Chapter 698


    The Maltese liked ire as well<hr>


    “Mr. Takumi, can I try holding it?”


    “You, ire? Hmm, I don’t mind. Uh, like this?”


    “No, you can put it on the ground first. That way, it will get used to me.”


    “Very well. Down you go…”


    “Kuun…”


    It had gotten mad at ire before, when she had tried to touch it. And so she wanted to try picking it up off the ground this time.


    “Uh…”


    “You should squat down first. So you are as close to its level as possible.”“Yes…down…”


    Dogs would sometimes be cautious if something approached them from high up.


    And so ire bent down and then reached out so that her hand was nearly touching the ground.


    It did not need to be that low… As long as it was lower than its nose. But I suppose she did not want to take any chances afterst time.


    As for the dog, it did not look scared… Well,st time, it was mostly just mad that ire was interfering.


    “Wuff? Sniff…sniff.”


    After tilting its head to the side, the dog approached ire and smelled her hand.


    “Ah, Mr. Takumi…it let me touch it!”


    “Yes. You should be able to hold it now. But don’t pick it up too suddenly. Pet its head first.”


    “Yes… There, there. Very good. Now… Oh, it’s not as heavy as Sherry.”


    “Well, it’s a small dog. Smaller than a fenrir pup. This one won’t be very big even as an adult.”


    “I see… Hehe. It is very cute. It looks a little like Leo. And so soft…”


    After slowly reaching out so that she did not surprise it, ire seeded in picking up the dog.


    She then smiled as she petted it.


    And the Maltese seemed to enjoy being as well…


    “Kuunn…”


    “Haha. I guess you like me now?”


    “Licking a person’s face can have several meanings, but it usually is a sign of affection.”


    “I see. Thank you.”


    “Kuun.”


    The Maltese now understood that ire was a gentle person. Going slow really was the right way to do it.


    “Kyau?”


    “Sherry. Be nice, okay?”


    After that, ire took the Maltese to the lunch table, where it met with Sherry.


    Unlike with Leo, the Maltese moved close to Sherry’s face and sniffed… They would have seen each other before, but this was their first proper meeting.


    Sherry wasrger than the Maltese, but closer to an ordinary dogpared to Leo. So it probably just saw Sherry was one of them.


    “Wuff!”


    “Kyau? Kyuu…”


    “It seems to like Sherry. But Sherry doesn’t know what to do…”


    “Haha. That was quick.”


    After smelling her, the Maltese jumped out of ire’s arms and onto Sherry’s chair. And then it pressed itself against her.


    And while Sherry was a little confused, she did not seem angry. And ire told them to be friends.


    “Oh, what happened to Leo?”


    “Ah, she’s digging with Liza and the others again. She really enjoys it.”


    After lunch, I spoke with Mr. Hannes. He was curious about Leo’s absence.


    Outside, Leo and Liza were almost always with me.


    Apparently, they had heard the conversation about how it could help to soften the ground, and they were eager to contribute more.


    Still, I had to warn them to not get carried away. They could not dig too deeply, and had to fill in the holes afterwards…