Chapter 81

What is a 'friend'?

Throughout my life, I've never really thought about it, nor have I ever directly confirmed with someone, "Let's be friends" or "We're friends, right?"

To begin with, I hardly had any friends...

When I think back to my innocent elementary school days, it seemed we just naturally thought of each other as friends.

There was no need to be overly conscious of it.

I think that's what friends are, after all.

But what exactly makes someone a friend?

I thought about it a bit, but the only thing that came to mind was that you can talk naturally and without reservation.

I've always been terrible at socializing, even though I've been forced to get used to it since becoming an adult.

It's not surprising that I can't really understand it even if I think about it.

Still, even with my limited experience, I feel some doubt about the current situation.

"Hey, Feeliru?"

First, calling each other by our first names.

And dropping the formal language.

This is the first step to being friends.

At first, I thought Feeliru was angry, but it seemed she was actually envious that Ria was called by her first name, so we both smoothly agreed on this.

Then, Feeliru suggested that we don't need formal language either, and I happily agreed, thinking that's what friends do.

Still, Feeliru's tone of voice hasn't changed at all.

Given her long-standing habits, I can't really blame her for not being able to change now.

Literally, it must have been a very long time.

So far, so good.

"Is this what friends do?"

But, personally, I think this is different.

Even though I think it's different, I don't have the slightest intention of refusing, so I'm at a loss for how to handle it.

"It's fine, really. I'm doing this because I want to, so please accept it as a friend!"

Feeliru's voice is so cheerful.

She must be having a lot of fun right now.

I'd like to see her face, but unfortunately, that's not possible.

All I can see in my field of vision are two large melons.

I never expected such a situation.

We have hunting to do tomorrow, and we've already had two rounds today, so even with Feeliru here, I was extremely sleepy.

So I told her I was going to sleep.

I thought she would disappear her "separate body" when I told her, but when she saw the stone pillow in my hand, she seemed to realize something and patted her thighs.

—I couldn't resist that charm.

My head was drawn in.

The back of my head was enveloped in a feeling that was worlds apart from the stone pillow, and a calm, floral scent I had never smelled before gave me a strange sense of comfort.

To top it off, when I opened my eyes, all I could see was a vast expanse of cosmos.

It felt like I was in heaven, so comfortable that I seriously wondered if this was what it felt like.

"In my world, a pillow on the lap is something lovers do, you know?"

"Hehe, it's fine, really. It's a thank you for the bath!"

She patted my head.

...It's been a while.

In elementary school, I remember a drawing I made in art class was selected, and the teacher patted my head and said, "Well done."

...Ah, and when I got a big contract with Kasahara, I remember being patted on the head too.

But that was more like a rough pat on the head, not a gentle pat.

Oh well...

I want to enjoy this comfort, but my eyes naturally close...

I don't want to think about anything... I'll just be honest and indulge...

"We... understand... each other... don't we...?"

I think I heard Feeliru mutter something, but I fell asleep without responding.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

"...Huh?"

In the morning, I woke up and looked around.

"Did Feeliru already leave?"

Looking at my watch, it was 7:30.

Maybe it was because of the comfortable pillow, or maybe I was more tired than usual.

Either way, I felt like I had a long and deep sleep.

It should have been a refreshing morning, but I had this vague feeling.

"At least she could have said something..."

I muttered, but since I woke up later than usual, I didn't have much time to relax, so I started preparing breakfast.

But as I hurried to the entrance of the hole, I smelled something like grilled fish—

I wondered, "Did I put out the fire properly yesterday?" while looking outside, and there was Feeliru doing something by the space next to the bath.

"Fe, Feeliru~!"

I was so surprised to see her unexpectedly close that my joy exploded.

Even though I thought she had already left, I hurried over, and I immediately understood what she was doing.

"Good morning, Loki. You slept well, didn't you? Breakfast is ready~"

What... This isn't a friend, this is a wife, a bride, a wife.

Whichever you choose, she's practically a wife, isn't she?!

I almost cried out of emotion, but before I could, a question arose.

Feeliru was grilling fish right in front of me.

I had explained the fish trap in the pond and seen her catch fish, so I understood that she was imitating me.

Even as a "separate body," the goddesses' physical abilities must be incredible.

But the fire?

How did she start the fire?

Did the goddess actually rub sticks together?

"Um... thanks, but was the fire still on?"

"No, I wanted a fire, so I went back and brought out a 'separate body' that can use fire magic~"

"Ah, I see!"

