"Rafu rafu rafu rafu!"
This time, it was a very violent way to wake me up.
When I opened my eyes, I spotted Raph-chan on the bed. Is it just me or is her coat a little more gray? She stared at me with a bristled tail and a frowny face. I've never seen her like this! She seems to be very upset. It must be really serious, so I set our differences aside for now.
Also… Of course, there's no sign of young Naofumi-sama in the room. I sighed a little before I faced the furious creature that woke me up.
"What's wrong, Raph-chan?"
"Rafu rafu rafu!" She turned around and stared at the door angrily. Her tail is swishing from one side to another.
Just what could make her so angry?
"Raaaaphtaaaliiiaaaa~"
…..
What?
I recognize Naofumi-sama's voice. But something feels terribly wrong.
Something about the way he speaks… Or maybe the tone of voice he used…? It sent shivers down my spine.
My own tail started bristling. Something is definitely wrong and it's making even Raph-chan very stressed. I petted the poor creature on her back to calm her down.
"Rafu, rafu," she said and then stared back at the door.
I'm not sure what's happening, but I'm gonna have to face it eventually. Now is as good a time as ever to open the door.
"Raaaaaaaphtaaaaliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~"
Urgh, my hair stood up on my head. It really feels very wrong! But why? I don't even know what's wrong.
But. I'm Naofumi-sama's sword. I won't leave him no matter what he looks like.
I frowned and started confidently walking towards the door. This is nonsense. It can't be that bad.
"Rafu rafu rafu rafu rafu!"
"It's Naofumi-sama and I'll go to him," I frowned. I was determined to face my fate.
I proceeded to open the door.
"There you are! Oh, Raphtalia, you opened the door for me~?"
SLAM.
The door closed immediately after I caught a glimpse of the person behind them.
Or so I thought, until they started opening again. He put his foot between them! But he's not even scratched. Of course, his defense is absurdly high.
"Now now, let's calm down. You know you can't run from me forever~"
"Naofumi-sama… If you come any closer, I'm gonna have to use force," I warned him as I reached for my katana. The way he talked was one thing, but his appearance was whole another.
He's a demi-human. Which is completely fine. I have no issue with that whatsoever.
But from all demi-human races… THIS is what he has to be!?
"Come on, don't be like that. You know you're the only one who always believed in me. Don't lose your faith in me just because I wanted to like you back," he mumbled, but he didn't try to get closer. Although he perked his ears when he saw me move.
I exhaled frustratingly while staring at him.
"Rafu rafu rafu rafu rafu!" Raph-chan angrily barked at him. She was really all poofed up and now I understood why.
"Go outside, Raph-chan. I'll deal with Naofumi-sama alone," I told her. She stared at me and then jumped on the bed again, refusing to leave.
That's okay. She's probably worried about me, so she decided to stay to supervise. I appreciate the concern. She's not really that bad of a creature when things are getting serious.
I didn't let Naofumi-sama off my sight and the katana hilt off my hand.
"Naofumi-sama. I don't like this one bit. Please watch yourself around me," I insisted.
"I know… I'm sorry, I got a little excited from meeting you again. You keep avoiding me… It started feeling lonely," he admitted while mumbling. I barely understood what he was saying.
Normally, this sentence would make my head spin, but in these circumstances, I stayed alert and didn't let it affect me. I frowned a little.
"Well then… What are we going to do now?" I asked him instead of answering.
"I'll make lunch as always. Do you want to watch me?"
"It's okay. I'll prepare tables outside."
"Humm…"
He appeared to be a little disappointed for a second, but then nodded and proceeded to get the ingredients from outside. He returned with a pile of fur!
"Naofumi-sama… what is that?" I was hesitant to ask, but I wanted to ensure our safety before he started preparing it.
"Bunnies!" He exclaimed, while his tail started wagging rapidly behind his back. I noticed him gulping at the pile of fur, looking as if he wanted to eat them raw!
"Those are usapils… And besides, please do cook them well. Think of the other villagers that don't enjoy eating undone meat," I said strictly.
"I know, I know… I will do that," he reassured me.
"And please make side dishes as well. Actually, I can prepare them myself," I mumbled, but I was stopped immediately.
