“Thud!
Thud!”
The sound of an axe rang out again from the nearby woods.
Following the noise, Sakiko spotted Yu swinging his axe in the distance.
Trees toppled one after another around him.
His chopping had been what woke her.
The blonde girl, Kitagawa Marin, was nowhere to be seen.
Remembering what she had overheard last night, Sakiko decided to keep her distance.
Otherwise, she might end up falling into that man’s clutches too.
She lifted her axe and headed in the opposite direction.
There seemed to be another patch of woodland that way, though the trees were sparser.
Beyond them lay what appeared to be a stretch of grassland.
Sakiko approached and found a broad, open field.
She hesitated before stepping inside, carefully avoiding the taller grass in case snakes or other creatures were hiding within it.
As she searched, she soon noticed several plants that looked different from ordinary weeds.
‘Have I found wild vegetables?’
She knew little about wilderness survival, but she still possessed basic common sense.
Crouching down, Sakiko pulled up a yellow-flowered plant.
Its roots came free with clumps of fresh soil still clinging to them.
While holding it, she tried submitting it toward her Debt.
The value displayed in her vision flickered.
[Debt: 0/10 → 1/10]
Her eyes lit up.
‘It really works!’
Even these unremarkable plants could count as resources for repaying her Debt.
Hope flared within her chest.
She immediately began searching for anything that stood out among the grass.
Dandelions, plantain, and several broad-leafed herbs she could not identify—every plant she submitted increased her Debt by one point.
The process was not especially efficient, but the grassland was lush enough to provide more than she needed.
Like a diligent worker bee, Sakiko continued bending down and gathering plants.
Grass blades left tiny cuts across her fingers, while dirt and bits of leaves covered her skirt and socks.
She paid them no attention.
[Current Debt: 8/10]
[Current Debt: 9/10]
Only one point remained.
Sakiko anxiously searched the surrounding area.
Beside a patch of damp soil, she finally spotted several plants with thick, fleshy leaves.
She hurried over and yanked them from the ground.
[Current Debt: 10/10]
[Daily Debt Completed.
Confirm submission and claim reward?]
‘Confirm!’
Sakiko accepted without hesitation.
A flash of light appeared before her.
A pristine white porcelain plate materialized in midair and settled upon the grass.
Resting on the plate was a thick, steaming steak.
Its edges were lightly seared, while its center held an enticing pink color.
Rich juices slowly seeped from the cut surface, pooling into an amber puddle beneath it.
The deep aroma of beef mingled with black pepper and seared fat, instantly overpowering the surrounding scents of grass and soil.
“Meat…?”
Sakiko stared blankly at the reward, which looked completely out of place in the wilderness.
Her stomach growled violently, and saliva flooded her mouth.
Since yesterday, she had eaten only one piece of hard Rye Bread and drunk a little water.
The immense physical and mental strain had left her body desperate for calories and nutrition.
With a hot steak sitting before her, the temptation was almost unbearable.
She swallowed hard enough to hear it.
Reason told her to be cautious of food that had appeared from nowhere, but instinct crushed every trace of doubt.
Sakiko practically lunged forward and snatched up the still-hot plate.
Forgetting both caution and dignity, she turned and raced back to her dilapidated cabin.
Her heart pounded, not merely from running, but from the irresistible aroma rising from the steak in her hands.
She placed the plate on the floor with trembling hands, then picked up the knife and fork provided with the reward.
Her hands shook so badly that she needed several attempts to pin down the steak.
Finally, she cut a small piece from its edge.
The blade easily sliced through the browned crust, revealing the tender pink meat within.
Hot juices spilled onto the white plate, releasing an even richer aroma.
Sakiko hurriedly placed the piece into her mouth.
The instant her teeth sank into it, hot juices burst across her tongue.
Black pepper, sea salt, rendered fat, and the rich taste of beef swept over every taste bud.
The meat was astonishingly tender, with just enough bite.
For a moment, Sakiko felt as though she might float away.
Even the pain and humiliation of the previous night seemed to fade with that first warm bite.
Tears suddenly welled in her eyes and slid down her pale cheeks.
Perhaps the steam had irritated her eyes.
Perhaps emotions she had suppressed for too long had finally broken free.
She neither knew nor cared.
Sakiko wiped the tears away with the back of her hand, then eagerly cut another piece, followed by another.
She devoured the entire steak with little concern for manners.
Afterward, she used a small piece of bread to soak up every last drop of juice.
Only when not even a scrap remained did she lick the oil from her lips, still wishing there were more.
…
Inside Kitagawa Marin’s cabin, the blonde girl slowly woke upon the moldy bed of straw.
“Haa…”
Marin rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up from the straw bed that reeked of mildew.
She stretched her stiff body with a big yawn.
The movement instantly sent a wave of soreness through her entire body, especially her waist, abdomen, and the base of her thighs.
“Ugh…
so sore…”
She mumbled under her breath, certain images from last night uncontrollably flooding her mind.
The searing heat of his body, the tight grip around her waist, and that intense, thrusting impact that nearly sent her soul out of her body…
“Aaaah!” Marin’s face flushed a bright red in an instant, as if it were about to catch fire.
She covered her face with both hands, burying her burning cheeks in her palms.
‘Last night…
we actually did it last night!’
The thought of Yu relentlessly pinning her down for a second round, his storm-like assault, made her legs feel even weaker.
She subconsciously reached down to touch her flat abdomen, using her fingers to trace the deepest point he had reached last night…
“Whoa…” she gasped softly, her blush deepening.
“It…
it was all the way here?
