Chapter 244 – Surviving in the Forest (3)
Sansuyu is more akin to a puppy than a cat. Slightly different, perhaps.
There’s no doubt that it’s a Sansuyu therapy.
-Swoooosh~
The cool sound of water flowing outside the tent can be heard.
The thin fabric of the tent captures the boisterous sounds of nature and transforms them into a perfectly enjoyable melody, akin to the leisurely song of an oriole.
Lying spread-eagle, my mind became clear as if I had washed my face with ice water from a basin in the middle of winter.
-Square.
Next, cut the watermelon into generous slices. Placing them on a disposable plate and eating with chopsticks would be the icing on the cake.
The sweet juice of the watermelon bursts forth with each bite.
Refreshing coolness reaches down to the throat!
No motherly nagging telling me not to eat while lying down.
This, and nothing else, is rest.
This is life.
-Gulp, gulp.
Sansuyu’s fingers poking my cheek.
“Why?”
“Do all men’s bodies look like this?”
Sansuyu, who had been fiddling with my stomach, blinked her innocent eyes and asked.
A shadow cast over me, as I leaned slightly.
Breasts with protruding nipples. She hadn’t worn underwear since breastfeeding once.
The large mug that had held her breast so far now sits like a sculpture in the corner of the tent.
“Almost, yes. There are many instances where it’s not, but why?”
“It’s intriguing.”
“Everything seems to be intriguing.”
I’m not a child who can’t help but touch something new.
Still, the slightly cool touch brings back memories of lying on my mother’s lap as a child.
“I’m bored.”
“What’s there to be bored about?”
The leisure of this moment, with nothing to do, isn’t something one can easily indulge in.
It’s even more so now that the first trial is underway.
“…You’ll be very busy soon. You should savor the present.”
Nonchalant.
“How?”
“Hmm. Well, usually, you can do whatever you like.”
“There’s nothing I want to do.”
As I sat pondering too much, I had no choice but to lift my body slightly and grasp Sansuyu’s shoulder.
Smoothly, Sansuyu’s body, nestled in my arms without resistance, was enveloped in the soft earth of the tent floor.
Sansuyu, having received an arm pillow, is gazing at me with dreamy eyes. As I gently withdraw my arm, her head softly comes to rest on the floor.
“Just lie down, like this. And then…”
“And then?”
“Quietly listen to the sounds around you: the water flowing outside, the grains of dirt rolling beneath the tent.”
“…Hmm?”
“Or you can feel the cool sensation of the floor. Relax your entire body, lie still, and close your eyes.”
“Alright, I’ll try,” Sansuyu murmurs, following my suggestion.
Sansuyu relaxes her whole body and closes her eyes. Once she starts enjoying this tranquility, there’s no escaping it.
Her shoulders always carry tension, so she needs this moment of reprieve even more. Of course, I need a break as well.
– Treat me like a friend. Just ordinarily.
I haven’t forgotten Seong Ji-ho’s request. Though Sansuyu may not fully understand emotions right now, I must expose her to as many unique experiences as possible.
I continue to guide Sansuyu.
“And smell the grass. Take a deep breath. Swoosh~”
“Swoosh.”
“Haah~ How does it feel?”
The warmth of a person right next to me.
The sensation of our shoulders pressed tightly together.
Soon, Sansuyu’s words reached my ears.
“…Shi Eon, you smell.”
Uh. That’s an unexpected response.
“Well, that can’t be helped. We’re in the same tent, after all.”
As I stammered, something was suddenly placed on my chest.
Thin and supple.
It’s Sansuyu’s arm.
“I like the smell of people.”
The sensation of her pointed nose on my shoulder. Her two breasts press against one side of her arm, touching it.
Sansuyu’s hair, spread on the tent floor, reached the back of my neck and tickled me.
Breathing rhythmically, Sansuyu seemed to be enjoying my body scent.
‘I haven’t used the skill I received this time.’
Does she just like my scent?
“The smell of sweat.”
“Should I move away a bit?”
“My mom always smelled like sweat, too.”
Sansuyu’s mother.
It seems she is reminded of her mother in this moment, her body feeling weak and powerless.
“I can’t see her now.”
“She must have been a good person.”
“Uh-huh, I don’t remember very well.”
Gently, she lifts her eyelids.
Sansuyu was right in front of her nose. With eyes closed, Sansuyu embraces her body and speaks, her lips the only thing moving.
“Mom was a human like Si-eon… She was always smiling. That’s all I really know.”
“Aha.”
The scent of humans is different from that of a woodman.
It might feel unpleasant to some, but for Sansuyu, it remains a cherished memory.
“We were together every day.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She always hugged me tightly.”
Once the conversation started, Sansuyu, who is usually quiet, spoke fluently without hesitation.
“Did she laugh more back then than she does now?”
“…No. I don’t remember anything else besides my mom. I don’t even know what kind of child I was.”
She doesn’t even recall the face she wore.
Suddenly, I attempted to embrace Sansuyu due to the emptiness of my left hand but stopped midway.
Perhaps this sense of distance is just right for now.
– Snugly.
However, this time she tried to get a little closer. Sansuyu, leaning her body towards me. She attempted to rest her soft cheek on my shoulder, but her breasts were so large that, despite stretching her neck, her chin couldn’t reach my shoulder.
