Chapter 81: King NemuNemu ④

While I was talking with Jin, something else caught my eye.

It wasn’t D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E., who stood stiffly in the corner.

It was the man peeking nervously at us from the back door.

The moment our eyes met, his shoulders twitched and—slam—the door shut.

I’d never seen his face before, but anyone inside NemuNemu Castle had to be connected to NemuNemu.
Or maybe he was with Jin or D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.—though honestly, no way those guys had friends.

After a brief clatter and muffled commotion on the other side, the double doors creaked open.

And standing there were—two Mini NemuNemus!

I’d seen Mini NemuNemus before at parades, but whenever I met NemuNemu in person it was always in full, human-sized form. This was my first time seeing them up close.

Between the black-and-white Mini NemuNemus emerged the man who’d been peeking at us earlier.

I’d only caught a glimpse of him before, but now I could see his whole figure clearly.

He was a middle-aged man leaning on a cane.

The way he shifted his weight made it obvious his right leg was injured. The cane helped him move, but his slow, deliberate pace suggested the condition was serious.

He wore a finely tailored three-piece suit, regarding me calmly from behind a monocle.

Even while favoring his right leg, he carried himself with dignity. In fact, every step seemed deliberate, each one exuding refinement. The tip of his cane bore a gold ornament shaped like a NemuNemu—so out of place it was almost comical, yet somehow it suited him perfectly.

The gentleman stopped in front of me. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket.

What he drew out was a NemuNemu keychain.

Lifting it beside his face, he smiled.

The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened, giving his expression a charming warmth.

I stared at the keychain, trying to decipher the meaning of the gesture.

It felt familiar.

Like a game of charades.

I had plenty of strange acquaintances, but not many I had to communicate with without words.

“…NemuNemu?”

The gentleman’s smile widened, and he nodded.

Then he extended the keychain toward me—no, not to give it, but to return it.

I recognized it instantly.

That grayish color scheme.
It was one of the pair I’d bought with Yura-chan the other day.

When I held out my hand, the gentleman placed the NemuNemu keychain gently in my palm.

It looked more worn than I remembered.

Although it had been carefully repaired, stitches ran around its neck—evidence it had once been torn, or nearly so.

Sudama had said NemuNemu stepped in to mediate the fight between Raiden and Ironclad.
Could it be—that NemuNemu was this keychain NemuNemu?

My house wasn’t anywhere near NemuNemu Land.

And I’d never seen a NemuNemu outside the amusement park.
That’s why it had always been a mystery how NemuNemu showed up at my home.

There are multiple NemuNemus. They act simultaneously.

Not just the costumed ones—could even the plushies and keychains be NemuNemu too?

The keychain in my hand showed no sign of moving.

“…NemuNemu… is that what you are?”

I asked again, almost the same words I’d spoken when I first accepted the keychain.

But this time the question was directed at the gentleman himself.

Is this man… NemuNemu?

His smile deepened. As if to say he understood everything, he slowly nodded.

After a moment’s thought, I tucked the keychain into my pocket and held out my hand once more.

The gentleman caught my intent and shook it firmly.

There was warmth, the texture of human skin.

If someone called him a “flesh puppet,” I could believe it.
It was the same impression I’d gotten from D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.—a faint sense of detachment from humanity.

So maybe, for now, I should think of him as the one controlling NemuNemu.

Not disappointing, exactly—just unnerving.

Is this okay? Me seeing the “person inside”?

It felt even more taboo than seeing a hero without their mask.

When I stayed silent, the gentleman’s gentle expression faltered into a slight frown.

Hooking his cane on his arm, he raised both index fingers and tapped them together. Poke, poke.

A bashful, awkward, anxious gesture.

“Ah—no, you don’t have to worry. I was just thinking about something else.”

He was probably afraid I’d lost respect for NemuNemu now that I’d seen his true form.

But if he looked at the list of people I call friends, he’d know I’d never be bothered by something so trivial.

My confusion came from something else entirely.

“Hmm… so it’s fine? Showing me your form isn’t some huge secret?”

The gentleman nodded once—then shook his head.

