Serdin’s words that Formo liked his handwriting were true. As soon as Serdin returned to the room, he spread out the documents Kert had brought on the desk and took out ink and a pen. Then, as if drawn by something, didn’t Formo stealthily approach and settle across from him?
Serdin moved his pen while scanning the documents. At the letters being carved into the paper with scratching sounds, Formo’s eyes widened. He couldn’t take his eyes off it, as if to engrave Serdin’s handwriting into his eyes. When he was a long-tailed tit, there was no need to pay attention to Serdin’s handwriting, but now that he knew how to use the common language, it was different.
Unlike his behavior, Serdin’s handwriting was quite elegant. Even the fastidious Kert acknowledged him as a master calligrapher, so there was no need for further explanation.
What Serdin wrote on documents was at most his own name or approved, disapproved, and the like, but such things weren’t important to Formo. He simply thought Serdin’s handwriting was very pretty. Formo, who had been watching the handwriting written without hesitation for a long time, seemed to ponder for a moment, then scribbled following him. Soon, Formo’s name was written on white paper in crooked letters.
Serdin, who was organizing the pile of processed documents, stared at the letters carved on the paper Formo was holding. On the paper, the name ‘Formo Puer’ was written in the common language. It was Formo’s name that he had learned in Arancha.
“Pipi.”
“Hm?”
Formo, who had been repeatedly writing his own name, raised his head.
“How about giving me that paper and writing more on this paper?”
Serdin held out a blank sheet of paper to Formo. Since Serdin had a history of tricking him into stamping his footprint on new paper, Formo looked at him with suspicious eyes. Then Serdin, feeling guilty in advance, smiled and said.
“I don’t intend to use it badly. I just want to frame the paper with Pipi’s handwriting.”
“Wh-why would you frame something like this……”
Formo, whose earlobes were red as he spoke, glanced at Serdin and then slightly pushed the paper with his name written on it in front of him. He thought it would be quite proud to frame the letters he wrote and hang them on the wall. If possible, he’d like to hang neatly and prettily written letters…… Formo pondered for a moment and then added.
“Then…… next time I’ll write more neatly, so hang that one next to it too.”
At those words, the corners of Serdin’s mouth twitched. Embarrassed, Formo pretended not to see it and lowered his head, then began writing his name on the new paper. A gentle breeze blew through the open window.
A week passed. During that time, even though he had become somewhat accustomed to using the common language and moving in a human body, Formo still had one major mountain left to overcome. That was transforming between human and animal forms at will.
He had practiced for a whole week but still couldn’t see any results, so he was troubled. Formo sat dejectedly, unable to soothe his anxious heart in any way, and let out a sigh.
Just then, Serdin entered the room with snacks for Formo.
“Pipi, what’s wrong?”
When he put down the tray with snacks on the table and asked, Formo replied.
“No matter how hard I try, I can’t transform into an animal……”
His flat voice was full of disappointment. He was sitting with his back turned to Serdin so his expression wasn’t visible, but surely his lips were sticking out and he’d be very cute. Serdin deliberately put force into his twitching lips and asked casually.
“Should I help?”
“……How?”
Even though he had followed Serdin’s advice until now, he had failed at animal transformation. So would anything change if he received his help in earnest? Formo was afraid there would be no effect this time either.
In fact, there was another reason besides Arancha for being so anxious. That was flight. For Formo, to whom flying freely through the sky was more precious than anything, staying in human form was nothing short of torture. When he was a long-tailed tit, he had been anxious to transform into human form and move, so it was truly a fickle heart.
“Pipi, try closing your eyes.”
It was very suspicious, but Formo followed Serdin’s words with the feeling of grasping at straws. His long white eyelashes slowly descended following the movement of his eyelids. Serdin, who had silently stood before Formo, stared at them intently.
“Um, and then what’s next?”
When Serdin didn’t say anything even after waiting a long time, Formo asked anxiously.
“Try imagining in your head what Pipi looked like as a cute long-tailed tit.”
“I already tried that……”
“You have to imagine vividly, Pipi.”
At Serdin’s nagging words, Formo pouted his lips and then concentrated so hard he frowned. Imagining his brave self with snow-white feathers, his lips relaxed as he smiled. The image of the snow-white long-tailed tit filled Formo’s eyes completely.
“And after imagining?”
Formo asked back as if urging. Meanwhile, Serdin’s face had approached right up to the nose of Formo, whose eyes were closed. At the lukewarm breath felt from in front, Formo’s nose tip twitched.
