After finishing the ramen, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Hyun had to come along to help me since I needed assistance.

He wasn't actually brushing my teeth for me, just squeezing toothpaste onto the brush and handing it to me.

Even with hands like mine, I can manage this much. I just need to wedge the toothbrush between my thumb and index finger.

"Here."

"Thanks."

I took the toothbrush he handed me and started brushing my teeth in front of the mirror with my mouth wide open.

...Yeah, I know this looks weird. But I really can't help it.

Unlike other people who have normal incisors, canines, and molars, I literally have sharp teeth like a shark.

That's why I have to brush while looking in the mirror, not just blindly brushing.

If I just stick the brush in my mouth and brush carelessly, the bristles get caught in my teeth, or the toothbrush gets torn by my teeth.

Sounds like a joke, right? I wish it were a joke....

Holding back a sigh, I moved my head around while brushing in front of the mirror, and my eyes met Hyun's in the reflection.

His eyes were clearly focused on my mouth.

"..."

Thinking it must be my imagination, I continued brushing my molars, but now he was just standing there with his toothbrush in his mouth, staring blankly at me.

I couldn't dismiss it as my imagination anymore.

When the Nurse looked into my mouth, I didn't feel anything strange, but knowing Hyun was looking inside my mouth felt weird.

With that odd feeling, I immediately closed my mouth and glared at him.

"Wha' ah you lookin' at?"

"Huh? No, I was just thinking getting bitten by you would be seriously bad news."

I let out a snort of laughter and went back to brushing.

"Ah you crathy?"

"What?"

"Ptui. Are you crazy?"

Since he didn't seem to understand, I spat out the foam and repeated myself.

Seeing Hyun chuckle, I sighed deeply and went back to brushing.

"Shtop shtaring."

"What?"

"Stop staring."

"My eyes just naturally go that way, what am I supposed to do?"

"Then go brush your teeth somewhere else!"

Come to think of it, that's right. I flapped my wings and smacked him.

Hyun blocked my wings with his hands and quickly shouted:

"I won't look! That's all you needed to say, right?"

"If you look again, I'll stab your eyes with my horns."

"Okay, okay."

His smiling response wasn't very convincing.

...It's kind of silly to complain after getting his help, but why did he have to come in and brush his teeth with me? He could've just squeezed the toothpaste and left.

He's definitely not after my body or anything.

I knew Hyun wasn't into little girls, and more than anything, I trusted he wouldn't try anything with me.

*Sigh, whatever.*

Maybe he's just lonely.

Remembering what Hyun had said earlier, I started brushing my tongue.

"...I said stop looking!"

"Ow!?"

I kicked him in the thigh, quickly rinsed my toothbrush, put my mouth under the faucet to rinse, and left the bathroom first.

As if my teeth weren't bothering me enough already, why did he have to stare like that...

Holding back another sigh, I stood in front of the mirror hanging on the living room wall and opened my mouth.

When I say shark-like teeth, they're not small and densely packed—they're more like something from a cartoon character.

*They definitely stand out...*

The problem is that these are MY teeth.

"Haah..."

I should avoid opening my mouth in front of others as much as possible.

I sighed as I made this resolution.

"Why are you suddenly sighing like that?"

"Huh? What? When did you come out?"

"We went in together, so I came out around the same time. So why the sigh?"

"Huh? No, it's nothing... Just my teeth bothering me a bit."

Until now, I had too many other things to worry about, but as those concerns decreased, these small details started bothering me.

As I said this while looking in the mirror, Hyun, who was watching from behind, raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Why?"

If he's asking why... well, I don't have much to say.

It just suddenly started bothering me.

It's similar to when you look in the mirror after showering and suddenly notice you've gained belly fat.

I shrugged at Hyun's question.

"It's nothing... just bothering me a bit. Why?"

"I was just wondering if your teeth were causing you discomfort. If not, never mind."

Hyun said this with a nonchalant expression and sat down on the sofa to turn on the TV.

The TV was showing the variety show I'd often watched since being in the hospital.

He's so calm while I'm worrying about this.

Well, I guess it is strange to worry about something like this.

Seeing how relaxed Hyun was made me feel foolish for obsessing over my teeth.

I chuckled and sat down next to him.

"Hey, move over a bit. I want to rest my hand on the sofa."

"Just put it on my leg."

"Only if you don't mind getting scratched by these claws."

After I said that, he quietly moved aside to make room.

Finally, a bit more comfortable.

After that, Hyun and I watched TV silently, just like we did at the hospital.

