The Squirrel Will Raise the Baby Tiger — Chapter 20

A SONG AND DANCE THAT SEEM STRANGELY FAMILIAR.

THAT'S WHAT I SAW AT THE FESTIVAL BACK THEN...

...YOU'RE STILL DANCING AS JOYFULLY AS EVER.

HMM?

I CAN SENSE SOME FAMILIAR PHEROMONES NEARBY...

Eh?!

YOUR GRACE?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE?!

AH... I got caught.

WHY DID YOU STOP? CARRY ON.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! IS HE MOCKING ME?

N-NO! I'LL STOP NOW!

MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOUR GRACE?!

YOU DISAPPEARED, SO I CAME LOOKING FOR YOU. I BELIEVE I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM AND REST.

I-I'M SORRY. MY BODY WAS FEELING STIFF, SO I JUST...

DO YOU DANCE LIKE THAT OFTEN?

IT DEPENDS, BUT IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE DANCES.

HAVE YOU EVER PERFORMED IT IN FRONT OF OTHERS?

A FEW TIMES... BUT WHY DO YOU ASK...?

IT SEEMS SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER ME FROM THE FESTIVAL AT ALL.

WAS I THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED THE OTHER BACK THEN...?

...NO, IT'S NOTHING.

DON'T TELL ME HE'S GOING TO WARN ME AGAINST DOING SOMETHING SO UNDIGNIFIED NOW THAT I'M HOKAN'S TEACHER?!

BUT TAKING DANCING AWAY FROM ME WOULD BE LIKE LEAVING BEHIND AN EMPTY CHESTNUT SHELL!

I CAN PUT UP WITH ANYTHING ELSE, BUT NOT THIS...!!

TEACHER?

IS SHE FEELING UNWELL AGAIN?

I WAS GOING TO GIVE HER THE OINTMENT ANYWAY. I SHOULD HAVE HER RETURN TO HER ROOM, APPLY IT, AND REST.

I-I'M...

I'M SORRY!

WHAT?

I'M SORRY FOR COMING OUT WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE!

I'LL MAKE SURE TO REPORT IT PROPERLY NEXT TIME!

BUT I SIMPLY CAN'T GIVE UP DANCING!

OF COURSE, I UNDERSTAND THAT I NEED TO MAINTAIN MY DIGNITY AS A TEACHER!

SO IF MY DANCING BOTHERS YOU, I'LL BE AS DISCREET AS POSSIBLE!

WAIT, WHY WOULD YOU...

I'LL MAKE SURE TO STAY OUT OF YOUR GRACE'S SIGHT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

WHAT? THERE'S NO NEED TO...

I'M SORRY FOR TROUBLING YOU SO LATE AT NIGHT!

I'LL HURRY BACK TO MY ROOM NOW! GOOD NIGHT!

H-HEY! TEACHER!

...PERHAPS IT'S BECAUSE SHE'S A SQUIRREL, BUT SHE CERTAINLY IS QUICK.

I HAD NO INTENTION OF REPRIMANDING HER.

WHY DID SHE SUDDENLY REACT LIKE THAT?

AND BESIDES...

WHEN DID I EVER SAY HER DANCING BOTHERED ME...?

HE REACHED OUT TOWARD ME JUST NOW, DIDN'T HE?! MAYBE HE WAS GOING TO HIT ME BECAUSE I'D UPSET HIM!

I GOT SO SCARED THAT I RAN AWAY WITHOUT THINKING...

STILL, I PROMISED TO BE MORE CAREFUL FROM NOW ON, SO I HOPE HE’LL FORGIVE ME...!!

PLEASE BE GENEROUS AND LET IT SLIDE JUST THIS ONCE, YOUR GRACE~!

Aaaaah! Predators are scary~!

THE NEXT DAY.

YOUR GRACE, EVERYTHING IS READY.

WE'VE ALSO CLEARED THE ROUTE TO ENSURE THERE WON'T BE ANY TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY.

GOOD. WE'LL DEPART AS SOON AS THE TEACHER AND CHILDREN COME OUT.

HE LOOKS INCREDIBLY UPSET!

IS IT BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?!

TWO HOURS EARLIER, EARLY IN THE MORNING.

HE SEEMS TO BE IN GOOD ENOUGH CONDITION, SO WE'VE DECIDED TO DEPART AFTER BREAKFAST. Please get ready too, Teacher.

WE HAVE TO LEAVE, SO I CAN'T KEEP HIDING HERE FOREVER.

BUT I DON'T HAVE THE COURAGE TO FACE THAT PREDATOR WHEN HE LOOKS SO ANGRY! WHAT SHOULD I DO?

BIG SIIIS~ ARE YOU ALL READY?

JACK JACK!

BIG BROTHER HELPED CHIRPY GET DRESSED!

And Big Brother lent Chirpy clothes, too! Aren't they pretty?!

HMPH. YOU CAN'T EVEN FASTEN A SINGLE BUTTON PROPERLY. YOU'VE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO.

IF YOU KEEP RELYING ON OTHERS FOR HELP, YOU'LL NEVER BECOME AN IMPRESSIVE SQUIRREL.

WHAAAT?! I CAN BECOME A BIG, AMAZING SQUIRREL TOO! I DEFINITELY WILL!

I WONDER WHEN THAT'LL HAPPEN~?

I'LL PROBABLY BECOME A BIG TIGER BEFORE YOU DO!

NO! I'LL GROW UP FIRST!

