Chapter 53

Every morning, after finishing breakfast, Noah and Temeraire would approach him slowly. Noah would be holding a ribbon in one hand, and Temeraire would be sitting in a chair, back to Yuichiro, as if to say, “Please begin.”

Under the pressure of their silence, Yuichiro reluctantly began to braid Temeraire’s hair, and both Noah and Temeraire let out small giggles as if they had planned it together. Their laughter was like a rolling candy, and it made Yuichiro’s heart itch terribly.

After he finished braiding Temeraire’s hair, Noah always tied the ribbon as the finishing touch. It seemed like a kind of ritual. By doing so, it felt like Noah and Temeraire were trying to tie something together.

But Yuichiro never asked Noah why he tied a ribbon in Temeraire’s hair, nor did he ask how they felt about each other. He felt that if the reason for it was made clear, the relationship between Noah and Temeraire, which was barely holding together, would be cut off. Perhaps it was the ambiguity that allowed their relationship to stay connected.

“Yuichiro, you’re kind.”

“Huh?”

Noah said those words unexpectedly during his afternoon nap on the bed after lunch. Yuichiro, taken aback by the suddenness of it, scowled deeply at Noah, who was lying next to him with his elbow propped up.

“I won’t ask anything.”

Yuichiro knew what Noah was trying to say, but he shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t understand and played dumb.

“What’s the point of asking anyway?”

With a sigh, Noah smiled and narrowed his eyes. He continued in a casual tone, “Lately, I’ve been learning about this country and neighboring countries from Temeraire.”

“I see.”

“I find it interesting to learn about the characteristics and specialties of each town and country. I used to have teachers assigned to me for each subject, but most of the lessons were like reading from the textbook, and I didn’t find them interesting, so I couldn’t remember them. But Temeraire is a good teacher, so it really sticks in my head.”

At Noah’s words of praise for Temeraire, Yuichiro glanced at him for a moment.

Without changing his expression, Noah continued to speak in a steady stream of words, “Temeraire doesn’t do anything dishonest. Even if he hates me or finds me detestable, he never lies or teaches me something wrong. He doesn’t do those despicable things.” Muttering to himself, Noah blinked once before looking directly at Yuichiro. “So I won’t do anything cowardly either.”

In response to those muttered words, Yuichiro remained silent for a few seconds before making a short grunt of agreement. He lay on his back with his arms as pillows, muttering towards the canopy above, “Do whatever you want.”

As if he didn’t care, he let out a yawn. Even though he acted nonchalant, he felt a faint warmth in his chest for some reason.

He then heard Noah’s happy laughter.

“I really like that about you, Yuichiro.”

“Shut up.”

“That’s what I mean.”

Immediately, a whispered voice could be heard in his ear, “You’re cute.”

Though he thought it was insane to call a man “cute,” he felt a restless sensation welling up in his chest. As he tried to close his eyes to hide it, Noah suddenly grabbed his shoulder. A soft sensation was pressed against his left cheek.

“Don’t just kiss me like that.”

While he had said to do as he pleased, he didn’t recall saying to kiss him as he pleased, so Yuichiro argued irritably.

But Noah didn’t seem to care and murmured curiously, “Yuichiro, did your cheek get softer?”

While saying that, Noah touched Yuichiro’s cheek without reservation. After brushing off Noah’s hand, he stroked his own cheek with his palm, and he felt that his skin deep inside had indeed become softer than before.

‘Hang on,’ he thought.

As Temeraire had said, he did feel that his body had been changing recently. Not his body per se, but the quality of his flesh. Previously, the flesh from the surface to his inside had been as hard as stone, but now his own flesh was slowly becoming softer. When he squeezed his thighs or upper arms, he felt a sensation of sinking deep into the flesh.

Then, he noticed that he was having less facial hair growth. He had been shaving every morning, but one morning he realized that there was no roughness on his jaw when he picked up the razor. Even when he stroked it with his palm, it felt smooth.

Nevertheless Yuichiro pretended not to notice these changes and muttered, “I’ve gained weight lately because I’ve been eating and sleeping.”

At Yuichiro’s words, Noah smiled happily and asked, “Do you like the food here?”

“Well, it’s delicious.”

Noah muttered “I see” with a look of intense pleasure, despite only having him said that the food was delicious.

“Which is tastier, the food in the world where Yuichiro came from or here?” Noah asked.

“I don’t know, they’re both similar,” Yuichiro replied coldly.

Watching Noah’s eyebrows droop rapidly and his shoulders slump, Yuichiro felt oddly panicked. He felt as though he had done something terrible. “But the water here is better,” Yuichiro quickly muttered, trying to conceal his unease.

Suddenly, Noah’s eyes lit up. “Really? Jeweld’s water is renowned even in other countries for its deliciousness. There may be many deserts, but there are clear water veins flowing underground, and a large river running through the heart of the country irrigates it. With so many crops growing, we’ve never even experienced a famine…if only there were no wars, this country would be a beautiful and prosperous land…,” Noah’s proud voice faded to a soft, melancholic tone. He had wanted to boast to Yuichiro about the good parts of his country, but the reality of the current situation had hit him.

Yuichiro watched as Noah’s expression clouded with sadness. For some reason, Yuichiro’s heart ached at the sight. He couldn’t just leave Noah alone, so he hesitantly reached out his hand and placed it on Noah’s head, patting him as if he were a large dog. He rubbed his palm roughly against Noah’s head, causing it to sway back and forth.

“Ah…my head’s spinning!” Noah exclaimed, laughing in delight.

For some reason, Yuichiro felt relieved that Noah’s sad expression had disappeared.

When he withdrew his hand, Noah murmured with his hand still on his head, “Yuichiro is kind,” saying the same thing before.

Yuichiro couldn’t understand how someone who had killed others could be called “kind.” He looked at Noah with a baffled expression, and Noah, blushing, continued to laugh.

“Until now, I used to hate this world. My mother not only didn’t love me but also hated me. On top of that, my brothers were trying to kill me, and I was being forced to become the king. It was as if everyone was saying, ‘It would have been better if you were never born,’ and living was incredibly difficult,” Noah spoke in a detached tone as Yuichiro let go of his head and gently took hold of Yuichiro’s pinky finger, almost hesitating to touch it.

“The world is narrow, dirty, dark, and so suffocating that it’s like being unable to breathe in mud. I used to think that everything, including this world and my cowardice, would be better off broken.”

Yuichiro listened silently to Noah’s emotionless words.

Despite his hatred for this world, Noah was willing to sacrifice his own life to protect his country and its people. Although Yuichiro didn’t want to admit it, perhaps Noah had the qualities of a true king.

Noah lifted his face and looked straight at Yuichiro. “But since I met you, Yuichiro, I’ve started to think that I don’t hate this world as much as I used to. It’s true that this world isn’t beautiful, but the sky I see with you is beautiful, and when I’m with you, I can breathe without any difficulty. I feel like it was worth living in this world just to meet you.”

Noah’s grip tightened around Yuichiro’s pinky finger. “Yuichiro, I love you. I really do.”

Yuichiro’s eyes widened at the unexpected confession. Noah burst out laughing at Yuichiro’s surprised expression and hugged him tightly.

“Hey, let go, idiot!” Yuichiro’s voice came out sharper than usual. Noah continued to laugh, completely unrestrained.

Yuichiro’s voice sounded strained and unfamiliar. Noah continued to laugh, unrestrained.

“I love you so much, Yuichiro! I’ll never let you go!”

Yuichiro felt a surge of irritation mixed with embarrassment. He bit his lower lip and glared down at the top of Noah’s head.

Then, Noah lifted his face and spoke seriously, “I’ll become someone who you can be proud of, Yuichiro. Please watch over me until the end.”

Noah’s determined voice made Yuichiro’s response stutter. To hide his embarrassment, he playfully slapped the back of Noah’s head. Suddenly, Noah yelled out, “Ouch!”

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Translator’s Notes

I really admire how the author employs subtle hints and insinuations in each arc’s title to foreshadow what’s to come. It’s fascinating how the title of this particular arc, “The Woven Relationship,” already gives us a glimpse into the intricacies of the relationship between the three main characters – the protagonist, Temeraire, and Noah.

While the title sets the tone for the arc, it’s fascinating how the author masterfully shifts the focus to different facets of the trio’s relationship as the story progresses. In this chapter, we see a deeper exploration of Noah’s and Temeraire’s dynamic, which is especially intriguing considering their complex history.

Anyway, what do you people think?