ORCA 15

Even with the answer he had painstakingly provided, Orca’s question was not resolved. The sentences, which only listed the results, lacked the fundamental cause. What he wanted to know was why, for what reason, he had come to think that way, but Niah only rambled on about not wanting to be disliked by him.

On top of that, the part about washing himself thoroughly to come to him was utterly incomprehensible. It was an answer that, if anything, deepened the mystery.

“Why would I do that to you?”

He straightened his bent back and asked back. He also made the goldfish look at him again. The goldfish, whose face was lifted purely by Orca’s will, averted his gaze, his pupils darting here and there to avoid eye contact. Just moments ago he was in a frenzy trying to escape, but now he was docile.

When Orca stroked the back of his head, pleased that he was being good and doing as he was told, tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. Blink, blink. They gathered like dew on his eyelashes as they were blinked and lifted, as if in thought, and sparkled. The goldfish, still not looking at him, haltingly opened his mouth.

“B-because I… heuk… s-sme… huh, smell fishy….”

“What?”

Orca, who had been stroking his hair in a good mood, not caring at all about the wound on his hand, immediately furrowed his brow. The pieces finally fell into place with the statement that he had washed himself thoroughly. It was obvious, without hearing any more, that this was the work of the servants.

Behind the words and actions that had angered him was a goldfish who had been tormented somewhere. That fact was extremely unpleasant. The way he believed it so readily, like a fool, and cried was irritating. On the other hand, the fact that he was worried about being disliked by him because of it was somewhat forgivable. It wasn’t bad.

“You say such nonsensical things as if they were true. Niah.”

Niah didn’t react much to Orca’s nitpicking. He was too preoccupied with the blood that had been seeping out, now enough to overflow, after his long hesitation. He almost became dazed by the gentle touch caressing the back of his head, but he steadfastly gathered his wits. Having voiced the thing he had wanted to hide so badly, his head felt clearer. His thoughts switched more quickly than usual.

Now was not the time to be happy and rejoice because the young master was stroking him. Nor was it the time to be thinking about the servant he had met in the basement. He had a job left to do. He had to leave the room right away. Niah, assuming that his explanation had been sufficient to clear up Orca’s misunderstanding, came to his own conclusion.

Niah released one of his hands from Orca’s and hurriedly rubbed and wiped his cheeks and around his eyes. If he stayed like this, he might really end up receiving the young master’s punishment. He really, really didn’t want that; it was too, too horrifying.

Even if the young master told him not to come because he smelled fishy, he thought it would be okay as long as he continued to stay at the mansion. Then he could at least see him in secret, but if he were punished, he wouldn’t even be able to do that.

On top of that, he didn’t want the young master to be in pain. The wound on the young master’s hand was much worse than the one Pepe had given him on his forehead. The young master surely wanted to cry his eyes out too. So he wanted to get him treated right away.

Niah continuously wiped his tears away. Inwardly, he resolved to prevent the young master from punishing him.

“I don’t want, to be punished. Huh…, please let me go. Please…. You said it hurts. I don’t want you to disappear, young master…. I don’t want that. I don’t want that, young master. Please. Heueup, young masteer….”

Orca was both dumbfounded and, for some reason, amused by Niah’s plea as he sniffled and choked back his sobs. He even found himself pondering the silly question of whether there was a way to die for a moment and then come back to life. The sight of the goldfish watching that would be a spectacle.

The goldfish, who seemed to have calmed down a little, let out a panting breath and gripped his hand tightly again. With a face smudged with bloodstains from wiping his tears, he continuously pleaded to be let go. Not only his face, but his hands and shirt were also stained with blood.

Making the goldfish cry, making him beg, staining him with blood—all of this was his doing. He had made him such a mess. But the goldfish wore an expression that said none of that mattered. He just leaned his forehead against Orca’s chest and whimpered pitifully. It was as if his attempts to run away moments ago were a lie.

“Young master….”

His senses sharpened, and a wave of excitement washed over him. He became curious as to how the goldfish would react if he did something even more extreme. It surely wouldn’t end with just crying. The unseen image didn’t form clearly in his mind. He wanted to see that unfamiliar side of him that he did not know.

“Alright. There’s no reason why not.”

At his low, sinister words, Niah rubbed his forehead against him. He took it to mean that he wouldn’t be punished and relaxed with complete relief. He even offered his thanks with panting breaths. He thought it was the answer he had been waiting for all along.

Orca felt a sense of fulfillment from the small body pressing against him without any gaps and let him be. Even though he clearly knew he had misunderstood, he didn’t feel like correcting him and telling him the truth. A strange sense of anticipation hung in his gaze as it settled completely on Niah, who was innocently letting himself be held.

His eyes, filled with desire, gleamed. The wound he had inflicted on himself was never a concern to begin with. He was only appreciating the goldfish who, despite having him right in front of him, was desperately calling out, “Young master, young master,” and was indifferent to everything else.

