I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 54
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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54
Chapter 13. The Orphanage is Broke (2)
Is this heaven…?
“Ron, Ron give us meat!”
“We know you’re hiding it! We can smell it!”
“Nas, peck him!”
“No way, my beak hurts too. Just climb on!”
About ten children rushed at Ron. I watched from Renate’s arms as Ron awkwardly let out a scream-like “Ueoook!” while catching the children.
“This is Ron’s orphanage. You can only enter through the passage connected to the back of the pub. It’s narrow so it might feel a bit stuffy, but it’s better than dying.”
As Renate said, the orphanage was different from what I had imagined. Actually, when I heard the word orphanage, I unconsciously imagined an institutional orphanage like from my previous life, but this place was just a residential building with a blocked entrance.
The interior was clean and decorated in a cozy way. According to Renate’s explanation, among the Gray Wolf Clan women, those who were injured and could no longer fight were taking care of the children. Ron’s wife was among them too.
I almost muttered “He even managed to get married…” without realizing it.
It wasn’t that Ron was unattractive, but I thought he was the type who would do well and act cool a hundred times, only to mess up at the crucial moment and gain nothing substantial.
The kind that gets sorted into “You’re a good person and a wonderful man, but we’re just friends…”
“I grew up here too.”
Ron, just how old are you exactly. And…
“Huff, huff.”
“…Shana, your breathing is too heavy.”
“…So cute…”
“What?”
I could feel Renate looking at me strangely. Regardless, my eyes couldn’t tear away from the adorable ones climbing all over Ron.
I had seen them when I was kidnapped too! But back then I was too out of it, and I wasn’t psychopathic enough to find children who were suffering in pain cute, so this was my first time properly seeing them.
‘So this is why they can’t let them outside…’
Above the children’s fluffy hair, big pointy ears stuck out, and around their bottoms, thick tails swayed back and forth. Heuuuk… Children my age or younger were even in complete wolf pup form, heuuuuk.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you sick or something?”
I grabbed Renate’s collar tightly. My hand just happened to be positioned at his collar, it wasn’t intentional.
“Renate, Renate. Can’t I get just a little closer?”
“Closer to where?”
“To the children… I, I’m not dangerous! I’m completely harmless!”
“I know that.”
“I won’t cause any trouble! You don’t even need to introduce me!”
“…Why do you think I brought you here?”
Renate sighed softly.
“If I wasn’t going to introduce you, why would I have brought you here?”
“But you said the principle is to not let the kids meet humans…”
Renate looked at me, then glanced at the children still clinging to Ron, tearing meat from him.
“You’re an exception.”
“Huh.”
“I picked you up, so you’re no different from my pack.”
“Raven also said he picked me up, and now Renate says he picked me up too…”
There sure were a lot of people who picked me up. It’s so nice having many guardians. I’m really lucky…
“Want to become part of my pack?”
“No way. I’d be the only human. I’d feel left out…”
“I don’t have gray fur either, so we’d be a perfect match.”
“…”
I remembered how Renate had looked at me and sat down to embrace me instead of running away even with his injured leg. If it weren’t for his warmth, I might have died, and Raven wouldn’t have found me either.
“I should have taken you with me back then. What a shame.”
Surprisingly, this seemed to be sincere. I spoke with deliberate exaggeration to hide my stinging nose.
“You’re disappointed you almost got to use the hospital for free, right? Still, I was prepared to become Tarzan or Mowgli.”
“What are those?”
They’re protagonists from stories who grew up splendidly in the embrace of the wild.
“It wouldn’t have been bad. Of course, I wouldn’t have done that because Mom and Dad would have been sad.”
“No openings.”
Renate put me down.
While we were having our pointless conversation, the children were looking at me, having apparently finished plundering all the meat from Ron.
Those sparkling eyes…
“Sh, Shana! Your face is so red!”
“They’re so cute I can’t look directly at them…”
A cute kid next to a cute kid, and another cute kid next to that one… Their bright expressions looking up at me, sparkling eyes, perky ears, and tails spinning like propellers made me feel like I might get a nosebleed.
‘No, I can’t, I absolutely cannot get a nosebleed in front of the children. My social status and dignity…!’
