"...So, you have everything we need?" Kayda asked, settling into the chair beside me with a slight creak. The fire's orange glow danced across her face, casting flickering shadows in her hair.
"Yes, I do," I replied, my gaze fixed on the firepit. The crackling flames licked the logs lazily, sparks drifting up into the night sky like stars in reverse.
Kayda folded her arms and leaned back, eyes half-lidded with suspicion. "So, can you take out the tent?" she asked after a pause, her tone casual—but there was a glint of uncertainty in her eyes.
"I can't do that," I said, shaking my head while suppressing a smirk behind an innocent facade.
"Why?" Kayda tilted her head at me, one eyebrow raising as the firelight illuminated her questioning expression.
"I don't have one," I said, letting my lips twitch into a barely concealed grin.
"Don't joke with me," she replied flatly, narrowing her eyes. Her body tensed ever so slightly, as if preparing for some inevitable nonsense.
"Remember, I like to sleep outside at night. Why would I pack a tent?" I said this while nonchalantly lifting one shoulder in a shrug. The night air was crisp, and the campfire's warmth hugged one side of my body while the other chilled slowly.
Kayda's lips parted in disbelief, then curled into a frown. "I am with you, you damn fox," she growled. In one swift motion, she reached over and grabbed my ear, twisting it lightly.
"Ow—stop! I was joking. Stop, it hurts!" I whined, twisting in my seat and slapping her arm lightly in protest.
"You were?" she said, her brows lifting in genuine surprise.
I glared at her, rubbing my ear as soon as she let go. "Why are you surprised? You really have to learn when I'm messing with you."
Kayda looked sheepish now, rubbing the back of her head. "True… I do need to learn that."
"Anyways, can you take out the tent?" She asked again, almost as if the conversation hadn't just taken a ridiculous detour.
"I'll do that when we're going to sleep," I replied, returning my attention to the fire.
"Why only then?" Kayda asked, eyebrow cocked again.
"...My ear hurts," I mumbled, rubbing the sore spot with exaggerated offense.
"That's your fault," Kayda huffed, but I caught the faint amusement in her voice. She looked away, trying to hide a smirk curling at the corner of her mouth.
"Probably," I admitted, lips puckering. "But do you always have to pull my ears?"
"Well, it's your only soft spot," she said smugly, turning back toward me with a wicked smile.
'At least she doesn't know about my tail,' I thought, breathing a mental sigh of relief.
"Of course, I mean your prideful tail," Kayda added with a smug and knowing tone.
'I stand corrected,' I groaned inwardly, mentally slapping my forehead.
"Prideful?" I asked aloud, tilting my head.
"Yes, I heard that only the person you love is allowed to touch it," she said, her voice laced with mirth and that self-satisfied smile still plastered across her face.
"That... Amiri told you, didn't she?" I asked, my voice dropping into a low grumble.
"Yup," Kayda nodded proudly. "Right after she said you told her she was too young for you."
"Well, she was too young," I muttered, flashing back to that awkward train ride when a curious child's tiny fingers had found their way to my tail.
"But you're ageless, aren't you?" Kayda countered, raising a finger like a professor about to make a grand point. "So, by that logic, even a toddler could have been your mate someday."
"Could, huh?" I said, lips curling upward. "You're quite confident, aren't you?"
"Of course I am. After the last month, I know we're meant to be," she said, her voice suddenly soft and sincere.
I stared at her. "You sound like one of those girls who gets obsessed with their crush and says all these cliché things."
Kayda blinked. Then her shoulders slumped. "Ugh, that's true. I did sound like that, didn't I?"
"Umu," I nodded solemnly, hiding my grin behind a sip of water from my canteen.
There was a moment of comfortable silence between us before Kayda tilted her head slightly, her gaze thoughtful. "Anyways… Have you thought about a plan for how we can continue to use the Crimson Bandits?"
"Hmm," I murmured, leaning forward. "Right now, they're probably panicking—looking for a bomb in Wendy's body."
Kayda straightened. "You didn't put one in her?"
I shook my head. "Nope. I didn't have enough mana left at the time. But even if I did, they wouldn't have found it."
Kayda blinked, her expression shifting from surprise to understanding. "Ah. Makes sense."
