Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 201 : Cats, Dogs and Fish 2

"—They're over there!"

Elsa wanted to rush over immediately, but was stopped by Yvonne behind her

"We can't go any further."

"Why are you stopping me??"

Yvonne looked down, her eyes indicating the area beneath their feet,

"The ice layer is very thin here. We can't go directly over like this."

"!"

Elsa only then noticed that the ice layer under their feet made an unnerving creaking sound when stepped on, and hurriedly took a step back,

The ice near the shore was much thinner than the part in the center of the lake. The two children were small in size, so there was no problem with them stepping on it, but if the two adults were to go over, the thickness of this ice surface would not be able to support them,

If Yvonne hadn't stopped her, causing the nearby ice to crack, it might have led to even more serious consequences.

"I'm sorry... I was too hasty."

Elsa rubbed her forehead with frustration.

Losing judgment due to excessive anxiety was a major taboo among taboos.

No good... the range of magic isn't enough...

The two were clearly not far from them, yet they couldn't save them. This made her feel extremely anxious.

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The ice surface was very slippery, with no place to grip at all.

Each time force was transmitted through the fishing line, it would pull the two towards the bottomless ice hole,

"Let go quickly!!"

Rako shouted anxiously,

"If this continues, you'll fall in!! Let go—"

"N-No, can't let go...!"

However, Bebe refused to let go no matter what, even using her sharp canine teeth to bite the fishing rod desperately.

Her thinking was simple: she must help her beloved Sister Rako catch the biggest and best fish!

"Wah!!!"

A more violent tug came, and the last bit of fabric she could grasp slipped away,

With a splash, the small young beast was forcibly dragged into the water.

"Bebe!! Bebe?!"

What to do? What to do?!

Rako on the ice was frantic.

She desperately used the fish spear to break the ice around the fishing hole, trying to create an entrance large enough for her to enter.

This kind of ice hole specially dug for fishing wasn't very large, only small enough for someone like Bebe to be pulled in,

She planned to take off her clothes and jump in herself,

But even with her good swimming skills, swimming in this kind of icy water would completely freeze her unable to move within minutes.

She dug with both hands and feet, her hands frozen stiff, but still didn't dare to stop,

The splashed water wetted and made the nearby ice surface transparent, and something even more desperate happened to Rako,

"Woo————"

Piercing buzzing sounds came from below, terrifyingly abnormal, making her unable to move,

A huge black shadow moved beneath her.

Because it was too large, they hadn't noticed it before,

But after Bebe fell into the water, the black shadow below began to move,

It seemed they had encountered something extremely formidable.

"Puh-ha—!"

The sound was interrupted, and at this moment, a familiar figure emerged from the hole, holding a large struggling fish that was biting the hook, exhaustedly sprawling on the edge of the hole,

"Caught it—! Rako, I caught it—"

"Are you an idiot?! Come up quickly!!"

The black shadow beneath the water seemed to have disappeared, and the earlier sense of intimidation had dissipated,

Not bothering to wipe away the tears that had fallen due to fear and worry, Rako hurriedly moved forward and grabbed Bebe, but her own strength was far too limited to pull her out of the water in one go.

"The uncle under the water carried me up... and helped me catch the fish... but... Bebe... seems to have no strength now."

Saying some nonsensical words, the small hand being held by her gradually relaxed,

It seemed the underwater experience had exhausted too much of her energy,

"Don't close your eyes!!"

Rako became anxious,

"Grip my hand tightly, regulate your breathing!!"

"Okay... hah..."

After being scolded by Rako, Bebe, along with the fish flopping on the shore, opened and closed her little mouth, trying hard to breathe,

As a descendant of the fishing people, Rako knew that at times like this, one must breathe deeply. When the whole body is soaked in cold lake water, the strong reaction produced by the body's instinct makes one feel nervous, mobilizing all energy to convert into heat, so it's most dangerous in this situation,

If breathing doesn't normalize, one might lose consciousness due to the stress response,

"Is there anyone..."

Rako felt very desperate,

Shouting loudly for help wouldn't work either.

The Gagar Lake was surrounded by mountains. If one were to shout at the top of their lungs, there would be a high chance of triggering an avalanche.

"Sorry... really... no strength left..."

Her voice became weak, and her little hand gradually lost its grip,

No...

This can't be...

If this continues, she'll become like her mother...

Rako cried and used all her strength, but no matter how hard she tried, it was to no avail.

"No... this can't be..."

