Chapter 6
Arin had agreed with his point that being too far apart would make it hard to handle danger, and so the two of them had decided to stay together as much as possible.
Now, several hours later, she deeply regretted having agreed so eagerly. At first, she had thought it was a great idea.
“I definitely thought so…”
What she hadn’t expected was having to wait right in front of him while he bathed. Though she had turned her back, the sound of the water splashing in the stream made her face burn. It was terribly embarrassing. She shook off the inappropriate thoughts creeping into her mind and nervously fiddled with Yellow’s front paw.
She didn’t know the exact reason, but ever since he had appeared, Yellow had become a docile little flower boy, frozen in place. Judging by his atmosphere and well-trained body, it made sense that Yellow would be acting so submissively. In a world ruled by the strong, perhaps he was simply overwhelmed by the man’s aura.
Thanks to that, Arin got to squish Yellow’s paw pads, but she still felt sorry for her unusually subdued friend. While he was bathing, she decided she should at least give Yellow a daily nut snack and got up.
Just then, a quiet voice reached her ear.
“Where are you going?”
The fragrant scent of body wash so close told her he was standing right behind her. Arin thought, “Why are there so many reasons to be flustered today?”
“Um… are you done bathing?”
“……”
Say something, damn it. Was ignoring people his hobby? Ever since they met—barely half a day ago—he hadn’t responded properly even once. He was consistently curt.
“I’m going to turn around.”
“……”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll take that as a yes and turn around for real.”
“……”
Screw it. I can’t just stand here forever.
Arin turned around, deciding to stop caring.
Water was still dripping from his black hair. Beads of water pooled at his collarbone before sliding down his chest and over his firm abs. His tanned skin glowed brilliantly under the moonlight—it was beautiful. His strong thighs were…
“Eek!”
“Why am I admiring this!?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. The image of his chiseled physique wouldn’t leave her mind, and her neck flushed uncontrollably.
“I mean, if you hadn’t put on clothes, you could’ve at least said something…”
“I did put them on.”
“Would’ve been nice if you said so earlier.”
He stared intently at her as she grumbled and wiped her face. On a deserted island, the only sounds were monsters’ cries. A human voice felt unfamiliar. His long isolation had eroded his communication skills.
Even her little voice of complaint sounded sweet to him. Her eyes, which had scanned his body, didn’t bother him in the slightest.
He had thought he would die alone, consumed by pain and loneliness. To the dethroned conqueror, Arin’s sudden appearance was like an oasis in the desert. He feared she might vanish like a mirage and resolved to treat her with the utmost care.
Feeling exhausted in a different way than usual, Arin washed up quickly and prepared for sleep. She laid out her sleeping bag and, unlike him who sat leaning against a tree, she sprayed bug repellent just in case.
“Is he planning to sleep like that?”
She rolled her eyes and asked,
“Do you want a sleeping bag?”
“……”
She looked at him. He wasn’t even closing his eyes—just watching her intently. He reminded her of a wild animal she’d picked up.
He wasn’t talkative and things still felt a bit awkward, but what could she do? He was a fellow human—of course she should care for him.
After spending nearly a month alone, Arin was experiencing severe human-starvation. She didn’t know
