A Tiger Rolled Into My Life, Bringing Chaos With It - Chapter 12

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“…What else now?”

Was there something even more bizarre left? Cher asked with an anxious tone, but surprisingly, what came next was an ordinary spray. He had been curious about what was in the bag she always carried on her way to work, and it contained just a single spray bottle.

Spritz, spritz spritz.

Tinya sprayed him evenly from below his neck to his feet. After finishing the front, she went behind him and thoroughly covered everything from his back to his calves. The subtle carnivorous shifter scent that had been faintly spreading disappeared completely.

Cher suddenly turned toward her the moment he sensed her. At this unexpected movement, Tinya’s heart reflexively sank, but her attention was quickly drawn to his swaying headband.

“I-if you move so suddenly, the headband shakes.”

Despite her cautious warning, he paid no attention and stared intently at the spray.

“What is this?”

“…It’s a deodorizer.”

“A deodorizer?”

“Yes… Why?”

Tinya swallowed nervously at his suddenly serious expression. Though she was trying to act normal, she was actually very anxious. Her heart pounded, fearing he might scold her for not showing him this sooner.

Contrary to Tinya’s concerns, Cher’s thoughts were heading in a completely different direction.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never smelled other carnivorous shifters on her body until now.’

Reflecting on it, that was quite strange. Despite spending hours brushing carnivorous shifters in their animal form at close range, not having their scent on her made no sense. Because he had never noticed such a scent, he hadn’t even thought to question it.

‘Was it because of this deodorizer?’

And he recalled something else. The hyena shifters who had attacked him and fed him that strange d**g. They, too, were unusually odorless. At the time, he hadn’t thought much about it, assuming it was because they were in human form, but looking back, they didn’t have any noticeable scent even after transforming into animal form. That was definitely peculiar.

Neither the carnivorous district nor the peace zone sold products that eliminated scent. After all, they tended to claim territory through scent. This meant those guys must have been sneaking in and out of the herbivorous district to buy this.

“Where do they sell this deodorizer?”

“Uh, um. At a store in District 1. It’s a bit… far from where we’re going, so we’d have to take a detour.”

“Let’s stop by.”

“Okay…”

Though she tried to show reluctance, Cher casually added it to their itinerary. It was one-sided, but what could she do? When a tiger says go, you go.

It took a bit of walking to reach the store. On the way, Cher experienced something curious. People passing by would initially look at him with surprised eyes, but upon noticing his ears, they would seem to understand something and continue on without comment. This happened with everyone they encountered, not just one or two people.

By this point, Cher had to admit it: the rabbit ear headband was concealing his identity better than he had expected.

Why on earth?

Holding that question, the two turned into the alley where the store was located. Cher surveyed the surroundings with just his eyes. Though they had only gone down one alley, the atmosphere was distinctly different. Unlike the main street, pedestrians walked quietly, and blinds drawn over windows on both sides of the street created a strangely eerie atmosphere. Many stores had no signs, and few had their lights on.

It felt too closed off to be a space selling things. The stores lined up looked ready to close and disappear at any moment. Some had no guidance at the entrance, and others didn’t even have visible doors.

Cher stared at the store Tinya was about to enter. Above the old wooden door was a faded piece of paper with “General Store” written in crooked letters.

“They sell it here?”

It was clearly not an ordinary store. It had the distinct atmosphere of a back-alley establishment.

“Yes.”

Tinya opened the door without hesitation. Unlike its shabby exterior, the interior was surprisingly spacious and tidy. The floor was polished to a shine, and fluorescent lights illuminated the space as brightly as a supermarket. The first impression wasn’t bad. But just one look around the shelves revealed something odd.

In a normal store, items should be organized by category, but here, jam was next to flowers, next to canned goods, with trimmed logs placed below. It was a jumbled arrangement with no apparent rules. It was questionable whether customers really came here.

Tinya walked toward the back with familiar steps, not even glancing at the shelves. Her confident stride revealed someone who knew exactly where the item she needed was located.

“What kind of store is this anyway?”

“It’s just a place that provides whatever you need, as long as it’s not illegal. There are many unusual things, right? I don’t know much about the other items, so I only buy deodorizer.”

