Yamka slowly opened her eyelids, tired and sluggish, a frown clouding her expression as she muttered in a low, irritated voice.
"I hate you both."
She lowered her head, placing her hands over her face in an attempt to wipe the sleep away before taking a deep breath of fresh air, her mind still hazy and unsteady.
Haruki's stomach growled loudly, and he placed both hands over it, groaning softly from hunger. Then he looked at Yamka, putting his hands back on her shoulders and shaking her again, this time more gently,speaking in a pleading tone as he tried to convince her to accept the request he was about to make.
"Yamii~ make us those delicious fish, pleaaase."
Yamka turned her gaze toward him, one eyebrow raised, her frown deepening even more at his request. She wasn't even fully awake yet, and this glutton was already thinking about his stomach.
Before Yamka could give any response to Haruki's request, Noroi slapped the back of Haruki's head, saying firmly.
"No time for food. We need to move. We've already wasted enough of the day."
Haruki's lower lip jutted outward as he stared at Yamka, hoping she wouldn't listen to Noroi's words.
Yamka raised her hand in a gesture of surrender, yet Haruki could see the corner of her lips twitch slightly, wanting to lift into a playful smile.
Noroi continued speaking, choosing his words carefully as he adjusted the clasp of his cloak around his neck more securely.
"There are powerful monsters waiting for us."
It didn't take long for Yamka to take the bait that Noroi had deliberately set for her. She pushed her body up in one swift motion, her feet landing on the green grass, and her frown instantly turned into a wide grin the moment her ears caught the words "powerful monsters" that Noroi had uttered.
Yamka grabbed the wolf fur draped over one of the tree trunks and quickly wrapped it around her shoulders; the excitement washed away all traces of drowsiness. The Viking bent down to lift her axe from the ground, gripping it tightly with both hands, her eyes blazing as she said.
"Why didn't you say that from the start? We shouldn't keep them waiting."
Haruki grumbled miserably as a result of the hunger consuming him, but his options were limited, so he stood up, his expression showing clear dissatisfaction with the decision they had made.
He slung his bow and quiver over his shoulders and adjusted his cloak one last time, only for Tomoi to leap into one of its pockets, settling inside to avoid having to fly long distances.
Once he was settled, the small bird looked up at Haruki with his round black eyes and let out a soft chirp, signaling to Haruki that he was ready to go.
Haruki smiled at the little bird, then turned his gaze toward Noroi, who stood upright with his bag strapped over his shoulder and a roll of paper in his hand, while Mini hovered beside him. Then Haruki looked toward Yamka, who was standing in front of Noroi with her axe secured on her back.
Both of them were looking at him, waiting for him to start moving.
A warm, comforting feeling filled Haruki's chest, something of belonging and ease blended together, and he smiled at his friends with a hopeful grin.
He nodded his head and stepped toward them, giving each of them an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he said.
"Let's do this!"
The three of them began moving together, heading toward Ash Fort through the forest, leaving behind Lake Solmire and all the destruction they had caused.
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