That’s incredible…”
She was astonished that she could even withstand such “size” and “intensity.” Although she’d felt like she was being drilled to pieces, nearly driven to death by the latter half of the night, the initial novelty and pleasure had also been real and overwhelming.
Now, recalling it all, she felt only waves of aftershocks and a pounding heart.
“Honestly…
where does Yu-kun get so much energy…” she muttered, rubbing her still-sore waist as she struggled to climb off the straw.
She pulled on her clothes, which she had carelessly strewn on the floor, then pushed the door open and stepped outside.
The sun was bright enough to make Marin squint.
Yu swung his Logging Axe beneath the trees, sweat sparkling across him in the sunlight.
He looked perfectly energetic, as though the previous night had not affected him at all.
Comparing his condition with her own exhaustion, Marin puffed out her cheeks.
“Honestly…
I was the one who ended up exhausted.”
Despite her complaint, her gaze continued following every swing of Yu’s axe.
Just then, a rich aroma of roasted meat drifted toward her on the breeze.
Marin’s attention snapped toward it like a puppy catching the scent of a treat.
Across the clearing, the door to Sakiko’s broken cabin had just closed.
For a brief instant before it shut, Marin had clearly seen a white porcelain plate in Sakiko’s hands.
Resting upon it was what looked like a large piece of dark, cooked meat.
“Meat!”
Marin’s eyes widened, practically glowing with excitement.
Her mouth immediately began watering.
Yesterday’s bread and apples had long since been digested, and she was starving.
Ignoring her sore body, she rushed over to Yu and tugged on the sweat-soaked hem of his shirt.
“Yu-kun!
Yu-kun!
Meat!
She had meat!”
Yu stopped chopping, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and turned around in confusion.
“Meat?
Where?”
“Over there!” Marin pointed toward Sakiko’s closed door.
“I saw it!
She carried in a plate with meat on it.
It smelled amazing, just like steak!”
Her words poured out faster and faster.
“Did the system give us more food, like yesterday’s bread?
Maybe I missed something in my Core!”
She stared up at Yu with desperate expectation, silently pleading for him to say yes.
Yu glanced toward Sakiko’s cabin before calmly shaking his head and crushing her hopes.
“That is impossible.
I checked the entire Storage interface last night.
There was nothing besides our starter supplies.”
“Besides,” Yu continued, “the system gave us Rye Bread and bottled water.
Do you really think it would suddenly become generous enough to hand everyone a freshly cooked steak?”
“But…” Marin bit her lip and kept glancing toward Sakiko’s cabin.
“Then where did she get it?
She could not have made it appear from nowhere.”
Yu considered the question.
A likely explanation had already formed in his mind.
“She probably did exactly that.”
Marin blinked.
“What?”
“It was most likely a reward from her talent.”
“A talent can give you meat?”
“Possibly.”
The Eye of Omniscience had revealed the punishment tied to Sakiko’s talent, but her reward had remained listed as question marks.
Marin’s shoulders drooped as the last of her hope disappeared.
Yu found her miserable expression rather amusing.
Reaching out, he gently pinched the tip of her nose.
“Do you want meat that badly?”
“Mm…” Marin wrinkled her nose from the pinch but didn’t pull away.
“Yes!
I want it super badly!”
A faint, knowing smile curved Yu’s lips.
“You want meat…
I have some right here.
Some very choice ‘meat’.”
“Eh?” Marin was stunned for a moment, then asked in pleasant surprise, “R-Really?
Yu-kun, you…”
“If you want it,” Yu interrupted her, straightening up and naturally taking her hand.
He glanced around.
“Then follow me.
Let’s find a…
place with no one around.”
The sunlight was chopped into fine, shimmering patches by the towering trees and their interlacing branches, scattering across the leaf-strewn ground.
All around, it was silent, save for the rustle of wind through the leaves.
Yu stopped behind a sufficiently thick tree, let go of Marin’s hand, and turned to face her.
“Come on, I’ve got some great meat right here.”
…
“Mmmph…”
Marin’s mouth was stuffed full as she ate the meat.
“This is ‘protein,’ you know.
Don’t waste any.
Catch it all and swallow.”
Yu pressed his palm against the back of her head as he spoke.
The next second, a surge of scalding, thick liquid burst into her mouth.
The sheer volume of the liquid made it hard for Marin to breathe.
Her cheeks bulged as her throat bobbed, struggling to swallow.
“Mmph…
nnh…”
But there was just too much.
She could clearly feel the hot stream slide down her esophagus and drop into her empty stomach.
Yet, this was only the beginning.
Just as she managed to swallow the first wave and was about to take a breath, a second, thicker wave followed immediately after, mercilessly filling her mouth once more before it could even clear.
“?!!” Marin’s eyes widened even further.
How…
is there still more?!
And so much?!
With no time to think, she could only desperately churn her throat, forcing herself to swallow.
Her hands instinctively rose to grip Yu’s lean, firm waist.
Marin felt like she was being continuously flushed.
The moment she stopped swallowing, she risked choking and suffocating.
‘How…
how is there so much…
Only this single thought remained in her chaotic mind.’
‘This is completely beyond the limits of a normal human, isn’t it?
Yu…
what exactly is he…’
Yu himself was panting slightly, looking down at Marin as she knelt before him, struggling to swallow.
Her long blonde hair clung messily to her sweat-dampened neck and cheeks.
Her small face was flushed crimson, her lips stretched open.
A bit of white foam uncontrollably spilled from the corners of her mouth, mixing with transparent saliva to form silver threads that trailed down to her rapidly heaving chest.