"What is this..."
I couldn't read a single word. Seriously, is the transmigrator buff a trial version? Why can't I read?! If it's a novel written by a Korean, shouldn't it be in Korean? Why are they using letters I've never seen before!
"Why can't I read?!"
I shouted out in bewilderment and absurdity, and Theo, startled for the first time, dropped the documents he was looking at and rushed to me.
"Shuian, calm down."
"No, i can talk, but why can't I read!"
"You're smart, so you'll learn to read quickly."
Theo's words were of no comfort to me right now. I'm 26 years and about 8 months old. I'm going to have to study reading again. A divine beast who can't even read... Feeling awkward, I looked up at Theo, and he must have thought I was sulking, because he started to comfort me even more earnestly than before.
"You memorized the complicated hunting ground paths just by looking at the map for a moment, so you'll be able to learn the Imperial language quickly too. Okay? There's no need to be upset."
"...Will Theo teach me?"
"Of course."
Oh my god, I'm illiterate... I sighed deeply, feeling troubled, and Theo gently stroked my back and added.
"My lovely bird seems to be very upset. What can I do to make you feel better?"
My eyes darted around at his gentle voice, and I cautiously replied.
"...Ice cream...?"
It tastes better when I eat it as a human... And it's a rule to eat something sweet when you're in a bad mood. Theo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
I didn't want to be caught being happy with just an ice cream, so I pretended to be sulking, but it seems it didn't work, as he chuckled and pressed his lips to my cheek.
After that, I studied the Imperial language whenever I had time, using the textbooks that Orca and Theo had obtained.
Fortunately, the grammar, word order, and combination rules of consonants and vowels were similar to Korean, so it wasn't too difficult. Plus, I was learning quickly thanks to my improved brain, so I was able to move on to vocabulary study in just a few days.
Orca brought the artifact a few days later, on the day I finally started practicing writing for the first time. The artifact was in the form of a necklace, and I knew that this type was called a choker, but to be honest, it didn't look much different from a leash to me. As I stared at the artifact, Orca hurriedly made excuses, flustered.
"Well, if Lord Shuian were changing his appearance with magic, we could have made the artifact activate by recognizing mana, but since that's not the case, we had no choice but to detect the increase in volume. And in order to detect it sensitively, it's advantageous to have a large contact area with the skin surface, so it ended up in this form."
I didn't know much about magic, so it was hard to understand what he was saying, but in the end, it meant that it couldn't be helped. Well... it's not like I was looking at it because I hated it.
I nodded vaguely, transformed into an eagle, rummaged through the pile of clothes, and climbed onto the table. Theo put the choker around my neck. I walked around on the table and turned my neck, and although I felt like my feathers were a little pressed, it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought.
If I transform into a human like this, will real clothes appear? With that hope, I widened my eyes and transformed into a human.
The streams of light flowing from the necklace gathered on my body and instantly transformed into the form of clothes, like the magical girl or tokusatsu protagonists I had only seen in cartoons. First an eagle, and now a cartoon protagonist...
The clothes were a plain white blouse and black cotton pants like slacks, and strangely enough, I was even wearing shoes.
I thought that clothes made of mana would have no texture at all, but when I touched them, they felt exactly like real clothes, which was even more amazing. When I gently shuffled my feet, I heard the sound of ordinary shoes.
"Amazing..."
"Is there anything uncomfortable?"
"No. It's comfortable."
I moved my body around and didn't feel any discomfort. It might have been more comfortable if it was something like a tracksuit.
"But what's with this cape?"
The cape attached like a blouse decoration covered my shoulders, and it was quite large, so I could wrap it around my body completely, and it had a hood that could cover my face completely when I put it on.
"We need to hide your identity for a while, but we can't completely cut off your outings, so we included a hood to hide Lord Shuian's silver hair and silver eyes."
Ah, that's what it was for. I put the hood on and took it off, and squeezed and released the blouse like Theo. As expected, it was fine because it was made with an artifact. It's also enchanted with cleanliness and restoration magic, so I don't need any other clothes if I have this artifact, right? It's so convenient! I really like it.
