Chapter 20: 18.1

Chapter 18.1

Mu'er's Shell!

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

 

Mu Mu’er then tells Bai Yao, with some discomfort, “I don’t feel, good.”

Bai Yao thinks that if he hasn’t turned into human for a long time, he wouldn’t have been dressed for a long time either. He’ll need some time to adapt. Still, running around naked is out of the question, so he tries to soothe him, “you’ll get used to it. If you take it off… You will be cold.”

Mu Mu’er then hesitantly lets his hands down, but remains restless for a little. When he thinks Bai Yao isn’t looking, dragging on the collar as well.

Bai Yao has so many questions to ask, and doesn’t even know where to start. Though before that, he notices the time on the clock of his cabinet, and realises he has barely enough time before the restaurant opens and he hasn’t done any prepping.

“I need to get ready making the meals downstairs. Can you wait for me up here by yourself?” He asks Mu Mu’er, relieved that they can finally communicate verbally.

Mu Mu’er tilts his head, “wait?”

… Well, ‘communicate’ might be putting it gently.

“Yes. If you’re hungry, you can come downstairs to me. I’ll make food for you,” Bai Yao gets up and heads downstairs, leaving the door ajar a little for Mu Mu’er, just in case he turns back into a sea otter who can’t open the door.

Though before he reaches the stairs, there are slow footsteps behind him. Bai Yao looks, and sees Mu Mu’er following him. His steps are still shaky, and he’s leaning on the wall for support.

The posture is kind of strange, too. It’s like he’s catwalking.

Bai Yao asks, “are you already hungry?”

Mu Mu’er slowly shakes his head at the question, and gives Bai Yao a hopeful look. Then he looks at the stairs. He’s not hungry, he just wants to be closer to Bai Yao, the only person he knows and to whom he has become dependent on.

It’s not a bad idea for him to be downstairs, as Bai Yao can keep an eye on him. He leads the way down, and tells Mu Mu’er to take it slow. He does not help prop Mu Mu’er along, but is walking slowly and looking back often to check on the boy.

His legs are obviously much better than an otter’s webbed feet, and he descends without too much issue.

He’s still carrying the shells and pebbles in his little pocket that Bai Yao put on the bedside cabinet.

Bai Yao wants to take them and keep them for him, but Mu Mu’er immediately moves away in response.

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He warily lifts his arm up to try and put them back in his pocket, but realises that he has no pocket under his armpit as a human, and dejectedly puts his arms back down.

It’d be terribly inconvenient to carry the pile of ‘trinkets’ around, so Bai Yao tells him he’s going to help put them away and is not going to throw them away.

Mu Mu’er doesn’t buy it, however, and his hands retract further. He anxiously proclaims, “Mu’er’s, shells.”

“Yes, they’re yours,” Bai Yao says, trying to make him relax, while casually wondering why the little sea otter is acting more like a hamster storing food for winter. Oh, not food, but junk.

Mu Mu’er seems to have mistaken Bai Yao for being unhappy, however, and seems to consider that he wants his treasures. He licks his lips, and then picks the least pretty shell among the bunch, and hesitantly puts it in Bai Yao’s hand.

“Just one… no, no more.”

The little hamster is trying to share his junk.

Bai Yao is amused, but he makes sure not to smile, to see if Mu Mu’er will give him more.

Mu Mu’er takes the silence as sign that it is not enough ‘tribute,’ and goes through the remaining shells, picking the second least pretty shell out.

Bai Yao happily takes it.

After the second one, Mu Mu’er gives him a third one, and a fourth, and a fifth…

Finally, only one remains. The large scallop shell Bai Yao pried open for him on the very first night. Mu Mu’er holds it in his arms like the most valuable treasure on Earth, and carefully scrutinises Bai Yao’s expression as he mumbles, “this, cannot. This must hide… Mu’er must hide.”

He looks like he could cry.

Bai Yao “?”

If he wants to hide something, it might not be the brightest of ideas to be telling him he’s going to hide it.

Mu Mu’er looks around and his eyes look out towards the back garden. He heads there almost with a hop in his step, and after turning, he sneakily pokes his head back out to see if Bai Yao is following him, only continuing with the next step when he sees Bai Yao is remaining where he is.

Bai Yao doesn’t move either, and with the handful of shells, actually waits almost 10 minutes standing in place like he’s possessed by a statue, when Mu Mu’er is finally back here. His hand is empty now, and he proudly proclaims, “I’m done!”

Well, ‘announce’ might be more appropriate, given his voice is barely louder than his meek speaking voice. He sounds quite elated, though.

Bai Yao can’t help but smile, and adds, like a doting parent, “yes, you did well. It will never be found.”

Mu Mu’er immediately makes a beaming smile with happy eyes at the praise.

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