Chapter 113: Rekka: Shine My Shoes
The carnivorous plant was feeling rather smug—that's right, even the flora on this planet possessed a rudimentary level of intelligence.
But in the next second, its smugness evaporated.
The digestive fluids it had secreted seemed to be utterly useless.
"Gah! My clothes!"
In a flash of fury, Rekka's fist shot out, punching clean through the man-eating plant's fleshy stalk.
"You've made me angry," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Now I really have to use the power of Trailblaze on you."
Rekka stood before the plant, soaking wet and disheveled. His clothes were shredded, torn with several large holes that exposed the skin beneath. But the plant was in far worse shape. Green sap bled continuously from the gaping wound he'd torn through its body. Its massive, flower-like crown slumped heavily to one side, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.
And yet, it was still struggling.
The mimicked girl, the plant's lure, let out a strange, guttural roar.
Wait, why did it actually look a little cute trying to be fierce?
Although the plant was pouring all its energy into the mimicry, trying to scare Rekka away, it was clearly having no effect.
Rekka shook the viscous sap from his hands and took a deliberate step forward.
The Mimic Girl flinched back in terror, and the entire Rafflesia-like body behind her trembled in unison.
"It's one thing to trick me for a free meal," Rekka said, his eyes narrowed. "But you even digested my clothes."
"I'm going to have to teach you a proper lesson!"
"Rekka!"
The sound of footsteps crushing fallen leaves echoed from the distance, accompanied by March 7th's crisp, familiar shout.
Before long, March 7th and Stelle pushed their way through the head-high bushes and emerged into the clearing.
"My goodness, did you fall into a slop bucket?" The moment March 7th saw Rekka, she was nearly knocked unconscious by the overwhelming stench.
Stelle, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered by the smell. Her attention was entirely captivated by the strange Mimic Girl standing beside Rekka. Carrying her baseball bat over her shoulder, she leaned in and began to circle the bizarre Rafflesia.
This plant, possessing a relatively high level of intelligence, saw the three predators—all stronger than itself, all holding sharp-looking applies—and instantly understood. It was going to die today.
"Wuu… wuu wuu…"
The Mimic Girl trembled violently, a soft, pleading whimper escaping its lips.
Spare me…
Rekka froze, stunned for a moment.
"...Did you two just say something?" he asked, turning his head back toward his friends.
A bit strange?
Although the Synesthesia Beacon wasn't working, he could suddenly feel the creature's thoughts—though he wasn't quite sure why a plant would have "thoughts" in the first place.
"It's actually quite cute," March 7th said, squatting down to get a better look at the Mimic Girl. "Even though it just tried to eat you."
"It's just the law of the jungle out here in the rainforest. Perfectly normal," Rekka reasoned. "It didn't know who I was. It saw prey, so it naturally tried to hunt."
"And you still hit it?" March asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It digested my clothes."
That was a very sufficient reason. March 7th nodded in complete understanding.
Rekka cleared his throat and, with a theatrical flourish, declared, "Shine my shoes!"
The Mimic Girl stared at him, dazed and confused for a moment. Then, the weakened Rafflesia body behind her extended a single, pliant vine and gave Rekka's boots a clumsy wipe.
"It can actually understand me?" Rekka muttered, scratching his head.
It seemed his current Path had granted him some unique abilities related to Trailblaze. It was an ability akin to Mental Guidance, not unlike the Watchmaker's fabled Clockwork that could gently nudge a person's heart. After all, guiding a mind was just another form of trailblazing, and this, too, was the essence of the Path.
"You can understand what it's saying now?" March 7th squatted nearby and poked the Mimic Girl curiously with her finger. The main body behind the lure trembled again. The girl-like appendage itself didn't have much of a reaction, as it was merely an extension of the true body behind it.
"You can understand me, right?" Rekka asked tentatively. "I'm not going to kill you."
The Mimic Girl looked up, staring at him with a pair of large, innocent eyes, and then shivered timidly.
"She's soft," March commented, "and she feels quite nice to the touch."
"Since you can understand me, let's make a deal," Rekka proposed. "You ate my clothes, and I punched a hole through you, so we're even. But my clothes can't be ruined for nothing. Is there anything good in your territory? Take us to see it, and I'll let you go."
The Mimic Girl paused for a moment, then the massive floral crown behind her swayed slightly.
Rekka quickly taught the plant a few basic communication gestures: nodding for yes, shaking its head for no.
"You mean you're just a pure trap and can only hunt while standing in place?"
The Mimic Girl nodded.
Suddenly, the lure opened its mouth, though it was unclear what it intended to do.
"What's she trying to do?" March asked.
"...It's nectar," Rekka said, his expression complex. "She's begging us not to eat her."
He stared at the glistening liquid that had appeared in the girl's mouth and was now pooling in her cupped hands.
To be precise, this Mimic Girl was…
Well, once he considered which part of the Rafflesia this lure actually was, Rekka felt he couldn't look at the mimicked girl the same way again.
"Such a strong stench..." March grimaced.
A thick, cloying scent of rotting meat wafted from the girl. But he wondered… did the nectar taste any good?
Unable to contain her curiosity, Stelle reached out a finger, dipped it into the nectar secreted from the girl's palm, and brought it to her lips.
"The taste is a bit weird, but it's actually kind of sweet…?"
"You—you tasted it?!" March shrieked, recoiling.
"Yeah." Stelle licked her finger again, seemingly savoring the flavor. "Even though it smells stinky, it really does taste a bit sweet. Want to try some?"
"That smell is like a pair of socks left out for half a month, and you actually managed to put it in your mouth!"
Stelle smacked her lips, carefully appreciating the lingering flavor on the tip of her tongue. "But the nectar really is sweet."
The Mimic Girl shivered in fear, watching the exchange.
"Alright, I'm not some great villain," Rekka sighed, pulling off his corroded jacket. "I won't hold the matter of you dissolving my clothes against you anymore."
Thinking it was being offered food, the Mimic Girl reached out with a vine, touched the fabric, and then tentatively pulled it back.
Stelle squatted down, pulled a compressed biscuit from her pocket, and held it out. "Want to try this?"
The Mimic Girl stared warily at the biscuit, its vines swaying gently behind it. It then reached out a slender, mimicked finger to poke the biscuit before shrinking back and looking at Stelle timidly.
"Let's test how hard of a food she can eat," Stelle suggested.
"Erm… are you sure?" March asked.
"After all, every plant on Onnivak has its own unique skill. Don't you want to test it out?"
"I guess…"
"Super-hard compressed food that could shatter diamond dentures!" Rekka announced, tossing the biscuit directly into the maw of the carnivorous Rafflesia's main body. The Mimic Girl, being just a lure, didn't have the necessary functions for digestion.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"It finished eating?" Rekka wasn't too surprised. After all, even the weakest plants on this planet had teeth with diamond-level hardness.
"Here, have another piece," Stelle offered.
This time, the Mimic Girl didn't hesitate. It took the biscuit and carefully fed it into the main body behind it. The petals of the Rafflesia gently closed and then opened again, as if expressing satisfaction.
"Maybe we should bring her back to the Astral Express?" Stelle mused.
"That won't do," March immediately protested. "This smell… I'm afraid if the Conductor smelled it, he would let out a truly sharp screech."
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