Chapter 12, The Straight Man Never Falls into the Tsundere Trap
It took a great deal of effort for Sati to climb out of the lake.
It was nighttime, snowflakes were falling, and the cold wind rustled the branches and leaves.
Soaked and cold, Sati walked alone in the dark forest, a wave of fear washing over her.
She couldn't find her way back to camp and was afraid of the wild beasts that might roam the forest, so she proceeded slowly.
Then, she saw a fire burning in a cave.
Sati went inside and found Shiva meditating. A large campfire burned before Shiva, and even just standing at the cave entrance, Sati could feel a warmth from the firelight.
If only she could sit by the fire to dry her clothes and then have a good sleep.
Sati longed for the warmth of the fire, but remembering Shiva's previous rude behavior, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. 1
"This guy treated me so rudely just now, and now he's deliberately setting up a campfire to lure me in. Humph, this princess won't fall for your tricks! I'd rather freeze to death than beg you!"
Sati turned and walked out of the cave again.
Snowflakes drifted down onto Sati, and her clothes, soaked and heavy, were cold. Before she'd taken two steps from the cave entrance, Sati felt as if she were in an ice cellar, shivering uncontrollably.
"Considering he saved my life before, I won't hold it against him today. As a princess, I should be more magnanimous."
Sati comforted herself with this thought and went back into the cave.
Upon entering, she saw Shiva sitting motionless on the stone bed in meditation, and Sati couldn't help but mutter to herself. 1
"I'm a young lady, practically freezing to death outside, and you didn't even invite me in? Didn't your mother tell you to be gentle with women?"
Upon hearing this, Shiva merely twitched his ears but didn't reply, inwardly grumbling.
["I don't even have a mother, I was born and raised by nature, what's this talk of being gentle with women?"]
"This guy is really pitiful, so he's an orphan, no wonder his personality is so strange." Sati, hearing the thought, suddenly realized.
"But I'm a life too, how can you bear to watch a life freeze to death?"
["Fool. I didn't stop you from coming in last time, you were the one who wanted to leave."]
"Yes, yes, you didn't stop me from coming in last time. But you didn't try to persuade me to stay when I left! If you don't say anything, how am I supposed to know if you want me to warm myself by the fire?"
["It's as if I stopped you from coming in this time. Stay if you want, leave if you want, it's up to you."] Shiva used his divine power to shut off his ears, preventing himself from hearing Sati's words.
The best way to deal with women, especially those who like to argue about details, is to ignore them.
Either they exhaust themselves mentally, driving themselves crazy, or they find the argument pointless and pointless.
So what if Sati is the reincarnation of the goddess Sakti? I, Shiva, am a man who traveled from the female version of the story!
Don't you understand the value of training in the "Sword and Armor" version?
Seeing Shiva silently mutter "Whatever" before falling silent, Sati stomped her foot in frustration.
She turned to leave, then glanced back at Shiva. He stood motionless, eyes closed in deep thought, like a statue.
Sati looked at the brightly lit campfire and stopped again.
"Anyway, he looks asleep. I'll sneak here to warm myself by the fire, and leave when he wakes up."
Thinking this, Sati rushed to the campfire and took off her soaking wet clothes to dry them.
Time flew by, and it was the next morning.
Shiva opened his eyes, looking at Sati sleeping beside the campfire without a hint of surprise, but rather with a sense of confidence.
"Hypocrisy and arrogance won't work on me. Aiem Shiva, the most unyielding straight man in the world. Either submit willingly, or get lost. You think I'll be your lapdog? Dream on!"
Shiva stepped out of the cave and played with the damaru drum he had made.
He attached the damaru drum to his trident; a slight shake of the trident produced a deafening drumbeat.
In the mythical era before cell phones and the internet, making small handmade musical instruments was one of the few forms of entertainment.
"Sigh, I wonder when I can go home?" Shiva muttered.
Just then, Sati ran out of the cave.
She was no longer the spoiled child she was yesterday; a kind smile graced her face.
"Your drumming is beautiful. I've never seen such an instrument before. Did you make it yourself?"
"Yes," Shiva nodded.
"Thank you for letting me stay overnight last night. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do. Why don't you come with me to my father's lands after I return from my uncle Anghira's kingdom? My father will surely reward you with a grand palace and much land."
"No need," Shiva replied.
"Look, you're throwing a tantrum again. There's nothing in this forest; it's no place for a human. Come with me to human society; that's where real life is."
"I'm perfectly fine here. Why should I work for your father?"
"Hmph! You don't appreciate this or that. Fine, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to find some food."
Sati felt a sense of helplessness towards the handsome man before her.
This savage wasn't bad-natured, just incredibly stubborn, more stubborn than an ox.
So many people would kneel and beg for a piece of land from her father, Daksha, yet this savage preferred to stay in the forest rather than accept a reward from a princess.
"The world is so beautiful, yet you're so irritable. This isn't good, not good at all. Sati, you are the daughter of the Lord of Life; how can you argue with a savage? Go find some food first."
Sati tried her best to calm herself and searched among the trees near Shiva. Sure enough, she found a fruit tree. She tried to climb the tree, but her hands were too weak to reach the high branches and pick the fruit.
Sati glanced at Shiva, who remained engrossed in his drumming, not even glancing at her, clearly offering no help.
So she gave up.
Sati searched again and finally found a low clump of fruit trees laden with several large, juicy fruits.
[If I were you, I wouldn't eat those fruits. Oh well, this woman never learns from her mistakes; why bother trying to persuade her?]
Shiva's inner thoughts ignited Sati's temper again.
"You say I can't eat them? I'll show you!"
Saying this, Sati took a bite of the yellow fruit in her hand.
"Mmm, so sweet, so fragrant! Some people are just cowards; they can't even eat fruit."
Sati deliberately waved the large, golden fruit in front of Shiva, trying to whet his appetite, but he remained completely unmoved. The damaru drum in her hands seemed more alluring than the food itself.
"Hehe, such fragrant and sweet fruit, I'd be missing out if I didn't eat it... Ouch! My stomach..."