“We can eat while facing each other. Together with my meal.”
When Ray said this while pointing at the game he had hunted, Naro smiled a bit sheepishly.
“Th-then I’ll do the cooking. Can you just handle the butchering for me, Ray?”
No matter what, butchering seemed like it would be a bit too much for him.
“Okay.”
Ray nodded readily. The tears that had been around Naro’s eyes had disappeared without a trace. The two stood there for a while, looking at each other.
And in a patch of grass a little distance from Naro’s house, two men were quietly hiding and whispering about something.
“Did you finish drawing?”
One man asked.
“Almost.”
The man who answered moved his hands diligently. He was scribbling earnestly with a pen on paper, but it wasn’t writing—it was a drawing.
The man’s drawing skills were quite excellent. As he moved the pen with a few swooshes, the figure of a person drawn on the paper gradually became clearer.
* * *
“Naro, where should I move this?”
Ray entered the pharmacy. Naro, who had been attending to Andel who had come to buy medicinal herbs, turned his head.
“Ah, can you put that in the storage room?”
“Yeah.”
Ray lightly lifted the obviously heavy-looking load and entered the storage room in the back. Andel watched his retreating figure and smiled warmly.
“So it’s true that Ray helps with work too?”
“Yes.”
“To have such a helpful cousin—you must feel reassured, Naro.”
Ray’s existence in Rodelus Village had become quite famous. It was a small village to begin with, so once talk started spreading, rumors inevitably circulated quickly. Everyone now knew the story of Ray being Naro’s cousin who had lived abroad for a long time before returning to the Empire to live together.
Moreover, since Naro always went to the square with Ray these days, the villagers had become somewhat acquainted with Ray. Naro had been spending happy days recently, as it seemed they had accepted Ray well without feeling awkward around him.
Furthermore, since reopening the pharmacy, the worries that had been plaguing Naro had completely disappeared. Though he still had to save money, fortunately Ray occasionally went up to the mountains to procure food for himself, so thankfully they weren’t greatly strapped financially.
“That’s right.”
“By the way, your cousin really follows you around well.”
“Pardon?”
“In our family, relatives aren’t particularly close, you see. Watching you and Ray is fascinating. It’s like watching a baby duckling following its mother duck, perhaps?”
Naro smiled awkwardly at Andel’s analogy. Somehow that comparison didn’t sound entirely strange. In fact, Ray had been following after him since his baby dragon days.
“I’m not a duck.”
Before he knew it, Ray had put down the items in storage and approached Naro’s side.
“I’m a dra— mmph.”
If Naro hadn’t quickly covered Ray’s mouth, the absurd statement “I’m a dragon” might have reached Andel’s ears. Watching the scene of Naro blocking Ray’s mouth, Andel smiled warmly at how well they got along.
“Well then, ma’am, please get home safely.”
After Andel left, Naro let out a sigh of relief. Ray, without caring about what he had almost done, was nonchalantly kneading Naro’s hand and rubbing it against his face, playing around.
“Naro’s hands smell good too.”
“Ray, I told you that you can’t easily reveal that you’re a dragon.”
“It came out without me realizing. Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad at you, Ray? I’m just worried.”
Ray placed Naro’s hand, which he had been playing with, on top of his hair.
“Pet me.”
Naro chuckled and stroked Ray’s hair. Perhaps because it felt good, Ray naturally wrapped his arms around Naro’s waist and hugged him tightly. Somehow, the more he stroked, the more strength Ray seemed to put into his hands.
“Feels good.”
Ray pressed his face closer. Ray already had a large build and considerable strength, so when he deliberately embraced someone like this, there was no way for Naro to escape. Every time those thick arms wrapped around his body, Naro was reminded anew of Ray’s strength.
“Ray, I need to work now.”
When Naro brought it up sheepishly, Ray, who had been feeling the touch, slowly raised his head.
“Mm.”
In their embracing position at a distance of less than a hand span, looking at Ray’s face filling his vision, Naro’s eyes widened unconsciously. Had they been stuck this close together?
