Campfire Bonds
We pitched the tent atop the camping survival shelter. Working together, we finished much sooner than expected. "Hmm..." My arms weren't sore, and I wasn't out of breath. Even after all that hard work, I felt nothing but joy with barely any discomfort. It was such an unfamiliar situation that I couldn't fully enjoy it the way I should have.
"Winter, are you hurt?" Han Yeoreum crouched down to meet my eyes, probably because my worry showed on my face. As always, she gently stroked my cheek with her soft hand. "No. I'm not hurting at all." "Really? You looked upset. If something's wrong, you have to tell Sis, okay?" "Okay."
I'd made the people around me worry because of my own thoughts. It felt rude to be like this during what should have been a happy moment. I lightly patted my cheeks a couple times to shake off the gloom. I'd deal with unnecessary thoughts later. I stepped inside the tent.
"Waaah!" Levinas dashed around inside the tent. I liked how pure she was, finding such happiness in something as simple as a tent. "King! It's a secret base!" "Yeah. A really big secret base. Want to be the leader, Levinas?" "No! King should be the leader!" Levinas refused firmly. It was surprising that she turned down the leader role kids usually loved. I scratched my cheek, feeling a bit awkward. "You don't want to be the leader?" "Being leader is fun! But King is better! King as leader is even better!"
It was the same heartwarming thing she always said. Her tail swayed without resistance, just like always. "Yeah. I like Levinas too." I smiled at her with my eyes. At the same time, someone tugged lightly on my clothes. When I turned around, Saebyeok stood there with her usual blank expression. I knew what she wanted without her saying a word. "I like Saebyeok too." "......" A faint blush rose on Saebyeok's cheeks. Even without long conversations, I could read her feelings clearly.
"Alright, kids, come outside." At Han Yeoreum's call, we stepped out with the children. Everyone had taken seats in the clearing in front of the tent. "What's going on?" "We're getting ready to eat." "Oh...! Then I'll explain." "Sure. Is there anything special we need to prepare?" All eyes turned to me. It wasn't anything grand, yet I felt an odd sense of responsibility. "Out here, finding food is the most important thing." "Finding it ourselves...?" Yuna, who had been quietly listening, turned pale. For someone who always lived in luxury, the very idea of foraging must have felt completely foreign. "In the wild, if you can't find food, you go hungry. Even one day without eating takes a big toll." "Th-that's..." Yuna's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Argo stomped the ground heavily, cutting in. Dust flew up from the force. "Hunt! Wild! Leader!" He must have liked the wild aspect, because he seemed unusually excited. Normally so monotone, he was now just blurting out words.
"Winter, what do you usually eat out here?" Yuna gripped the staff resting on her thigh tightly. Levinas, watching her, grabbed the staff and moved it aside before sitting on Yuna's thigh instead. She looked up at me with a bright smile, and her pure expression was pleasant to see. "It depends on the situation, but usually I catch minnows." "Ah, minnows." "Yeah. And on lucky days, I can find animal carcasses to eat too. Like squirrels or roe deer..." "C-carcasses?! Isn't that dangerous?" Yuna's eyes widened. Sofia sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. A sigh escaped from somewhere. They were clearly worried I might have eaten rotten meat. I decided to reassure them first. "I never ate rotten carcasses. There are specific ones that are safe to eat." "...You know how to tell the difference?" Worry clouded Yuna's voice. It seemed she couldn't accept my explanation. "You pick it up naturally after doing it for a while." "Naturally..." Yuna pulled Levinas into a tight hug. She buried her face in Levinas's long ears for a moment before lifting her head to look at me again. "W-Winter." "Yes?" "Actually, Jinhyeok and Arin are bringing the food. They'll join us soon." "Oh... I thought we had to gather everything ourselves." Camping had different difficulty levels, after all. There were camps where you bought food instead of foraging. "We'll probably just need to start the fire and set the table." "Okay. But can't we use magic to start the fire?" "Yeoreum said no magic during camping." "I see." Magic was practically omnipotent. Using it too freely might ruin the camping atmosphere and romance. "Do you know how to start a fire, Winter?" "Um... I thought we could use magic, so I didn't bring a lighter..." "Oh dear, what do we do?" Yuna looked toward Han Yeoreum, probably about to ask if magic was allowed. "But I do know how to start a fire without a lighter." As long as you had friction heat, a lighter wasn't necessary. I'd done it a few times when I ran out of lighter fluid. "How do you start a fire without a lighter?" "I'll show you." I picked up a suitably long branch nearby, along with a plank-sized piece of wood and some dry straw. "Don't tell me it's friction..." "Yes. It looks hard, but it's actually pretty easy." It was the primitive method of making fire through the friction of wood. Once you knew how, it was surprisingly simple. "Have you done this before?" "Yeah, a few times." "U-uh... Well, since we're camping, trying it this way might be nice too." Yuna nodded, accepting it. Back then it had been truly grueling and difficult, but now the fact that it could help everyone made me happy.
Winter spun the branch rapidly using her palm. Her speed was so fast that even top-tier adventurers like Han Yeoreum and Yuna were surprised. If she kept growing like this, wouldn't she surpass the Master in speed alone? Those who considered themselves Winter's guardians felt a warm satisfaction. Everyone except the children. That's our Winter. That satisfaction didn't last long. Seeing Winter looking exhausted, everyone fidgeted anxiously, clenching and unclenching their hands. "Huff... Huff..." Her drooping ears and tail trembled. Even so, Winter kept going, panting as she worked the fire. "W-Winter, should Sis take over?" Han Yeoreum crouched beside her. She didn't touch Winter, worried she might get in the way. "J-just a little more... This isn't about strength, it's a skill..." "R-right..." We should've just used magic. I felt guilty, but I could see a faint joy beneath Winter's exhaustion. Starting a fire with friction was a useless skill in modern society. Being able to help everyone with that useless skill must have made her happy. She probably thought her life hadn't been in vain. Right now, what she needed wasn't to be stopped, but praised. "Winter, you're amazing. Even we can't do this... Sofia, can you do it?" "...My frail body makes it impossible." "Wow, so only Winter can do it?" Han Yeoreum clapped, saying it was incredible. Yuna chimed in beside her. "This kind of survival knowledge is really important for adventurers. Winter already knows everything." "At this rate, Sis might need to learn from Winter." At the two women's praise, Winter's ears and tail perked up. The rubbing speed increased so much that Yuna, who wasn't using magic, could no longer see Winter's hands. And then— A spark caught on the dry straw. Winter carefully transferred the ember. A few puffs of breath, and flames rose. She placed the fire on the campfire she'd prepared earlier. "Wow! King! Wow!" "Amazing." Levinas bounced up and down, while Saebyeok lay down beside the fire like a cat. A cushion-like mat had been laid out so she wouldn't get dirty. "As expected of Winter. Beastkin are far more wild than I thought." "I-it's just starting a fire with wood..." "You shouldn't dismiss it as trivial knowledge. This kind of knowledge accumulates and creates wildness. It's the most important virtue for beastkin." "That's right! Leader!" With Encia and Argo's continued praise, Winter's face flushed red. It really wasn't anything special. She muttered quietly, but her tail still swayed. 'Hmm...' Something still felt off. After starting the fire, I should've been exhausted and collapsed, but instead I felt happy and full of energy. I knew the reason. It was because my family was here together. It was a sensation I still couldn't get used to. "Winter, you've looked upset for a while now." "Yeah... The situation felt a bit awkward." "What felt so awkward?" Sofia patted the seat beside her chair. Winter walked over without hesitation and sat next to her. Two people on one chair meant they had to sit close, bodies touching. "This should've been really hard, but being with everyone made it so fun. I understand why, but it's still hard to accept." "That's..." Sofia turned to look at me from so close our noses nearly touched, then let out a soft laugh. "Sofia?" Sofia placed a hand on my shoulder. She quietly patted it. Her hand was small, yet it felt larger than anyone else's in the world. I wanted to ask why, but for now, I decided to stay still. I didn't want to bury negative feelings under Sofia's warm touch.