Just in case, I transformed back into an eagle. I didn't have to be buried under a pile of clothes and rummage my way out like before, and when I transformed back into a human, I was wearing clothes without being naked, so I could really transform without hesitation now.
"I like it. It looks comfortable."
Orca, who would have had to squeeze the creator again if I had disliked it even a little, looked relieved, and Theo nodded contentedly.
"Thanks for the gift."
"Just words?"
Theo drooped his eyebrows as if he was very disappointed. Orca shook his head, saying it was starting again, and left the bedroom. What... what does he want? I don't have a penny to my name, and even if I did, it wouldn't be worth nearly as much as this artifact. Let's see, what can I give him...
"...Should I pluck a feather for you?"
It's a feather that has never fallen out naturally, so it would hurt more if I tried to pluck it forcibly...? Theo chuckled as he looked at my anxious face, then opened his arms.
"I think a hug would be enough."
That's easy! I ran excitedly and hugged Theo tightly. Phew. I was secretly worried that I would have to transform into an eagle and go outside to pick up something, so I giggled. Yeah, there's no way Theo would ask me for something like that.
I was hugged tightly in Theo's arms, and then I suddenly looked up at him.
"Why?"
But... is it natural to have this kind of physical contact between men here?
ê•¥
One question that suddenly came to mind floated around in my head all day. Theo had left the bedroom early in the morning to attend a meeting and hadn't returned since. Thanks to that, I had plenty of time to think calmly by myself, but I couldn't come up with an answer.
"Still... it's a little strange, isn't it?"
I didn't originally like physical contact, and in my original world, I acted as if I had a disease that would kill me if I touched my same-sex friends, so Theo was the only exception.
Sleeping in the same bed is one thing, but hugging or kissing is a little strange, isn't it...? We're both men and we're not in any kind of relationship... I wondered if the empire was free with physical contact, but even if that were the case, I had never seen Theo touch anyone else.
Ah, but I'm an eagle, so I should see it as separate? Everyone kisses their pets without any problem... No, before that, why am I accepting all of it so naturally? I was walking around in the living room to get used to moving, and then I suddenly stopped in the middle. Yeah, regardless of what other people are like, it's strangest that I'm accepting everything.
While I was standing blankly in the living room, lost in thought, Theo returned. As always, he hugged me as soon as he saw me and pressed his lips to my forehead. So, this kind of behavior is strange.
"Were you well? Did you eat breakfast?"
"......"
What would I have done if Orca had kissed me? I probably would have transformed into an eagle right away and plucked out all his hair. In the end, Theo was the only one. No matter what he does, I end up accepting it all.
Knowing that he wouldn't do anything I didn't like. Maybe I just didn't want to see that disappointed expression he made every time I ran away when his hand touched me in the forest.
"Shuian?"
Yeah, it's okay now because they're actions that don't harm me, but what about later, when time has passed? What if even things that harm me become okay? What if that judgment that Theo would never do anything to harm me is just a delusion, exhausted by loneliness and unable to tell the difference?
"Theo."
"Why, is something hurting?"
I looked up at him, who was wearing a worried expression. It was then that I realized something new. That someone had become special was something that hadn't happened in a very long time.
"Do people here usually hug and kiss this often?"
Theo was lost in thought at my sudden question. He pondered for quite a while, longer than I expected, and then answered with a look of realization.
"No. No, you're my eagle, after all."
"Because I'm an eagle? Then Orca can kiss me too?"
At that moment, Theo's face hardened terribly. It was the first time I had seen such anger from him, who had been indifferent even when poison was found in the tea leaf warehouse.
"I was just asking because I didn't know..."
As I muttered dejectedly, Theo forced the corners of his lips up again and hurriedly added as if making excuses.
"I'm not angry at you. I was just upset when I imagined what you said."
"Why?"
"Orca and I are different. You are special to me, and i'am special to you. We are unique to each other, and that's why we can do it."
He spoke so vaguely that it was difficult to grasp the exact meaning of what he was saying. So in the end, it's just a sign of affection? It was actually the most ordinary answer, but for some reason, I felt a little disappointed. No, there's no reason to be disappointed. It's good to think of it as affection!
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