The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 20: The Ear of Beast-kin is Harder To Dry

As my body started its backward descent, my senses kicked into overdrive, and the blood that rushed through my eyes began to let me see time in slow motion, as if they were trying to prolong the inevitable.

In the midst of this impending danger, I caught the sight of that woman.

She abandoned her sandwich and dashed toward me, her movements abrupt yet purposeful.

The sandwich, a mundane object in any other circumstance, underwent a peculiar metamorphosis mid-air, akin to a transformer turning into their second form. It split apart, revealing an olive nestled between layers of lettuce and tomato. An odd choice for a sandwich.

Before I could even ponder her taste in sandwiches, her hand was inches away from my collar.

'Ah.'

Was she attempting to rescue me from me being fallen into the water, or merely trying to seize me for some unknown purpose? 

Despite her earlier apology, some doubts still lingered in my mind.

Similar doubts clouded my perception of this woman, presumably a fellow guild member of that kidnapper who turned me into a cat girl. Regardless of her intentions, accepting her aid was not a notion that crossed my mind.

Drawing upon my heightened reflexes, I maneuvered my body to evade her grasp.

Whoosh—

Her hand grasped nothing but air, her widened eyes betraying her surprise.

Whoah. I actually managed to escape her clutch.

Go me.

As I prepared to vocalize my astonishment, I descended into the pond with a resounding splash.

"Uh—!"

No sense in panicking over a mere dip in the water. The pond, tranquil and clear, seemed to have been purified by some enchantment.

However, panic seized me when water infiltrated my animal ears.

"Pfah!"

Struggling to maintain composure, I rose to my feet in the waist-deep water.

"~~**!!@–"

The water that clogged my ears made me unable to hear what the woman's trying to say.

Was she gesturing for me to take her hand and come out? What if she pushes me again after I grab her hand?

Reluctant to accept her assistance, I opted to ascend the well-kept brick wall lining the pond.

Her actions seemed more likely to be malevolent than friendly.

"......"

Had my refusal offended her?

She continued to reach out, her gaze unwavering, but I remained indifferent to her presence.

The dilemma of waterlogged ears plagued my thoughts. For a human, a simple hop might suffice, but how does one rid animal ears of water?

Vainly, I attempted to shake the water loose, to no avail.

Desperation led me to crouch down, massaging my ears in a futile attempt to drain them.

'Ah.'

Slowly but surely, the water began to recede.

It seemed I would be stuck in this undignified position for a while longer.

✱✱✱

Yu-na, being a mage, had excellent memory and comprehension.

Therefore, she fully understood what had just happened with the child.