The old man stopped in front of the modest stone house tucked between taller buildings.
"Let him down," he said without turning to the beast girl.
She nodded and loosened her grip, lowering me.
My feet hit the ground, and I immediately stretched my arms. The movement tugged my cloak, and the hood slipped enough for my face to show but I didn't bother fixing it, at least not right away.
I tilted my head as I looked at the house.
Huh… smaller than I expected.
The place wasn't shabby, but it definitely wasn't grand either.
"So this is where you two live, huh?" I said, letting the words hang as I turned to the old man.
"You know, for someone living in a place like this, you sure act like royalty."
The girl's face flushed pink, her ears twitching as she looked down at the ground, clearly embarrassed.
The old man's face, on the other hand, was red with anger. "Well, you… you stupid thing," he hissed, his eyes narrowing.
"Owning houses costs a fortune. Only a few people can afford one. You should be grateful you're not sharing a room with ten other people!"
He turned sharply toward the door, but halfway there he stopped. Then his hand shot out, yanking the hood of my cloak back down over my face with more force than necessary.
"And keep your features hidden," he snapped. "Nobody wants to see your ugly face."
Without another word, he stormed inside, leaving me standing there with the girl, her cheeks still pink, her eyes fixed to the ground.
I stood there for a second, watching the man enter the house.
What a dick,
I thought, tugging the cloak tighter before stepping in after him.
The beast girl hesitated for a second before hurrying to follow me inside.
The interior of the house was simple—stone walls, wooden beams. It wasn't lavish, but it was lived in.
The old man stepped forward and called out, "Diane."
From one of the side rooms, a woman's voice answered, "Yes, dear?"
My mind caught on that word.
Dear?
The thought faded when she stepped into view. She was beastkin, just like the others but there was something... different.
Her hair was messy, her face was pink, and her legs wobbled slightly as she moved. But what caught my eye most were her fingers: they were glistening.
This woman was clearly touching herself!
Before I could process that thought any further, the old man's eyes flicked to the door. "Why wasn't this locked?"
Diane glanced at the door before turning to him, her ears twitching. "I… I had a lot of chores today. I must've forgotten when you left this afternoon."
"Next time, lock the door," he said, his tone firm. "I don't want some thief wandering in."
Then his gaze shifted to the beast girl. "Go prepare the guest room. He'll be staying there."
She gave a quick nod, her ears twitching, and hurried down the hall, disappearing into one of the side corridors.
He moved further in, but Diane's gaze lingered on me, curious. "And who is this?" she asked, turning back to him. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"
The old man let out a tired sigh, then turned toward me. "This is my wife, Diane."
Oh… so she's his wife?
I thought. She looks a little too young to be married to this old man.
He gestured vaguely toward me. "And this is…" His voice trailed off, clearly unsure. It was obvious, he didn't know my name.
I straightened my cloak and spoke up. "Ren. Ren Kyouka."
Diane raised an eyebrow, a smile forming on her lips. "Ren Kyouka, was it? That's… an unusual name." She gave a small, playful shrug. "Well, welcome to our humble abode."
Her smile was warm and easy, and it made her look younger than her years.
I glanced at the old man and smirked. "Wow, old man, you really lucked out having a cute woman like this as your wife."
Diane's cheeks turned pink and her eyes darted away. The old man's face tightened into a frown, but he didn't say a word. He simply turned and walked toward one of the rooms, his shoulders stiff, disappearing inside without looking back.
"Th-thank you," Diane stammered, her gaze flicking toward him before settling back on me. "Feel at home, Ren. If you need anything, just reach out."
I gave her a small nod. "Sure. I'll keep that in mind."
She gave me a final smile, before heading to the kitchen.
I turned down the hall, heading straight for the door that had clearly been set aside for me.
Just as I was about to open it, i heard faint sounds coming from inside—moans, loud ones.
Who the hell is in there?
I tightened my grip on the door handle… and pushed it open.