A Tiger Rolled Into My Life, Bringing Chaos With It - Chapter 10

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The faint tiger scent still lingering in her nose brushed past her. She couldn’t be certain until she confirmed with her eyes. It could just be the remaining scent in the house that hadn’t yet disappeared. Tinya opened the door wide. She glared inside with fierce eyes.

And Tinya froze in place.

The tiger was indeed there. He was in his tiger cub form, but having seen it once before, it wasn’t shocking. What made Tinya freeze was something else.

“Are you going to keep standing there with the door open? What if someone sees inside?”

At those words, Tinya hurriedly closed the door in surprise. The steps she had been determined to take to run out and report him had disappeared, and somehow she was now inside the house.

“Um, well, um…”

Tinya stammered like someone with parched lips. Her combative spirit was nowhere to be found. Her gaze had been fixed on the kitchen visible right from the entrance, specifically on the dining table. On it was a bundle of money that at a glance seemed to equal three months’ worth of salary.

Cher approached her with light steps, observing her changing expression. His cream-colored tail with black stripes swayed gently.

“It’s payment for the greens I threw away earlier.”

At those casually thrown words, Tinya gasped. It was such a surprising statement that she didn’t even think to correct him that it was romaine, not just “greens.” Cher’s expression became curious as he came closer.

He hadn’t expected her to be so surprised. He had anticipated some reaction since she seemed to live poorly, but not this immediate. She didn’t even seem to notice him approaching. She couldn’t take her eyes off the dining table.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to transform into his human form, pick up one of the money bundles, and wave it left and right in front of her eyes. Wouldn’t it be interesting to watch her gaze follow the money? But he didn’t. He needed to maintain this form for now.

“I thought it was spoiled. I haven’t seen much of that leafy stuff.”

He first cleared up the morning’s misunderstanding. He didn’t want to leave the impression of being an inconsiderate person who threw away others’ things as he pleased. Though her eyes remained fixed on the table, Tinya quickly nodded, showing she was listening.

“You could think that. I don’t know much about meat either.”

Her heart, which had been as small as a bean just minutes ago, had quickly expanded to become as vast as the ocean. Now she felt she could laugh off even if he had damaged her bed. She clenched her jaw, trying to suppress the smile spreading across her face, but she couldn’t stop the rising happiness.

“Um, ahem… so are you giving me all that money…?”

Though it was far more than enough to pay for the romaine he had thrown away, Tinya carefully revealed her greed. Cher nodded casually. At that moment, the anger and sadness Tinya had felt that morning melted away like ice cream in the scorching sun.

“Oh, you don’t have to give me this.”

“You say that, but you’re already heading to the table.”

“…I can’t refuse what you’re offering.”

If you’re going to manage your expression this late, at least stop caressing the money with your hand. It was quite amusing to see her sit down in the chair right away. Her mouth and body were moving separately. Just like during mating.

Anyway, she certainly seemed to have calmed down. Cher found it quite interesting that all of Tinya’s emotions had subsided for such a small sum. Since he couldn’t go to the tiger district in this form, he had retrieved the money from a place near the peace zone, so it wasn’t much. Despite his worry that it might not be enough, Tinya was beyond satisfied, overflowing with happiness.

Cher put strength into his hind legs and jumped onto the dining table. His eyes met directly with Tinya’s, who was caressing the money.

“So, I want to stay here for a few days… no, a few months.”

“…What?”

Tinya’s hand, which looked like it would stroke the money all night, paused. Her face, which had been colored with joy, suddenly stiffened. A few days? A few months? Stay? As his words aligned in her head, Tinya’s pupils began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

Her hand reflexively pulled away from the money bundle. Like a shifter who suddenly realized that what they thought was a gold bar was actually poison. It was the moment her entranced mind found its place again. She had forgotten. That nothing in the world is free. There was definitely a reason for such a large sum of money.

“That’s a bit…”

Seeing signs of refusal, Cher’s yellow eyes flashed. Then suddenly he plopped down. Like a newborn cub unable to support itself on its legs, he collapsed with a thud, causing Tinya to open her eyes wide in surprise.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“I ran for a long time to get the money, and now my legs have given out.”

Tigers can reach speeds of up to 50km/h in an instant after just one year of age. Regardless of how young this smaller body might be, going to and from the vicinity of the peace zone should have been merely a stroll.

But she wouldn’t know that. Though she knew there was an adult inside the tiger cub and couldn’t readily extend her hand, her concern was evident.

Cher glanced at her.

“As you can see, I’m in a difficult situation in this state. You remember my human form, right? Originally, my animal form should be an adult.”

