"Take me with you if you're leaving!" Realizing the girl before me truly intended to go alone, panic started clawing at my chest.

"No." She turned her head away, her refusal sharp and absolute.

"You killed all the pirates! I’ll die here alone! Don’t just abandon me!" It was strange—even when I thought she’d kill me, my heart stayed calm. Now that she spared me and wanted to leave, fear gripped me instead.

"There’s plenty of food. You won’t starve." Her voice remained unmoved.

"I’ll go mad stuck alone in this dump!" At that, she actually glanced back at me.

"And if you take me with you, I’ll cook for you!" I pressed my advantage, pulling out my trump card. Judging by her earlier reaction to my food, this should tempt her. The irony wasn’t lost on me—I’d never wanted to be a chef, yet cooking had saved my life twice already.

Sure enough, she hesitated after my words. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she weighed whether dragging me along was worth it.

"I’ll fly you to the nearest human city," she finally said after a long pause. "In exchange, you cook one more meal for me." To emphasize her firm stance, she added, "If you refuse, forget it."

I nodded. It was the best I could get. Reaching a city meant survival. I’d dreamed of being a "normal" isekai hero—leveling up, fighting monsters—but after testing my strength these past days, I knew better. Sure, I was a bit stronger than before, but I couldn’t even take down a single pirate. My only useful skill was understanding two otherworldly languages… which was useless without context.

"Oh, wait—I need to grab something." I suddenly remembered, sprinting toward the bedroom. Thankfully, the pirates’ quarters were deep in the island’s heart, far from the ruined meeting hall.

I snatched my diary—leaving it felt wrong—and the wind spirit brush. Seeing it made me think of the female pirate. Some ships hadn’t returned yet… I hoped she’d escaped.

I also raided the kitchen, stuffing spices into my backpack alongside the diary. No ingredients meant no promised meal.

Come to think of it, I’d been calling her "she" this whole time. I didn’t even know her name.

"Give me your hand." The silver dragon girl held out her palm when I returned. I took it. Her skin was as flawless as it looked—cool, smooth, and impossibly soft. I tightened my grip unconsciously.

She met my eyes then, her gaze complex, echoing the look she’d given me when she first stood before me in dragon form.

"Ready?" she asked gently before takeoff. Such small kindnesses… they healed something in me.

"Yeah." The moment I answered, an invisible force wrapped around me like warm water.

She didn’t sprout wings as I’d imagined. Instead, magic lifted us both. We shot forward at dizzying speed—Westera Island vanished within minutes.

Yet I felt no wind resistance. *Did she shield me with magic? How is she this skilled at carrying passengers?*

By the time we reached land, the sun had sunk halfway below the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues. I wasn’t much for scenery, but this world’s sunsets put Earth’s to shame.

The silver dragon girl landed us by a river near a forest just as twilight deepened. "The city’s that way." She released my hand. Darkness fell fast here. She watched me silently, her jade eyes seeming to glow in the gloom.

"…"

"…"

We stared at each other.

"Why are you still here?" she finally snapped, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" I blinked, confused.

"You said I’d take you to the city, and you’d cook for me," she said, irritation flaring. She thought I’d renege.

"…I have no ingredients! I don’t know this place, and it’s pitch-black—where am I supposed to find any?" I spread my hands helplessly. *Luo Sa can’t cook without rice.*

She caught the flaw instantly. Her eyes dropped, shame flickering in them. Had it been daylight, I might’ve seen her blush. A shame it was too dark.

"Wait here." She vanished into the shadows.

Alone in the pitch-black wilderness, my pulse spiked—not just from fear of the dark.

Seconds later, a figure reappeared. "Sorry… I forgot again." Rustling sounds followed. Then light bloomed—a fire crackled to life from the wood she’d gathered.

"Stay. Don’t wander." She disappeared once more. *Must be nice, teleporting.*

She returned minutes later with rabbits slung over her arm. Thankfully, this world’s rabbits resembled Earth’s. With her help, we skinned and spitted them over the flames.

She sat cross-legged by the fire, watching me turn the meat. Her gaze was… distracting. She wore nothing under that dress. *At least put on underwear!*

Limited by our setup, I could only roast the meat. A pot would’ve let me make soup.