"Anyway," I continued, poking at the fire with a stick, "to really use them, we'll need to gain the trust of those individuals." That starts with getting rid of their bad rep and bounty."
Kayda frowned. "We can't get rid of their bounties."
"And why not?"
"Kayda explained, crossing her arms, that placing and removing a bounty involves a lot of procedures." "It's not something you can just wave a hand at."
"Yeah, and?"
"You don't have a strong enough connection to make that happen."
I gave her a confident grin. "I might not—but Dan will."
Kayda gave me a skeptical look. "I doubt he'll help with that."
"He will. I have a deal with him," I said, waving off her concerns.
"You might have that, but we're talking about a bandit group that's committed serious crimes over the years," she said, unconvinced.
"True. But they also run 70% of the kingdom's orphanages. That's something we can leverage," I explained, shifting in my seat.
Kayda gave me a flat look. "That just sounds like you want to make child soldiers."
"We still need to work out the finer details, okay?" I said defensively, glancing away.
"Whatever," Kayda muttered. "How are we even going to change them? It'll take years."
"That's true," I admitted. "But it'll be worth it. The real issue is the potential rebellion or coup from Grandenzil's underlings."
Kayda nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's another excellent point."
"And that's where we come in," I said with a glint in my eyes. "If we take Sammy and Wendy into Black Ops—specifically my squad—we can keep them safe and out of the line of fire."
Kayda leaned forward. "Not as hostages, I assume?"
"Of course not. More like allies. Maybe more of them will come later too… But as long as they're away, Grandenzil can work without distraction."
"You think that'll work?" Kayda asked, tapping her chin.
"I do," I said, grinning. "With her precious ones out of danger, she'll go full force and clean house."
Kayda nodded, cracking her knuckles. "Yeah… she'd go wild if she didn't have to worry about them."
"Umu."
Kayda stared into the fire for a moment longer, then asked, "Any other plans?"
I hesitated before answering. "Yeah. I want to destroy the black pillars made by the Devil cult."
Her head snapped toward me. "Because it's fading your curse?"
"I actually think that it is evolving your curse," I said, while my eyes drifted to the flames.
Kayda stood up abruptly, her chair scraping back. "Wait. You want to worsen it!?"
She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me slightly. "Are you insane!?"
"Well, I don't think it would be bad. I mean, right now the curse only amplifies my pain and reduces XP gain. What could it possibly do if it evolves?" I shrugged again.
Kayda stared at me in disbelief. "Even more pain and less experience!"
"Exactly," I said, beaming. "But I'm ageless, and I've learned to ignore pain. So it's fine."
She looked like she was about to cry and punch me at the same time. "That's not a good thing, Kitsuna!"
I kept smiling. 'It's a problem, sure. But I think the curse might become a blessing eventually.'
"What is a good thing in my life, Kayda?" I asked with a wry smile, mimicking the tone of an ancient sage. "There's a saying from my old world: 'If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.'"
"That's a stupid saying," she said bluntly. "And you shouldn't live by it."
"What!? It's not stupid!" I said, indignant.
"No. End of discussion," she replied firmly, turning back to the fire.
"You're ending it like that?"
"Yes. No more talk about something so stupid."
'Is she really that worried about me… or is she serious right now?' I wondered, watching her from the side.
I leaned forward, resting my chin in my palm, elbow on my knee. I studied her expression, trying to read between the lines. The flickering firelight made her look unreadable, shadows dancing across her features.
"..."
"..."
"For crying out loud, stop staring at me like that!" she finally snapped, startling me.
"Sorry, sorry!" I raised my hands. "I was just confused why you think it's a dumb phrase!"
She sighed and met my gaze. "It's not dumb, but it's not something to live by. It's dangerous."
"Is that so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. It gives people a reason to hurt themselves, thinking they'll get stronger. It's more trouble than it's worth."
"I'll… think about it," I said quietly. Then, slowly standing up, I walked a few steps away from the fire.
From my storage, I pulled out the tent and set it up for Kayda, working quietly.
When I finished, I transformed into my fox form with a puff of air and circled the edge of the camp until I found a comfortable spot in the grass.
"You're really just going to sleep like that?" Kayda asked, still seated by the fire.
"Nope. Good night," I replied, eyes already closed, tail curled over my nose.