"Hiroshi." Jingya, hiding in the blanket, slowly poked out her small head and whispered, "Can we really get the silver set smoothly tomorrow?"
Twisting the hem of her clothes, tossing and turning, her bright, watery eyes stared blankly at the stars streaking across the night sky, her brow furrowed with worry.
Swordsmen came in all sorts of characters; what if someone with malicious intentions got the silver set? Would she really have to marry such a person in the future?
The air fell silent, with only the crackling of the bonfire to be heard.
"Hiroshi?"
After a long silence, Jingya turned to her side; the young man next to her had fallen asleep at some point, his chin resting on her chest.
"You're really carefree; I wish I could be like you."
Her small face turned pink, she turned over, and slowly closed her eyes.
Dawn broke.
Perhaps it was her first time sleeping outdoors, and her body still wanted to linger in bed; Jingya woke up as soon as the sky brightened.
There was no trace of fatigue; she had slept very well last night, feeling as if she had fallen into a warm and safe embrace in her dream.
"Is it morning?"
Opening her eyelids, a now-awake Jingya shook Nobi Hiroshi's shoulder: "Hiroshi, wake up quickly, we need to leave soon, or else the silver set will be snatched by others."
Taking a deep breath, Hiroshi's bright eyes opened, and what came into view was the girl's anxious profile.
"No rush, let's have breakfast first. We still have plenty of time."
He folded his blanket and put it into his ranger backpack, then took two sips of water to moisten his dry lips.
Nobi Hiroshi went to a fruit tree, took off his short bow, tightened the string, aimed at the bright red fruits, and shot several arrows.
"Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~" The red fruits fell into his black cloak.
"Sour and sweet, so strange. I can only eat one."
With a bite, Jingya pursed her lips tightly, opening one eye and closing the other, as if wearing a mask of pain.
It seemed these fruits were not very good.
Hiro silently threw the fruit he had in his embrace into the bushes.
Actually, he wasn't hungry at all; there was no need to eat these fruits!
Leading the horse, the two walked towards the Yurabata Sacred Tree.
As they approached the crossroads, a particularly mournful beast howl came from the woods.
Nobi Hiroshi and Jingya both tensed up, their hands slowly moving to their sword hilts.
They passed through several bushes, using the tip of a knife to push aside thorny branches.
They thought it was some kind of beast, but it turned out to be a cute little bear sitting on the ground, its paw caught in a beast trap.
"Looks like we'll have bear paw to eat…"
A look of delight appeared on Nobi Hiroshi's face, and he licked the corner of his mouth.
He had never eaten such a top-tier wild delicacy before, and to encounter it now was truly a windfall.
"How is it, Hiro? Did you find anything?"
The tomboy ran over with her sword.
"There's no danger here, Bi Lu, just a harmless little bear."
"Let's bandage it up."
Putting away his twin swords, Nobi Hiroshi pointed at the bear cub on the ground, a hint of melancholy in his expression.
It was unlikely the other person would roast this little bear to eat; it was more probable that she would make him rescue and release it.
What a huge loss.
"Little one, don't move. I'm here to save you, understand?"
Rather than being passively forced to release it, Hiro decided to speak first. He squatted down, inserted his blade into the beast trap, and forcefully pried open the mechanism.
And the little bear, hearing Nobi Hiroshi's words, stopped struggling and instead looked at the human in front of it with a bit of curiosity.
He sprinkled white powder on it and bandaged it with a handkerchief.
"Hurry and leave here, little one. Don't be curious and fall into a trap again."
"Take good care of yourself, goodbye, delicious bear paw…"
Gritting his teeth, he gently reached out and stroked the little bear's head, giving his instructions as tenderly as possible.
The little bear, regaining its freedom, didn't leave immediately. Instead, it stared blankly at Nobi Hiroshi, as if trying to imprint him in its mind.
After a long while, it finally ran off in another direction.
How could anyone bear to eat such a cute little bear?
Add more cumin, add more chili. The tears in his eyes were his last act of defiance.
"Hiro is truly a gentle person."
Jingya, who had witnessed everything, murmured softly, raising Hiro's image several notches in her mind.
He was truly a righteous ranger. She hoped he could gain the recognition of the silver set.
Wait… what was she thinking!
Clutching her chest, Jingya suddenly started fantasizing.
And just at that moment, a burly fellow ran over, his face filled with ill will.
"You two hateful fellows, how dare you let my prey escape!"
"Fat… Fat Tiger?"
Unconsciously blurting it out, Nobi Hiroshi turned lightly, dodging the tiger-like pounce, his gaze sweeping over the commoner swordsman wearing a shit-colored helmet.
If he wasn't wearing clothes, one might have thought a gorilla had burst out of the forest.
"What Fat Tiger? This lord is Jiatuos, the Silver Swordsman, a match for ten thousand men."
Jiatuos, who looked exactly like Fat Tiger, boastfully pointed to himself with his thumb, an arrogant expression on his face.
But due to braking too late, the sight of him crashing into a tree and getting a nosebleed was indeed comical.
"Hmph, how shameless. With that appearance, he dares to call himself a Silver Swordsman."
Jingya bent over, covering her face and chuckling softly.
She had never seen such a shameless person.
"Hey, you brat, how dare you laugh at me!"
Just like Fat Tiger in reality, Jiatuos couldn't stand being mocked by others, and his rage surged.
He drew his sword and slashed at Jingya.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. Hiro, hurry and help me."
The girl was scared out of her wits by his ferocious appearance and instinctively hid behind Nobi Hiroshi.
However, Hiro had no intention of acting, even though the current Fat Tiger was no longer his match.
"Come on, Bi Lu! I believe you can defeat him with your own strength."
He pushed the girl's shapely backside firmly and retreated to the edge of the open space to observe closely.
If it were Shizuka, her athletic genes would definitely be very strong.
"Eh, this is too difficult!"
The slap made her pretty face flush. Jingya looked at the gorilla in front of her. Although she was a little scared, she still drew her sword to face the enemy.
Jiatuos was very strong, and his powerful slashes almost dislocated Jingya's wrist.
But the calm girl did not intend to give up. She fought and retreated all the way, slowly looking for an opportunity to break through the enemy.
Leaning against a tree trunk, she suddenly dodged, and Jiatuos's sword got stuck in the wood, unable to be pulled out. Jingya also got a chance to counterattack.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I surrender, please spare me."
Fat Tiger Jiatuos surrendered decisively. He was not a person with backbone; his preference was to bully the weak and fear the strong.
A wise man submits to circumstances.
"Surrendered? Alright then, but you have to help us get the silver set, okay?"
Looking at the sensible Fat Tiger Jiatuos, Jingya, being kind-hearted, forgave him.
"No problem, I'll help you."
Getting up from the ground, Jiatuos breathed a sigh of relief. He just felt like something was a bit off; wasn't he here to check on his prey?