I blinked.
There's a vague human-looking shadow in my room. About adult tall, with no definite feature. Just that it's vaguely human-shaped and has striking red eyes that glows in the dark.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Master? Are you awake? It's nine already."
Oh that's Asher and---WHAT?! IT'S NINE ALREADY?! "DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO WAKE ME AT SIX OR SIX THIRTY?!" I yelled as I racing to bathroom and turned the water into hot. Bless the geniuses mind and human's nature to create creature comfort. This world know jackshit about electricity, but Fire Stone and magic enchantments were a thing. I can enjoy a hot bath. Still, I didn't spend time dilly-dallying. I scrub myself raw, wash the soap, brush my teeth, and the dry myself before open the door and meet a very amused Asher handing me the winter casual clothes.
"Pardon me, Master, but you look so peaceful I don't have heart to do it."
"Bullshit."
"Language, Master."
"You can say that if Father didn't woke up the entire mansion with swearing. At three in the morning."
And boy, my father know how to swear like a sailor.
Nobody can blame him, though. He had to pull late hour dealing with paperwork and only have two hour sleep before some idiots nearly cause fire in market area. The resulting paperwork made everyone but mom and Mr. Winsley avoids him like plague.
I mean, he has this bother-me-and-I-will-bite-your-head-off vibe rolling in waves.
"And you deliberately didn't wake me up so I won't be cooking, right?"
"A Master shouldn't cooking if he had servant to do the job."
I growled at him.
It was one thing we didn't agree upon. Me cooking for us. Asher had take one look at me in makeshift apron, cooking dinner, and throw a fit and spiels on how I should leave this to him because bla bla bla bla bla bla. I replied by shoving the egg on his mouth.
I like cooking, ok? In my previous life, I learned cooking because I like making pretty and yummy bento. It was my lifesaver when I was in college and living alone. Buying take-outs and konbini bento is painful for wallet. And unhealthy. Buying food ingredients and cooking is much cheaper and better for me and my wallet.
In this life I haven't got the chance to cook. I respect the chef in the mansion too much to stepped on their toes. That and I was too busy learning all I can get. Here? Here I should have had free reign over kitchen. This is MY house dammit! Paid by my own money! Why I am not. If I am a kitchen disaster then I could understand, but I am a decent cook!
Lesson learned, do not rely on Asher to wake me up. Go to bed early so I can wake up at crack ass dawn.
"Come on Master, the food is getting cold."
Cold? Oh, I'll show you cold. Maybe if I bury you in the snow for half an hour you will see—huh. Where did that shadow gone? Ah, probably I was just half awake.
~X~
Winter means there's less activities to do.
Back at Japan, if I don't have class or project, I usually bundled in my apartment (or house, back before college), using Kotatsu, while playing handphone or laptop or watching TV. If I feels like going out, I usually go Ice skating or going to cat cafe or manga cafe.
Here? I can't do those. One, I don't have Kotatsu. Two, this world's technology is not as advance as Japan. Forget phone, laptop, or TV. The communication is on par with Dial up Phone, only without cables. Three. Cafe? Does that exist? Even if they does, I feel too lazy to get out from my home. Maybe next week or so. Manga doesn't exist here. And Asher is a canine of some kind, I doubt he appreciate it if I petted cats.
Now, what to do?
Reading books? Bah. If I read them now, I'll run out of books to read come spring. There's still two months of Winter ahead. Plus, boring.
Maybe painting? But I don't have crayons, pencil color, or paint. I forgot to buy those and no way I'm spending money this month. Next month, yes, but I already spent so much this month.
Playing music? Nahh... not in the mood. Maybe later. When I'm done nursing gurdge against Asher.
Cooking? Making sweets? Oh, love it. Plus, I can make lunch on the way too. But... Ughhh... I forgot to buy more... detailed cooking ingredients. Like corn starch and such. Plus, I need to distract Asher from kitchen, but HOW?!
Maybe if I tires him out... hmm...
Looking up at the snow-covered yard, I feel my mouth stretched in a grin.
"Master?"
"Hey, Asher." I said, "Have you ever made Snowman? Or Snowball fight?"
Four hours later, Asher was laying on the carpet, near the fireplace, buried under blanket that he resembles a burito. Or sushi. Or rolled cake. Thing is, he was wrapped tightly I can only see his face. Oh, and there's some snow stuck on his hair. Hard to see since his hair is silver color.
I feels bad about this... but it wasn't my fault okay?! Totally not my fault the tree he hides under decides to drop piles of snow on him. Totally not my fault! He's the one who made war cry! I know for a fact gunshots can cause avalanche.
I left him alone in the living room, and heading to kitchen.
Let's see... tea, milk, cocoa... umm... Asher is beastman... does he has allergy to some food or what? I know that chocolate and garlic are poisonous to dog, but Asher is partial human... is he lactose intolerant or not?! Before I handed out orange juice since I know he can drink it without much problem.
You know what? I'm gonna make sandwich and warm milk and see if it fine with him. It wasn't even hard. Just some slices of bread, cooked bacon, lettuce, and sliced tomato. And I'm just warming up the milk in the cooking pan.
When I brought it to living room, Asher was torn between glaring at me for tricking him, and being grateful. I just shrugged and put down the plate and glass, before unwrap him.
"...you are not lactose intolerant, do you?" I ask him carefully.
"Lactose Intolerant?"
"Allergy to dairy products, mainly milk."
"Nah. I'm fine." He replied. "Beastkin is tougher than what do you think."
"Yes... in physical sense. I'm talking about food allergy or stuff. I mean, is onions and chocolate poisonous or can you eat them?"
He paused.
"Uhm... Onion is fine... but not too much or too often. Maybe once in every month? And Chocolate is not poisonous. It just... made my kin rather... active... or so people said. Dunno what they means by "active"." Wow. I can hear the quotations here. I really do. So... Active as in Hyperactive or Active as in...? "No one tell me what kind of "Active". I've even tried asking Master Leonard, and all he do was turned red and told me I should have waited until I'm fourteen or fifteen."
What does that...
....
...oh.
I feels heat rushing to my cheeks.
"Auh. Umm... right." I coughed awkwardly. "I gotta... use the bathroom."
Before he can say anything, I bolted out of room. Not at the bathroom, but at the kitchen.
I hid the jar filled with cocoa powder inside the lower cabinet. Hidden it in the corner and then cover it with other stuff. The kind that hopefully could hide its scent.
No way. Totally no way I am letting him take whiff on it. And I will never serve him chocolate, or allows him to ingest anything. I still can't believe it was aphrodisiac to his kin!
...
...wait a minute.
If chocolate is aphrodisiac to him, what else? SHIT! I take him under my wings without knowing how Beastman biology works! Normal stuff for me could be poisons or worse for him! Gah! Idiot idiot idiot!
Good thing I remember You Don't Give Chocolate to Dog rule, or I'll have aroused-but-confused beastman on my lap. Like, literally on my lap! That would be awkward as hell and ugh... Definitely not touching that stuff until puberty properly hit us.
(And yes, I'm salty about going through puberty twice)
New Plan: Find anything and everything related to beastman. Something about their habit, ability, and so on and so on. Interrogate Asher if I had to. I'm not letting this happens again. Not if I can prevent this.
Now, where's the library?
TBC