I Received the Beast Male Lead as a Birthday Present

Episode 8

 

“…”

 

Michael, who had met my eyes for a moment, squinted his eyes.

 

A faint expression of displeasure briefly crossed his golden irises before disappearing.

 

I was concerned that he might rebel, but fortunately, Michael obediently remained in his spot.

 

It seemed he knew that causing a commotion here wouldn’t lead to anything good.

 

‘At least communication works in times like this.’

 

I inwardly sighed with relief and turned my gaze back to Father.

 

“Why are you doing something reckless like this? What if the wolf attacks you?”

 

“If e intended to attack, he would have done it by now. Look, he’s sitting there so calmly.”

 

As I gestured toward Michael lying down, he swayed his tail with an expressionless face, as if appealing in his own way that he posed no harm.

 

“…Well, true, he doesn’t look threatening while doing that.”

 

Perhaps convinced by my words, Father’s expression softened slightly.

 

“Still, isn’t it uncertain when that wolf might change?”

 

“If that’s your concern, don’t worry too much. I’m also preparing for any possible situation.”

 

I smiled warmly and took out a finger-sized spray bottle with the label “Demon Exterminator” written on it from my pocket.

 

I had happened upon it while exploring the warehouse, thinking there might be something useful akin to a leash, but it turned out to be this.

 

“It supposedly contains a potent paralysis toxin that can bring down even a demon as big as an elephant in a single shot.”

 

I thought Father would be reassured with this, but contrary to my expectations, his complexion paled as soon as he saw the spray.

 

“W-Where did you find that?”

 

“This? I found it in the warehouse.”

 

“Surely, you didn’t show that to your mother, did you?”

 

“Huh? No. I haven’t shown it to Mother yet…”

 

Observing Father’s reaction, I trailed off my sentence.

 

His fidgety demeanor, as if caught with something he shouldn’t have, felt suspicious.

 

“…Father, did you secretly buy this without Mother knowing?”

 

“Huh? W-Well…”

 

Father stammered and avoided my gaze.

 

From that reaction, I could be sure.

 

‘He did buy it secretly, just as I thought.’

 

Unlike my father, who was a collector, my mother strongly disliked wasting money on unnecessary things. 

 

The spray in my hand would undoubtedly fall into the category of ‘unnecessary items.’

 

‘No wonder. I wondered why there were so many items related to demons in the western guesthouse. They were all hidden without Mother’s knowledge.’

 

Recently, I had purchased various items, including a peculiar saddle design I had never seen before.

 

Now it seemed like I was collecting items related to demons.

 

“CiCi.”

 

At that moment, Father cleared his throat softly and put his hand on my shoulder.

 

“As you know… your mother doesn’t really like these kinds of things.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

I nodded with a slightly troubled expression, and Father awkwardly continued.

 

“I bought that item a long, long time ago… I forgot to tell your mother about it.”

 

Father emphasized the words “a long, long time ago” while glancing at me.

 

Of course, I wasn’t fooled by his words. Even the spray I was holding had this year’s date clearly printed on the bottom.

 

“So, what I’m trying to say is…”

 

“Are you asking me to keep it a secret from Mother?”

 

I cut off his words midway and asked straightforwardly.

 

Upon hearing that, Father nodded eagerly and sent me a pleading look.

 

“Just this once, keep it a secret, and I’ll grant you a wish. If you have something you want, just tell me.”

 

“A wish?”

 

“This seems tempting.”

 

In reality, I hadn’t planned on telling Mother anyway.

 

There was no reason to refuse since he promised to grant a wish.

 

“Is it really okay to ask for anything?”

 

“Of course. This father can’t go back on his word with just one mouth.”

 

Father nodded, urging me to speak.

 

With an inward smile of satisfaction, I opened my mouth.

 

“In that case, could you let our doggy go for a walk, clear the garden a bit?”

 

* * *

 

…And so, with Father’s help, I was able to take possession of the garden next to the western guesthouse.

 

Thanks to Father’s prior efforts, there wasn’t even a single ant visible around the annex.

 

‘It’s nice to have this much space.’

 

I slowly looked around and then turned my gaze to Michael.

 

At the moment, he was walking slowly behind me, holding the demon leash.

 

‘Although it’s not visible, there are probably knights stationed all around.’

 

If Michael made even a slightly suspicious movement, it was evident that knights armed with weapons would emerge from everywhere.

 

‘And Michael is surely aware of that.’

 

With senses dozens of times more acute than a human’s, he was a supernatural being. So, he couldn’t help but sense the presence of the hidden knights around.

 

Sure enough, Michael was turning his ears here and there, alert to his surroundings.

 

‘But he seems to be in a good mood, which is fortunate.’

 

Perhaps excited about the rare outing, Michael’s expression was brighter than usual.

 

Even his long, extended tail was gently swaying.

 

‘Since I got permission, I should let him enjoy the breeze to his heart’s content today.’

 

Just then, a bench came into view ahead, so I gestured with my chin in that direction.

 

“Puppy, how about we go over there and sit?”

 

“…Woof.”

 

Michael nodded.

 

Seeing that there was no particular reaction even to the name “puppy,” it seemed like he had resigned himself to it.

 

Upon reaching the bench, Michael positioned himself far away from me and lay down.

 

Well, the leash prevented him from going too far.

 

I loosely held the leash to let him rest comfortably, then sat on the bench.

 

Entering spring, perhaps that was why the sunlight falling on my face felt pleasantly warm.

 

‘…It looks even more beautiful in the sunlight.’

 

Glancing at Michael, I noticed his golden fur first.

 

Even when I first saw him, I thought his fur was pretty, but under the sunlight, it seemed to sparkle even more.

 

‘When I was younger, I used to dream of burying myself in such fur and sleeping.’

 

I looked at Michael with a tinge of regret.

 

As much as I wished to try it once, I couldn’t imagine Michael granting me permission.

 

‘Too bad, too bad.’

 

As I tried to shake off my lingering regrets.

 

Suddenly, Michael turned his gaze towards me.

 

“…?”

 

When our gazes met, Michael squinted his eyes. His expression seemed to ask why I was staring.

 

‘…Should I ask at least once?’

 

Since I figured I had nothing to lose, I quietly got up from my seat and approached Michael’s side.

 

“Hey, puppy.”

 

When I greeted him with a bright smile, Michael seemed to hesitate.

 

A faint hint of wariness appeared in his golden eyes.

 

Holding onto his leash with one hand, I spoke as gently as possible.

 

“I just want to hug you once. How can we make that happen?”

 

Michael’s expression changed oddly at my words. It wasn’t the look of ‘why are you staring’ anymore; it seemed more like ‘has this person gone crazy.’

 

Well, if someone suddenly came up and asked if they could hug you, you’d probably be taken aback too.

 

“But what can I do? I really want to try.”

 

“Don’t make that expression. Just once, okay? Instead, I promise I won’t make you do any more training in the future.”

 

At the mention of no more training, Michael seemed to pause. He might have recalled the day he had been trained all day for causing a mess in the bathhouse last time.

 

Well, at that time, he was probably at fault too for following along.

 

Anyway, it was certainly not a pleasant memory for him.

 

‘…I wonder if it’s still not allowed.’

 

I was about to give up and was about to stand up, brushing off the dress.

 

“…Woof.”

 

Michael, who seemed to be contemplating for a moment, nodded.

 

Brightly smiling at the unexpected approval, I said, “Thank you, puppy.”