Please Wait Until Spring

Translator: Clover

Editor: Ferret Thao

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 7: Someday with someone

Rick woke with a rustling noise. His consciousness was as hazy as ever, but he knew he was clutching something desperately.

“Oh, shi……?”

Thick and muscular… It was Davis’s leg. For some reason, Rick was clinging tenaciously to Davis’s shins.

So, that was why he was dreaming of being swept down the river while clinging to a log.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

Rick looked at Davis as the words of apology rained down on him. Davis looked half-awake with his legs sprawled out. He was holding a smoked fish in his hand and was apparently chomping on it. 

Rick, in a daze, shook his head lazily.

Davis gobbled down the fish and put a few nuts on the bedside.

“Rick, you might want to put something in your belly.”

Rick was beckoned to come over, and he crawled over to Davis on all fours. He then wobbled to his feet and sat down.

“Here.”

With a snap, Davis cracked open the shell of a nut and held it out to Rick’s mouth.

Rick instinctively opened his mouth to say, “Ahhh.”

I’m not sure what to do

“Huh……”

Rick chewed the nuts well, swallowed them, and then was given another batch of nuts. In the middle of the repetition, Rick heard laughter, and his eyes, which were still half-closed, fluttered open.

“Your cheeks are all puffy.”

Davis poked Rick lightly on the cheek.

“I knew squirrels had cheek pouches, but they really do have a lot of room… It feels like I’ve tamed a wild squirrel.”

“Huh?”

“Here, this is the last one.”

“Oh…Oh? Ahhhh…”

Davis smiled, dazzling and gentle as the spring sunshine filtering through the trees, and then put the last nut in Rick’s mouth. Rick squirmed and chewed on the nut, unconsciously admiring the gentle smile.

After seeing him chomping on the last nut, Davis simply got out of bed and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

After checking that the door was closed, Rick plopped onto the bed in a daze. He hugged a large pillow nearby. A question mark appeared on his head as he mulled over something.

Oh, what the hell am I doing?

It had been a few days since Davis had tucked him in with his pats–Rick called it the “magic pat”.

Rick had been staying in Davis’s room. Yes, he had been there ever since. He had eaten some food, bathed a few times, and he was still there.

Of course, when he woke up after the first time, he had wanted to leave the room right away. But…

It’s too comfortable….!

Yes, when he slept with Davis, everything was too comfortable. 

The “magic pats” feel so good that I fall asleep within a few seconds. And when I’m hungry, he breaks open nuts for me to eat, and above all, his body is much more comfortable than a cushion. To my annoyance, I’ve been sleeping while hugging Davis more often than with my own tail lately. He has just the right amount of firmness and muscle, and a big, solid body. He makes me feel so safe.

Hugging, cuddling… Rick was enjoying one of the most wonderful hibernations he had had in recent years.

I don’t know when I’ve had such a happy hibernation…

As he laid on the bed, Rick stared blankly at the ceiling. He hadn’t slept in someone’s arms since…well, since his parents were gone. It was the same warmth that he felt when he slept on his father’s big back as a little boy, but they were somehow completely different.

I wonder if this is what it would be like to have a partner.

Someday, I will find someone who’d love me just like my parents. And if that person is also a species that needs hibernation, I wonder if we’d sleep like this: hugging and keeping each other warm.

Holding each other like this…..

Rick held the pillow close to his chest and hugged it tightly. He looked at the pillow as if it were his future partner.

He’d stroke her back gently, kiss her on the forehead as she’d giggle, and before they knew it, they’d be asleep. Then spring would come.

When I have someone to love one day, I’m sure it will be like this….

“Rick.”

A low, gentle voice echoed in his ears. Yes, the fuzzy lover with small features suddenly had transformed into a handsome bear beastman.

….Ugh, wha..?!

Rick got up in a panic.

He had accidentally closed his eyes and dozed off. He wiped his drooling mouth and felt his throbbing chest.

I thought I was imagining a cute little beastwoman of the same species as myself, but why, oh why, had it turned into that big Davis?

Why? Why Mr. Davis?

Rick couldn’t understand what he was dreaming about, so he clutched his head and slumped against the soft pillow.

“Rick?”

“Hiiieee!!”

A voice called out from behind him. Rick jumped up and turned around to see that it was of course the owner of the room, Davis.

He looked as if warm steam was rising from his body. Apparently, he had come straight back to the room after taking a bath.

“You’ve already finished your bath, haven’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. Rick, you got up and waited for me the whole time?”

“Wait…”

It’s not that I was waiting for you… 

But Rick nodded vaguely anyway. He thought it would be weird to get pissed off and deny it. 

Just do it normally. Normal, normal…

“…I see.”

Don’t smile so happily…!

No, that was okay. There was no problem with Davis. If there were a problem, it was with Rick. Rick’s heart was fluttering at the sight of Davis’s smile.

“You should go take a bath, Rick. I’ll change the sheets while you’re in there.”

Rick looked over to see a fresh set of folded sheets hanging in Davis’s hand. He knew he needed to wash up but couldn’t just leave it all up to Davis. He had been taking care of Rick for a while now, so Rick thought he’d at least help with this.

“Me too…”

“If you don’t take a bath soon, I’m going to put you back to sleep.”

With a mischievous face, Davis put his hand under Rick’s waist and lifted him up.

“Oh, Wha..!”

After hanging in midair, he was slowly lowered to the floor. His feet slipped into a pair of slippers, and Rick wondered when Davis had brought Rick’s slippers to the room. But before he could ask anything else, Davis pushed him on the back and urged, “Come on.”

Unable to say anything else, Rick nodded, “Yes… yes.” and slunk out of the room dejectedly.

.

.

.

He took a bath and felt refreshed. As his mind cleared up a bit,  Rick crossed his arms and lumbered down the hallway.

No, no, no…It’s not the time to say that it’s comfortable.

I can tell that Davis is a very kind man, despite his appearance. I must have accidentally snuck into his bedroom–into his bed–and he accepted me as a guest and even tucked me in.

You can’t just take advantage of that kindness. I mean, there’s something wrong with…

It’s strange, isn’t it? It’s funny how two men fell asleep together in one bed.

It’s…strange, isn’t it? It’s kinda crazy, right?

Rick bit his lower lip, not sure what to say, but he was going to say it. Because crazy was only subjective, and it didn’t even include how Rick actually felt about the situation. 

What do I want to do?

It’s that just…

His feet, which had been moving hurriedly, slowed down.

No matter how lost in thought or sleepy you are, you will never take the wrong road to your room again. And by “your room,” I mean Davis’ room. 

The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of Davis’ room.

“…”

The hand on the doorknob was slightly hesitant to open the door. 

“I’m going back to the room I’m renting,” he mumbled. 

It’s not Davis’ legs, arms, or neck that I should be hugging. It’s my own tail and stuffed squirrel.

He took a deep breath and pulled the door open with all his might.

“Mr. Davis.”

The warm, fluffy air enveloped Rick’s entire body.

Davis was sitting on the bed, flipping through a magazine. When he noticed that Rick had come into the room, he raised his gaze, and his eyes lit up.

“Welcome back.”

Rick blinked at the unexpected words.