Early in the morning, the city was just beginning to wake up.
A tall young man carried a heavy bag as he walked down a nearly empty street. Only a few breakfast shops had opened at this hour.
He reached the door of a breakfast cafe, where various options were available. A middle-aged man in an apron looked up at him and asked, "What can I get for you, young man?"
The young man's face showed no emotion. "One order of sausage bread, to go."
"Alright."
After paying, he took the breakfast and entered the building.
Eulalia rubbed her eyes and opened the door. Sure enough, there were sausage bread on the table in the living room. She went to the kitchen and saw Grey preparing meat.
"Is this... wild mountain goat?"
"Yes."
Grey cut the meat into chunks and stored it in the fridge. This goat would be enough for him to eat for several days.
"Thank you for buying me breakfast," Eulalia said as she went to the bathroom to wash up.
Grey had been living in her home for two months. Except for the time when he was injured and she bought him meat, he had been hunting for himself, eating what he caught for several days at a time.
After washing up, she began eating breakfast, occasionally glancing toward the young man in the kitchen. He silently prepared the food, speaking little.
Not long ago, he had helped her drive away some troublesome relatives. Eulalia knew they wouldn't just give up—they would come back again, perhaps even a second or third time.
This younger werewolf was strong. Though he joked about being her little bodyguard, Eulalia actually had a bit of that intention in mind.
"Hey, Grey, let's go out later," she said, taking a bite of bread.
Grey stopped what he was doing and looked at her, his tone neutral, "What are we going for?"
"I already said, right? You'll be my little bodyguard for now. I'll provide your food, clothing, and lodging. Maybe wild food tastes better, but I'll buy you a few clothes."
This werewolf was probably quite poor. He only had two sets of clothes.
After hearing her, Grey replied with two words: "No need," then continued cutting the meat.
Eulalia took a sip of water and said slowly, "Who doesn't want more clothes? I'm also going to buy a few other things. Come with me, mostly because I'm afraid of running into my 'mother'."
"I haven't gone out for a week, hiding here like this isn't a solution."
Grey paused for a moment, realizing that this woman had been staying indoors to avoid those people from last time.
"If you want to go out, just call me." He felt a bit awkward, as though he wasn't good at saying such things. His tone was stiff. "I... will accompany you."
Eulalia smiled. "I've been waiting for you to say that!"
After finishing breakfast, Eulalia went to change into her outdoor clothes, then left the house.
Strictly speaking, this was Eulalia's first time going out with Grey. He kept his gaze lowered, his face devoid of expression, slowing his steps to walk behind her, indifferent to the bustle and grandeur of the human city.
He seemed rarely to wander the streets like this, occasionally frowning, always avoiding any contact with passersby.
As Eulalia walked past a stunningly beautiful woman, she was momentarily struck by her beauty. She turned to Grey and whispered, "That girl is so pretty!"
Grey fixed his gaze on her, showing no interest, and merely muttered an indifferent "Oh."
Eulalia didn't mind, and began to chat casually, "There must be beautiful people in your world too, right?"
Grey didn't deny it, simply giving a noncommittal "Mm."
Eulalia's curiosity was piqued, and she looked back at him, "What does she look like? Is she in the human world too? I absolutely love looking at pretty girls!"
Grey, however, softly uttered three words: "Watch your step."
Eulalia looked down and nearly jumped in surprise—there, right under her feet, was a patch of vomit, no doubt left by someone!
She exhaled in relief. "Wow! I almost stepped in it!!... By the way, you still haven't answered me from earlier."
Grey's eyes fixed on a figure ahead, dressed all in white, before he spoke, "...She's a werewolf with pure white fur, and many werewolves find her attractive."
Pure colors are, after all, considered beautiful in werewolves.
Moreover, it was pure white, the color of a snow-capped mountain.
Eulalia immediately looked at him with an expression of curiosity: "Oh! So do you like her too?"
"Why would I like her?" Grey didn't quite understand. He wasn't familiar with Snowheart, didn't know her well, and didn't understand her inner qualities.
