“How did this happen?”
“…Maru, Rinne unni is really kind. She only looks a bit scary, that’s all.”
“Why?”
“What’s the big deal? It’s true. How scary do you look when you’re not talking?”
“Of course, I know that wolf unni is kinder than she looks.”
“Yeah, I know it in my head, but…”
“Eeek!”
“…What should I do about this?”
“What do I do when my body starts shaking as soon as I look at her face?”
“I know it’s scary, but what should I do about it? It’s so scary!”
“…No, no. I can’t be scared in front of just a wolf beastman.”
“That would be so lame. I’m a manly man.”
“Show them, Maru! You’re not scared of anything! Show them!”
“Ugh!”
“Oh, our Maru finally… Oh no.”
“…Never mind.”
“Sorry, my inner manly spirit.”
“I’ll be a weak man just for today. I just can’t do this… It’s too scary.”
“Maru, look here.”
“Ugh, no.”
“Maru, please do me a favor and turn around just once.”
“…If Nunu unni asks, I guess I could do it once.”
“I closed my eyes tightly and slowly turned around.”
“I swallowed nervously. My body was shaking from the tension.”
“And what I saw when I opened my eyes slightly was…”
“Tada! A super cool, glowing cart!”
“Run! Run!”
“It’s speeding!”
“Hehe, hehehe.”
“…You look cute when you smile.”
“Right? I knew Maru would like it if it’s Rinne.”
“I’m now driving the glowing cart and running all over the store.”
“Ah, this is life.”
“No one can stop me, a children’s shopping cart racer!”
“First, I’ll punish that commander who was running away like a jerk.”
“Take that!”
“I aimed for the commander’s little toe and steered the cart.”
“Take that!”
“Wow, Maru! Be careful!”
“Miss that?”
“How dare you, I’m going again!”
“Ahhh! My toe, my toe!!”
“Hehe, hehehe. It’s a punishment! Commander!”
“Oh, it feels so good.”
“Rinne, is it really okay to leave her like that?”
“It’s fine.”
“…The expression, huh, I guess Rinne is already lost in it. Hehe.”
“I hear the sound of my struggle beginning… Is it just my imagination?”
“Maru, I know you’re busy driving the glowing cart, but… didn’t you say you were going to buy a phone?”
“Oh, right!”
“At the sound of Bada calling me from behind, I stopped my crazy race and regained my senses.”
“Come to think of it, I needed to buy a phone.”
“The must-have item of modern people, the phone!”
“Honestly, I don’t even know how I lived without a phone. I used to feel so uneasy without it.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Alright, let’s go quickly!”
“I urged the commander who was groaning while holding his toe and turned the wheel.”
“It’s probably just the pain of stepping on a LEGO, he’s overreacting.”
“How about this? It looks cute, I think it’ll suit you.”
“Hmm, Maru would probably prefer a smaller one to carry around, don’t you think?”
“Guys, the phone is all about performance, not looks. Let’s talk about storage first…”
“The three of us are so excited.”
“It’s just picking a phone. Can’t we just pick anything?”
“…I just want to quickly choose something and go back to driving my glowing cart.”
“Who made the rule that you can’t bring a cart into a phone store? Let me ride it!”
“It’s so boring…”
“Hey.”
“Yes, yes? Eek?!”
“Ah, I was surprised.”
“Rinne unni… was already next to me.”
“She’s so tall that it’s scary when she comes up without making a sound. I thought my heart was going to drop.”
“…Hmm.”
“What’s going on? Speak up.”
“Why are you just holding out your hand? What is this?”
“Do you want me to hold it?”
“She’s usually so quiet, I can’t tell. I can’t see her expression because the store lights are too bright.”
“Ugh…!”
“I tilted my head and cautiously took her hand, and I could hear a rough breath…?”
“What’s going on?”
“Unni, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Why is she acting like this?”
“She’s so tall that I can’t see her face, so I can’t tell her expression.”
“Her breathing has gotten rougher since earlier, is she really okay? Should I take her to the pharmacy nearby?”
“That’s why a phone should be small and precious like Maru’s.”
“Huh? Maru, I guess it’s okay to be next to Rinne now?”
“Oh.”
“As soon as I heard Nunu unni’s words, my body started shaking like a trembling aspen tree.”
“Ah.”
“Seeing me start tearing up, Rinne unni gently let go of my hand and stepped back.”
“…Never mind. I thought you were okay earlier.”
“Ah, come to think of it, maybe I can endure it because I received the glowing cart earlier.”
“Maybe my body is recognizing Rinne unni as a ‘kind person who gives gifts.’”
“That’s a relief. Still, it’s scary, but it’s okay.”
“By the way… sometimes, my body doesn’t move the way I want it to, even though it’s mine. It’s a bit uncomfortable.”
“Rinne might look a bit gloomy, but she’s a kind person…”
“Her hand, it was soft.”
