“Big Sis Rafi, where are we going?”

She parts the leaves like green curtains and answers while they whisper against her cheeks like wet silk. “No idea. First priority’s food and water.”

“Copy~ Nina Unit, search engine, booting up~”

To lighten the air like a lantern at dusk, Nina does a tiny cute act, then lifts her little nose and tastes the wind like a stream of scents.

A prickle of self-annoyance flickers in Rafi’s chest like a gnat; she’d almost forgotten Nina’s Beastfolk nose is razor-sharp.

Rafi holds her breath like a still pond and waits for the report.

“Big Sis Rafi! At 32.75°, a hundred meters out—monster scent!”

“Got it~”

Her longbow blooms into being like frost forming; the old blue has shed its skin, now blue and red braid together like twilight. Deep crimson lines crawl over the bow like living vines, and a brutal, feral will leaks from them like heat from iron.

A blue-red arrow nocks with a soft click, pressure coiling at its tip like a storm in a seed.

“Kill it! Divine Arrow!”

Whoosh—the bow sings, and the arrow erupts like a hunting hawk. It punches through a thick trunk like paper; nothing bars this beast of a shot, a straight ray of light driving on. It spears the monster mid-relief, tears through its head like ripping wet clay, and yanks the whole thing off; the half-body drops slow as a felled statue.

Rafi and Nina reach the spot seconds later, feet skimming the ground like cats. Like she’s done it a hundred times, Nina draws a small knife; the point kisses the hide, her nimble hands dance over skin like swallows, and the blade sketches elegant arcs. In a few breaths, the outer hide peels away whole, not a shred of flesh clings—clean as a winter pelt.

She passes the pelt to Rafi like a folded blanket, then slips back into work like water. She carves prime cuts with easy strokes, threads them on a long spike like beads, and bundles the offal and bones inside a broad leaf like a green parcel. The whole beast is processed neat as a ledger; aside from what can’t be eaten, the rest becomes food.

When the prepping’s done, Nina returns to Rafi. The monster hide already lies stretched into a makeshift sling-bed, rough as bark but miles better than the cold ground.

“Big Sis Rafi, good work. Let’s eat first.”

She nudges Rafi out of her other tasks, then sparks the wood; flames climb like orange flowers, and a warm little shelter settles around them like a cloak.

They plant the skewers by the fire, letting the flames kiss them slowly like a patient cook.

Time slides. The meat turns golden, juices push out and glaze the surface like a thin glass sheen, and that distinct monster aroma drifts on the air like incense—tempting from every angle. Only pity is, there’s no salt for a sprinkle of stars.

Rafi returns right on cue, sits by the campfire as the first sparks fall like fireflies.

In full homekeeper mode, Nina wraps a leaf around the stick’s base like a mitt and offers the first skewer. Rafi nods, takes it, opens her small mouth, and bites. Juice floods the bite like a burst spring, and she jolts, stuffing the half-bit piece in at once, afraid the oil will spill like stubborn stains she’ll never scrub out.

Nina watches, and a quiet giggle slips out like a bell behind a fan.

“Hehe~ Big Sis Rafi, that monster you shot is super juicy. If you’re not careful, you’ll splash your clothes~”

Rafi nods, understanding settling like a pebble in a bowl, and she keeps tasting Nina’s cooking with careful little bites.

Though she hasn’t had a single skewer yet, Nina keeps prepping more for Rafi, hands steady as a ritual. In her heart, feeding Rafi matters more than filling her own belly.

After the meal, with a touch of water magic, they wash like rain under a spring cloud. A tiny blush-worthy scene flickers and fades like a lantern behind silk—no one there to record it.

Night falls like ink. Nina and Rafi lie in their sling-bed, watching the stars dance like silver fish in a dark lake.

“Hey… Big Sis Rafi, Nina’s really happy today.”

“Yeah? I’m happy too.”

“When this weird training finally ends, can we still play like this again?”

“Silly girl. Say the word, and I’ll bring you here anytime. You saw it today—there’s nothing here that can threaten us.”

“Emmm… then can we make a promise?”

“What kind of promise?”

“A vow to never part in this lifetime. If you promise, you have to stay with Nina forever.”

“That goes without saying. Even without a vow, I’d stay with you, forever. You think I’d be scared of some promise failing?”

“Then… let’s seal it, okay!? Big Sis Rafi, give Nina your pinky.”

Rafi tilts her head, puzzlement fluttering like a moth, and offers her pinky.

The next moment, Nina answers the question without words. She hooks their pinkies like tying a red thread, closes her eyes, and whispers like a prayer.

“In this life and this world, Nina will never—”

Her voice melts into steady breathing like soft waves.

Too tired? Then… good night.

Rafi brushes a kiss to Nina’s forehead like a falling petal and lets sleep take her too, gentle as snow.