ORCA 28

Of course, for Niah, the top priority was the young master. He moved the fingers he had placed on the back of Orca’s hand as if trying to do something, like a wooden doll. Then, he burrowed under the thick finger that was rubbing his own forehead.

“My forehead…. I didn’t hurt it…. It doesn’t hur, t…. It’s not there…”

Orca’s lips slowly curled up at the sleepy voice. It was such a minuscule change that even if Niah hadn’t had his eyes closed, he probably wouldn’t have noticed. Orca briefly considered whether to wake up the goldfish, who was giving random answers in his sleep, and scold him. If he forcibly sat him up and then reprimanded him, he would surely cry and cling to him, begging.

“……”

His expression was too pure and bright for that, so he only imagined it. Orca mentally chose his words to rephrase the question more simply. He gently rubbed the neat eyebrows, then soon opened his mouth to whisper.

“Niah. I don’t mean you’re hurt now,”

But before he could finish what he was saying, his words were cut off.

“I’ve never, been hurt…”

Orca was uncharacteristically flustered. This was outside the range of his expectations. He swallowed dryly.

“I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t hurt here. Not here, but here… here, only my waist hurts…. My forehead, I’ve never… hurt it…”

Following the finger that moved from the forehead down to the waist, Orca’s gaze crossed over Niah. Niah was still wandering between dream and reality.

“Or maybe not…. Did I forget again…. I’m like a stupid…”

Orca hunched his large frame and buried his face in Niah’s neck and shoulder. He pulled the boy’s waist in tight and supported the back of his head.

“I’m sorry. I… punish me, tomorrow…. I did wrong. Young Master…. But I’m so…”

The even sound of breathing mixed with the pounding of his heart. Orca couldn’t even hold the goldfish as tightly as he wanted, for fear of breaking him. The unidentifiable emotion he had been unable to define until now felt like, perhaps, fear.

At this point, he was of a mind to just let things be. The line that shouldn’t be crossed, the end of summer when he had to return to the border, the goldfish’s memory—he felt like he should just let it all be. It wouldn’t flow in the direction he wanted anyway.

One look at the goldfish, who had already invaded before he could even think of an excuse to call him back, was proof of that. He himself, who had hoped the boy would quickly forget him with his ridiculous memory, was proof of that, having been so surprised the moment he witnessed that scene. He himself, who had given not only a blanket but also the spot next to him to the insolent servant who had fallen fast asleep in his master’s room, was proof of that.

The most sigh-inducing of all was the fact that he was nowわざわざ in the greenhouse. As if that wasn’t enough, he had been sipping a tasteless poison for hours already. The cold black tea tasted awful.

The goldfish had no talent for brewing tea at all. Yet, with a proud face, he had set down the cup and run away, saying he was busy. Only the talent for grinning for no reason was rampant.

“Niah.”

At the concise call, Niah shot to his feet and came trotting over from a short distance away. He had been crouching in front of a flowerbed, working, while occasionally glancing at the young master behind him. Orca was watching Niah’s chores from a white iron bench. Because of that, their eyes met without fail every time Niah slightly turned his head.

Heat rose to the nape of his neck at the thought that the young master was constantly watching him. He felt shy and ticklish, and something was just strange. Moreover, the vast glass greenhouse was occupied entirely by the young master and himself.

The other servants had suddenly disappeared one by one after the young master appeared, and were nowhere to be seen. Only the rustling sound of trees and flowers could be heard. A silence, heavily scented with the spirit of spring, continued. He was anxious, wondering what he would do if the young master heard the sound of his heart.

Sunlight, filtering through the green leaves, cast a long shadow on the greenhouse bench. The rays of light, slanted as the noon had passed, colored the surroundings with a shimmering glow. The shadows scattered by the gentle breeze rippled. It was like a well-painted landscape.

With the young master sitting there, it looked not just like a picture, but like a magnificent masterpiece. He was more handsome than any painting or any statue in the front gallery. He didn’t know much about art, but in any case, the young master was incredibly handsome. With every step he took, he grew closer to the young master, and it excited him. Each and every moment he didn’t have to hide and watch in secret was very precious to him.

Niah, who had stopped in his tracks, dusted the dirt off his hands and then shook his clothes from top to bottom. Only after he was reasonably neat did he take the final step.

Orca pulled Niah, who was standing in an awkward position and grinning, right in front of him. Niah was led along obediently as he was pulled, tilting his head. He couldn’t be happy right away because he hadn’t become as clean as if he had been washed with water.

“I have dirt on me…. Your hands will get dirty, Young Master.”

“It’s fine. They’re not dirty.”

Niah beamed at the firm, immediate reply. He also grinned foolishly, watching the thumb that was rubbing the inside of his captured wrist. He wondered if Orca had been drinking wine somewhere and took a deep breath for no reason. He checked his body odor, but he couldn’t smell any alcohol. However, the way he had been grinning inanely since a while ago made him look drunk.