"Hey, handsome, can we exchange contact info?" A lively voice came from a girl in a pleated skirt. She blinked and looked up at Grey.
She appeared to be no older than twenty.
Grey glanced at her but didn't speak.
Eulalia couldn't help but marvel. Upon closer inspection, Grey was actually quite handsome. With his spiky hair and sharply defined features, there was a youthful vigor in his brows and eyes. Tall and long-legged, it was no wonder he attracted the attention of young girls.
Just then, Eulalia noticed the girl looking at her with a puzzled expression: "Wait... are you his girlfriend?"
Eulalia shook her head.
Then, the next second...
"You're blocking the way." Grey's voice was somewhat cold.
"Tch! Who you think you are! Flamboyant peacock!" The girl huffed and walked away angrily.
"Eh..." Eulalia raised her hand in a stop gesture, about to speak but stopping herself. "Ah, this is..."
Grey wore an expression as if the whole thing had nothing to do with him.
Eulalia thought to herself that Grey wasn't good at interacting with others. Once they became a bit more familiar, she could talk to him about matters like this.
They arrived at their destination.
She entered a men's clothing store, picked out a black sweatshirt, and gestured it toward Grey. "Hmm, this should fit."
Grey paused slightly and lowered his gaze to look at her. "I don't need it."
"You're here already, so why not?"
Eulalia went to pick out a pair of pants and handed them to him. "Go try them on inside to see if they fit."
Grey stared at the number on the tag: 150$.
This pair of pants was actually 150$?
Why was she buying this for him?
He pursed his lips, unmoved, and turned his gaze away. "I'd buy it myself if I wanted to wear it."
Eulalia thought to herself, "Buy what? You probably has nothing but your underwear left. You looks kind of pitiful. You are my lifesaver, and I don't buy clothes for just anyone."
"It's just a small token of my gratitude. I still have enough money for this. Hurry up, once we're done, I need to get back to work."
Grey reluctantly took the clothes and silently headed to the changing room. It seemed like she thought of him as a penniless fool.
Why was she so concerned about a "penniless" like him...
There was nothing to gain from him.
He didn't understand and couldn't figure it out.
He had never met a pure human who was so kind to him before. He found it very strange and wanted to understand more about what this woman was thinking, and how she differed from other pure humans...
In reality, Grey had a bit of savings. He would sell any excess game he hunted to other werewolves. Aside from food, he had no interest in anything else, so his money naturally piled up (though he thought it was quite a lot).
If his parents hadn't been so fixated on buying a human house, they could have lived without working at the construction site. Unfortunately, they had fallen in love with everything about the human world—houses, cars, jewelry, clothes...
It was an endless pit.
Maybe that's why Grey had never cared about such things. As long as he could live and eat, that was all he needed.
He had reduced his desires to the smallest of things.
A little bit was enough to fill his heart.
His world was actually very small.
It could be Alpha Roderick he wanted to follow.
Or... to protect this round, plump woman.
Grey hesitated for a second after trying on the clothes, then walked out.
"Wow! Not bad at all!"
Eulalia sized him up from head to toe. In his black sweatshirt, Grey looked like the popular boys from her school days.
Grey, flustered by her compliment, quickly looked away.
The sales assistant, smiling from the side, said, "Lady, this young gentleman looks great in that."
"Right? I think so too," Eulalia replied with a smile.
Eulalia paid for the purchase and led him to the women's section. There, she picked out a black velvet dress with pearls, a fitted V-neck that accentuated her fair skin. She gazed at herself in the mirror, quite satisfied with the reflection.
"This will do," she murmured to herself.
Under the lights, her skin glowed, almost luminescent.
Beside her, Grey briefly lifted his gaze, glanced at her, then lowered his eyes again. He said nothing, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
He simply walked up to the cashier. "How much is the dress she tried on?"
The cashier blushed slightly. "288$. Are you buying clothes for your sister? That's so sweet of you."
Grey didn't say anything. He quietly paid, and only when Eulalia came out of the fitting room did he speak, "She's not my sister."
