The moment Xavier spoke, he regretted it.
"I’ll go with you."
The words sounded strange even to his own ears, almost as if he were inviting Kaelira somewhere private.
In the tribe, beastman couples often wandered off together under the excuse of gathering fruit or collecting herbs. Everyone understood what usually happened afterward, even if nobody said it aloud. During every migration, the forest was filled with muffled laughter, playful arguments, and rustling leaves from hidden couples.
Xavier’s expression stiffened.
Why had he sounded like that?
Judging from Kaelira’s startled face, she had clearly misunderstood him.
He immediately added coldly, "If I don’t follow you, who knows what poisonous things you’ll pick and throw into the chicken?"
His violet eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Besides, haven’t you done things like that before?"
Sora nearly choked.
The original owner of this body really had ruined her reputation beyond repair.
The thing Xavier referred to was a seductive fruit sometimes used during intimate moments between mates. Before trying to sneak into Ace’s bed, the former Sora had apparently drugged Lucas with it once. After that incident, Lucas had avoided her for days.
Sora rubbed her forehead helplessly.
How was she supposed to clean up this mess?
"I’m eating the same chicken as you," she reminded him.
Xavier snorted. "How do I know you won’t tamper with my portion separately? I’d rather watch you myself."
Sora gave up arguing.
If he wanted to follow her around, then so be it.
At least she wasn’t the one wasting energy.
Beggar’s chicken required one important thing above all else—large wrapping leaves.
Lotus leaves were impossible to find here, so she needed substitutes. Thankfully, the forest around them was overflowing with vegetation.
Primitive worlds truly had terrifyingly rich resources.
Towering trees stretched high into the sky, their roots thick and ancient. Wild fruits hung from branches in vivid shades of red and gold. Ferns spread across the forest floor, while unfamiliar herbs filled the air with fresh earthy scents.
To Sora, who had survived years in the apocalypse, this place looked like paradise.
Xavier followed several steps behind her, silently watching as she touched every plant she passed.
Sometimes she crouched to inspect leaves.
Sometimes she sniffed bark.
Sometimes she muttered strange words to herself.
He couldn’t understand her at all.
They were only worthless plants.
Why did she look so excited?
Sora ignored him completely as she searched.
Star anise.
Cinnamon bark.
Wild ginger.
Scallions.
Every discovery made her eyes brighten.
When she spotted several immature star anise pods hanging from a tree, she nearly laughed aloud.
Even unripe ones would work.
She carefully gathered them before peeling strips of cinnamon bark from a nearby tree.
Behind her, Xavier frowned deeper.
This female truly was strange.
First she picked dried fruits no one ate.
Then she ripped bark from perfectly healthy trees.
Now she was kneeling in the dirt digging roots out of the ground with a rock.
Everything she collected looked useless.
Yet she treated them like treasures.
Xavier folded his arms and watched her crawl beneath a shrub while digging for ginger.
His gaze unconsciously drifted lower.
"...Hmph."
She was still fat.
Her waist was thick.
Her legs were dark.
Her movements lacked elegance.
But when she knelt like that, her hips lifted slightly beneath the rough beast-skin skirt.
Round.
Soft.
Full like a ripe peach.
His throat tightened unexpectedly.
At that exact moment, the system rang inside Sora’s mind.
[Ding! Xavier’s heartbeat value has increased.]
Sora almost dropped the ginger.
What?
She hadn’t even spoken to him.
Without turning around, she asked silently, "How much?"
[0.5 points.]
Sora stared blankly.
Only then did she finally glance back.
Xavier immediately looked away with a cold expression, pretending nothing had happened.
His face looked as unpleasant as ever.
Sora became even more confused.
This man’s emotions were seriously broken.
She shook her head and continued searching.
Soon, she finally found the last ingredient she needed.
In the distance stood a towering banana tree, its leaves broad and enormous.
Perfect.
Sora set the spices down and stretched her arms before beginning to climb.
Xavier’s eyes widened.
"What are you doing?"
But before he could stop her, Sora had already climbed several feet upward.
The primitive banana tree was unbelievably tall, and the bark felt slippery beneath her hands.
She carefully reached for one large leaf.
Then—
Riiip.
The beast-skin skirt around her waist suddenly snagged on a branch.
Sora lost her balance.
"Ah—!"
She fell backward.
Xavier reacted instantly.
In a blur of motion, he lunged forward and caught her.
Thud.
Sora landed directly against his chest.
For a second, her mind went blank.
