Chapter 2 - An Unwanted Reunion
Cold.
That was the first thing I felt when the tip of that light sword touched my fur.
Not cold in the literal sense my wolf body rarely gets cold but a cold that penetrated to the bone, to the soul.
A cold that made my entire body tremble not from fear, but from... familiarity.
How was it familiar? Because I felt it during my death in my previous life.
The sword was only a few centimeters away from my neck.
I didn't even dare to fart.
One small movement and my beautiful head would be separated from the body I'd grown to love over these two decades.
Ironically, instead of panicking, I felt something strange.
Nostalgia.
Damn it.
Of all the times to feel nostalgic, why now?
The Hero stood over my prone body, his black robe fluttering softly in the night breeze.
His violet eyes gazed at me with a familiar expression a mixture of boredom and slight interest.
Exactly like the expression he always showed back when we played games together and he was already bored from winning all the time.
"Do you have any last words?" his voice was calm, controlled, and so familiar it made me want to cry.
I squinted, trying to see more clearly the face that had changed but still had the same structure.
The same eyes, though the color had changed.
The same nose, though now more defined.
The same jaw, though now sharper.
I felt like this Hero just resembled my friend.
However, intuition...
I had often relied on animal instincts for two decades (scent, intuition) rather than complex human strategic thinking.
If my intuition said he was my friend from my previous life, then he truly was my friend.
And then, tears began to pool in the corners of my eyes.
"Green Bean?!" I screamed with a voice trembling with emotion, completely ignoring that this was a life-or-death situation.
"YOU'RE GREEN BEAN, RIGHT?!"
The bored expression on his face changed to slight surprise.
He raised an eyebrow, the sword still pressed against my neck.
"Green... Bean?" he repeated slowly, as if trying to understand the foreign words that had just come out of my mouth.
"DON'T PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW!" I shouted while trying to get up, but the sword pressed harder.
"Green Bean! That's the nickname I gave you because you always ate green beans at the stall in front of school! You who loved strategy games the most and always said 'Efficiency is everything!' You who—"
"Interesting," he interrupted with the same calm tone.
"It seems you truly believe that I am... someone you know."
I stopped rambling and stared at him with wide eyes.
Damn it, I wasn't finished talking and you cut me off, making my sadness disappear.
And what the hell was that word "interesting"? Are you trying to act mysterious?
But I felt there was something in his tone that was... strange.
Too calm.
Too controlled.
As if he was analyzing an interesting situation, not reacting to words that should have shocked him.
"Green Bean..." he repeated again, this time with a more thoughtful tone.
"A... unique name. Tell me about this person."
Wait.
Wait a minute.
Why was he asking like that?
Why didn't he react immediately like 'Oh my god, you're also reincarnated?!' or 'Impossible, you...?!'
But then I saw something in his eyes.
A familiar glint.
A glint I knew very well.
The same eyes when he was thinking hard about complex game strategies.
"You... do you remember?" I asked with a trembling voice, between hope and fear.
"Perhaps," he answered with a very careful tone.
"But I need more information. Tell me about... our relationship in the past."
It seemed like he truly remembered, but wanted to make sure whether I was lying or not - after all, I was a demon.
And there, tears began to flow freely from my eyes.
"STUPID LEO!" I screamed while starting to sob.
"WE FINALLY MEET AND YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME?!"
That name—Leo—should have made him react.
But all I saw was a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Not surprised, but... interested?
"Leo," he repeated slowly.
"A nice name. Continue."
I began crying and sobbing like a child who had lost their favorite toy.
All dignity as a demon general vanished, replaced by the pure emotion of a friend who had finally met the person they missed most.
"We... we were best friends in our previous life," I said between sobs.
"You were the smartest in class, always won math olympiads, but you also loved playing games the most! You taught me strategy, you always said 'Don't be emotional, use logic!' You who..."
"Previous life?" he tilted his head.
"You believe in reincarnation?"
"OF COURSE! Because I'm also reincarnated!" I screamed in frustration.
Is this person pretending to be confused? Keep pretending!
"I who used to be a guy became a girl, I who used to be human became a wolf, I who used to be a loser became a demon general! And you... you who used to be my best friend became a Hero who's going to kill me!"
For the first time, I saw a truly surprised expression on his face.
But his surprise was... strange.
Not surprised from recognizing a familiar story, but surprised from getting interesting information.
"Reincarnation from guy to girl," he muttered while lifting the sword slightly from my neck.
"From human to wolf. From loser to demon general. And you believe I also... experienced the same thing?"
I felt like this person was just showing off in front of me.
"Of course you experienced the same thing! How could you be this strong if it wasn't because of memories from your previous life?!" I answered confidently.
