Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Missing Each Other (2)
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『Sera's Perspective』
Sera stood in front of Kasha's door.
-Knock knock.
She knocked on the door.
"Kasha. It's me, Sera."
…Silence.
-Knock knock.
She knocked once more.
"It's Sera. Aren't you in there?"
…Silence.
'Is she already asleep?'
It was not even 10 o'clock yet.
'Did she go out?'
Maybe she went hunting. She did head out to hunt whenever she had a chance.
'I should go bathe.'
The moment she thought that and turned to leave,
"Who is it?"
Kasha's voice came from beyond the door.
It was thick with sleep, as if she'd just woken up.
"It's Sera. Sorry for waking you."
"It's fine. I wasn't sleeping."
Her voice was slurred with drowsiness, so it was an obvious lie.
She must have said it to ease Sera's guilt, which only made Sera feel even sorrier.
"What brings you here?"
Kasha opened the door and poked her head out.
"I came to ask something, but it's not urgent. I'll come back later."
"No. Wait a moment while I tidy up."
Kasha closed the door and went back inside.
Rustle rustle… The sounds of tidying up drifted out.
The room must have been quite messy, as the cleaning noises went on for several minutes.
"All done. You can open the door and come in."
"Okay. I'm coming in."
Sera opened the door and stepped inside.
'…What is that smell?'
Sera wrinkled her nose the moment she entered. There was a musty odor.
Not the damp smell after rain, but the stench after sweating profusely and letting it sit for a while.
Mixed in was some indescribable subtle scent that stirred discomfort.
"What's wrong?"
Kasha asked. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed.
"No, it's just… you must have worked out a lot today."
She almost said she didn't smell anything but opted to beat around the bush.
"Worked out? Oh… yeah, something like that…."
Kasha scratched her slightly flushed cheek. The gesture reminded Sera of Gob.
Gob scratched his cheek when he was troubled or awkward, and it looked exactly like what Kasha had just done.
They said they could talk alone now—was she even starting to pick up his mannerisms?
"Want to sit and talk?"
Kasha patted the spot beside her.
"Sure. But there's no chair. Is it okay if I sit on the bed for a bit?"
"Yeah. I'd appreciate it. Your butt would be more than welcome. It'd be great if you ground it against me."
"Hehe… I don't think it'd go that far."
Sera laughed off Kasha's crude joke.
They were old friends, and she knew Kasha had some lesbian tendencies.
"Anyway, what's up? Something serious?"
"It's not that serious. I just wanted to ask about Gob."
"Huh? Why him?"
Kasha perked up her ears and tail, stammering.
"Why are you so flustered? Got something to hide?"
"W-w-what? Hide what? I don't have anything to hide. Nothing at all. Really."
"Hmm… Is that so?"
Sera narrowed her eyes and stared at Kasha.
It was suspicious no matter who looked. Kasha was great at spotting others' lies but terrible at telling her own.
To anyone who knew her, it was obvious whether she was telling the truth or lying—her skill was that awkward.
And yet her pride was strong, so she often blurted out obvious lies. It was kind of cute.
"You were alone with Gob in this room today, right?"
"What? He told you everything?"
Kasha's eyes went wide.
"Yeah. He told me everything."
"No way, everything? Up to where?"
"Who knows? How much do you think I know?"
In truth, Sera didn't know much, but she held back to probe further.
"I know everything, so it's best to be honest. What did you two do today?"
"W-well… that is…."
Kasha rolled her eyes this way and that, avoiding Sera's gaze.
Sera waited patiently, but Kasha clamped her mouth shut and just gauged her reaction.
Finally, unable to bear the frustration, Sera spoke up.
"Did you bully him again?"
"Bully? Who? Whom? What are you talking about?"
"When you two are alone, it's obvious who bullies whom."
"You're saying I bullied him? Did he say that? That I bullied him? That's ridiculous!"
Kasha scowled fiercely.
She looked ready to charge out and deck Gob right that instant.
"No. Gob said you just talked."
Sera hurriedly cleared up the misunderstanding, fearing a blowup.
"Huh? Then why ask if I bullied him?"
"It just seems suspicious. That you only talked."
"Why is that suspicious?"
"I can't imagine you two sitting face-to-face and calmly conversing."
"Hmm… yeah, fair point. We're not the type. We fight if we even exchange words."