“Even though she looks like that, she’s a timid and considerate person. She could be a good older sister to Maru.”
Hey, that shy person over there is fidgeting from a distance and recklessly teasing my body.
“Rinne, right?”
“…Then.”
sigh
Why are there more and more people targeting my body?
At first, it was just Nunu unnie, but at some point, even Bada, and now, even Rinne unnie, whom I only met recently.
When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t think much except that I looked cute.
But is there something about me that unconsciously triggers a protective instinct in people?
I don’t really know. These things are too difficult.
Rinne says so too, Maru is a good kid, so you’ll get along well, right?
“…Yes.”
By now, I’m quite used to Nunu unnie’s pats.
Every time her soft hand brushes through my equally soft hair, it feels nice.
At this rate, I might fall completely for these head pats.
Hehe.
…Me too.
Oh my, Rinne, do you want to try it too?
Would that be okay?
“If it’s like this, it should be fine, right? Give it a try.”
Hehe.
Ah, suddenly, I feel a rough yet delicate touch.
Oh my, now I’m getting double the head pats.
“Hehe. Hihi.”
“Are you really okay…?”
“Yeah, Maru always acts like this when getting head pats. She’s like a complete baby.”
But fortunately, thanks to getting used to the pats, I didn’t completely lose my mind in an embarrassing way.
As expected, I’m the best.
I, Maru, am growing stronger every moment!
“So, Commander, you’ve decided on this, right?”
Of course! This is perfect for Maru!
“Maru! We finally picked one!”
As I was purring while receiving double pats, two people approached me, calling my name.
It seemed they had finally chosen a phone after an intense discussion.
I saw the tired-looking Commander and Bada, who was smiling brightly.
“Oh my, did you pick without me? That’s a shame.”
“Heh, even though you sneakily patted Maru, why are you being so petty? Maru, look at this. Drumroll…!”
Still making drumroll sound effects with her mouth, Bada slowly extended her hand forward.
What kind of phone did they choose that made them so excited?
As Bada’s sound effects grew more intense, my fists clenched unconsciously, and my hands started trembling.
I swallowed my saliva, and cold sweat began to form. My heart was pounding.
…Getting this worked up just from sound effects makes me feel a bit silly.
Ta-da!
“Wow!”
But it was worth the wait.
Inside a phone case with a pure white fox design sat a small but striking phone.
Oh my gosh. This phone practically screams “Maru’s!” I love it.
“It’s the latest model among phones, so the performance is guaranteed. Plus, it’s got a soft jelly case, so the texture is nice too. Amazing, right? It’s super expensive.”
“…But it was bought with our Commander’s money, wasn’t it?”
“Ugh, but choosing it was…!”
“We all picked it together, right?”
“Ugh, ugh…”
The Commander’s excitement dropped in an instant.
Maybe he feels guilty about buying something for someone else with his own money.
I don’t really mind, though.
Hehe.
“Maru looks really happy. It was worth buying, right?”
“…Yeah, even though it wasn’t my money.”
“Oh my, Commander… Don’t be too discouraged. You can always buy something even better next time, right?”
“Y-Yeah. Maru, just wait! This Commander will work hard to earn money and buy you everything you want!”
I just gave a vague nod while looking at the Commander.
Because all my attention was focused on my new phone.
I turned it around in my hands and examined it closely.
When I carefully turned it on, colorful pudding-like icons floated across the screen.
If it’s really the latest model, I guess it makes sense.
Even though it’s just on the screen, it looks so real that my mouth is watering.
Wow. This is amazing.
New phones are the best. Now I can play games, browse the internet… Hehe. Just thinking about it makes me happy!
“Ugh.”
While I was happily installing various apps on my phone,
the Commander, who was watching me with a satisfied expression, suddenly had his stomach growl.
Now that I think about it, we haven’t eaten a single meal today.
It only just occurred to me.
We’ve gone quite a while without eating, and it’s surprising that no one’s stomach growled until now.
“Commander seems hungry. Should we go eat?”
“Yeah, might as well. We’ve bought everything we need. Maru’s phone, the Commander’s clothes… hehe. And other things too.”
…Other things? What could that mean?
Was she talking about Nunu unnie or Bada’s clothes?
Well, we were shopping for a long time, so they probably had time to buy stuff.
What did they buy? Swimsuits? Casual outfits? A stylish jacket?
Nunu unnie would look good in anything.
I should ask her to show me later. She’ll definitely look amazing.
growl
…Oh.
My stomach growled too.
Since I haven’t eaten in a while, it was really loud.
That’s a bit embarrassing. Ugh.
“Hehe, Maru must be hungry too. Let’s hurry and go.”
“…That wasn’t my stomach growling. It was the Commander’s.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I tried to cover my slightly flushed face with my hands and climbed into the neon shopping cart parked outside.
“…This embarrassment… I have to take it out on the Commander!”
“W-Why?!”
“Take this— Maru Kick!!”
“Ahhh!!”