Chapter 18

Sure! Here’s a comedic translation of your anime novel:

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[Author’s Note] Thanks for reading! If you’re not too busy, please give a recommendation, and if you have a moment, drop a comment. It really helps this poor writer!

Chapter 18: Raccoon, Leaf 017 – Raccoon, Leaf #2

━ Wow, what incredible claws you have!

Chilli Raccoon couldn’t stop showering praise on the bizarre beast in front of him. Whether the claim about possessing five talents was truth or nonsense didn’t really matter.

Leaf just wanted to do whatever it took to escape the immediate crisis. This critter, even though it could speak like him, seemed a bit lacking in the brains department. To put it mildly, it looked as daft as a newborn animal.

‘Younglings are usually susceptible to flattery. If I keep high spirits and take advantage of this little fluff’s moment of distraction, I can make my escape.’

Even with his limbs bound by vines, Leaf was confident he could use his talent, “Crafty Hands,” to free himself from such a shabby restraint.

If worse came to worst, he could always tap into his second talent, which he kept secret.

Hiding or concealing the effects of his talents was such basic trickery that it didn’t even qualify as deceit.

‘This critter probably doesn’t even realize that, but hey, it’s a lucky opportunity for me!’

Just then, in the midst of all that flattery, a new surprise hit them.

━ This is stealth movement!

━ Huh? I can’t hear your footsteps at all! What’s going on? How did you do that?

Leaf gasped in astonishment. As the critter tiptoed, not even the slightest sound of dirt crunching underfoot could be heard.

That was an elevation of skill that could only be achieved through a unique talent or innate ability.

Realization struck Leaf: the beast’s claim to five skills wasn’t just big talk.

At least, it clearly had two or more talents.

‘What’s with this fluffy creature…?’

Having even one talent drastically increased one’s chances of surviving in this forest. Possessing a talent signified a blessing from the World Tree, Leaf’s mother.

━ The courtship dance is just a dance, right?

The bizarre beast was now flailing its limbs, shaking its body with fervor. Leaf’s head began to spin from the nonsensical moves.

His eyes were rolling so much it made him frown.

‘What a strange creature! What the heck is going on?’

Leaf firmly believed he ranked among the smarter animals in the forest. He had survived without sharp claws or teeth because he was cleverer than others and had supporting talents to back it up.

But this beast was clearly beyond his understanding. Were all creatures from the city like this?

━ Who are you anyway? What’s your deal?

Leaf directed the question at the dancer, his head brimming with curiosity—a characteristic no raccoon could resist.

━ I don’t even know! I want to find out what I am too!

━ Oh, I see.

Leaf quickly racked his brain. A lightbulb flashed in his mind—it was a great opportunity to discover this creature’s identity while resolving the current situation.

━ Let’s go visit the Witch! She’ll know what you are!

The forest witch was famously known for her vast knowledge. Raccoons often sought her assistance.

━ The witch?

The bizarre beast tilted its head in confusion.

The noon sun was high in the sky.

Despite everything that had happened, it was still too early for sunset. Getting up early made the day feel surprisingly long.

━ So what’s this witch like? Human? Animal?

I asked the raccoon as I walked it along with a vine leash. It trotted ahead, not glancing back as it answered.

━ Someone who doesn’t fit into any category. You’d best watch your words around her.

━ Got it.

I felt a flutter of excitement at the thought of what kind of being might appear before me. The fog crept in, and the forest grew darker, with only a chilly breeze whistling through.

‘The sun’s high in the sky, but it’s almost evening dark around here. Something’s definitely gonna jump out at me.’

Curvy, strange-looking trees loomed around. Spider webs drooped heavily as lizards and snakes with horn-like protrusions squirmed between them.

‘These beasts all look horrifying. They probably don’t taste too good either.’

Walking along, I spotted totems adorned with the skeletons of animals I couldn’t even identify. It looked as though the carcasses were tied to branches, as if they’d been hanged.

━ Hey, this is the right way, right?

━ Yep! I’m not lying, so stop freaking out. I won’t let you get trapped again. I’m curious about what you are too!

━ Who said I was scared?

I tried to sound tough, but I couldn’t entirely suppress the tightening in my chest. It reminded me of the day from my childhood when I’d gone into a haunted house alone.

The eerie screeches of some unknown birds echoed sadly. Red eyes flickered in the dense thicket.

━ What kind of place is this? I never thought there would be a place like this in the forest.

When I questioned the raccoon, words appeared before my eyes.

【Foggy Forest: Eve’s Hideout.】

I swatted the words away with my hand. Surprised at the sudden movement, the raccoon stopped in its tracks and turned to look at me.

━ What are you doing?

━ I just got rid of the words.

━ Words?

The raccoon tilted its head in confusion, like it had never heard of such a thing before.

Did it not see the words? I feared it might shower me with complicated questions, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

‘This little guy seems to be full of curiosity, so it’s best to just play it cool.’

After walking for a while, the raccoon stood upright on its hind legs and pointed to a tree.

━ We’re here! Don’t you see that tree over there?

━ Oh.

When the raccoon pointed to the massive tree, the fear bubbling inside me dissipated like magic.

It was thick and enormous, rivaling the old tree that had been the raccoon’s home, topped with a cozy-looking hut that stirred up my sense of nostalgia.

