Hyun-woo, the man who introduced himself to us, offered to show us how to throw a proper birthday party. I didn’t really mind if we skipped it, but we decided to do it for Levinas.

“Mmm, yum!”  
Levinas happily accepted some food someone had given her. Although she hated receiving anything for free, she reached into her pocket and pulled out some small change.

Twenty thousand won—the money I kept for personal use. I handed the crumpled bill to Hyun-woo, who looked horrified and waved it away.

“No need for money.”

“But for the food…”

“It’s fine. Just showing up is enough on a birthday.”

I understood the sentiment, but wasn’t that something you only said to people who brought gifts? It felt strange to be so welcomed when we hadn’t given anything.

‘Maybe money feels too impersonal as a gift.’

Realizing that, I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a fresh roll of tape. It was a necessity in life—useful for fixing anything that broke.

“Then, I’ll give you this as a gift.”

“Tape?”

“Yes, it’s great for mending things like torn clothes.”

“Actually, that’s pretty handy. Thanks.”  
Hyun-woo accepted the tape, seeming genuinely pleased.

“Hey, Gyeoul, Gyeoul!”

Tap-tap—Levinas nudged my shoulder. Just as I turned to look at her, she shoved a salad leaf into my mouth.

“It’s tasty greens! Eat it, Gyeoul!”

“Okay.”  
Being a herbivore beastkin, she loved vegetables the most. I was a carnivore beastkin, but since Levinas had given it to me, I ate it with a smile.

“Hey, Gyeoul, why do we eat delicious things on our birthday?”

“It’s to celebrate the day you were born.”

“Ah, got it.”  
Levinas munched on her chicory leaf like she was playing a pepero game, nibbling it with her front teeth. After stuffing the green leaf fully into her mouth, she tilted her head.

“But why do we celebrate the day we’re born?”

“Well… because it’s special, I guess?”

“Huh? Why is the day we’re born special?”

Why is the day we’re born special? That was such a profound question, one I wasn’t equipped to answer philosophically.

“I’m not really sure. Why is it special?”

Maybe someone else knew the answer. When I looked around, everyone seemed to avoid my gaze—except for the birthday party’s main guest, Hyun-woo.

“Levinas, what would life be like if Gyeoul wasn’t around?”

“Huh…!”  
The small tomato in Levinas’s hand dropped. She looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

“Gyeoul… disappearing?!”

“No, I don’t mean actually disappearing. Just imagine it.” Hyun-woo quickly clarified.

“It would be so sad! Rain from my sadness would pour from my soul!”  

“Right? That’s why we celebrate, to thank each other for being here.”

“…!”  
Levinas’s eyes widened with sudden understanding, as if she’d just had a major epiphany.

“Gyeoul! Thank you for being born!”

“Same to you, Levinas.”

Hehe.  
As usual, her tail wagged in delight. It didn’t seem like a bad idea to celebrate other people’s birthdays from now on.

—

After the birthday party, we returned home. Midsummer was lying on the sofa, gently petting Saebyeok, who purred contentedly.

“You’re back?”

“Yes.”  
After washing my hands and feet, I sat beside Midsummer. Levinas bounced over and settled onto her lap.

“So, what were you two up to outside?”

“We were going to plant carrots, but we ended up joining a birthday party instead.”

“A b-birthday party…?”  
Midsummer’s hand froze mid-pet, and her brown eyes wavered.

“Yes, we even got to eat some cake.”

“R-right… Whose birthday was it again?”

Thump-thump.  
I could hear Midsummer’s heartbeat. She seemed oddly surprised; it was beating harder than usual.

“It wasn’t anyone’s birthday in particular. There were people in the park having a party, and they let us join in.”

“Oh…”  
With a relieved sigh, Midsummer’s body relaxed, causing Levinas, who was sitting on her lap, to slide right off the sofa.

“Hehe.”  
Levinas laughed, finding it amusing, and eagerly jumped back onto Midsummer’s lap for another round.

“Hey, Gyeoul, when’s your birthday?”

“I don’t have a birthday.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I don’t know when I was born.”

To be more accurate, I didn’t know when *this body* was born, so I couldn’t celebrate its birthday.

“Hmm… Then maybe we could make the day we first got close your birthday?”

“The day we got close?”

“Yeah.”

When was that, I wondered, retracing my memories. It must have been the day I was stabbed by a horned rabbit.

“You mean when I got stabbed in the stomach, right?”

“N-no! Not that day!”  
Midsummer raised her voice, startling me enough for my ears and tail to droop.

“Then… which day?”

“Remember the day you first opened your eyes at the guild?”

