I’m a Hamster Born in a Tiger Family

“Kyung! Kyuung! (No! Don’t do it!)”

I tried with all my might to stop Tavian, but all I could manage was a soft, squeaky sound that barely carried any weight.

And in the end, Tavian said something that didn’t deviate from my expectations.

“Sisthia is insanely cute!”

Ugh…

Why I’m the one who feels embarrassed…

The huge Tavian covered his face with his hands and stomped his feet, while brother Tigris narrowed his eyes and looked at Tavian oppa with a pitiful expression.

“…Tavian, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“Huh?”

“Until now, there hasn’t been a single moment when Sisthia wasn’t insanely cute.”

Even brother Tigris is saying this?

I may look like this on the outside, but my inner age is quite advanced, you know?

Feeling exasperated, I tried to glare at brother Tigris while rolling my eyes, but unfortunately, my powerless eyelids just fluttered weakly.

Seeing me like that, my twin brother vigorously nodded his head.

“That’s right! But this is a different kind of cuteness! Even if Sisthia were a tiger, she would still be cute, but as a hamster, she’s incredibly, unbelievably cute!”

“Hyung, you probably will lose your mind as well.”

Fortunately, brother Tigris didn’t tremble with excitement like my twin brother. He quietly sat down on the chair next to the table.

He cautiously extended his finger towards me, and I perked up my nose, sniffing the scent before placing my front paws on his finger.

A deep forest aroma emanated from brother Tigris.

“Sisthia. You’re a smart kid, so you probably understand the significance of becoming a hamster.”

I thought for a moment, then nodded.

“If anyone discovers that Gladwin’s power has weakened with the result of your transformation into a hamster rather than a tiger, you, Gladwin, and the beasts he protects will all be in danger.”

[Yes.]

“So, let’s be careful not to let the other guardians know that you’re a hamster for the time being. It might be frustrating, but stay in the room until the situation is sorted out. I’ll try to find a solution as quickly as possible, or at least figure out the cause of this.”

I shook my head, knowing that right now I couldn’t find either the method nor a cause.

In a situation like this, where I couldn’t reveal the entire original story, it was better not to reveal anything at all.

It could easily lead to immense confusion.

Brother Tigris lifted the finger he had extended to me and gently stroked my chin.

“Congratulations on coming of age, Sisthia. Sincerely.”

[Ehehe. Sank you. (Thank you.)]

“Now, shall we learn how to return to human form?”

I followed the method that my brother explained to me in his gentle voice and transformed back into a human form.

It was difficult to do it for the first time, but it was okay.

Because my three older brothers stood by my side until I transformed into a whole person.

* * *

[Green Moon 16th, today’s task]

☐ What should I do today?

☐ Laying around

☐ Maybe try drawing a picture?

“It’s done! Finished!”

I held up the picture I had drawn and admired it in the air.

As I leaned against the backrest of the chair, my short legs lifted up forward.

Today, I drew a fruit basket.

I filled the basket with strawberries, apples, peaches, bananas, kiwis and pineapples, mangoes and pomegranates, tangerines and oranges. I even drew a watermelon in the back.

Since I am 10 years old, it was at least a level that could be viewed as cute.

Despite the fact that it was sloppy, it piqued my craving for fruits.

“Hmm, it looks delicious! Suddenly, I’m craving fruits. I didn’t really like fruits before. Is this also the influence of being a hamster?”

In my previous life, I didn’t eat much fruits and nuts, but after the transmigration, I kept thinking about them.

Nuts could still be picked up from the garden, like sunflower seeds or peanuts, but I couldn’t even smell the fruits.

It was only natural.

Fruits were just something that smelled and felt soft to carnivorous cats and beasts.

There was a time when brother Razvan and Tavian had a heated argument over which one they hated more, fruit or bird droppings.

I stared at the picture I had drawn, then fell flat on the table and rocked my legs back and forth.

“I want to eat strawberries.”

In my previous life, it seemed that this time of year was the end of strawberry season.

How wonderful it would be to bite into the fragrant and juicy flesh, feeling the sweet and tangy strawberry flavor spread in my mouth.

Ah, how fantastic would that be?

I opened my mouth and imagined eating strawberries when someone knocked on the door.

“Sisthia. Are you inside?”

It was brother Tigris’ voice.

Ugh! I was about to imagine eating bananas after strawberries. What a pity.

I quickly wiped off the drool that had trickled down and got up from my seat, then organized the picture and the tools.

“Yeah! I’m inside! Come in!”

Brother Tigris opened the door and squinted one eye at the sight of me fidgeting.

