Chapter 9: Hair

“Nihil, Nihil, have you always been that sharp? I was really surprised.”

The meal continued on.

Or to be precise, only Nihil’s meal continued.

Evan shook his head as he watched Nihil tear into a chicken drumstick.

At first, the guy had seemed a little on edge, but now that his stomach was full, the atmosphere felt much more relaxed.

On the other hand, unlike the now-calm Nihil, Lianus seemed a little excited.

It was curiosity and a sense of kinship toward his friend, who possessed even keener senses than he did as a Quarter Elf.

Nihil paused just as he was about to take a big bite of his chicken drumstick, responding to Lianus’s question out of courtesy to their host who had provided such a generous meal.

“I’m always a bit sharp. Partly because I’m always on guard.”

After offering what he thought was a sincere answer, Nihil took a large bite of the drumstick.

As he chewed, he wondered if his answer had been a bit lacking, so after swallowing, he continued.

“You’re pretty sharp yourself. You’ve got elf blood, right?”

At Nihil’s words, the seaweed-haired one’s head shook violently. Evan also shot to his feet, but—

Lianus quickly stopped his Knight, preventing any commotion.

Heterochromatic eyes began to tremble minutely.

When the mood suddenly dropped, Nihil wondered.

Did I just reveal a secret?

Or maybe he doesn’t even know?

Was I not supposed to say that?

Seeing the seaweed start to wilt again because of his attempt at sincerity, Nihil quickly tried to explain.

“You smell like the forest. Faint, but it’s there.”

At those words, the trembling in those mismatched eyes grew stronger. Evan, whose face had twisted with a scowl, raised an eyebrow and stared at Nihil as if to say, “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s okay. It’s not a bad smell.”

“……”

Is that not it?

Nihil pondered what the issue could be, but no answer came.

If he said anything else wrong, the tawny Guard Dog glaring at him from the side looked ready to grab him by the scruff of the neck and toss him out.

So he decided to just ask directly.

“Why?”

Lianus fidgeted, his hands nervously twisting the end of his sleeve.

Is it okay?

Am I… is it okay that I’m mixed?

Sitting right beside him, Evan couldn’t make out the mumbling words that slipped from Lianus’s lips.

It was a clash between wanting Nihil to not understand, and yet desperately wanting to ask.

Maybe Lianus’s wish came true, because Nihil understood the words but didn’t get the meaning.

“What do you mean, is it okay? The only things that aren’t okay for me are getting my head crushed under a horse’s hoof, or being hungry with nothing to eat. As long as you don’t steal my food when I’m starving, there’s no reason for me not to be okay.”

I see. To someone who’s just trying to live, it doesn’t matter whether I’m mixed or not.

Only then did a smile bloom on Lianus’s face. A bright, refreshing laugh rang out through the bedroom.

“Nihil, so if I take your drumstick, then you won’t be okay?”

“No. Want it?”

Nihil held out the bitten drumstick to Lianus without hesitation.

Watching this, Lianus burst out laughing again and silently promised himself to always take good care of his friend’s meals.

Because that way, you’ll always be okay and stay by my side.

***

Nihil finished his meal and headed to the bathroom to wash up. All that food ended up in Nihil’s stomach, not a scrap left behind.

Lianus picked out a set of his own pajamas for Nihil, and since the rags Nihil had been wearing were too filthy to bother washing, they went straight into the trash.

Having spent the whole day following Lianus around as his Escort Knight, Evan finally returned to his own room, washed up quickly, changed into comfortable clothes, and soon came straight back to Lianus’s bedroom.

With a Wildcat as an outsider present, he couldn’t let his guard down.

“Sir Evan, you can go rest. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“…The fact that that filthy, ashen Wildcat is here is already something happening.”

“Nihil’s a good kid. You really don’t need to worry.”

No matter how hard he thought about it, Evan couldn’t see in what way Nihil was a “good kid.”

He narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow.

Lianus saw this and chuckled softly.

“If you permit, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

At Evan’s words, Lianus glanced at the sofa in his bedroom.

It was big and wide for him, but for the tall and broad Sir Evan, it would be much too small.

If he lay down, his legs would definitely stick out.

“No. You’ll be uncomfortable. Go back to your room and rest properly.”

“If you won’t lend me the sofa, then I’ll have to stand guard all night.”

Evan was resolute. Even if the Wildcat didn’t seem likely to harm the Prince, as long as an outsider was in the bedroom, guarding was essential. It was his duty and his loyalty as a Knight.

Lianus realized that no amount of persuasion would send Evan back.

If he forced him to leave, his Knight would just end up standing outside the bedroom door all night.

