Yamika 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 Yamika'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 Yamika 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, Yamika 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 Yamika'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.
Yamika 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!"
Noroi raised his hand and brought it down forcefully on Haruki's head. Haruki let out a cry of pain and crouched on the ground, holding the top of his head with both hands in agony.
Noroi parted his lips and said coldly.
"This isn't a shopping trip, you fool, and you won't go dressed in that old, tattered school uniform."
Haruki suddenly realized what he meant and looked at himself. He was still wearing his old school clothes , dirty and torn and, most importantly, unsuitable for their long journey across the world.
Yamika had been silently watching the entire interaction for a moment, but she couldn't hold back what she wanted to say, so she addressed Noroi.
"And what about me?"
Noroi looked her over from head to toe with a critical gaze before answering her question.
"Your clothes are fine , they're comfortable Viking-style attire that allows for easy movement.
But you'll need to disguise yourself better. They didn't recognize you the first time, but they might now."
Haruki exaggeratedly flailed his arms and complained.
"Your clothes are great, you guys can blend in with the crowd, but I? Even a blind person could tell I'm human!"
He threw himself backward dramatically, landing on the grass on his back in surrender.
Noroi sighed, exasperated by Haruki's childish behavior, but he realized that if they went like this, Haruki would inevitably be discovered. Acting on the thought, Noroi moved to his brown leather bag by the tree, untied the straps, and looked inside. He exhaled in relief when he found what he was looking for still in place. Lifting his gaze from the bag to Haruki, he spoke directly to him.
"I have a cloak and a mask ,bought them just in case."
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