Since we weren't uncomfortable with each other, the atmosphere didn't become awkward despite the lack of conversation.

We laughed together at funny scenes and adjusted our sitting positions occasionally.

We just spent time like that.

Then suddenly a commercial break came on.

Whether intentional or coincidental, the ad that came on was for dental insurance.

I hadn't planned to bring it up again, but seeing this reminded me of what happened in the bathroom earlier.

Should I mention it? Or just keep quiet?

...Well, it's not like I'll die if I ask. It's just a question.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think this is weird?"

"What? Your teeth?"

"Yeah. You kept staring at them in the bathroom."

"What, were you actually bothered by that?"

Seeing him chuckle made me somehow angry.

It's like he's making it seem like I started worrying about my teeth because of him.

But separate from my irritation, it was true that I started becoming self-conscious after he stared.

That made me even more annoyed.

"Don't talk nonsense. Just tell me if they're weird or not."

"They're not weird. With demi-humans around, pointy teeth are actually kind of cute in comparison."

"Cute...? Don't tell me you..."

"Ah! Don't be disgusting, you crazy bastard!"

I cackled at Hyun's genuine look of disgust.

We kept chatting for a while, only finishing our conversation after the variety show had ended.

"We ended up not watching any of it. Hey Hyun, how did the flag-stealing game end?"

"I saw the Blue Team losing to the Red Team 2:3, but I missed the rest. Because I was talking with you."

"Judging by the Blue Team cheering at the end, didn't they win?"

"That show is famous for plot twists at the end, so that's possible."

"Is it a famous program?"

"Yeah. I actually appeared on it once."

"Oh really?"

...Wait, what?

What did I just hear? This boring guy was on a variety show?

I stared at him with wide eyes, and Hyun frowned.

"What?"

"You? On a variety show? You're so boring."

"You little... Want me to show you how fun I can be?"

"Your face is funny enough."

As I giggled teasingly, Hyun grabbed my horns firmly.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?!"

Despite my shouts, Hyun silently held one horn in each hand.

Then he started shaking them vigorously. Unlike the gentle shake at the hospital, he used enough force to make my body sway back and forth.

"Ugogogok!?"

"Huh!?"

The feeling was like my skull was vibrating, and I reflexively made a strange noise.

Hyun, seemingly surprised by the sound I made, quickly let go.

"Arrrgh! My head feels like it's splitting open...!"

With my head ringing, I pressed my temples with the back of my hand.

Hyun pushed my hand away and asked:

"Are you okay...?"

"I thought my skull was going to crack, you jerk..."

"...I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize seriously, it makes me remember it..."

Shit... What the hell was that "ugogogok" sound... I'm definitely never letting him shake my horns again, damn it...

Mortified that I made such a sound in front of my friend, I covered my face with both hands.

That one incident created such an awkward atmosphere that even our usual friendly banter couldn't salvage it, and for a long time afterward, we sat in uncomfortable silence.

What finally broke that atmosphere was none other than a loud sound from my stomach.

Grooowl—

It was definitely from my body, but the sound was so loud that even I was startled.

As I flinched, Hyun sitting beside me asked with wide eyes:

"Don't tell me you're hungry?"

If he could hear it from there, how loud must it have been...

I sighed deeply and nodded.

"...Yeah. I'm a bit hungry."

"It's only been two hours since we ate, and you're already hungry?"

Seeing Hyun chuckle, I sighed and tilted my head back.

My horns rested against the wall with a thud.

"I'm surprised too. This didn't happen at the hospital, why now...?"

I really don't know.

At the hospital, I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner right on schedule.

I didn't even have snacks.

Literally nothing outside of mealtimes.

And I didn't eat huge portions either, just what they served.

This time with the ramen, I ate about the same amount as I would at the hospital, and I felt properly full, so why am I like this now?

As I was thinking about this with my hand on my stomach, another growl sounded, and Hyun snickered at the noise.

"We're out of ramen, but should I order something else?"

"Aren't I just mooching off you too much...?"

"You'll be getting a subsidy soon, so it's fine. So, is there anything you want to eat?"

"A subsidy?"

"Yeah, people who turn into monsters usually have difficulty with daily life, so they get some financial support."

I blinked at that and nodded. Right, if there's a subsidy, it should be fine.

After thinking for a moment, I remembered the pizza place we passed on our way here.

"Then order me pizza."

"Pfft, sure."

Ah, I forgot to mention.

"Get me a pineapple pizza with extra pineapple."

"No way in hell."

Ah, he won't order that.