"It is turning into a cat, not a Catgirl. Don't go adding strange words on your own—I assume the hunger is caused by the Transformation."
The sensation of an empty stomach was unpleasant. Yukinoshita Yukino pursed her lips, putting on a brave face and refusing to admit that she already felt a burning pain in her stomach.
She hadn't expected the side effects of the Transformation to be this severe.
However, even if she had known it would be painful beforehand, she still would have chosen to transform to support Natsuyu.
This time, Natsuyu indeed hadn't been injured, but what about next time?
If she just assumed Natsuyu was strong and always let him face danger alone, it would be extremely troublesome if he ended up getting hurt in this wilderness.
Ugh...
So hungry...
Yukinoshita Yukino watched as Natsuyu plucked a few tree leaves, carefully wiped them clean against his white dress shirt, and placed one in his mouth to chew. He then turned around, opened his palm, and handed the other leaves to her. With half a leaf dangling from his mouth, he smiled against the sunlight:
"The taste is acceptable. I've tested them; they should be non-toxic and edible. Eat up, I'll join you."
He really is like a sun.
Yukinoshita Yukino marveled for what felt like the nth time at how Natsuyu's normie attributes were maxed out. She reached out to take the leaves and placed one in her mouth to chew, never imagining there would come a day when she would be reduced to eating leaves to stave off hunger.
But because Natsuyu was eating the leaves with her, she didn't feel that it was particularly embarrassing.
His emotional intelligence is so high; did he even take this into account...?
Mm, such a raw, bitter taste, and a faint scent of body wash—a scent that definitely didn't belong to a leaf. It must be the scent of sweat.
Yukinoshita Yukino glanced at Natsuyu's clothes, which were stained with a bit of perspiration. Feeling quite helpless, she wanted to throw away the leaf in her hand and go pluck a few fresh ones herself.
However, meeting Natsuyu's confident and radiant smile, she made the difficult decision to give him face.
Yukinoshita Yukino finished the few leaves that didn't taste very pleasant and carried the scent of a certain boy. Feeling the burning pain in her abdomen indeed subside, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Natsuyu asked, "Want more?"
"No!"
Yukinoshita Yukino made a large 'X' with her arms, sternly refusing.
Don't even think about making her eat something with the scent of Natsuyu's sweat ever again. This time, she would absolutely refuse regardless of giving him face!
Dammit, why was she so possessed just now that she didn't refuse?
Although Natsuyu's scent on the leaves was very faint—just the smell of body wash—and didn't affect her appetite, the mere thought of it made it feel as if she were licking his skin. It was, after all, very strange.
If Haruno and Mother ever found out about this, they would definitely laugh at her for a lifetime!
Natsuyu nodded and dropped the subject. "It seems you don't like eating leaves."
Yukinoshita Yukino's teeth were clenched. "What normal person would like eating them! It's truly a feat for Warm Man-kun, of all people, to think of eating leaves to stave off hunger."
She hadn't considered the method of eating leaves at all to alleviate the pain.
"That's because you are too young."
Natsuyu took on the air of someone who had seen it all, remarking, "In years of famine, having leaves to eat would be considered quite good."
Yukinoshita Yukino squinted her eyes. "I didn't expect Warm Man-kun to be so well-versed in history."
Actually, it was just from hearing his grandmother talk about the old days in his previous life.
Natsuyu smiled without explaining. Seeing that the look of pain had vanished from Yukinoshita Yukino's face, a sense of urgency rose in his heart.
Eating leaves could only serve as an emergency measure to prevent an empty stomach and keep stomach acid from damaging the stomach lining.
The food problem had to be put on the agenda immediately.
...
Natsuyu crafted a new Stone Axe and made markers along the way, leading the already lost Yukinoshita Yukino back to the Splendid Gate.
Even if this wasn't the Don't Starve World, it was very similar to it. He might as well call this portal the Splendid Gate; it was the name of the starting gate in the game.
With these thoughts, Natsuyu approached and found that the three girls had already returned.
Kiana stood in front of the Splendid Gate, facing Tokisaki Kurumi and shielding Sakuraba Ema and Kushida Kikyo.
Sakuraba Ema took a timid yet brave step forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kiana.
Kushida Kikyo hesitated for a few seconds and, after seeing Sakuraba Ema's action, moved to the other side of Kiana to stand with them.
They were in a standoff with Tokisaki Kurumi, who was suspended in the air.
Seeing Natsuyu, Tokisaki Kurumi smiled slightly. "The person who can explain has arrived. Natsuyu-kun, I'll leave them to you."
With that, Tokisaki Kurumi closed her eyes, her head drooping as she fell into a deep sleep.
The three girls noticed Natsuyu and Yukinoshita Yukino's return.
Sakuraba Ema looked as if she had found her pillar of support, her expression instantly turning to one of relief. She raised her right hand high and called out softly, "Natsuyu, Yukino-san! She suddenly came back to life just now and said you two had reached a cooperation."
Kushida Kikyo was struggling to suppress her fear. "How... how did she come to life? Is she human or a ghost?"
Kiana nodded. "She gave me a fright. I thought she was one of the Deadweights. I'm certain she was a breathless corpse just now; what on earth is going on? Natsuyu, do you two seem close?"
Natsuyu approached and looked at Tokisaki Kurumi.
He now seriously suspected that Tokisaki Kurumi wanted to slack off, so she only woke up when she sensed him approaching. After giving Kiana and the others a scare, she pushed the task of explaining onto him.
If he said 'I'm her brother' right now, would Tokisaki Kurumi wake up immediately, exposed for eavesdropping?
Natsuyu looked at the three girls and discovered that the most cowardly was not the seemingly delicate Sakuraba Ema, but rather Kushida Kikyo. Her smooth white thighs between her short socks and JK skirt were shaking from fear.
"Tokisaki Kurumi is not an enemy."
Natsuyu briefly explained his agreement with Tokisaki Kurumi.
Kiana had a realization. "So she's a veteran. Playing dead might be her ability. I didn't expect there to be danger at night as well. Natsuyu, Yukino, it's thanks to you, otherwise we might have been killed by a Monster tonight."
Kushida's fear diminished. Having the spare energy to maintain her persona, she placed her hands in front of her chest and looked up with an admiring gaze:
"Exchanging a living creature for protection at night—Natsuyu and Yukino, you guys are amazing!"
"I saw some birds and wanted to catch them, but unfortunately, I couldn't. It shouldn't be a problem if we work together; Tokisaki Kurumi's request is quite simple."
Kushida Kikyo offered a little angel's smile, full of positive expectations for the future.
Yukinoshita Yukino felt a bit awkward. This cooperation was clearly facilitated by Natsuyu; she had played no part in it.
Sakuraba Ema raised her hand high and called out softly but clearly, "Um! Everyone, I found a lot of Berries. They should be edible."
Natsuyu immediately looked at Sakuraba Ema in surprise, giving her a thumbs-up and not being stingy with his praise:
"Well done, Ema!"
"Hehe, I'm just glad I could help everyone. I remembered Natsuyu's words and didn't touch the Berries, but I remembered the path. It's in this direction."
Natsuyu's favorable impression of Sakuraba Ema surged.
This well-behaved soft girl was just too likable.
"There's no time to lose, let's go collect the Berries first."
Natsuyu raised an eyebrow at Yukinoshita Yukino and took the lead toward the direction Sakuraba Ema had pointed.
Watching Natsuyu's proactiveness, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but think:
Although food is important for everyone, I am the one who needs to eat the most right now. Natsuyu's urgency regarding food... could it be because he's worried about me?
No, what am I thinking? Natsuyu is probably just naturally happy about finding food.