Chapter 1 — The boundary line, the marriage between a girl and a wolf . Part 3

“Moon Eater,” I murmured as I looked up to the sky .

The wind had ceased, there were no clouds, and the sky was just pitch black . A silent night, of coldness mixed with calmness .

Moon Eater along with the new moon, that name really suited him .

“That’s quite the peculiar name . ”

“If it bothers you, you can call me with a different name . ”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course . You don’t need to hold back, you are my wife after all . ”

“Then…”

Suddenly, the mischievous side of me woke up, and while squinting my eyes, I teasingly said:

“s.h.i.+ro1 it is . ”

Silence followed, just like when I had been proposed to .

He then answered while

skillfully scratching the back of his ear with his hind leg .

“…Just in case you were unaware, I’m a wolf . ”

“Please don’t state the obvious like that . I knew that from the very moment I first saw you . You are way too good to be a dog . In fact, you are too lovely . ”

“Thanks for that, but if possible, could you call me by a different name?”

“Nope . ”

I flicked my hair away as I looked the other way .

Looking at him from the corner of my eye, I could see him getting fl.u.s.tered, the s.h.i.+ne of his silver fur turning shallow and his tail drooping lifelessly . I laughed happily in my mind but didn’t let it show outwardly .

“s.h.i.+ro is a cute name so it’s finee~”

“Still…”

finee~”

“Still…” He still seemed hesitant . I held my hair back and continued pressuring him .

“Consider it just a small whim of your new wife . ”

A teasing, loving, sweet and valuable –––so valuable that I never showed it to anyone before––– smile .

He stared at me for a while, dumbfounded, then spoke with a hint of resignation .

“I wonder why I’m feeling so defeated even though you are my wife . ”

I bent my knees so my face was at the same level as his’, then gazed into his pitch black eyes . There I saw myself reflected as a regular, calm and cheerful girl .

“But I still think it’s a good name, honestly . White is also my favorite color . ”

He grumbled a bit, clearly lost beyond words as to what

to what to do .

I gently caressed his cheek .

My fingers were buried inside his fur and I felt a strange sensation, neither soft nor stiff . At the deepest part I felt firm skin and the sensation of sharp fangs under it .

It was the toughness of a beast, the feeling of life and a resolute warmth .

His heartbeat .

“If that’s your reasoning behind the name, I don’t mind it . ”

“Eheheh, you are so easy to deal with . ”

Still slightly displeased, he let a loud sigh .

Then he twisted his body as if something was tickling him, then turned back .

“Now I get what you said, you really are a cruel one . ”

He murmured with something between a regular and a forced smile . After turning his body around

his body around he continued:

“Now then, Saki, ride on my back . ”

I mounted his back just as he had ordered me to and hugged his neck with both my arms .

Soon, our bodies were glued together, and I could faintly hear both of our heartbeats overlapping .

Beats that seemed to build a single rhythm .

“Where are we going?”

“To my home, deep inside the forest shrouded in the darkness of the night . ”

Like an arrow let loose from a bow, he broke into a fierce dash .

As my hair fluttered behind me, his silver fur ruffled against the wind and the hem of my sailor uniform opened up like flowers in the instant before they die .

There were no audible footsteps, only the sound of us cutting through the wind was left behind .