I tried to maintain even a shred of reason in the face of such violent cuteness and hid slightly behind Renate’s leg. Then their eyes followed my movement in unison. Eohuk.
What social status or dignity does a 7-year-old have! It wasn’t an excuse that could hide her reddening cheeks.
“Lady Shana, are you embarrassed?”
“Huh? Uh-huh, ah, no…”
Evelyn asked gently.
“Or are you scared? Don’t worry, I’m here…”
“No! I’m not scared! I’m just, just nervous!”
Renate muttered quietly, “She’s finally acting like a child for once?” I’ve always been childish, how rude.
Then a girl about a year younger than me toddled over to me, and gasp…
“Um, um. You healed us…”
“Huh? Huh? No! Yes?”
Damn, I bit my tongue. How embarrassing… I covered my mouth to prevent any groaning sounds from escaping.
“Gasp, mmph.”
“D-do I smell?!”
The girl’s ears drooped. As the child made a tearful face and stepped back hesitantly, I frantically shook my head.
“No! No! It’s not that! You’re, you’re too cute!”
“Huh? Me?”
The girl tilted her head. What is this creature…
“Of course! You’re so cute!”
The children who had been listening to my conversation with the girl also gathered around me one by one. A fist-sized puppy pressed its wet nose against my ankle. Ugh, my heart hurts…!
“Ah.”
Evelyn seemed to finally realize that I was in a state of not knowing what to do because the children were so cute. Of course she would be used to it.
When I hadn’t known Evelyn for long, I used to bury my face in her round belly and make farting sounds every day, or kiss her round head, or smell her jelly-like scent… I must have had the exact same expression back then.
Recently, I’ve been hugging her with my whole body while lying against her broad back, so she might not have seen my face.
“Thank you for helping us!”
“I really wanted to say hello back then!”
“Let’s play together!”
Is, is that okay? Can I really play…
I looked at Renate. He was looking at me with slightly surprised eyes, but somehow noticed I was asking for permission and nodded.
“Evelyn.”
“Yes, Lady Shana.”
“If I seem too perverted, you have to stop me…”
Evelyn looked at me silently for a moment. Then she smiled mischievously and said.
“Don’t worry. If I get too jealous, I’ll steal you away.”
“…”
Where is the male lead…
***
Puff puff!
“Whine! Whiiine!”
“Sorry, were you startled? You didn’t like it!”
When I blew air on its belly, the surprised puppy whined and flailed its legs. I quickly moved away, but the puppy didn’t run away.
“You didn’t dislike it?”
“Woof!”
Woof! Like this… Woof!! Like this!!!! Waaah!
I covered my face with both hands, feeling like I wanted to cry. If I breathe roughly in front of the children, I’ll seem too, too perverted…
‘I can’t make them afraid of me…’
I mustn’t scare them.
When I covered my mouth, the fact that they asked if they smelled meant the children knew humans’ ‘typical’ reactions.
I could imagine what they might have been told.
So I decided to be careful, but right now the situation was too disadvantageous for me.
‘So cool… pretty… cute…’
The children immediately figured out my weakness when they saw me unable to handle the puppy that had climbed onto my foot.
Of course the children are cute too, but I’m especially weak when it comes to animals.
But they’re cute. They’re small and precious. So how can I keep my composure.
Big ones are cute and small ones are cute. All furry animals are cute. Even without fur they’re cute. I haven’t seen snakes yet so I can’t say about scales, but anyway they’d probably be cute too.
Anyway, the children seemed to think I was more comfortable with animals, so they all transformed into animals at the same time as if on cue. Maybe they’re teasing me because my reactions are funny…
Anyway, I really, completely… thought I was going to faint…
Are you torturing me? You’re attacking to bring me down, right? If you thought this would work, you guys are really…
Geniuses. Sob.
There was a gray wolf half the size of Evelyn, a palm-sized puppy wolf, a parrot with colorful pretty feathers that looked like a parrot, and an elegant cat too.
“Meow!”
“Hm?”
“Meooow!”
I took my hand away from petting the puppy’s head. The cat (I want to know its name… What’s your name?) groomed its own head with both paws like washing its face, then looked at me.
It’s telling me to follow suit.
Like this, just pet it…
“…”
I surrender. Take my soul.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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