Chapter 10

Aemon's POV:
I don't like fish, especially if it's raw. But Heather seems to be very persistent and brings it to me every day. And because of her persistence, I grew to look forward to it, even though I don't like fish.
I go to the cedar grove every night to see if Heather has delivered the fish today, and it's extra pleasant to see it on the trunk of the tree. It's a strange feeling, obviously I don't like fish, but I'm happy that it's here.
Tina went after Heather when she mocked her dress in public.
I wasn't around Heather at the time, much to my chagrin. I wish I could have followed her all the time, I wanted to be friends with her. But I was afraid that if I was caught acting that way, I would be treated like a pervert.
To cheer Heather up, I wanted to give her a gift, like a gorgeous dress. I imagined Heather singing in it, and then no one would make fun of her.
It was my first time buying a dress for a girl, and I wasn't sure if she would like it. I went to the most extravagant clothing store in Reims City, and the clerk recommended the inky blue sarong, which was adorned with pearls.
The moment I saw the dress, I thought it would look even better on Heather, and Rick thought so too.
The fish on the trunk was removed by me and replaced with a gift box and tied up again. Fearing that the others would find out, I kept watch in the cedar grove. But I waited for a long time, but Heather didn't come. Maybe I didn't show up for so long that she thought that day was just a hallucination and would not come back.
The thought that she might never come again suddenly made me feel a pang of sadness, as if I had lost a good friend. Just as I was getting ready to leave in disappointment, a familiar voice suddenly came from ahead.
Rick excitedly told me, "Heather is here!"
I felt a sudden rush of excitement, but I soon calmed down.
Heather's voice didn't seem quite right, so I hid behind a tree and carefully probed to see. I was now in my human form and wearing all black, so as long as I was careful, Heather shouldn't find me.
I saw her crying, crying so hard. Even without looking, I could hear it.
What made her suffer so much? Listening to Heather's desperate cries, my heart felt as if it was being pulled, which is probably how she is feeling right now.
The thought of going over and hugging her came to me again, but I resisted. If Heather saw me again, she would have guessed - the pervert was me and the wolf was me.
Whatever the reason, I have to refrain from such behavior.
Heather cried for a long time, and I struggled with it for a long time, finally waiting until she fell asleep. But I still didn't dare to go out, afraid that the slightest movement would wake her up.
I was crouched behind a tree, quietly watching over Heather, when suddenly the phone in my pocket rang. I was worried that Heather would be woken up, so I immediately took out my phone and prepared to turn it off.
That's when I saw someone post a video on the campus group with a familiar back on the cover - it was Heather, who had been slapped by Tina and they had falsely accused her of stealing!
Looking at Heather's wretched appearance in the video, I clenched my fists in anger, my bones creaking.
A little later, Heather woke up and looked much better. She seemed ready to go out, and I was a little anxious that she wouldn't find the gift box. I deliberately hammered my fist into the trunk of the tree and got out of there quickly when she looked over.
I was relieved when Heather finally found the gift box, and then began to look forward to the look on her face when she saw the dress.
I had the satisfaction of seeing Heather's stunned expression, but then she put the box back on with the lid closed and I subconsciously cringed.
"Big black wolf, is it a gift from you to me? It's too expensive for me to take." Heather said to the air, frowning as well, "I shouldn't take anything that doesn't belong to me."
Her eyes were still on the box and she looked like she liked the dress but was reluctant to accept the gift. I certainly couldn't respond to her, which made me a little anxious and snapped the bark off my side.
Tree bark! A solution suddenly came to me.
Heather stood there without leaving, looking at the dress with a sad face, she should be afraid that the dress would be picked up by someone else. I quickly carved a few letters into the tree trunk.
After a while, I again used the same method I had just used to get Heather's attention. This time I switched to a tree a little farther away to hide, Heather understood my meaning and walked to where I was standing with the gift box in her arms.
"Is this really a gift for me? I can't believe you can write!" Heather exclaimed when she saw the letters on the tree, and there was no longer a trace of sadness visible on her face.
But I'm so mad at this girl, does she even know what I'm trying to say?
"Well, thank you for the gift, big black wolf." Heather finally said the response I wanted to hear. She clutched the gift box in her hands, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, then lowered her head.
Despite my good vision, at this angle I could only see the corner of her mouth curled up, which was an introspective smile. Like receiving a gift from a stranger and feeling a little embarrassed.
I didn't think a dress would make her feel better and wanted to gift her with more things to fill the wounds inside her. I had plenty of those things anyway, but they were precious to Heather.
"I'll be sure to bring you more food later." Heather promised in a determined voice.
Hearing her say that, I followed suit and curled my lips.
After Heather left, I spent some more time in the woods. I deleted all those videos and put out an anonymous warning to those people. It was the only thing I could do right now to hopefully help Heather.
And Heather didn't lie, I don't know if it was to thank me or to sense that I didn't like fish anymore, but the next day she brought beef.
It's really something I like to eat, but I know it was bought with her living expenses, and she had to eat undernourished bread at school.
She is no longer afraid of me at all, nor does she tell my secrets to others, and talks to me every time I come, treating me completely as a friend to confide in.
Looking at her originally bright skin, gradually becoming pale, I felt some hard feelings.
So, I'll prepare a bag of gold coins for her this time before she comes.
Not only did Heather not ask for it, she looked a little angry.
"Thank you for the gold coin, but that's not why I'm friends with you. Maybe you can't understand how I feel, but that's not what I want." Heather left with these emotionally drained words.
I suddenly felt very difficult. At times like this I can neither chase her nor communicate with her, so how do I go about understanding her feelings?
"Rick, do you know why she's angry?" I had to turn to my wolf.
"You're being too direct, she treats you like a friend and you insult her with money." Rick affirmed.
I thought Rick was right and took his advice, I exchanged the gold for food, but Heather didn't show up this night. This made me feel a little anxious and swiped through the site again.
There was no longer a video of her being bullied on it, but that still didn't reassure me until my mother called me.
It turns out it's already the weekend and Heather has probably gone home, so I'm a little relieved to think that.
"Hey, don't forget the threats your father made to you." Rick reminded in my head.
It made me worry about Heather's safety again. Maybe I should always be around Heather to protect her.
The school's records room had information on every student. I snuck into the records room and, after learning Heather's home address, headed there at a brisk pace.
I almost ran wildly all the way there, and only when I reached a street next to the cafe did I jerk to a halt.
There seemed to be a smell floating in the air that I was familiar with.