Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
"Ah, pardon me—might I have the change in those coppers there instead?"
"Those? Oh, the schmie coppers? Passing through the northern forest, are you?"
"Yes. There's a logging village on the way, if I remember right."
There were many varieties of the copper coins necessary to buy supplies on the road. As to why that mattered—well, one had only to imagine trying to use one town's coin in a rival town during a feud.
"It's probably too small to even be called a village, but this time of year there'll be more people there, just trying to finish their work before the snows come. Anyhow, this is the exchange rate."
Anyone making their living by trade needed to have a grasp of the many—even dozens—of coins that circulated through the money changers.
This particular exchange rate was slightly unfavorable, but Lawrence still would not be taking a loss.
He agreed to the exchange and accepted the schmie coppers, which were smaller but thicker, before putting the shop behind him.
"You merchants are a troublesome lot," said Holo once they'd left.
Lawrence put his hand on Holo's head. "Not so troublesome as you. Now then, we'll see to repairing the wagon and gathering some talk about the road ahead..." He ticked off the tasks on his fingers.
Holo looked up at him, childlike. If he ignored her, she would be angry.
Lawrence slumped and gave in. "Yes, and dinner, too."
"Mm. Nothing like a tavern for hearing about travel conditions. 'Tis a necessary thing."
It was hard to argue with a wisewolf.
Lawrence ascended the inn's stairs just as some other travelers were coming down. A man tipped his hat in greeting and gave Lawrence a smile of pained sympathy.
The reason for that smile was quite obvious.
The sun had not even set yet, but Holo's face was quite red as Lawrence carried her.
"How many times do you suppose I've carried a certain wisewolf away after she's eaten and drunk too much, hmm?"
"Ungh..."
"You're lucky I don't make a hobby of usury, else you wouldn't even have the clothes on your back."
With effort, he managed to drag Holo back to the room. He laid her on the bed and removed her kerchief and cloak, as had become the usual routine. He was so efficient at it, who would blame him for stripping her naked? Though the thought had occurred to Lawrence several times, he had never once done it.
After all, as she groaned and lay back, Holo's face was the very image of satiety.
"Honestly," Lawrence murmured with a smile. A caress of her cheek with his finger was all the satisfaction he needed.
"Now then." They'd arrived early in the town, and as a result, Holo was passed out from drunkenness earlier than usual. It was still light outside, and with the wooden windows left open, there was light enough to work without candles.
Lawrence set his knife, coin purse, and map on the desk and lazily went about his work.
First came an inspection of his knife, making sure the blade was still keen and the hilt tight. It was mostly used for eating, but during a journey it might well need to cut a man's skin or kill an animal.
When it came to things that might save his life, it was not an exaggeration to rank the knife above any prayer to God.
As for whether his map was useful or not, it was only marginally better than wearing blinders, but there was nothing to be lost in having even a vague sense of one's physical surroundings. Especially given that tomorrow they would be passing through a forest that would obscure their view of the horizon.
Lawrence knew from past experience that just having Holo the Wisewolf with him was not a guarantee of easy travel, but at least they would not have to worry about being attacked by wolves. Given that Holo's true wolf form could easily swallow him in a single gulp, with her at his side, there was no need to fear mere forest wolves.
That point did make him feel a bit better.

Output:
It was said that animals hated the smell of metal, so he wore things made of lead on his body. Likewise it was said noise would keep them away, so he would ring a small bell all day long. He would make a generous tithe to the Church in exchange for a prayer on his behalf. He even ended up buying a charm bearing the name of a famous saint who was reputed to have given sermons to the wolves.
But no matter what he did, the wolves attacked when they pleased.
Despite all the hardship he had endured, Lawrence now found himself a bit saddened at not having to worry about such attacks anymore. Humans were strange creatures indeed.
Nevertheless, it would be best not to encounter them and not to rely overmuch on Holo. Holo, after all, seemed occasionally self-conscious about the fact that she was not human, so it would not do to just send her out to fend off any wolves that appeared.
Lawrence's attention now fell upon the contents of the open coin purse on the desk, which were the most representative of that which might be used to ward off wolves: The schmie copper pieces, which he had received as change in his various transactions around town.
Small and thick, they were perfect for carving copper off their edges, but unlike other similar coins, whose designs would have been mostly filed off, these were largely intact.
The reason why was in the design of the schmie copper.
Lawrence separated one out from the rest and held it up in his hand, gazing at it. On the red metal disc was carved the image of a single beast.
"So you're collecting those now, are you?"
Lawrence nearly dropped the coin at the sudden voice. There had been no footsteps nor other signals that she was so close.
Holo burped a wine-soaked burp and draped herself over Lawrence's back.
"I see you've finally recognized how wonderful I am, then. Mm. Aye, 'tis well."
"Yes, yes, fine. Hey, look out—!"
Lawrence reached out and grabbed the wobbling Holo's hand, and she smiled, pleased.
Even when she was drunk, Lawrence could not help but redden a bit, when smiled at thusly by a girl like Holo.
"So, what—you need water?"
"Mm...my throat burns..."
It was the usual routine. Lawrence stood from his chair, letting Holo sit instead while he brought her a pitcher of water.
He handed it to her, and she drank noisily, a trickle of water spilling from the corner of her mouth.
Holo claimed that wolves did not have cheeks and that she spilled because she had yet to become accustomed to her human mouth, but Lawrence doubted that. She was probably merely coarse.
"Whew..." She burped again.
"Feel better?"
"Mm...'Twas awfully strong wine, I think. My throat is yet dry," she said and began to drink again. She was spilling a truly terrible amount.
Lawrence felt like her footman as he offered her a handkerchief, but then he realized something—they had added a large amount of ginger to the wine, in order to cover up its poor quality.
"Even if you were to order finer wine, it would be a waste if you spilled it like that," Lawrence said, and Holo gave him a look that made him wonder if she had long since gotten over her drunkenness. But then the corner of her mouth curled up. She declined to engage further.
"Come, if you're feeling better, then move aside. It's dark, and I need to light a candle."
Holo glanced back and forth between Lawrence and the desk, then grudgingly stood. However, she seemed to have no intention of returning to the bed, instead sitting herself on the corner of the desk. "What are you doing? Are you insinuating something, huh?"
"What, do you want me to tell you it must be your conscience panging that makes you think so?"
"Hmph. Well, aren't I a good-for-nothing glutton." She took another drink from the water jug, then poked him in the temple with it.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
It was said that animals hated the smell of metal, so he wore things made of lead on his body. Likewise it was said noise would keep them away, so he would ring a small bell all day long. He would make a generous tithe to the Church in exchange for a prayer on his behalf. He even ended up buying a charm bearing the name of a famous saint who was reputed to have given sermons to the wolves.
But no matter what he did, the wolves attacked when they pleased.
Despite all the hardship he had endured, Lawrence now found himself a bit saddened at not having to worry about such attacks anymore. Humans were strange creatures indeed.
Nevertheless, it would be best not to encounter them and not to rely overmuch on Holo. Holo, after all, seemed occasionally self-conscious about the fact that she was not human, so it would not do to just send her out to fend off any wolves that appeared.
Lawrence's attention now fell upon the contents of the open coin purse on the desk, which were the most representative of that which might be used to ward off wolves: The schmie copper pieces, which he had received as change in his various transactions around town.
Small and thick, they were perfect for carving copper off their edges, but unlike other similar coins, whose designs would have been mostly filed off, these were largely intact.
The reason why was in the design of the schmie copper.
Lawrence separated one out from the rest and held it up in his hand, gazing at it. On the red metal disc was carved the image of a single beast.
"So you're collecting those now, are you?"
Lawrence nearly dropped the coin at the sudden voice. There had been no footsteps nor other signals that she was so close.
Holo burped a wine-soaked burp and draped herself over Lawrence's back.
"I see you've finally recognized how wonderful I am, then. Mm. Aye, 'tis well."
"Yes, yes, fine. Hey, look out—!"
Lawrence reached out and grabbed the wobbling Holo's hand, and she smiled, pleased.
Even when she was drunk, Lawrence could not help but redden a bit, when smiled at thusly by a girl like Holo.
"So, what—you need water?"
"Mm...my throat burns..."
It was the usual routine. Lawrence stood from his chair, letting Holo sit instead while he brought her a pitcher of water.
He handed it to her, and she drank noisily, a trickle of water spilling from the corner of her mouth.
Holo claimed that wolves did not have cheeks and that she spilled because she had yet to become accustomed to her human mouth, but Lawrence doubted that. She was probably merely coarse.
"Whew..." She burped again.
"Feel better?"
"Mm...'Twas awfully strong wine, I think. My throat is yet dry," she said and began to drink again. She was spilling a truly terrible amount.
Lawrence felt like her footman as he offered her a handkerchief, but then he realized something—they had added a large amount of ginger to the wine, in order to cover up its poor quality.
"Even if you were to order finer wine, it would be a waste if you spilled it like that," Lawrence said, and Holo gave him a look that made him wonder if she had long since gotten over her drunkenness. But then the corner of her mouth curled up. She declined to engage further.
"Come, if you're feeling better, then move aside. It's dark, and I need to light a candle."
Holo glanced back and forth between Lawrence and the desk, then grudgingly stood. However, she seemed to have no intention of returning to the bed, instead sitting herself on the corner of the desk. "What are you doing? Are you insinuating something, huh?"
"What, do you want me to tell you it must be your conscience panging that makes you think so?"
"Hmph. Well, aren't I a good-for-nothing glutton." She took another drink from the water jug, then poked him in the temple with it.

