509 - Koku-maro's Perspective: Ode to the Guracoro
This is an IF short story posted to the activity report in December 2017.
"Guracoro~"
Feeling as if the little master had called my name, I look up. Resting my chin on the master's bed and looking up, the little master, who had sat up, was crying "Guracoro," "Guracoro." The little master continued to cry for a while, but eventually, perhaps having woken up, they climbed out of bed.
"Good morning, Koku-maro."
My head was rubbed vigorously by a small hand, and instead of a greeting, I licked that hand. Having satisfied themselves with rubbing my head, the little master walked across the floor with bare feet, leaving the room without even changing the skin they wore in bed. They are likely heading for the big master's room.
Following the little master down the stairs, I walk along to the big master's bed. Entering the big master's bed without saying a word, the little master cries "Guracoro," "Guracoro" in the ear of the sleeping big master. I don't know what is so fun, but the little master continues to cry in the ear for a while, and since I get bored waiting, I lie down beside the bed. The actions of this little master remain a mystery.
"Alright, sleep-learning, perfect."
The little master, who had been crying "Guracoro" for a while, seemed satisfied now. Climbing out of the bed with a waddle, they left the big master's room.
Following the little master as they walked along, we go down the stairs again. I think the red-furred female who takes care of the little master will get angry if they don't change the skin they wear in bed, but the little master seems to have forgotten such a thing.
"Tabisa! Guracoro! I want to eat Guracoro!!"
"My, my, little Lady Tina. Without even changing... what happened to your nursemaid?"
Since knives are used, you must not enter the kitchen, the elderly female warns the little master, placing her forelegs on her hips. I have been told by the big master that I must not enter the kitchen where human food is handled, so I cannot follow them into the kitchen. Therefore, I am in full agreement with the elderly female's words.
"Koku-maro, if Lady Tina tried to leave the room without changing, you should have stopped her. For a lady to walk around in nightclothes... oh my, are you barefoot!"
Seeing the little master's bare feet, the elderly female screams. Humans do not approve of walking with bare feet. I think it is good because it is easy to run, but humans seem different, which is strange.
Perhaps drawn by the elderly female's scream, the red-furred female comes to the kitchen. She is carrying a basket that smells good, so it probably contains fluffy food. It is human food, and the little master eats it every day saying it is delicious, delicious, but meat is definitely more delicious.
"Lady Tina, let us change your clothes first. How about the yellow dress that Lord Leonardo had made for you the other day?"
After that, let us wash your face and tidy your hair, the red-furred female says as she catches the little master by the shoulders. Since their sizes are different, once caught by an adult, the little master has no means of resistance.
"I want to eat Guracoro! Make Guracoro!"
I thought they would be taken back to the room by the red-furred female just like this, but the little master persisted. Grabbing the red-furred female's black skin firmly, they brace themselves as if to say they will not move a single step until their demand is met.
Given the little master's physique, it was a resistance with no effect, but the red-furred female is obedient to the big master. This means the little master is also the red-furred female's master, and it is only natural for the red-furred female to obey the master's orders.
When the little master clings to her waist, the red-furred female looks a bit troubled, but she seems to have decided to respond to the little master's request.
"A new name, is it? What kind of food is a Guracoro?"
"It's a gratin, and a croquette, and a burger! Guracoro!"
"Ah~, so it is a gratin, and a croquette, and a burger. I understand that gratin and croquette make Guracoro."
"I feel like there was shredded cabbage too! And the mayo is delicious!"
"Shredded cabbage...? Please tell me the details after breakfast. First, let us change your clothes."
"Oka~y."
Following the little master and the red-furred female, who seem to have reached an agreement, I walk behind them while stifling a yawn. It seems the little master is finally going to change the skin they wear in bed.
To the big master, whose first words upon coming to the dining room were "I want to eat something called Guracoro," the little master trembled their forepaws under the table. This is a gesture the little master shows when hiding their happiness. They cried softly, "My sleep-learning is spot on," but this did not seem to be heard by the big master. The big master was asking the red-furred female if she knew of a food called Guracoro.
"According to Lady Tina, it is a gratin, and a croquette, and a burger."
"So it is Guracoro because it is gratin and croquette. I believe a burger refers to a sandwich..."
In the first place, the big master tilts their head, wondering why they suddenly wanted to eat something they have no memory of. This must be what the little master meant by "sleep-learning, spot on." After that, while eating breakfast, the masters gather information about "Guracoro." Though it was a mysterious word "Guracoro" that came from the little master's mouth, they seemed to reach the conclusion that if it is food, they should just try making it.
"Then, I shall attempt the 'Guracoro' that Lady Tina spoke of."
"Yeah, I'll ask Alf and the others about 'Guracoro'."
The adults were facing each other with serious expressions, but in the end, they could not figure out the "Guracoro" the little master desired. As a desperate measure, the red-furred female served sandwiches with cream croquettes for dinner, but this did not seem to be the "Guracoro" the little master imagined, and the mood of the little master, who had been crying "Guracoro," "Guracoro" happily all day, plummeted. The big master and the red-furred female were at a complete loss as the little master began to cry and shout in anger.
While I am licking the face of the little master who fell asleep from exhaustion after being angry, a sound comes from below the stairs. Listening closely, I can tell the big master is leaving the house. After a while, footsteps are heard again, and I lift my waist and tail as I notice the number of footsteps has increased.
"Ma~ro~, you traitor~"
While the little master is asleep, I hook my claws into the doorknob to try and open the door, but the little master, who must have woken up at some point, sat up in bed. Just as I thought they were staring at me with resentful eyes, they suddenly climbed out of bed and pulled my tail. It hurts, but I cannot possibly bite the little master, so I raise a voice of protest and drop my backside to the floor. Then, my tail slipped out of the little master's hand.
—Geez, Big Brother Leonardo spoils Valentina too much!
At the sound of the master's cry coming from the floor below, my ears and tail stand straight up. The little master's eyes began to harbor a menacing light, but this cannot be helped. Since the master's voice was heard, it is only natural for a watchdog's ears and tail to stand up in joy.
—Salisa worked so hard to make it, so if she's being selfish by knocking over the plate without even eating, please scold her properly.
—But you know, Tina didn't mean any harm...
—Not meaning any harm is no reason to waste food!
I hear the master's howling and the big master's cry. Deciding that this will take a while longer, I lie down in front of the door to wait for the master, and the little master climbs onto my back. The little master is smaller than the master was when they first came to this house, so it is a weight I can bear, though it is heavy.
"Tina, what kind of selfishness did you display today?"
"Mother is angry at Uncle Leonardo downstairs, so it's better not to go near them for a while."
Two light footsteps follow, and the two little masters born of the master open the door. Since the little master was distracted by the little master born before them, I take advantage of that gap and slip past the side of the door to go down the stairs. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, the master gives me a glance from the big master. Becoming happy, I wag my tail, and the master rubs my head and back.
"So, what was today's selfishness?"
"Tina said she wanted to eat 'Guracoro', but..."
"...Guracoro?"
The big master is telling the master about the little master's tantrum at dinner, explaining that Salisa tried to recreate it, but it was different from what Tina imagined, but the master had a face that looked like they were listening but not listening. It seemed the big master could not hear it, but the master let out a single word in a small voice.
—Another Japanese reincarnator...? The hit rate is too high.
The master was somehow holding their head, but as a humble watchdog, I can only help with babysitting. Having no choice, I go up the stairs and enter the little master's room, and the little master leaps at me while crying, "Maro's traitor~".
Next week, I'll come with some new short story. Probably.
I made a thick-and-thin book. If you are interested, please take a look at the activity report or the production blog.