“Why are you smiling.”

“Ye-es? Oh, just beecauuse…”

Niah dragged out the end of his sentence and then giggled again. The more time passed, the better he felt. At that, Orca pulled Niah even closer and had him stand between his thighs. The senseless grinning was a problem, but his flushed cheeks made him look like a truly drunk person.

When the goldfish’s lips twitched, his two cheeks rounded out adorably. It was as if a peach had been picked from somewhere in the mansion and placed there.

Orca popped a crumpet, cut into the shape of a ginkgo leaf, into the mouth that kept opening from smiling. He also didn’t forget to put on savory cheese and spread sweet jam.

Niah, while munching on the fluffy crumpet, stared intently at Orca. He liked the line of the young master’s chin, which was slightly lifted to meet his eyes. Even while thinking such thoughts, he accepted and ate the snacks Orca gave him well. For some reason, it felt much more delicious than the pancakes with wild cherry blossom honey.

Orca slightly regretted not having thrown away the poison, of which more than half a cup still remained. He hesitated for a moment, then put his mouth to it, pretending to be nonchalant. After taking a gulp, he poured cream into the remaining black tea and handed it to Niah. His tongue felt coated.

Niah, however, looked down at his palm and hesitated. Grains of dirt he hadn’t managed to dust off were stuck here and there. He was worried about whether it was okay to touch such expensive tableware with such dirty hands.

“……”

The goldfish truly had no learning ability. Orca set down the teacup and let go of the wrist he had been fiddling with. Then, he snatched the hand that was hesitating whether to take the cup or not. Before the startled Niah could say anything, he rubbed it clean on his own forearm. He lightly blocked the boy’s attempt to pull his hand away, then picked up the cup again and placed it in his hand.

“There, that should do it.”

Niah, who ended up grabbing the teacup handle in a daze, didn’t even have time to be flustered by Orca’s actions. He could only nod his head quickly at the steady gaze directed at him. Even after that, he fidgeted, raising and lowering the cup. No matter how much it was just him and the young master, using the master’s high-quality tableware required quite a bit of courage as a servant. It was fine in the young master’s closed-off room, but being outside like this made him conscious of his surroundings. He also wondered what he would do if someone was watching.

Niah put on a rather solemn expression, as if a great deal of determination was needed. It was a bit late for such a worry, after having already gobbled up the tea foods given to him one by one, just like the pond carp accepting food. Only Niah himself didn’t know that.

After hesitating for a long time, Niah finally brought the teacup to his lips cautiously. The smooth milk tea, full of cream, instantly took over his mouth. The first time was difficult, but the next was easy. The sound of him gulping, gulp, sounded too loud. But the rich, sweet taste made it impossible to stop swallowing.

Orca showed no further reaction. He didn’t press him, but left him to do as he pleased. As long as he didn’t stubbornly refuse to drink at all, there was enough time. In fact, there was more than enough. Anyway, he had no other business apart from watching the goldfish. The mansion seemed to be in an uproar for days preparing for the upcoming party, but that was none of his business. All he had to do was keep the goldfish by his side.

Orca grabbed the wrist he had let go of, treating it as no big deal. He figured he might as well bury any sense of a proper line in the hunting grounds behind the mountain. His gaze, which had fallen downwards, swept over the area of his waist hidden by his clothes.

He wondered if he was born with slender bones, if all goldfish were like this, or how he could be alive with arms like these. The same went for his legs and body. If you took away the little flesh and muscle he seemed to have, his bones would amount to a mere handful at best. With no flesh or muscle on such a flimsy frame, he was scrawny and unimpressive. If he held him in his arms carelessly, he might just crush him to death. The thought of a crushed goldfish made him feel slightly displeased.

Orca still found it a mystery how Niah had survived until now and become a servant of the Ware family. He wondered how a goldfish, barely the size of two of his finger joints, had managed to catch the eye of an orca like him. The unidentifiable emotion he had been unable to define until now sipped the milk tea in a form that resembled, of all things, curiosity.

Niah, who let out a satisfied breath of fullness, smacked his lips. There was no food left on the table; the milk tea and crumpets had all been eaten. Orca snatched the empty cup from Niah, who was staring blankly into it. He flicked a finger on the forehead of Niah, who was openly disappointed. It was a light gesture that probably wouldn’t even dent a pudding.

“Go now. There’s no more.”

“…Young Master. Are you leaving…?”

Regardless of that, Niah’s interest quickly shifted elsewhere. The young master was more important than delicious food. If he left now, he would only be able to see him when he drew his bath and before he went to sleep. And even that was only possible if he was given permission. He was even more anxious because he hadn’t heard that it was okay to come in the evening this morning. He couldn’t bring himself to ask first, for fear that he would say no.