Output:
Lawrence turned his attention back to the coins before he could blunder into any of her traps.
"We'll be passing through a village of woodcutters tomorrow. These are to sell there."
"...Sell?" Holo gave him a dubious look, not unfairly.
After all, it was a copper coin that was on the table—coin used to buy, not sell.
"That's right. Sell."
"But...this is currency, is it not?"
"You can sell currency. In the old days...maybe not as old as you, but still old, coins were sold by smiths, who were side by side with the money changers."
Holo's eyes were still bleary with wine, but her interest was piqued, and she picked up one of the copper coins to regard it.
"Coins issued by legendary kings or coins circulated near abbeys where saints renowned for their healing powers lived. Coins with holes in them such that they can be strung and worn about the neck are common, too. I've even heard of coins being used as hilts on swords."
The coin Holo held had a ship and a tower carved on it and was from a seaside kingdom. She looked at the obverse and the reverse sides both, holding each up to her chest experimentally.
"That's a bit small for that—coins made to wear tend to be larger. For you...one about this size would be good, I think."
Lawrence picked out a coin of about the right size and held it up to Holo's chest. It was an unremarkable piece of faded silver, but strangely, it looked more like an antique piece of silversmithing when worn by Holo.
Clothes make the man, the old saying went, but in this girl's case the opposite was true—she made anything look good.
"Heh. So, might we put a hole in this?" Holo burbled as she held the piece up.
Lawrence agonized for a moment but then hardened his heart and took the coin back. "If we do that, it'll be useless as currency."
"Hmph."
"You've got that precious wheat about your neck anyway, don't you? You can't wear a coin with that."
Holo looked forlornly at the coin Lawrence had taken back. "Huh?" she asked, her head tilted in confusion.
"There's a scripture that prohibits usury. It says the practice is like sowing coins into a field."
Despite her confused look, Holo was still a wisewolf. As soon as she began to think it over, she assumed an air of intellectualism. But the wine caught up to her, and she soon surrendered. "...What does that mean?"
"Coins will not send up shoots, nor blossom into flowers. Moreover, they're metal, so they'll poison the soil and make everything else planted there wither. In other words, it prohibits collecting interest and speaks to the evil of money."
"Mm." The wolf ears on her head flicked rapidly, and Holo nodded, seeming to accept this explanation. "I can't have the wheat withering, can I?"
Lawrence had also thought about how it would look on her already-thin physique but had not mentioned that. He only had one life, after all.
"So why will we be able to sell these coins in particular, then?" Holo pointed at the schmie coppers with their wolf designs.
"These? Well..." Lawrence found himself stumbling over his words. But he quickly recovered and gave a good merchant's answer. "The wolf device on them, you see."
"Oh? Why's that, I suppose. It does seem quite clever." Holo said, pleased, as she picked one of the coins up and turned it over in her palm.
Her good mood did not seem to be from the wine. She did seem very amused by the image of the wolf. And why not? Surely a lonely traveler, far from their home, would be heartened to chance upon a coin with a famous figure from their homeland carved upon its face.
But Lawrence remained purposefully vague. She was so happy, sitting there on the desk with her tail swishing back and forth. There was no need to say it.
"Come, you. What is it?"
The question put Lawrence in a difficult place.
"Courage, perhaps? Or...good fortune? No, this is wolves like me, so..." Holo considered the various possibilities herself.
He could not tell her. He could not tell her that it was a ward against wolves.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
Lawrence turned his attention back to the coins before he could blunder into any of her traps.
"We'll be passing through a village of woodcutters tomorrow. These are to sell there."
"...Sell?" Holo gave him a dubious look, not unfairly.
After all, it was a copper coin that was on the table—coin used to buy, not sell.
"That's right. Sell."
"But...this is currency, is it not?"
"You can sell currency. In the old days...maybe not as old as you, but still old, coins were sold by smiths, who were side by side with the money changers."
Holo's eyes were still bleary with wine, but her interest was piqued, and she picked up one of the copper coins to regard it.
"Coins issued by legendary kings or coins circulated near abbeys where saints renowned for their healing powers lived. Coins with holes in them such that they can be strung and worn about the neck are common, too. I've even heard of coins being used as hilts on swords."
The coin Holo held had a ship and a tower carved on it and was from a seaside kingdom. She looked at the obverse and the reverse sides both, holding each up to her chest experimentally.
"That's a bit small for that—coins made to wear tend to be larger. For you...one about this size would be good, I think."
Lawrence picked out a coin of about the right size and held it up to Holo's chest. It was an unremarkable piece of faded silver, but strangely, it looked more like an antique piece of silversmithing when worn by Holo.
Clothes make the man, the old saying went, but in this girl's case the opposite was true—she made anything look good.
"Heh. So, might we put a hole in this?" Holo burbled as she held the piece up.
Lawrence agonized for a moment but then hardened his heart and took the coin back. "If we do that, it'll be useless as currency."
"Hmph."
"You've got that precious wheat about your neck anyway, don't you? You can't wear a coin with that."
Holo looked forlornly at the coin Lawrence had taken back. "Huh?" she asked, her head tilted in confusion.
"There's a scripture that prohibits usury. It says the practice is like sowing coins into a field."
Despite her confused look, Holo was still a wisewolf. As soon as she began to think it over, she assumed an air of intellectualism. But the wine caught up to her, and she soon surrendered. "...What does that mean?"
"Coins will not send up shoots, nor blossom into flowers. Moreover, they're metal, so they'll poison the soil and make everything else planted there wither. In other words, it prohibits collecting interest and speaks to the evil of money."
"Mm." The wolf ears on her head flicked rapidly, and Holo nodded, seeming to accept this explanation. "I can't have the wheat withering, can I?"
Lawrence had also thought about how it would look on her already-thin physique but had not mentioned that. He only had one life, after all.
"So why will we be able to sell these coins in particular, then?" Holo pointed at the schmie coppers with their wolf designs.
"These? Well..." Lawrence found himself stumbling over his words. But he quickly recovered and gave a good merchant's answer. "The wolf device on them, you see."
"Oh? Why's that, I suppose. It does seem quite clever." Holo said, pleased, as she picked one of the coins up and turned it over in her palm.
Her good mood did not seem to be from the wine. She did seem very amused by the image of the wolf. And why not? Surely a lonely traveler, far from their home, would be heartened to chance upon a coin with a famous figure from their homeland carved upon its face.
But Lawrence remained purposefully vague. She was so happy, sitting there on the desk with her tail swishing back and forth. There was no need to say it.
"Come, you. What is it?"
The question put Lawrence in a difficult place.
"Courage, perhaps? Or...good fortune? No, this is wolves like me, so..." Holo considered the various possibilities herself.
He could not tell her. He could not tell her that it was a ward against wolves.