So: yes, it was fine to show me his form.
But no, revealing his form was still a big secret.

“Then… does this mean you trust me?”

He nodded vigorously, up and down.

That movement was so familiar.

Exactly like NemuNemu’s nodding—no doubt about it. This gentleman really was NemuNemu himself.

That made it easier to accept the title “Fluffy Guardian NemuNemu.”
Or wait—in this case, maybe it should be “Fluffy Guardian and NemuNemu”?

So then, is this gentleman’s actual name also NemuNemu?
I couldn’t exactly ask his name through charades.

“Can I keep calling you NemuNemu, just like always?”

The gentleman nodded again, vigorously.

It hadn’t even been long, but I was already used to this version of NemuNemu.

After all, his movements were identical. My conversations with NemuNemu had always relied on gestures, so those motions served as proof of identity even more than appearances did.

“I see. Damn… if that’s the case, I should’ve brought a gift. I didn’t know what NemuNemu runs on, so I skipped it. Turns out you’ve got a mouth for sweets, huh?”

NemuNemu’s shoulders shook with amusement.

Something about what I’d said had struck him as funny. Maybe that’s his fuel.

Honestly, it’s less of a mood-breaker to think a person operates NemuNemu than to imagine he runs on diesel.

“Anyway, Sudama told me if I want to know why my houseguests are here, I should ask someone else. Am I supposed to ask you, NemuNemu?”

NemuNemu nodded deeply, then placed his free hand on top of his head.

That gesture—I’d seen something like it before.

“Snow Fox?”

But since this NemuNemu was using a cane, he only had one hand free. Maybe he was just showing one ear? But he shook his head hard, denying it.

Still, the “ear” angle felt close. There was another fox, after all.

“Sudama?”

NemuNemu smiled warmly, then opened and closed his fingers against his thumb in a talking gesture.

“Something Sudama said?”

With a sharp motion, NemuNemu gave me a big thumbs-up.

…Which line of hers, exactly?

Was it something she’d said since we arrived at NemuNemu Land?

“All right then, I’ll just go through everything she said one by one. Nod if I hit the right one. We can’t exactly sit down and talk it out here, so—come closer.”

NemuNemu shook his head.

“My apologies. If fate allows, we will meet again.”

NemuNemu shook his head again.

“I was told this NemuNemu was a friend of yours?”

NemuNemu placed a hand to his cheek, smiling shyly.

That seemed to be the line he’d wanted to highlight.

“I’m glad we figured out the answer early.”

“Listening to you two was pretty entertaining, though.”

Before I realized it, Mio had appeared in her Flux form, clearly amused by my back-and-forth with NemuNemu.

This wasn’t the time for her to be enjoying my Sudama impression.

“This one didn’t even pay the admission fee, right? From NemuNemu’s perspective, isn’t she technically an intruder? You okay with that? Want me to pay for her instead?”

NemuNemu waved her hand with a light flick, laughing.

That meant “don’t worry about it.” Generous as always. Not like Jin, D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E., or Sudama paid admission fees either.

For that matter, I’m basically sneaking in too, since I’m using the annual pass NemuNemu shoved onto me.

Anyway, back to the point.

What NemuNemu was pointing at was Sudama’s line: “I heard that this NemuNemu is your friend, is that correct?”

What I’d asked NemuNemu was why she was sheltering us.

If that was her answer—

“In other words, you helped us because I’m friends with you, NemuNemu?”

NemuNemu raised her staff and gave the floor a light tap.

“Friends of friends are friends too, right?”

With a beaming smile, NemuNemu nodded over and over—“yes, yes.”

“Man, NemuNemu’s the best. That’s exactly how I see it too.”

Whether she’s in a costume or showing her human form, her essence hasn’t changed.

There was a human from the start, secretly orchestrating NemuNemu and the others behind the scenes.

Of course I’d considered that possibility.

Sure, I’d been hoping—even just a little—that this was some kind of whimsical world where plush-doll species actually existed.

But even if that expectation turned out wrong, it doesn’t erase the friendship between me and NemuNemu.