The man did not return home.
The pig-like broker naturally did not answer the phone.
He had touched the noble family, so he would have to live like he was dead for a while, but if he did that, he would really die.
Since he wouldn’t be able to obtain the medicine…
He cursed and threw his cellphone away.
With a crunching sound, the internal components of the phone, including the magic stone, scrolls, and crystal parts, broke and scattered like dust.
He stared at it for a moment before plopping down onto the street.
Is this what they call being discarded after use?
He knew that once the hunt was over, the hunting dog would no longer be needed.
Was it a mistake to think that he might be different?
Damn, even so, the betrayal was too fast.
‘Now that I think about it, I wasn’t unaware that it would come to this from the beginning.’
If things kept going like this, he would surely fall before reaching his goal; he knew that clearly, but he just couldn’t bring himself to refuse their proposal.
To fulfill the amount of medicine that his failing body demanded, it was impossible without satisfactorily performing what they called a “request.”
He had no thought that he could gain a normal status and live in a normal way.
But no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t reach his goal at all.
The dosage of medicine his body required was only increasing, and with time passing, he finally ended up pouring almost all of his money into buying medicine.
“To think I’m saying I’ll take revenge in this pathetic body… I really am… aiming high.”
In the end, everything he had done until now seemed nothing but meaningless flailing.
This life had never had any hope from the start.
To lie here on the ground and die was his fate…
“…Wait a second…”
A thought flashed through his mind, and he got back up.
Maybe, he could still live.
“Was it Luke Irushi…?”
If he could preserve his life, it didn’t matter whether it was a ‘facility’s’ creation or anything else.
In fact, that would be better.
They might have medicine.
He said to contact him if needed…
He certainly said that.
That meant he must have been confident he could help, and it suggested he had seen through his condition accurately.
How he managed to do that, he had no idea, but the way that girl utilized the Circle was so skillful that he felt he could never attempt it himself.
It might be that she had penetrated his body in a special way that he could not comprehend.
Thinking about that, he recalled the sympathetic gaze the girl had sent him.
“…”
No one had ever looked at him with such eyes before…
“Huh, is it okay for someone like me to hold onto hope?”
The man took a step forward.
——
Whether young or old, sickly, or weakened, there is a saying that a predator is still a predator.
That means if one is still holding onto their inner fatal aspects, they are indeed a predator.
Luke agreed with that.
If one thinks of themselves as a predator, then even a rabbit could become one.
Just like Kail and Luke could become heroes without being born ‘Heroes.’
And just like how he had defined himself as ‘Luke Irushi’ in his current form.
Danny thought of himself as a hunter.
No matter how disadvantageously he was born for hunting, the instincts engraved in his heart were something he could not resist, nor would he try to resist.
“Go, Danny! Fetch!”
“Arf! Arf!”
The enthusiasm Danny showed while chasing the thrown ball was just like that of a hunting dog pursuing its prey.
“That’s quite impressive; we shouldn’t underestimate him just because he’s small.”
-…
Py seemed to agree, watching Danny’s back and suddenly feeling a sense of crisis.
There was an uneasy feeling that he might steal Eri from that little dog…
Py, fidgeting, wandered around Luke before meeting his gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
-I-I can do it too!
“Sure, sure. You could do it.”
Still, fetching the ball might be too much, but if he wanted to try that hard, he wouldn’t stop him.
While Luke was comforting Py, Danny had come back with the ball in his mouth.
He had thrown it quite far, but Danny was faster than expected.
Seeing how remarkable he was, Luke bent down and patted Danny, who dropped the ball at Luke’s feet, panting heavily, then tapped the ball with his front paw.
“Really, do you want me to throw it again? I guess I have no choice.”
Luke picked up the ball and wrapped it in an invisible layer of magic. This way, Py could participate in the game too.
Though he couldn’t significantly interfere with the Material Plane, he could influence magic.
And if it’s natural mana, Py could draw up the mana of the entire forest with just his will, but man-made manipulated mana was another story.
Luke had surrounded the ball with a layer of magic that Py could barely interfere with. Just to see if he could really fetch it.
“Alright, fetch!”
As Luke threw the ball, this time Py energetically chased after its trajectory.
And there were two women watching this scene from a distance.
A beast-girl with blue hair, and a blonde elf.
Without a doubt, it was Ru’a Eraast and Yerna Risphind.
Ru’a admired Luke, who continued to throw the ball without tiring.
“Luke is really amazing, he never seems to get tired.”
Yerna agreed with Ru’a’s admiration.
“That’s true. Last time at the sports festival, he almost won by himself.”
