And so, the preparation time before class somehow drifted in a strange direction.
At first, it was only the students from the same class.
“Um, just once……”
“I’ll really only touch him lightly.”
“If Haku doesn’t like it, I’ll back off right away.”
Perhaps because of the rules Elysia had set, the students were more careful than I’d expected.
One person at a time.
Hands were to be extended slowly.
No grabbing the ears or tail without permission.
If I dodged, they were to back away immediately.
If Elysia said no, they were to stop at once.
It was more orderly than I had thought.
‘Academy students are surprisingly polite about things like this.
And maybe because they know my resonance is 86,
no one’s taking issue with the fact that Elysia and I can communicate.’
I was sitting curled up on top of the desk.
At first, honestly, I hated it.
It bothered me when unfamiliar hands approached above my head,
and for some reason, hearing someone look at me and whisper “cute” made a ticklish feeling run down my spine.
No, not quite my spine. Under my fur.
‘Can they stop calling me cute now?’
It felt like I was getting goosebumps I didn’t even have.
But as time passed, things changed a little.
Their hands were softer than I expected.
A hand that stroked the top of my head with extreme care.
A hand that gently petted the fur on my back along the grain.
A hand that first asked if under my chin was okay, then, when I lifted my head, touched me truly lightly.
No one acted carelessly.
Every touch remembered that I was a small living creature.
“He’s really soft……”
“It’s like his fur is glowing.”
“His ears moved.”
“Haku, do you maybe like it here?”
It wasn’t bad.
No.
It was a little nice.
‘……I don’t want to admit it, though.’
I half-closed my eyes.
Each time the touch moved from my head to the nape of my neck, my body loosened little by little.
The body that had stiffened from sitting on Elysia’s head all morning also relaxed.
And most of all, the students treated me with real care.
That, unexpectedly, didn’t feel unpleasant.
“Haku, you’re cute.”
If it had been before, I would have immediately retorted inwardly.
‘I’m a man.’
‘Don’t call me cute.’
‘I’m a modern person who ended up in the body of an ancient nine-tailed fox.’
It was truly fortunate that this content wasn’t transmitted to Elysia.
“Kkiing……”
It was a little okay.
Really, just a little.
‘If I keep hearing the word cute, I’m getting used to it.’
No, this was a dangerous thought.
I tried to pull myself together.
But then, a female student wearing glasses carefully stroked my back.
Her touch was far too appropriate.
Before I knew it, I had rested my chin on the desk.
“Haku, are you sleepy?”
“No, maybe he feels good?”
“Look at his tail. It’s swaying a little.”
‘It was not swaying.’
I immediately stopped my tail.
But it was already too late.
The students’ expressions softened again.
That was after the students from the same class had each touched my fur once.
The front door of the classroom opened carefully.
“Um…… is this Lady Valerion’s class?”
They were female students I was seeing for the first time.
The decorations on their uniforms were a little different. They seemed to be students from another class.
They looked around the classroom, and the moment they discovered me sitting on the desk, their eyes sparkled.
“He’s really here.”
“A silver-pink fox……”
“The rumor was true.”
‘Already?’
I pricked up my ears.
Rumors spread fast.
Far too fast.
Elysia seemed a little flustered as well.
“What is it?”
One of the female students from another class carefully bowed her head.
“I’m sorry, Lady Valerion. Could we perhaps…… look at Haku just once?
If touching him isn’t allowed, we won’t touch him.”
At those words, the girls behind her nodded at the same time.
“We really only need to look.”
“We came after hearing the rumors.”
“Is he the one with a resonance of 86?”
‘Even that rumor spread.’
I sighed inwardly.
Elysia looked at me.
To be exact, it was a gaze asking for my opinion.
‘What should I do?’
I pondered for a moment.
I had already allowed the students from the same class.
If we blocked other classes unconditionally, the rumors might instead spread in an even stranger way.
Besides, those students were quite polite.
I swayed my tail once.
‘It’s fine. But keep it short.’
Elysia nodded.
“Haku says it’s all right. However, one at a time, and only very briefly.”
“Thank you!”
And so, a second line formed.
‘A line formed.’
I sat on the desk, unable to accept reality.
And that line grew longer and longer.
Students from other classes.
During breaks, even senior female students who seemed to be from other years came by.
“Is this where that familiar is?”
“Excuse me. Could I see him just once?”
“Lady Valerion, we heard the rules. We absolutely won’t touch him carelessly.”
By this point, the students from the same class had instead stepped in to maintain order.
“One at a time.”
“Not the ears. Haku might not like it.”
“If you grab his tail, you’re out.”
“Only people Elysia has permitted may touch him.”
‘Why are you the ones managing this?’
I was dumbfounded.
But thanks to them, there was surprisingly little chaos.
The students treated me with true preciousness.
They were as careful as if they were touching a fragile glass ornament.
Some trembled at their fingertips from nervousness before even laying a hand on me,
and some lightly stroked my head just once before stepping back with moved expressions.
“I used up all my luck for the day……”
“He’s really fluffy.”
“Our eyes met.”
“I feel like Haku just acknowledged me.”
‘No.’
That wasn’t it.
But I didn’t bother refuting it.
By this point, I was also getting a little tired.
The class bell rang, the professors came in, and some kind of class proceeded.
There was probably theory class.
There was probably an explanation of assignments.
I think someone probably gave a presentation too.
But honestly, I didn’t remember.
All I remembered were the hands.
On top of my head.
My back.
The nape of my neck.
Sometimes under my chin.
And the words that kept endlessly coming.
“Cute.”
“He’s so gentle.”
“He’s really clever.”
“Haku, will you look this way?”
I gradually gave up thinking.
‘Am I in class right now, or am I on public display?’
There must certainly have been morning classes.
But in my memory, the entire morning was covered by the sight of students lining up to stroke my silver-pink fur.
And finally, lunchtime arrived.
Almost reflexively, I climbed onto Elysia’s head.
‘Escape.’
Perhaps sensing my condition, Elysia immediately rose from her seat.
“Haku seems tired, so I’ll let him rest during lunch.”
Regretful exclamations flowed among the students.
“Ah……”
“That makes sense. I guess we touched him too much.”
“Sorry, Haku.”
“Enjoy your lunch.”
From atop Elysia’s head, I only swayed my tail slightly.
It was fine.
But for now, I was running away.
Elysia took me to the dining hall.
The moment we arrived at the dining hall, gazes poured down again,
but this time, I spoke to Elysia first.
‘Elysia.’
“Yeah?”
‘Refuse them during lunch.’
Elysia paused slightly while holding her tray.
‘I want to rest, and I want to eat.’
“Got it.”
Elysia answered right away.
“You must have been very tired this morning.”
‘More than I expected.’
Mentally, a lot.
I sprawled limply on top of her head.
No matter how soft their hands had been, and no matter how preciously everyone had treated me,
continuously receiving attention from strangers was tiring.
Hearing that I was cute.
Receiving gazes that expected a reaction.
Confirming, one by one, that it was okay.
It required more mental strength than I’d expected.
Elysia went to the same window-side seat as yesterday.
And when she saw students who seemed about to approach, she spoke gently first.
“I’m sorry, but Haku needs to rest during lunch.”
“Ah, yes!”
“Of course.”
“Haku has to eat too.”
Fortunately, the students obediently withdrew.
I sighed in relief inwardly.
‘I survived.’
When Elysia sat down, I climbed down from her head and sat in the seat beside her.
Today’s lunch was softly cooked fish, potatoes, vegetable soup, and small pieces of fruit.
Elysia looked at me and asked,
“Haku, are you hungry?”
I checked my physical condition for a moment.
It was similar to yesterday.
No, I felt like I was even hungrier than at lunch yesterday.
‘Yeah. I’m hungry.’
Elysia seemed a little surprised.
“Yesterday, you seemed fine after eating just a little.”
‘I thought it was strange too.’
I took the piece of fish Elysia had torn into small bits and ate it.
The taste wasn’t bad.
It was clean and tender.
As I chewed and swallowed, I felt a little warmth spread inside my body.
‘When we first met, I ate because I was hungry.’
Back then, I truly had been starving.
I’d been soaked by the rain, my body was exhausted, and since I’d just awakened in this world, my mind was in turmoil too.
‘But yesterday, I honestly felt like I didn’t need to eat.’
I did eat at lunchtime, but it wasn’t for survival.
It was to pretend to be a fox cub.
And because I felt bad refusing the food Elysia gave me.
That was about it.
Elysia placed a small portion of mashed potato in front of me.
“Then today?”
I ate a little of that too.
It was soft and warm.
‘Today, I’m hungry.’
“Why do you think that is?”
‘It seems like my hunger changes depending on my mood or condition.’
Elysia listened seriously.
If it had been anyone else, they would have found the very situation of a fox cub eating food and analyzing hunger strange,
but Elysia seemed to have grown rather used to that sort of thing by now.
“Depending on your mood?”
‘To be precise, I think I get hungry when I’m mentally tired.’
As I ate a piece of fruit she gave me, I continued thinking.
‘It was like that when I first woke up, and it’s like that today too.
It doesn’t feel like hunger from my body being injured.
It’s closer to the feeling that my head and heart are tired, so I want to fill something.’
I slowly swayed my tail.
“Then from now on, if you seem tired, it would be good to feed you little by little.”
‘Not feed me. I eat.’
“Yeah. You eat.”
Elysia smiled slightly.
I ate another piece of fish.
‘Anyway, that’s the most likely hypothesis. When I get mentally tired, I get hungry.’
“Then this morning must have been very tiring.”
‘Extremely.’
I answered firmly.
A smile flickered around Elysia’s eyes.
“Even though everyone touched you carefully?”
‘I’m grateful for that, but it’s separate.’
Good touches and exhaustion could exist at the same time.
Just like how you could get full even if you kept eating delicious food.
If there was too much gentle petting, your mind got full too.
No, was that expression a little strange?
Elysia seemed to understand my words to some extent.
“I’ll make absolutely sure you rest during lunch.”
‘Yeah. Please.’
After saying that, I ate the piece of fruit she offered.
A refreshing sweetness spread through my mouth.
I had felt this yesterday too, but I liked fruit quite a bit.
Perhaps noticing that, Elysia pushed a little more of her own fruit toward me.
“Eat this too.”
‘You should eat too.’
“I’m fine.”
‘You need to eat well if you’re going to use a sword.’
Elysia flinched.
I raised my head and looked at her.
‘Since yesterday, the way you use your body has been changing little by little.
The more that happens, the more you need to eat properly.
Your body needs strength in order to change.’
Elysia looked at me quietly, then nodded slightly.
“Got it.”
She didn’t give all the fruit to me, but shared only half.
I closed my eyes in satisfaction.
‘Good.’
There were still many gazes watching us inside the dining hall.
But because Elysia refused them first, no one approached.
For the first time in a while, I was able to eat quietly.
‘Peaceful.’
It really was peaceful.
No erasers flying at me.
No magic flying at me.
No swords flying at me.
No more swarms of students’ hands coming toward me.
Just a time of receiving the food Elysia divided into small pieces,
and feeling the sunlight outside the window.
I curled up where I sat and let out a small breath.
Elysia asked,
“Is it good?”
‘Yeah.’
This time, I answered honestly.
‘It’s good.’
Elysia’s expression softened.
“I’m glad.”
I faintly sensed her emotions.
It seemed she had been a little worried while watching me surrounded by people since morning.
But when she saw me eating and calming down a little, she seemed relieved too.
‘This resonance thing.’
I thought for a moment.
‘It’s annoying, but it is convenient.’
Elysia looked at me.
“Did you just call it annoying?”
‘Pretend you didn’t hear that.’
Elysia laughed softly.
“Got it.”
I finished eating the remaining piece of fruit.
It seemed that starting today, lunchtime would become my official rest time.
Allowing the students to touch me hadn’t been a bad choice.
But one more condition was necessary.
‘Elysia.’
“Yeah.”
‘From now on, let’s only allow petting time before morning class.’
“Only before class?”
‘And during breaks, only when I’m okay with it. Lunch is forbidden.’
Elysia nodded seriously.
“All right. Let’s decide on that.”
‘If the line gets long again, we’ll have to make numbered tickets or something.’
“Numbered tickets?”
‘It’s nothing.’
It was a term that had popped out from my memories of my previous life.
Elysia tilted her head slightly, but didn’t ask further.
Feeling that my stomach had filled a little, I lay down on the chair.
The hypothesis that mental fatigue led to hunger.
It wasn’t certain yet, but it seemed quite plausible.
If so, I had to be careful from now on.
Using too much strength.
Being bothered by too many people.
Deepening my resonance with Elysia too much.
If those sorts of things happened, there was a high chance I’d get hungry.
‘This body is more troublesome than I thought.’
But soon, another piece of fruit was placed in front of me.
I looked at it.
I pondered for a moment.
And then I ate it.
‘……Still, tasty things are nice.’
Elysia laughed quietly.
I turned my head away and pretended not to notice.
Lunchtime passed like that.
It was a short and precious rest that had come after being hounded by countless hands all morning.