Output:
"Y-yes, that's right."
"Which means...," Holo mused, sinking into her own thoughts as a person sinks into water.
Lawrence could only look away and close his eyes. Her second name, Wisewolf, was not merely for show, and as he expected, she seemed to have realized the truth.
Holo's tail stopped in place, and she placed the coin she had been playing with back down on the desk.
"...Mm. Well, I figured 'twas something of the sort," she said, seemingly out of consideration for Lawrence.
As though admitting that wolves and humans could not help but be enemies.
"I mean, look, there are bandit ward coins, too, so—"
"Come, you," said Holo with a lonely sigh and momentary smile. "If you care so much, 'twill only make me feel lonelier," she said, hopping off the desk and returning to the bed. It was too late to say anything to her. Her body disappeared beneath the covers, followed by her tail.
Lawrence had been careless.
He should have known, he thought and sighed and began to place the sorted coins on the table into different bags.
The next moment, something came to him.
"Hey—that's right. Of course," he said, leaning back in the chair so that it balanced on its back legs. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Holo looking at him, apparently wondering what he was talking about.
"Come to think of it, with you along, don't you suppose we could make a killing on wolf wards?"
Occasionally stubbornness led to a certain wry smile. But a smile was a smile, and sometimes that was enough to clear the skies.
Holo's ears twitched. "So," she said, turning over in bed to face him. "What did you have in mind?"
While she could be even more childish and selfish than she looked, she offered Lawrence such a gracious chance to redeem himself that even he could not let it slip away.
No one had a better traveling companion than he did.
"Well, say...," Lawrence said, his gaze flitting away. "Maybe one could make some noise that would drive them away...?"
"Sometimes high-pitched noises are unpleasant for us...but that's just as likely to attract their attention as it is to drive wolves away."
She had a very straightforward point of view.
"What about prayers to God, then?"
"Aye, surely, if that god will give them food every day."
"What about the talk that they can't stand the smell of metal?"
"Metal..." Holo sat up as though they had finally hit upon something worth debating. She closed her eyes and tilted her head. "That might have some effect."
"So a leaden apron might work, then?" Lawrence had seen craftsmen wearing such things.
"Hmmm."
"I've often heard that knights or mercenaries wearing armor are difficult to attack."
"That's because of the long spears they carry, though, aye? Those are troublesome even for me. But swords—sometimes I don't even notice if they're carrying swords before I leap."
Every one of her answers was completely reasonable.
Lawrence gave the matter honest thought. "What about something that simply smells bad?"
"Aye. Herbs often have a bitter scent. That might be worst of all."
Several possible varieties of herbs flitted through Lawrence's mind. Some of them were quite cheap and might well do the trick.
Given the hour, the sun would soon be setting, but even if the spice shops were closing, their wares would be identifiable from the eaves simply by the scents they gave off.
"Shall we go out? You might walk off a bit of that wine."
"Mm. Right now?" Holo was surprised at first but soon changed her mind. "Aye, why not?"
"Right." Lawrence put his things in order and stood, and watching him, Holo smiled. A moment later, she climbed out of bed herself.
"But let's not hurry, eh?" said Holo as she took Lawrence's hand.
The western sky was red, but the east had already turned a dark blue. The passersby in the streets wore their scarves up around their mouths, bundled up tightly as they hurried to finish the day's business and head home.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
"Y-yes, that's right."
"Which means...," Holo mused, sinking into her own thoughts as a person sinks into water.
Lawrence could only look away and close his eyes. Her second name, Wisewolf, was not merely for show, and as he expected, she seemed to have realized the truth.
Holo's tail stopped in place, and she placed the coin she had been playing with back down on the desk.
"...Mm. Well, I figured 'twas something of the sort," she said, seemingly out of consideration for Lawrence.
As though admitting that wolves and humans could not help but be enemies.
"I mean, look, there are bandit ward coins, too, so—"
"Come, you," said Holo with a lonely sigh and momentary smile. "If you care so much, 'twill only make me feel lonelier," she said, hopping off the desk and returning to the bed. It was too late to say anything to her. Her body disappeared beneath the covers, followed by her tail.
Lawrence had been careless.
He should have known, he thought and sighed and began to place the sorted coins on the table into different bags.
The next moment, something came to him.
"Hey—that's right. Of course," he said, leaning back in the chair so that it balanced on its back legs. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Holo looking at him, apparently wondering what he was talking about.
"Come to think of it, with you along, don't you suppose we could make a killing on wolf wards?"
Occasionally stubbornness led to a certain wry smile. But a smile was a smile, and sometimes that was enough to clear the skies.
Holo's ears twitched. "So," she said, turning over in bed to face him. "What did you have in mind?"
While she could be even more childish and selfish than she looked, she offered Lawrence such a gracious chance to redeem himself that even he could not let it slip away.
No one had a better traveling companion than he did.
"Well, say...," Lawrence said, his gaze flitting away. "Maybe one could make some noise that would drive them away...?"
"Sometimes high-pitched noises are unpleasant for us...but that's just as likely to attract their attention as it is to drive wolves away."
She had a very straightforward point of view.
"What about prayers to God, then?"
"Aye, surely, if that god will give them food every day."
"What about the talk that they can't stand the smell of metal?"
"Metal..." Holo sat up as though they had finally hit upon something worth debating. She closed her eyes and tilted her head. "That might have some effect."
"So a leaden apron might work, then?" Lawrence had seen craftsmen wearing such things.
"Hmmm."
"I've often heard that knights or mercenaries wearing armor are difficult to attack."
"That's because of the long spears they carry, though, aye? Those are troublesome even for me. But swords—sometimes I don't even notice if they're carrying swords before I leap."
Every one of her answers was completely reasonable.
Lawrence gave the matter honest thought. "What about something that simply smells bad?"
"Aye. Herbs often have a bitter scent. That might be worst of all."
Several possible varieties of herbs flitted through Lawrence's mind. Some of them were quite cheap and might well do the trick.
Given the hour, the sun would soon be setting, but even if the spice shops were closing, their wares would be identifiable from the eaves simply by the scents they gave off.
"Shall we go out? You might walk off a bit of that wine."
"Mm. Right now?" Holo was surprised at first but soon changed her mind. "Aye, why not?"
"Right." Lawrence put his things in order and stood, and watching him, Holo smiled. A moment later, she climbed out of bed herself.
"But let's not hurry, eh?" said Holo as she took Lawrence's hand.
The western sky was red, but the east had already turned a dark blue. The passersby in the streets wore their scarves up around their mouths, bundled up tightly as they hurried to finish the day's business and head home.

Output:
***
When Lawrence looked back at her, Holo's grip on his hand tightened a little—the usual joke. And anyway, the barmaid hardly had time to show a mere traveling merchant anything more than the usual pleasant greeting. Customers were arriving one after the other, and she hurried inside, as though someone in the building had called to her.
"If anything, I imagine she was greeting us thanks to your drinking habits," said Lawrence.
"Oh ho. Then she ought to have waved an empty glass instead of her hand."
"Does that mean I should've waved my lightened coin purse?"
"Heh-heh. Yes, just so."
Such was their banter as they walked through the twilight town.
Lawrence often found summer post-sunset hour to be excessively melancholy, and as such did not like it, but winter's was just the opposite.
The air was cool and dry, and being covered in the dust of a hard day's work, delicious food and drink surely awaited them in a warm room somewhere, one that glowed with lamplight. It was no different from Holo's thinking, and doubtless that feeling was what led her to drag them to taverns and loosen the strings of his coin purse.
Such thoughts occupied Lawrence's mind as he walked beside Holo, and eventually they came to a certain building. A signboard with an earthen mortar affixed to it hung from the eaves, indicating that it was an apothecary's shop.
In most towns, herbs and spices fell into the purview of the apothecary.
Various dried herbs of suspicious provenance hung from the eaves in bunches, and inside the cramped little shop were rows of baskets containing even more herbs.
But farther inside, the shopkeeper was bent over, tidying up after the day's business, and when he noticed Lawrence and Holo, his breath came out in a white puff as he smiled apologetically. "Customers, at this hour? I was just about to close up shop."
"Could we browse just a bit?"
"So long as you aren't long," replied the shopkeeper, arranging the small bottles and casks on a shelf.
"Thank you very much," said Lawrence with a smile.
Next to him, Holo waited for the shopkeeper to stick his nose back into the shelves before she whispered into Lawrence's ear, "He was looking at me as he said that."
"He probably thinks I'm some fool merchant a town girl has tricked into buying a scented sachet or some such thing." Lawrence shrugged, and Holo stifled a laugh.
"Even if it smells good, it still leaves your belly empty."
"I figured you'd say that."
As they chatted, they smelled each of the herbs lined up in front of the shop. Black herbs, blue herbs, deep green herbs, red herbs, yellow herbs. There were even some made from dried flowers or dried fruits, and many that, upon asking the shopkeeper their names, Lawrence discovered he had never heard of before.
For Holo's part, she delivered her opinions in turn as she sampled the scents. "Good for putting on tough meat. Good for putting in bad wine. Good for putting on burnt bread." Such harshly scented herbs as these were not good for improving the taste of good food so much as they were for covering up the taste of bad food—or so Holo was saying with much disapproval.
In any case, Holo's nose and her ability to tell the scents apart was enough to make even the shopkeeper's eyes go wide in surprise, but it was no shock to someone who knew exactly what she was.
But what did surprise Lawrence was when the impressed shopkeeper, upon recognizing Holo's magnificent nose, brought out several small baskets for her to sample.
"I've a favor to ask, if you wouldn't mind."
Holo looked at Lawrence, then back to the shopkeeper.
"This one and this one. Also this and this. Here, too—lately there are rumors of fakes circulating. I've been doing an apothecary's work for thirty years, but sometimes even I find myself fooled by the fakes. I hear sometimes they train dogs to sniff out the scents nearer the fakes, but...would you consider lending me your nose?"
Evidently every business had its troubles.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
***
When Lawrence looked back at her, Holo's grip on his hand tightened a little—the usual joke. And anyway, the barmaid hardly had time to show a mere traveling merchant anything more than the usual pleasant greeting. Customers were arriving one after the other, and she hurried inside, as though someone in the building had called to her.
"If anything, I imagine she was greeting us thanks to your drinking habits," said Lawrence.
"Oh ho. Then she ought to have waved an empty glass instead of her hand."
"Does that mean I should've waved my lightened coin purse?"
"Heh-heh. Yes, just so."
Such was their banter as they walked through the twilight town.
Lawrence often found summer post-sunset hour to be excessively melancholy, and as such did not like it, but winter's was just the opposite.
The air was cool and dry, and being covered in the dust of a hard day's work, delicious food and drink surely awaited them in a warm room somewhere, one that glowed with lamplight. It was no different from Holo's thinking, and doubtless that feeling was what led her to drag them to taverns and loosen the strings of his coin purse.
Such thoughts occupied Lawrence's mind as he walked beside Holo, and eventually they came to a certain building. A signboard with an earthen mortar affixed to it hung from the eaves, indicating that it was an apothecary's shop.
In most towns, herbs and spices fell into the purview of the apothecary.
Various dried herbs of suspicious provenance hung from the eaves in bunches, and inside the cramped little shop were rows of baskets containing even more herbs.
But farther inside, the shopkeeper was bent over, tidying up after the day's business, and when he noticed Lawrence and Holo, his breath came out in a white puff as he smiled apologetically. "Customers, at this hour? I was just about to close up shop."
"Could we browse just a bit?"
"So long as you aren't long," replied the shopkeeper, arranging the small bottles and casks on a shelf.
"Thank you very much," said Lawrence with a smile.
Next to him, Holo waited for the shopkeeper to stick his nose back into the shelves before she whispered into Lawrence's ear, "He was looking at me as he said that."
"He probably thinks I'm some fool merchant a town girl has tricked into buying a scented sachet or some such thing." Lawrence shrugged, and Holo stifled a laugh.
"Even if it smells good, it still leaves your belly empty."
"I figured you'd say that."
As they chatted, they smelled each of the herbs lined up in front of the shop. Black herbs, blue herbs, deep green herbs, red herbs, yellow herbs. There were even some made from dried flowers or dried fruits, and many that, upon asking the shopkeeper their names, Lawrence discovered he had never heard of before.
For Holo's part, she delivered her opinions in turn as she sampled the scents. "Good for putting on tough meat. Good for putting in bad wine. Good for putting on burnt bread." Such harshly scented herbs as these were not good for improving the taste of good food so much as they were for covering up the taste of bad food—or so Holo was saying with much disapproval.
In any case, Holo's nose and her ability to tell the scents apart was enough to make even the shopkeeper's eyes go wide in surprise, but it was no shock to someone who knew exactly what she was.
But what did surprise Lawrence was when the impressed shopkeeper, upon recognizing Holo's magnificent nose, brought out several small baskets for her to sample.
"I've a favor to ask, if you wouldn't mind."
Holo looked at Lawrence, then back to the shopkeeper.
"This one and this one. Also this and this. Here, too—lately there are rumors of fakes circulating. I've been doing an apothecary's work for thirty years, but sometimes even I find myself fooled by the fakes. I hear sometimes they train dogs to sniff out the scents nearer the fakes, but...would you consider lending me your nose?"
Evidently every business had its troubles.

