You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 44

The next day after Karhan requested help, Liras sent a reply that he would visit without delay. Today was the day he was supposed to come.

Unlike me, who was lying on the bed, Karhan was sitting on a chair in front of the table. Originally, it was time for him to handle work in the office, but he settled down in my room with a few documents to meet Liras.

While Karhan was working, I didn’t want to disturb him, so I pretended not to be bored at all. I turned around, changing my posture, and played by myself, lying on my stomach on the bed and bouncing my feet. From time to time, I unconsciously flapped my wings, but whenever I did, I could feel Karhan’s gaze on me, so I had to hold back.

After a quiet passage of time, there was a knock on the door. Karhan, who was looking at the documents, stopped his actions. Both Karhan and I raised our heads and looked at the door. Through the slightly open crack, an attendant entered and spoke.

“Lord Liras has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Liras had come. The door crack, which was only wide enough to reveal the attendant, opened wide, and Liras appeared, with his long green hair neatly tied back. He had a friendly smile on the corners of his lips. I won’t fall for it, you demon! I haven’t forgotten how you teased me when I was sick.

As Liras strode in with his long legs, I quickly sat up on the bed from my lying position. Karhan also got up from his seat to greet him.

“You’re here.”

“Yeah. By the way, this shapeshifter can’t return to their original form?”

“Well, he didn’t even know he was a shapeshifter in the first place.”

Is that so? Liras tilted his head and approached me, who was sitting on the bed. I clenched my fists tightly, feeling nervous. I met his gaze with determined eyes as he looked down at me. Sitting on the bed, I had to tilt my chin up to look at him standing straight. His face, looking down at me, was shadowed by the backlight of the sun.

His eyes, filled with laughter, narrowed into thin slits. Through the slightly open gap between his eyes, his pupils resembled those of a reptile, just like before.

I won’t be scared of something like that. I sat cross-legged on the bed, pressed my lips tightly together, and glared at him. As the meaningless staring contest continued, a sigh from Karhan was heard.

“What are you two doing?”

“He’s cute, tensing up so much. Haha.”

That bastard. He’s making fun of me. I exhaled hot breath through my nostrils with a huff. Seeing my angry breath, Karhan reached out and patted my head. Don’t stop me, Karhan! I can’t hold back anymore! I fiercely raised my eyes.

Whether I was furious or not, Karhan paid no attention and spoke to Liras.

“First of all, thank you for coming, Lord Liras.”

“It’s nothing. I was bored anyway.”

Saying that, he sat down on the bed with his bottom. I, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, immediately tilted slightly to the side. Liras, who was sitting on the edge, spoke.

“Normally, shapeshifter should naturally know how to change their appearance…”

Liras made a nasal sound and stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger, then rolled his eyes up and down, examining me. Under his sharp scrutiny, my body involuntarily shrank. Swallowing my saliva, I maintained silence.

“I’ll convey the sensation of when I transform.”

“…Is Liras also a shapeshifter?”

No wonder his pupils changed so frighteningly. What kind of animal could it be? If it’s a reptile… an alligator? Are there alligators here too? I asked with wide eyes. At my question, Liras pondered for a moment, making an “hmm” sound, and then grinned ominously.

He deeply curved his eyes like a crescent moon and raised the corners of his mouth as much as possible. What’s this? I was a little wary and looking at him when he suddenly seemed to grow bigger and slightly opened his mouth. A slender tongue poked out from between his lips and licked my face.

“…Ahhh!”

Shocked, I couldn’t immediately grasp the situation. It wasn’t until a few seconds after the slimy thing licked my cheek that I screamed loudly. When did he get so close? I flailed my hands and feet, sprang up like a spring, and quickly hid behind Karhan.

“Wha- what! Tongue? Tongue!”

I was so startled that I couldn’t speak properly. A human mouth, but the tongue was forked! My pounding heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. As I exhaled heavily, Karhan wrapped one hand around my head and hugged me to his chest.

“Lord Liras.”

I heard Karhan’s voice, which had sunk even lower than usual. I stretched out both hands and hugged Karhan tightly. Since Karhan was much larger than me, to be precise, it looked like I was being embraced. Seeing me trembling, Liras, who had stuck out his tongue, laughed lightly.

“I’ll give you a quiz about what kind of species I am.”

No way! I don’t even want to know! I shook my head quickly from side to side.

“Haha. Then let’s stop the jokes here, and come closer, little one.”

As he said that, he wiggled his fingers towards me. Feeling even more anxious, I looked up at Karhan, whom I was hugging. Is it okay to get close to that person? At my pitiful gaze, Karhan curved his eyebrows and patted me.

“It’s all right.”

After saying that, he gently pushed my back with a little force. With a heavy heart, I let go of Karhan, who had been like a lifeline. I took one step, looked back, took another step, and made a sad face, slowly walking towards Liras, who was sitting and waiting for me.

He tapped the bed beside where he was sitting. It was a signal to sit down. Swallowing hard, I carefully placed my bottom down, not letting my guard down.