"You're Leo, my best friend! You who always said 'This world is like a complex chess game, we must always stay one step ahead!' You who—"
"This world is like a complex chess game," he repeated my words with a tone that was... strange.
"We must always stay one step ahead. Hmm... an interesting philosophy."
I stopped crying and stared at him with sparkling eyes.
"You remember! You must remember!"
"Perhaps," he answered with a thin smile that was familiar.
"Or perhaps you're just good at guessing someone's character. How can I be sure that I'm truly... the Leo you speak of?"
"Because I know you like eating green beans! Because I know you always win at strategy games! Because I know you're—"
"Who likes green beans? I clearly don't like them," he interrupted with a slightly mocking tone.
"And who can't win at strategy games with sufficient intelligence? You need more... specific proof."
I fell silent.
There was something strange in the way he spoke.
Too... cold.
Too analytical.
As if he was conducting an experiment rather than reuniting with an old friend.
But then I saw something that made me certain.
The way he tilted his head when thinking.
The way he tapped his index finger on the sword hilt.
The way he squinted when analyzing.
Small movements that were very familiar.
"It's you," I whispered with full conviction.
"I know it's you. Even though you've changed, even though you're now a Hero and I'm a demon general, I know it's you."
"Interesting," he muttered while stepping back and lowering his sword.
"Very interesting. Alright, let's assume... your hypothesis is correct. I am Leo, your old friend. So what do you expect to happen now?"
I immediately got up and jumped with joy, completely ignoring the dust still clinging to my fur.
It seemed like he was my friend, just pretending to be cool in front of me.
"We can meet again! We can tell stories about our reincarnation experiences! We can..." my eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, "I CAN INVITE YOU TO EAT FRUIT TOGETHER!"
"Fruit?" he raised an eyebrow with an expression that was... strange.
"The fruit you stole from the elves?"
"World Tree fruit!" I answered proudly.
"It tastes amazing! Like a combination of honey, peach, and pure happiness! I have some still stored in my lair! We can—"
"Of course," he interrupted with a smile that... didn't reach his eyes.
"I would be delighted to... meet with an old friend and try stolen fruit."
There was something in his tone that made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
But I was too happy to pay attention to such small details.
"Really?!" I screamed with sparkling eyes.
"We can tell stories about our old world! I can tell you about the experience of being a woman, and you can tell me about the experience of being a Hero! We can—"
"Of course," he repeated with the same tone. "I'm... very curious about your stories. Very curious."
I jumped around joyfully on my four legs, completely unaware that his eyes looking at me weren't filled with the warmth of friendship, but with... something colder.
"I've never been this happy since being reincarnated!" I said while spinning around.
"Meeting my best friend, being able to eat delicious fruit together, being able to tell stories about—"
Suddenly my vision began to blur.
"Huh?" I stopped spinning and shook my head. "Why am I getting dizzy?"
"Maybe because you're too excited," he answered with a very calm tone.
"Or maybe because of... the effect from the sword that touched your neck earlier."
"Effect? What sword has an effect—"
And then everything went dark.
The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was the sound of soft laughter.
Laughter that was familiar, but somehow... sounded very different from what I remembered.
Laughter that made me shiver with fear.
— The Hero's POV —
I stared at the unconscious white wolf's body with strange satisfaction.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The paralysis poison at the tip of my sword worked perfectly.
Not lethal just making her unconscious for a few hours. Long enough to conduct... deeper research.
Not research that would damage her too quickly.
This Fenrir, or whatever her name was, had just given me the most entertaining performance I'd seen in months.
Very convincing acting.
Such pure emotion.
Such specific details.
It almost made me believe that she really was my friend from my previous life.
Almost.
But I never believed in reincarnation.
And I never believed in stories about old friends who suddenly appeared.
Too convenient.
Too perfect.
This must be a trap.
Or maybe she really did have high-level acting abilities.
But one thing I couldn't deny: she managed to make me curious.
And it had been a very long time since I was truly curious about something.
"Green Bean," I muttered while lifting the wolf's body with one hand.
"Leo. Best friend."
Names that were... familiar.
Too familiar.
But I wouldn't let these strange emotions disturb my judgment.
I would take her to a safe place, wait for her to wake up, and then... play.
Play a very interesting game.
A game where I would pretend to be the 'Leo' she was looking for, and see how far she would maintain this 'old friend' act.
It would be very entertaining.
Besides, it had been a very long time since I last played with such an... interesting toy.
Too bad the last toy broke, even though her face was beautiful.
I walked toward the forest, carrying Fenrir's unconscious body, with a thin smile that never reached my eyes.