Chapter 126: Traveling Together
Chapter 126: Traveling Together
#
We decided to grill and eat only half of the carp Hye-ji had cleaned.
Even half provided more than enough food for the three of us.
"Oh? This is pretty good."
"Thank you for the food."
We salted it during preparation, and all three of us jumped when the bisected carp flopped on the charcoal grill.
After it settled down, we brushed on additional gochujang and chili powder, and it remained still thereafter.
The other half was smoking over a wood fire.
None of us knew the proper smoking technique, but we figured cooking it in smoke should keep it edible until at least the next day.
"This has a nice atmosphere."
"It really does. Ah, that was good. I'm stuffed. Did you eat well, Eun-ah?"
"Yeah... spicy."
Night had already fallen by the time we began eating.
We cleaned the eating area by the light of the campfire.
While the two women washed the dishes with river water they'd collected, I busily hauled more from the river.
The tank taken from the camper held one hundred liters.
Filling it required only five trips with the twenty-liter container.
We intended to use the water for showering.
"Now the problem is where to install this tank."
"Can't we put it back inside the camper?"
"No. The pump doesn't work."
"Then what about that shower building?"
"Good idea. Let's take a look."
I lifted the water tank and walked toward the shower building in one corner of the campsite.
Hye-ji led the way with an oil lantern from the camping-supply store.
"There..."
"Yeah. Mm."
The shower-room windowsill
was just wide enough to accommodate the water tank once the window was opened.
I hoisted the tank onto the sill above head height.
"All right. Now it's Eun-ah's turn."
"Okay..."
Eun-ah held the spout she'd cut from a blue watering can.
She placed the severed spout against the valve of the water tank.
When she activated her ability, the watering-can spout fused to the tank valve.
Opening the valve would now produce a makeshift shower.
We would still have to refill the tank manually, of course.
"All right, shall we wash one at a time?"
"You two go first. I'll pack the smoked fish into zip-top bags while you wash."
"All right. Eun-ah, you go first."
"Together... I'll wait for Big Brother."
When Hye-ji and I began to leave, Eun-ah caught my sleeve.
I'd expected as much.
Leaving Hye-ji unattended, though, made me uneasy.
She might escape, so what should I do?
"If it makes you uncomfortable, you can tie me up and lock me away for a while."
Reading my expression, Hye-ji made the suggestion first.
"All right. Sorry, but I'm still uneasy. No matter how much you insist you don't intend to return to the Ark... bear with the restrictions a little longer."
"Yes. I truly don't mind."
"Oh, and I want to test your ability once more. Wait inside."
I took Eun-ah outside the shower building.
Trees planted around the campsite served as a natural boundary.
Their thick foliage blocked the view from outside.
The cover was probably imperfect, but it had allowed us to light a fire after dark.
Crunch. Crunch.
The campsite floor was also covered in crushed stone.
Walking across it without making noise was impossible.
The sound was loud enough to wake us even in our sleep, which was one reason we'd chosen this campsite for the night.
"Eun-ah, pick any leaf."
Pluck.
"This one..."
I accepted the leaf from Eun-ah and walked several more circuits around the area.
Then I returned to the shower building and handed it to Hye-ji.
"You understand, right? Eat the leaf and identify the tree it came from."
"Understood."
Hye-ji chewed the leaf several times and swallowed it.
I followed as she strode out without hesitation.
Hye-ji proceeded directly in one direction.
"Is this the tree? My ability gives me only a direction, so if the source is farther beyond it, I'll keep walking."
"No, that's the one. You're exactly right."
"Does that mean you trust me now?"
"I trust that ability, at least. Since it's not suited for combat, it should be safe enough."
To be honest, I'd considered testing her for a week by feeding her nothing but leaves and similar material.
I abandoned that idea because it was far too inefficient.
According to Hye-ji, meeting her caloric requirements with leaves would require her to eat almost continuously throughout the day.
She could sense what percentage of her daily energy requirement she had consumed, and leaves contained very little energy.
What I had just witnessed was also enough to confirm why a reconnaissance-oriented field team had included her, so I ended the test there.
"Let's go. We'll put the ankle restraints back on, and then you can rest."
"Okay. Thank you."
After Eun-ah restored Hye-ji's ankle shackles, we returned to the shower room.
"Eun-ah, do you really have to follow me this closely? What am I supposed to do while you wash?"
"Then let's wash together... I can scrub your back too."
"Ugh... Forget it. If you invite me with eyes like that, I might happily agree and follow you in."
"Okay... I'll be quick."
I sent Eun-ah inside first.
Her proposal had genuinely tempted me, but I couldn't accept while her eyes trembled as though caught in an earthquake.
In the end, I waited idly outside the shower stall while Eun-ah washed.
"Eek, cold... Big Brother, you're still outside, right?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Okay..."
I had already given Eun-ah a place in my heart.
That made it harder to treat her carelessly.
Perhaps I could have acted differently if I saw her solely as a woman, but she also felt like a niece or much younger sister.
'Not that I've ever had a niece or younger sister...'
I lit a cigarette and stared into space while listening to Eun-ah shower.
The smell might bother her, but surely she'd forgive this much.
Clack.
"I'm finished..."
She emerged sooner than expected.
She wore short pajamas.
Her camisole revealed the shape of her breasts so clearly that they seized my attention.
"All done? I'll wash now."
"Okay. Tell me if you need me to scrub your back."