“I thought you would feel down, but you’re not.”

“Ah, what are you talking about? What is there to feel down for?”

Of course, the original Sisthia was very down.

Brother Tigris let out a deep sigh at my answer.

“Sisthia. This is a very frustrating thing for a normal beastman.”

“But I’m really fine? I can’t pretend to feel down when I don’t.”

“Well, at least for you.”

It wasn’t a joke or a lie, it was the truth.

I’m extremely happy right now. There was no reason not to be happy.

My brothers came to play with me from time to time, not letting me get bored, and they gave me snacks as gifts. I could roll around to my heart’s content, roll logs, read books, or draw pictures.

‘The beast who was supposed to be a tiger became a hamster.’

The reason why I was so relaxed even though an unprecedented event had happened was, of course, because I knew the original story.

I also knew what had happened to the original Sisthia, who had fallen into a panic state.

To avoid experiencing the same thing, I needed peace of mind.

Tigris oppa lightly caressed my cheek with the back of his hand and said,

“I brought Andrey. Maybe there was something wrong with your body, preventing you from transforming into a tiger, so he wants to do a health check-up. Is that okay?”

“Yes! Of course!”

***
Andrey, the Gladwin family’s personal physician, looked at me with a serious expression.

“You seem nervous.”

“Yes. A little.”

Brother Tigris, who had been sitting a few feet away, watched us and let out a short sigh before sealing his lips.

As I prepared for the Day of Growth ceremony and even after learning that I became a hamster, I didn’t feel nervous, but now I find myself becoming anxious.

But I couldn’t help it either.

I knew that Andrey examined Sisthia in the original story, but I don’t know what the result of the examination was.

I only knew that the original Sisthia suffered greatly after hearing the results of the checkup and the prescription.

I waited anxiously for Andrey’s examination to be over, wondering if he was discovering a serious illness.

After a while, Andrey made the following diagnosis about my physical condition.

“You are underweight.”

Tigris’ brother’s face turned white.

“You are underweight? How is that possible…!”

“Your weight has only increased by 3kg in the past year. For a growing young beastman, this is excessively critical.”

“Haah. Could it be because of that? Too skinny.”

What do you mean I’m too skinny…

If I was 30kg at the age of 10, wasn’t that a reasonable weight? In my previous life, I didn’t think I even reached 25kg at the age of 10.

Andrey nodded his head at brother Tigris’ words.

“If Sisthia collapsed during the Day of Growth ceremony, then weight might have been the issue. There doesn’t seem to be any other problems.”

“Now what should we do? We can’t expect Sisthia to eat like the twins.”

That was obvious.

The twins were huge eaters, easily finishing a whole cow every day!

No matter how much I loved meat, I couldn’t eat that much.

Andrey whispered something to Tigris, who was deep in thought.

“In my opinion…”

After hearing what Andrey had said, brother Tigris made an expression as if he had been sentenced to death, and then wiped his face with a large hand.

I realized that the measure Andrey conveyed to Tigris was related to the suffering the original Sisthia had endured.

Suddenly, a coldness spread through my chest.

Why? What could it be?

Surely they wouldn’t resort to using forbidden magic, right?

I looked up at my brother with pitiful eyes.

“Oh, brother. Why are you suddenly like this? I’m scared.”

“…I’m sorry, Sisthia. I didn’t want it to come to this.”

Brother Tigris closed his eyes in pain and spoke quietly.

“Andrey. Please give us some space.”

“Understood.”

Brother Tigris, who had closed his eyes and calmed himself for a moment after Andrey had disappeared, approached me slowly.

He lowered his body, placing one knee on the floor so he was eye level with me in the chair.

“I’m sorry. I was born as the pride of the Gladwin family, believing I could do anything I set my mind to, but in this situation, I can only ask for your understanding. It’s truly pathetic of me.”

What on earth is it? This just makes it scarier!

“What did Andrey say? I’m fine with anything, so don’t be sorry and tell me quickly.”

“Sisthia, for the time being, you…”

Brother Tigris was unable to speak until the end as if his throat was choking and kept his mouth shut for a while.

He tightly grasped my hand, forcing something down with great effort, and finally uttered the remaining words.

“…For the time being, your diet will need to be adjusted. It seems that Andrey suggests trying to eat some fruits.”

“…Huh?”

“There’s a possibility that your inability to transform into a tiger was due to your weight. It might be painful, but please bear with it for a few days.”

“…!”

I stood up abruptly, and Tigris lowered his head deeply as he clenched his lips as if he were a criminal.

Oh, fruits!

I love it!