Leo learned a new trick

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“There, there. You did good, Leo.”
“Wuff. Wuff!”

I hugged Leo and scratched and petted her.
Leo seemed very happy to be praised.
Her fur really was nice and soft… I understood why Liza and Tilura were always holding onto Leo.
I would sometimes pull the skin around her mouth as if I was playing.

“I used to be able to pick you up… And even after all of my training, I still can’t do it again.”
“Wuff?”
“No, I’m not going to try. Do you want to squish me?”

Back in the day, I was able to put Leo on my lap or lift her in the air.
But now, it was me who would ride on Leo’s back.
As I thought back on such times and muttered, Leo put her paws up invitingly.
Obviously, any such attempt would not end well for me.

“You are both bigger and heavier…”
“Wou!”
“I didn’t say you were fat. Still, maybe you want to lose weight as well?”
“Wou!? Wou-wou!”
“Well, that’s true. You do like to eat.”

When I suggested that she could go on a diet, Leo looked surprised and then shook her head.
She did not look overweight, so it was probably fine.

Besides, dieting wasn’t just about food restrictions… Though, I suppose Leo just assumed that it was.
You just had to exercise more, like Sherry.

“Ah, that’s right. It’s been a while since I gave you a massage.”
“Wuff!”

I had done it before, but dogs would get sore muscles as well.
And so I would massage her feet or pull at her skin, which she seemed to enjoy.
As I went about this slowly, Leo let out a relaxed sigh.

“What about here?”
“Wuff-wuff.”
“It tickles, eh? Then what about…here!”
“Wuff!”

After her feet, I moved on to her ears.
Her ears sagged down when she was small. But now they pointed up, and moved busily when she was trying to detect orcs.
Apparently, it tickled when I massaged the base of the ears.

“Next… Bang!”
“Wuff-wuff.”
“…I didn’t even teach you that, but you can do it.”

I tried pointing at Leo as if holding a gun, and pretending like I had fired a shot.
And then Leo fell over onto the ground…
Sometimes, Leo would rotate her body while in the air.
But this time, she fell purposefully onto her back, as if in a pose of submission.
She didn’t quite pretend that she was dead, but it was still impressive. I would have to show Ms. Claire and the others later.

“There, there. Feels nice, huh?”
“Wuff!”

I then rubbed her belly, like I had done to the fenrirs.
There were some dogs that didn’t like showing their stomach or getting petted, but Leo actively encouraged it.
Though, she did play the part of a proud and noble mother in front of Liza. So it was times like these that she could really relax.

“Excuse me. Lady Liza is finished with her… Oh?”
“Papa! Mama! I’m back! Oh!”
“Huh?”
“Wuff?”

Apparently, time had passed faster than expected, and Ms. Lyra and Liza came into the room.
Liza saw Leo lying on her back and she shouted while rushing forward.
Clearly, she found this to be very fun…
Though, Leo was startled to be seen in such a vulnerable position.

“Mama likes to be petted like Fen and Riruru too? Okay…”
“Wuff…”
“Well, it won’t make you look more intimidating. But I guess that’s fine?”
“Wou…”

Leo looked at me as if she did not know what to do.
I suppose she wanted to look more dignified around Sherry and Liza, but it was too late. Give up, Leo.

“Mr. Takumi?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Thank you for taking care of Liza.”
“Oh, it was nothing at all.”
“Would you like to pet Leo too?”
“…Do you mean it? Well, I have petted good Leo before.”
“It’s fine. Right, Leo?”
“Wou… Wuff!”

When I was thanking Ms. Lyra, I noticed that she was looking at Leo with interest. And so I made a suggestion.
While she was hesitant, I asked Leo for confirmation. And Leo sighed and then barked as if to say, ‘come on then!’

Next Chapter

My Beloved Dog is the Strongest in Another World