Natsuyu stepped behind Yukinoshita Yukino and glanced back vigilantly, only to be instantly amused.
Motion is relative; the two of them were running at a speed of about 10 meters per second. After the initial acceleration, the spider silk flying through the air slowed down due to air resistance, failing to keep pace with their sprint.
Visually, it looked as if the spider silk was retreating away from them. It posed no threat at all, falling limply to the ground.
That's it?
He thought it would be formidable, but it turned out to be a silver-tipped wax spear—all show and no substance.
Weaklings!
The corners of Natsuyu's mouth curled up. Watching the twenty or so Round-headed Spiders chasing behind them—a literal mountain of Experience—he felt a surge of anticipation.
Leading the way, Yukinoshita Yukino seemed to sense Natsuyu's thoughts, as her pace slowed down.
Just what I wanted!
Natsuyu marveled at the growing synergy between him and Yukinoshita Yukino. He came to a halt, turned around, and locked eyes with the Round-headed Spider leading the pack, which had already waded across the stream.
You are the one chasing most enthusiastically, aren't you?
Drop dead!
Eat my Flying Axe attack!
Natsuyu exerted his full strength, violently hurling the Stone Axe.
The Stone Axe spun through the air with a piercing whistle. The Round-headed Spider, caught in a full sprint, had no time to dodge as its abdomen was split wide open.
Natsuyu's aim was not actually that high, but the Round-headed Spider's size was massive; even if he missed the head, he would hit that bulbous, round belly.
With Natsuyu's top-tier physical functions and a Physique stat as high as 1.3, the Stone Axe dealt explosive damage even with a mere graze.
Squelch!
The leading Round-headed Spider's belly burst open. It lost all signs of life instantly, dropping a strand of Spider Silk, though there was no time to pick it up.
Natsuyu felt a slight regret over abandoning the Loot, but the successive system notifications that rang out made up for it, lifting his spirits.
[You have killed a lower-tier Monster. Experience +1]
[Congratulations on achieving Lower-level Monster Hunter. Please shout the incantation "Deng~ Long~ Zhan!" to claim your rewards: Bow Crafting, Arrow Crafting, Crossbow Crafting, 15 Experience.]
[Basic Achievement Tree unlocked a new Achievement:
...Lower-level Monster Hunter — Mid-class Monster Hunter (Hunt 3 Intermediate Monsters) — ?]
Bows and crossbows?
Long-range weapons!
Natsuyu watched the pursuing Round-headed Spiders, unable to suppress the upward curve of his lips. He had the excited look of a man who had spotted a perfectly straight stick on the side of the road.
If everyone were equipped with full-body armor and crossbows, these Round-headed Spiders would be nothing but easy pickings!
A mere rabble. He could kill as many as came his way; he could even venture deeper to hunt more of them.
These were all warm, delicious points of Experience.
Radiating joy, Natsuyu grabbed Yukinoshita Yukino's sleeve and turned to leave.
"Yukinoshita, let's go!"
Yukinoshita Yukino was dragged along by her sleeve. Her expression was complicated as she watched Natsuyu's happy profile, her lips pressed thin.
Just now, Natsuyu had been running slightly ahead of her.
But upon hearing the sound of the wind being pierced behind them, Natsuyu had immediately slowed down and moved behind her.
By the time Yukinoshita Yukino realized the sound was a ranged attack from the swarm of Round-headed Spiders, she was already being protected from the front.
Her reaction speed was by no means slow, yet Natsuyu was even faster; it must have been an entirely subconscious act.
Yukinoshita Yukino had been scared to death at that moment. If Natsuyu had been entangled by the spider silk or injured while trying to protect her, she would have felt guilty for a long time. Thus, she had slowed her pace, deciding to face it together with him.
Fortunately, it was a false alarm; the Round-headed Spiders could not threaten them once they were running.
However, the image of Natsuyu subconsciously protecting her still left Yukinoshita Yukino with complex emotions.
"Haa... haa... they finally stopped chasing."
Natsuyu gradually slowed from a sprint to a stop, leaning against a large tree to pant heavily, easing the fatigue of a full thousand-meter dash.
Two seconds later, Natsuyu's heavy breathing vanished as he made a realization.
He didn't seem very tired.
Is this the Physique of a top-tier human? A thousand-meter sprint barely left him winded; it was simply miraculous.
"Haa..."
The sound of slightly heavy breathing came from beside him. Natsuyu looked over.
Yukinoshita Yukino's fair skin was flushed with a healthy pink glow from the exercise. She raised a hand to wipe the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, her thin lips parting and closing with every breath. Her cat ears twitched gently, and a pair of crystal-clear cat eyes reflected Natsuyu's face without deviation.
Confused by the gaze, Natsuyu rubbed his face and asked, "Why do you keep staring at me?"
"Natsuyu-kun, I am not a fragile decorative vase."
Natsuyu responded with a light laugh, "I know. Yukinoshita is excellent. We are friends and teammates."
Yukinoshita Yukino's gaze was direct. "Then next time you encounter danger, do not think of facing it alone. Let me stand against the danger with you."
Natsuyu realized the truth.
It turned out that when Yukinoshita Yukino slowed down earlier, it wasn't because she realized he was going for a counter-kill.
It was because she didn't want to sell out her teammate; she was prepared to go down with him...
How should he put it? Looking at the serious and cute expression of Catgirl Yukinoshita Yukino, Natsuyu found it a bit funny, but if he actually laughed, she would probably get truly angry.
"Also, thank you for your... concern."
Yukinoshita Yukino remained expressionless, but the cat ears atop her head twitched repeatedly, and the round cat tail behind her stood tall and straight.
Natsuyu didn't know much about cat habits, but he felt that a straight tail should be a sign of positive emotional feedback. It completely betrayed the Yukinoshita Yukino who was pretending not to care, prompting him to say gently with a light smile:
"Concern between friends is only natural."
What a normie this guy is.
Yukinoshita Yukino felt helpless. She guessed Natsuyu was like this with everyone, yet she was the one left with complicated feelings that refused to settle for a long time. How infuriating.
"I suddenly feel that the nickname 'Mr. Central Air Conditioner' was not misplaced."
Natsuyu watched Yukinoshita Yukino, who had suddenly crossed her arms while deactivating her Cat Mode. Hearing her remark, he spread his hands helplessly:
"I don't think 'Central Air Conditioner' sounds very good. How about changing it to 'Mr. Handsome' at least?"
Yukinoshita Yukino said mercilessly, "At most, 'Warm Man-kun'."
"Warm Man-kun doesn't sound good either."
"Please do not tarnish this complimentary term, Warm Man-kun."
Natsuyu shuddered, then waved his hand to signal her to follow. "You should just call me by my name, Yukinoshita. Let's head back and see how Ema and the others are doing."
Yukinoshita Yukino squinted at Natsuyu's back.
He asked her to call him by his name so intimately, yet he only addressed her formally by her surname, and then he called Sakuraba Ema by her name so naturally... Could this person have a problem with her?
Yukinoshita Yukino rubbed her stomach and caught up to Natsuyu's side. "I'm a bit hungry."
Natsuyu looked up at the sun positioned at an angle in the sky, roughly 10:00 AM.
"It's not even noon yet... Wait, does transforming into a Catgirl consume energy, causing hunger to set in faster?"
(A/N: A straight cat tail is a signal of trust and pleasure)