“Oh…”  
She must be referring to the day I transformed into a beastkin. It was a memorable day, almost like being born anew. It wouldn’t be a bad choice for a birthday.

“Think you can wait until next year?”

“Of course, I’m good at waiting.”

“Yep, that’s true.”  
Midsummer smiled warmly, and seeing everyone at home so happy lifted my spirits as well.

“Hey, Midsummer! Stretch out your leg!”

Pat-pat.  
Levinas tapped Midsummer’s thigh. Midsummer extended her leg at an angle.

“Like this?”

“Yep!”  
Levinas slid down Midsummer’s leg like a slide, her endless quest to find something fun to do always impressive.

“Is it fun?”

“Yeah! Midsummer’s like a playground! She even makes a slide!”

“How did you know? I’m actually a human playground.”

“Wow! Does Midsummer’s playground have swings, too?!”

“Of course.”  
Midsummer lifted Levinas high and carried her around the house, swinging her back and forth like a swing. Saebyeok, intrigued, snuggled up beside me.

Purrrrr—  
She curled up, making a sound like a purring cat. In Midsummer’s absence, I gently stroked Saebyeok’s head.

“You seem more like a cat than I am, Saebyeok.”

“It’s the adults’ doing.”

“The adults?”

What kind of adults would have changed Saebyeok’s body like this? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to be intrusive.

“They tried to make a body similar to yours, Gyeoul, but they didn’t know all the details of beastkin traits. So they just added a cat’s instincts instead.”

“Oh…”  
So, to mimic a beastkin’s characteristics, they used cat instincts. That explains why she seems more cat-like than I am.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m a real cat.”

“Doesn’t it feel odd to have something you weren’t born with?”

“It’s fine. Everyone likes it.”

True enough. Saebyeok’s quiet, cat-like nature was part of her charm. As long as she was comfortable, it wasn’t a bad thing.

“Hey, Saebyeok, want to try an experiment?”

“An experiment?”

“Yeah, to see how strong those cat instincts really are.”

Knowing more about her instincts could help prevent any issues in the future. Saebyeok seemed to understand and nodded in agreement.

“So, what kind of experiment?”

“Well, for starters…”

I pulled a blade of foxtail grass from my bag, one of many I had picked for eating.

Swish, swish—  
I dangled it in front of Saebyeok’s eyes, and her pupils instantly widened into round circles.

‘Wow.’  
I wondered if my pupils did the same. I’d have to check in a mirror later. Keeping that in mind, I continued to wave the foxtail back and forth.

“…!”  
Saebyeok’s head started moving side to side, following the foxtail at a dizzying speed. She was lying down, her paws tucked against her chest, and her legs were slightly tensed as if ready to pounce.

If she lunged with her strength, that could be dangerous. But fortunately, Saebyeok didn’t pounce. She simply tapped at the foxtail with her curled-up paw, just like a cat.

“Hehe.”

She really does seem like a cat. Or rather, she *is* a cat. Feeling a bit playful, I brushed the foxtail against her forehead. That’s when Midsummer returned from the kitchen.

“What are you two doing?”

“We’re conducting an experiment.”

“An experiment?”

“Yes. Saebyeok supposedly has cat instincts.”

“Oh…?”  
Midsummer trailed off, her gaze shifting to my tail, which was twitching gently like a cat’s. To be honest, it wasn’t just acting like a cat’s tail; it really *was* a cat’s tail.

“I might have some instincts too, but Saebyeok’s are stronger.”

“Are you sure? You two seem pretty similar.”

“Really? I’m not so sure…”  
Do I look like

 Saebyeok to others, too? Though I love fish, I’m not exactly interested in chasing moving objects.

Feeling a bit indignant, I looked up at Midsummer, who was swinging Levinas back and forth in her arms.

“Levinas too! Levinas too!”

“Levinas too?”

“Yeah! Levinas wants foxtail grass too!”

Guess she wanted me to dangle it for her as well. Since I had plenty, I pulled out another piece and waved it in front of her face. Levinas, with her arms hooked under Midsummer’s, started swaying her head back and forth, following the foxtail.

“Levinas may be a horned rabbit, but she acts just like a cat.”

“I think she’s just playing.”

Tap-tap—  
I poked Levinas’s nose with the foxtail grass. Just as I was about to tickle her lips with it, Levinas clamped down on the foxtail with her mouth.

Nom-nom-nom—  
The entire foxtail, stem and leaves, disappeared into her mouth.

She wasn’t just playing; she was actually eating it. Midsummer and I could only stare in awe at Levinas as she munched away.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep