TATEV – Part 4.3

Yo! With this we’re half-way through TATEV~ 4 more chapters left.

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“Er, in the first place, why did Izuna decide to become my friend?”

He had found it strange back then, but now that he knew Izuna was a Tengu he found it even stranger.

“What, have you forgotten that as well?”

“No, I have not forgotten the first time we met.”

Those words ‘that too’ reminded him that he had forgotten the promise he had made to Izuna, but at least he had not forgotten the things related to their meeting.

“I clearly remember Izuna saving me from bullies. So well I’m still thankful for it.”

Not wanting Izuna to think him ungrateful, Yukino added.

There was no way he could forget it. He had really been surprised that there were people aside from the chief priest who would defend him.

“It’s a little bit embarrassing, but at that time when you saved me to me, Izuna, you looked like a hero from a TV show with special effects.”

As Yukino said that, Izuna unintentionally laughed.

“Don’t laugh.”

Because to him it had really seemed that way. Yukino petulantly scowled at Izuna.

However, it didn’t really seem like Izuna was making fun of him by laughing.

“No —— don’t you remember saving a crow chick in the past?”

“Crow chick?”

Yukino tilted his head at the unexpected words.

“Yeaa…now that you mentioned that, I have a feeling it did happen.”

“You picked up a little bird that had been pelted with rocks, didn’t you?”

“Rocks….ah”

Almost as if he had suddenly opened a drawer his memories of that time began to pour out.

That’s right, when he was a child he had actually secretly saved a little bird that had been injured by bullies throwing rocks at it and was unable to fly.

“But calling that rescuing would be…”

Yukino spoke ambiguously and sighed a little.

He guessed that he had forgotten it because to him it was quite a miserable memory.

At that time he had not been able to protect the little chick from the bullies that were throwing rocks at it, so he had hurriedly carried it back home after the other kids were gone.

He had felt sorry and ashamed that he had not been able to rush out and protect it… By no means could he call it a memory of a rescue.

“You nursed it while crying miserably, right?”

“Ee…why?”

Yukino had not expected that Izuna knew of this, so he blinked.

Because, clearly, it was something that had happened even before he met Izuna. Moreover, he did not think he would have especially told Izuna about what a shameful person he was.

Despite that, why…?

“You didn’t realize it yet?”

As Izuna said that, a teasing smile rose on his face.

“That chick was me.”

“Wha…whaaaat!?”

At first he had not understood the meaning of Izuna’s revelation, but after comprehending it, he exclaimed in a loud voice filled with much shock.

Seeing Yukino in such a state, Izuna raised his voice and laughed.

“At that time your eyes as you continued to cry seemed like they were about to melt, your tears falling in big drops.”

While speaking Izuna got up from his horizontal pose, and peeked at Yukino’s face.

“At that time I saved Yukino from being bullied to return the favour.”

“Is that…how it was…?”

Yukino murmured in amazement.

“For me Yukino had been the hero.”

As he said that, Izuna smiled gently.

Because that smiling face truly looked happy, for some reason his heart skipped a beat. Yukino was flustered by that and hanged his head.

“Bu…but, I was no able to jump out in front of the bullies like Izuna had for me…”

“Didn’t you apologize to me for it several times? Moreover, it was not like I was scared of those guys. I had thought if I could turn back into a human, I would immediately fire back at them. But because there is a rule that we can’t let people see us transform from a crow into a human, there was nothing I could do at that time. —–However, Yukino was really scared of them, weren’t you?”

“Well…that was probably the case.”

It was embarrassing to admit, but it really had been scary.

Because he had been born early between January 1st and April 1st, amongst students of the same year he had the smallest body, and he also knew that the only person who would protect him was the quite old chief priest.

It was not just that he was simply afraid of the violent nature of the bullies, it was also that if the fact he was being bullied was known and became a problem, causing the chief priest trouble, Yukino was afraid that he would lose that one and only protector.

“And yet, you did not run away. Even though you were not the bad one, you felt guilty. It was thanks to Yukino that I did not come to hate human children. On the contrary, I could not help finding you lovely.”

“Lo…lovely…?”

At the unexpected words that had rushed out, Yukino’s became discomposed.

Because, clearly, what had been between them had been friendship. However…

“You didn’t know that? I fell for Yukino who had franticly saved me while crying. If that was not the case, as one would expect, I would not ask you to become my spouse, right?”

He said ‘I fell for Yukino’…

“No, but, wasn’t that because you did not understand the meaning of the word ‘spouse’…?”

“…well, it was you who did not understand it.”

Yukino was dumbfounded by Izuna’s words that were spoken a little awkwardly.

He was the only one who did not understand it?

“You asked me to become your spouse even though you clearly understood it?”

“Naturally?”

Hearing the sound of the assumption that he had believed until just now collapsing, Yukino unconsciously dropped the fishing rod that had been in his hands.

“Ah”

“Oi, if you lean forward like that…”

Suddenly extending his hands, Izuna caught Yukino in his arms, just as he was about to slip from the rock.

“So…sorry.”

It wasn’t that high, but if he fell there was no doubt he would get soaked to the skin.

“Ah, the rod…!”

Even though he felt relieved, the fishing rod fell from his hands, and it was washed away by the river.

“Wait a moment.”

Saying that, Izuna quickly spread his wings and when he jumped off, in the blink of an eye he recovered the washed away fishing rod and returned.

“Sorry and thanks.”