NOOO! I TOLD YOU, I'LL GROW UP FIRST!

OH, BOYS, DON'T FIGHT.

YOU CAN BOTH GROW INTO INCREDIBLY STRONG BEASTFOLK, OKAY?

RIGHT, RIGHT! BIG SIS BELIEVES IN CHIRPY, RIGHT?!

OF COURSE I DO~!

I KNEW MY BIG SIS WAS THE BEST!

AH!

OH NO, I STILL HAVEN'T REGAINED MY STRENGTH, SO I CAN'T CATCH HIM PROPERLY.

NO! AT THIS RATE—

I'M GOING TO FALL!

...HUH?

IT DOESN'T HURT?

I WAS WONDERING WHY YOU WERE TAKING SO LONG TO COME OUT.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU DOING?

I REALLY CAN'T LET MY GUARD DOWN AROUND YOU FOR EVEN A MOMENT.

Ah! Y-YOUR GRACE!

WOW, YOUR GWACE! GOOD MORNIN'!

SIR!

SIR!

YESTERDAY, YOU SAID EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO SAY AND RAN OFF BEFORE I COULD RESPOND.

ARE YOU PLANNING TO RUN AWAY AGAIN?

N-NO, OF COURSE NOT...

Stop acting up, you idiot.

U-UM, ARE YOU PERHAPS STILL VERY ANGRY...?

Haha...

Ha...

HE'S STARING RIGHT AT ME!! HE WOULDN'T EAT ME JUST BECAUSE HE THINKS I'M BEING DISRESPECTFUL, WOULD HE?!

Hmm...

SHE SEEMS WEAKER THAN USUAL, BUT SINCE SHE'S MOVING AROUND, I SUPPOSE SHE NO LONGER NEEDS THE OINTMENT.

YOU SEEM TO BE MISUNDERSTANDING SOMETHING.

AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T INTERFERE WITH HOKAN'S EDUCATION, I DON'T PARTICULARLY CARE WHAT YOU DO.

HOWEVER,

YOU SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS.

IT'S TROUBLESOME IF YOU BECOME SO ABSORBED IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING THAT YOU DON'T EVEN NOTICE SOMEONE WATCHING YOU.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

Huh... So he's saying,

I CAN HAVE SOME FREEDOM AS LONG AS I STAY OUT OF SIGHT OF THE OTHER NOBLES?

Y-YES! UNDERSTOOD!

EITHER WAY, I'M ALLOWED TO DANCE! WHAT A RELIEF!

AND TAKE THIS.

HUH?

IT'S YOURS. GO PUT IT ON AND COME BACK. WE'RE SHORT ON TIME, SO HURRY.

PUT IT ON? WHAT IS THIS...?

TH-THIS IS...!!

UM...

ARE YOU REALLY GIVING THIS TO ME?

THESE CLOTHES LOOK INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE...

...YOUR GRACE?

...AH.

YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL! IT SUITS YOU PERFECTLY.

WOW, BIG SIS! YOU LOOK LIKE AN ANGWEL! AN ANGWEL!

YOU MEAN AN ANGEL.

Fortunately,

"IT FITS YOU WELL. I WAS WORRIED IT MIGHT BE TOO LONG.

ARE YOU SAYING MY ARMS AND LEGS ARE SHORT?

BUT YOU'RE GIVING ME THESE BECAUSE MY CLOTHES WERE RUINED, RIGHT?

Even the clothes I'm wearing now were lent to me by the innkeeper...

HER ORIGINAL CLOTHES ARE ALL IN TATTERS~

AND THE SPARE CLOTHES IN HER BAG WERE TORN TO SHREDS DURING THE PANACON ATTACK, TOO~

I APPRECIATE THE GESTURE, BUT... THIS SEEMS FAR TOO GENEROUS.

WHENEVER MY SUBORDINATES ACHIEVE OUTSTANDING RESULTS, I REWARD THEM ACCORDINGLY.

WHILE WE WERE AWAY, YOU DID AN EXCELLENT JOB PROTECTING THE CHILDREN.

Hehe! Our big sis is amazing, right?!

FACING A PANACON ALONE WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT EVEN FOR A PREDATORY BEASTFOLK.

YET YOU MANAGED TO DO IT.

I'M SIMPLY GIVING YOU THE REWARD YOU DESERVE.

SO I WON'T ENTERTAIN ANY OBJECTIONS.

ACCEPT IT WITHOUT FEELING BURDENED.

YOUR GRACE...

TO THINK HE'D GO THIS FAR TO SHOW CONSIDERATION FOR AN EMPLOYEE...

ALRIGHT. THEN I'LL GRATEFULLY ACCEPT IT.

Hehe...

HIS GRACE SEEMS FAR MORE THOUGHTFUL AND SINCERE THAN I EVER IMAGINED.

I FEEL BAD FOR MISTAKING HIM FOR A COLDHEARTED, MERCILESS PREDATOR ALL THIS TIME.

WE'RE NOT GIVING YOU MISS LULUBEL!

LET GO OF HER!

TEACHER BELONGS TO US!

YOU MAY WANT TO BELIEVE THAT, BUT THINGS DON'T ALWAYS GO THE WAY YOU WISH.

UNFORTUNATELY, FROM NOW ON-

LADY DERAMS IS MINE.

WH-

WHAAAAAT?!

Teacher belongs to us~!!

HE REALLY IS A THOUGHTFUL AND SINCERE EMPLOYER...

...RIGHT?!