"Are you alright?" Oliver asked in Japanese, directing the question toward the women in prison uniforms. He hesitated. Wait… is it really okay that I trusted these girls so blindly? If they're wearing prison outfits, doesn't that make them… prisoners? Don't tell me I just sided with the villains.
He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Luna stomp the alpha's head into the dirt with her hooves. … Maybe it's already too late to be worrying about that. Poor thing didn't even want to fight.
"Ah… you speak Japanese. That's a relief," Kaede said, drawing his attention back. "My English isn't very fluent, and I only know a few phrases. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to communicate."
She cleared her throat and switched to English, her tone polite but still formal. "But yes—we're fine, young man. Thank you for helping us."
"No problem," Oliver replied, holding out his hand. "But can I have my sword back?"
Kaede blinked, caught off guard. She'd thought she'd get to hold onto it a little longer—after all, there might still be a few of those monsters lurking nearby.
"Okay, here you go," she said, handing the blade back reluctantly. Then, with a sly smile, he added, "Though I thought I'd get to keep it for a bit longer. You know, just in case there are more of those… things."
Oliver smirked as he gripped the hilt. "I'm not exactly planning to hand it over again."
Kaede chuckled softly. "Fair enough."
Sana glanced between them, a teasing light in her eyes. "You really do know how to keep your toys."
Takara folded her arms, shooting Oliver a skeptical look. "Don't get too cocky. It's not like you won the war single-handedly."
He shrugged, eyes scanning the trees. "Maybe not. But it helps to have a good team."
The girls exchanged looks. Seeing the kind of man Oliver was—steady, sharp, and surprisingly straightforward—they felt something shift. Maybe he wouldn't just leave them behind.
"Can we… join you?" Kaede asked, voice low but hopeful. "If you're heading somewhere safer."
Oliver considered for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. But first—tell me why you were attacked. Who sent those macaques after you?"
Kaede rubbed the back of her neck, her top slipping slightly and revealing a flash of skin, but she didn't seem bothered and quickly adjusted it. "I don't know. We were just having saltless food for lunch when they appeared—"
Her eyes suddenly widened. "Smoke! There's still one more of them out there, and it knows how to create some sort of smoke screen. And they have this girl with them."
"A smoke screen?" Oliver asked, frowning.
"Yes," Sana replied. "They used these plants—lit them to produce smoke that slowly drugged us, so we didn't notice how close one of them got. It weakened us."
"But I can sense them," Sana added. "I think they either retreated or are waiting where we were first ambushed—that's where we lost the girl, as Kaede mentioned."
Oliver glanced at them both, then tucked his swords away. "I feel like retracing your steps and saving the person you're talking about is the morally right choice." He paused, eyes narrowing. "But I had a place to get to before I got sidetracked."
"So, I'll leave the choice up to you—go back and look for the herbalist and damsel in distress, or chase glowing ferns at nightfall."
Kaede exchanged a look with Sana and Takara. The weight of the choice pressed down on them, heavier than the night air around the fire.
"We can't go back," Kaede said finally, voice low but steady. "If we turn around now, we risk walking into another trap. The macaques might be waiting for us—stronger, more prepared."
Sana nodded, rubbing her arms as if trying to ward off a chill that wasn't there. "Besides, that girl—if she's still alive—she's on her own now. We can't save everyone. Not without losing ourselves in the process."
Takara's eyes hardened. "We've barely made it this far. If we waste time, we're all dead."
Oliver listened quietly, his gaze flicking between the three women. There was no question of mercy in their eyes—only grim survival.
"So we leave her behind," he said, voice barely more than a murmur.
Kaede's jaw tightened. "We don't have a choice."
I really did team up with the villains, didn't I? Oliver thought, inhaling slowly. "Well, I guess it's time you take me to the ferns, Luna," he said, turning to her.
Luna stepped forward, hands sliding up to cup his face. She pulled him in for a kiss—soft at first, then deeper as she calmed herself. "We killed it," she murmured against his lips. Then, without breaking contact, she slid his hand down and placed it between her legs.
Oliver hesitated, then gently pulled back. "...Later," he said softly. "I really want to see those ferns now."
Kaede blinked, cheeks flushing a soft pink. Sana's eyes darted between them, a mix of surprise and something unreadable flickering in her gaze. Takara rolled her eyes but smirked.
"Well," Kaede said with a half-laugh, "someone's adapted to this world just fine."
Sana shook her head, biting her lip to suppress a smile. "I thought everything here was transported from Earth and enhanced by some sort of magic. So does that mean Deer-chan is a…"
Takara cracked her knuckles. "You two, shut it—before you say something out of line." She huffed, shaking her head at her friends, then looked at him. "Since we're teammates now, I won't judge your taste if you don't judge me."
She stuck out her arm. "My name's Nakamura Takara, and these two are Shimizu Kaede and Mizuki Sana—friends of mine from before we ended up here."
"Nice to meet you, Nakamura-san," he said, shaking her hand. "You can call me Oliver. And the murder-hungry girl behind me is Luna."
"Hopefully none of us get ourselves killed out here," Oliver continued, "especially since I think I have an understanding of what that magic Mizuki-san mentioned is—and how to use it to my advantage."
Takara's brow rose, arms crossing as she leaned forward a little.
"Really?"
Oliver smirked at her tone. "Really."
She tilted her head toward him, a sharp grin forming. "Then can you teach us? We've only just been dropped into this mess—you've seemed to have had a head start."
Oliver tapped his chin as though thinking it over. "Sure… I'll tell you how."
Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. "What's the catch?"
He grinned wider. "You show me your breasts."
Kaede almost choked on air, Sana's eyes widening in scandalized disbelief.
To their shock, Takara didn't even flinch. "Fine," she said flatly, fingers already going for the bottom of her top—her hands effortlessly pulled it up over her breasts.
Oliver blinked, half laughing. "Wait—what? I was joking—"
But she held his gaze, her expression unreadable. "And I'm not," she said evenly. "You said you'd tell me. So?"