Chapter 6

A few minutes after the girl woke up.

The two of them kept a certain distance from each other, observing each other's state.

The fire, stoked idly, provided enough light for them to see each other's faces.

The girl was clearly wary of Yū –

(What should I do... Probably, we don't understand each other's language, right?)

It was awkward.

...When the girl woke up, the first thing Yū did was to silence her.

He didn't want to attract the mountain beasts with loud noises. He managed to silence her by desperately pressing his index finger to his lips.

However, this made the girl clearly wary of Yū.

It was understandable. She had been stranded, injured, and upon waking up, found herself confronted by a man who spoke an incomprehensible language. Moreover, their clothing styles were completely different, indicating a significant cultural gap.

...But then, with a rumble, the sound of a beast's growl mixed in with the crackling of the firewood.

Only the girl panicked. The sound came from her stomach.

"...Look, you must be hungry, right? Eat this. Though, you probably don't understand me."

Even in the firelight, it was clear that the girl's face was bright red.

Yū offered her the reheated soup.

To let her hold the handle, Yū and the girl had to get closer. Despite her fear of the narrowing distance, the girl timidly took the lunchbox.

She blew on the steaming surface with all her might. It was clear that she was very hungry.

"...!"

After confirming it was safe, the girl began to drink the soup hurriedly but cautiously.

Her unusual state suggested she hadn't eaten in a long time.

She finished the soup, tears welling up in her eyes, in no time.

(That, despite the good taste, has a pretty strong smell. She must have been really hungry.)

To distract himself from the girl's uncomfortable state, Yū looked away and thought.

Perhaps in this world, the smell wasn't as unpleasant as he thought, but he quickly returned to thinking about the future.

He had thought he was alone, but now he had met someone. It was a relief, but the language barrier was a problem.

It would have been nice if they could understand each other like in a novel – just as Yū was thinking this,

"Ano... Thank you very much."

A beautiful, bell-like voice thanked him modestly.

He turned around involuntarily. Of course, the silver-haired girl was there.

"Wh-What... You can speak Japanese!?"

His tone became rough from surprise, and he held his breath, falling silent.

To avoid frightening the girl who had spoken to him, Yū cleared his throat and calmed down.

"S-Sorry. I thought we couldn't understand each other."

The girl, who was trembling, seemed to understand that Yū was trying not to scare her.

She nodded and responded to Yū's question.

"I'm using a translation spell. Your language is difficult. It might be hard to understand... "

"Spell...! No, I can understand you perfectly. Thank you."

Talking to someone. What should have been a common occurrence, Yū felt a lump in his throat.

He was used to being alone and had resigned himself to it. That's why he didn't cry, but the prospect of never having a conversation again had lit a fire in his heart.

"You saved me, right? I'm sorry for being scared."

"No... It's understandable. I look like this, after all. More importantly, are you okay?"

As they talked, the distance between them narrowed quickly.

"I'm good at healing spells, but it will take about three weeks to walk."

"I see... But as long as it's not life-threatening, that's good."

The girl was also relieved to be able to converse with someone.

As their emotional distance narrowed, the accuracy of the girl's translation spell improved, though no one noticed.

"My name is Clara. What's yours?"

"I'm Yū. Yū Shōgun."

They exchanged names and smiled at each other.

Then, they talked about various things in front of the fire.

"I was looking for medicinal herbs when I got stranded. I hadn't eaten for two days, and I was very hungry when I saw the 'Charm Tree.'"

According to their conversation, Clara had collapsed there because of the yellow fruit's ability.

The 'Charm Tree.' A monster that lures prey with its ability and causes them to slip and fall, using them as nutrients.

In this world, anything with special abilities, whether plant or animal, is called a 'monster.'

Thinking about the term 'plant monster,' Yū sighed. Realizing his terrifying hypothesis was correct, he felt the dangerous ecology of this world anew.

"If you hadn't been there, I would have died. Thank you so much."

Knowing the danger, Clara bowed deeply.

It was the conclusion of their conversation, which had happened several times since they started talking. Yū, feeling a bit awkward, scratched his cheek.

Being thanked felt good, but Yū, who didn't think he had done anything special, felt a bit embarrassed.

"Ah... No, it's fine. Rather, what are we going to do from here?"

To avoid the awkwardness, Yū steered the conversation in the direction it should go.

For Yū, who had only done what was necessary since coming to this world, small talk had become a pleasant luxury, but he couldn't keep doing that.

The topic now was 'what to do next.'

"Clara wants to go back to the village... but with that leg, it's impossible to walk. Can I carry you to the village from here?"

Until now, the priority had been to set up a living environment.

But now, things were different. Yū had Clara to protect and a village to aim for.

"I think it's difficult. The village is on the other side of the mountain. There are dangerous monsters in the mountains."