Output:
It was a circuitous explanation, but the shopkeeper was no amateur. He nodded immediately. "Do not worry," he said. "If she can tell the fakes from the genuine article, I'd be prepared to thank her appropriately."
He placed a weight on one side of a set of scales and then balanced it with an amount of copper coins.
The deal was done.
"Well then, Holo."
"Er...hmm...good wheat bread, then."
A bit of red dye would tint the whole barrel, the old saying went. Holo made her request, and Lawrence immediately nodded.
Evidently the spice the shopkeeper had at hand was rather valuable, as the amount he had proposed to Lawrence was a tidy sum. There would be money left over even after buying Holo the bread she craved. He did not mind, as long as the entirety of this unexpected profit was not used up.
"Ah," murmured Lawrence to himself.
Holo sniffed at a sprig of herb that the shopkeeper gave her and looked up at him. "What makes you say that?" she asked Lawrence.
"Oh, nothing. I just remembered something I need to do. I'll be right back—just stay here."
Holo looked none too pleased, but the shopkeeper seemed to be fine with any arrangement that included Holo staying there and sniff testing his wares.
Lawrence lightly patted Holo's shoulder and walked off without waiting for her to reply.
He walked quickly through the town streets, making for his destination. The streets were more crowde, now, with people hurrying home.
The coins in his coin purse jingled.
Once Lawrence finished his errand, he returned to the shop, where he found Holo and the shopkeeper drinking wine.
He was extolling the virtues of apothecaries as he drank, so evidently the smell-detection work had finished.
The shopkeeper was the first to notice Lawrence, and he emerged from the front of the shop with a great smile on his face, as though he was about to pick Lawrence up in a warm embrace. "Well, well! Your girl's nose is truly a wonder. Dunking the fake in wine soon revealed the lie! I very nearly took a terrible loss," he said.
"I'm pleased to hear it. I see you've added wine to her payment."
"It's nothing compared with the loss I would've suffered. And of course, my consideration will be a generous one," he said and hurried back inside his shop.
Holo was drinking wine with a very satisfied look on her face, and given that she had already been drunk earlier that same evening, the look in her eye was a bit suspicious.
"You've drunk too much."
"Hmm? I've finished a hard day's work! And unlike a certain someone who did nothing but tuck the profit away in their coin purse, I'm quite tired."
Perhaps angry at having been left behind, she shoved her finger at Lawrence's chest, and her eyes were surprisingly serious.
In lieu of an apology, Lawrence plucked an herb fragment away from the corner of Holo's mouth. He sniffed it; it was an herb often said to go well with wine.
"Given that, I suppose you weren't able to do what we originally came here to do?"
At Lawrence's words, Holo drank more wine in noisy gulps and replied in an aggrieved tone, "Searching for a scent that wolves don't like means essentially that I have to put my nose to things I myself hate. Why must I do such a thing, pray tell?"
It was unclear whether she was speaking purposefully or whether it was just the wine, but in any case Holo was clearly upset at Lawrence leaving her behind. Lawrence sighed softly and took the wine cup from Holo's hand.
She had not been expecting this, evidently, and stared at the wine cup taken from her hand as though it was a truly mysterious thing.
"My wine?" she said, dazed.
She was quite charming when she was like this, but instead of a reply, Lawrence produced something from his breast pocket.
He had not left Holo behind to take care of an errand he'd "forgotten." His destination had been a money changer or goldsmith or anywhere that an artisan who worked in iron or silver might be found.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
It was a circuitous explanation, but the shopkeeper was no amateur. He nodded immediately. "Do not worry," he said. "If she can tell the fakes from the genuine article, I'd be prepared to thank her appropriately."
He placed a weight on one side of a set of scales and then balanced it with an amount of copper coins.
The deal was done.
"Well then, Holo."
"Er...hmm...good wheat bread, then."
A bit of red dye would tint the whole barrel, the old saying went. Holo made her request, and Lawrence immediately nodded.
Evidently the spice the shopkeeper had at hand was rather valuable, as the amount he had proposed to Lawrence was a tidy sum. There would be money left over even after buying Holo the bread she craved. He did not mind, as long as the entirety of this unexpected profit was not used up.
"Ah," murmured Lawrence to himself.
Holo sniffed at a sprig of herb that the shopkeeper gave her and looked up at him. "What makes you say that?" she asked Lawrence.
"Oh, nothing. I just remembered something I need to do. I'll be right back—just stay here."
Holo looked none too pleased, but the shopkeeper seemed to be fine with any arrangement that included Holo staying there and sniff testing his wares.
Lawrence lightly patted Holo's shoulder and walked off without waiting for her to reply.
He walked quickly through the town streets, making for his destination. The streets were more crowde, now, with people hurrying home.
The coins in his coin purse jingled.
Once Lawrence finished his errand, he returned to the shop, where he found Holo and the shopkeeper drinking wine.
He was extolling the virtues of apothecaries as he drank, so evidently the smell-detection work had finished.
The shopkeeper was the first to notice Lawrence, and he emerged from the front of the shop with a great smile on his face, as though he was about to pick Lawrence up in a warm embrace. "Well, well! Your girl's nose is truly a wonder. Dunking the fake in wine soon revealed the lie! I very nearly took a terrible loss," he said.
"I'm pleased to hear it. I see you've added wine to her payment."
"It's nothing compared with the loss I would've suffered. And of course, my consideration will be a generous one," he said and hurried back inside his shop.
Holo was drinking wine with a very satisfied look on her face, and given that she had already been drunk earlier that same evening, the look in her eye was a bit suspicious.
"You've drunk too much."
"Hmm? I've finished a hard day's work! And unlike a certain someone who did nothing but tuck the profit away in their coin purse, I'm quite tired."
Perhaps angry at having been left behind, she shoved her finger at Lawrence's chest, and her eyes were surprisingly serious.
In lieu of an apology, Lawrence plucked an herb fragment away from the corner of Holo's mouth. He sniffed it; it was an herb often said to go well with wine.
"Given that, I suppose you weren't able to do what we originally came here to do?"
At Lawrence's words, Holo drank more wine in noisy gulps and replied in an aggrieved tone, "Searching for a scent that wolves don't like means essentially that I have to put my nose to things I myself hate. Why must I do such a thing, pray tell?"
It was unclear whether she was speaking purposefully or whether it was just the wine, but in any case Holo was clearly upset at Lawrence leaving her behind. Lawrence sighed softly and took the wine cup from Holo's hand.
She had not been expecting this, evidently, and stared at the wine cup taken from her hand as though it was a truly mysterious thing.
"My wine?" she said, dazed.
She was quite charming when she was like this, but instead of a reply, Lawrence produced something from his breast pocket.
He had not left Holo behind to take care of an errand he'd "forgotten." His destination had been a money changer or goldsmith or anywhere that an artisan who worked in iron or silver might be found.