The goldfish, hugging his hand, was acting spoiled. He would lean his cheek against him, then look up at him, then lean his forehead against him, then look at him.

“Then I’ll be back. I’ll go get someone else quickly. So you can’t disappear. Okay?”

After a moment of this, he made a request that sounded like a notification, in a voice thick with emotion. Orca obediently let Niah go. Instead of the back of the head he had been stroking until now, he brushed his hair aside and toyed with his soft earlobe.

“Forget about other people and go get things we can use for treatment. A clean cloth and medicine to apply to the wound. Anything will do, so don’t run, walk slowly, and come back alone, slowly. Do you know what I mean?”

“Uh… yes…. Alone, a clean cloth and medicine to apply, and…. Don’t run, slowly. A clean cloth and medicine to apply. Alone, slowly….”

After leaving the room, Niah strode through the mansion covered in blood. His face, hands, clothes, everything was smeared with crimson blood as he walked.

“A clean cloth and medicine to apply. Slowly, alone. A clean cloth and medicine to apply. Slowly, alone.”

He muttered softly, afraid he might forget, and crossed the hallway very slowly.

The other servants who saw this could not hide their astonishment. There wasn’t a single servant who didn’t know that Niah had been assigned to attend to the young master. The suspicion that something serious had happened became a firm rumor that quickly stirred up every corner of the mansion. The person who added fuel to this rumor was Bailey.

“Young master…? What is all this….”

Bailey, who had entered the room after a long time upon Orca’s summons, was flustered at the sight of the messy floor. When he even witnessed the young master with his hands and shirt stained red, he had to clamp his mouth shut to stop a scream from escaping. If he made a noise, he might end up like Andrian.

Orca, who was comfortably stretched out on the sofa, waved his hand with a bothered expression to get Bailey moving. At his command, Bailey, who was wiping up the scattered glass fragments and the blood soaking the carpet, swallowed hard. The metallic smell of blood sent a chill down his spine.

He went around gossiping about what he had seen as if it were a heroic tale. Added to this was the story of Niah walking through the hallways covered in blood, and the mansion was turned upside down. Everyone, with one heart, prayed for Orca’s ‘return.’ It was an event worthy of plunging the once peaceful Ware family mansion into a chaotic fear.

Orca, with his eyes gently closed, tapped one leg, which was resting on his other knee, cheerfully. On the face of him, who was waiting for Niah to slowly return, there was not a single trace of pain or worry. He keenly caught the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer.

The goldfish had just reached the fourth floor where his room was. The sound of his footsteps, taking small steps at a not-so-fast pace, was commendable.

As soon as he entered his room, Niah first ran to the bathroom. He had listened well to the young master’s words to go and come back slowly, so he thought it would be okay to walk quickly in his room. Orca watched with interest as Niah came rushing out, wringing a towel soaked in water.

The goldfish hurried over with short, quick steps and knelt down close to his feet. He placed the medicine and clean cloth he had brought on the low table next to him and fidgeted with his bottom. His flushed face was urgent. While still sniffling, his two bravely extended hands poked the air as if to hurry him. His crying had completely stopped, but his voice was still wet with tears.

“Young master. Give me your hand. Okay? Quickly. Quickly….”

Orca looked down at the whining Niah and, instead of answering, bent his upper body. His arm dug into Niah’s side, brushed past his back, and wrapped firmly around his other side.

Niah, who was suddenly swept into an embrace, let out a surprised sound, flustered. Orca, not minding at all, lifted him up and made him sit next to him. Niah, who had landed on the sofa from the carpeted floor, took his place on his left.

“Here.”

Only after moving the goldfish as he wished did Orca place his injured hand on Niah’s thigh. Niah, who had been staring at him blankly, shifted his posture slightly as if to sit facing him. With the dampened towel, he gently and carefully wiped the wounded palm. As he did so, his eyes rolled around. Roll, roll. His gaze tilted this way and that as he observed the young master, who seemed to have changed somehow while he was gone to get the medicine.

Orca, who had washed off the blood and changed into fresh clothes before Niah arrived, leisurely enjoyed his gaze. If he had been sitting here in the same state as before, the goldfish would have surely fainted. Even if he had endured and not fainted, he would have definitely cried. It was better to appreciate him fumbling with his hand in bewilderment like this than to spend time soothing him. Fortunately, since he had removed the deeply embedded glass fragments and stopped the bleeding while he was alone, there was almost no blood seeping out.

“Young master…. Um, does it not hurt…?”

The goldfish asked, glancing up at him. He was the one asking if it hurt, but it was the goldfish who actually had a mournful look on his face.

“It hurts like hell.”

