You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 15
As I shook my head from side to side and looked at him, a faint smile appeared on his lips. It seemed to be a smile of relief.Was he worried about me? The duke, about me? Really?I widened my eyes and stared at him. Karhan’s slightly furrowed brows were now smoothed out as if nothing had happened.
“Cheep?”
Were you worried about me?
As I drew out my words, he chuckled softly. No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t resemble the emotionless Duke Karhan but rather a clumsy new bird owner who couldn’t come up with a proper name.
“If there’s anything scary, make sure to come to me. I’ll protect you.”
You’ll protect me? The scariest thing in this situation is the fact that you’re the protagonist, you know?Unable to express all the words contained within me, I kept my mouth tightly shut. It would only sound like bird chirps anyway. The duke quietly placed me, who had been standing still without saying a word on his hand, on top of his head.
Fluffy. I like how lush his hair is.
“Peep.”
I really liked his hair, at least. Perched on top of his head, I slowly made a spot with my feet and sat down with my bottom. The warmth from his body temperature gradually stabilized my unsettled heart.
“Cheep! Cheep!”
Feeling secure, I chirped loudly in a good mood.
Right. Let’s think of it as a virtual reality game.
The social media post I had shared clearly stated that I could exit the story once it was finished. If it’s a BL novel, doesn’t it end when the male lead and the protagonist get together anyway? Then I’ll just have to make them end up together! After that, I’ll be able to return to my original world. Even if there’s not much to look forward to when I go back… still, being inside a novel like this, and in the form of a bird, felt really wrong. Let’s safely finish this story and return.I affirmed with a nod.
Come to think of it, where did Doel go? I thought they had spent the night together.
I turned my head to survey the surroundings when I heard a rustling sound from deep within the forest. Stretching my neck out and focusing, I saw a hand that had become somewhat familiar. It was Doel. He had been searching for water in the forest, as he was holding water containers in both hands.
Emerging from the forest, Doel’s eyes widened upon seeing me perched on top of the duke’s head. He seemed surprised that I had regained consciousness.
“That’s a relief.”
“…”
Although Doel spoke with a short exhale, the duke didn’t respond.Doel, why are you making things awkward!I pecked the duke’s head once with my small beak.He’ll become your precious person in the future. Don’t regret it and answer him kindly.
“Peep.”
Unaware of my desire to quickly bring them together, the two of them sat down in separate spots, far away from each other. Judging by the scattered belongings, it seemed they had been like this throughout the night.
In the awkward silence, Karhan, who had finished organizing his belongings, stood up while holding me on top of his head with his hand. He extended his other hand and dusted off the dirt on his legs.
“I’ll be on my way now.”
“Yes… Then I’ll also head off separately.”
Karhan hung his belongings on the saddle behind his horse, while Doel, who was standing a short distance away, also shouldered his belongings. Without exchanging any further words, they prepared to depart. It didn’t seem like they would engage in any additional farewells.
I couldn’t help but feel perplexed by this situation. No matter how I tilted my head, the scene in front of me remained unchanged.It’s strange. During their first meeting, I remembered them riding together on a horse and heading to the village…The situation was so different from my memory that I alternated my gaze between the two of them.
As they turned their backs on each other, ready to go their separate ways, they appeared to have no interest in one another.
Saying they appeared to have no interest was a positive way of putting it. The atmosphere between them was so strained that it seemed like the creaking sound of an old machine could be heard. Sensing the story taking an unusual turn, my heart grew anxious.
Surely they won’t part ways like this, right? They should ride on the horse together and go to the village!Feeling desperate, I widened my eyes and stood up. I quickly turned my head and assessed the situation once more.
They say expect the unexpected, and indeed, Karhan had finished loading all the luggage behind the horse and was holding the reins alone. With one foot on the stirrup, he extended his hand towards me, looking like he was about to mount the horse and depart immediately. Feeling like this would be the end of their relationship if he left like this, I flapped my wings and flew up from the duke’s head, swatting his hand away.
“Peep?”
Karhan, who had mounted the horse alone, called out to me. However, I didn’t look back at him and flew towards Doel. Startled by my sudden approach, Doel awkwardly raised both hands and alternated his gaze between me and Karhan.
I didn’t care whether he was flustered or not. I swiftly flew and landed on top of Doel’s head. Then, I opened my beak wide and grabbed a mouthful of Doel’s black hair.
“Peep!”
Go!
Just as the duke tugged on the horse’s reins, I also pulled on Doel’s hair. Caught off guard by suddenly becoming a horse, Doel raised his hands in confusion. I understood the meaning behind his fumbling touch, but I ignored it.If I get off here, nothing will happen.Instead, I pulled harder and shouted.
“Cheep!”
Go!