The goldfish became visibly dejected. His eyebrows drooped immediately, and he pouted his lips. He seemed to be trying his best not to, but it was all obvious. The glance that met his was stark. It clearly contained a demand.

Orca deliberately feigned ignorance and played innocent. For a while, he acted as he pleased and enjoyed the naive reaction that came back exactly as he expected. Because of that, he didn’t give an answer and just fiddled with his wrist. The increasingly urgent expression was quite a sight. Only when he lost his patience and began to fidget did he say what the boy wanted to hear.

“Go. I’ll be here.”

Niah also became visibly excited. When Orca let go of his hand, he moved away a little sluggishly, but steadily. He looked back every few steps and giggled, then crouched down in front of the flowerbed again.

Orca propped his chin on his hand in a leisurely posture. He took his time, with Niah’s monotonous movements as his music. The profound peace was not as bad as he thought.

The goldfish would suddenly turn his head to check if he was there or not. And then, when their eyes met, he would giggle to himself. The sound of his fresh laughter settled softly like flower petals. With a relieved face, he would also hum a tune.

It was the same song he had been singing in the bathroom this morning. The few notes piled up one by one. Their eyes met once more. Orca, seeing Niah smiling broadly with a trowel in his hand, subtly hid his mouth with the hand propping up his chin. It was because the boy overlapped with the image of the goldfish with a dazed expression, just woken from sleep. The twitching corner of his mouth felt awkward.

Perhaps due to his sensitive hearing, the moments he was deeply asleep were extremely short. It was only for a couple of hours in the deepest part of the dawn. Most of the time, he would doze off and then be immediately awakened by a sudden noise. When he was fully awake, he could control his hearing to some extent, but once he fell asleep, even that became difficult.

As he repeatedly fell asleep and woke up throughout the night, the sea naturally came to mind. At least when he needed to sleep, it was better to be an orca under the sea than to be human. In conflict zones, after the reconnaissance team was relieved, he would go deeper into the dark water to rest. The silent flow of the water made his body comfortable. He wasn’t tormented by useless noises either.

What woke Orca up this morning was Niah, who had fallen asleep as if he had fainted last night. It was an early hour for Orca to wake up. Of course, since he hadn’t been able to sleep at all, the expression ‘woke him up’ was a misnomer. To be precise, Niah, who had slept his fill and woken up, made Orca move. For Niah, it was a later time than usual.

He felt somewhat refreshed. It was a little hard to open his eyes, but for some reason, the rest of him felt light. He felt refreshed from sleeping soundly for the first time in a while. Niah stretched his back, which had been curled into a ball, and rubbed his swollen eyes. Still, his gritty eyeballs stung, so he squeezed them shut again. A yawn escaped him.

“Sleeepyy…”

When he tossed and turned, the soft bed bounced. The inside of the blanket was full of warm heat. He repeated the wish to sleep a little longer out of habit and pushed his eyelids up. After blinking several times, light seeped into his cloudy vision, which soon became clear.

The first thought that came to him was a simple curiosity of, what is this. Niah, who had been staring at the huge object blocking his path, swallowed a gasp. His sleepiness vanished in an instant. Belatedly, he felt the weight of the thick forearm that was on top of his body.

Orca easily pulled Niah, who was about to sit up with a start, back down. Niah’s gaze went up to him. As soon as he discovered the languid eyes, he realized that he had been lying with the young master’s arm as a pillow. His cheeks flushed bright red.

Niah, startled again, bowed his head low and curled up. He had intended to run away, but instead, he ended up being held in his arms. He resented the fact that his dazed mind had become clear. His heart pounded without rest. He was so embarrassed by the premonition that the young master would surely hear it that he just wanted to disappear.

“Sleep more.”

A low, rumbling voice tickled the nape of his neck. The hand that came up his spine to the back of his head calmly combed through his hair. The slow touch continued repeatedly. His chest, which had swelled with anxiety, settled down, and his eyes closed. It smelled of the forest.

At the cheerful sound of water coming from beyond the bathroom door, Niah whimpered and burrowed forward. A childishness he had never shown before came out naturally. Even so, he didn’t feel comfortable, so he unconsciously tossed and turned. As soon as he turned over, his chest was pressed down firmly. A wide, hard wall touched his back.

Leaning against that wall, he pulled his legs in and curled up like an egg. He wondered if this was what a chick felt like, held in the warmth of its mother hen. For some reason, his whole body felt cozy and warm. Niah, who had been letting his imagination run wild with ridiculous thoughts as if in a dream, slowly woke up.

Every time he blinked, his vision flickered and then brightened repeatedly. The sound of water continued. As he lay there blankly, the noise from the bathroom abruptly stopped.

“Euung…”

A pained sound came out from the heavy weight on his neck and shoulders. He had been slowly waking from his sleep, but he was not in his right mind. Orca held Niah in a lockdown with both arms. The goldfish, curled up in the shape of an orange, filled his embrace.