Then Liras, who had come a little closer, reached out and touched my hair. His hand, which had been touching the side of my head, slowly descended and brushed the nape of my neck. The hand that had been gently stroking me suddenly applied force and pulled me towards him. The force caused my upper body to lean forward, and it was difficult to maintain my balance. Flustered, I flailed my hands and had no choice but to grab Liras’ chest.

“Uh…”

Your face is too close.

My eyes rapidly flickered. The distance between my face and Liras’ seemed to be less than a span. It was my first time having my face this close to someone else’s, so it was extremely embarrassing. Not knowing where to place my gaze, I only stared into Liras’ green eyes.

Before we knew it, the distance between us had become close enough to feel each other’s breath. In the precarious situation where it seemed like our lips would touch at any moment, I finally closed my eyes tightly. Then, I heard a low chuckle from in front of me. The faint tremor caused by the laughter was transmitted through the hand gripping the back of my neck.

While my heart was pounding with tension, I felt our foreheads touching.

I thought I had to do something with my mouth again and was terrified.

I secretly swallowed a sigh of relief. As I quietly kept my eyes closed, Liras, who was making forehead contact with me, spoke softly.

“I will convey my senses to you. Don’t let go of this.”

As soon as he finished speaking, unimaginable things flooded my mind. It was like seeing strange images, but when I tried to focus on them, wondering what they were, they disappeared.

I didn’t feel the pain of my body twisting, but the process was playing in my head. Unconsciously imagining the pain, I shrank back. Liras pressed down firmly on the nape of my neck, making it impossible for my forehead to pull away as if trying to escape.

“Don’t feel the pain, feel the sensation of transforming.”

His calm voice magically settled my anxious heart. I relaxed my body, which had been stiff with tension, and focused on the feeling that was stirring my mind.

The sensations Liras was injecting into me were both amazing and strange. For me, who had taken it for granted to live as a human with one body, it awakened the instincts of those who were born with two forms.

As I experienced the sensations playing out like a video, I couldn’t help but realize what species he was. A long tail, shiny and tough scales, sharp pupils that would make one’s legs tremble upon meeting them, and fiercely interlocking teeth. He was none other than a dragon, a great being in the fantasy world.

The information rushing through our connected heads gradually began to brainwash me. I am originally a shapeshifter with the body of a bird. Not a human, but a shapeshifter.

As I accepted the truth, changes occurred in my body.

The small wings on my back began to take up more of my body’s proportion, my arms disappeared, and my legs became thinner. I slowly opened my eyes, which I had kept closed to concentrate.

“Chirp!”

This body, enter!

Finally transformed into a bird, I quickly raised my head and spun around once. The pale peach-colored human arms were gone, and only white feathers filled my wings. I tried to lower my head to examine my legs, but due to my plump chest, only my fierce talons were visible.

Hmm, perfect! I nodded my head up and down. Then I turned my head and looked up at Karhan, who was watching me. It had been a long time since I had this eye level.

Although it was a face I always saw, I felt strangely happy and raised one wing, flapping it vigorously.

“Chirp!”

Karhan! I called out loudly, and he lightly curved his eyes and reached out his hand towards me. I naturally climbed onto his hand. The warmth of his palm enveloped my entire body pleasantly, making me smile faintly. Karhan gently lifted me up like a smooth elevator, bringing me to his eye level.

“Chirp chirp!”

I’m a bird again! I wiggled my bottom happily. Behaviors that I couldn’t do when I was human out of consideration naturally came out. As I was excitedly wiggling without knowing what to do, Karhan gently stroked my head. I closed my eyes and received his touch, shivering with a good feeling and ruffling my feathers.

I looked at Karhan with sparkling eyes. Now that I had become a bird, I could go to the social gathering. There would be lots of delicious things there, right? Just imagining it made my heart pound with excitement.

“Chirp! Peep?”

We hooked our pinkies and stamped our thumbs, so we’re going to the social gathering, right? Karhan, feeling my ardent gaze, let out a light chuckle. Answer me quickly! I hopped and grabbed his wrist with my foot. Finally, when his lips, which had been drawing a pretty smile, were about to open and speak, something suddenly snatched my body at a fast speed.

“Peep!”

Startled as if I had suddenly ridden an amusement park ride, I screamed loudly at the rapid change in position. It felt like everything in front of me was spinning. Before I lost consciousness due to the sudden change in my field of vision, the culprit who had done this to me revealed himself.

“So this is your true form.”

“Peep!”

It was Liras. You demon! He grabbed me with his large hand and examined me from various angles. He turned me upside down and tickled my feet with his fingers, and he held me upright and poked my head.

The way he pressed my forehead with his finger reminded me of a teacher who scolded me when I was in school, asking if I had been raised without proper education. Something welled up inside me. That’s a dragon. A terrifying dragon. I tried to swallow it down, but after poking me dozens of times, it started to get on my nerves.