The Carnivorous Beast Beauties Are Dying to Devour This Herbivorous Beast Me - 78

Chapter 78: The Summer Festival 1

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Arisugawa-kun, carry that over here.”

“Yes.”

“Second Year Miran Sakuraba. You can start heating the griddle now.”

“Got it.”

“Hey, Second Year Seira Yukiya. That meat’s for the yakisoba. Don’t even think about it.”

“I wasn’t thinking about anything… It just looked really tasty.”

The day of the summer festival had finally arrived. We gathered ahead of the official start time and we made the final preparations under Sumeragi-senpai’s direction.

Since we had set up the booth the day before, today’s task was just getting the cooking area ready so we could start serving food as soon as orders came in. The streets were closed off and lined with booths from the station to here. The sight of it was enough to make my heart race like a child again.

To think we were the ones actually running a stall… I’d been to this festival countless times since I was little, but this felt like a whole new experience. And then—

I happened to glance over at Seira-san and the others as they worked on the preparations. Everyone wore matching T-shirts with the name of our school and “Student Council Executive Committee” printed on them. Despite the heat, they continued working with sweat beading on their foreheads.

Even Miran, who shouldn’t sweat much due to being reptilian, was wiping her brow—probably because of how hot it got once the griddle was fired up.

That motion of her tying up her hair with her sleeves rolled up to her shoulders…And the sight of her armpits showing… Hnnnghhh—!

“…What are you staring at?”

“Ah—!?”

Miran, with a hair tie held in her mouth, glared at me while tying her hair behind her head. She must’ve noticed my gaze.

That snake-like stare… How terrifying…!

“…If you’re interested, I don’t mind if you keep looking, though?”

“No, it’s not like that— I just thought, you know, since it’s hot, you probably need to be cooled down every now and then, Miran…!”

“Hmph.”

As Miran tried to show off more with her hair-tying pose, I gently pressed a damp towel against the nape of her exposed neck to stop her. Miran, being a beastkin with rattlesnake traits, was a cold-blooded creature who couldn’t regulate her body temperature.

With the temperature this high, her body heat could rise dangerously if left unchecked. That was why I thought I’d help cool her down with a wet towel. Miran let out a small sound, startled by the cold, but soon narrowed her eyes contentedly as the chill settled in.

“Thanks… You’re really thoughtful, Haru.”

“Well, I am your childhood friend, after all.”

“Hehe… But if you’re really trying to cool me down, the best spots are the armpits and thighs. So, how about it?”

“Wha—!?”

As she said that, Miran raised her arm to show off her armpit, then hiked up her shorts to reveal her thighs.

Okay, yes, I get that she’s cold-blooded, but seriously, does she have to flirt like this all the time!? And to make things worse, this kind of stuff hits my preferences right in the weak spot… Please, I’m begging you—just don’t do that in front of anyone else.

“Hey, Onii! Quit flirting and help out over here too!”

“Chinatsu!?”

“Ugh, busted by Chinatsu-chan…”

When I looked toward the voice, I saw Chinatsu baring her fangs at us while in the middle of cooking.

“…Well, fine. There’s still plenty of time for more chances today. Things are gonna get busy soon, so go help her out, will you?”

“Onii, hurry uup!”

“Yeah yeah… Hey, Miran, make sure you don’t overheat, alright?”

“I know. …But I really do like that part of you, you know. ♡”

“–!”

Just before I headed over to Chinatsu, Miran’s words reached my back and made my cheeks burn with embarrassment. She sure could say such embarrassing stuff with a straight face… 

Why are girls with predator instincts so emotionally unfiltered…?

Not that I dislike that about her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Chinatsu.”

“Took you long enough, Onii!”

When I got to Chinatsu, she looked up and greeted me with a bright smile. She was busy chopping cabbage for the yakisoba. She wiped the sweat from her cheek with her shirt sleeve while still holding a knife. To be honest, it was kind of dangerous to hold the knife like that.

“Chinatsu… You actually know how to use a kitchen knife?”

“What do you take me for!? I can cook, you know!”

“I was joking. So? Do you want to switch?”

“No. Could you wipe my sweat for me? Like you did with Miran-san earlier?”

“Huh…?”

“I mean, we can’t get our hands dirty while cooking, right?”

“You could just take a break for a second…”

“That’s not the point! It only matters if you do it!”

“Okay, okay! Just don’t point the knife at me!”

Seriously, that’s terrifying! It’s practically a threat at this point!

Reluctantly, I moved behind Chinatsu and wiped the sweat from her forehead and cheeks with a towel. The moist warmth on the towel transferred to my hands, and it felt… It felt kind of inappropriate somehow. And since she wasn’t chopping anything while I did it, she was basically taking a break at this point…

“Haruku-kun.”

“Hiii!”

The flat-toned voice from beside me belonged to Seira-san, who was also working on the food preparation. She was holding a knife in a reverse grip and staring at me with dead, expressionless eyes.

Wait… Did I step on another landmine?

“It’s not fair if only Miran-san and Chinatsu get that. Wipe me down too.”

“Seira-san… Are you jealous right now…?”

“Don’t get close, Onii! She’ll chomp you from the head down!”

“Shut your mouth, you mutt. It’s true that I feel gross from all this sweat.”

Chinatsu snapped at Seira-san as usual, and Seira-san responded without much energy. Since Seira-san was a snow leopard beastkin, it made sense that she’d be weaker in the summer heat despite her resistance to the cold.

Even Chinatsu seemed to sense the shift in mood and didn’t say anything more, and I moved behind Seira-san to help her out.

“You can put your hand inside my shirt. Please wipe my back.”

“Eh!?”

Did she just tell me to put my hand in her shirt!? That sounded way more intimate than just wiping sweat normally…

“Please…”

“Ugh…”

Seira glanced back over her shoulder at me, her eyes like a pleading kitten, and I couldn’t say no to those eyes. Bracing myself, I slid my hand into her shirt.

Whoa… It’s so hot in here… 

Even though her shirt was pretty thin, the trapped heat was intense, and the scent—something about it was triggering a primal instinct within me…

“Haruku-kun, could you wipe the front too?”

“Wait—what!? No, that’s… that’s pushing it a bit…!”

“My cleavage and underboob are super clammy… You can grope them if you want, so please?”

“Grope them if I want”!? That’s definitely going beyond a mere ‘grope’ at this point!!

Still expressionless as ever, Seira-san pressed her body against me with forceful intent.

“…………”

To sum it up… It was hotter, stickier, and heavier than usual… And the way it clung to my hands was just amazing.

I won’t say what exactly I’m talking about, though.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー