Plin Ch 2.22

Did it do any good to come here?

After saying he needed to go buy medicinal herbs, the fox had hurried off to work, and he had come to the market with him. And Hugo was quite shocked by the market scene that unfolded.

It was a very narrow and noisy street. The floor of the winter market was slushy with snow, which stuck to his shoes. It was the first time he had realized that when white snow is left to melt and be trampled on, it looks so dark and like filth. He was bothered by his long coat, which was not very mobile, and by his leather shoes, which were getting wet.

There was no planned design to be found, and shabby stalls and crude signboards decorated in all sorts of colors whizzed by. The overall saturation was low due to the accumulation of grime. It was probably because the original colors had been lost as dust accumulated, rain and snow marks were etched, and rust formed.

It was strange that they were selling food products out on the street. Cars emit exhaust fumes, there’s air pollution and dust floating in the air, and people cough and minute saliva droplets fly around.

In the meat section, they even hung the slaughtered meat in the air, which was grotesque. It’s not like they were holding a modern art exhibition in the marketplace… The reality of life that commoners face is so raw.

“Executive Director, if you go a little further, there’s a restaurant.”

Plin, who had stopped, turned around and shouted loudly. Hugo was following behind, holding Plin’s tail. The herbal medicine corner was located in a very narrow alley, and there were many people, so they couldn’t walk side by side.

Looking around with a tired look, he seemed like a lost child who had been dropped off in an unfitting place. Plin felt a slight pain in his tightly grasped tail and hurried his steps.

Plin thought that Hugo had grabbed his tail to avoid getting lost, but in fact, he had roughly grabbed it because he didn’t want the tip of the fox’s tail to touch other people. The fox was good at finding his way through this maze-like path.

There were too many other people who didn’t respect his personal space, which was annoying, but he enjoyed the natural skinship of holding the fox’s tail.

Also, because it was noisy, they didn’t seem awkward with each other. These days, when he was alone with Plin, he often ran out of things to say, and the atmosphere often became awkward, but now he didn’t have time to worry about the atmosphere. It’s a good place for a commoner couple starting out to date.

After buying the herbs, they went to a restaurant for dinner, which was a meat skewer restaurant. As soon as he entered, he was hit with an unpleasantly strong smell of meat. The ventilation system didn’t seem to be working, and the smoke was so thick that it made his eyes sting a little. The air was heavy, as if oil particles were floating in the air.

The tables were full, and only one seat was left.

Hugo and Plin sat facing each other. The waiter came and cleared the table of the leftover alcohol, sauce-stained dishes, and other traces left by the previous customer.

“You like meat too, Executive Director.”

“Yeah. I only eat meat.”

“Yes. I thought so.”

Plin looked at the menu on the table with a slightly nervous expression. Then he said to the elderly man who came to take their order.

“40 chicken skewers, no… 60.”

“That many?”

“Yes…”

Plin’s voice, answering, trembled slightly for some reason.

“Alright. It will take some time to serve them all at once, so I’ll cook them in batches of twenty and bring them to you.”

“Okay.”

The person who was about to turn around suddenly looked at Hugo and asked.

“By the way, what species is the handsome one there? Are you two friends?”

It was a rude question to ask someone you had just met. However, Hugo was a complete stranger here. Considering the commoner’s place, the commoner’s language habits, and the commoner’s sense of solidarity, perhaps it wasn’t rude. Hugo, who was a novice when it came to commoners, looked at Plin. As expected, Plin didn’t seem to mind. If he showed his displeasure here, the fox would be uncomfortable.

Hugo wiped his hands with a wet towel and casually answered.

“Dragonewt. Boyfriend.”

At Hugo’s words, Plin and the waiter were surprised. Even though society had become more open, there was no such thing as having no prejudice against homos*xuality, but Hugo was completely unfazed. The man changed the subject.

“Wow. It’s my first time seeing a dragon. I guess that’s why you’re so handsome.”

He had already responded once, and he felt annoyed that the person was talking to him again. Yellow light flashed in Hugo’s eyes, and they narrowed into slits.

“Even if I were an anteater, I would still be handsome. What do you know to make such a definitive statement?”

“Ah. I see. I apologize.”

He had mustered up all his patience and answered kindly, but the person turned pale and left.

“I didn’t know you were mixed. I thought you were just a dragonewt.”

“You didn’t ask.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Why are you so white, for a fox?”

“I don’t know. Both my parents are brown foxes.”

Plin answered honestly. Hugo sat in the uncomfortable chair, crossed his legs, and looked at the white fox. He was wearing a worn-out padded jacket, and next to him was a plastic bag full of cheap herbs. He really fit in with a place like this. If he weren’t a white fox, would he be having such a low-class relationship? He was experiencing all sorts of things.

“Do you have any relatives, or any other white foxes you know?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Just because.”

Plin lowered his head, not wanting to answer.

“You can ask me some questions too. It’s embarrassing.”

“…..”

He was still silent. And he drooped his ears. He wasn’t here to have this kind of atmosphere.

“I won’t ask anymore. Okay?”

“Foxes hate white foxes.”

“…Yeah.”

Hugo knew that white foxes were ostracized by their packs because he had thoroughly researched them. He didn’t know exactly why, though.

“In the old days, the spouses of white foxes always died early. So they thought white foxes were cursed.”

