96. Friend’s House

96. Friend’s House

There’s a mountain of cookies on the plate in front of me.

And in front of it, there’s a fierce and majestic wolf with narrowed eyes, staring at the cookies. A truly magnificent wolf.

Cookies are prey.

I am the predator.

Wagging my tail gently and waiting for the right moment, I pounced as the cookies were most vulnerable.

“Kuaaang!”

Crunch, crunch.

The first victim cookie was the plump one right on top of the pile. As the cookie was devoured in an instant, the cookies below trembled in fear.

Good.

Be more scared!

And let the world know!

That I am the strongest and most powerful wolf in the world!

“Kkang kkang.”

Separately from that, I feel good.

The sweet and crispy taste of cookies filling my mouth makes me want to bark “Kkang” again and again. A smile naturally forms on my face, and my tail wags back and forth.

Here, I’ll have a glass of milk.

Gulp, gulp.

The white milk in the large glass slowly decreases. I wanted to chug it down like a real man, but my stomach, being that of a child, couldn’t handle it.

“Kyah.”

The cookies and the chocolate chips embedded in them naturally melt into the milk and disappear into my stomach. The smooth and savory sensation as it goes down makes my belly feel full.

There was still more than two-thirds of the milk left. It’s a shame I can’t drink it all at once, but conversely, it means I can enjoy this savory taste for longer, so I decided to look on the bright side.

I bent down and looked at Seol-gu, who was at my feet, right in front of the dining table.

Seol-gu had his nose buried in the wide bowl of milk and was slurping it up noisily.

“Seol-gu, it’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“Kkang.”

As Seol-gu lifted his head, milk dripped down.

Seol-gu’s face was completely covered in milk. It was already white, but with the white milk smeared on his face, he became even whiter.

Seol-gu wagged his tail and licked the milk from the bowl, splashing it everywhere.

It seems like more milk got on his fur than he actually drank.

This is why foxes are no good, sigh.

This milk was given to Seol-gu instead of cookies. Even if I’m putting him on a diet, I didn’t intend to make him sit sadly in a corner and starve.

But this foolish ball of fur is spilling all the milk I gave him, getting it all over his fur, making a mess.

“Kkang kkang kkang kkang.”

Look at him, he’s doing it again.

Deciding this wouldn’t do, I stretched out my leg and pressed down on Seol-gu with my foot. Of course, I had taken off my shoes.

“Seol-gu, try to eat properly. You’re spilling it all.”

“Kkaeaeng.”

“Ugh, it tickles!”

Seol-gu’s fur is long and fluffy. Since his fur covers him from head to tail, he truly deserves to be called a ball of fur.

When I stepped on that ball of fur, it was inevitable that the fur would burrow between my toes and tickle me.

I wiggled my toes and giggled. Seol-gu’s soft, squishy belly moving around, and Seol-gu’s fur tickling the soles of my feet, created a truly fantastic harmony.

A sensation I could never get used to.

I started playing with Seol-gu again, kneading him with my foot.

“Hmph, hmph… Eek?!”

As I pressed down on Seol-gu with my toes, a sudden, chilling sensation crawled all over my body.

Seol-gu licked the sole of my foot!

“Hey!!”

“Kkaeaeng!”

It tickles!

I was completely taken aback by the unexpected action of that foolish fox licking my foot. Experiencing a sensation I had never encountered in my past or present life, I quickly put on my shoes.

From now on, I must never step on Seol-gu again.

Next time, that fox might swallow my foot. After all, it’s natural to devour prey after licking it, with a “Kuaang!”

“Hmph.”

I snorted and decided to focus on eating cookies again.

Despite all the distractions, thankfully, the cookies hadn’t diminished at all. It seemed to be thanks to Lucy’s slow eating pace.

Lucy was holding a cookie in her tiny hand and nibbling at the end, which is why she hadn’t finished her first cookie yet.

It seems I need to offer some wolf advice here.

“Lucy, try taking a bigger bite of the cookie.”

“The cookie?”

“Yeah, yeah. Like me.”

I picked out a cookie from the pile that would be my next victim. Then, I opened my mouth wide and took a bite of the cookie.

Crunch, the cookie crumbled, and crumbs fell.

“Here, Lucy. Say ‘ah’.”

“Ah….”

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth. But it was too small. Only her pink tongue was barely visible.

“No, Lucy. Bigger!”

“Bigger…?”

“Yeah!”

Finally, Lucy strained and opened her mouth wider. It was still small, but it was within the acceptable range.

Lucy took a bite of the cookie.