At the nonchalantly uttered reply, Niah bit his lip hard and chewed on it. He firmly believed the words of the young master, who was telling him it hurt with a shameless face, and let the ends of his eyebrows droop. Even though it was a trick with no sincerity whatsoever, he didn’t even think to doubt it. He was just heartbroken.

Niah, who had shifted his posture to face Orca, moved sideways again with a shuffling motion. This closed the distance that had been open between them, and they ended up sitting side by side.

The goldfish slid his palm under Orca’s hand, which was resting on his own thigh. The soft skin felt lukewarm to the touch. Not only his palm, but his thin forearm and thigh were also completely pressed against him. In the innocent eyes that glanced up at him, worry and concern were plastered all over.

“Young master. Does it hurt a lot?”

“…Yes. I told you, it hurts like hell.”

The goldfish, who had lifted the clasped hands to his chest, examined the wound closely. Then he puckered his lips and blew on it. Hoo, hoo. From time to time, he would ask again if it hurt and blew on it for a long while. Hoo, hoo. The weak, ticklish breath constantly passed over the torn skin. The earnest action, which was completely useless for treatment, was amusing.

“Ah, I brought medicine. I asked Harriet,”

Realizing that this wasn’t the time for this and that he should apply the medicine, Niah abruptly tried to get up from the sofa. As the closely pressed body moved away, a shallow furrow formed between Orca’s eyebrows. He reflexively reached out his arm toward Niah. He wrapped his left arm behind his back, grabbed his stomach, and pulled him back to him.

Still not satisfied, he pulled the weightless body strongly. He was about to first ask who this servant named Harriet, who had popped up out of nowhere, was, but then decided against it. Even if he heard the explanation, there was no way he would know who it was. He decided to postpone this question for later.

Niah, who was abruptly forced back down as soon as he tried to stand up, ended up with his head resting below Orca’s shoulder. He was in a state of being completely embraced, almost crushed. Startled, he raised his gaze, and the young master was looking down at him.

“Where do you keep trying to go.”

“Huh…? No, I was just…. So you wouldn’t be in pain, young master….”

Orca lowered his head and bumped his forehead against Niah’s. Thump. He could feel his delicate breath fully.

“You have to listen to me.”

“Yeees….”

Niah answered obediently even though he was being scolded for no reason. He was just worried that he had made him angry again. He placed his own hand over the large hand resting on his stomach and stroked it gently. He thought that if he did the same thing the young master had done for him, the young master’s mood might improve too.

Orca pulled Niah a little closer. It was obvious what he meant by this. To find something like this cute, he felt like a fool himself. He pulled his forehead away from where they had been touching and picked up the medicine bottle and cloth from the table. Naturally, his injured hand extended. The perfectly fine one remained on Niah’s stomach.

The goldfish, in his own way, put great effort into applying the medicine quite skillfully. He applied it thickly, more than enough, and then carefully checked to see if he had missed any spots. After wrapping the cloth with clumsy skill and tying the final knot, he glanced up at him. His eyes were full of expectation. As if he had done something so great to be this confident, the goldfish leaned against him, hoping for praise. Orca swallowed a dry laugh.

“…Yes. You did well.”

At his short words, Niah completely relaxed and smiled broadly. Hee hee. He pushed away everything else except the praise he had just received and the feeling of being held by the young master. Otherwise, he might not be able to remember the joy of this moment. He never wanted to forget things like the pleasant scent that brushed his nose, the warmth of their touching bodies, the low voice, and the feel of the firm skin. He wanted to cherish them for a long, long time.

“Young master. You know. You can’t disappear….”

Orca bumped his forehead against his again, just like before. Thump.

By the time the sun set over the forest, the inside of the room was faintly tinged with the color of Niah’s hair. The sunset-drenched room was as quiet as night. Niah fell into a deep sleep as soon as the treatment was finished. He had been so startled and had cried so hard that he couldn’t fight off the overwhelming sleepiness. Through his slightly parted lips, only the sound of his regular breathing could be heard softly.

Orca, who had been admiring the goldfish in his arms for a while, gently moved his arm. When he laid the body leaning against him down on the sofa, the goldfish used his thigh as a pillow and curled up his legs. He slept soundly, without even tossing and turning once. He even mumbled in his sleep, showing no sign of waking up. Orca took off Niah’s shoes and placed them gently on the floor.

“I hate things that require a lot of work….”

Even while thinking it was a nuisance, he turned his head and looked for the wet towel. He picked it up so as not to wake Niah and gently rubbed the bloodstains stuck to the corners of his eyes. Even as he blew on the red, raw skin and wiped it, Niah didn’t move a muscle. He only mumbled or smacked his lips. Smack, smack.

Orca, having wiped off all the blood, bent his back and watched him quietly. It was fun to watch him smile in his sleep as if dreaming of something, and then mumble his lips.

How audacious of him.