"Oh, I'll do it, don't worry. You've been working hard today, how about you lay down and take a little bit of rest before I'm done preparing food?" He suggested.
This ended up sounding very different from when he said the same thing to me while he was a woman! I don't trust his intentions now!
"N-no way! I'll prepare the tables," I rushed outside and was sure to take the long way around the man to reach the door.
"I can contain myself, Raphtalia," he mumbled, but thankfully didn't stand in my way.
"We'll talk about that later, Naofumi-sama," I answered before I left.
"Rafu rafu rafu!"
Even Raph-chan was outta here. She joined me outside and immediately shook her coat.
"Rafu rafu!" She complained and frowned towards the door.
"I know, right? It's making me upset as well… Why does Naofumi-sama have to be a wolf demi-human?"
"Rafu!"
That's right. He's a wolf. My and therefore Raph-chan's kind's mortal enemy.
Wolves hunt and eat raccoons and tanukis!
I'm aware that demi-humans aren't monsters. We aren't even close. We are basically humans. We have little to nothing to do with the monsters. I know that.
BUT.
Unlike regular demi-humans, wolves' wild traits tend to be very prominent. They're aggressive and or hyperactive, and won't leave you alone if they lay your eyes on you once.
Besides…
He already managed to upset Raph-chan. And she always enjoys Naofumi-sama's attention very much, so it's a really bad sign. He was staring at me too. I shouldn't stay alone around him for long periods of time. Who knows what he'd do to me.
Maybe he'd want to eat me! Or Raph-chan.
Maybe he already tried.
"Rafu rafu rafu!" She barked at the man when he exited the house.
"It's okay, Raph-chan. I'll protect you if needed," I assured her and frowned towards Naofumi-sama. He sighed upon seeing that and said nothing, only proceeded to put the finished food on the table.
The villagers seemed to be a little cautious as well, but only some of them. Others like Keel, on the other hand, looked happier than usual.
I suppose wolves and dogs could be similar. At first I was very worried since wolves could turn violent towards dogs abd vice versa, but Keel-kun looked very happy and excited about having Naofumi-sama around, yilping at him and licking his face while getting the food from him, making Naofumi-sama perk his ears and wag his tail slightly.
I found myself glaring at Keel-kun.
Naofumi-sama might be a wolf and I might have an issue or two with that at the moment, but it's still Naofumi-sama. You're getting way too close to him.
"Raphtalia, your meal is ready," the Shield Hero finally called for me. He was wearing a slight and hopeful smile on his face as he handed my plate over. I managed to stay calm and took it from him.
"Thank you," I said as I sat down at the tables.
Why does my portion look better than the others', I thought after inspecting it closely. It's not like the other villagers got bad food, not at all. It was the same quality as always from what I could tell. But when I glanced at mine, it was… It looked like it was prepared with extra care. Only the best pieces of meat, the meal was positioned very precisely on the plate and creatively decorated.
I almost had a hard time starting to eat. I didn't want to ruin it, even if Naofumi-sama is like this.
Speaking of which, the man is sitting right in front of me now, staring at me intensely and flapping his tail behind himself. I'm trying my best to not look at him to not provoke a reaction, but I could see in the corner of my vision how perked his ears are. It's making me nervous. As if he was to jump at me at any moment! Overall, I feel very uncomfortable around him right now.
But he's not doing anything much, and I think I even heard a silent wolf whine coming from his way when I haven't started eating in a while.
Okay, alright… I'll eat.
I won't let Naofumi-sama's food go to waste.
Without glancing at him once, I took my fork and brought a piece of meat to my mouth. Naofumi-sama's staring! But I'll ignore it.
I finally got to taste the meal.
It was…
My eyes almost started watering from how good the meal was. This is probably one of the best dishes I've ever had in my life. And I only tasted the meat so far.
When I added the side dish and let them melt together in my mouth… My eyes betrayed me.
The taste was so rich and yet so mellow at the same time. The usapil meat felt very soft in my mouth, mixing with the cheese which was melted on top. A few drops of sauce and spices were sprinkled over the meal, they made a small explosion of sourness and hotness whenever they touched my tongue. It made me keep paying close attention to the mellow taste of the meat. Everything went so well together… I couldn't imagine anything that would possibly be able to improve the dish in any way.
It reminded me of a salted caramel that Naofumi-sama made for us one time. The caramel was very mellow and sweet, but the salt kept the taste buds alert. This dish worked in a similar way, only it was so much better than anything I'd ever have before!
I continued eating in silence slowly, while I had tears running down my face. I hadn't said a single word the entire time I was eating, but I felt Naofumi-sama's stare on me the whole time. He must've noticed the tears, but he didn't say anything either.
Now I was getting close to finishing the meal. Surely he expects me to say something. What do I say? I'm worried that he'd jump at me!
But it's Naofumi-sama. He wouldn't do it, even as a wolf.
It came to my attention that he hasn't eaten yet. I see. He spent so much time preparing my plate that he forgot about himself?
I looked him in the eyes and shuffled the rest towards him.
"Um…?"
"Here. The rest is for you," I said.
"Huh…? Raphtalia, you don't like the meal I prepared for you…?" Oh no, his eyes look devastated now, and his ears went flat down on his head.
"Nonono! It is delicious! But you haven't eaten yet, and… I can tell how much effort you put into preparing this for me, so I thought you should experience it as well," I explained.
"Oh, is that so? That's relieving… I made the meal with love towards my magnificent girlfriend," he winked at me.
Um, what.
What…?
WHAT!?
In this universe, we are dating!?
With Naofumi-sama being like this? With Naofumi-sama clearly chasing me around so much I tend to close myself in our house to avoid him!? No way!
I wouldn't fall so low to let him do that to me!
"Naofumi-sama, this is not a good time for jokes," I frowned angrily, but my cheeks are betraying me as well, as they darkened in a deep red color.
"Well, maybe one day… one can only hope," he closed his eyes defeatedly as he leaned back in his seat.
I exhaled frustratingly. So it wasn't true after all. It almost made me upset.
"Rafu rafu!" Our small companion complained as she was passing by, walking around the table.
"That's right, Naofumi-sama… what have you done to Raph-chan?"
"Um…" he opened his eyes wide and I could see cold sweat appearing on his face.
"Naofumi-sama…? What have you done?" I strictly put my hands on my sides and stared directly into his eyes.
"I… I might have… I-" he sighed before he continued, "I only said that she looks tasty today, but I meant it as a euphemism, a metaphor! I… don't know what any of these mean, but you know what I'm trying to say."
"No, I don't. It was very inappropriate to say something like this to Raph-chan. You're a wolf! Please spare us from your jokes in the future," I frowned strictly at the Shield Hero.
It hurt me to talk to him this way a little, but I had promised him to bring him back whenever he starts striving off his path. These were only jokes, but it made Raph-chan very angry and me too. He needs to know that it's time to stop.
I'm not gonna pressure it more, so I hope he won't be disappointed in me...
"It wasn't a joke. It only means that she looks good," he mumbled.
"She looks… good?" I narrowed my eyes. I almost felt bad about giving him the stern talk before, but now he's done it…!
"Yes. Did you comb her hair and tail today? It looked super shiny, so I tried to give her a compliment, but she started being super angry and avoiding me," he mumbled sadly.
It looks like he's really regretting his mistake, so I won't scold him about it anymore.
I placed my forehead into the palm of my hand. Also, I don't know whether the me from this universe groomed Raph-chan's fur before I came in here. How would I know? I don't have her memories.
Besides, I realized something interesting. All these universes seemed to have Naofumi-sama as he is the whole time, or at least for very long, but in the one with him being Raph-chan, he only turned into the creature the very day I came in there? It's very strange. Maybe I get to see a random time window, and just happened to stumble across that universe when the diversity occurred…
But now is not the time to question that. Naofumi-sama looks very disappointed and I decided to step up.
I looked back at him and placed my hand on his shoulder.
"I admit that what you said to her wasn't appropriate in any way, but I can see that you're honestly being sorry about it, so I'll let it slide this time. Please cheer up a little," I petted his shoulder before retracting my hand.