Now she seems to be actually eating cookies.

As I nodded with a satisfied expression, Lucy said with a sad face.

“Too much… I can’t eat it all….”

Eh.

——

Anyway, we managed to finish the cookies. Although Lucy only ate two and I ate all the rest of the cookies….

“I’m full.”

“You’re full because you ate it all.”

“But it was delicious.”

I said to my sister.

We are now in Lucy’s living room. Lucy’s grandmother was sitting on a rocking chair, resting, and my sister was sitting me on her lap, meticulously brushing my hair and tail.

My tail, already fluffy, was becoming even fluffier.

I feel good.

“We’ll rest a bit like this, then wash up and go to sleep. Seol-ah will share a room with me… we’re going to the train tomorrow morning, so keep that in mind.”

“Okay.”

I looked around.

Dad seemed to have gone somewhere for a moment, and Seol-gu was sprawled on the warm floor like melted rice cake.

Lucy was lying on the sofa, humming a tune and reading a book.

Hmm.

A book… a book?

Come to think of it…!

“Lucy, where is your dad?”

“My dad?”

“Yeah!”

Lucy said that her dad taught her to read. But it was strange that no one was home except her grandmother.

“Dad is….”

Just before Lucy could answer, her grandmother spoke first.

“Her father went far away for work.”

“Far away?”

“Yes. Very… far away from here. Her mother too.”

I see.

It seemed to be nothing serious. I was worried that Lucy’s parents had divorced and she was left alone with her grandmother.

“Yes. It’s nothing to- *cough*.”

“Grandmother?”

At that moment, Grandmother suddenly started coughing. She reached out and said she was fine, but she kept coughing.

“Kkkhm….”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’ll feel better if I drink some water.”

Grandmother headed towards the kitchen. She was still coughing lightly on the way, and she didn’t look very healthy.

I’m worried…

I detached myself from my sister’s embrace and quietly approached Lucy to ask.

“Lucy, is Grandmother not feeling well?”

“Yes. Lately, her coughing has gotten worse… I’m worried.”

I see.

It seems I have to step in here.

“Trust me, Lucy.”

“Huh?”

“Do you know the story of the grateful wolf? This is that moment!”

“Huh…?”

Wolves are animals that repay kindness with kindness. Since Grandmother let us stay for the night, it was only right to repay her.

“Let’s go, Lucy!”

“Uh, uh?”

I pulled Lucy along and followed Grandmother to the kitchen.

“Grandmother!”

“Children? What’s wrong?”

It’s better to show than to tell.

I took out the transparent, sparkling stone from my tail and showed it to Grandmother. Grandmother adjusted her glasses and looked at the stone.

“This…?”

“Grandmother, I’ll make you healthy!”

Finally, the stone shone brightly. As the light subsided, Grandmother’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed.

“Oh my… my stomach feels so much better. Did you do this?”

“Yes!”

“Thank you so much.”

Grandmother stroked my head. I wagged my tail furiously.

This is the power of a magic wolf. Making Grandmother healthy is no big deal.

Grandmother looked at me intently and then spoke.

“Seeing you reminds me of the fox suin I met a long time ago. That child also had a gem like yours….”

A gem?

“Yes. Like the one you’re holding now… it was a gem that looked like it was made round. She used it to cast magic, just like you.”

I looked closely at my transparent stone.

The stone Seol-gu gave me. It’s a transparent, sparkling stone with many rough, angular surfaces.

If I were to shape this stone as it is….

It would be pretty.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll carve this stone. Even though it’s not smooth and well-polished, this rough stone contains Seol-gu’s feelings.

I can’t treat a friend’s gift carelessly. Besides, I’ve benefited greatly from its magic.

Meanwhile, Grandmother tilted her head and said.

“But it’s strange. That child definitely couldn’t use the gem unless she was a fox.”

“A fox?”

“Yes.”

She couldn’t use magic unless she was a fox.

Huk.

Could it be….

“No wonder! When I said I was a wolf, the stone wouldn’t use magic. It only worked when I barked like a fox, so that must be why.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

The reason the stone weakened instantly when I talked about being a wolf seemed to be precisely this. Only foxes could use the stone. It was natural that it wouldn’t work properly if I, a wolf, used it.

But it’s also funny that the stone is fooled just by me saying I’m a fox. Foxes really seem to be a dim-witted species.

“Anyway, thank you, Seol-ah. I feel much better thanks to you.”

“It’s nothing!”

I received Grandmother’s thanks once more and returned to the living room.

Now, all that’s left is to wash up and go to sleep.