Output:
Lawrence produced the gift and handed it to Holo.
It was a schmie coin, with a hole put in it, hung on a thread.
"Is this...?"
"I can spare a single silver piece. And a dignified image like this one suits you."
Holo looked closely at the coin, then back up at Lawrence.
Her eyes were moist (perhaps that was the wine), but Lawrence knew he would never forget her shy smile in that moment for as long as he lived.
"Still," said Holo to Lawrence, "if I wear something like this, it might well keep me from encountering my kind during our travels."
Given that the schmie coin was used as a wolf ward, Lawrence took Holo's point. He took the string from which the coin dangled and affixed it about her neck. "Then wear it only when we're in a town."
Holo let him do as he wished, putting a question to him as he drew near to pass the thread under her hair. "What do you mean by that?"
The wine-blended scent that tickled Lawrence's nose was not any spice or oil; it was Holo's own faintly sweet scent.
He was feeling rather bold. "To keep away the wolves of the towns."
Holo stiffened in such sudden surprise that Lawrence was glad he had taken her wine cup away.
Her ears pricked up so stiffly that they nearly dislodged her kerchief, and, unable to contain her mirth, Holo doubled over in laughter.
Just then the shopkeeper emerged, bringing their consideration, and his eyes went wide at the scene.
Lawrence gave the man a rueful smile, just as Holo righted herself and took Lawrence's arm. "Bah-hah-hah-hah. Oh, you're a fool, you are. A grand fool."
"Not bad, eh?"
"Keh-heh-heh!" Holo continued laughing and straightened herself. "That was the foulest one today."
"Foul enough to keep wolves from bothering us?"
Holo grinned.
Lawrence received the payment from the shopkeeper—who was quite taken aback at Holo's laughter—and returned to him coin enough to pay for the wine Holo had drunk.
The shopkeeper tried to hire Holo on the spot, but of course was turned down. Lawrence led Holo off as they began to walk.
She clung tightly to Lawrence's arm, still giggling, and did not immediately let go.
It was as the stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky that a memory called to Lawrence. "Oh, that's right. If it was truly so foul..."
"Hmm?"
"...Then you shouldn't mind the burning peat so much anymore, eh?"
Holo, already teary-eyed from laughter, chuckled again and took a deep breath. "I concede it! You win."
At her breast hung the silver schmie piece.
In the twilight, the regal wolf on its face seemed to sigh a long-suffering sigh.
End.
***
Looking back, she had come quite a distance from the wagon.
Teasing the family of hares had been good fun, but evidently she had gotten carried away. She gave the sash about her waist a flutter, smiling at the hares as if to say, "Playtime's over!" Whereupon the doe and kit looked at each other, then hopped off about their business.
"Now then," she said and began to return to her own den. It was a strange den, though—made of iron and wood, wheeled, and pulled behind a horse.
Occasionally it was filled with goods, but at the moment it was carrying little of note, which made it most pleasant. When the wagon was too heavily loaded, it was cramped and uncomfortable, and when it carried nothing, it was too cold.
But with enough space between the wooden crates, canvas could be stretched between them, enclosing the space and making it quite cozy, as well as serving as good protection from the wind. Then some grain sacks for pillows and plenty of blankets to curl up under, and she could lie there and count the planks in the crates or look up at the sky.
Today the weather was fine, which meant the blankets would be delightfully warm. Just imagining it was enough to make her yawn, especially given that she'd just eaten her midday meal.
Human mouths had their troublesome cheeks and were thus a bit cramped, but only humans could raise their arms to stretch while they yawned.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
Lawrence produced the gift and handed it to Holo.
It was a schmie coin, with a hole put in it, hung on a thread.
"Is this...?"
"I can spare a single silver piece. And a dignified image like this one suits you."
Holo looked closely at the coin, then back up at Lawrence.
Her eyes were moist (perhaps that was the wine), but Lawrence knew he would never forget her shy smile in that moment for as long as he lived.
"Still," said Holo to Lawrence, "if I wear something like this, it might well keep me from encountering my kind during our travels."
Given that the schmie coin was used as a wolf ward, Lawrence took Holo's point. He took the string from which the coin dangled and affixed it about her neck. "Then wear it only when we're in a town."
Holo let him do as he wished, putting a question to him as he drew near to pass the thread under her hair. "What do you mean by that?"
The wine-blended scent that tickled Lawrence's nose was not any spice or oil; it was Holo's own faintly sweet scent.
He was feeling rather bold. "To keep away the wolves of the towns."
Holo stiffened in such sudden surprise that Lawrence was glad he had taken her wine cup away.
Her ears pricked up so stiffly that they nearly dislodged her kerchief, and, unable to contain her mirth, Holo doubled over in laughter.
Just then the shopkeeper emerged, bringing their consideration, and his eyes went wide at the scene.
Lawrence gave the man a rueful smile, just as Holo righted herself and took Lawrence's arm. "Bah-hah-hah-hah. Oh, you're a fool, you are. A grand fool."
"Not bad, eh?"
"Keh-heh-heh!" Holo continued laughing and straightened herself. "That was the foulest one today."
"Foul enough to keep wolves from bothering us?"
Holo grinned.
Lawrence received the payment from the shopkeeper—who was quite taken aback at Holo's laughter—and returned to him coin enough to pay for the wine Holo had drunk.
The shopkeeper tried to hire Holo on the spot, but of course was turned down. Lawrence led Holo off as they began to walk.
She clung tightly to Lawrence's arm, still giggling, and did not immediately let go.
It was as the stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky that a memory called to Lawrence. "Oh, that's right. If it was truly so foul..."
"Hmm?"
"...Then you shouldn't mind the burning peat so much anymore, eh?"
Holo, already teary-eyed from laughter, chuckled again and took a deep breath. "I concede it! You win."
At her breast hung the silver schmie piece.
In the twilight, the regal wolf on its face seemed to sigh a long-suffering sigh.
End.
***
Looking back, she had come quite a distance from the wagon.
Teasing the family of hares had been good fun, but evidently she had gotten carried away. She gave the sash about her waist a flutter, smiling at the hares as if to say, "Playtime's over!" Whereupon the doe and kit looked at each other, then hopped off about their business.
"Now then," she said and began to return to her own den. It was a strange den, though—made of iron and wood, wheeled, and pulled behind a horse.
Occasionally it was filled with goods, but at the moment it was carrying little of note, which made it most pleasant. When the wagon was too heavily loaded, it was cramped and uncomfortable, and when it carried nothing, it was too cold.
But with enough space between the wooden crates, canvas could be stretched between them, enclosing the space and making it quite cozy, as well as serving as good protection from the wind. Then some grain sacks for pillows and plenty of blankets to curl up under, and she could lie there and count the planks in the crates or look up at the sky.
Today the weather was fine, which meant the blankets would be delightfully warm. Just imagining it was enough to make her yawn, especially given that she'd just eaten her midday meal.
Human mouths had their troublesome cheeks and were thus a bit cramped, but only humans could raise their arms to stretch while they yawned.

Output:
To put it in wolf terms, it was like being able to change the color of her fur every morning, depending on her mood. How could that be anything but delightful?
But of course her greatest delight was in showing her many looks to someone and seeing their reactions.
And to that end, her traveling companion was second to none. A muffler and a robe was all it took to elicit a great fuss.
If there was a problem, it was that these decorations cost money. She felt it something of a disgrace for her, a wisewolf, to worry about human money, but given that she was traveling in human form with a human, it could not be helped.
Moreover, her companion was a traveling merchant and was tiresomely attached to his money. Even the stop at this very field, which he had said was because of the pleasant weather and the need to stop for the midday meal, was obviously for some other reason as well.
He had been distracted the previous evening, and when she had spoken to him, he had given only vague replies. Only minutes ago during their meal, his gaze was off in the distance, as it had been the whole while, and he had not even noticed her steal two separate pieces of cheese.
As for what her companion was thinking about, it seemed to be the coins and pelts they had seen in town.
There was an exhausting variety of both coins and pelts that circulated in the human world, and evidently the rates of exchange between them were a cause of great concern. To wit: Black pelts could be traded for silver coins, and those white-silver coins exchanged for brown pelts, which would be traded for red-copper coins, which could be used to purchase black pelts again, but at a profit.
To that end, he had been tallying figures ever since the previous night.
She knew that money was necessary to travel in the human world, as it was necessary for everything else, and as her companion was traveling first and foremost to make money, she had little cause to complain.
Far from it—when she regarded her pathetically toiling companion, she could not bring herself to ask him to buy her something that they could not even eat.
Still, it made her tail puff up a bit to see him still off in his own world, not even noticing that she'd returned to the wagon.
"Come now, how long must we stay here?" she said, spreading her blanket out. Her harsh tone seemed to do the job, as her companion finally looked up from the wooden plank. He seemed not to have eaten properly and was scratching figures into a wooden slate that had been coated with wax.
"Mm...oh, look at the hour." No matter the place, it was a trick of humans that they all seemed to be able to tell the time with a quick glance at the sky.
He hastily packed up his board and writing stick, his mouth filled with bread.
He seemed not to have noticed the two pieces of cheese that had been stolen and eaten.
"Are you finished with your walk?" asked her companion rather suddenly as she arranged the blanket on the planks and made ready to curl up under it. She had been so certain he had taken no notice of her, but apparently he had.
"I suppose 'twould have made you uneasy if I'd gone too far."
Her companion laughed easily, and the sight of his foolish smile made her want (rather maliciously) to truly vanish for a time and see how he liked that.
His foolishness was like that of a cat that is terrified of water but tries to catch fish anyway. "No matter how far you might roam, you'd always come back as soon as your belly was empty," was his reply.
It would have been ridiculous to be angry at him, so she merely smiled. At this, her foolish companion grinned proudly, as though he was quite sure he had gotten the better of her.
She deserved praise for letting him stray so far.
"Well, then, I'll harness the horse and we'll be on our way." Her companion climbed down from the driver's seat and approached the horse, that had been loosed.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
To put it in wolf terms, it was like being able to change the color of her fur every morning, depending on her mood. How could that be anything but delightful?
But of course her greatest delight was in showing her many looks to someone and seeing their reactions.
And to that end, her traveling companion was second to none. A muffler and a robe was all it took to elicit a great fuss.
If there was a problem, it was that these decorations cost money. She felt it something of a disgrace for her, a wisewolf, to worry about human money, but given that she was traveling in human form with a human, it could not be helped.
Moreover, her companion was a traveling merchant and was tiresomely attached to his money. Even the stop at this very field, which he had said was because of the pleasant weather and the need to stop for the midday meal, was obviously for some other reason as well.
He had been distracted the previous evening, and when she had spoken to him, he had given only vague replies. Only minutes ago during their meal, his gaze was off in the distance, as it had been the whole while, and he had not even noticed her steal two separate pieces of cheese.
As for what her companion was thinking about, it seemed to be the coins and pelts they had seen in town.
There was an exhausting variety of both coins and pelts that circulated in the human world, and evidently the rates of exchange between them were a cause of great concern. To wit: Black pelts could be traded for silver coins, and those white-silver coins exchanged for brown pelts, which would be traded for red-copper coins, which could be used to purchase black pelts again, but at a profit.
To that end, he had been tallying figures ever since the previous night.
She knew that money was necessary to travel in the human world, as it was necessary for everything else, and as her companion was traveling first and foremost to make money, she had little cause to complain.
Far from it—when she regarded her pathetically toiling companion, she could not bring herself to ask him to buy her something that they could not even eat.
Still, it made her tail puff up a bit to see him still off in his own world, not even noticing that she'd returned to the wagon.
"Come now, how long must we stay here?" she said, spreading her blanket out. Her harsh tone seemed to do the job, as her companion finally looked up from the wooden plank. He seemed not to have eaten properly and was scratching figures into a wooden slate that had been coated with wax.
"Mm...oh, look at the hour." No matter the place, it was a trick of humans that they all seemed to be able to tell the time with a quick glance at the sky.
He hastily packed up his board and writing stick, his mouth filled with bread.
He seemed not to have noticed the two pieces of cheese that had been stolen and eaten.
"Are you finished with your walk?" asked her companion rather suddenly as she arranged the blanket on the planks and made ready to curl up under it. She had been so certain he had taken no notice of her, but apparently he had.
"I suppose 'twould have made you uneasy if I'd gone too far."
Her companion laughed easily, and the sight of his foolish smile made her want (rather maliciously) to truly vanish for a time and see how he liked that.
His foolishness was like that of a cat that is terrified of water but tries to catch fish anyway. "No matter how far you might roam, you'd always come back as soon as your belly was empty," was his reply.
It would have been ridiculous to be angry at him, so she merely smiled. At this, her foolish companion grinned proudly, as though he was quite sure he had gotten the better of her.
She deserved praise for letting him stray so far.
"Well, then, I'll harness the horse and we'll be on our way." Her companion climbed down from the driver's seat and approached the horse, that had been loosed.

