<Chapter 9>
#1. This Contract Is Somehow Wrong (9)
“Please try it.”
Jenny couldn’t quite erase the bewildered expression on her face at Melty’s invitation, his eyes sparkling brightly. The food positioned beautifully on the plate was something she had never seen before. It appeared to be a dish where white dough was rolled up with filling, then sliced in half and decorated. She moved her chopsticks while looking curiously at the vegetables and meat that packed the inside.
As she put the food in her mouth and chewed, she tasted the meat’s juices and a savory flavor. She thought she had encountered diverse foods while working here, but this type of food was a first.
Even as she chewed, moving her jaw, she couldn’t shake the thought, ‘This is so strange.’ Though it was a taste she was trying for the first time, it also felt familiar and comforting. It was an ordinary flavor, nothing she could point to as particularly special. Nevertheless, she felt warmth spreading from within her heart. The warmth that originated from inside her body slowly spread throughout her entire body. And that warm feeling made her extremely happy.
Before she knew it, a gentle smile had formed on Jenny’s lips. Melty looked at Calix with a triumphant expression. Turning his gaze, Calix let out a hollow laugh at Melty’s expression, which seemed ready to snort in derision. Reaching out a hand to the hamster’s provocative demeanor, he firmly grabbed Melty’s nose and shook it gently from side to side.
“Ow, ow ow!”
Melty tried to push away Calix’s hand by grabbing his wrist and pushing, but it was useless. Calix, who was enjoying the whimpering voice of pain, only granted freedom to Melty’s nose when tears had fully welled up in his eyes. Leaving Melty clutching his nose with a tearful expression, Calix’s gaze fell on Jenny, who was still unable to escape from the wave of emotions.
“Why, why are you bullying me!”
“Bullying? I was just standing here.”
“S-shameless…”
He didn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse for his words, despite having roughly pulled someone’s nose who had just been standing still. Melty’s lips trembled with anger.
“No conscience and no shame.”
Melty, who still covered his throbbing nose with both hands, moved them vigorously up and down. Although he tried rubbing it while buried in his palms, the pain in his nose wouldn’t easily subside. Melty, who had sneakily moved to Calix’s side, moved his foot for revenge.
Having detected his movement, Calix took a large step back. Melty’s kick, delivered with all his might, was thus thwarted. Melty, who ended up swinging his foot in the air because Calix suddenly disappeared, instantly lost his balance and fell.
Calix, who burst into laughter watching Melty land with a thump on his bottom, approached him with leisurely steps.
“Why are you falling down by yourself?”
Melty’s mouth flapped open and closed at his amused words. He had intended to land a blow on that wicked snake without conscience, but it was his own bottom that hurt, not Calix’s shin. Unable to admit that he had moved with the plan to hit him, Melty just blew out air with his mouth opening and closing, his eyes brimming with tears of indignation.
“W-whose fault is this…!”
“Hmm? Whose fault is it?”
“D-don’t you know?”
Calix smiled as he watched Melty trembling and feeling wronged, then moved his hand. Putting both hands under Melty’s armpits, Calix lifted him effortlessly and sat him on the back of the sofa. Looking at Melty, now at eye level with him, Calix tilted his head.
“I don’t know. Whose fault is it?”
“Th…Th…”
“Th?”
“This bad snake.”
Though he mumbled softly, he couldn’t face Calix directly, and his head turned sharply to the side. Judging by how he shrank his body and cautiously looked around, he clearly had a fearful nature, yet he always said exactly what he wanted to say. Perhaps because of these two contrasting traits coexisting, laughter kept leaking out. It was then that Calix’s gaze fell on Melty’s pocket.
“Though you’re from the hamster clan, you’re not an actual hamster, right? Is this a food pouch?”
His pocket was so noticeably bulging that it was visible to the naked eye. Perhaps some had fallen out when he fell to the floor earlier, as there were several packages on the ground. When Calix lightly tapped the pocket that looked ready to burst, Melty’s hands quickly covered it.
“I won’t share with a bad snake.”
“…Pfft.”
Calix forcibly suppressed a laugh that nearly burst out at the gaze full of wariness and discontent. He had originally asked because the bulging pocket caught his eye, not because he had any intention of taking food from the tiny hamster. Melty turned his head sharply to the side with a “hmph,” and Calix stared at him while repeatedly pressing his index finger on the back of Melty’s hand covering the pocket.
As if unwilling to respond, Melty’s hand waved as if shooing away a fly. Then he covered his pocket again as if to protect it. He still had his head turned to the side, as if unwilling to look at Calix. Displeased by this, Calix continued his hand mischief.
Finally unable to endure the constant touching of his hand, Melty turned his head with force in his eyes. Smiling faintly at the gaze that was now looking at him, Calix pressed a finger into Melty’s soft-looking cheek and said:
“Well. It seems like this bad snake should now announce the result. Jenny.”
“Yes.”