Perhaps recalling her bewilderment during her first visit, Tinya’s explanation continued naturally. Cher understood this place as a “customized store used only by those in the know.” A place in a rarely visited area that provides exactly what you need… Cher stopped walking.

“I’ll ask the store owner if they sell something else too.”

“Oh, the deodorizer…”

“Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

Before she could ask how he planned to find the deodorizer without knowing its location, he was already far away.

‘Is it okay to let him go alone?’

She felt momentary concern, but remembering the rabbit ears, she set aside her unnecessary anxiety. With those, the possibility of him being discovered was minimal. Besides, the store owner was rather indifferent… Tinya turned her gaze away from where he had been and headed toward the deodorizer shelf.

As she moved with quick steps, Cher strode toward the counter. The store owner, who had been buried in a newspaper regardless of customers coming and going, slightly lowered it when he sensed someone lingering. His face, visible through small glasses, had the typical impression of a middle-aged herbivorous shifter. Seeing nothing in Cher’s hands, he asked mechanically.

“Want to make a special order?”

“Not that. I’d like to borrow the phone.”

“That’s not difficult. 20 dong per 5 minutes.”

The store owner pointed with his chin to the telephone on the counter. Just as he was about to pick up his newspaper again, Cher tapped the counter with two fingers, his hand facing downward. The sound was soft but carried a clear intention. The store owner’s gaze returned to the front.

“Is it the same rate for calling the carnivorous district?”

“……”

A moment of silence passed. The store owner put down his newspaper completely and stared at Cher.

“Exactly where?”

“Eastern district.”

“Do you know the number?”

“I do.”

“…A troublesome customer has arrived.”

Despite his words, the store owner’s expression remained unchanged as he felt under the counter and pulled out a black cordless phone. Before handing it over, he extended his palm.

“Payment upfront. 1 gold for 5 minutes.”

It was 500 times the regular price, but Cher handed over a 1-gold bill without complaint. After confirming the money, the store owner silently offered the phone. Cher took it and moved to a spot near the telephone the owner had initially pointed to, slightly away from the counter.

While the herbivorous and carnivorous districts were fundamentally separated, communication itself wasn’t prohibited. In fact, some food ingredients traveled through the peace zone. However, with communication means being scarce and surveillance strict, calls between the two districts teetered precariously on the boundary between prohibition and permission.

Since the content of the call could lead to punishment, it was better to make the call where it could be somewhat heard rather than trying to hide it, to avoid misunderstandings.

Click.

After a long dial tone, a connection signal was heard. Cher spoke before the other party could open their mouth.

“It’s me.”

(“…What, who is this?”)

“I’d like some pomegranates like the ones we ate in the peace zone forest last time. Can you prepare them?”

(“…Wait. This annoying way of speaking, this voice… Is that you, Cher?”)

“Tomorrow would be good.”

There was a brief pause.

(“…How many pomegranates do you want?”)

The desired answer came back, indicating understanding. Indeed, quick-witted. Though there was a slight hiccup at first, the person seemed to sense something from Cher’s one-sided conversation and quickly played along. Cher responded with a smile that would seem artificial to those who knew him, but would appear grateful to strangers. The store owner glanced at him.

“I don’t need many. One or two is enough.”

(“Ha… You crazy bastard. Hang up, you damn fool.”)

“Thank you.”

Despite the irritated response, Cher calmly put down the receiver. After finishing the call and handing back the phone, the store owner casually asked.

“You must have a close friend over there?”

“Delivery of goods.”

Though it was a brief answer, the store owner seemed to understand the situation and nodded. Cher leaned his elbow on the counter and continued in a low voice.

“I’d like to keep this a secret.”

“I’m not loose-lipped, but may I ask why?”

“I want to give it as a surprise gift to the person I’m living with.”

At those words, the store owner suddenly recalled that a man and woman had entered together. A married couple? He’s more devoted to his wife than he looks. Spending as much as 1 gold to get fruit that only grows over there. How nice.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”

The store owner casually remarked as he picked up his newspaper again. Cher nodded briefly and walked away to find Tinya.

She was already at the deodorizer shelf, selecting a product. She was examining the label on the bottle from various angles when Cher approached, and she slightly raised her head.