He looked at me and returned his ears back up.
"Thanks, Raphtalia. I'll be sure to apologize to Raph-chan too," he said and I nodded at him. "Now then… What do we do with the meal? I prepared it just for you," he reminded me as he looked at the leftovers. They were in good shape, it's not like I'd left a disgusting mess on the plate that I gave to him, so he actually wants me to eat them.
I was thinking for a little bit before I finally made a decision.
"Let's eat together," I suggested hesitantly.
I noticed his eyes glancing back at me and sparkling as he blushed slightly. I've never seen this expression on his face before, not in his adult form! It threw me off a little, so I averted my gaze.
"Is that okay? Then, thank you," he smiled at me and took his own fork to eat with me.
I haven't experienced sharing a plate with Naofumi-sama yet… It's a little embarrassing. It's as if we were actually dating!
Why didn't he take his own plate anyway? Why's he using mine!?
My face blushed as well when I watched him take my food and taste it. But he looked satisfied with his own creation. He must've really put a lot of effort into it.
I smiled slightly.
And like this, we continued enjoying our food together.
"Thank you for the meal," I said after I ate the last bit he left for me. He smiled and nodded. "It was a really astounding meal, Naofumi-sama," I added.
"I'm happy it was," he responded and then took the plate to wash it.
"I'll help clean the dishes and the table," I offered but he only waved at me.
"It's okay, you've been exhausted from today's venture, so feel free to take a rest. I'll clean up and meet you inside," he offered and left to clean right away, his tail wagging slowly.
The atmosphere between us has loosened a lot since the first time I saw him like this. I'm really happy and grateful for it. I don't feel so stressed anymore and we talked about the issue with Raph-chan too, so that should also improve soon.
And… I also think that maybe he… likes me…! But maybe that's only his wolf side showing more emotions than usual.
Yosh, like this, even if he is a wolf, it may still be acceptable, I smiled to myself as I sat down on my bed.
And once again, I was wrong!
As soon as we happened to be alone in the room, Naofumi-sama went after me! He came to me, grabbed me and was about to eat me!
But it turned out that's not at all what happened.
I blinked in surprise when he gently held me by my arms and smiled at me from up close.
"N-Naofumi-sama…?" I flinched.
"Raphtalia… so you finally got jealous for me," he wagged his tail excitedly.
"What…?"
"I noticed your face when Keel went to lick my face. You were glaring at the kid maliciously the whole time we spoke," he smiled at me with sparkly eyes.
"T-that's not true! I just didn't want Keel-kun to act so inappropriate towards you!" I mumbled.
"Oh really, but I wonder who got mad at me for mentioning Raph-chan looking good," he smiled even more.
"As if I would ever get jealous of Raph-chan! She's just a little creature! She wouldn't be able to steal you from m-" I opened my eyes wide as I cut my sentence already too late.
Naofumi-sama's face was blushing and his tail wagging. My own face was bright red as well, probably more than his.
"Oh…? What was that…?" He's staring at me intensely.
"N-nothing. Naofumi-sama, you know I like you very much. Please don't try to look surprised about it," I gently pushed him away from me.
I need to collect my thoughts. I know this is not my Naofumi-sama. He belongs to me from this universe. And he likes her too. I mustn't forget that.
But even so…
"You always got close to me only, so of course I would feel a little anxious when someone else approached you this way," I explained. "I don't need to be jealous, because I know you wouldn't do anything inappropriate to Keel-kun or anyone else," I said as I was reassuring my own self, more than anything else.
"That's right. No need to feel anxious about anything," he nodded.
"I'm… I'm sorry about behaving that way towards you today," I said quietly. "It was… hard to accept at first… I-I mean!" Oh no, he doesn't know that this is my first time meeting him! What am I saying! I really need to calm down.
But he only smiled and nodded. As if he knew.
"It's okay, I understand. Thank you for always trusting and believing in me, no matter what happens, Raphtalia," he responded in a calm voice.
I exhaled and glanced at him. Even as a wolf demi-human… It's still the same person. And he wouldn't harm me or Raph-chan.
I must keep reminding myself of it.