Output:
He prized money above all but his own life, sometimes bizarrely so. And yet when one might expect him to be miserly with the money he earned, he could be strangely generous, at which she always found her tail wagging.
Her companion had a tendency to believe she could be wooed with food, but regardless of how good those humans were at cooking, she wondered if he truly considered that a wisewolf such as herself could always be distracted by food?
The notion that she would return simply because she was hungry—how absurd!
She would return because she did not relish the notion of eating alone, and she wagged her tail out of pleasure that he saw fit to spend his precious coin on her, that was all.
"Fool."
Her companion's horse was eating field grass, and he shook his head in irritation at it, tugging it this way and that. Yet he still fancied himself a cool, collected wolf among humans, which struck her as very funny indeed. "He's but a sheep," she murmured to herself and rested her cheek on the wagon bed's edge.
There in the still sunlight, she watched her foolish companion. She had no dissatisfaction, nor any complaints.
A smile played about her lips in spite of herself and grew wider as she realized her own silliness. "Perhaps I'm the fool, after all," she murmured in amusement, dropping her gaze to the ground.
And then—there, between the blades of grass, was something strange.
"What's that?"
She leaned over to look at it, but still could not quite make it out. Finally she got out of the wagon bed and picked it up. It was a beast's head rendered in metal and hung about a leather cord.
"What is this?" she murmured, peering at it, then heard the voice of her companion.
"Easy, easy!" The horse, evidently enjoying its rare freedom, seemed displeased at this interruption.
She met his dark black eyes and caught there a flicker of spite. But the horse would have had any number of chances to run away had he wanted to. In other words, he was just having some fun at her companion's expense.
Well, it served him right.
"Come, don't buck like that! Yes, fine, I see how it is...there we go."
Her companion was used to this, though, and quickly harnessed the horse back up to the wagon while murmuring soothing words.
It was quite charming to see a usually perfect person suddenly act foolish, but not nearly as so to see a foolish person show surprising skill.
But when the horse gave her companion a long-suffering nudge with his nose, said companion was back to his usual self.
"Honestly...well, then, let's be off. Er...what is it?"
He seemed to have thought she had already curled up under the blankets in the wagon. She was about to ask him about the item she had picked up, but decided to think on it for a while first, and in the end said nothing.
She gave a vague reply, then climbed up one of the wheels and into the wagon bed.
Her companion seemed unworried. He climbed back into the driver's seat, took up the reins, and started the cart moving forward. Their journey resumed.
In the gently swaying bed, she curled up atop the blankets and again inspected the item she'd retrieved.
All sorts of metals and gems she had never heard of circulated in the human world, but of the metals she was familiar with, this seemed to be lead. It was about the size of the last joint of her thumb and seemed to depict the head of a dog, a fox, or perhaps a clumsily rendered wolf.
It must have been made quite a long time in the past, as it was well rounded and many of the finer details had blackened. Yet the feeling of long use made it, if anything, a more fascinating piece.
This particular wisewolf found such objects suited her better than newer, shinier ones. And given that this one was already so conveniently fastened to a leather cord, the notion of putting it on just to see her companion's reaction had a certain appeal.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
He prized money above all but his own life, sometimes bizarrely so. And yet when one might expect him to be miserly with the money he earned, he could be strangely generous, at which she always found her tail wagging.
Her companion had a tendency to believe she could be wooed with food, but regardless of how good those humans were at cooking, she wondered if he truly considered that a wisewolf such as herself could always be distracted by food?
The notion that she would return simply because she was hungry—how absurd!
She would return because she did not relish the notion of eating alone, and she wagged her tail out of pleasure that he saw fit to spend his precious coin on her, that was all.
"Fool."
Her companion's horse was eating field grass, and he shook his head in irritation at it, tugging it this way and that. Yet he still fancied himself a cool, collected wolf among humans, which struck her as very funny indeed. "He's but a sheep," she murmured to herself and rested her cheek on the wagon bed's edge.
There in the still sunlight, she watched her foolish companion. She had no dissatisfaction, nor any complaints.
A smile played about her lips in spite of herself and grew wider as she realized her own silliness. "Perhaps I'm the fool, after all," she murmured in amusement, dropping her gaze to the ground.
And then—there, between the blades of grass, was something strange.
"What's that?"
She leaned over to look at it, but still could not quite make it out. Finally she got out of the wagon bed and picked it up. It was a beast's head rendered in metal and hung about a leather cord.
"What is this?" she murmured, peering at it, then heard the voice of her companion.
"Easy, easy!" The horse, evidently enjoying its rare freedom, seemed displeased at this interruption.
She met his dark black eyes and caught there a flicker of spite. But the horse would have had any number of chances to run away had he wanted to. In other words, he was just having some fun at her companion's expense.
Well, it served him right.
"Come, don't buck like that! Yes, fine, I see how it is...there we go."
Her companion was used to this, though, and quickly harnessed the horse back up to the wagon while murmuring soothing words.
It was quite charming to see a usually perfect person suddenly act foolish, but not nearly as so to see a foolish person show surprising skill.
But when the horse gave her companion a long-suffering nudge with his nose, said companion was back to his usual self.
"Honestly...well, then, let's be off. Er...what is it?"
He seemed to have thought she had already curled up under the blankets in the wagon. She was about to ask him about the item she had picked up, but decided to think on it for a while first, and in the end said nothing.
She gave a vague reply, then climbed up one of the wheels and into the wagon bed.
Her companion seemed unworried. He climbed back into the driver's seat, took up the reins, and started the cart moving forward. Their journey resumed.
In the gently swaying bed, she curled up atop the blankets and again inspected the item she'd retrieved.
All sorts of metals and gems she had never heard of circulated in the human world, but of the metals she was familiar with, this seemed to be lead. It was about the size of the last joint of her thumb and seemed to depict the head of a dog, a fox, or perhaps a clumsily rendered wolf.
It must have been made quite a long time in the past, as it was well rounded and many of the finer details had blackened. Yet the feeling of long use made it, if anything, a more fascinating piece.
This particular wisewolf found such objects suited her better than newer, shinier ones. And given that this one was already so conveniently fastened to a leather cord, the notion of putting it on just to see her companion's reaction had a certain appeal.

