Chapter 5: Leaving the City
“Hmm…?”
What’s this? A pleasant scent… Where am I? The comforting feeling of sinking into a soft cushion almost lulls me back to sleep. Huh? What’s this smooth texture? This silky touch… It feels indescribably good. With my eyes still closed, I nuzzle my cheek against it, enjoying the smooth sensation.
Nice…
For a while, I absentmindedly stroke the arm holding me in my half-asleep state.
Arm? …Whose? …!
As the pieces start connecting in my foggy mind, an unpleasant realization dawns on me. No way! The recent events flash through my head, and I try to quickly sit up.
Oomph! The moment I try to get up, the arm holding me from behind tightens its grip, and I fail to stand.
K-Kimijima? At this moment, I finally realize that I’ve been sleeping while leaning on Kimijima. Smooth and comfortable… No, that’s not the point! From the corner of my eye, I see Kimijima’s mouth drawn into a tight line, looking angry, her face bright red as she averts her gaze. As I open my mouth to hurriedly apologize, her hand covers it, making a “Shh” sound.
“Brrrr”
Just then, I hear a sound like a monster snorting nearby. Understanding why she covered my mouth, I immediately stop resisting.
After confirming that I’ve quieted down, Kimijima reaches out to gently part the leaves in front of us. It seems that the hippo-like monster is a short distance away. She must have wanted to show me this, as she quickly closes the gap and embraces me again.
Thump. Thump…
Whether it’s because of the monster nearby or Kimijima’s body heat, my heartbeat feels unusually loud. The monster hasn’t noticed us. Kimijima probably intends to wait it out like this.
Drip… Drip…
As we remain still, the rain that had stopped starts falling again. While listening to the sound of rain hitting the leaves, I look at the foliage covering us. I’m impressed by how they’re layered. Like roof tiles, they overlap nicely, preventing water from dripping inside.
Thump. Thump…
The waterfall is close by, and the sound of water crashing into the basin is quite loud. Even so, I’m desperately taking deep breaths, trying not to let Kimijima notice this pounding heartbeat.
…When we fell from the waterfall. I felt an abnormal amount of magical power being consumed with that sword draw, infused with all my might. My magical power should have been fully restored at that time. All of it was consumed in that single draw. To the point of passing out, completely exhausted…
The fact that I’m still alive means I must have succeeded. But we should have fallen into the waterfall basin after that. From there to here… I’ve been relying on Kimijima’s help all along. To think that I, who came to help, am the one being helped instead…
We continued to wait silently for the monster to leave.
…
“Is it… safe now?”
“A little longer… Let’s stay like this.”
“Yeah… Huh?”
“Hehehe, I’m just kidding.”
“Oh, oh. Right, yeah. Well… um… you know…”
“Yes?”
“Sorry.”
“…For what?”
“Huh? No, well…”
We must have been still for about an hour. And that too, in close contact with a student… I’m overwhelmed by a mix of indescribable guilt, embarrassment, and a sense of preciousness.
But Kimijima smiles at me, looking as if she doesn’t mind at all.
“I’d really like to change clothes now. I might catch a cold.”
“Yeah… I’m definitely not comfortable staying in wet clothes either. Ah, I’ll go outside.”
I step outside and open my backpack. Despite being swallowed by such a strong current, the inside of the backpack is completely dry. Is this… also an effect of magic?
I move to a spot slightly hidden from the leaf tent before removing my belt, sword, and clothes. Then I use life magic to dry the clothes. My body had cooled down quite a bit from wearing wet clothes, but my back, which had been in contact with Kimijima, felt unusually warm.
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Just putting on dry clothes makes me feel much better.
As I appreciate the convenience of life magic once again, I look back at the leaf tent. Indeed, with this, monsters wouldn’t notice humans hiding there. It’s impressively well-made.
I drink water from my canteen and ponder over the route while looking at the map. There’s a line on the map that seems to be this river. Should we follow the river, or look for a path? As I survey the surroundings, Kimijima emerges from the leaf tent, having finished changing.
“Changing clothes feels so refreshing, doesn’t it?”
“Ah, yeah. Wet clothes were definitely uncomfortable.”
Kimijima is wearing the spare clothes she received at the Sky Temple, which look a bit different from the clothes you’d see in Japan. Since Kimijima couldn’t bring her own clothes from our world, she had changed into similar temple-issued clothes. Her shoes were wet through to the inside, but it seems she didn’t have any spares, so she had given up on socks and was wearing them barefoot.
Seeing Kimijima come out of the tent, I remember the body heat I felt earlier, and my heart starts racing again. I desperately try to act as if nothing is wrong.
I wonder how much time has passed. Looking at the sun’s angle, it seems like it will start setting soon.
“What should we do… Is it too late to start walking?”
“I think so. The sound of the waterfall here might help mask our own sounds.”
“I see… You’re right. Let’s rest for today then.”
It would be scary to rush and walk, only to find ourselves without a hiding place at night. We’ve certainly used up a lot of energy. As for magical power… it’s still unreliable. I decide to follow Kimijima’s suggestion and rest.
Hm? As I look at Kimijima, I notice something odd.
“Come to think of it, Kimijima, did you have your spear when we were walking through the underground waterway this morning?”
“Ah, I put it in my bag. I thought I’d focus on magic.”
“In your bag? The spear?”
“Oh, this bag is a magical item, so it can hold quite a lot of things.”
I think for a moment and decide to take the short sword from my waist and put it in my backpack. Hmm, it indeed fits in normally. Magic sure is ridiculous…
Near the waterfall that roars throughout the night, perhaps finding comfort in that noise, we both managed to sleep quite well, although taking turns. In the cramped leaf tent, I listen to Kimijima’s breathing as she sleeps leaning against me, and I recall the events of the day.
That sword draw enveloped in wind. It had unimaginable power. I remember the water in the waterfall basin splitting in two, perhaps from the shockwave, and I felt its power was considerable.
If I could properly execute that technique, it would become an even more powerful weapon. The problem is that currently, even if I wanted to practice, I don’t have enough magical power. …If only I could control the amount of magical power a bit better. I find myself thinking about such things.
Kimijima also practiced with a melon for test cutting and was told she could cut through mid-level, not-so-strong monsters. We’ve been told that Gallar Blue is teeming with high-level monsters, but honestly, I don’t know what qualifies as high-level. Maybe there are monsters that even Kimijima could cut.
However, I can’t be reckless enough to let her try. It would be risking her life. If anyone’s life is to be risked, it should be mine. I remember her saying that she could easily go up a couple of levels… If there are monsters we can hunt, it might be better to hunt them for her, which could help us escape later…
The sky gradually begins to brighten. The stormy weather seems to have cleared up for today.
“Brrrr”
I hear a monster’s growl from the direction of the waterfall basin.
Gently parting the leaves, I spot the hippo-like monster drinking water. …Is that the same hippo that came to the waterfall basin yesterday? I carefully check the surroundings, but it seems to be alone.
…What should I do? Can I take it on?
Thump-thump-thump… My heartbeat quickens. As I reach for the sword leaning against the tree, a hand gently grasps mine.
“Don’t…”
Kimijima whispers. Was she awake? …No. Did I wake her up? As I turn around, Kimijima shakes her head as if she knew what I was about to do. I nod, feeling awkward, like I’ve been caught trying to do something bad.
Kimijima’s arm wraps around my left arm, which she had been leaning on. She clings to my arm tightly, as if to stop me from doing something reckless.
…You’re right. If I fail and die, Kimijima would be alone again.
With the sun fully risen and the sky a complete contrast to yesterday’s, we finally set out under the blue sky.
Looking back after a while, I can see what looks like the city walls beyond the waterfall. Judging from the terrain, if we walk east from the river, we should hit a road connected to the city.
We decide to change direction slightly and search for a path while pushing through the underbrush.
The area around the river seems to be like a valley, slightly lower than the surrounding land. As we climb the slope, we advance through the pathless, overgrown route, using the short sword like a machete. I think my grandfather would be furious if he saw me using it like this, but it can’t be helped.
In the thicket, we don’t know where monsters might be lurking. We move slowly, stopping to listen carefully every few steps, checking for any sounds of monsters nearby.
“Hah, hah… A mountain untouched by human hands is really…”
I’ve never experienced mountain climbing like this, having to make our own path. It’s quite tough.
“Kimijima… are you okay?”
“Yes, since you’re clearing the path for us, sensei.”
Well, if Kimijima is comfortable, that’s good enough.
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