Chapter 32 : The King of Beasts.

Wow…

So this is the amusement park they said just opened?

It’s huge!

“Yeah, yeah. It’s really big.

Right now, I was standing at the grand entrance of the amusement park, perched on the commander’s shoulders.

I have no idea why we ended up in an amusement park. I just woke up and found myself being dragged outside with Nunu’s sister’s words.

Even though I kept shaking, I wasn’t waking up, so eventually the commander carried me out.

Apparently, during that process, the commander’s nape got bitten a couple of times.

I tilted my head and looked at the back of the commander’s neck, and sure enough, I could see several tiny bite marks.

…I guess my sleep-talking is pretty unusual.

Also, when I asked where Rinne’s sister went, she said she stayed at the store for her part-time job.

She said she would come visit us once she had a break.

It’s a shame. I wanted to play with her… and her tail looked so soft and fluffy, I wanted to touch it. I bet a wolf’s tail feels really nice when touched.

Plus, with her tall height, I bet riding her feels like flying when I get on. If we meet again, I’ll definitely ask for a ride.

Anyway, after shopping, we arrived at the long-awaited amusement park.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Hehe.”

“Maru, are you really that happy?”

I nodded at the commander’s question.

Of course I’m happy! I’m already excited to ride the Zairodrop or rollercoaster.

It’s thrilling, fun, and refreshing. Who would refuse something so fun?

It’s only the men who would ride the carousel or the Ferris wheel.

There are so many people. Is this the line?”

It looks like this is a very popular amusement park because there’s already a long line before opening.

I’m excited. They probably have delicious sausages inside, right? Maybe marble ice cream too?

Even though it hasn’t been long since I ate, just imagining it makes my mouth water.

Slurp.

“…Hmm, it’s not opening yet. They said it opens in an hour.”

“Huh?

Commander, what do you mean? We have to wait that long?”

“What should we do? Are we supposed to stand here for an hour?”

My legs would get sore, but I guess the commander will carry me anyway.

We have to stand for that long? In front of this grand theme park?

This is pure torture!

“Ugh…!”

I puffed my cheeks and swung my legs back and forth.

It was the best way I could show my frustration.

“Ah, ahh. Maru, can you leave your legs alone? It hurts a bit.”

“Oops, sorry.”

…I left my legs alone and looked down at the commander’s scalp.

There’s a lot of white hair.

There’s nothing else to do, so I guess I’ll pull these out while I’m at it.

“Commander, this line is way too long… wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere else and come back?”

“But… Ugh. I don’t know if there’s anywhere nearby to go.”

Pop, pop.

There’s more white hair than I thought, so it’s actually kind of fun to pull them out.

When I saw him last time, there wasn’t this much, but the commander’s getting really old.

It’s only been one day.

“Hey, what about the zoo nearby?”

“A zoo? That doesn’t sound bad.”

A zoo.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t been since I was a kid. Watching animals was the only fun part, but after that, there wasn’t much to do. It was boring. But still, it’s better than just staying in this never-ending line.”

So, I ended up at the zoo and now I’m running around, pestering the commander and looking at everything.

Bada and Nunu’s sister went to the store to buy ice cream.

Hehe. Ice cream sounds delicious.

“Commander! Please go over there. Over there!”

“Ahh, can you slow down a bit?”

“No! What if we miss a rare scene?”

I tugged at the commander’s hair, urging him to hurry up.

“Hurry, hurry!”

“Ah, ow, ow! Fine, fine! Maru, let go of my hair.”

“No! Hurry!”

“Ugh, Maru’s too excited…”

Of course, I’m excited.

Earlier, I saw some cool cheetahs, but this time, it’s a lion!

If you had to choose the scariest animal, the lion would always be at the top. It’s also one of the coolest animals.

The king of animals. The lion, whose roar sends all the other animals trembling in fear.

It’s the epitome of masculinity!

I have to see this lion with my own eyes. It’ll be so cool and graceful!

Lick, lick.

…But what is that in front of me?

The mighty, graceful lion that I thought would be so impressive is now licking a tiny little one with its tongue. And there are two of them!