Output:
She was trying to work out how to wear it when the thought finally came to her.
Since humans fastened their hair with all manner of ties, would it be so strange for a wolf to do likewise with the most splendid bit of her coat? Surely not. The cord was a mite too long, but with a bit of adjustment she got it secured nicely.
The lead device was only about the size of her thumb, so it did not look bad at all.
Tying a leather cord around her tail—such a notion would never have occurred to her in either the wilds or the wheat fields without the influence of humans.
She stood, spinning around like a puppy and chasing the adornment affixed about the middle of her tail. "Ooh-hu-hu-hu," she giggled, her face breaking into a smile from the pleasure of this unexpected find.
"Oh, that's right. There was something I wanted to ask you about," her companion said from the driver's seat.
He turned around. There was no chance for her to hide how she was curled around her own tail, admiring it.
But given that she had planned to show it to him anyway, she merely turned to face her stunned companion and waved her tail proudly. "What say you? Not bad, eh?"
She put her hand on her hips and twirled, doing her best imitation of the dancing town lasses she had seen on their travels.
Her companion's gaze remained fixed on her tail. He seemed to be at a loss for words. "It's, er, nice, but..."
But? Was he too abashed to simply admit how nice it looked that he had to add some sort of qualification? How adorable! she thought.
"Where did you get that?" her companion continued.
"Hmm? I picked it up over yonder." She regarded the piece again. It really did suit her well. Its nearly black-gray had a lovely presence amid her dark brown, white-tufted fur.
She wagged her tail, and her companion regarded her with a strange expression for a while before merely saying, "Ah," then turning to face forward again. This from her companion, who lost his composure if she so much as cocked her head in the manner of a town girl!
Surely this was proof of just how thoroughly the adornment suited her.
She sighed through her nose, then hopped up into the driver's seat. "So, what was it you wished to ask me?" Owing to the height difference, she had to look up at him to ask.
When in wolf form, she looked down on most creatures. Perhaps because of that, she had initially found looking up to feel rather subordinate, but lately she had come to enjoy it a certain amount.
And if her companion was going to be elusive, so much the better.
She stifled any sort of grin and simply looked up at him like an innocent pup. Her companion glanced over at her, trying to hide his obvious fluster.
If there was anything she looked forward to as much as mealtime, it was this.
She beamed at him, and he cleared his throat nervously before finally speaking. "Ahem. Er, no, it's not anything of importance, but..." As he talked, he glanced at her tail. "The town we were in until yesterday—about the quality of the furs there..."
"Mm."
Evidently he wanted to broach the subject of profit.
But when her companion made a profit, she was able to eat tasty things, which was always a fine thing. She felt no particular need to flatter him, but if she was going to travel with him anyway, she might as well do so with a smile.
Now she, too, cleared her throat, giving him an indulgent look. "Mm."
At this, her companion began to pepper her with questions about the quality of this or that pelt. Humans, for their part, judged the fineness of a pelt with their eyes and hands, but she was able to divine the quality on the spot, with no more than a sniff from her nose.
As she answered him, explaining that this one was fine and that one was not, she saw her companion's attention very clearly shift from her, then and there, to his memories of the goods they had seen.
When she had answered his last question, he did not so much as thank her, instead simply sinking into silence.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
She was trying to work out how to wear it when the thought finally came to her.
Since humans fastened their hair with all manner of ties, would it be so strange for a wolf to do likewise with the most splendid bit of her coat? Surely not. The cord was a mite too long, but with a bit of adjustment she got it secured nicely.
The lead device was only about the size of her thumb, so it did not look bad at all.
Tying a leather cord around her tail—such a notion would never have occurred to her in either the wilds or the wheat fields without the influence of humans.
She stood, spinning around like a puppy and chasing the adornment affixed about the middle of her tail. "Ooh-hu-hu-hu," she giggled, her face breaking into a smile from the pleasure of this unexpected find.
"Oh, that's right. There was something I wanted to ask you about," her companion said from the driver's seat.
He turned around. There was no chance for her to hide how she was curled around her own tail, admiring it.
But given that she had planned to show it to him anyway, she merely turned to face her stunned companion and waved her tail proudly. "What say you? Not bad, eh?"
She put her hand on her hips and twirled, doing her best imitation of the dancing town lasses she had seen on their travels.
Her companion's gaze remained fixed on her tail. He seemed to be at a loss for words. "It's, er, nice, but..."
But? Was he too abashed to simply admit how nice it looked that he had to add some sort of qualification? How adorable! she thought.
"Where did you get that?" her companion continued.
"Hmm? I picked it up over yonder." She regarded the piece again. It really did suit her well. Its nearly black-gray had a lovely presence amid her dark brown, white-tufted fur.
She wagged her tail, and her companion regarded her with a strange expression for a while before merely saying, "Ah," then turning to face forward again. This from her companion, who lost his composure if she so much as cocked her head in the manner of a town girl!
Surely this was proof of just how thoroughly the adornment suited her.
She sighed through her nose, then hopped up into the driver's seat. "So, what was it you wished to ask me?" Owing to the height difference, she had to look up at him to ask.
When in wolf form, she looked down on most creatures. Perhaps because of that, she had initially found looking up to feel rather subordinate, but lately she had come to enjoy it a certain amount.
And if her companion was going to be elusive, so much the better.
She stifled any sort of grin and simply looked up at him like an innocent pup. Her companion glanced over at her, trying to hide his obvious fluster.
If there was anything she looked forward to as much as mealtime, it was this.
She beamed at him, and he cleared his throat nervously before finally speaking. "Ahem. Er, no, it's not anything of importance, but..." As he talked, he glanced at her tail. "The town we were in until yesterday—about the quality of the furs there..."
"Mm."
Evidently he wanted to broach the subject of profit.
But when her companion made a profit, she was able to eat tasty things, which was always a fine thing. She felt no particular need to flatter him, but if she was going to travel with him anyway, she might as well do so with a smile.
Now she, too, cleared her throat, giving him an indulgent look. "Mm."
At this, her companion began to pepper her with questions about the quality of this or that pelt. Humans, for their part, judged the fineness of a pelt with their eyes and hands, but she was able to divine the quality on the spot, with no more than a sniff from her nose.
As she answered him, explaining that this one was fine and that one was not, she saw her companion's attention very clearly shift from her, then and there, to his memories of the goods they had seen.
When she had answered his last question, he did not so much as thank her, instead simply sinking into silence.

Output:
He placed the waxed board with its tallies and figures scrawled all over it on his knee, and after murmuring something to himself, suddenly exclaimed, "Yes! I knew it!"
Humans, with their bad noses and bad ears, tended to have the unpleasant habit of shouting too loudly.
She was not the only one surprised; the horse was startled, too. Her companion, though, took no notice of this, and he roughly tossed the writing board back into the wagon and took up the reins. He pulled on them to stop the horse.
"...What is it?" she asked, rubbing her still-stinging ears like a cat would. Her companion's face was tiresomely cheerful.
"There's a gap in the marketplace. We can make some real money!"
As he turned the wagon around to head back the way they had come, he looked like a pup too young to have all of his teeth yet.
Having spent so much time with a merchant, she had grown to understand the basics of commerce. But she still wondered how a series of buying and selling that ended up with the same goods they started with could possibly turn a profit.
According to her companion, it could.
"You'll be despised if you bring out a mountain of small coins to pay for an expensive item, and if you try to buy a small thing with a high-value coin, it's the same thing. So people use coins appropriate for the various goods they're buying. But sometimes furs are simply exchanged for furs, and the same goes for coins. So—"
"So in all that exchange, sometimes there are places where they aren't equivalent, aye?"
"That's right. I've calculated it over and over, and there's no mistaking it. By doing nothing more than buying and selling in town, we can make twenty, maybe even thirty percent. It's a grand opportunity!"
That might well have been true, but her companion's excitement was dampening her own. And she had yet to be properly complimented on the tail adornment she had so cleverly put on.
But of course, her companion was unable to pay attention to more than one thing at once. She really could not expect too much from him.
They entered the town's walls they had only just left that morning. It was just as crowded as it had always been, and looking at the crowd, she could not help but wonder if her companion had truly considered whether out of all these people, not a single one had noticed the gap he thought he had discovered.
Of course, no matter the endeavor, both successes and failures were common. At the very least, she had to admit that her companion had brought her on adventures the likes of which she had nearly forgotten after so long.
Watching him glance here and there in his impatience to begin trading was quite amusing. But then—no sooner had they stabled the horse than her companion looked to her and spoke.
"Now then, would you go and wait for me in the tavern?"
"Wha...?" she said, frozen in place. She had been certain that she would be going along with him, to sniff out the quality of the pelts and to listen to the sounds of the coins, that for a moment she honestly thought she was being teased.
"I'll be going to shops all over the town. With these crowds, I think you'd hate being dragged this way and that, wouldn't you?"
Unfair, she thought. If she was going to be such a burden for him to bring along, he could at least say so. But he obviously did not want to bring her, so when he said, "...Wouldn't you?" how could she reply but to agree?
Only merchants were so skilled at exploiting the difference between inward intention and outward expression to manipulate things for their own ends. Her companion did this quite frequently, though he was not particularly aware of it.
"Aye, I suppose not," she said, faking a vague smile, not bothering to hide her irritation from her companion. But he seemed to misunderstand and patted her head as though she were a pup.
He probably thought she was merely pouting at being left alone. And would he even now think her to be holding his reins?


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
He placed the waxed board with its tallies and figures scrawled all over it on his knee, and after murmuring something to himself, suddenly exclaimed, "Yes! I knew it!"
Humans, with their bad noses and bad ears, tended to have the unpleasant habit of shouting too loudly.
She was not the only one surprised; the horse was startled, too. Her companion, though, took no notice of this, and he roughly tossed the writing board back into the wagon and took up the reins. He pulled on them to stop the horse.
"...What is it?" she asked, rubbing her still-stinging ears like a cat would. Her companion's face was tiresomely cheerful.
"There's a gap in the marketplace. We can make some real money!"
As he turned the wagon around to head back the way they had come, he looked like a pup too young to have all of his teeth yet.
Having spent so much time with a merchant, she had grown to understand the basics of commerce. But she still wondered how a series of buying and selling that ended up with the same goods they started with could possibly turn a profit.
According to her companion, it could.
"You'll be despised if you bring out a mountain of small coins to pay for an expensive item, and if you try to buy a small thing with a high-value coin, it's the same thing. So people use coins appropriate for the various goods they're buying. But sometimes furs are simply exchanged for furs, and the same goes for coins. So—"
"So in all that exchange, sometimes there are places where they aren't equivalent, aye?"
"That's right. I've calculated it over and over, and there's no mistaking it. By doing nothing more than buying and selling in town, we can make twenty, maybe even thirty percent. It's a grand opportunity!"
That might well have been true, but her companion's excitement was dampening her own. And she had yet to be properly complimented on the tail adornment she had so cleverly put on.
But of course, her companion was unable to pay attention to more than one thing at once. She really could not expect too much from him.
They entered the town's walls they had only just left that morning. It was just as crowded as it had always been, and looking at the crowd, she could not help but wonder if her companion had truly considered whether out of all these people, not a single one had noticed the gap he thought he had discovered.
Of course, no matter the endeavor, both successes and failures were common. At the very least, she had to admit that her companion had brought her on adventures the likes of which she had nearly forgotten after so long.
Watching him glance here and there in his impatience to begin trading was quite amusing. But then—no sooner had they stabled the horse than her companion looked to her and spoke.
"Now then, would you go and wait for me in the tavern?"
"Wha...?" she said, frozen in place. She had been certain that she would be going along with him, to sniff out the quality of the pelts and to listen to the sounds of the coins, that for a moment she honestly thought she was being teased.
"I'll be going to shops all over the town. With these crowds, I think you'd hate being dragged this way and that, wouldn't you?"
Unfair, she thought. If she was going to be such a burden for him to bring along, he could at least say so. But he obviously did not want to bring her, so when he said, "...Wouldn't you?" how could she reply but to agree?
Only merchants were so skilled at exploiting the difference between inward intention and outward expression to manipulate things for their own ends. Her companion did this quite frequently, though he was not particularly aware of it.
"Aye, I suppose not," she said, faking a vague smile, not bothering to hide her irritation from her companion. But he seemed to misunderstand and patted her head as though she were a pup.
He probably thought she was merely pouting at being left alone. And would he even now think her to be holding his reins?