I told her that would not be necessary and entered the shower stall.
I stripped off everything and began a combat-speed shower.
I finished in less than five minutes and stepped back outside.
"...You need to wash properly whenever you get the chance."
"I did wash properly."
"Okay... But you have to rinse your hair thoroughly..."
"Yes, yes. Let's go."
I gently pushed the suddenly nagging Eun-ah ahead of me as we returned to the camper.
Hye-ji had packed away the smoked fish and was organizing the luggage.
Although I'd confirmed that her ability wasn't combat-oriented, I'd also considered the possibility that she might recklessly flee into the night. She had not done so.
"You should wash too. Eun-ah, remove all of her restraints."
"Oh... thank you!"
Freed at last, Hye-ji happily headed for the shower building.
I removed every restraint because I believed I could now detect her presence if she attempted to escape.
The red chafe marks still made me feel a little sorry for her.
"Here..."
"...Right."
Sitting before the campfire, Eun-ah held out a towel.
Water still dripped from her hair and soaked her clothing.
She had apparently been waiting for me to dry it.
"Next time, I should wash first."
"Yeah..."
I took the towel and gently blotted Eun-ah’s hair.
Then I held her small head in place and rubbed vigorously.
Eun-ah remained still, apparently content even with my clumsy technique.
'This is exactly why I keep thinking of you as a child...'
"That's enough."
"Would it be better to cut your hair a little?"
"Then I couldn't hide my face..."
"Ah, I see..."
Eun-ah finished drying her hair in the heat of the campfire.
While I sat beside her and chatted, Hye-ji returned.
"I'm back."
"All right, dry your hair roughly... By the way, have you considered cutting it?"
"Um... Since I can't wash it often, longer hair is actually easier. If it's short, I can't tie it back..."
"Right. I only thought drying it might be inconvenient."
We discussed the next day's schedule for a while, then exchanged goodnights and separated.
Eun-ah and I entered the camper, while Hye-ji went to the tent outside.
"Eun-ah, do you have to cling to me this tightly while sleeping?"
"Yes... I like having my head stroked..."
Eun-ah guided my hand onto her head and wore a rare expression of happiness.
Her body rubbing against mine had awakened my alter ego, leaving me in an awkward position.
What made it especially irritating was that she had to feel my erection brushing her leg, yet still refused to move away.
'Should I teach her a lesson just once?'
Snore.
Just as that wicked thought crossed my mind, a soft snore reached my ears.
She'd fallen asleep only moments after I began stroking her head.
She possessed the blessed ability to fall asleep instantly and sleep deeply.
'My own sleeping habits aren't bad either.'
These days, signs of another presence woke me easily, but absent any unusual noise, I still slept well.
Having even managed a shower, I ended the day feeling refreshed.
#
The following day,
I once again woke before dawn.
Eun-ah must have slept deeply, because she remained unconscious even as I rustled around getting up.
This was my chance to spend some time apart from her.
Crunch. Crunch.
I stepped outside the camper and stretched while gazing across the Han River, still black before sunrise.
It looked as though some monster from a childhood movie might burst from the water.
By the time I finished stretching, my morning erection had subsided, and I was about to visit the restroom.
Zzip.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Oh? Why are you awake so early?"
"I'm a light sleeper. I heard you get up, so..."
"Ah, sorry. I woke you."
"No. I don't sleep much to begin with."
Hye-ji poked her head through the opening of the tent.
There had been mosquitoes beside the river, and I wondered how she'd fared.
"How was the tent?"
"It was fine. Where are you going?"
"Oh, bathroom."
"Could you take me with you?"
"Sure. Come out."
Hye-ji pulled the zipper fully down.
She was crouching, and I inadvertently glimpsed between her spread legs.
Among the clothes scavenged the previous day was a nightgown, and because she wore it, I had effectively looked beneath her skirt.
It was too dark to be certain, but I thought I briefly glimpsed her pubic hair.
"Ah, one moment."
She turned and crawled back into the tent.
Without realizing it, I narrowed my eyes and concentrated.
There was no panty line around her backside.
Hye-ji quickly retrieved a small pouch and crawled out again.
She bent at the waist while emerging, and this time I saw her breasts swaying beneath the loose neckline.
'What the... Is she not wearing any underwear?'
I headed to the restroom with Hye-ji, who wore nothing over her naked body but the nightgown.
Her ankle chain was short, so just as I had the previous morning, I supported her while she walked.
She openly and deliberately rubbed her breasts against my forearm.
"Um... What should I call you? Should I simply call you Big Brother?"
"Well... I suppose so."
"I was worried Eun-ah might dislike it."
"Ah... Yes, she might."
"Then I'll call you Big Brother only when the two of us are alone. Is that all right, Big Brother?"
"Sure. Normally, just call me Mister."
"Heh heh. All right. So, Big Brother, are you going to go potty?"
“Go potty,” my ass.
I was not a baby.
Why was she asking, though?
"Yeah. That's why I came."
"Then may I go first?"
"Sure."
Assuming she was desperate, I let Hye-ji enter first.
I heard her relieve herself, and a moment later—
"Big Brother~ come inside."
"Huh?"
She could simply come out herself.
Something about the invitation felt strange, so I entered the restroom.
"Over here."
Hye-ji's voice came from inside the open stall.
The indecent thought that had occurred to me when I first learned about her ability raised its head again.