Oneechan, I’m worried about you.
I was dragged by two idiots to someone’s office. The owner of the room, who had a clearly neurotic vibe and wore glasses, looking a bit like an Afghan Hound, was visibly irritated. He’s probably working, and we’re likely bothering him...
Still, this country seems to default to half-beast forms. Everyone is fluffy and walks on two legs. I’ve hardly seen anyone in their human form. It’s all dog folks around here—could this be the ideal fluffy paradise?
While I was lost in such fluffy fantasies, the two idiots started talking.
“We acknowledge your strength, but a king needs more than just power!”
“That’s right! Next, you need to show your intelligence!”
“Intelligence? Uh, what are we doing? Also, I don’t even want to be king—”
“Which is why you’ll have a calculation duel with Dand, the smartest person in this country!”
“Dand, you’ll finish your work faster, so it’s two birds with one stone, right?”
The Afghan Hound man sighed deeply. For some reason, he reminded me of my father, who used to be a workaholic. This guy looks tired.
“Fine. Whoever finishes calculating this stack of documents first wins. Mistakes will add a five-second penalty—how about that?”
“Oh, um… I don’t mind. Uh, can I use this?”
Pochi has been learning the abacus from me and is pretty good at it. The Afghan Hound man didn’t seem to know what it was for but agreed anyway. He probably just wants this farce to end quickly.
Although Pochi said earlier he doesn’t want to be king, he got swept along and ended up competing in the calculation duel. I timed it using a magic device.
“Ready, go!”
An overwhelming victory.
The Afghan Hound man hadn’t even finished half his stack of documents. I double-checked, and Pochi got every single answer correct.
“Um…”
“What is it?”
The Afghan Hound man, whose pride was probably deeply wounded, looked even more irritated.
“You seem tired; why don’t you take a little break? My, um, older brother always has tea that’s great for recovery, and I can help you with the remaining documents…”
“………………”
“I mean, of course, there might be some documents I can’t help with, but… sir?”
“…………… Ugh… sniff…”
The Afghan Hound started crying.
“S-Sir!?”
“It’s not good… as one gets older, they become more emotional. The people around me are all fools who break things, demand budgets, and pile up my workload. Thank you. Just hearing your kind offer makes me happy.”
This Afghan Hound man seems like a good person. But he looks young—how old is he, really?
“O-Oniichan…”
Pochi looked at brother with teary eyes. Our brother sighed and called out to Gator.
“Gator.”
Gator nodded and examined the Afghan Hound man.
“He’s accumulated quite a bit of fatigue. Rather than Ru-sama’s herbal tea, the Ojousama’s outlandish porridge might be better.”
“... Outlandish porridge? I’ll make it, but… outlandish porridge? It’s not like it’s weird… I just used Leviathan dried fish for the broth…”
Muttering complaints, I started preparing porridge on the spot. I wanted to smack the two idiots, but the Afghan Hound man seemed like a good person. So, as usual, I added a little charm.
“Feel better soon~”
With that, the porridge shimmered in seven divine colors.
Even though it looked suspicious, the smell was so good that the Afghan Hound man ate it without hesitation. Maybe his lack of sleep impaired his judgment. Personally, I wouldn’t eat something like that. By now, everyone’s used to it, so no one says anything, but glowing food is definitely weird.
“… Thank you for the meal… It’s… so goooood!!”
The Afghan Hound man turned into a super Saiyan dog. Since he’s a long-haired breed, his fur standing on end was very noticeable.
“This is… overflowing with energy! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it! I can work!!”
Even as a super Saiyan, his focus is still on work. A true workaholic. The man powered through his tasks like a machine.
“Rosarin”
“You overdid it.”
“Ojousama… can’t you show some restraint?”
“Oneechan… is this okay?”
“………… (stunned)”
“………… (speechless)”
“………… (awkwardly silent)”
“You’re the one who told me to do it, Gator!”
“… I now regret saying that.”
No one’s on my side! But it’s not my fault! … Probably.
“Rosarin, you need to learn moderation and restraint…”
“It’s not my fault! It’s Shiva’s fault!!”
I decided to blame the absent god. It’s because of Shiva’s divine inspiration.
It’s not my fault! I just wanted to help him feel better, and he ended up *too* energetic!
“A-Anyway! Intelligence has been demonstrated!”
“But strength and intelligence alone are not enough!”
“Wait, huh? Don’t pull me!”
While we were all distracted by the shiny, rainbow porridge incident, Pochi got dragged away. Those two idiots are definitely getting smacked later. Looks like this is far from over.
What do you think about this chapter?