“The sports festival? Was there such a thing? So, he won by himself?”
Ru’a tilted her head for a moment, not understanding what it meant to win every event alone.
“Yeah, Luke participated in most of the events and won them all.”
“Hmm… really?”
She understood it in her head, but couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it.
So he participated in every event and won them all? How was that even possible?
Yerna showed Ru’a a picture on her cellphone of Luke winning at the events, making it hard for Ru’a to deny it now.
Ru’a sighed and looked at Luke playing with Danny.
‘He excels at studying and sports…’
What was I doing when I was ten? Ru’a thought for a moment and shook her head.
Because the only memory she could bring up was playing.
When Ru’a glanced back at Luke, she noticed shining platinum fur swaying just beneath the bottom of his skirt.
It was probably his tail.
Come to think of it, she remembered how Luke suddenly grabbed his own tail.
Had suppressed instincts manifested in that way?
“Luke already has a tail. I thought it would take longer.”
“Ha ha, true.”
Considering that most beast-people develop tails around the age of twelve, it was indeed a bit early for Luke, who was still only ten.
Well, Luke was already much more precocious than children his age.
No, one might even say he had an old soul…
“But why isn’t Luke wearing a beast-girl skirt? I mean, it’s not necessarily bad not to let the tail out, but…”
Usually, leaving the tail out is more comfortable.
Pants don’t have space for tails, and with a skirt, if the tail moved accidentally, it might expose the bottom of the skirt.
So children usually wear bottoms that reveal a hole for the tail.
Kids are often clumsy with their tails and might trip if it gets caught while running, leading to falls.
But Yerna’s following words were something Ru’a could not argue against.
“Well, it’s not that we didn’t buy one… he said he wanted to hide it because it looks fat.”
“Ah… then I guess that can’t be helped.”
If he’s worried about looking fat…
It seems Luke is a girl as well.
‘It doesn’t look fat at all…’
In fact, Luke’s body seemed to be on the thinner side for his age.
——-
“Well, we’ll be going then. Thanks for today.”
“What do you mean? I’m the one who should be grateful for playing so well with Danny.”
After a light farewell, Yerna and Luke parted ways with Ru’a.
Hand in hand on the way home, after eating out, Luke started to feel the fatigue he had put off until now.
It was more mental exhaustion caused by continuously pouring out magic and doing big and small calculations than physical overexertion.
While walking, Yerna looked at Luke, who was nodding off, and chuckled softly.
“Feeling sleepy? Do you want me to carry you?”
“I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”
Luke said while stifling a yawn and showing a dazed expression, but Yerna just shrugged it off.
It seemed he disliked being treated like a child.
“Then we should hurry home, wash up, and sleep.”
“I agree. I’ll definitely sleep for a long time tonight.”
Thinking of that cozy sleep to be had once they returned home, Luke felt a bit happier and smiled when suddenly his phone rang.
As Luke suggested letting go of Yerna’s hand and took out his cellphone, the number displayed was one he had never seen before.
How did they know his number? All his acquaintances remembered it well.
That meant it was someone he had never exchanged numbers with…
‘Ah, could it be that guy?’
Luke recalled the man from the alley who he had given his number to.
If that’s the case, then he couldn’t not answer; it seemed he finally needed help.
Thinking of it, he was actually a bit late.
He might not have managed to hold out for more than a few days in his condition.
“I picked up. Speak.”
-…Hmph, that voice is definitely right…
A hint of relief mixed in the voice, as expected, it was someone he knew.
“So it was you. Finally reached out, huh?”
-Yeah, I couldn’t put it off any longer, so I decided to gamble one last time.
-You asserted that you could fix me, right? Am I correct?
When it came to whether he could fix him, the answer was obviously yes.
Correcting just one circle was no problem at all.
It would definitely take longer than it had with Shirud, which had only formed a short while ago.
Confident, Luke replied.
“Of course.”
-Then I will go… where should I head?
“Well, there’s a playground on Calvin Road. Can you make it there? I’ll come to meet you.”
-Okay, I’ll see you there.
Thud. After finishing the call and putting away his cellphone, Yerna asked.
“Who was that? A friend?”
“Yeah, since that’s settled, shall we head home first? I need to stop by the playground for a bit.”
“Hmm… wouldn’t you be tired?”
“I’m fine. I’ll be back quickly.”
“Then… let’s go together.”
If it was only for a little while, there was no need to go in separately.
Luke also wanted to see the face of the friend he had made.
——–
And shortly after.
Yerna was astonished to meet the man.