Having no choice but to move to the side, Sansuyu’s chest compressed, and her cheek rose onto my shoulder.
Sansuyu’s cheek, rising like a glutinous rice cake.
Seeing it, I couldn’t help but want to put it in my mouth and nibble on it.
I touched Sansuyu’s hand. Starting from the convex bone of her wrist, each joint in succession. Her beautifully trimmed nails would be quite a sight if adorned.
Thread-like veins were visible between her porcelain skin. They’re not usually noticeable, but they can be a little unsettling.
As I ran my finger over that area, her breath scattered erratically, as though it tickled her.
While I was enjoying that intriguing sensation, Sansuyu unexpectedly grasped my hand.
– Tightly.
Her cheeks rise, and one eye is closed. The other eye is like a crescent moon, staring intently at me.
“…Rest.”
She gently lowers her eyelids.
“I think I understand.”
Comfortable.
“Is it normal for friends to be like this?”
It goes far beyond that.
It’s normal for friends not to even hold hands.
However, it was true that Sansuyu needed human warmth.
She has many hidden wounds. Since childhood, she has always had a positive influence on others and has been more ambitious than anyone else.
Her secretary always spoke of her in such a way when discussing Sansuyu.
Yet, she was treated as a test subject merely for being born into the Cornus family.
– Squeeze.
Strength flows into my clasped hands.
It doesn’t take long for the warmth to reach Sansuyu’s cool hands.
Feeling the temperatures gradually equalize, I close my eyes.
I feel unusually sleepy today.
‘Because I’ve set up all the traps.’
Just approaching this area will send me a signal. After transferring some slightly charged healing powers to Sansuyu, I close my eyes.
* * * * * * * * *
“Siheon and Sansuyu… will they be alright?”
On the fourth day, most participants have started forming teams.
Soo-yeon sighs at Saku’s words, who’s wearing a fox mask. She swings her white sword to brush off the blood.
“They’ll manage. Those two… didn’t seem weak.”
“And their relationship is not ordinary, right?”
“How would I know that?”
Sansuyu and Lee Siheon. They always stick together, even when eating three meals a day, and sometimes sleep together. It was Lee Si-heon who would always wipe the corners of the drowsy Sansuyu’s mouth in the morning.
“Hey, remove your eye crusts.”
“Alright.”
“Don’t smear it and eat it.”
From an outsider’s perspective, they seemed to be dating no matter how one looked at it.
But that’s beside the point.
“…This year seems a bit challenging.”
“What is?”
“You know, the atmosphere – the ominous feeling! So many have been eliminated. How can we not worry about those two?”
Saku puffs up her cheeks, clenching her hands.
“I know. But what can we do?”
Kim Soo-yeon sighs.
The sovereign trees were also aware that there was an unusually high number of eliminations in the first trial of the Forest Keeper Selection. It was because of some, like Plum, and a few other sovereign trees from countries including China. Of course, they weren’t without some contribution to the situation.
“Prajna, let’s stop fighting. It’s exhausting.”
Expressionless, Prajna removes her socks. Her bronze-colored toes squirm. A dark blood-colored pattern is painted on the top of her foot.
“Why eliminate competitors?”
India, Korea, Japan. A team formed solely of national representatives.
Prajna was seeking out as many cadets as possible to eliminate.
Under the pretext of reducing competition to a minimum.
Saku and Soo-yeon knew that it was in their best interest, but there was no need to act so relentlessly.
“Prajna-san. We must uphold sportsmanship. It doesn’t look good for us to form a team and act this way.”
“Sportsmanship? In the forest guardian selection?”
Prajna murmured without any change in her expression at Saku’s insistence.
A considerable number of cameras were gathering around them.
Soo-yeon, who had been silent, added emphasis to Saku’s words.
“What will you do if we encounter a national representative like this? Our magic consumption isn’t exactly low either.”
Regardless of how weak the cadets were compared to the national representatives, there were not only A-ranks among them, but also opponents who were not necessarily easy.
If such battles continued, it was certain they would face difficulties when encountering the national guardians later on.
“I’m handling that myself. No problem.”
“But no matter how exceptional your sorcery is…”
Prajna spread her magic to discern the positions of objects and individuals nearby. Yet, her reconnaissance didn’t end there.
This was because she dispersed dozens of birds of prey into the sky to share their field of vision. Prajna would discover things before any other national guardians, and as a result, the right to strike first also belonged to her.
However, there were times when it was necessary to accommodate the requests of her teammates.
“…Then, should we take a break for today?”
Upon hearing Prajna’s somewhat subdued response, Saku’s face lit up with a smile. She stretched her legs out and sat on a rock, fanning herself with her hand.
Saku and Soo-yeon each put away their weapons and, in their own ways, rested to alleviate their fatigue—leaning against a tree or sitting on the ground.
The outfits they wore for the Forest Keeper Tournament featured the national flag and emblem affixed to the chest.
Among them, the most striking was a representation of Ashoka’s lion statue, featuring three impressive lion heads on Prajna’s attire. Beneath it, the national motto of India, written in Devanagari script:
सत्यमेव जयते (Only truth prevails.)
With a single sweep of her hand, she traced the emblem. Prajna gazed at the azure sky, her eyes seemingly peering into the depths of a fathomless abyss.