She would rather never be acknowledged by her tribe than have an important person die.

That kind of painful feeling, she never wanted to experience again,

Didn't want to become alone.

Is there anyone...

Can anyone...

"—Can anyone save us?!!"

...

She cried out,

As if the Goddess had heard her prayer, a saving olive branch descended before her,

The wind blew a knotted rope in front of her,

"!!"

Rako looked up and saw figures lying prone on the ground not far away,

"—Use this!"

Rako quickly reacted, grabbing the hemp rope and securely tying it around Bebe who was about to sink.

"O-Okay!"

After the two arrived, Bebe was quickly pulled up, but had already fallen unconscious due to hypothermia,

"...It's all because of me..."

Apologizing in halting common language, the fallen tear tracks had frozen into ice crystals.

"It's alright, it's alright..."

As if saying it to herself, Elsa took a deep breath,

"—Leave the rest to the adults."

If this continued, Bebe's body would enter a very dangerous state due to the low temperature.

"I-I'll help too!"

Finding a wind-blocking rock on the nearby shore to make a fire, Yvonne untied Bebe's soaked clothes. Her body was wet all over, which would only make her body temperature drop faster in this temperature,

Even just taking them off was somewhat difficult, as they had nearly frozen stiff in the cold wind.

"Can you... use magic... to warm up? In water... for long... I'm worried..."

Rako's tail nervously curled around her body,

She had heard from the tribe that this human before her was a very powerful magician,

"No, that won't work."

Although 'fire elements' can easily produce heat, if directly applied to the human body, it would be no different from putting a hand directly into a microwave oven for heating, causing internal damage to the body.

So heat can only be transferred through external forces like bonfires or warm winds.

This is also one of the reasons why magicians are feared and revered by ordinary people. Because they can easily take the lives of ordinary people.

Although some specially enchanted armor and ornaments can resist the invasion of magical elements to a certain extent, they are virtually useless when encountering a magician with powerful magic.

If it weren't for being in front of children younger than herself, where she couldn't show a panicked appearance, Elsa felt she would probably have been crying in a mess long ago,

Although the wet fur on her body had been dried, Bebe's hands were still extraordinarily cold,

What to do...

This child was already weaker than children of the same age... if something were to happen, what should be done...

Looking at the gradually weakening breath, and worried eyes,

Rako once again grabbed the animal skin at her collar, then made a decision.

"...What's this?"

The two didn't quite understand what this child wanted to do,

They saw her undo the fasteners on her body, take off her fur coat, and wrap that silver fur around Bebe.

"[Beast language] Mother... please, save this child."

"——"

What happened next left the two dumbfounded.

Elsa, being more sensitive to magical power, could feel it more clearly,

Wrapped in this silver-white animal skin, some kind of life energy was continuously pouring into Bebe's body.

Gradually, Bebe's little face became rosy, and her painful expression from enduring the low temperature also eased considerably.

Except for the originally bright animal skin fur color becoming somewhat dull, everything else was like a miracle.

"Mm..."

The little one lying on the bed made a sound, her trembling eyelashes finally opening,

"Bebe!!"

Seeing the child safe and sound, Yvonne and Elsa were overjoyed,

"Rako... and Mama... everyone's here?"

"Stupid dog! You don't need to try so hard!!"

Rako hugged Bebe with a tearful voice, wanting to give her a bit more of her own warmth.

"Sister Rako... it's too tight."

Bebe's hoarse voice chuckled,

Although her body was small, a very clear heartbeat could be heard,

Life is very fragile, but also very resilient.

"So sleepy..."

"Rest a bit more."

Rako covered her with her mother's keepsake. Now this skin had become an ordinary animal skin, with no magical power remaining.

Yvonne found one of her own cotton clothes and handed it to little Rako, unable to resist asking:

"Using such a precious thing for our child... is it really alright?"

That animal skin... should have been the last protection left to this child by her mother after her passing,

"It's alright."

Gently stroking the silver-white fur covering Bebe, Rako said softly,

"Mother told me... she hoped I could use it for someone important..."

Hearing this, Yvonne's originally complex expression softened,

"Little Rako has a great mother."

"You two... are also... very good mamas..."

Rako very politely thanked and then apologized to Yvonne and Elsa.

"This time... really, I'm very sorry..."

To be honest, Elsa was very angry,

If it were bad children or naughty children causing her child to get hurt, she would definitely use magic to beat them severely,

But seeing little Rako's sincere appearance, she finally softened,

"Next time, two small children can't run to dangerous places together, understand?"

