Charija noticed Yu Zhou entering his tent. Not wanting to stand outside in the freezing wind alone, he wiped himself dry, then crawled into his own tent as well.
Outside, the cold wind howled mercilessly, but inside the tent it was warm—like the heater had been switched on.
The two of them soon fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.
Night fell.
Moonlight spilled across the snow-covered slopes, and the faint aroma of grilled meat still drifted from the cooling grill.
That lingering scent carried far with the wind, spreading out through the pine forest.
In the distance, snow-covered shrubs trembled slightly, revealing pairs of crimson eyes. The glowing eyes locked onto the two tents near the hot spring, drawn by the smell of roasted meat—predators searching for prey.
Elsewhere on the snowy plain, a massive silhouette rose to its feet. It sniffed the air deeply, catching the scent of meat, and began lumbering toward the hot spring.
Yu Zhou slept soundly.
The warmth of the hot spring had washed away his fatigue, the good food filled his stomach, and the comfort of his sleeping bag lulled him into deep slumber.
Charija, meanwhile, was hugging a strange monster plushie from who-knows-where, murmuring the name "Yanakargie" in his sleep.
Then—
"Camearra, this blanket is so warm!"
Half-conscious, Yu Zhou found himself lying on a soft bed, wrapped in a quilt inside Camearra's room.
"Of course it's warm," Camearra's voice purred beside his ear, her breath sweet as orchid, "this blanket carries my warmth."
Yu Zhou chuckled lazily. "Ahh… having someone to warm the bed really makes a difference."
Lifting one side of the blanket, he grinned. "Camearra, come on in too!"
Camearra smiled enchantingly, slipping out of her usual white dress and crawling into the bed beside him.
"C-Camearra…" Yu Zhou's face reddened as her warm breath brushed against his cheek.
"Don't be shy," she whispered seductively. "Come closer~"
She cupped his head, bringing him nearer. Yu Zhou could feel her breath mingling with his—only… there was something strange about it.
"…Camearra, why does your breath smell weird?" he blurted out before thinking.
"Me? Have bad breath?! ROAR!!!"
Her gentle face twisted in rage, and with a thunderous roar her head transformed into that of a furry bear!
"Wha—?!"
Yu Zhou's eyes snapped open just in time to see a massive grizzly bear pouncing toward him!
The tent had already been ripped wide open by the beast's claws.
"Die!!"
Instinct took over—Yu Zhou swung his hand, hurling a blade of light that struck the bear square in the chest.
The bear howled and was blasted backward, skidding across the snow.
It staggered up again, staring in disbelief at Yu Zhou—and then at his glowing hand. There was intelligence in its eyes… and pain. Smoke curled from the burn across its chest, carrying the faint scent of roasted meat.
"Wait—what about Charija?! Don't tell me that thing ate him…"
A horrifying thought crossed Yu Zhou's mind. If that happened, it would go down as the first recorded case of an alien being eaten by a bear.
He turned toward Charija's tent—only to freeze.
Charija was still fast asleep, snoring away, the tent half torn apart. Even worse, a huge bear was lying right beside him, and Charija was absentmindedly patting its back in his sleep!
Yu Zhou: "…"
Was that bear… brain damaged?
The first bear he had struck was climbing back up, ready to charge again.
"Wait! Hold on a second!" Yu Zhou raised his hand quickly. "Look over there!"
He pointed toward Charija's tent, where the other bear was snuggling happily in Charija's arms.
But the attacking bear didn't care. It roared and lunged forward anyway.
"Would you just LOOK already?!" Yu Zhou shouted in exasperation.
With a sigh, he grabbed the bear by its furry head and forcefully turned it toward the other pair.
The bear froze.
The sight before it was enough to silence even its rage—the other bear, its mate, was curled up contentedly in another man's arms, even wagging a nearly non-existent tail.
"Woof!" the bear in Charija's arms barked softly, nuzzling closer.
Both Yu Zhou and the first bear went silent.
"…Brother," Yu Zhou said solemnly, "you've been cheated on."
He let go of the bear's head.
The beast's rage ignited instantly.
That was his wife! Maybe not the most attractive one, but still his wife! And now she was… cuddling a human?!
Unforgivable!
With an earth-shaking roar, the furious bear charged straight at Charija.
"Charija! Wake up! Dodge!" Yu Zhou yelled.
"Huh?"
Charija blinked awake just in time to see a bear in his arms—and another one barrelling toward him.
"What the—?!"
Before he could process what was happening, he reflexively fired two light blasts, sending the attacking bear flying back.
Yu Zhou exhaled in relief. Right—he'd forgotten that Charija was hardly a helpless person.
"Go on, get out of here," Charija said, turning to the bear that had been resting against him.
For some reason, the creature refused to leave.
Yu Zhou glanced over. "Looks like you accidentally tamed it with your monster-handling techniques."
Indeed, even ordinary animals couldn't resist Charija's knack for taming creatures—it seemed second nature to him.
Despite Charija's command, the bear stayed by his side, whining softly.
Then—
Awoooo!
Howls echoed from every direction.
Red eyes appeared in the darkness—dozens of them. Wolves.
"The wolves are here," Yu Zhou said calmly, reading the signs.
The bears and wolves usually avoided each other, yet this time, the male bear simply grabbed his "unfaithful" mate by the scruff and dragged her away.
When they reached the edge of the wolf pack, the wolves stepped aside, letting them pass.
Yu Zhou rolled up his sleeves, cracking his knuckles. "So… you mutts think I'm an easy target, huh?"
Charija blinked, watching him. "What are you doing?"
Yu Zhou grinned. "Warming up."
(To be continued…)