His green eyes shone vividly. Those uniquely vertically-split pupils seemed to have the talent for captivating whoever looked at them—it was difficult to easily look away.
“Ray, now…”
Just as he was about to tell him to let go, Ray suddenly lowered his head and licked Naro’s lips with his tongue. Naro’s eyes widened in shock. The sensation of his tongue touched his lips once more.
“W-wait! What are you doing?”
“Your lips are cute.”
When Ray tried to dive in again, Naro quickly covered his lips with his hand. Ray’s eyebrows furrowed in disappointment.
“You don’t let me do it when you give me morning greetings.”
The morning greeting here referred to the kiss Naro gave Ray every time he woke up. It was actually awkward to even call it a kiss since their lips briefly touched and separated immediately, but because Ray really disliked it when he didn’t do it, Naro had been going along with it at some point. Of course, on the condition that only he would do that greeting.
“I want to do it too.”
When Ray occasionally showed behavior like this, Naro found it difficult to know how to respond. Because this sort of thing was a kind of expression of affection among humans, an act that took place in relationships where people loved and liked each other.
Having lived a life with a time limit, Naro had never been connected to anyone through feelings of affection, nor had he ever liked anyone, so he was even less familiar with such actions.
When Ray occasionally surprised him like this, his heart would beat faster and his body temperature would rise without him realizing it. But of course, there was no way Ray would know such things.
These actions, which would be regarded as expressions of affection among humans, might actually be nothing special among Ray’s kind—that is, among dragons.
Since they were different species to begin with, it wouldn’t be right to treat Ray with human common sense, but still, Naro couldn’t easily permit such acts.
After all, Ray currently had the appearance of a robust adult man. Even if he tried to comfort himself by saying the inside was a dragon, it wasn’t easy.
“Later! Ray, do it later, okay? I’m working right now.”
“When is later?”
Naro tried to escape from Ray’s arms, but as expected, he couldn’t overcome that strength. Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside the pharmacy. Ray’s ears perked up, apparently having heard the sound too. Naro had worried about what to do if he didn’t let go, but fortunately Ray slowly unwrapped his arms from around Naro’s waist.
The bell on the pharmacy door rang cheerfully as Garnet entered.
“Naro.”
“Ahjussi.”
“Ray, hello.”
Ray greeted Garnet. Though he still acted stiffly toward other people, he seemed to have the perception that Garnet was a good person, so he treated him relatively warmly.
“By the way, you’re running the pharmacy again. I was worried, but I’m glad. Ah, this. It’s corn from this harvest—eat it with Ray.”
“Thank you. You really don’t have to look after us like this every time…”
“I do it because you’re all like my children, so don’t feel burdened.”
When Garnet stroked Naro’s head, Ray flinched, then raised and lowered his hand in the air, fidgeting restlessly by himself.
“Naro, do you have a moment now? There’s something I want to talk about.”
Garnet’s face became quite serious.
“Ah, yes. That’s fine. It’s a time when there aren’t many customers.”
“Right, remember the story I started to tell you last time? About that Anton guy.”
Ray stood close behind Naro. In case Garnet raised his hand again to touch Naro, he would intervene at any moment.
“I’m glad that guy’s treatment went well and he seems to have saved his life, but apparently he’s running wild trying to find the person who made him that way. You heard from Ron, right? That Anton is working as the lackey of some noble young master.”
“Yes, I heard.”
“Apparently some viscount’s son has been living in Hines Village next to us since a few months ago. Anton caught that young master’s eye and became his lackey, doing everything for him.”
The young master staying in Hines Village seemed to be quite famous too. That man who had come down from the capital used his status as a noble to ignore and look down on the villagers. Not only that, but he had people carry out abuses, so the villagers’ resentment was growing day by day.
Anton had originally been just an insignificant thug, but he had coincidentally caught the eye of that noble young master and pledged pathetic loyalty while doing everything he was told. After knowing he had reliable power backing him, Anton acted as if he himself had become someone from a noble family, and came not only to Hines Village but also to this neighboring Rodelus Village, causing trouble everywhere.