“Cursed, all of a sudden?”

“Foxes value family.”

“Who doesn’t value family? Anyway, you’re so particular.”

Hugo clicked his tongue and expressed his annoyance.

“And it’s a superstition.”

A hint of frustration flashed in the fox’s eyes.

“Yeah.”

“But they still believe it. I also… thought it might be true when my parents died early in a car accident.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, that’s why I don’t have any fox friends.”

“…..”

It was a sadder backstory than he expected, and Hugo looked away for a moment, choosing his words of comfort.

“I have dog, wolf, and raccoon friends.”

“Right. Um… it would be good if you could get along, with them.”

Hugo barely managed to comfort him. The fox revealed his painful past and told his story, but he was at a loss for words because it was his first time comforting someone and because of his introverted personality.

There was silence again. To endure this atmosphere, Hugo imagined the scene of the canids of similar sizes gathered together. Plin’s tail would probably be the fluffiest among them. His only competitor would be the striped raccoon.

Just then, the chicken skewers, dripping with juice, arrived. There were some burnt parts, and they were served on aluminum foil, which made him worry about environmental hormones. And he wondered where the wood for the skewers came from.

Plin picked up a chicken skewer and twitched his ears.

“This is really delicious. And warm.”

“Yeah, are you? I’m looking forward to it.”

Hugo said, barely moving his lips, almost like a ventriloquist.

He was in the middle of self-hypnosis.

I can eat that commoner food deliciously. That commoner food is no different from the 5-star Michelin food I usually eat, it’s edible food. It’s delicious.

In between his meditations, he had thoughts like, ‘No, how can you put that cheap chicken skewer in your mouth, where you don’t even know how the meat was produced, for only 10 pelons for 10 skewers? I want to throw it in the trash’, but he thought that the fox might get hurt, so he forced the cheap skewer into his mouth.

He thought that if he had to go through this kind of hardship to date a fox, he should take this opportunity to improve the fox’s palate so that he wouldn’t be dragged to such places in the future.

Plin ate 7 chicken skewers, and Hugo ate 53. He wasn’t really full, and he could eat more if he wanted to, but he didn’t want to eat any more cheap food, so he didn’t order more.

“I’ll pay for this.”

The fox said, holding the bill. He said it boldly, but his hands were trembling. It was the same hand that had been trembling when he ordered 60 chicken skewers.

“It’s fine.”

Hugo casually took out his card.

“No. I’ll pay. I want to.”

“This kind of thing is nothing to me, so put it away.”

“Still. You gave me a gift. And the refrigerator.”

“Do you really want to?”

“Yes. I’ll buy you something better next time.”

The fox looked up at him with his brown eyes and smiled. Two pointed canines were visible. It wasn’t much, just cheap commoner food, but he was a little impressed that he insisted on paying for it himself.

He usually believed that gifts should be good, but he wondered what this feeling was, being happy even when receiving something insignificant.

Hugo thought about it for a moment and realized what the similar feeling was. This was like the feeling of a father being moved by his son giving him a gift bought with his allowance. He felt something akin to fatherly love, so the fox was a real charmer. He felt a bit wary.

After dinner, Hugo drove Plin home. This part was similar to an ordinary relationship. But the problem was that for some reason, he found it difficult to be bold with physical intimacy. It was clear that he had stormed this house on the first day and slept with him, but now he was inexplicably cautious. Even if he wanted to just go for it, it was just an impulse, and when it came down to it, he couldn’t act recklessly.

“Today was fun. I enjoyed the chicken skewers, too.”

“Yes. Executive Director. Me, too. Thank you for the ride home, it was comfortable.”

“Sleep well, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes. You too, Executive Director.”

Plin really turned his back. How could he not even suggest having a cup of tea or something?

“Mr. Fox.”

“Yes?”

“Am I really just going to leave like this?”

“What do you mean…?”

Hugo was bewildered. It seemed like he really had no intention of inviting him into his house. That innocence made him lose his appetite. It was too much. Had he been the only one thinking about it all the way from the market? A feeling of shame washed over him. Hugo grabbed Plin’s shoulder as a last resort.

As Plin looked up, he leaned down. He was going to kiss him, but he was so startled and his hair stood on end, so he just gave him a peck like a child.

When he got back in the car, he felt a frustrating tightness in his chest, as if he were suffering from heartburn. This isn’t right. Why? I need to eat the fox’s bodily fluids, not just let this go.

Sensing Hugo’s gloominess, Thibeau, with his usual tact, asked while driving.

“Why are you acting so reserved now?”

“…What can I do? I feel shy. You know my personality.”

Hugo fidgeted with his large fingers, which didn’t suit him. Thibeau snorted and said, “Yeah, sure. That personality is exactly why you don’t have any friends.”

He had few friends due to his frequent absences, his habit of scorning everyone, and his foul mouth that spat out whatever he thought, but Thibeau had been able to put up with him since Hugo was a child.

The culprit who always said, ‘It’s because the master has such an introverted personality that he has no friends,’ was Thibeau himself.

Still, he thought he knew the real reason. Who would have guessed he had brainwashed himself into believing whatever suited him best?

He was so clumsy with his emotions, what was he going to do? Thibeau was about to nag him, but he stopped. He would probably just eat Fox Love Drink and mast*rbate and sleep again tonight.

***