Noroi let out a loud sigh, running his fingers through his black hair before casting a sidelong glance at Haruki.

  "So, what do you want now?"

  "We need to look for her!"

  But the moment those words left his lips, Yamka emerged from the bushes, carrying three fish she had caught from the river near their campsite, slung over her shoulder.

  She caught Haruki's last words and raised a brow as she approached him, asking.

  "Who are we looking for?"

  Haruki's expression shifted to joy; he leapt to his feet in excitement and ran toward Yamka.

  The moment he reached her, he wrapped his arms tightly around her in a firm embrace

  "Yami, you're here!"

  Yamika looked at him in confusion, not returning the hug.

  She remained still before answering with a question.

  "Yes… and why would I leave?"

  Haruki's eyes fell on the three fish Yamka was still carrying.

  Their colors were variegated; one blended yellow with orange, another was white with gray, and the last shimmered in a mix of deep black and beautiful violet.

  Haruki released his arms from around her and shifted his attention to the fish.

  A wide smile spread across his lips, his face glowing with admiration, before he praised her.

  "How amazing, Yami! You caught all three? It took me half a day just to catch one!"

  Haruki's words of praise inflated Yamka's pride.

  She puffed out her chest and pointed to herself as she spoke, heightening his astonishment.

  "Of course I did, and it didn't take me more than half an hour."

  Haruki's eyes sparkled like stars, and he raised his hands to his mouth in awe of Yamika.

  "This is amazing! Three fish for the three of us! Yami, you're so kind!"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Being called "kind" was unusual for Yamika; she had never been described that way before.

  She chose not to respond and stepped away to tend the fire and grill the fish.

  Haruki stayed beside her, watching patiently as she turned the fish, while Noroi paid no attention to the two fools, preferring to sit off to the side. His robot rested in his lap as he cleaned it with a brown cloth.

  Yamka lifted the white fish, now red and crispy from the grilling, and handed it to Haruki.

  He grabbed it eagerly, holding it with his chopsticks, and took a big bite from the side of the fish, exclaiming with delight.

  "This is so delicious!!"

  Yamka smiled at Haruki's joyful expression as he enjoyed the food, then averted her gaze from him and turned it toward Noroi, who was sitting by the tree, indifferent to them.

  She picked up the purple fish, stood up, and walked over to where Noroi was, moving the fish toward him as she said.

  "Eat."

  The word echoed in Noroi's ears, and he blinked several times, at first stunned by Yamka's unexpected kindness.

  But soon his eyes narrowed with suspicion, and he pushed her hand away from his face, a clear rejection of her gesture.

  His voice came out hesitant, uncertain.

  "What guarantee do I have that this fish isn't poisonous?"

  Haruki raised his hand high while swallowing the bite he had been chewing, then spoke, thinking it would reassure Noroi.

  "I ate one of these fish on my second day here, and look at me now ,perfectly healthy and fine."

  Noroi shot Haruki a mocking glance before tossing out his words with scorn.

  "If this is what you call healthy, then what would you look like sick?"

  "Heyyy!"

  Haruki shouted from his spot, but Yamka cut off his protest by tossing a fish onto Noroi's lap, indifferent to whether his clothes got dirty or not.

  Before Noroi could add another remark, Yamka spoke.

  "If you get poisoned, you'll die. If you don't eat, you'll die anyway. At least don't die on an empty stomach."

  Noroi frowned at Yamka's words, though they were logical in their own way.

  He followed her with his eyes as she walked back to sit beside Haruki, eating her own orange-colored fish.

  Muttering something inaudible under his breath, he reluctantly sank his teeth into the side of the fish and took a bite.

  The taste of the roasted flesh spread through his mouth, he liked it, but his pride was far too great to admit it.

  Not long passed before the three of them finished their breakfast. Haruki tossed the fish bones aside and let out a loud belch.

  Yamka let out a soft laugh before belching herself, then adjusted her position, leaning back on an arm behind her.

  She snapped part of a wooden stick to remove the remaining fish meat stuck between her teeth.

  Noroi watched them, his face twisted in disgust at their behavior.

  He also tossed the skeletal remains of his fish into the air, which was snatched by one of the strange world's birds, a pink falcon-sized bird that caught it in its talons before flying away.

  Noroi followed the bird with his eyes as it disappeared over the horizon, then returned his focus to Mini.

  He activated the robot by pressing a button.

  The robot's screen lit up, displaying a digital smile of joy at seeing its master.

  Noroi pushed himself to stand as Mini floated beside him, observing his movements.

  He approached their fire and extinguished it by covering it with dirt.

  Haruki looked up at Noroi, whose face bore an expression of puzzlement, and asked with curiosity.

  "Why did you put it out?"

  Noroi replied with a serious expression and a cold tone.

  "We need to go to the market."

  Those words sparked excitement in Haruki.

  He jumped from his seat to stand on his feet and shouted with joy.

  "A shopping trip!"