air, as if swatting away a nearby flying insect, followed by the unpleasant sound of creaking metal against iron.

 

“This can’t be happening.”

 

The lock on the door was rattling as if it hadn’t already been bolted shut with a chain, and the padlock on it had been flung open at his touch a moment ago.

 

‘These physical barriers are not enough to stop me.’ Adelaine proved it with a wave of his hand.

 

“You can come in now.”

 

I was terrified. The figure before me was beautiful, no matter how beautiful— No, too breathtakingly beautiful, to be more dangerous.

 

Squeak—

 

The floor creaked behind me once more. It was as if it were a warning signal.

 

I stomped across the floor and fled the scene.