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, we hope you continue to be good friends with our Bebe."

To make sure this little Felis understood, Elsa spoke very slowly, word by word,

".................."

However, upon hearing about continuing to be friends, Rako fell into a mysterious silence.

...Hm?

Elsa was a bit puzzled,

Had she said something wrong?

Yvonne, who knew the reason, came over with a suppressed laugh and quietly told her:

"Regarding Felis traditions... only blood relatives and marriage partners can share inherited animal skins."

"Then does that mean... this child has already??"

Understanding why the little kitten in front of her was blushing, Elsa revealed a meaningful smile

"I see—"

Although half-beast, Rako still had excellent hearing, and naturally heard every word of the two's whispered conversation. She hurriedly explained in beast language:

"[Beast language] Th-that's just what the older generation was used to! There aren't so many rules now!!"

"Don't worry, whether little Rako wants to follow this custom or not, we won't have any objections."

Covering her mouth, Elsa said with a chuckle,

Offering as much love and blessings as possible to those children was her duty as a parent.

She would watch over them carefully, would witness it properly.

Together with her.

"But, kids these days really mature early..."

After leaving the tent, preparing to go get some water to boil, Yvonne held the kettle and repeatedly clicked her tongue in amazement,

"I've heard that beastfolk children are like this, considered independent at an age when they can hunt for themselves."

"Well... but whether they can remember childhood promises when they grow up is another matter."

Hearing Yvonne say this, Elsa's eyes suddenly widened,

"...Could it be, Evie, you also think everything that happened when we were children doesn't count? All treated as children's innocent remarks? How cruel!! I really misjudged you—"

Yvonne couldn't help but laugh and cry,

"That's not what I meant~~!"

·

"Oh my~ Winter fishing really is about eating this!"

Fresh red sashimi, cold and refreshing to eat, cut into thick slices, placed in the mouth like jelly,

This was made from the fresh fish meat cut from that caught fish

Because it was so fresh, there wasn't any fishy smell at all. Instead, there was a faint, refreshing sweetness. The umami of the fish spread in the mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste after swallowing, making one want to quickly eat the next piece.

"We really came at the right time~~"

"Right?"

"But this time you two really scared us to death—"

Scolding that needed to be done still had to be done,

"Ouch!"

"Aba!"

Elsa forcefully tapped Rako and the blanket-wrapped Bebe's foreheads with her chopsticks,

"—Next time, don't go to such dangerous places without adult supervision, understand?!"

"Understood..."

Seeing them lower their heads guiltily and admit their mistakes, Elsa softened her tone.

"It's alright, knowing your mistakes and correcting them makes you good children."

·

"Here, eat this."

Bebe had a fever for several days, and until the end of the winter fishing, she had to lie in the camp.

Rako would bring fresh fish caught by herself and the adults in the tribe every day,

The fish bones could be made into soup, while the fish meat was ground into minced fish wrapped in a kind of brown seaweed, baked until crispy next to the fire stove, and brought to Bebe as a snack.

"Is it delicious?"

Seeing her eat with puffy cheeks, Rako was very proud.

"Delicious~"

Now she was also an excellent hunter, capable of supporting her.

Thinking of this, her face became a bit flushed.

"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Bebe shook her little head from side to side.

"No, just a bit cold..."

Saying this, she curled up on Rako as if melting.

"Stupid dog, where are you leaning?"

"Woof woof! Hehe~ Like this it's warm..."

The little one buried her face in the crook of Rako's neck,

"It smells so good..."

Felis have special glands near their cheeks that release special scents to distinguish between different individuals. Of course, human noses can't smell these differences, but Pelo can easily detect these distinctions.

Sniff sniff... sniff sniff sniff...

The little nose explored all over, tickling.

"...Had enough sniffing?"

Rako's face reddened from the little one's affectionate behavior,

This feels super embarrassing.

Without thick and dense fur, she was originally very easy to show emotions on her face,

But now it wasn't good to push her away.

"Bebe, likes this smell..."

She looked up at her,

"Sister Rako, can you hug me while I sleep?"

"............"

How on earth could one refuse such a request?

The breathing gradually became stable,

Matching her own breathing, the rising and falling of the fluffy little belly brought a warm sensation.

That's great...

She's still alive.

They are all still living in this world,

Mother gave her life, and this little one, even younger than herself, made her understand—what life is.

If she's with her...

From now on, surely it will be even more...

"Phew..."

The little puppy fell asleep.