Growl…

The golden mane and long golden hair mixed together, creating a strange feeling on the little one.

It must feel really good to be licked because its mouth is smiling and it’s sleeping while purring.

Is this a lion person? But its body is too small and it looks so weak.

This is strange. I came here to see a lion hunting with grace, not to watch a tiny one grooming and sleeping!

“It looks like that one, Maru.”

“Huh? What do you mean it looks like me?!”

What is this guy talking about?

“I’m nothing like that babyish, stupid, foolish little one.”

I shook my head. I shook it really fast.

No way! No way! I totally don’t look like that!

Slap!

“Ouch.”

I shook my head so fast that my hair hit my face.

That hurts…

…Huh? It looks like it’s waking up.

“Huh?”

Because of all the noise, the little one’s mane shook lightly, and it opened its eyes.

It looked around while yawning lazily.

It looks so dumb.

Yawning, Naeseok turned his head from side to side, then suddenly locked eyes with me.

And then, with a sly grin… he sneered?

No way, that guy?

“You! What’s with that smile?”

As I frowned and glared at him, his eyes widened for a moment before he stuck his tongue out at me.

“That, that little…!”

Not only did that brat sneer at me, but he also stuck his tongue out?

I won’t let this slide!

“…Maru? Maru?!”

“Wait here for a moment!”

I immediately got down from the commander’s shoulders and strode toward that insolent little brat.

The commander looked at me with worried eyes. …What is he so concerned about?

No matter how reckless I am, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to enter a lion’s cage unarmed.

I’m just going to give a light warning.

“Hey! You there! Mane brat!”

“…What? Did you just call me a brat?!”

“Yeah! I called you a brat! What are you gonna do about it?!”

“Hah! You’re shorter than me! The real brat here is you!”

“What did you say?! You done talking?!”

I had planned to just give him a light warning, but this brat kept pushing my buttons.

Oh, so you wanna go?

“You, you idiot!”

“The idiot here is you!”

I instinctively knew.

This was a battle of pride, a once-in-a-lifetime duel.

If I backed down now, I’d lose. I’d suffer a complete and utter defeat!

“…You moron!”

“Stupid idiot!”

“Dumb mutt!”

“Sea anemone! Jellyfish!”

Thus, our ruthless battle of words continued.

A heated debate, where neither of us could predict the outcome, keeping us on the edge.

“Ugh…! Get out of here! I came to see a cool lion, not to deal with you, you idiot!”

“The idiot here is you!… Wait, what did you come to see?”

“The lion, obviously! Not you, the actual lion!”

At the mention of the lion, the brat suddenly cleared his throat.

Then, licking his palm, he smoothed out his mane in a dramatic fashion.

…What the hell is he doing?

“Ahem, you should’ve said so earlier.”

“…What?”

“This magnificent being before you is none other than the great king of beasts, the lion himself.”

Placing his hands on his waist, he puffed out his chest with a confident expression.

As I watched, one of the actual lions approached, slipped its paws under the brat’s armpits, and lifted him high into the air.

“Haha, impressive, right? Now, hand over some food. This great being is starving.”

“… “

…This thing is supposed to be the king of beasts?

The animal kingdom is doomed.

“Maru, here’s your ice cream… Oh?”

“Oh, sis!”

Nunu handed me a pure white vanilla cone ice cream.

When I glanced earlier, the line in front of the shop was really long, but she got back surprisingly fast.

“Wait a minute. That thing in your hand… Is that ice cream?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

“And it’s vanilla-flavored?”

“Yeah, so?”

Why is this mane brat suddenly acting like that again?

He was staring at my ice cream, practically drooling.

When I moved the cone to the left, his gaze followed. When I shifted it to the right, his eyes trailed after it.

“…Do you want this?”

“Obviously! Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been working under this blazing sun?!”

“Yeah, sure. Real tough work, considering you were just sleeping like a baby.”

Now that I think about it, I heard that beastfolk get along well with animals, so they often work at zoos.

Wait, does that mean animals of the same kind naturally get along?

…That’s actually kind of nice.

I wish I were a beastfolk too.

Too bad.