Output:
"Still, I don't suppose you'll have me wait there without any means," she said. Her companion's arm looked thin, but it felt surprisingly sturdy as she took it.
He shot her his most sour look, but in the end, he gave her a single shiny silver piece. Evidently, he was confident in his current prospects.
"Don't use it all."
She did not bother to remind him that it would not have cost him a single copper had he only brought her along.
In truth, her companion probably had not had the time to leisurely take her around with him, because here in this walled town, the ringing of the bells marked the strict beginning and end of the day.
The ringing of this bell marked the opening of the market; the ringing of that bell meant the craftsmen could take their break. It was a spectacle, as though the whole town danced to the beat of the same drum. From her vantage point out of a second-story window of the inn, bottle of wine in hand, the rhythmic impression she got was particularly strong.
When she thought about it that way, her companion—who journeyed across the land, making his living with nothing but his wagon and his wits, beholden only to the movements of the sun and the moon—was unmistakably among the freest of humans.
Freedom and strength flowed from the same spring. Despite his foolishness and softheartedness, his belief in his own abilities gave him a mysteriously attractive strength.
She thought back on the memories of their journey together thus far, but this did not do much to soothe her frustration with being left behind—or rather, perhaps it was failing to quiet her anger.
With just a single silver coin to spend, she was forced into the corner of an open-fronted tavern. With night yet to fall, the only patrons were a few indolent travelers, along with some withered regulars, drying like fish in the sun. And even with them, there were not many there, so Holo wound up in one corner of the tavern, lazily watching the swirl of foot traffic stream by in front of the place.
Worse, she had not even had time to change clothes, so she was still dressed as what the humans called a nun.
Thanks to that, whenever anyone passed near her table, every single one of them said the same thing as they left her a small coin: "God's blessing be upon you."
Then they would put their hands together or occasionally seek to take hers in greeting, then return to their own table.
Despite how much she hated being worshipped, she found this particular form of respect paying so foolish she could not even be angry at it.
She ate her beans and sipped her wine in order to drown the occasional tears that her great yawns squeezed out.
Thinking of the times her foolish companion's business plans had not gone well, she had ordered sour wine of notably poor quality.
It was bad enough to keep her awake and bad enough to keep her mind on her anger at having been left alone. She was wiping a lingering drop from her lips with an irritated finger flick when a familiar figure entered her field of vision.
On his back was a great load of pelts, and he was walking straight ahead and purposefully, without so much as a sideways glance.
The look in his eyes was the one he had when things were going well.
Her companion seemed not to realize that whenever things were going his way, he wore an expression that made it obvious he thought he was being cool and collected. Likewise, whenever things went poorly, the desperation with which he fought back panic was also easy to see. He was always trying to keep his thoughts to himself.
Was the only time he was truly calm while he slept? Seeing him serene was so rare that she sometimes stayed up at night to watch him, just to see his quiet expression. She wondered what he would say if he knew.
He would probably become too self-conscious to sleep.
And yet that in and of itself was rather charming, she thought—and then realized she was out of wine.
Without anyone to talk to, it was all too easy to empty one's cup.


Instruction: Given first part of the popular LightNovel spice and wolf as input, continue the story the best you can.

Input:
"Still, I don't suppose you'll have me wait there without any means," she said. Her companion's arm looked thin, but it felt surprisingly sturdy as she took it.
He shot her his most sour look, but in the end, he gave her a single shiny silver piece. Evidently, he was confident in his current prospects.
"Don't use it all."
She did not bother to remind him that it would not have cost him a single copper had he only brought her along.
In truth, her companion probably had not had the time to leisurely take her around with him, because here in this walled town, the ringing of the bells marked the strict beginning and end of the day.
The ringing of this bell marked the opening of the market; the ringing of that bell meant the craftsmen could take their break. It was a spectacle, as though the whole town danced to the beat of the same drum. From her vantage point out of a second-story window of the inn, bottle of wine in hand, the rhythmic impression she got was particularly strong.
When she thought about it that way, her companion—who journeyed across the land, making his living with nothing but his wagon and his wits, beholden only to the movements of the sun and the moon—was unmistakably among the freest of humans.
Freedom and strength flowed from the same spring. Despite his foolishness and softheartedness, his belief in his own abilities gave him a mysteriously attractive strength.
She thought back on the memories of their journey together thus far, but this did not do much to soothe her frustration with being left behind—or rather, perhaps it was failing to quiet her anger.
With just a single silver coin to spend, she was forced into the corner of an open-fronted tavern. With night yet to fall, the only patrons were a few indolent travelers, along with some withered regulars, drying like fish in the sun. And even with them, there were not many there, so Holo wound up in one corner of the tavern, lazily watching the swirl of foot traffic stream by in front of the place.
Worse, she had not even had time to change clothes, so she was still dressed as what the humans called a nun.
Thanks to that, whenever anyone passed near her table, every single one of them said the same thing as they left her a small coin: "God's blessing be upon you."
Then they would put their hands together or occasionally seek to take hers in greeting, then return to their own table.
Despite how much she hated being worshipped, she found this particular form of respect paying so foolish she could not even be angry at it.
She ate her beans and sipped her wine in order to drown the occasional tears that her great yawns squeezed out.
Thinking of the times her foolish companion's business plans had not gone well, she had ordered sour wine of notably poor quality.
It was bad enough to keep her awake and bad enough to keep her mind on her anger at having been left alone. She was wiping a lingering drop from her lips with an irritated finger flick when a familiar figure entered her field of vision.
On his back was a great load of pelts, and he was walking straight ahead and purposefully, without so much as a sideways glance.
The look in his eyes was the one he had when things were going well.
Her companion seemed not to realize that whenever things were going his way, he wore an expression that made it obvious he thought he was being cool and collected. Likewise, whenever things went poorly, the desperation with which he fought back panic was also easy to see. He was always trying to keep his thoughts to himself.
Was the only time he was truly calm while he slept? Seeing him serene was so rare that she sometimes stayed up at night to watch him, just to see his quiet expression. She wondered what he would say if he knew.
He would probably become too self-conscious to sleep.
And yet that in and of itself was rather charming, she thought—and then realized she was out of wine.
Without anyone to talk to, it was all too easy to empty one's cup.

Output:
Her companion came out of the swirl of humanity and entered her quiet little corner of the world, but only after passing by several times.
Having had nothing but the bad wine, her stomach had gotten sour, too, so she told him not to say a thing until he had ordered her some cheese or bread, about which he offered not a whit of complaint.
Rather, he wore a wide and satisfied smile. She would not have been surprised if he had scooped her up in his arms and nuzzled her with his face.
"I love the feeling of outsmarting everyone around me!" he said, pinching her cheek.
He was in high spirits indeed. And yet, he did not produce the requested coin, which was very like him.
"Just so long as you aren't caught at it."
"I'll be long gone before anyone catches me."
Given the adventures they'd had so far, it was comically rash for him to say such things, but it was pleasant to see him brimming with such confidence. Finally, he smiled and presented his winnings.
It was true, though—from the gradually increasing loads of fur on his back as he had traveled back and forth, she could tell he had been profiting.
Greater profit required greater capital.
She remembered the words from a previous misfortune, and surely the reason he had asked her to judge the quality of the pelts he started with was to understand the amount he stood to lose if things went poorly.
It was a sickening level of care, but it arose from his usual habits.
The way he observed and interacted with her, carefully and dispassionately, was the best example of this. It was conservative, even mercenary. If he ended up being unreliable when she truly needed him, she ought to give him a view of the dust she would kick up as she left him behind, but unfortunately doing so would tip her own hand, which hardly seemed fair.
And yet, he was often so courageous and bold. Such a troublesome fellow he was.
Such thoughts chased themselves through her head as she drained her cup. She was unsure how many she'd had. The cup seemed to empty itself so quickly she wondered if it had a hole in the bottom, and she turned it over to check. She was shocked by the sudden appearance of someone's foot in her vision. Evidently her senses had been somewhat dulled by the wine.
She looked up and saw her delighted companion. His hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat.
"Success!" He plopped himself down, his coin purse full to bursting. "Though some others caught on to what I was doing, so the profit dropped a bit. We all pulled just before we would've been ruined, though."
Having sat himself down in a chair, her companion ordered wine, and as soon as it came, he drained half the cup in a single go, then sighed a happy sigh.
She could tell from the smell of his pride that he had done quite a bit of running around.
"I'd say we should drink a toast, but you're a bit too drunk for that," he said with a wry smile.
She was so overcome with the desire to show her displeasure that she brought her empty cup to her lips.
"Let's have some tastier wine tomorrow. We'll pass tonight at an inn. Ah, it's nice to make money," said her companion happily, draining the remnants of his cup.
No doubt he was sincerely happy. And faced with that smile of his, she could not help but smile herself.
"We ought to retire for the evening. Can you walk?"
She took the offered hand with a fondness as though it was the first offer in centuries, and all the hotter for her drunkenness. A warm sleepiness pervaded her as though soaking into her head.
Though it was shameful of a wisewolf to do so, as her companion paid up, her sleepiness drove her to hang on him like a grumpy pup.
"Steady now. We only have to go as far as the inn."
The more he told her to be steady or asked if she were all right, the more wobbly the ground beneath her seemed.
She let herself be taken by the hand like a child, and they went out into the twilight town.