Chapter 87.3
Chapter 87.3
Chapter 87.3
[Part 3/5]
"But... Is that okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"I thought the princess would not like to have an untrustworthy person by her side."
In the original story and in this world, Gorilla-sama never allows anyone to stay close to her. Let alone inviting them to her territory... Well, it's only natural considering the treatment she received from her own parents, but that's why I couldn't help but harbor doubts about her statement.
"I can feel comfortable with people who are weak," she retorted fiercely. "They know what to hold on to when the time comes."
"Well, that's..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say in response. Gorilla-sama smiled a sadistic smile, and I couldn't help but frown in response.
Well, it is true that Gorilla-sama has a point...
"What...whoa?"
Immediately after that, my body was pulled in again. It was not a word trick like before, but something tangible that caught me. Was it that chameleon...!!
"Ouch...!" I cried out in pain.
I was slammed onto the floor and sat there trying to catch my breath, and as soon as I realize that the floor is tatami, I tried turning around instinctively. However, I was initially pushed down by the princess and forced to look up at her. She was looking down at me with an arrogant expression.
"Hehehe," the princess chuckled mockingly, "don't react as if I'm someone else, okay? Haven't you forgotten that you and I are in this same boat now? Are you so stupid that you don't know what will happen if I lose my position?"
Looking down on me disdainfully, the princess stripped off my clothes with her slim, white arms, running her fingers over my chest. She strokes the exposed chest with her fingers, stops at a certain point, and pushes it in. Feeling the texture under my skin, Gorilla-sama declares with a look of deep enjoyment.
I chuckled while feeling the sensation of the monster under my skin.
"Well, umm..."
Murmuring those words, I understood the harsh reality that I was facing without saying anything further. I knew exactly what the princess was trying to say.
If my support in the gorilla faction disappeared, my life would be doomed from the events leading up to it. I am sure that I will be in trouble, given the series of events that have taken place so far. I would be captured immediately, have my memories stripped from my head, and be used as various experimental materials after becoming a waste of space. No, it's okay if it's only the body. Worst case scenario, even my soul would be...
"......!"
As soon as I recognized that fact again, my body shuddered silently, and it was definitely not only the chill of being stripped of my clothes that made goosebumps appear on my whole body. I looked up at Gorilla-sama, and could not help but to sense her pressure and her smiling expression.
"…what is it? Go on."
Gorilla-sama asks me in a teasing tone. She's laughing with such glee. The pressure is too much.
I feel intimidated by Gorilla's imposing presence, but I gather my courage and speak slowly.
"I-I understand. But I think... we should avoid doing things that might cause resentment in others."
Struggling to get the words out, I realize that my comments are selfish, and that while it may be an appropriate course of action, princess may hold some resentment towards me. Even if it was a cover-up with a calculation to protect her, my statement was too arrogant. In the end, they only made things worse.
"P-please forgive for my thoughtless words. I beg your pardon...!"
In a panic and with a sense of humility, I apologize. Even though she has become more gentle than in the original story, my life would still be lost if I speak out. Nervously, I flatter and apologize.
Now, silence envelops the room. Sweat dripping down my forehead, I close my eyelids and wait to hear what happens.
...but nothing happens.
"......?"
After counting fifty times or so, I slowly open my eyes, puzzled by the lack of response. As I look up to Gorilla-sama's face...
"Fugyaa!?"
"Whoaa!!?"
Before I can react, I get hit in the face by a white tail and fall backward. Fortunately, I'm not seriously injured, but something fluffy and heavy has landed on top of me.
"Wh-what...?"
"Hihyain!!?"
"Uoohh!!?"
The moment I grabbed it, I heard a strange cry. Then something white and fluffy starts to thrash wildly, striking me in the face. At the same time, I realized what, or rather who, was on my upper body.
"S-Shiro....!!!?"
"T-tomobe-san!? I-I'm sorry! Right now, I'm... Uffu!?" Shiro stammered, still trying to make sense of the situation.
Shiro, who had placed her buttock and tail on my head, turned red-faced and hastily tried to retreat when I instinctively grabbed her tail, causing her to scream and wildly wave it around. My face is slapped by the soft whiter fluffy again. The impact made my face shift a little. It seemed that Gorilla-sama had thrown Shiro, who had been standing beside her, at me.
"Hehehe, what a clownish thing you're doing."
When I directed my gaze towards the bird-like voice, Gorilla-sama was sitting next to us, watching our foolishness with interest, resting on her cheekbones.
"P-princess...!?" I sputtered, surprised by her sudden appearance.
"Focus on your own worries, not others," she advised me, raising an eyebrow. "That's why you always act so naive. Keep that in mind."
Before I knew it, the ox cart had come to a stop. She stepped down gracefully from the opened curtain. As I watch her back, I click my tongue. Really, she's still as arrogant as always.
"Uuuh... Tomobe-san, are you all right? Umm, I'm sorry for hitting your face," Shiro said apologetically, her voice high-pitched with concern.
As she moved away from me and gently caressed her tail while holding it close, she asked me. I fix my misaligned face before answering.
"Hmm? Don't worry, I've been working out a lot. I'm not going to get hurt this bad. ...Are you all right, too?"
Considering the effect of the curse that Raccoon-sama has put on me, I probably won't have any problem, but I ask her just in case.
"I'm all right too. Princess's throw wasn't too strong either..." Shiro trailed off, her voice tinged with relief.
"That's good to hear."
If she had thrown with full force, Shiro and I would have become meatballs.
"Seriously, she's difficult to handle and it's causing me trouble. It's hard for you, isn't it? Serving by her side all day?"
It's too black to spend all day by her side, dealing with her mood swings.
"Ahahaha..." Shiro chuckled hesitantly, her voice betraying her discomfort.
Since she didn't give me a clear answer, that's exactly what I said.
"You're at work, so save your complaints for later. Hurry up and go. Or do you prefer to spend the night in the cart?"
While we were chatting like this, Gorilla-sama leaned out of the curtain to warn us. Her voice was cold. Shiro and I shudder and look at each other, hurriedly getting out of the ox cart...
* To be continued *