"Now that we're done with lunch, what should we do? I'll take a tour around the village to check on everything and spar with the villagers. I don't think we should go level anymore today," he said, "but what about you? Will you join me, or do you maybe want to relax? I promise I wouldn't approach you in a mean way," he assured me.
"I know you wouldn't, and it's okay. I'll accompany you, Naofumi-sama," I decided.
"Alright, then let's go."
Now that we talked our issues out, I could feel relaxed around him a little more. I'm still a little cautious, but not to the point of being stressed or nervous.
"Rafu rafu," even Raph-chan, after noticing the difference in my attitude and going through apologies from Naofumi-sama, eased up a little and joined us in our village check up. She was mostly staying around me, though.
It's time to see how the village children and monsters react to Naofumi-sama in this form. I was worried about some of them, like for example Imiya, but it didn't look like there was an issue. Naofumi-sama treated everyone more or less the same as I knew him. And the residents treated him the same as well, albeit some of them more cautiously than others.
I spectated the heroes' combat training, but there seemed to be no issue either.
It is interesting how it's always only Naofumi-sama looking and being different than usual, but everyone else is perfectly fine. Why is for example Ren-san not a demi-human as well? I have a hunch that he'd become a dog, so maybe they'd get along well with Naofumi-sama. On the other hand, Itsuki-san might become something smaller, like a chipmunk, so maybe that wouldn't be too ideal.
I just realized… The Spear Hero would definitely become a rabbit!
Okay, okay. Enough of these thoughts. I don't want to imagine Naofumi-sama hunting the Spear Hero down!
"Raphtalia, are you alright? You're making a strange face," the wolf's voice reached my mind as I blinked.
"O-oh… yes. I'm okay," I nodded.
"Are you sure? We're all done here, so we can go home and relax, what do you say?"
"Um, sure… alright."
So it is time to leave already, I suppose. It's making me a little sad this time as well, but it's better this way. I better leave this Naofumi-sama for me that's already used to him.
My thoughts were confusing when I was laying down in my bed. Naofumi-sama went to his own, so we didn't have to be uncomfortably close.
I mean… It wouldn't be bad, of course. I just didn't feel like being in his immediate grasp so soon. And he might get a little too happy to have me around.
He looks like he's… interested in me, in this universe. It makes my heart warm, but also, it feels a little strange. Even though this is what I always wanted, it feels a little dull.
Of course, it's also because I haven't familiarized myself with this Naofumi-sama enough, and he also has these feelings towards me who's bound to be a little different from who I am now.
I mustn't forget that.
"Raphtalia," he called to me from his bed after a moment of silence.
"Yes?" I glanced at him, finding him staring at me.
"You… were really nice to me today. Does that mean you're finally accepting me?" He asked quietly.
"Accepting? What do you mean?" I asked back carefully.
"Accepting me as who I am… a wolf," he specified.
"Uh…"
I think I have. But I feel like he shouldn't be asking me. This question should be directed towards the other me, I'm sure.
Whatever answer I'd give him now, it could mess up the timeline for the other me really bad. And I don't want to create a misunderstanding between me from here and this Naofumi-sama.
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"Naofumi-sama… you see, I... I don't actually belong here," I admitted quietly, bracing for many worried questions and fear from Naofumi-sama's side, so I was already preparing a proper explanation.
But he only smiled at me understandingly.
"I know."
"What…?"
"I know that. You're a different Raphtalia, from a different universe," he answered me.
"Huh… so you knew about it too…" I pondered.
"Yeah. I'm sorry for not letting you know earlier. I wanted you to have the raw experience without meta knowledge."
"Without… what…?"
"Don't worry about it. But I'm really sorry about not telling you. I think Raph-chan was playing along too, even though I really did make her accidentally upset," he admitted.
In the end… it's probably better that I didn't know. Maybe? I suppose I got to know him only in the way that he wanted me to know him. But it's Naofumi-sama. He wouldn't do anything too sneaky to me anyway.
"I'm not mad at you, Naofumi-sama," I finally answered, "but do you know how this all works?"
"You, jumping universes? I have no idea. Maybe those are dreams, maybe they're reality. I'm sorry, all I know is that this is a different you and that you'll leave to another universe after you fall asleep. And the Raphtalia from this universe will return," he explained.
"I see."
So he wouldn't be able to help me, even if he told me right away that he knows about me. So I suppose it's okay.
"Is she also going around the universes?"
"That I do not know. But you're the only one to show here besides her, so probably not. I don't know where she is meanwhile, though."
"Okay… Naofumi-sama, tell me. Do you get on well with the other me?" I asked.
"As well as it gets," he shrugged.
"What does that mean…?"
"She… seems to have a little hard time accepting me. It may be because I had a bit of a hard time containing myself around her at one point, but I'm not entirely sure," he mumbled embarrassingly.
"What did you do?" I frowned a little.
"Oh, you know… stuff…" he averted his eyes.
"Naofumi-sama, please do not behave inappropriately around me or the others! I know it may be difficult given your race, but you have to try hard to overcome these issues. And please don't call Raph-chan tasty anymore either."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Raphtalia. I promise I'll do my best. The other you is still mad at me, but I'm sure we can work it out."
He didn't sound too confident.
"If you're kind towards her, I'm sure she'll forgive you," I reassured him.
Knowing myself, I could get upset with Naofumi-sama if he suddenly did something like this, but I definitely wouldn't leave him for it or stay mad forever. He just needs to talk it out with the other me, like he's doing with me right now.
"It should be okay so long as you don't chase her and only try to talk it out properly," I suggested.
"Will do. Thank you so much for understanding and helping me," he perked his ears back up again.
"You're welcome… just tell me one more thing, Naofumi-sama," I addressed him one more time.
He was pretending a little today, since he knew about me, so I'm not sure what he said was true.
"Yes…?"
"Do you… love Raphtalia from this universe?" I asked as my cheeks blushed.
I wasn't looking at him, but I could feel him getting nervous and blushing too.
"I…"
"Well, actually… don't tell me," I decided eventually.
"Um?"
"I'll leave this relationship in your hands, Naofumi-sama, and my own in mine. So let's do our best together," I smiled a little at him.
He smiled as well and nodded.
"Right."
"Good night, Naofumi-sama. And goodbye."
"Goodbye, Raphtalia. I hope you're not disappointed in me."
"I'm not, I promise."
"Thank you. Also I feel like you're gonna continue jumping some more, before you return home," he informed me, "I think this is not the last time you'll see a different world."
"Is that so… I wonder what I have coming for me next," I bemoaned a little.
"Have you jumped around a lot?" He asked me.
"This is my fourth time," I answered.
"I see. You've been through many adventures in these past days, then."
"Yes. I'm grateful for meeting you all. But it's also time for me to return soon. There are only so many changes that I can handle in such a small time period," I mumbled.
"I can imagine. Good luck with your next jump. I hope it goes well for you and you can finally return home soon," he smiled at me from across the room.
"Thank you. I hope your days get better soon as well. Good luck, Naofumi-sama."
"Thank you, Raphtalia," he said.
I turned away as I closed my eyes, wondering what kind of Naofumi-sama I'm gonna meet for the upcoming round. And about how many more universes await me.
I hope this adventure won't make me insane.
My thoughts were confused and worried as my mind started drifting off.
AN: The wolf demi-human traits are made up. I don't think we met a wolf demi-human in SH LNs yet and no idea if we ever will, but I'd assume they'd be pretty similar to any other regular demi-humans, kek.
AN2: I didn't have the time to edit the chapter until now, but I'm back, I only skimmed through it, though, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes. I was also not confident about this chapter, since it is a little over the top and Naofumi being too different from canon, but here it goes anyway. More chapters to go. Unfortunately, I'm still in the middle of writing chapter 5, so it may take a while to post it. But it's not gonna be the final chapter yet.
AN3: It's funny that today a special neko Naofumi side story from Aneko Yusagi (the SH author) and Aiya Kyu (the main SH mangaka) was released. Sadly it's only some JP stores exclusive apparently, so I didn't get around to reading it…
AN4: As per usual, there is a doodled illustration on Ao3 that may or may not be finished in the future. There's a wolffumi & Raphtalia in it!