You have to ride the horse! This story needs to end! Follow my orders while I’m asking nicely! Aren’t you afraid of going bald?As I grunted and continued to pull on Doel’s hair, he had no choice but to slowly walk towards where Karhan was.
“Cheep! Cheep!”
That’s right! Well done! Well done!
Feeling as if I had become the pilot of a large robot, I excitedly wiggled my bottom from side to side. I was proud of Doel for moving diligently.
They hadn’t been too far apart, so with a bit of maneuvering, they soon arrived within a step of each other. Only after Doel reached in front of Karhan did I release the thin hostages. Perhaps a few strands had been plucked out. But since he was still young, his hair follicles would work hard to create new friends.
Seeing the two of them avert their gazes from each other with dumbfounded expressions was quite satisfying. I flapped my wings and flew up to the spot behind Karhan. Then, I raised my wings and tapped the horse’s back.
“Cheep!”
Sit here!
I expressed with my entire body that this was his spot. Doel and Karhan’s expressions turned strange as they looked at me.
What’s with you two! Are you feeling shy? You might feel that way now, but as you rub shoulders and go through various experiences together, your hearts will grow closer too. You were rated 19+! Sit together in harmony.I raised my wings again and tapped the spot. As I insisted stubbornly, the gazes that had been directed at me eventually turned towards each other.
Doel was the first to open his mouth, hesitating.
“…Would it be alright?”
Karhan twitched one eyebrow and looked down at me, who was standing confidently behind him. I nodded. Hurry up and let him on. I showed a firm attitude, just like when I demanded steak. He had never won against my fierce gaze.
After staring at me for a while, he let out a small sigh. Then, he reluctantly opened his mouth.
“…Get on.”
That’s right.
It was a very hesitant answer. At Karhan’s permission, Doel bowed his head, expressing his gratitude. Without a word, he grabbed the saddle and mounted the horse. Then, he fidgeted his fingers back and forth and lightly grasped Karhan’s shirt at the waist.
Seeing that, I chuckled. They’re so awkward with each other that they can’t even properly engage in skinship.These rascals, how cute.
I shook my head gently. Feeling pleased that my mission had been successfully resolved, I happily flew up and landed on top of Karhan’s head.
“Cheep! Cheep!”
I sang loudly while wiggling my bottom. With a small sigh, a hand approached to grab me. Karhan caught me and tucked me into his front pocket. I struggled inside and poked my head out. Then, I narrowed my eyes and smiled.
“Peep!”
Perfect.
The three of us rode the horse for another full day before finally arriving at the Sabon region. As soon as we reached the village, Karhan and Doel parted ways, saying they had separate places to visit, as if they had been waiting for it. Both of them had quite unsatisfied expressions when dismounting the horse, but I thought it would be fine. I knew they would meet again while resolving the matter anyway.
I was able to comfortably reach the inn by perching on top of Karhan’s head. The first floor seemed to be a restaurant, with people bustling about and eating. During the journey, I had only eaten hard and dry foods like jerky, so I desperately craved soft food. It was so inconvenient to tear it apart with my beak, considering I had no teeth. Karhan passed by the people eating busily and approached the owner standing at the counter.
“A single room.”
“How would you like your meal served?”
“Please provide a meal with soft, juicy meat.”
“Pardon?”
“Peep!”
That’s right!
Karhan didn’t say anything further and handed over a handful of money. Upon checking the amount, the owner’s eyes widened, and he bowed deeply, assuring us to leave it to him. Oh yeah! Satisfied with the owner’s sincerity, I also bowed my head deeply to greet him.
We took the key handed over by the owner’s trembling hands and arrived at the room at the very end of the upper floor. The room was very spacious and clean, as if it had been diligently managed.
“Cheep!”
It’s a bed!
I flapped my wings and flew up from Karhan’s head, descending onto the bed. The blanket sank softly, gently enveloping my small body. The sensation of it fitting snugly around my body made me happy. I smiled widely and rolled around.
“Cheep! Cheep!”
As I was rolling around on the blanket in excitement, Karhan also took off his outer clothes and climbed onto the bed. The bed sank under his weight, and as I was happily rolling my body on the bed, I rolled towards where the duke was sitting and scored a goal in his arms.
“Peep!”
After rubbing my body against the blanket, I raised my head and looked at Karhan. He was looking at me with a smile on his lips. He must be happy with the bed after a long time too. Even if it’s just a few days, sleeping on a hard floor can tire out the body.
I lay down right next to Karhan without moving from my spot. As I lay there with all the strength drained from my body, Karhan gazed at me intently and reached out his hand to gently stroke my belly. Karhan’s touch as he caressed me was very gentle.
As I gradually got used to his touch, it felt like I had truly become his pet. But it felt good, so I let him be.