“Ah.”

Now that she thought about it… Normal shifters couldn’t adjust the size of their animal forms, could they? Consumed by anger over the discarded romaine, she had forgotten that his circumstances were different from ordinary shifters.

Then why was he in this smaller form? As suspicion arose in Tinya’s eyes, Cher calmly added:

“I suddenly ended up like this. As soon as I became small, I became a target and nearly died. I barely escaped to the herbivorous district.”

He had a suspicion about why he had become like this, but he kept it to himself. If he revealed that too, it was obvious that this scaredy-cat would refuse even if he showered her with money.

With those words, Tinya understood where the blood on his body yesterday had come from. It must have been blood from when he was escaping. The wounds must have been hidden by his fur.

In reality, it was a trace of him baring his teeth at those who had made him this way, but he remained silent, allowing the misunderstanding, and Tinya fell for it. As sympathy began to show in her eyes, he inwardly rejoiced while pretending to bow his head dejectedly.

“If I go back now, I’ll become a target again.”

“…I know a carnivorous shifter. If I ask them to carefully take you to the tiger district…”

See?

“No.”

Cher abruptly stood up. His eyes stared directly at Tinya, their intensity drilling through her.

“Tiger shifters pursue strength. If I return in this state, I’ll be eliminated and eventually abandoned.”

Cher told the lie without blinking an eye. He was actually the one with the most superior bloodline among the current tiger group. If he returned in his cub form, he would instead be protected in the safest place to preserve his genes. He detested that thought terribly.

Besides that, there were dozens of reasons why it was better for him to stay here. Of course, given the “district segregation law” that prohibited crossing into each other’s territories, he had no intention of staying in the herbivorous district for long. Just until he returned to normal?

‘She still seems to be hesitating.’

He needed something to clinch the deal… At that moment, Cher remembered her lamenting about wanting to take hot water baths every day but not being able to afford it. That’s it.

“I’m not just asking to stay for free. Apart from this money, I’ll pay for food and utilities while I’m here.”

Tinya, who had been lost in thought, looked up in surprise.

“What?”

“Of course, that includes the water bill.”

The money on the table was already enough to pay off her overdue matchmaking fees and have some left over. If Cher was also offering to cover living expenses while he stayed? She might even be able to eat two romaine leaves a day and still save money.

‘But this is illegal…’

Carnivorous shifters and animals don’t cross into the herbivorous shifter district. She would be breaking that law. While Tinya dreamed of a comfortable life, she didn’t want to enjoy it by breaking the law. Especially since Greyden was a place she liked enough to want to form a group and have children there. What if she got caught harboring him and was expelled? Blinded by immediate money, she could bring irreversible trouble upon herself.

Nevertheless, there was another reason for her hesitation. His words about being “eliminated.” If she refused him now, he would ultimately have no choice but to return. He couldn’t secretly stay in the herbivorous district. His human form would stand out, and his animal form had a strong scent that would be detected.

While she didn’t know the principles of tiger groups, Tinya knew all too well what it felt like to be rejected by a group. It was a very lonely and difficult experience. Her eyes wavered as she fidgeted with her hands. Perhaps because previous memories surfaced, her heart softened even more.

“Then… only until you’re really better.”

Cher immediately nodded at the words that came after much deliberation.

“You have to try not to get caught.”

“Of course. It would be troublesome for me, too, if we were discovered.”

“And you have to be careful with your… scent.”

“I’ll stay in human form as much as possible.”

The human form hardly emits any carnivorous scent unless releasing pheromones. Of course, apart from the scent, there was much information that could identify him as a carnivorous shifter. His height, build, and overall impression were completely different.

“And, and no mating.”

“Why? You enjoyed it.”

Cher, who had been nodding continuously at Tinya’s precautions, tilted his head. Finding a compatible mate among shifters is not as easy as one might think. From Cher’s perspective, he and Tinya were quite compatible. There was a reason his lower body, which had shown little reaction to the seduction of numerous females, had stood at attention.

“That may be true, but my waist kept hurting, making it difficult to work.”

In fact, the biggest problem was that the persistent aching kept reminding her of the mating act. Today, she had made the mistake of bringing the wrong brush for customers twice. She couldn’t continue doing something that distracted her this much.

“Ah, anyway! It’s not allowed…!”

Tinya glanced at him cautiously, finding it burdensome to refuse him. Fortunately, Cher agreed without further questioning.

“Well… alright.”

Though he was disappointed, there was no reason to insist to the point of creating discord.

It wouldn’t take even a few days for this promise to be broken, but unaware of that future, the two shook hands, agreeing to get along well from now on.