“No, don’t worry about it…good grief, what were you so surprised by?”

“What, you ask…”

His head had gone blank because of the surprise at almost having fallen into the river, but he was taken aback by Izuna’s words.

“It was the spouse thing. Because, for a long time I had thought Izuna had made that promise because you had misunderstood the meaning of the word spouse…”

“That’s what you thought?”

This time it was Izuna who widened his eyes as if in surprise.

But, as if he had realized that it was really what Yukino had thought, Izuna sighed as if he was bewildered and once again sat next to Yukino.

“You know…from the start, the reason I wanted to become the chief is so that I could take Yukino as my wife.”

[T.N. Yes, the verb he uses here is for a man to marry a woman, or to take a wife. He does not use the word wife itself, but it’s implied in the verb —- oh Japanese, sometimes I do love you so. So I did not want to omit that.]

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

As Yukino tilted his head not understanding what the hell Izuna meant by that, Izuna’s gaze wandered about as if he was slightly hesitant.

“I wonder from where I should start…”

According to Izuna, until he had met Yukino, seemingly he had never cared for becoming the Great Tengu.

He had no interest in either the position of Chief or taking a spouse.

“What’s the connection between Great Tengu and spouses?”

“There’s a law that only the Great Tengu that’s going to become the Chief can marry a human bride.”

“Ee?”

Only the Great Tengu that’s going to become the Chief?

“Then, the other Great Tengu…?”

“They wed other Tengu or leave the mountain and go to another.”

“Ah, there’s also the option of marrying another Tengu? I see, I see.”

For a moment, it seemed to him that the Tengu had no other way to marry, but as expected it was not the case.

However, it was a strange tale no matter how he looked at it. Rather than marrying a human, he felt that it would be better to marry another Tengu, but… Well, he guessed that this situation was also some sort of a rule.

“Anyhow, I decided to undertake the training for becoming the Chief, because I wanted to make Yukino my spouse.”

Come to think of it, Yukino recalled Saburouta saying that it was thanks to Yukino that Izuna diligently began to make an effort in his Great Tengu training.

At that time, he had believed that it was impossible, but as it turned out it was the truth…

“To me the training to ascend to the position of Chief was just the means by which I could marry you. Understand?”

“…more or less.”

“I understand,” he thought.

Izuna had understood what a spouse was, and on top of that, had proposed the promise to him.

Izuna had truly liked him in a romantic way since their childhood, and because of that he had made that promise…

—–Izuna liked him.

The moment he became aware of it, for some reason his heart went doki-doki and Yukino hurriedly held his chest down with his hand.

No, wait, Izuna was his friend so it was strange that his heart went doki-doki.

It was strange, but…

“What’s wrong? Your face is red.”

“…!”

His cheek was suddenly caressed, making Yukino gasp and instantly try to shake that hand off.

But, conversely, his hand was caught and tightly gripped. Yukino, who had not expected that, looked at Izuna while feeling flustered. For some reason Izuna fixedly gazed at Yukino. That stare, it was almost like Izuna was observing him.

As he thought what the heck is this, this time his hand was suddenly pulled and he was embraced.

“Whawhawhawhaaaaaat!?”

“We’re going through the steps.”

Yukino had become half-way panicked and had raised his voice in disarray as Izuna’s voice arrived at his ear.

“Ste…steps?”

“Wasn’t that what you said? Going on a date, holding hands, hugging, and once we’ve done that next is…”

While saying that, Izuna finally loosened his arm. Fixedly, he peeked into Yukino’s eyes.

As if dipping up from below, Izuna gave him a bare touch of a kiss.

Yukino became absolutely crimson red, and gazed at Izuna. It was like his heart was about to implode. Even though they had done this several times and some of those kisses had also been much more lewd, for some reason this was the kiss that made his heart go doki-doki the most.

However….

“With this, we’re done, right?”

Izuna’s elated words took Yukino aback and he forced back that chest.

“Bu…but going through the steps is not something you can do in one go like this!!”

As he averted his gaze while speaking, Izuna for some reason held in his laughter and threw in an appropriate response.

“Hmm, it’s such a difficult thing.”

At the voice that spoke of Izuna certainly not really thinking as such, Yukino looked away and as if to put a little distance between them he turned his back towards Izuna.

His heart was still going doki-doki a little bit.

Why was he feeling like this? He thought he should do something about this situation that was causing panic only to him, but…

“Oh right, how about we sleep while holding hands tonight?”

“Holding hands…”

Yukino knitted his eyebrows at Izuna’s lively tone as if the man thought he had come up with a good idea. Just then his shoulders were hugged from behind at a diagonal angle. His heart that had finally calmed down once again began to make a fuss.

“That much would be fine, right?”

“I got it! It’s fine, so let me go.”

“Right, that’s decided then.”

Izuna replied to Yukino’s words and laughed merrily.

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Rather than a Tengu, I think Izuna acts like a big shameless doggy instead~ Doggy Seme type, ah yaoi classic~

Ok, till next time~
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TATEV - Part 4.2
TATEV - Part 5.1

5 thoughts on “TATEV – Part 4.3

    1. This author has several books in this style with Japanese mythology creatures. I know for fact that there is one with a dog spirit seme and one with a snake spirit seme, though I don’t have them.

  1. u,u I justo found your blog, i hope you are doing well! and in the future be able to continue your trans owo, its very hard to find jap-eng novel translations…. english is not my forte sorry if i did not wrote accuratly …

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