Chapter Extra 1
She struck.
"Mil, let's do it! Koko~"
While thinking I was being petted on my back with a soft hand, it sneakily turned towards my belly without me noticing it. Laying on my side, I was ignorant of the dilemma unfolding, so my response was delayed. Tina's eyes had a dangerous gleam of excitement while looking at the fur that covered my belly.
" Does Mil feel good? In that case.. Just a bit… Just a bit…"
And just like that, a pretty woman uttered words a man clinging to a woman outside a love hotel would say.
"Yay!"
Tina pressed her face into my belly fur.
I felt a shock, a very uncomfortable feeling. Actually, it felt like something shameful was being done to me. What?!
Tina's excited words were muffled by my fur and were hard to hear as she rubbed her face into it. Realizing what was happening, I quickly separated myself from her, frantically jumping off the couch. If I was human, my face would definitely be blazing red with embarrassment.
"Sorry, too much?"
Tina apologized, embarrassed that she was so excited.
"Yes…"
I said in a weak voice,
Now that I could speak, I could convey my feelings to them. I could tell them when something was wrong, even if it was embarrassing.
"Please, I won't do it again!"
Tina cried out to me, who was timid around her now. After adamantly pleading, I thought she would do it again. However, after I went back to her, she didn't do it. Although she only kept muttering to herself with an ecstatic expression, she never did it again.
However, it seemed Tina mentioned what she did to Knix… Without wasting time, he attacked the next day without trying to hide it. He went in for a frontal assault.
"Mil~! Show me your belly! Let me fill my face with fur!"
Apparently, Knix thought it was a badge of trust that I would expose my stomach. Well, certainly you wouldn't show something so defenseless to someone you didn't.
"Don't you trust me?"
I cautiously kept Knix in my line of sight as he slowly approached me. For Knix, he was quite conceited, thinking I would trust him. I liked to play with him, but in regards to trusting him? Nope. Though, Knix was a persistent child. I aimed for break time to come down from the mountain, but it's not good to let me get in the way of work.
I just want him to give up on that thought.
Moreover, the rumor ended up spreading further due to Knix's attempted assault. Now all the knights can be heard saying "Mil only shows her belly to people she trusts". Now it seems they're taking it as a challenge. If I were to lay on my back, they'd certainly try to do it.
I never thought the knights would be this free.
"I'm trusted!"
"No, you can't do that to Mil. Aren't you ashamed?"
I didn't think the Knights were that free.
"Well then, what about you?"
"I'm already quite trusted, though I'd like to do it as well."
"Me too…"
Such unsettling conversations were taking place everywhere within the fortress. Nowadays, I spend my time turning down people. They aren't forceful like Knix, so they properly respect me when I turn them down.
"I dislike people who try to do it forcefully!
Saying it properly works well. Speaking is really convenient.
****
(Grail)
As of recent, people have been staring strangely at Mil. Their eyes always looking at her belly. Word floating around is if you can rub your face against her belly, it's proof that she trusts you. I'm not sure how true it is though, but even I want to rub my face into her soft belly fur.
"Has anyone been able to?"
I felt amazed as I asked another knight helplessly.
"No, none at the moment. Tina tried and succeeded. Now she's being cautious of everyone so no one been able to. "
Of course, not even domestic animals liked being touched in vital areas by people they didn't trust, but that may be a little much to compare Mil, a spirit, to a regular animal.
"Tell everyone that they shouldn't do she dislikes. What would you do if Mil stopped coming?"
"Wow… That's right, I wouldn't want that to happen."
After that, the knights stopped aiming to mofumofu her belly… Or so I thought. Only one person didn't heed my warning. That person was Knix.
"Mil!!"
Mil was being attacked, hearing it, I looked into the lounge. I saw Mil, face up on the sofa, with Knix pressing his face into her belly. I wanted to save her, but seeing Mil desperately kicking Knix with her hind legs was adorable [MTLN: Asshole.]
She was able to kick him off and get away.
"It was so fluffy…"
However, Knix seemed pleased with himself and didn't reflect. Although, I'm sure it was a wonderful feeling. He didn't notice that he lost whatever little of Mil's trust he had. As for Mil, she maintained a distance from him, her face puffed with trembling eyes, like a girl who was ashamed that a foolish man had flipped her skirt.
Indeed, even for young children like Mil, it must be really embarrassing.
"Are you okay?"
I asked Mil, only to receive a shake of her head. I wonder if she was cautious of me.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything irritating to you…"
I told Mil as I gently stroked her head. Mil had a relieved expression.
"Please don't."
Mil stuck to my arm while saying so. By the way, it wasn't until Mil began to speak that I found out she thought of me only as "The one-eyed knight." She didn't know my name so she called me that. Now it doesn't look like I can change it.
"Everyone is so terrible! My stomach hurts…"
" I know. I had already told everyone not to, but Knix didn't listen. I'll scold him later."
Looking at Knix, he was complaining while crying. He seemed to have noticed his how idiotic his behavior was finally.
"Mil… I…"
I already could tell it was too late. Once you lost that trust, you won't get it back. It was stupid to rub your face into her belly against her wishes. He should've respected what she wanted. Aside from that commotion, I saw Cromwell quietly speaking to Mil.
I couldn't see Cromwell's expression, but I could see Mil's face. They were pretty quiet, but I didn't have a problem with her accepting Cromwell. She had a delighted expression.
Later I asked Mil
"Did you not hate it?"
"I felt embarrassed, but I feel sorry he doesn't have friends."
I didn't know much, but I understood enough that I knew Mill was strangely kind and sympathetic to Cromwell.