#4.

I subtly tried to push his face away with my front paw, but the boy casually dodged it with grace.

His golden eyes looked at me intently.

“Why do you keep avoiding me?” he asked.

“Chuu, Chuuu!”

I’m not avoiding you! It’s just that you’re clearly crazy but good-looking, so it’s overwhelming.

I raised my fur, showing that I wasn’t immune to his good looks, and stared at him with an assertive attitude.

It was a sudden showdown of wills.

The boy smiled slyly and extended his finger towards me.

“Aren’t you well-behaved? Don’t be so shy; you can ask.”

“Chuu, Chuuu…”

This guy is strange. I looked at him with a cautious eye.

There’s something suspicious about this guy. Based on my instincts, he’s dangerous if he gets too close!

Keep your finger away.

When I defiantly tapped his finger with my front paw, the boy mumbled, “You’re giving me the look you give to trash.”

“Yes, indeed. In my eyes, I see the look for insects.”

“You didn’t call me an insect, Ivan.”

“Well, you clearly said ‘insect’ just now, and there’s no doubt about it.”

“Do you want to wriggle on the ground like an insect?”

“I’m just saying that I would stomp on you.”

The blond lion-like figure called Ivan rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue, appearing to tease the boy. I had heard the name Ivan somewhere before, but it was such a common name that it didn’t ring any alarm bells.

What caught my attention more was Ivan’s reaction. His playful attitude with the way he wagged his tail made it clear that he was teasing the boy.

He seems a bit strange too. It appears that lion-shifters are not quite sane.

I gazed at Ivan with a clouded look, then turned my attention to the boy.

‘Are all lion-shifters like this? It seems like there’s not a single sane one among them.’

The problem was that I was in the middle of the lion’s den. There was no corner to hide, and any hasty escape would likely lead to me being caught by the boy again.

For now, I’ll just pretend to sleep and plan my escape when everyone is asleep.

While I was silently formulating my escape plan, Ivan and the boy continued their conversation as if they were discussing what to do with me.

“How about just letting it go? It’s too cute to eat, and besides, it won’t even be a bite.”

Ivan, you’re much better than I expected.

I nodded in agreement with Ivan’s words, my eyes lighting up. At that moment, the boy tightly grasped my head and concealed it in his hand.

‘S-Stop!’ I grumbled.

“Who do you think you are finding this fur cute? Don’t find it cute; it’s mine.”

I even growled a little more.

‘Since when was I yours? I’m mine!’

As I rebelled with my entire body, the boy stared down at me sternly, as if he would bite me to death if I didn’t agree with him.

His eyes were ferocious, and if there were pheromones in his eyes, they must have looked like that.

‘Oh, no, why are you being so serious again?’

I surrendered and lowered my head, nestling into his arms. Only then did the boy, satisfied, sweep his hand over my back.

“And like I said, I’m going to raise you.”

“It’s not just a pet, but a failed pet with human characteristics. It violates the rights of shifters.”

“Just call it a pet. My pheromones aren’t that noticeable anyway. If I rub my pheromones on you, it won’t show.”

“You shouldn’t raise it so lightly. If you decide to humanize it later, you’ll have problems. If you get tired of it, it will become a tasty snack for hyenas.”

Ivan, who had boldly switched from Ferret to fluff, continued to criticize.

‘Great! Keep pushing it like that!’

It seemed like this boy wanted to raise me. I don’t know when he took a liking to me, but it doesn’t matter from my perspective.

“To be honest, how am I supposed to know what a lunatic is thinking! I don’t even want to understand!”

“Fine, then tell Fluff to decide.”

The boy gently placed me on the cushion. It felt a bit chilly without the warmth of his hand. I wriggled under the handkerchief, only exposing my face.

“Chu?”

What’s going on?

When I looked up at the boy with confusion, he spoke with a sinister look in his eyes.

“If you say you live here, I won’t punish you.”

“Chu?”

Punish?

When I gave him a quizzical look, he lowered his head and muttered ominously.

“I know that you raided our food warehouse.”

“Chu?!”

H-How did he know?!

I looked back and forth between the boy and Ivan, who was nearby, shaking his head in distress.

‘Using threats, how unfair.’

“Well, what’s the big deal? Just let it go.”

The boy seemed indifferent and poked my belly with his finger.

“There’s food from our warehouse inside your little belly, isn’t there?”

“Chu, Chuu!”

Ah, I haven’t even taken a bite yet! This is just my stomach!

If only I could eat to my heart’s content, I wouldn’t feel so unjust. For some reason, it felt like there was a scratch deep in my heart as my belly was attacked.

I wrapped my arms around my belly and contemplated how to deal with this rascal who had called me a “bloated white bean.”

I was sweating. It was even scarier to be branded as a warehouse raider, as the boy had said. My accomplice had already fled, so I was left on my own, caught red-handed.

It was my misfortune to have been seen by Bianco as he took the food. I decided to use the “pretend to be submissive” strategy, withdrawing my head cautiously.

“Chichi…”

I messed up… But there’s still plenty of food in the warehouse, and maybe I can share a little.

Did my strategy of invoking sympathy work?

“But it’s okay. I’m a merciful black lion.”

The boy extended his finger to me as if he was being generous. I stared at his hand. He then continued, “If you stay here, you’ll have three meals a day without having to steal.”

Really?

The mention of three meals a day made me perk up my ears, and I gazed at the boy with bright, curious eyes.

Living by hunting and providing for myself for a year was exhausting. If I didn’t have memories of my past life, a squirrel’s life would have been relatively satisfactory. But I had the memories of a human with intellect.

‘I’m tired of worrying about food every day.’

Could I trust a person I’d just met? It’s a golden rule that strangers offering tasty food can be dangerous. But sometimes, people you’ve known for a long time can be even more dangerous than strangers.

I still had the memories of my past life when my childhood friend betrayed me, and I was left in a mountain of debt. So, I was filled with concerns about making a living, both then and now.

‘Now, if you strike first, you’ll get struck in the back, no questions asked. But even if you return to the wild, there are no sharp corners.’

The boy must have noticed my hesitation, and he continued to persuade me.

“Moreover, you won’t have to shiver in the cold, and you get a cozy cushion as a bonus. It’s still too cold outside. We have to wait another month for spring to arrive.”

The boy patted the cushion beneath me and smiled warmly. I turned around and gazed out the window.

The outside was still bleak and cold, and it was clear. In contrast, this place was very warm. It was a cozy place I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Without realizing it, I gulped down my saliva, and the boy brought his hand even closer to me.

“What do you think? Living in our home? It might be better for you to be raised by me than staying outside, don’t you think?”

“Chuu…”

I’ll have to think about it. It’s better to decide once I know exactly who you are.

I just heard a name that I shouldn’t have, from the forbidden clan.

However, given my current situation, the offer was quite attractive.

“I might as well go along for a while. Just until spring comes…”

With these careless thoughts in my mind, I reluctantly put my reservations aside and gently touched the boy’s finger with one of my front paws. However, it seemed like I miscommunicated.

“I knew you’d agree.”

Suddenly, the boy laughed heartily and grabbed both of my front paws, playfully shaking them.

‘Whoa! This is dizzying!’