Chapter 21: Poof?

Chapter 21: Poof?

As Sevi gently petted the fox, its trembling began to subside slightly, and he continued his search for clues about Noemi's whereabouts. He carefully examined the room, noting the state of disarray.

Sevi gently petted the fox, trying to calm it down. 

 "You're going to be okay."

Sevi continued to comfort the small black fox, carefully wrapping it in a warm blanket and providing it with some water.

On a side table, Sevi found a half-eaten sandwich and a cup of tea that had gone cold. 

'What's with these empty medicine bottles?' Sevi's attention was drawn to a partially open drawer containing several empty medicine bottles. 

It was clear that Noemi had been taking medication recently, and the accumulation of bottles suggested she had been under treatment for some time. 

 As he examined them more closely, he noticed that while most were the same, there was one bottle that looked almost identical to the rest but had a different label.

Poof!

'What's that sound?'

Sevi was sitting on the edge of the bed, intently studying the medicine bottles on the side table when he heard a sudden, soft poof.

His turned behind, where the black fox had been nestled. To his astonishment, the fox vanished in a puff of smoke, and in its place lay Noemi, wrapped in a blanket but is naked underneath due to the transformation.

His eyes widened in surprise, and he froze momentarily, unsure of how to react. 

The blanket, however, was too short and did not fully cover Noemi's body, revealing more of her skin than Sevi was comfortable with. 

'Too much skin...!'

His face turned bright red, and he quickly looked away, his heart pounding with embarrassment.

Noemi's eyes fluttered open, and she looked at Sevi with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"Sevi? What... what's going on?"

Trying to regain his composure, Sevi mumbled, "Oh no, I didn't mean to—uh, sorry! I'll just—"

He scrambled to his feet, grabbing a nearby chair and awkwardly placing it in front of Noemi to shield her from view. He then turned to the side, focusing intently on the medicine bottles again to avoid looking in her direction.

Noemi's eyes widened in embarrassment as she realized her situation, her cheeks flushing with a deep pink. Despite her confusion, she managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Sevi. I... I didn't expect this."

'She knows how to say thank you?'

Sevi, still trying to avoid looking directly at Noemi, adjusted his gaze towards the scattered clothes. 

"I'll, uh, just step outside for a moment so you can get dressed. I'll be right here if you need anything."

He quickly moved towards the door, but not before placing the clothes neatly on the bed beside Noemi.

As he opened the door slightly, he called out to her, "Let me know when you're ready, and I'll be right back in."

With that, he stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him but leaving a crack open so that he could hear if Noemi needed any help. 

'The black fox turned into Noemi..? What kind of fantasy world is this.'

'Oh yeah, this is a fantasy world.'

Sevi leaned against the wall, trying to calm his racing heart and regain his composure.

'But how did she ended up in that situation?'

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Sevi's heart skipped a beat as he looked towards the door, hoping it would be Noemi signaling that she was ready.

A few moments later, the door creaked open slightly, and Noemi's voice, though still a bit shaky, came through.

"Sevi? I'm dressed now. You can come back in."

Sevi straightened up, his face still flushed but his concern more focused now. He opened the door and walked back into the room.

Noemi was sitting on the bed, now dressed in a simple but neat outfit. He noticed the subtle signs of fatigue on Noemi's face and approached her with a gentle demeanor.

"I came to check on you," Sevi said softly, taking a seat beside her.

"You missed class today, and it's not like you to skip class."

Noemi glanced at him, her tired eyes reflecting her current state. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Noemi's eyes met Sevi's, and she seemed to recall something from earlier.

 A small, grateful smile appeared on her lips. "Oh, right... I remember now. You were really kind to me earlier, when I was... well, when I was in my fox form." 

"Ugghh, I really don't want my fox form to be seen." Noemi said in slight embarrassment.

"Your fox form? I didn't even realize that was you until you transformed." Sevi replied.

"Wait, you didn't know that I was a half-beastman?" Noemi's asked, her expression showing a hint of confusion.

Sevi shook his head, "I did know you were a half-beastman, but I didn't know you were specifically a half-fox. I only realized it was you when you changed back. It makes sense now."

Noemi sighed in relief, though she still looked a bit embarrassed. "I see."

"But if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened earlier? You seemed pretty shaken up when you were in your fox form."

Noemi's expression turned thoughtful, and she hesitated for a moment before speaking. 

Noemi glanced towards the drawer where several medicine bottles were neatly arranged.

"See those bottles in the drawer? They're what I use to manage my transformations... To suppress my fox form."

'Suppress her fox form...?'

Sevi looked over at the drawer, then back at Noemi with interest.

"Since I'm a half-beastman, I can't fully control when I change. It's often triggered by strong emotions..." Noemi paused and glanced over to Sevi.

"...The medicine helps to regulate it, but for some reason, it didn't work today." She continued.

Sevi's concern deepened. Then he remembered something peculiar. 

"Wait a minute, Noemi. I noticed one of the bottles looked slightly different from the others. It was almost the same but had a different label. Could that be related?"

"Different label? Are you sure?" Noemi replied, a confused look in her face.

Sevi nodded. "Yeah, it caught my eye because it looked almost identical to the rest, but the label had a different color scheme. Maybe it was a different formula or something?"

Noemi quickly went to the drawer and rummaged through the bottles. Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled out one bottle that indeed had a slightly different label.

She read it carefully and her face paled. 

"This... this isn't my usual medicine." She looked up at Sevi, her expression filled with alarm. 

"This is actually quite toxic to a beastman. It can cause a fever when consumed."

 "Toxic? How did it get mixed in with your regular medicine?" Sevi said as his eyes narrowed.

Noemi shook her head, clearly distressed. "...I didn't buy this bottle. Someone must have switched it."

Sevi became more concerned. "Switched? Why?"

Noemi's eyes became more serious. "It's possible. Many humans hate beastmen, especially half-beastmen like me." 

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