
by Yashoku Banana
She wakes up in another world—reborn as a beast. She looks a little like a tanuki, though apparently she isn’t one. A dragon has claimed the land directly above her burrow, and there is not much she can do about that in the body of a small animal. Troublesome. At first, survival means finding food, learning to hunt, and staying out of a dragon’s way. Then she encounters humans—and discovers that, like other Spiritkin, she can take a human form. But looking human and being human are not quite the same thing. Before long, she is dealing with adventurer work, debt, monsters, unfamiliar customs, and pests far worse than ordinary insects. The habits and senses she acquired as a beast do not simply disappear when she walks on two legs. Still, the food is delicious, and there are good people to meet along the way. This is the story of a woman reborn as an unusual beast, learning how to live in human society without ceasing to be what she has become. One step at a time, she makes a life for herself in this strange world and slowly finds a place where she belongs.This story is originally written in Japanese by the author. AI is used only to assist with translation and proofreading; the story, characters, and ideas are entirely my own.