Even Kasha seemed convinced.
"You fight if you even talk? So you really just talked?"
"Y-yeah."
The instant she answered, Kasha averted her eyes. Obvious lie.
"You fight if you talk, so how did you manage a conversation?"
"For some reason, things clicked today. Turns out he's a fun guy."
"What did you talk about?"
"That is… what food he likes, stuff like that."
The delay before answering was far too long. Definitely suspicious.
Sera was convinced something special had happened between Kasha and Gob.
It was just a hunch, but after so much time with Kasha, her instincts were spot on.
'Getting a straight answer from her directly seems tough….'
Sera gave up on pressing for words and closely observed Kasha's body instead.
Kasha's cheeks glistened with sweat—she must have worked up quite a sweat. Come to think of it, Gob had been sweaty too.
That musty smell from the moment she entered. Had they worked out together?
Now she noticed: the usual bedsheet was gone, replaced by a thin blanket. Why? Maybe soaked in sweat?
Sera's gaze roamed, then locked onto Kasha's thigh.
'What’s that? A bug bite?'
Kasha was sitting cross-legged, her short dolphin pants leaving her thighs fully exposed.
Distinct red marks etched on her thigh. Three on the left. Three on the right. Perfectly deliberate placement.
"Kasha. What are those red marks on your thigh?"
"Huh? What marks?"
Kasha looked down at her own thigh.
She stared for about three seconds, then silently uncrossed her legs and shifted to a kneeling position.
Kneeling pressed her thighs together, hiding the marks completely.
Sera silently fixed Kasha with a steady stare.
"Must've gotten bitten by bugs while hunting in the forest."
Kasha cracked under the pressure and finally spoke.
"Why'd you suddenly switch to kneeling?"
"Just… this position's more comfortable."
"That looks even more uncomfortable."
"No. This is comfy."
'Why is she so flustered? Is there a reason to be?'
Sera stared hard at Kasha, racking her brain.
'What could make her panic like this… no way, hickeys?'
Kasha sometimes showed up with hickeys on her body.
When asked, she'd claim they were from messing around with her lesbian friends. Was this the same?
'But I haven't seen marks like that recently. When did they appear…?'
They bathed together often, and this was the first time she'd spotted hickeys on her inner thighs.
'No way…?'
A certain green suspect flashed in her mind. Her head grew hot.
Impossible. Their relationship advancing that far in such a short time? No.
But Kasha's views on chastity were nothing like Sera's.
'Kasha's hooked up with women she'd just met for a day.'
When Sera had called out her promiscuity, Kasha shrugged it off: girls with girls can't make babies, so what's the harm in having fun?
"Kasha."
"Yeah?"
"Did you… do it with Gob?"
She didn't spell it out, but Kasha would get the gist.
"No! Absolutely not! Why would I do anything with a monster like that!"
Kasha practically shrieked, on the verge of hysteria. Textbook reaction when cornered.
Sera felt a dizzying vertigo and clutched her head.
"Really, no. No way I'd do anything with some goblin. We just talked."
"…I believe you."
Sera mumbled blankly. She didn't believe it one bit.
'…Whatever they did, what does it matter? Getting close is good. I told them to get along.'
Logically, Gob and Kasha growing closer shouldn't bother her at all. No issues whatsoever.
'Then why does it hurt so much….'
Her chest throbbed sharply. Her throat burned, her mind clouded.
It felt like she'd overlooked something crucial.
Sera finished her bath in a daze and returned to her own room.
'When will Gob come….'
She perched on the bed, waiting for him.
She had so many questions to ask when he arrived.
10 o'clock passed. 11 passed. Midnight struck.
He never showed.
'Why isn't he coming?'
She considered going to him but decided against it.
In the end, Sera lay down alone.
…
…
…Time passed.
"Ugh…!"
Sera groaned as she woke from sleep.
The clock read 1 a.m. She'd only slept an hour.
As expected, another nightmare had come.
Her amnesiac self wandered the forest, endlessly calling Gob's name in search of him.
Unable to find him, the sky grew darker and darker, until wolf howls filled the entire forest.
The howls were so deafening that even after waking, they still echoed in her ears.
'Why am I having dreams like this….'
Sera ended up tossing and turning through the night without a wink of sleep.
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