“Think that you want to return to that form.”
Serdin whispered. Even while thinking that Serdin’s voice was too close, Formo obediently followed his words. Fine cracks appeared in his furrowed brow. Serdin slowly brought his lips to Formo’s cheek, which was putting in so much force that his body was trembling.
And just as his lips were about to land on the cheek tinged with light pink, clothing slipped off from Formo’s body.
“……Chirp!”
[……I did it!]
Serdin licked up his lips that had touched empty air with a regretful face and straightened his upper body. Formo had succeeded in animal transformation at the perfect timing.
“Good job, Pipi.”
At Serdin’s insincere praise, Formo tilted his head. Normally, the jaguar would have said nonsensical things like “Aren’t you a genius” or “At this rate, you should write an autobiography and spread it widely,” but this time he ended with plain praise, so it felt very awkward.
He felt somewhat embarrassed at the thought that this awkwardness was proof that he had become accustomed to Serdin’s excessive praise. Formo vigorously shook his wings as if to chase away the embarrassment that surged in to the point his body tickled.
“Pipi.”
“Chirp?”
“Now you have to come back.”
“……Chirp?”
“This time, try recalling Pipi’s cute appearance in human form.”
The joy of returning to long-tailed tit form was brief, as Serdin relentlessly pressed Formo. Formo regretfully circled the room once, then landed on the bed and tightly closed his eyes.
“Did you imagine vividly?”
“Chirp.”
“Then think that you want to return to that form. Like you just did.”
Formo’s brow narrowed again. When he desperately wished to return, his head churned. Soon he felt a hollow sensation in his body.
“……Ah!”
Having completely forgotten the fact that he would invariably be naked when transforming into human form from long-tailed tit state, Formo screamed and frantically jumped into the blanket. Serdin watched the scene so noisy it made clattering sounds with eyes mixed with laughter, and picked up Formo’s clothes that had fallen to the floor.
“Pipi.”
“……”
There was no way Formo, who was hiding in the blanket from embarrassment, would readily answer. Serdin, who swallowed his laughter, put down the clothes in front of the blanket and asked.
“Don’t you need help getting dressed?”
At the voice that felt leisurely, Formo chewed his lower lip hard and replied in a crawling voice.
“N-no……”
For Formo, who was still clumsy at buttoning, he couldn’t refuse Serdin’s offer. Formo, who slowly emerged from under the blanket, stood naked before Serdin. At the thought of going through such an ordeal every time he transformed into human form, his hair stood on end. Wasn’t there clothing that automatically adjusted in size, or at least underwear?
If someone made such a thing, they could make big money among beastmen. Unfortunately, it would be a later day before Formo learned that such underwear actually existed.
Serdin asked while fastening the blouse buttons one by one.
“Pipi, when would be good to visit Arancha?”
Formo, who looked at Serdin with momentarily surprised eyes for remembering the Arancha visit promise so well, answered.
“Hmm. About the day after tomorrow.”
“We can go the morning of the day after tomorrow and return at lunch.”
At Serdin’s words continuing as if it were obvious, Formo glared.
“That short?”
“Yeah.”
“At least I!”
“Pipi, I want to stay in Arancha longer too, but I can’t.”
Serdin said in a firm tone.
“Pipi still needs to exercise your wings more, and also.”
“Your Highness!”
What cut through Serdin’s continuing words was Kert’s urgent voice. Serdin, having his time with Formo interrupted, furrowed his brow and looked at the door.
“U-urgent news has arrived!”
“……Haah.”
Serdin, who let out an annoyed sigh, finished tying Formo’s cravat and headed for the door. The firmly closed door opened with a slam. Kert, who had been standing in front of it stamping his feet, handed over a letter with urgent news as soon as he spotted Serdin.
Serdin, who received the urgent news from Kert, examined the contents with eyes full of annoyance. Serdin’s previously languid brow gradually crumpled.
Beasts of Chaimb invade Tersium territory. Brawl occurs. Crown Prince Serdin shall end vacation and return to capital promptly.
“H-how is it?”
“……Fuck.”
To Kert’s question, Serdin replied with a brief curse instead of an answer.
Serdin had about two months of vacation remaining. Serdin’s plan to quickly finish visiting Arancha and then stay put with Formo at the Detached Palace for two months had been shattered to pieces.
“These stupid sons of bitches.”
Because of Chaimb’s idiotic canine and feline beasts.