"It's just by imitation, but is this okay~?"

When I looked at the fish, the skin was crispy and it looked delicious, just like when I grilled it.

Actually, even if it was a bit overcooked or undercooked, I would eat it all because Feeliru made it for me.

"Do you have a portion for Feeliru too?"

"It's okay~ I caught two, so I kept one~"

"Great! Wait a sec! I'll get some salt!"

I dashed back to the hole to get salt and sprinkled it on Feeliru's portion too.

Eating fish while dipping our feet in the river, my happy life in this different world is starting to scare me.

While eating, I checked for monsters with "Exploration" and found one orc.

It was a close distance, so it might be attracted by the smell, or it might pass by without noticing.

I hesitated about whether to go back for my sword.

"By the way, were you okay with monsters while making breakfast? I was out cold and didn't notice."

"It was fine~ I took care of the one that attacked~"

"Huh? Ah... right. I figured it would be okay since you're a goddess..."

As I said this, I looked where Feeliru was looking and saw the ground was charred black.

"Did you use fire magic?"

"Yes~ I was careful not to burn the forest~"

"I see... But, there's no monster corpse?"

"They all burned up~"

"..."

I see, I see.

Of course, it's different from my weak magic.

Still, I didn't expect it to be so thorough that not even bones remained.

I was about to comment on how impressive it was, but the gap between her appearance and her actions was so extreme that I couldn't bring myself to say more, so I changed the subject.

"By the way, Feeliru, you know a lot about monsters, right?"

It was something I had been wondering about.

If she was the only one among the goddesses who could peek at the monsters' skills, she might have useful information about monster-specific skills.

However, her response was unexpected.

"Hmm? I'm interested, but not really~"

"Huh? Didn't you peek at the monsters' skills while looking for habitable areas?"

"True, but I only saw a few types~? Since the areas where monsters gather are mostly fixed, as if they were created that way by Felza-sama, I didn't want to get scolded, so I left quickly~"

I see, her innocent expression was incredibly cute.

But that's not the point.

Hmm, they gather in certain areas...

Now that I think about it, it does seem that way.

There are various factors like food, but in both Palmera and Rurubu, monsters are only in the forest, and I rarely see them in the grassland areas.

I've only seen them chasing people, and in the Locker Plains, they come because food is made nearby.

It feels like a game where the hunting grounds and the monsters that appear are fixed.

For me, this is easier to accept.

"So, you peeked at the monsters in Rurubu yesterday, and today you'll peek at the monsters in Palmera while looking for the transfer?"

"Yes~ But I didn't peek at the monsters in Rurubu's forest yesterday~?"

"Huh? You didn't? Oh, right... a 'separate body' can only bring one skill, so you couldn't use 'Far Sight' to see far away or 'Night Vision' to ensure visibility. And no monsters came last night."

"No~ I didn't use 'Divine Eye' yesterday, so even if monsters came, I couldn't peek at them~"

As Feeliru said this with a disappointed look...

—Wait, hold on.

So, what skill did you bring yesterday?

Depending on the content, my heart might die. Is it okay?

"Feeliru? If I may ask, what skill did you bring yesterday?"

"Um... that's a secret~"

"..."

Wait, wait, wait.

If it was 'Mind Reading,' I was thinking some pretty embarrassing things, right?

In the bath, about her big breasts, wet clothes with big breasts, and a low-angle view of her big breasts on my lap...

I was so excited that I felt like the cosmos were breaking through, and if she saw that, I would be so mortally wounded that I couldn't live anymore?

I held my head and looked at Feeliru hesitantly, and she answered kindly.

"You really like breasts, don't you~..."

It's over.

At this moment, I felt like hundreds of my hairs were blown away by the wind...

I can't take it anymore... I'm such an idiot for letting my guard down with a 'separate body'... I'm so embarrassed that I want to dig a hole and hide in it...

"Finally, a hint for the Loki who is burning out~!"

"Huh...?"

"The skill is not 'Mind Reading'~?"

"Huh...?"

"Then I'll be going~"

As she said this, laughing, Feeliru turned into a dense mist of magic, and I could only watch.

In the end, what skill did she bring...?

If you felt the cosmos, please rate from the stars below.

If you didn't understand the final answer, please consider bookmarking.

This is a joke, but depending on the response from the readers, I might adjust the frequency of her appearances (I should have done this with Ria too).