Well then, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» this white-haired little bread roll must be thinking that I used some kind of mysterious magic scroll or alchemy potion from Wen Nisha on her—after all, Aesphyra had always harbored a certain lingering suspicion: that Wen Nisha and I knew each other.
Great, so she’s basically treating Wen Nisha like my personal Doraemon.
“What’s this about ‘that person you know’? I have no idea what’s going on inside that bread-loaf brain of yours. I’ll tell you the truth—this godforsaken place has had just the two of us since a few days ago, no one else. And honestly, even if someone could come here, I can’t imagine anyone would want to live in this deep forest.” Vinny said it with full confidence—after all, every word was true. He wasn’t lying, so naturally he could speak with confidence.
“So... there really hasn’t been anyone else here?” Aesphyra pressed.
“I’ve answered that a bunch of times already. If you ask me again, I’m not answering.” Vinny grumbled. “Enough already. You’re this badly injured and still have so much to say—go to sleep!”
“Wait.”
“Tch, can’t hear you, can’t hear you, whatever you say I can’t hear—person is already asleep!” Vinny mumbled, hands clamped over his ears.
“I’m thirsty.”
“...Tch.” Remembering that Aesphyra hadn’t had water in days, Vinny reluctantly got up and, using the last two wooden cups in the cabin, poured her a drink.
“Is this water clean?”
“Nope. I scooped it straight from the stream, didn’t even boil it. Drink it every day, get diarrhea every day. Drink it or don’t, up to you.” Vinny shot her a glare.
He handed her the cup, and Aesphyra began sipping in tiny little gulps—giving Vinny the mental image of a kitten drinking water.
After several minutes of fussing, she finally finished. Vinny, tired from the process, set the cup aside and lay down on the floor.
“That’s it, right? If you call me again, I’m not getting up.” He yawned. He’d been busy the whole time she was unconscious and was truly exhausted.
This time, Aesphyra didn’t call for him again. Vinny closed his eyes and was out in seconds, sleeping until the sun was already high.
Half-awake, Vinny sat up, his back aching from the hard floor.
Sleeping on the ground... nowhere near as nice as a bed. Miserable.
He thought about it with a little regret.
It was already late—time to get up, hunt, and gather wild greens. After all, there was still a bedridden “vegetable” at home waiting to be fed.
Then again... a grim thought hit him. He could handle Aesphyra’s meals and water for now—but long term? She couldn’t be without a metabolism. What about... the bathroom??
What would they do then??
Anyway, what time was it now—?
Sniff, sniff...
Just as he was wondering, Vinny suddenly caught the scent of cooking meat. After days of nothing but rabbit and greens, his taste buds instantly came alive.
Huh?! Who’s cooking? Smells like it’s coming from outside.
Wait... Aesphyra—
Vinny turned toward the bed—only to see it empty. She was no longer lying there.
Uh—?
He blinked, then got to his feet and pushed open the cabin door. Outside, smoke curled up from the clearing. At some point, the grill and iron pot from indoors had been moved outside. Inside the pot, boiling water bubbled around cuts of wild boar meat, with bits of unidentifiable wild greens floating on top.
Vinny stared, then his gaze naturally fell on the elegant figure tending the pot.
Just yesterday, she’d been lying weak in bed—yet once she regained mobility, her presence was immediately restored.
It had to be said—when someone’s good-looking enough, anything they wear becomes a statement. Even now, in harsh conditions, Aesphyra was still in her dirt-stained, torn academy uniform, yet somehow still looked radiant, poised, and even a touch more striking for it.
She can move now?
Vinny was surprised—he’d just been wondering what to do if she stayed bedridden for too long.
Judging by the scene, she must have recovered this morning, then quietly gone out to hunt. She’d even moved the grill outside while he slept so the cooking sounds wouldn’t wake him.
This white-haired short nut was always ridiculously meticulous about details.
“Awake?” The moment she heard the door open, Aesphyra knew Vinny was up. She crossed her arms and glanced back at him, her violet eyes carrying an almost bewitching allure that made it hard to look away.
Who knew where she’d gotten a comb—but her hair definitely looked freshly tended, smooth and glossy.
“...You’re moving around already? Since when?” Vinny asked.
“Since when? Hmm, let me think... I guess since I was woken up this morning by a certain thunderously snoring Vinny.” She tilted her head.
“Hey, hey, don’t make things up! I sleep gracefully, thank you very much—proper posture and everything. No way I’d snore! Don’t slander me!” Vinny protested. He’d never had a snoring habit—this damned white-haired bread roll just couldn’t help herself, slandering him the moment she was back on her feet.
“Oh? Really?” Aesphyra’s eyes narrowed in a playful smile. “You’re sure?”
“If you’re wrong, there’ll be no breakfast for you.”
“...Sure!” Vinny froze, then gritted his teeth.
Well... he’d never actually shared a room with anyone before, so he couldn’t be completely certain.
Wait—no. No way. Two lifetimes without snoring—he couldn’t have suddenly picked it up this time... right??
God, please no! He’d find that extremely uncouth.
“Oh.” Aesphyra finally turned back to the pot, letting him stew in his own doubt. “The meat’s ready. Come get it.”
Wait—that was just her messing with him?!
