Chapter 5

A Night in the Forest?

Kazuki sighed, moving closer to the small campfire, warming his slightly trembling hands. The night grew darker, and the cold pierced through, despite the fire's flickering attempt to fight it off.

The clothes he wore now were nothing more than a few large leaves and torn fabric, making his appearance ridiculously indecent.

Uncomfortable, but at least enough to cover himself. Every time the wind blew, he had to resist the urge to shiver. But compared to that discomfort, something else occupied his mind.

Kazuki lifted his head slightly, sneaking a glance at Reiji. His best friend had been sitting quietly for a while now, but something felt... off.

"Why won't he look at me?" Kazuki frowned slightly.

Reiji, who was usually calm and unaffected by anything, now had his head turned away, his face tinged with a faint red.

This... was strange.

Kazuki had known Reiji since childhood. He knew for a fact that the guy wasn't the type to blush easily, especially over something trivial.

But now, his reaction was completely unusual. A mischievous smile crept onto Kazuki's lips.

"Don't tell me… he's blushing because of me?" he thought, barely holding back a laugh.

He couldn't resist teasing him. If Reiji really was flustered, this was a golden opportunity that he couldn't pass up.

"Alright, let's test this out."

Kazuki scooted closer with an innocent expression.

"Re-i-ji~" he called, his tone slightly playful.

Reiji glanced at him briefly before turning away again. This time, Kazuki caught a clear view of his ears, which were now slightly red.

"Oh? This is getting interesting."

Kazuki was even more intrigued. He cupped his cheeks with both hands, blinking a few times in an exaggeratedly cute manner.

"Do I look adorable?" he teased, trying to mimic the kind of innocent expressions he often saw in anime.

On the outside, Kazuki played along with his act. But inside? He was cringing.

"This is humiliating. I'm a man, damn it."

But he endured it.

Reiji remained silent, though Kazuki noticed how his jaw tensed slightly, as if he were holding something back. This only made the game more fun.

Kazuki wasn't done yet. He raised both hands, curling his fingers like cat paws before inching even closer.

"Nyaa~ Reiji~" he meowed in a deliberately cute voice.

This time, Reiji closed his eyes briefly before letting out a deep sigh.

"Kazuki… I'm serious. Stop it," his voice was flat, but there was a faint tremor in it, as if he was struggling to maintain his composure.

"Not enough. This guy is tougher than I thought." Kazuki pouted.

But he wasn't giving up yet. He still had one last trick—an ultimate move that couldn't be resisted.

With slow, deliberate movements, he placed his index finger in his mouth and looked up at Reiji with innocent eyes, as if completely unaware of the effect it would have.

"Reiji… I'm hungry~" he whispered softly.

At that moment, Reiji froze.

One second.

Two seconds.

Kazuki could see clearly how Reiji held his breath, as if trying his hardest to stay calm. But within moments, something happened—a single drop of blood fell from his nose.

…Then a second drop.

Reiji quickly covered his nose with one hand, his face still composed, but there was no hiding it now.

Kazuki stared at him for a brief moment, his eyes widening.

Then—

"HAHAHAHA! REIJI! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY HAVING A NOSEBLEED?!"

Kazuki nearly collapsed, laughing uncontrollably. This was, without a doubt, the funniest thing he had ever witnessed.

Reiji remained silent, sighing heavily as he continued pressing his hand against his nose.

"It's just because of the cold," he said flatly, trying to keep his cool.

But to Kazuki, this was a groundbreaking discovery. Reiji, the ever-calm and composed guy, could actually be flustered. And now, Kazuki had found a weakness he could exploit anytime.

"Hahaha! This is gold! I need to try this again later!" he thought, grinning triumphantly.

Reiji let out a long sigh, watching as Kazuki laughed hysterically on the other side of the fire.

His best friend was laughing so hard he was nearly out of breath, while Reiji himself was still trying to stop the nosebleed caused by Kazuki's antics.

"I got a nosebleed because of the cold?" Kazuki repeated mockingly, laughing even harder. Tears nearly formed at the corners of his eyes from excessive laughter.

Watching him, something in Reiji stirred. He couldn't let Kazuki get away with this. If Kazuki dared to mess with him, then it was only fair to return the favor.

Wiping the last traces of blood from his nose, Reiji looked up with a sharp gaze.

"Kazuki," he called, his voice dangerously low.

Kazuki, still giggling, finally turned his attention to him, his face bright with amusement. But the moment he saw Reiji's expression, his laughter slowly faded.

Something felt… off.

"What?" Kazuki squinted, still confident.

Reiji didn't answer right away. He simply smiled—just a faint, unreadable smile—before slowly moving closer. The flickering campfire cast shifting shadows on his face, making him look even more mysterious.

Like a predator closing in on its prey.

"We're alone out here, aren't we?" Reiji murmured.

Kazuki frowned.

"Yeah… so what?" he asked, still trying to act casual.

Reiji tilted his head slightly, his sharp gaze intensifying under the dim firelight.

"You know… if I were to do something inappropriate to you right now..." he trailed off, moving in closer until there were only inches between them.

"…No one would care." He whispered directly into Kazuki's ear.

Kazuki's entire body tensed. His eyes widened. For a second, his mind went blank.

"WH-WHAT?!" he yelped, scrambling backward.

Reiji remained quiet, his expression unreadable, as if his words had been perfectly normal.

"Y-YOU'RE JOKING, RIGHT, YOU IDIOT?!" Kazuki stammered, backing away further, his face completely red.

He still wasn't used to his new body! In his mind, he was still a man, but physically, he had been turned into a fox girl. And the fact that his best friend had just said something so... unnerving made him panic even more.

"You think I'm scared of your lame threats?! Hah?!" Kazuki tried to sound confident, but there was a slight tremor in his voice.

Reiji only smirked, his gaze turning even more amused.

"Threats?" he repeated, moving even closer.

Kazuki swallowed hard. He wanted to believe that Reiji was just messing with him, but… this wasn't normal. His best friend never teased him like this before. If Reiji was doing this now, then there was a good chance he was serious.

And that terrified him.

"W-Wait, Reiji… We're friends, right?!" Kazuki lifted both hands in a defensive gesture.

But Reiji didn't stop. With slow, deliberate movements, he raised a hand and touched Kazuki's chin, tilting his head slightly—just like someone preparing to do something dangerous.

"Maybe I should confirm if you're really a girl now…" he murmured.

Kazuki jumped backward, his face burning. His heart nearly exploded.

"REIJI, YOU BASTARD! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" he screamed, wrapping his arms protectively around himself.

Finally, Reiji chuckled. A quiet, amused chuckle.

Kazuki blinked.

"...Wait. Were you… just messing with me?!" he realized, his expression shifting from panic to fury.

Reiji shrugged, returning to his original seat with a victorious smirk.

"I liked your reaction," he said casually, looking back at the fire as if nothing had happened.

Kazuki opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He had been completely outplayed.

"...You bastard!" he muttered, hugging his knees, his face still flushed.

Reiji only smirked. He would never actually do something like that. But sometimes, it wasn't bad to remind Kazuki that he wasn't the only one capable of playing dirty.

If Kazuki kept teasing him… well, he'd have to face the consequences.