But Aefina didn’t seem to mind. Her eyes shone as she stared at the sizzling rabbit. Seeing that look filled me with warmth. *Maybe this isn’t so bad.*

We devoured the rabbits quickly—she ate most of them. Watching grease glisten on her lips made me happy.

"Can I know your name?" I asked suddenly. After this time together, she felt… approachable.

"Mm. Aefina Sigelit." She licked her lips.

"I’m Luo Sa."

"I remember. The pirate mentioned it."

"Can I call you Aefina?"

"Yes."

Silence returned. She stared into the flames, lost in thought.

After a long pause, she spoke: "Sleep. I’ll keep watch."

Seeing my surprise, she added quickly, "It’s dangerous here for you. Too dark to travel. I’ll take you to the city at dawn."

Watching her fumble to explain, my heart skipped. *So damn cute.*

I pulled out my diary by firelight:

*[Wind Season, Day 53. Clear.*

*Day 31 in this world. Finally escaped the pirate den. Met a silver dragon girl named Aefina—she got me out. She’ll probably leave soon, but spending half a day this close to a dragon… I’m content. Aefina is so—]*

"What script is this?" Aefina’s voice startled me. She’d crept up silently.

"Gah!" I lunged to cover the diary, then remembered—she couldn’t read it.

"What’s so secret?" She tilted her head, puzzled by my panic.

"This is…" *If she understood Chinese, this would be more embarrassing than having a love letter read aloud to its recipient. I’d die on the spot.* "A custom from my homeland. We write this before bed. And these characters… they’re private. I wasn’t expecting you to speak just then."

"…" She leaned closer, her face inches from mine—noses almost touching. Then I did the boldest thing of my life: I kissed a dragon.

Her lips were cool and soft. It lasted less than a second—barely a brush—but worth a lifetime.

"…Hm?" She touched her mouth, bewildered. Dragons didn’t kiss. Or at least, Aefina didn’t.

"Ah! These are characters from my homeland. I can teach you later if you want." *Change the subject. Now.*

"…Sleep." Her tone was odd, but my flustered brain missed it.

I drifted off with a pounding heart.

I woke to something strange beneath my neck. Last night, I’d slept on grass. Turning my head, I saw silver-scaled tail—Aefina’s. She sat beside me, her tail slipped from under her skirt, the fire now ashes.

*Knee-pillows are overrated. Tail-pillows are… wait, did I just think that out loud?*

Aefina stood as I stirred, tucking her tail away seamlessly. We walked toward the city in silence.

"We’re here. That’s the city. I won’t go further." She stopped where rooftops came into view.

"…Where will you go next?" I sighed. The moment had come.

"Roam. Maybe toward the capital. See human cities." She gazed into the distance, her eyes shadowed.

I’d only been here a month, but I knew: dragons were hated here. Feared. Centuries of absence had twisted their legends into bedtime monsters.

Aefina knew this too. That’s why she stopped here. Why she’d killed all the pirates—to silence witnesses. But why spare me? *Did she trust me?*

"Aefina," I said firmly, "I’m coming with you."

"Don’t refuse yet. You don’t want your dragon identity exposed, right?" I cut off her protest. Her startled expression confirmed my guess.

After a long silence, she nodded faintly. "Look—I’m human. With me, you won’t stand out. There’s a city right here. Let’s explore it together. The capital next, or anywhere else—I’ll go with you. And I’ll cook for you."

Aefina stared at the ground, warring with herself. I waited. Finally, she lifted her head, resolve flashing in her eyes. She took my hand. The world blurred.

In the next heartbeat, we stood deep in the forest.

"Roar..." Aefina shifted back into her Silver Dragon form. Her enormous pupils gazed down at me from above, and I lifted my head to meet her eyes.

After a moment of silent staring, she spoke, "Why do you insist on following me... I am a Great Dragon." Without waiting for my reaction, she transformed back into human form.

"I'll agree for now," the girl said softly, "but I'll judge your performance first. If you don't do well, I'll leave you behind."

The instant she agreed, I suddenly felt this world seemed more beautiful than I'd ever imagined.