This was a dubious compliment, since I didn’t make pet shampoo. Renge bathed in human form using human shampoo.
I’ve never made pet shampoo! But maybe I should try making it.
“And this doggie has such pretty fur, too. So soft… And it has this wild animalistic musk!”
“Yeah, this smell is just right… This animal stench. That’s what a large dog’s fur should smell like.”
“Yeah… It’s different from the smell of shampoo. It doesn’t have the same kind of human…ego, but just that primal smell of nature you can only find in the wilderness. Nothing like it.”
The women who liked Air’s musk seemed to be bona fide dog lovers. Or maybe wolf lovers? I guess his animalistic musk overpowers the senses.
“Let’s try petting them, too!” Lord Revireus enthusiastically strode forward and I followed close behind.
“Ah, Lord Revireus, Holy Woman!” the women exclaimed in surprise.
“Please do join us in petting them!” one woman invited, moving aside to give us space.
“By the way, do you know where these doggies came from? They just showed up and let us fawn over them…” another woman said.
I’m surprised you just started petting them, then. You’re braver than I give you credit for… Oh, the merchants are in on it, too.
“I think they’re having a fluffiness contest,” I explained. “Could you speak up and say whose fur you like better?”
“Wait, really? That’s adorable!”
Both Renge and Air looked very proud, but everyone just went “Large doggies are so cute!” and seemed to care about that more than they did for their fur. But I had a feeling Renge would get mad at Lord Reverius later for glomping him and burying his face in his fur to take big whiffs of his scent…
“Would you like to pet them too, Holy Woman?” one of the women asked me.
“Of course,” I said instantly.
Would it be fair if I didn’t get to indulge in their fluff? But Mirage and Lord Revireus had Renge caught in their bear hugs—he looked a bit bothered, actually—so I decided to pet Air’s fluffy fur instead.
“Wow, it really is soft… S-So soft…and fluffy…fluffy, wuffy…”
“Holy Woman, your vocabulary is plummeting into the nonsensical.”
Air’s fur felt very different from Renge’s. He had very little fur that was rough on the surface, the hairs being thin and tender. And then there was the smell—the animalistic stench. It was certainly intense. Renge had a bit of the same smell when he took beast form, but this smell was basically the product of pheromones. When humans or demi-humans got used to this smell, it gave a sense of euphoria.
And then there was the smooth texture on his jaw. It was like I could keep rubbing my cheek against it forever…
“So good…”
“Hrmph!” Air snorted proudly.
But then I heard a whimper behind me.
“Ah! Ren— I mean, I’m going to pat this doggie, too!” I declared. Renge wasn’t happy with me picking Air first.
Favoritism isn’t very nice. And I should let Lord Revireus and Mirage pet Air, too.
“I’ll pet you now,” I said and started stroking Renge’s fur.
Aah, it’s Renge’s fur. Its topcoat is rough as always, but it’s overall soft…
His hair was always soft in human form, but his fur was different when he was in beast form. I traced my hand over his spine, which was hard to the touch, and then sank my fingers into the depression in his neck, scratching it. The base of his legs was covered in fluffy fur, which meant that I could relish both softness and smoothness by patting both his head and flank at the same time.
M-My vocabulary…i-it’s dying! How is he so fluffy-wuffy?!
I got the urge to hug him. I buried my face in his neck and took a long sniff. I could smell the thick fragrance of shampoo and, deep within that, the clear musk of an animal.
That’s the good stuff… Actually, no, that’s not quite it.
Renge’s warmth, the smell of his hair. I couldn’t snuggle up to him like this when he was in human form. We were still too awkward for it. But this…this was soothing.
“Which do you prefer, Holy Woman?” one of the onlooking women asked me.
“Oh, erm! I, uh, yes… I think I prefer Renge’s. It’s more familiar,” I said, still indulging in it.
“Renge’s?!” all the women cried out.
“Huh? Uh-oh!”
The people here might have realized that the dog here was Renge, but with another dog the same size as him, it was hard to tell which it was.
“Is that actually Renge?!” one of the women asked.
“Pardon my faux pas!” I squeaked.
“Then who’s this…?” They turned to look at Air.
Everyone started to realize what it meant to have another big black dog sitting next to Renge. This implied neither were dogs and that the second one must have been someone like Renge.
As everyone stared at him, the second beast chuckled as a black mist enveloped him. Seeing this, Renge took on human form, too.
“Who are you?!” everyone asked.
Most of them had never seen Air before.
“This is Renge’s great uncle, Air,” I introduced him.
“Hmm, it seems people can’t make up their mind, even though my fur is definitely better,” Air mused.
“I told you, the shampoo Tina made makes my hard fur soft, fluffy, and fragrant,” Renge insisted.
“Isn’t it disgusting for a beast to smell of flowers?” Air huffed. “It’s much more beastly to smell like the wild.”
“I thought we were competing over fur, not smell,” Renge pointed out.
“You’re the one who brought up smell to begin with,” Air countered.
In the end, fur is what matters to them, I guess. It’s a source of pride for them both.
“Wow… So this is a Mythical Beast…” one of the onlookers said in amazement.
“I can’t believe it. Those big dogs took on human form…”
“Well, either way,” Air ignored them and carried on. “I was able to prove just how wonderful my fur is.”
I guess he’s pleased. That’s good… Maybe I should have Ledo make me a brush for their fur.
“Well, now that we’ve had our fun, it’s about time I took Revireus and the Holy Woman to the divine realm,” Air said, recalling his task now that the contest was over.
“Oh, you’re taking us along?!” Lord Revireus asked excitedly.
“Are you ready, Holy Woman?” Air asked me.
“E-Erm, yes!” I nodded.
“Are you really going?” Renge asked me, concerned.
“Y-Yeah. If I don’t do something, the Stella could become dangerous, and Lady Akari wouldn’t want to see that happen, would she? I’ll go learn how to control it so that doesn’t happen.”
“I…see,” was all he had to say.
I had to wonder why Renge wouldn’t come along, but apparently, he wasn’t willing to do so, and it wasn’t my place to insist and force his hand.
But then, a loud rumbling came from my stomach.
Silence hung in the air.
“Did you forget to eat your breakfast, Holy Woman? You cooked for Air, hmm… Maybe you should go after eating?” Mirage suggested.
“C-Can it wait until after breakfast?” I asked Air.
“Go right ahead.”
Time for breakfast, I suppose…