The Carnivorous Beast Beauties Are Dying to Devour This Herbivorous Beast Me - 1

Chapter 1: The Herbivorous Type Guy

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In this world, there were people known as ‘beastmen.’

…That being said, I didn’t mean they had cute cat ears or fluffy tails. They also didn’t go around saying stuff like, “Please pet me, Master!” That kind of thing only appeared in certain kinds of books, the kind of books minors shouldn’t read. For some reason, people with incredibly sharp hearing or exceptionally good vision, so much so that they could see in the dark, started being born in this world. There were quite a few people with animal-like traits nowadays. 

Well, back then, there were record of exceptionally gifted people. Like a person who broke the Japanese record for hammer throwing that bore uncanny resemblance to gorilla, or a major league baseball player who could play as both the pitcher and fielder that was said to have the bloodline of a unicorn. So, these ‘beastmen’ seemed to have existed since a long time ago. But yeah, those two examples might be a bit exaggerated. These ‘beastmen’ looked just like any ordinary humans, so unless they personally told you, you wouldn’t have known they were ‘beastmen’… Supposedly.

Ah, I’m about to go off course again. Anyway, I, Haruki Arisugawa, is one of those ‘beastmen.’ What kind of beastman am I? Well… I’m a squirrel. Let me say it again. I am a “squirrel” beastman.

….

WHY?!?!?! There are other cool options, like a “wolf” or something! Darn it… Why do I have to become a squirrel beastman even though I’m a guy… Well, it’s not like I can change something I was born with…

Anyway, the only good thing about me is that I have really sharp senses and I’m pretty good at saving things. The downsides? I’m short and my face is exceptionally cute even though I’m a guy, for crying out loud… This is not something to be happy about as a guy. Even the people in my class make fun of me, calling me “Squirrel-chan” and stuff… Darn it…

I grumbled internally as I walked in the night through the heavy snow. I was on my way back from the convenience store after buying pudding. Why? Because I accidentally ate my little sister’s share and she got really mad at me (staring off in the distance). 

Winter… I didn’t know why, but I just hated seeing my stockpile that I had saved up dwindling in the winter. Hence why, I ended up eating my little sister’s stuff instead. Well, this was a common occurrence in our household. I just had to buy her a new one and she would forgive me. 

“That being said, the snow is really pouring like crazy today.”

Snow continued to fall steadily, showing no sign of stopping. The snow was already piled up around my ankles even. The area I lived in wasn’t exactly rural, but it seemed we were about to have an unusually heavy snowfall this year.

“Ugh… So cold… I just want to get home soon…”

I want to go home quickly and warm my hands and feet in the kotatsu…

I thought to myself as I quickened my pace, but then… 

“Hmm…?”

On my way home, I heard a faint sound coming from the small park nearby. The sound was so frail and soft, but since I had sharp hearing, I could hear it clearly. 

Who would be playing in the park this late in the night…?

Curious, I found myself walking toward the park. Little did I know, what happened at the park would change my high school life drastically. 

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This park was a place full of memories for me. I had often played in this park since kindergarten. It was a simple park, really. This park only had a slide and a swing, but I used to play there almost every day with my childhood friend.

Looking back, I now realized how small this park was. However, the park looked so beautiful with the snow piled up and the streetlights illuminating it. I was lost in thoughts for a moment when suddenly, a strange scene invaded my field of vision.

“~~♪♪”

A beautiful girl, bundled up in thick clothing, was rolling around in the snow. She was playing without a care in the world despite the thick snow. Perhaps thinking no one was watching, she didn’t even seem to mind her silver hair was tangled and tossed between the snow. Her silver hair looked like it was melting into the snow. Her carefree playfulness was so amazing that it almost made me want to give her a standing ovation. It was an absolutely whimsical scene to witness, but there was this lingering feeling that kept bugging me. The beautiful girl… She looked oddly familiar. 

“Yukiya-san…?”

“…”

I had only muttered her name quietly under my breath, but it seemed she was able to hear me. She froze instantly and as she slowly stood up, her jewel-like, translucent eyes seemed to pierce through me.

“Hii—”

I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a pathetic sound under the sharpness of her glare. It wasn’t because I was being glared at by an incredibly beautiful girl. Well, maybe that was one of the reasons, but the biggest reason was my instinct. My instinct was yelling at me to shrink away, to make myself as small as possible so she wouldn’t notice me. 

Just… What is this feeling..?

For a solid ten seconds, Yukiya-san stared at me. Then, she patted the snow off her clothes and fixed her silver hair as she walked toward me. I instinctively braced myself for what was about to come. 

“Arisugawa-kun, right? My classmate. What a coincidence to run into you here at this hour.”

“Ye-Ye-Yes… Good evening, Yukiya-san. Just now, what were—”

“You should head home soon or you will catch a cold. It’s really chilly today.”

“Ah, thank you. By the way, it seemed you were just playing in the snow—”

“Me? I just happened to be passing by here. I’m about to head home now, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

“—Wait, are you trying to act like it never happened?”

“….”

“Hiii—! I-I’m sorry!!”

That glare again. Her eyes were so sharp, like a carnivorous beast stalking its prey. This must be what a frog felt like when it was being stared at by a snake.

…I mean, I’m a squirrel though. 

Overwhelmed by the intense glare, I tried to escape from reality for a second there, but right after that… I found myself drawn to the sudden change in her expression. Gone was the extremely sharp glare. Her face crumpled into a soft, vulnerable look. 

“Pl-Please don’t tell anyone about it… I’m embarrassed by it…”

“I-I’m not going to spread it around or anything… But, hey. You’re all wet. You must be cold, right? Here, I’ll lend you my handkerchief.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

“I will give you a heat pad too. You can use it to warm up your fingers, okay?”

Yukiya-san hesitantly took the handkerchief and heat pad I offered. See? I could talk to a girl just fine as long as that overwhelming tension wasn’t in the picture. 

“Well, I will be heading home now. Yukiya-san too. Be careful on your way back home!”

“Ah! Wait—!”

“See you tomorrow!”

With that, I quickly turned on my heel and left. Had I stayed any longer, she would give me that piercing glare again. Hence why I was eager to head home, get some sleep and forget all about it!

While I was scurrying away to the safety of my home, I failed to hear her last words, “See you tomorrow,” which she had murmured under her breath. Truth to be told, it was really unusual for me not to hear it given my sharp hearing.

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T/N: New novel~ ✩°｡⋆⸜(˙꒳​˙ )