CH 272

Words : 1158 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Leo’s Dirty Feet Soiled The Mansion “Father, we should go back inside soon.” “Mmm, yes.” “Leo, let’s go.” “Wuff.” As Mr. Ekenhart talked about the mock battle against Leo, Ms. Claire suggested that we go inside the mansion. And so we did just that, along with Ms. Anne, who was now carrying Sherry and seemed to be in a good mood. “…Hmm?” As we entered the mansion mansion, I noticed something while watching Leo walk next to Mr. Ekenhart. There were spots of dirt on the floor in the hallway…and they were shaped like Leo’s feet… “Leo, wait a minute.” “Wuff?” “What is it, Mr. Takumi?” “Is something wrong?” I said to Leo, and the others all turned to me questioningly. “Uh…Leo’s footprints…” “Oh, indeed… Leo’s paws are so large. Even larger than my hand.” “Uh, Mr. Ekenhart. That’s not the problem…” Unlike in Japan, people walked with their shoes on in the mansion. Obviously, there was no custom of taking your shoes off at the entrance hall… Though, there was a doormat for you to wipe the dirt off of your shoes. It was made of metal and had rounded spikes on it. Though, even if you stood on them barefooted, it wouldn’t hurt much more than those health sandals. And so I and the others would always use it to clean our shoes before going into the mansion, but… “Leo… Could it be that you never brushed the dirt off of your paws up until now?” “Wuff…Kyuun…” When I asked Leo this, she looked at me and suddenly whimpered sweetly. “Ms. Gelda… Do you always have to clean up every time Leo comes into the house?” “…Well..” “Kuuun…kyuuun…” “No, it is fine! It is our job, after all!” “…That sure sounded like an admission… Leo.” “Kyuuu? Kuuun…” “That’s not going to work, okay?” When I asked Ms. Gelda, who was with us, Leo tried to make sweet faces at her so she would say that it was fine. Though, it was easy enough to see the situation judging by her reaction… “Leo… There is something here to take the dirt off, isn’t there? You need to use it to clean your paws first, or you will create more work for the others. Understand?” “Wuff… Kuun… Wuff-wuff…” “Uh, your feet hurt when you step on it… Yes, maybe it would hurt if you stepped on it with your toe beans…” While it was rounded enough for humans to step on it with bare feet, perhaps it was too painful for Leo. I heard that paws were quite sensitive, so perhaps it could not be helped… Hmm, but I still couldn’t cause trouble in a house where we were guests. Back in Japan, I always had a rag near the entrance so that I could wipe her feet after coming back from a walk. And after a while, Leo had learned to wipe her feet by herself. And after coming to this mansion, I had told Leo about the doormat, and since she seemed to have understood, I was relieved and hadn’t noticed… “In any case, Ms. Gelda. Would it be possible for you to bring me a wet rag?” “Yes, right away!” “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Ekenhart and Ms. Claire.” “Hahaha! I was wondering what you were going on about, and it was just a little dirt! And what’s this about Silver Fenrirs having weak paws? Well, Mr. Takumi, do not be troubled over it!” “Yes, Mr. Takumi. We want good Leo to live here freely, so you really do not need to be so concerned?” I asked Ms. Gelda to bring me a wet rag. And after she went to fetch one, I apologized to Mr. Ekenhart and Ms. Claire. Thankfully, neither of them were bothered by it… However, I didn’t want to take advantage of them and leave things like this either. It would be best to avoid dirtying the floor altogether. Ms. Lyra and the others were very good to us, and I did not want to make more work for them. In the meantime, Ms. Anne was petting Sherry and took no notice of us. But Tilura was a little puzzled as if she didn’t see what the issue was. “Uhh, once Ms. Gelda brings me the rag, I will wipe Leo’s paws. So please don’t wait for me and go to the dining hall.” “Very well.” “Yes… But it’s really nothing, Mr. Takumi.” “I’ll be waiting for you Leo!” “Kyuunn… Kuun-kuun.” I sent the others off to the dining hall and then waited for Ms. Gelda. But Leo, don’t whimper at the others as if you don’t want them to leave you behind! “Leo… I understand that your paws are sensitive, but I wish you had told me sooner. You don’t want to inconvenience the others, do you?” “Wuff… Wuff-wuff. Kuun.” “Hmm? You thought that I was too preoccupied? And that I might not listen if you said it hurt…” “Wuff.” Leo looked quite crestfallen as she explained the reason to me. Indeed, I had been very busy with sword training, studying medicine and other things… But Leo was special to me. “You’re very silly. If you had told me, I would have done something to help you. We’ve been buddies for a long time now, and you’ve helped me a lot, Leo. This is really nothing. I would have been able to do something about it.” “Wuff…kuuun.” “Ah…hey, Leo. Wait. Stop moving…” If you move, then you’ll make even more footprints on the floor. Leo must have been very happy about what I said, as she pushed her face towards me and started to lick my face. I took her face with both of my hands and tried to stop her from moving so much. “Alright, Leo. But from now on, you tell me if something is wrong, okay? And I will see what I can do. …Though, there is not a whole lot that I can do that you can’t do better.” “Wuff-wuff.” I said this carefully while looking straight into Leo’s face. Leo wagged her tail happily. But now I was worried that it would hit the wall and make a hole in it… Thankfully, the hallways were quite wide here, so it was probably fine. It was a good thing that this mansion was so huge… “Haa…hahh… Sorry to keep you waiting!” “Ms. Gelda. Thank you. …You really didn’t have to rush like that…” “No, it is for you and Leo!” “Wuff…” I thanked Ms. Gelda, who had run towards us with the rag… But she really didn’t need to rush back like that… Leo also looked at Ms. Gelda apologetically… It seemed like she was saying, ‘I’m sorry to trouble you’…

CH 272

Comments (0)