Jenny’s face, having barely escaped from the lingering effect, still had a warm aura around it. Following Calix’s gesture of wiggling his fingers, Jenny moved to bring the paper on his desk. Calix received the paper from her and waved it gently in front of Melty.
Melty, who had been glaring at Calix with his cheeks puffed out, stretched his arm forcefully to snatch the paper from Calix’s hand. Or rather, he tried to. Calix raised the paper high before Melty’s hand could touch it and asked with a mischievous face:
“You remember what we agreed would happen if you failed the test, right?”
“Eek! Hurry, give it to me!”
“Your answer?”
“I won’t!”
Calix, who had been watching with pleasure as Melty strained and grunted trying to reach the paper, raised his right eyebrow. At that silent urging to answer quickly, Melty’s mouth jutted forward once more.
“I know. And why only talk about if I fail? If I’m right! You know you have to kneel down, bow your head, and apologize properly, right?”
“Ah, gladly.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Calix finally lowered the paper for Melty. Melty, who snatched the paper as if he’d been waiting for this, checked the dish before unfolding it. The food on the table had been cleanly emptied. Melty’s gaze then moved to Jenny standing next to Calix. She was smiling gently as she met Melty’s eyes, but he couldn’t tell what that meant.
‘Beast God is always right.’
So surely victory in this contest would be his. Wearing a confident expression, Melty unfolded the paper. His eyes widened as he checked the text written inside.
“…Huh?”
A relaxed smile spread across Calix’s face as he leaned over to confirm the text written on the paper. The match was decided.
“I win.”
Melty’s shoulders flinched and trembled greatly at Calix’s voice. Melty’s face turned pale as he raised his head with slow movements and met Calix’s eyes. His gaze soon fell on Jenny standing next to Calix. Jenny, feeling somehow apologetic at the desperate look that seemed to be asking if the content of the paper was correct, gave an awkward smile. Realizing that her smile was an affirmation, Melty froze.
Calix frowned as he watched Melty, who stood frozen without moving, with great interest. Calix waved his hand in front of Melty’s eyes. Despite the hand moving back and forth in front of his eyes, Melty’s widely opened eyes didn’t budge. Calix urgently grabbed Melty’s arm as he remained frozen, not even blinking, and placed his finger under Melty’s nose. Melty’s pupils turned toward Calix.
Calix exhaled a sigh of relief at the breath touching his finger and Melty’s gaze. He opened his mouth to say something to the person who had scared a perfectly fine person. But Melty’s voice was faster.
“Th-this is invalid!”
“Oh?”
“There’s no way I could be wrong!”
“It’s written right there. ‘Vanilla muffin.'”
Despite Calix’s kindness in placing his finger on the paper and reading each character, Melty couldn’t accept it. Calix silently agreed inside as he watched Melty tremble and mutter “That’s impossible.” Even for him, who had been with Jenny for a long time, her expression while eating was something he had never seen before.
“May I say something?”
At Jenny’s politely requesting voice, Calix nodded lightly in permission. With his permission, Jenny calmly opened her mouth to try to convey what she had felt in words.
“The food that Melty-ssi brought was something I had never seen before. But the taste… I don’t know how to express it clearly.”
The feeling from when she ate the food still lingered. Having organized her thoughts, Jenny looked directly at Calix. Then she conveyed her feelings in a firm tone.
“But I don’t think any other food could have given me such satisfaction.”
Calix nodded quietly at her words. Although it was completely different from what she had written on the paper and was a type she had never seen before, it was clear that Jenny had enjoyed it.
“You may go now.”
“Yes.”
Jenny, who bowed deeply in a respectful manner, moved away. Melty hurriedly stretched out his hand with a terrified expression as she left. Melty’s desperate gesture asking her not to leave him alone was easily blocked by Calix. Calix, who boldly stood between Jenny and Melty, watched intently until she went out the door. When the door closed with a thud, Calix looked down at Melty with a smile covering his entire face.
“She’s gone now.”
“Hik!”
Melty, who thought Calix looked terrifying despite his smiling face, moved his body backward to escape. Forgetting that he was on the back of the sofa, he pulled his buttocks back and instantly lost his balance. Along with the feeling of his bottom sinking, his body fell backward.
Calix caught Melty’s legs as he fell backward with a silent scream, preventing him from rolling down. Calix burst into laughter watching Melty blink his round eyes relentlessly.
He certainly was someone who appeared timid and docile, yet had an excellent talent for scaring the wits out of people. Calix, who put his hands under the armpits of Melty, who couldn’t stop hiccupping as if quite frightened, picked him up and moved to the chair. He sat Melty on his lap so they could face each other and held his waist with both hands, cutting off any escape route.
“What did we agree I’d do if I won~?”
Melty’s mouth shut tight at his words, pretending not to know despite already knowing. Watching him with his head down, moving his eyes busily, it was obvious he was plotting an escape with that small head of his. Calix, who was watching with amusement as Melty fidgeted on his lap, let out a short exclamation as if just remembering.
“Ah~ That’s right. We agreed I’d eat you, didn’t we?”