Tch!
First thing in the morning and he was already played.
“Speaking of which, you recovered fast. You were so badly hurt I thought you were done for—then you’re up and moving the same night you woke.” Vinny gave her a sidelong look.
“It’s easy enough to get mobility back.”
That made Vinny think—Wen Nisha’s holy light should have left her with no lasting issues, but still... her organ damage had been from misusing her [Sacred Blessing] bloodline.
Just in case, maybe he should research a potion to fully eliminate any potential heart aftereffects once they got back.
Lost in thought, Vinny suddenly remembered something.
“Hold on, there’s only one set of utensils in the cabin, right?”
“Here—made these this morning. Good enough for now.” Aesphyra handed him a wooden fork and plate.
“...You do carpentry too?” Vinny stared at the perfectly smoothed utensils, no rough edges at all. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“It’s not hard. Just learn it.”
Ah yes—classic humblebrag.
He sighed—whenever he compared himself to her, he felt useless... until he remembered she was Aesphyra, the destined great heroine. Then it didn’t sting so much.
He checked the pot—yep, the boar meat was clean and bloodless, worlds apart from his own sloppy prep.
“What are these greens you put in?” He asked. He’d never seen them before—were they even edible?
“Vinny just needs to eat. Don’t worry about the rest.”
“...I’m just afraid you’ll make it inedible.” Without seasoning, who could make anything truly tasty?
He ladled himself a big piece of boar, cooled it, and took a bite.
Tender, no gaminess, and carrying a subtle, fresh fragrance.
The greens must have brought out the flavor—despite the rough conditions, the taste was surprisingly good.
“Well? Good?” Aesphyra smiled.
“...It’s fine. Just a bit worse than mine, but acceptable.” Vinny’s mouth stayed stubborn even when he knew she’d done better.
“Oh? Is that so?” She was used to his stubbornness—maybe even liked it.
“If you like it, eat more. There’s plenty in the pot.”
Vinny dug in.
Seriously—was there anything this woman wasn’t good at? If she were straight and not the destined heroine...
Whoa—what the hell was he thinking?!
Bad! He must be starving to be having those thoughts—
“Munch, munch... hey, why aren’t you eating?” He finally noticed she was just standing there, smiling, hands behind her back, watching him eat.
“I already did. You slept so late, breakfast was ages ago for me.”
“Oh.” He went back to eating—but the longer he did, the more wrong it felt.
Not the food—the look in her eyes. It was starting to feel... dangerous.
What was going on?
He sneaked a glance—her gaze hadn’t left him once, growing more... layered.
“Ahem.” He set his plate down, pretending to look for a toothpick.
“Full, Vinny?~” Her voice was like a feather tickling his heart.
“N-not yet...”
“Oh? Then keep eating. Make sure you’re full.”
“...R-right.” Yep, danger vibes were strong now.
Another moment passed.
“Full now?” she asked again.
“...More or less.”
“Then rest a bit.”
“...Okay.”
Her tone was too gentle. Definitely not a good sign.
Nope—he couldn’t just sit here. Time to move.
“Going somewhere, Vinny?”
“Uh, just out for a walk.”
Turning, he saw her lightly stroking the blade of her Holy Sword.
“...And why exactly are you bringing out your sword? I don’t see any danger around here.”
“Nothing much. Just polishing it.” She smiled.
“With what?”
She only smiled silently.
Oh, crap. Every alarm bell went off—big danger.
He sprang to his feet.
“Rested already?”
“Y-yeah. Off for that walk now...”
“Good. I’ll go with you.” Her smile deepened.
“No no, no need—I prefer walking alone.”
“Oh? Well, Vinny, it looks like you’ve got a really disgusting big bug on your head.”
“Huh?! A b-big bug?!” He started feeling around but found nothing.
“Don’t worry—I’ll kill it for you. Don’t move~” She approached, sword in hand.
So that was it—he was the bug.
“N-no, no need—I’ll handle it myself!”
“It’s no trouble~” she said sweetly, closing in.
“Nope! No thanks—ahhh! Help! White-haired nut’s trying to kill me!” Vinny bolted, yelling.
“Careful you don’t trip~” she called, chasing after him with a smile.
“Then stop chasing me! You petty white-haired short nut—so narrow-minded, no wonder you’re short and never grow! Still hung up about before, huh? Said you wouldn’t hold a grudge, but here you are, settling accounts!”
“Oh no, Vinny, I just want to kill the bug on your head.”
“So I am the bug, huh?!”
Ah—so that’s why she kept asking if he’d eaten and rested—so she could hold a running competition afterward!
And so, the two of them tore through the forest, sprinting who knew how far until they burst out the other side.
Of course, Aesphyra wasn’t serious—she kept smiling, and whenever she nearly caught him, she’d give him a little kick to slow him down just enough to make him panic and run harder. By the end, Vinny’s face was red, lungs burning, terrified to stop—as if he were a mule being driven.
[Virtue +300]
[Current Virtue: 2064]
Who knew how long it was before Aesphyra finally had her fill and stopped. Vinny collapsed to the ground, gasping like a fish on land, feeling like his backside was about to swell from all her kicks.
Aesphyra, meanwhile, was sitting by the stream, rinsing her mouth over and over.