It would be more comfortable to let him have the sofa, so with a deep sigh, Lianus relented.

That sigh lasted only a moment; soon, Lianus was happily pondering what to do with his friend.

Evan gazed fondly at his mewling little kitten, thinking—

So what if that ashen Wildcat is a bit unruly? Our little kitten likes him so much. He’s just a Wildcat anyway.

Sure, he’s dangerous enough to blow up a pirate ship, but if you feed him, he’ll eventually settle down. Before long, he’ll be so taken with our little kitten’s charm he won’t be able to escape.

But the one who came out of the bathroom wasn’t the ashen Wildcat.

It was as if pure white snow had melted and become water, droplets falling from still-wet white hair.

The two pairs of eyes, shocked for different reasons, didn’t please the snow-white Wildcat.

He wrinkled his brow slightly and spoke.

“What are you looking at.”

At the indifferent tone, the two pairs of eyes staring at Nihil snapped back to their senses.

Lianus, who had been about to drool, quickly shut his mouth.

He jumped up, completely forgetting what he’d been worrying about discussing with his friend before bed, and ran over to Nihil.

“Nihil, was there Bleach in the bathroom? Couldn’t you find the shampoo? Is your scalp okay? I’m sorry! I should’ve helped you wash!”

Evan was so shocked at the idea that that white hair had once been ashen from filth, he could only be further stunned by his little kitten’s outlandish interpretation of the situation.

Why is Bleach even here?!

He was so flabbergasted, the thought of helping a ragamuffin bathe didn’t even register.

Meanwhile, the fearless little kitten ran over and started digging through the wildcat’s hair.

“What happened! Your hair’s all white! Did you get old all of a sudden? Or if you lose too much blood, does your hair color fade too?”

Nihil, who was letting his hair be rummaged through, was momentarily speechless, not sure where to start correcting him.

He glanced at the Knight, sending a look that said, “Is your master really okay?” The Knight gave a complicated expression, then glanced at his master and quickly looked away as if he knew nothing.

At first, Nihil thought it was a joke, but Lianus looked genuinely worried. Sighing deeply, Nihil grabbed the small, busy hand rifling through his hair.

He paused for a moment at the strangely warm temperature of Lianus’s skin, but kept his face expressionless as he pulled Lianus to sit on the bed.

“It’s always been this color.”

“Then your scalp’s okay?”

Nihil met the worried gaze inspecting his head and wondered—Is this kid like this because of his bloodline, or is it just because he’s still young?

If it was due to some external shock, he’d have to find whoever caused it and make them pay.

But thinking that far, Nihil ended up laughing softly.

So what if he’s a little empty-headed?

He’s cute.

The uniquely creative and peculiar child watched Nihil’s hair with shining eyes.

Nihil chuckled, then gently took the small, fidgeting hand and interlaced their fingers.

“I’m fine.”

Lianus, without a hint of curiosity about the rare white hair and only worried about Nihil’s scalp, nodded in relief at the answer.

Then, he jumped up, grabbed an unused, fluffy towel, and started rubbing it all over that white hair.

“Nihil, if you don’t dry your hair properly, you’ll definitely catch a cold.”

Whether he knew the Knight was grinding his teeth at the sight of the Prince waiting on a ragamuffin or not, Lianus kept chattering away.

“Nihil, friends invite each other to their mansions and have something called a Pyjama Party. We play games together in the bedroom, share yummy food, and talk all night until we fall asleep! I always wanted to have a Pyjama Party if I made a friend! Should I go get snacks?”

“Let’s eat snacks tomorrow!”

As Lianus dashed off to fetch snacks, Nihil barely managed to calm him down and pull him back to the bed.

When Nihil suggested they save the Pyjama Party for another time since he was tired, Lianus looked a little disappointed, but when Nihil said he’d be around from now on and they could have a Pyjama Party whenever he wanted, his face lit up with a bright smile.

After that, Lianus kept chattering about how he’d lend Nihil his favorite Bear Doll, how the pajamas suited him, how he’d prepare delicious snacks for tomorrow, and how he’d soon introduce Nihil to His Majesty so he could roam the Palace freely.

Eventually, as sleepiness overtook him, Lianus’s babbling faded into soft, sleepy breaths.

Nihil watched quietly, and once he was sure Lianus was truly asleep, he turned to the Guard Dog, who was still silently standing watch.

Then, in a voice so soft it was barely audible, careful not to wake Lianus, Nihil called Evan.

“Hey, mutt.”

“……Are you talking to me?”

“Bring me the medicine.”

The seaweed, once cold and damp, was now drying quickly from the heat.