Chapter 16
...Oh!
My body suddenly pitched forward, startling me.
It seems I fell asleep without realizing it.
I raise both hands overhead and stretch.
...Maybe it was my spine. It made an incredible crack.
Well, before I get to the next thing I need to do.
A wolf is still using my leg as a pillow.
"Hey, will you stay with me?"
At those rather wishful words, it lifts its head and looks at me.
Its face is as fierce as ever... and yet it looks cute.
My eyesight is 1.5 in both eyes!
That has nothing to do with this right now.
It growls.
Which is it? I don't know.
I'll just declare it my companion.
I won't let you go!
If we're companions, it needs a name.
"Can I give you a name?"
Grrr.
...I don't know.
I absolutely won't let you go!!
I'll just name it myself.
First, the largest wolf—the first one I met—is female.
Her fur is a little long and beautiful.
It isn't quite long enough to be called long-haired, though.
Her face is relatively scary... no, pretty fierce... though she's cute.
Her red eyes are her defining feature.
A deep crimson.
I look at the other wolves.
Two of them have the same coloring as the first wolf, one female and one male.
Maybe they're parent and child?
Then there's a black-furred one and a white-furred one, both male.
The dog has brown fur mixed with black, and seems to be male.
And the red bird, whose sex is unknown.
Now what should I do...? It's not like asking them would tell me.
Can I just name them without asking?
Red, huh... Such a vivid red...
Maybe I'll use kanji for their names.
The first wolf is "Koa."
Of the two with the same coloring as Koa, the female is "Soa" and the male is "Hio."
The black wolf is "Crow."
The white wolf is "Shion."
I give the wolves names while watching their reactions.
No problem... probably.
Next!
The only dog.
This one is big, too.
Not as big as the wolves, but I'd definitely lose if it stood on its hind legs.
Its coat is brown: "Chai."
Next, the red bird.
Its wing gradient is beautiful, so I'll give it a beautiful-sounding name... "Karen."
I named them without asking, but they don't mind, right?
...They seem okay with it.
...
Yeah, I got way too excited while coming up with names.
I guess I want to put off facing reality for just a little longer.
...Well, now that I've given them names... should I face reality?
No, just a little longer...