Lively Skeleton - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was in the spot charred black by lightning that I caught sight of a section of bone protruding from the ground, smooth and lustrous as jade.

I nearly dropped to my knees.

At first, I thought it was a grave buried here.

It must have been blasted open because of the tribulation lightning I had summoned.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.

“Please don’t take offense. Please don’t take offense.”

Wracked with guilt, I picked up the scattered bones one by one.

“How about I dig you a bigger, wider pit and put you back in? Would that be all right?”

No one answered.

But by my ear, there seemed to be the faintest sigh.

I froze.

I thought I was hearing things.

I lowered my head. The bones in my hands were smeared with dirt, but even that couldn’t hide their moist, jade-like sheen.

Without thinking, I rubbed them with my thumb.

They felt really nice.

When I realized what I was doing, my face went dark.

What was I doing?

I was actually molesting a pile of bones!

“I’m sorry.

“I’m honestly afraid I’ll do something irreversible.

“Your bones are too beautiful.

“They keep making me want to take them home and add them to my collection.

“To be safe, you should go back to your eternal rest.”

That bizarre mix of embarrassment and irritation made me immediately dig a hole, bury the bones properly, turn around, and leave.

My hoarding problem had gotten so bad I was practically a pervert.

…

In the end…

I still couldn’t resist.

In the middle of the night, I secretly dug them back up, brought them home, and pieced them together.

“I’m sorry. I know I look like a pervert right now.

“But every time I close my eyes, all I can think about is your bones covered in dirt.

“I can’t take it!

“I’ll just take you home, wash you clean, put you back together, and then return you, okay?”

The bones were actually fairly easy to wash. I bundled them in a cloth bag, carried them to the river, and gave them a good swish-swish in the water.

Then, very thoughtfully, I dried every piece and spent the whole night assembling them one by one.

But no matter how I pressed, the sacrum just wouldn’t fit.

I was baffled. “What’s going on? The book says this is where it goes.”

Though I wasn’t exactly familiar with the human body, I had found a diagram of the human skeleton.

“Hello. Could you maybe turn it the other way and try?

“Also, could I trouble you to go back to that place tomorrow? I left one rib behind.”

I turned it around as instructed.

With a soft click, the bones fitted together seamlessly.

“Thank you. I feel much better now.”

The man’s voice sounded rather cheerful.

I looked up and met the elegantly proportioned skull.

“You’re wel… come?!”

Only then did it hit me.

My voice cracked from fright, and I fell backward onto my butt.

The human skeleton shifted, its bones creaking and clacking.

He walked over, grabbed me, and pulled me up, saying with great consideration, “Get up. The ground is cold.”

Looking at the skeleton leaning in close, I even forgot to use a spell. By pure instinct, I slapped him across the face.

“Do you have any idea how scary it is when you suddenly start talking? Apologize!”

The skeleton covered his face and obediently replied,

“Okay~

“I’m sorry.”

Because I was nervous, I stared at him without blinking.

I was terrified he might do something to hurt me.

Who knew that in the very next second…

He slowly turned his head away, and his entire skeleton flushed pink.

In a small, bashful voice, he said, “Could you not stare at me so directly?

“It’s so embarrassing.

“After all, I’m naked right now.”

As he spoke, he carefully held his bony frame together to keep it from falling apart, then tugged over a piece of cloth and wrapped it around his waist.

It took me a good long moment to realize that this skeleton seemed to have misunderstood something.

I looked him up and down.

I couldn’t help correcting him. “Strictly speaking, this doesn’t count as being naked.”

He argued, “How does it not?

“Not only have you seen every bone in my body from head to toe, you even touched them with your own hands.”

I was dumbfounded.

I felt like I was being scammed by a skeleton.