Nina glanced at the mountain forest nearby. "I saw a small bamboo grove over there yesterday. Could you help me cut some bamboo? About this thick will do."
She gestured with her hand to indicate the thickness.
"No problem. Wait here," Aji said, then quickly ran toward the forest.
Before long, Nina heard the rustling of bamboo leaves. Soon after, Aji came back, dragging a large bundle of bamboo behind him.
"Is this enough?" Aji asked.
Nina took a look. "I'll need about one more load like this."
"Alright."
Not long after, Aji returned again with another bundle.
"Do you want the leaves stripped off?" he asked.
"Yes. Just pile the leaves to the side—I have a use for them."
"Got it."
Aji extended his sharp claws and swiftly stripped away all the bamboo leaves, leaving behind straight, clean bamboo stalks.
Nina then had him help trim them to length and clean up the ends.
Aji stacked the finished bamboo neatly to one side. "It's about time for me to head back. I live on the east side of the tribe—if you need anything, you can come find me there. I'm usually around when I'm not out hunting."
"Alright. Thank you so much. I'll treat you to a meal later," Nina said gratefully.
Aji waved his hand. "No need—it was nothing."
He thought to himself that the tribe's rations were barely enough for her alone; how could she possibly afford to treat him?
As he glanced around, he noticed a small pile of stones nearby, with clear signs of fire having been used there. Ashes still lay between the stones.
Why was this female lighting a fire there? Was she cooking for herself?
"You cook for yourself?" Aji asked in surprise.
"Yes. I make my own food."
Aji was genuinely astonished. "You cook by yourself?"
He had assumed she wanted raw food because she liked eating it that way. He hadn't expected her to actually cook.
In the beast world, meals for females were usually prepared by their beast husbands, fathers, or brothers. If a female was alone, the tribe would provide prepared food directly. It was rare for a female to do it herself.
This female really has it hard, he thought. Since she hasn't bonded yet, I should help her whenever I can.
Aji frowned. "If you don't like eating raw food, I can bring you cooked meals next time?"
"No need. I like eating what I make myself," Nina replied.
The meat roasted by the beastmen was really nothing special—tough in texture and dry.
"Well, alright then. I have to head off now. If you need anything, come find me. And if you want cooked food, just let me know in advance."
Aji looked at Nina with sympathy, sighed softly, then turned and left.
***
After preparing breakfast, Nina enjoyed another satisfying meal. However, ever since becoming pregnant, her appetite had increased a lot. That bit of meat was only enough for about one and a half meals, so she would need to restock later from the system marketplace.
Thankfully, she still had the system. She didn't have to go hunting for food herself with a heavy pregnant belly—otherwise, that would have been truly miserable.
Although she could rely on the tribe, if she wasn't choosing a beast husband from within it, the rations they provided would likely only be enough to keep her alive, not enough to properly raise her baby.
Once she had eaten her fill, Nina began building her small kitchen.
Earlier, she had asked Aji to sharpen the bottoms of the bamboo poles. She now drove them into the ground, checked that no beastmen were nearby, then secretly took a stool out of her backpack. Standing on it, she hammered the bamboo deeper to make it sturdier.
After setting up the frame, she used her ability to summon vines and secured the structure.
She didn't know why, but despite the lush vegetation of the beast world, her abilities recovered very slowly. Only that one night had they recovered a bit faster.
She had asked Little Bun whether there were items that could help her restore her powers quickly, but unfortunately, there were only short-term enhancers—and those were harsh on the body. During pregnancy, they could even harm the baby, so she had no choice but to recover slowly.
Once the frame was done, she gathered large leaves and bamboo leaves and layered them over the top to form the roof.
After working for most of the day, the small kitchen was finally complete.
Admiring her handiwork, Nina felt a strong sense of accomplishment, then happily began cooking in her new little kitchen.
***
Starting the next day, Aji came early every morning. Each time, Nina was still asleep, so he simply set the supplies down on the stone slab by her door.
The first time he saw the bamboo shelter, he was shocked. Guessing that Nina had built it herself, he felt even more sympathy for her and often brought her extra daily necessities on his own initiative.
Aside from Aji, almost no other beastmen ever came near Nina's stone hut.
And so, half a month passed in peace and quiet.
Nina's belly had swollen like a ball and could no longer be hidden, and her face had completely healed.
After her face recovered, Nina realized that the original owner of the body looked exactly like her. She wasn't surprised—perhaps some things were simply meant to be.
Her appetite grew even larger, and she needed to eat several meals a day.
That night, after washing up, Nina lay down to sleep.
She was sleeping soundly when a tall figure approached her stone hut.
When Mino returned at dawn, he caught a whiff of a sweet, alluring scent. It smelled so pleasant that he instinctively took a deep breath.
It seemed to be the scent of a female—and it was coming from his stone hut.
But how could there be a female inside his hut?
He had been gone for more than twenty days. Had Chief Tali given his place to someone else?
He had come to this remote area to escape an arranged marriage. Earlier, he had spotted beastmen from his clan nearby and fled again, deliberately taking a long detour before sneaking back. He refused to believe they could actually catch him.
There was no way he would marry that notoriously ugly female. Absolutely impossible. Even if it meant spending his entire life alone, he would never agree to that marriage.
Staring at the stone hut, Mino felt a surge of anger. He had paid beast crystals for this place, and the agreed time wasn't up yet. How could Chief Tali give his hut to someone else? He didn't like any of the other stone houses.
It wasn't uncommon for visiting male outsiders to leave and never return. After Mino had been gone for several days, Chief Tali truly believed he wasn't coming back.
Mino crossed his arms and glared at the hanging hide curtain. "Whoever's inside, come out!"
He assumed there had to be a male inside. In his mind, aside from a female, there was no way a stone hut would be left with only one female living alone.
He couldn't smell a male's usual sharp scent and assumed it was being deliberately masked—or perhaps overwhelmed by the female's fragrance, which was simply too sweet.
Some males hid their scent when they feared their mate might dislike it, or when circumstances required it.
He waited for a while. No response.
He called out again.
Still nothing.
Little Bun had suddenly gone into hibernation, and Nina was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the noise outside.
Mino assumed the male inside was too timid to come out. Fuming, he yanked open the hide curtain, intending to confront whoever was inside—only to be met with a sight that threw his heartbeat into chaos.
As the curtain lifted, moonlight spilled into the hut, illuminating a breathtakingly beautiful face.
Her face was small, scarcely the size of his palm. Her skin was luminous and pearl-like, as though softly glowing. Long lashes, thick and curled like butterfly wings, framed her eyes. Her delicate nose was refined and lovely, and her lips—pink and petal-soft—were irresistibly inviting.
She wore a beautiful dress he had never seen before. Eyes closed, she slept peacefully, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. Her lips curved slightly upward, like a serene smile, as though she were a lovely spirit lost in slumber.
Mino felt his heart racing, as if it were about to leap from his chest. He carefully controlled his breathing, afraid that even the slightest sound might wake her.
He had completely forgotten why he was there.
All he could do was stand motionless, gazing at her, utterly captivated by her beauty.