‘How on earth did they build a hut up there? There’s a window and even a chimney!’

A soft crimson glow spilled from the window while white smoke puffed out from the chimney.

The raccoon stood upright, gazing up at the treehouse.

━ She’s inside there.

━ Do we have to climb up the tree?

━ Nope! If you ring the bell at the base of the tree, she’ll send a basket down. Oh, by the way, the bell is a human tool made of metal—

━ I know what a bell is!

━ Really? Oh, right, you said you came from where humans live.

The raccoon and I approached the base of the tree. As it had said, a little string dangled with a bell on it.

With familiar motions, the raccoon shook it, and a clear sound rang through the Foggy Forest.

After a moment, the raccoon purred in confusion. It shook the bell again.

But again, nothing happened; no basket descended, and there were no signs of life from the hut.

━ Hmm, that’s odd. She usually sends the basket down right away.

━ Maybe she’s taking a nap?

━ Is that it?

━ Forget the basket; I’m going up myself.

I drew my claws and sank them into the tree. Since it was an ancient tree, the bark was rough enough to grip easily.

Climbing this tree was a piece of cake for me now.

As I clambered upward, I heard the raccoon’s voice call out from below.

━ I’m coming too!

━ Huh? Then just climb up!

━ I can’t climb trees! Can you carry me?

━ Ugh!

With an exasperated sigh, I scooped the raccoon onto my back and continued climbing.

Its weight was a bit more than I expected, but the warm fluff against my back wasn’t too bad.

As I neared the hut, I searched for an entrance. However, there was nothing that could be called a ‘door.’

━ What kind of house is this? Do I enter through a burrow? Or do I have to use the window?

I clung to the window to peek inside. I saw a modest table with a teapot and teacups neatly arranged on it.

On a white plate, there were small, beautifully cut pieces of something—was it cake or bread?

‘That looks delicious!’

I hadn’t seen food like this in ages, and my mouth watered. I slid the window open and, still with the raccoon on my back, stepped inside the hut.

━ Witch! I’m here! It’s Leaf!

The raccoon shouted while scanning the room for its owner. I noticed steam rising from the teacups on the table.

━ Since the tea is still hot, she hasn’t been gone long. She should return soon.

I sat on a wooden chair that was crudely made and uncomfortably stiff, but the fact that I was ‘sitting on a chair’ lifted my spirits immensely.

The crackling fire in the hearth and the fresh aroma of wood and tea wafting through the air calmed my mind.

━ This is the good stuff.

I’d been doubting whether this raccoon was leading me into yet another trap, but now I felt it didn’t matter anymore.

As I examined the inside of the hut, I spotted some goblets hanging in a loop. I grabbed one and poured tea from the teapot.

‘I know it’s rude, but…’

Even though I used to be human, I hadn’t developed a habit of enjoying tea or coffee. If anything, I preferred soda and booze.

But after rolling around like a beast for more than ten days and feeling like I might truly become one, having a drink like a human felt like a significant act.

‘What a lovely aroma.’

I inhaled the scent of the tea, which reminded me of the ginger tea I usually had when I caught a cold.

Taking a sip, I was met with a spicy kick.

Spicy? Coming from a Korean background, I had forgotten how much I missed this tingle on my tongue.

Slurp! As I gulped down the tea, I caught the worried gaze of the raccoon, staring at me.

━ It’s advisable not to touch things carelessly.

━ Are you saying I shouldn’t touch other people’s belongings without permission?

━ Nope, it’s just that the witch doesn’t care about trivial stuff like that, but she has many dangerous items, so you could get hurt.

━ I see. But sipping some tea should be safe, right?

━ Is that so? Then pour me a cup too! I’ve always wanted to taste it!

The raccoon grinned and sat across from me, extending its cup.

I poured some tea into its cup. The raccoon watched my actions with keen interest.

━ Nice job. You act like a witch!

━ Does that mean I’m like a human?

━ Well, it means you’re good at using tools.

━ So, you’re saying that’s human-like behavior?

━ Is it? I have no idea since I’ve never seen a human. I’ve heard a lot about them, though.

The raccoon gazed at the teacup I had handed it, its eyes sparkling. It sniffed the fragrance just like I had, then scrunched its face in disgust.

━ Ack! What’s that smell?

━ It’s probably too sophisticated for a silly beast like you.

━ Me? A silly beast?

The raccoon fluffed its fur in indignation. I just shrugged and took another sip of my tea.

━ I could handle a drink like this, you know.

The raccoon lifted the teacup to its mouth. The moment it did, it yelped, staring in shock.

━ Ow! Hot! My tongue! My tongue is on fire!

━ Well, what were you expecting? How could you just spill it everywhere?

━ Gack! Ugh! I shouldn’t have touched the witch’s goods! It’s dangerous!

━ You really are ridiculous.

With a swollen tongue sticking out, the raccoon pouted. I couldn’t help but chuckle at its miserable expression.

Just then, a loud voice echoed through the small hut.

“Ah, it’s Leaf! Thanks for coming. I owe you my life.”

The teacup that had fallen to the floor began to writhe and wobble ominously. I jumped up from the chair, stepping back.

‘…What in the world is this?’

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