Baby Squirrel Is Good at Everything

"……?"

Surprised by his reaction, Beatty tilted her head and stopped walking.

"Hmm. I thought maybe you were stranded too."

"……."

"Uh, I'm not a dangerous person, you know."

Somehow, she found herself trying to convince this suspicious boy that she wasn’t suspicious.

If he’s my age, maybe he just got startled by a stranger appearing out of nowhere.

Considering the situation from his perspective, Beatty spoke with a serious expression, full of sincerity.

"But if you're scared, I won’t come any closer."

Pfft.

Beatty was sure she had just heard a stifled laugh from beneath the hood of his robe.

"?"

"……."

But the boy gave no indication that he had made any sound at all.

She stared at him, puzzled, then decided to leave it be and turned away.

"Anyway, I need to find my way—"

Plop.

A drop of water landed on the bridge of her nose.

"Huh?"

At first, she thought it was just morning dew, but it wasn’t.

Drip, drop…

Rain began to pour down, catching Beatty off guard as she looked up at the sky.

I—I need to find shelter.

As she hurriedly searched for cover, her eyes caught sight of the boy stepping aside.

"Oh."

The spot he had been standing in had the largest leaves shielding it from the rain.

Wasn’t he trying to avoid me?

Beatty hesitated for a moment, but when the raindrops grew heavier, she quickly darted into the space he had vacated.

***

Whoooosh.

The sound of the sudden downpour drowned out everything else.

Now stuck under the same cover with a stranger, Beatty fidgeted awkwardly, twiddling her fingers.

"Wait a second."

"Huh?"

The boy’s gaze fell on Beatty’s bag, and his expression stiffened.

Following his line of sight, Beatty found the Snowstorm Squirrel nestled inside.

When did it get in there…?

"Stay still. I’ll get rid of it right away."

Before Beatty could process his words, the boy calmly reached toward the creature.

Ssss—

Sensing danger from the boy, the Snowstorm Squirrel bristled its fur and let out a threatening hiss.

"Ah, no!"

"That’s not a squirrel, it’s a beast."@@novelbin@@

"I know!"

"…What?"

The boy looked bewildered.

Flustered, Beatty scrambled for an explanation.

"It’s a beast, but… it's like a friend to me!"

"……What?"

The boy stared at her as if she were insane.

Beatty’s face turned red, but she decided to stand her ground like a future merchant should.

I need it to see the Constellation again. Even if it was a weird Constellation…

She repeatedly emphasized that the beast wasn’t dangerous and that he absolutely couldn’t hurt it.

After a moment, the boy nodded.

"Alright."

Phew.

Beatty sighed in relief—unaware that the boy had already decided.

If it looks dangerous later, I’ll take care of it when she’s not looking.

The rain continued for quite a while. After the talk about the beast, neither of them spoke again.

The silence between them was broken when—

"Achoo!"

Beatty let out a small sneeze.

"Hngh."

Embarrassed by how loud it was in the quiet, she quickly covered her mouth.

Ah-choo! Ah-choo!

No matter how hard she tried to stifle them, the sneezes kept coming.

Hah—ah—choo!

A final sneeze escaped from beneath her cupped hands.

Each time she sneezed, her small body shivered from exposure to the cold air.

The boy, who had been silently watching, finally sighed.

"Hah."

Then, as if he had no other choice, he held out a hand.

"Here."

"……?"

Beatty blinked at the outstretched hand in front of her.

"If you stay out here any longer, you might freeze to death."

The boy spoke lightly, as if he were just playing along in a theater act.

"I shall escort you, milady."

"…Milady?"

Beatty was thrown off by the unfamiliar title.

Then, as the boy took a step toward her, she instinctively stepped back.

"Hm?"

Staring at the curved smirk peeking out from beneath his hood, Beatty hesitated before blurting out—

"S-s-suspicious."

Her voice trembled, partly from the cold.

"Huh? I’m suspicious?"

The boy tilted his head, as if genuinely surprised.

"But you look just as suspicious."

"W-what?"

Even as her teeth chattered, Beatty looked down at herself.

A deep forest. A dangerous environment. A young girl wandering around alone in a fancy dress, with no equipment or supplies.

"……I do look suspicious."

If someone mistook her for a ghost, she wouldn’t even have an excuse.

Thud.

While she was lost in self-reflection, something landed on her head.

Black fabric?

The boy had taken off his cloak—leaving only the hood on his head—and draped it over her like an umbrella.

"There’s a cabin nearby."

Whooosh.

The rain grew heavier, piercing through the leaves that had been shielding them. The boy’s forehead was already soaked.

"This rain won’t stop anytime soon. Will milady allow me to escort her there?"

He posed it as a question, but before she could answer, he simply took her hand and led her forward.

***

The cabin looked like it had been built for hunters or lost travelers.

Creak.

As soon as the boy entered, he pulled a cloth off a chair and dusted it off.

"Have a seat, milady."

"…Thanks."

Beatty awkwardly turned her head at how naturally he gave up the spot for her.

"Now, hand that over."

"Ah."

The boy casually took the soaked cloak from her hands.

Thanks to it, Beatty’s clothes were mostly dry.

In contrast, the boy—who had given up his cloak—was now drenched to the skin.

Drip, drip.

Water dripped from his hood, pooling onto the wooden floor.

"You should take that off."

"Hm?"

Beatty frowned in concern. The water dripping from his hood was only making his soaked clothes worse.

"If you have a reason to keep it on, I won’t look. I’ll turn around."

She had read about things like this in novels.

A runaway hiding their identity. A protagonist with a secret past.

Whatever it is, he wouldn’t want me prying into it.

Since he had shown her kindness, she wanted to return the favor.

The boy stared at her, amused, as she dramatically turned her back to give him privacy.

"……I suppose it’s fine."

He muttered to himself before tossing the hood aside.

Tap, tap.

He knocked lightly on her back, making her turn her head.

"You don’t need to turn away."

"Huh?"

Something about his tone made Beatty tilt her head.

"…You can look, milady."

His voice had a certain weight to it.

Beatty hesitated before turning around.

"!"

Now she could finally see what had been hidden beneath the robe.

An eyepatch…?

The first thing that stood out was the black eyepatch covering his left eye, like a masquerade mask.

It was shaped to perfectly obscure his eye while leaving the rest of his sharp features exposed.

He’s… handsome.

Even with a third of his face covered, his strikingly well-proportioned features couldn’t be hidden.

Drip.

A drop of rain slid down his defined jawline and landed on his chest.

Feeling her face heat up, Beatty quickly looked away.

Just then—

Whoosh.

The boy casually ran a hand through his wet hair, brushing it back.

Now, with his forehead fully revealed, something else caught Beatty’s attention.

Peeking out from beneath the edge of his eyepatch—

A beauty mark…?

A single, distinct mark under his hidden left eye.

Beatty found herself staring before quickly looking away.

Had she stared too obviously?

Worried that he might have noticed, she cautiously glanced back at him—

And their eyes met.

"Ack—"

Startled, she jerked her head away.

The boy raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

Beatty crossed her arms, then shivered at how cold she was.

Seeing her trembling, the boy silently moved around the cabin.

Click.

He lit a fire in the stove and pulled the chair closer to the warmth.

"Here."

"Hm?"

Beatty looked up.

Seeing her still standing by the door, the boy smirked.

"Would you prefer that I carry you instead?"

A teasing smile played on his lips as he opened his arms.

"Shall I?"