His body was unbelievably solid.
Warm.
Firm.
Muscles hard beneath smooth skin.
Even through the shock, she couldn’t help swallowing.
Then she realized something else.
Cold air brushed against her lower body.
Her eyes widened.
Her skirt had torn completely.
And worse—
Xavier’s hand was currently pressed directly against her bare backside.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Sora froze.
Xavier froze.
Neither moved.
The position was too awkward.
If she stood up now, she would expose everything.
But if she stayed still...
His hand remained exactly where it was.
Sora’s face burned red.
Sora lay stiffly against Xavier’s chest, pretending to be unconscious while panic churned inside her mind.
Maybe... if Xavier became angry enough, he would throw her aside and leave. Then, once he walked away, she could quietly retrieve the torn beast-skin skirt hanging from the banana tree and put it back on.
At least that would spare her from dying of embarrassment.
Having made up her mind, she continued playing dead.
Meanwhile, Xavier looked as though someone had struck him with lightning.
His hand instinctively tightened.
Soft.
Too soft.
His entire body stiffened violently.
"Ka— Kaelira!"
His voice nearly cracked.
"You’re not wearing anything underneath?!"
Sora wanted to die.
"It ripped!" she hissed in embarrassment.
Xavier’s face alternated between red and green.
The sensation beneath his palm was driving him insane.
The seam between her thighs pressed against the center of his hand while the softness of her hips nearly swallowed his fingers.
His breathing became uneven.
"What are you still lying there for?" he snapped.
Sora clenched her teeth.
"If I stand up, everything will show!"
Xavier instantly fell silent.
The forest became unbearably quiet.
A strange tension spread between them.
Sora remained sprawled awkwardly across his chest while Xavier struggled not to think about the warmth pressed against his hand.
His heart pounded harder and harder.
[Ding! Xavier’s heartbeat value has increased.]
Sora closed her eyes in despair.
This system had to be doing this on purpose.
Beneath her, Xavier frowned deeply.
What terrible luck.
He had acted as her cushion, yet somehow she was the one who had fainted?
Disgusted, he pulled his hand away, preparing to shove her off him. But the moment he moved, Sora’s body suddenly slid lower.
Very lower.
Xavier froze.
Then his eyes widened in disbelief.
"...Kaelira!"
His voice turned dangerous.
"What are you touching?!"
Sora blinked in confusion before realizing where her hand had landed.
Her face exploded red.
She truly hadn’t done it on purpose!
When Xavier moved her, her hand had accidentally slipped downward.
Slowly, awkwardly, she opened her eyes.
"Um... if I said it was an accident, would you believe me?"
Xavier looked at her with utter disdain.
"Get off."
"I can’t."
"I’m not negotiating with you," he said coldly. "I’m warning you."
Sora’s ears burned.
"It’s not that I don’t want to move..." she muttered weakly. "It’s just... I’ll be naked."
Silence.
Then she added carefully, "Of course, if you don’t mind me standing up like this, I can—"
"I don’t want to see it!"
Xavier snapped so fast that even birds scattered from nearby branches.
Xavier gritted his teeth.
"If you don’t move right now, I’m throwing you into the river."
Sora immediately covered herself with both hands and scrambled off him.
Unfortunately, the moment she moved, Xavier accidentally brushed somewhere even softer.
His entire body went rigid.
Sora’s face exploded crimson.
"You shameless snake!"
"I didn’t do it on purpose!" Xavier roared back.
The two glared at each other.
Then Xavier abruptly turned away.
After several seconds, he silently removed the outer layer of his beast-skin clothing and threw it at her.
"Put it on."
Sora blinked.
The rough black beast-skin still carried his warmth.
For a moment, she stared at him in surprise.
Xavier avoided her gaze.
"...Don’t misunderstand," he muttered stiffly. "I just don’t want you walking around naked and embarrassing the tribe."
Sora wrapped the oversized skin tightly around herself.
A small smile unconsciously curved her lips.
"Thank you."
Xavier’s ears instantly turned red.
"Shut up."
But this time, his voice sounded far less hostile than before.
And neither of them noticed that somewhere deep in the shadows, a pair of golden eyes had been silently watching everything.
Ace leaned lazily against a tree branch overhead, tail swaying slowly behind him.
His sharp gaze lingered on Xavier’s reddened ears before dropping toward the beast-skin wrapped around Sora’s body.
Then he smiled.
Dangerously.
"Well..." he murmured softly.
"Looks like the snake is finally getting interested."