But it was impossible for now.

Walking through the mountains with an injured person was dangerous even for someone experienced. Yū, who had some knowledge but wasn't a professional hiker, knew this.

It was unclear how much assistance would be needed, but it would likely take several times longer to walk the same path. There were also issues of food and shelter during that time.

Clara's face was downcast. It was clear from her leg that she couldn't move on her own. Yū, hearing her answer, put his finger to his chin and thought.

"Right... You said it would take about three weeks to heal, right? Hmm..."

Clara's face darkened even more at Yū's words.

...In this situation, she knew she would be a burden.

In a life-or-death situation, she thought she couldn't complain if she was left behind. Even Yū's casual musings were a source of self-reproach.

"I'm sorry... Ano... Because I can't walk, just for a little while... Can you leave me here...?"

It was the best she could ask.

Being here wouldn't benefit Yū in any way. Clara felt this without even thinking.

Strongly, strongly. Yū, who had just met her, had no way of knowing, but Clara had a very low self-evaluation. This was a value instilled in her by her birth, more than her upbringing, but let's leave that aside for now.

– Being here would be a liability, and considering the food problem, she would only be a negative presence. She felt this more strongly than necessary.

By adding "just for a little while" to her request to be left here, she implied that it didn't have to be until her leg was fully healed. This was the result of her low self-worth and a faint instinct to survive.

"H-Huh? What are you talking about?"

Yū, who had no idea about Clara's thoughts, was taken aback by her unbelievable words.

Clara's shoulders trembled at Yū's "as expected" response.

"I'm not saying anything bad. Stay here until you heal. Even if you can walk sooner than three weeks, you won't be fully recovered, right? Walking in the mountains would be impossible. If there were other people or a base nearby, it would be different, but since we're stranded, there's nothing like that, right?"

"E...? No, there isn't..."

But the next words were the opposite of what she expected.

Clara, who had looked down in a panic, raised her face, and Yū sighed as if it were inevitable.

"Then, it might be uncomfortable, but it's better to stay here. I know you want to go back quickly, and being alone with an unknown man might be unsettling, but I'm not the type to take advantage of a girl in trouble, and I'm not the kind to abandon someone halfway."

Clara didn't understand what Yū was saying at first.

For a moment, she thought he might be planning something because he couldn't see any benefit in protecting her.

But such doubts were blown away by Yū's troubled smile, which seemed to say, "Of course."

"I'm useless... It's better to leave me. I'll be a burden."

Saved by Yū's smile, Clara, unable to hide the tears welling up, lowered her face again and suggested what she feared most.

The thought of causing trouble for a kind boy was unbearable.

She couldn't cook or help with anything and would only get in the way. It took courage to say this.

But if Yū still said it was okay for her to stay...

"That's not true. ...I haven't talked to anyone in a while. Having Clara here will be a big help and give me strength. Plus, I'm a big eater. With Clara here, I can try a variety of ingredients in small amounts, so..."

If he said it was okay to rely on him, she wanted to cling to him.

Instead of being surprised or angry at her opposite words, Yū responded with a smile.

It was much kinder and more encouraging than she expected. He said having a liability like her would be a strength. The words that affirmed her value, which she had denied, made her cry.

"Uuuu... Haa..."

Contrary to the current Clara, Yū's smile was warm and reassuring, like a sunny spot. Clara couldn't hold back her tears this time. She tried to stop crying, but the tears wouldn't stop, and her face was contorted.

Seeing the girl's unusually pitiful face, Yū smiled wryly.

"I can't say not to worry, but it'll probably be okay. When your leg heals, can you show me the way to the village?"

Clara, in Yū's opinion, was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her current expression was so cute that it made him want to laugh, but – Yū found it endearing.

He somehow understood the conflict Clara was facing. To suggest that it would be better to leave her behind in such a situation meant she had a very low self-evaluation.

Balancing the desire to survive and the fear of causing trouble, he wanted to protect the girl who was about to give up on herself.

He wanted to support Clara, who had been alone and was about to return to loneliness.

"Okay...!"

"Alright, let's go to sleep then. Sleep is the foundation of everything."

Thus, their unusual cohabitation began.

Clara finally managed to smile at Yū's explanation of the importance of sleep.

With Yū's help, Clara settled into her bed.

When the fire went out, the darkness was even deeper than the night in the mountains.

But it was a warm and reassuring place. The joy of feeling human warmth after a long time made Clara relax.

But Yū was also anxious. Living in an unknown place alone, and having a girl appear to fill the loneliness, felt like lighting a fire in the darkness.

(Tomorrow will be busy again...)

Of course, life would be more difficult from tomorrow.

But Yū was happy to have someone nearby.

And Yū, as well as Clara, fell asleep quickly.

It had been a long time for both of them.