The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy – Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Not Drugs (Really)

If Dogeon had been going to meet another girl, I’d already been prepared to kick his knees out from under him. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Instead, we arrived at a rather strange shop.

The sign’s lettering was crude and unique, making it hard to decipher, but I managed to read it after some effort.

“K.C.’s Pet… Supplies? A pet shop? Why are we here?”

This guy didn’t even have a pet—why suddenly a trip to a pet store? Unable to hold back my curiosity, I asked him directly.

“I thought I’d buy some food for stray cats,” he replied.

…Han Dogeon, you. Are you serious? A cat daddy? My expression twisted at the mention of feeding stray cats.

Sure, in a way, I might resemble a cat, but I’ve never liked them, neither in this life nor the last.

In my past life, it was allergies and the caterwauling during mating season. In this life, it was from actually raising one.

Cats didn’t have the loyalty or playful charm of dogs—they acted like they were my equal and constantly tested my patience.

They’d behave around my father but go wild specifically when dealing with me, which made it all the more irritating.

“I didn’t think you were into that sort of thing… but it’s not ideal. Wild animals are best left in the wild,” I said.

Not being family, I couldn’t outright forbid him, so I couched my words carefully, implying it wasn’t the best idea.

Feeding strays disrupts the ecosystem, after all. Cats multiply, eat birds, the bird population declines, and insects proliferate.

Though in truth, I just didn’t want cats being a nuisance in my vicinity.

“Oh, I see. Then what if I kept one as a pet?” he asked, shifting from feeding strays to actually owning one.

If he liked cats that much, I couldn’t argue. His resolve seemed firm.

“Taking responsibility is admirable, but are pets even allowed in the dorms?” I pressed, hoping he’d reconsider. Unspayed cats were noisy enough to make anyone lose their mind.

“Yes, the rules say as long as their waste is properly managed, it’s fine.”

It seemed Dogeon didn’t care about my opinion. He’d even checked the regulations in advance.

Well, I couldn’t stop him.

“Then do as you wish. If you’re taking one in, I won’t object, but don’t even think of abandoning it later.”

If you must abandon it, do it somewhere far, far away.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen,” he said with conviction.

So, he wasn’t just a cat daddy—he was a full-blown cat lover.

I gave up trying to talk him out of it and focused on my original goal: watching Dogeon to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble.

Most of the people here were older women or elderly folks, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

You never know—Dogeon could have some strange taste for older women. A friend of mine didn’t look the type, but he had a thing for NTR.

Or maybe Dogeon just didn’t discriminate, whether young or old.

Still, as long as I was here, nothing like that was going to happen.

The pet shop was enormous for what it was. Judging by snippets of conversation, I gathered that some people kept massive magical beasts as pets.

Certainly, you wouldn’t need such large, sturdy cages for ordinary dogs or cats.

As I glanced at the curious items on display, I also kept an eye on Dogeon. He seemed genuinely focused on buying things for a cat.

Then, suddenly, an alluring, intoxicating scent hit me.

For a moment, I forgot what I was doing. It was similar to the hazy feeling that overtook me during mating season in my past life.

Where was it coming from?

…Ah, over there. The display Dogeon had been circling for some time now. I wasn’t curious why he’d been lingering—it didn’t matter.

I just wanted to get closer to that scent.

Just a little more.

“…I’ve bought everything I needed,” Dogeon said.

His voice snapped me out of it just before I could dive toward the display.

“Huh? Oh… You’re done already? Then let’s go.”

That was close—doing something like that in a crowded place would’ve been a disaster.

I didn’t want to know what it was. Just recalling the scent might consume me again.

Focus on Dogeon. Yes, Dogeon.

There was no way he’d been ogling other girls while I was momentarily out of it. 

He’d been solely focused on cat-related items, and he hadn’t paid any attention to the people around us.

For some reason, that brought me a sense of relief as we headed back to the dorms.

The familiarity I felt toward him suddenly made sense.

Dogeon reminded me of the head of my royal guard.

Their looks, overall vibe, and friendly personalities were very similar.

…Though, sorry to my guard captain, but Dogeon’s appearance was a little better.

However, the guard captain never displayed the thoughtlessness that Dogeon sometimes did, and he’d been with me since birth, which made him far more dependable.

Not in a romantic way, of course—I liked both of them simply as people.

For some reason, Mother seemed to think I had feelings for Dogeon as a woman, but I’d resolve that misunderstanding someday.

Even though I’d been shadowing him, I couldn’t follow him into his room. So, unless he did something noteworthy, I decided to read a book.

The day I got angry, I’d gone to the library to cool off and ended up borrowing an entire series.

The story was wild—at one point, the protagonist literally traveled to the moon—but I loved it.

I was just starting to immerse myself in it when someone knocked on my door.

“…Are you there?”

It was Dogeon’s voice. Reluctantly, I bookmarked the page and opened the door.

Immediately, a strong, familiar scent filled the air. It was far more potent than what I’d smelled at the shop.

The source was a small leather pouch in Dogeon’s hand. I reached for it instinctively before regaining my composure.

“To… apologize for what happened two days ago, I prepared a small gift,” he said hesitantly.

I barely registered his words.

“Come in,” I said.

Suppressing the urge to grab him, I focused all my attention on the pouch.

“What?”

“I said, come in.”

Now.

Every second he hesitated felt agonizingly long.

As soon as he entered, I shut the door behind him. I wasn’t sure what my expression looked like, but it definitely wasn’t something I wanted anyone else to see.

“Hoyeon? Why’d you close the door?”

I advanced toward him slowly, and he backed away.

It didn’t matter. All I wanted was to bury my nose in that leather pouch. Nothing else crossed my mind.

“Give me your hand,” I demanded.

“My… hand?”

“The other one.”

The one holding the pouch. Why was he offering his empty hand?

When he finally extended the pouch, I grabbed it with both hands. He flinched slightly, but I didn’t care.

I pressed my face against the pouch, inhaling deeply. Dogeon called my name over and over, but I didn’t hear him.

Each breath felt like fireworks of euphoria exploding in my mind. Even with my eyes closed, vibrant, unfamiliar colors danced before me.

“Ssss… Haaaaa…”

I felt my knees buckle, and I ended up leaning on him for support.

I didn’t care how pathetic I looked—I just wanted more.

Please, just let me stay like this. I don’t care what this is. Just keep it coming.

“Hoyeon! Hoyeon! Are you okay?!”

I looked up at him with unfocused eyes. He was staring at me with a concerned expression.

Oh… He’d called my name so many times, but I’d been too entranced to respond.

I suppose it’d be alarming if your only friend suddenly buried their face in your hand like this.

Mmm… My head felt so light. I probably couldn’t even stand on my own right now.

“…I’m fine. Just… feeling good…”

I tried to speak clearly, but my words came out slurred.

Hmm, was this like alcohol? My speech was slurred, my balance was off, and I felt amazing.

So, was I drunk? I’d never had a sip of alcohol in my life, yet here I was, intoxicated by some mysterious means. It was a bit embarrassing.

But it was Dogeon, so I didn’t mind. I could trust him.

“You’re… feeling good?” he asked hesitantly.

“…Yeah.”

I nodded, rubbing my face against the pouch. Since it was small, it might’ve looked like I was nuzzling his hand.

“So… you like it, then?”

Like it?

“…Love it…”

If possible, I want this every day.

Before bed, or on days when I couldn’t follow Dogeon around, this would be perfect to stave off boredom.

Melancholy? I’d drown it in waves of euphoria.

Yet, for some reason, Dogeon didn’t seem to share my joy.

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