Chapter 30: It was such a loss
It was at least past midnight.
Bryce reunited with his friends and embraced Gengo and Sharla, then the three distanced themselves far away from the village and the troll's forest. They didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore.
After finding a good camping spot, Sharla stopped Bryce and his dog.
"I'll prepare a camp!" she said, telling her friends to sit down and wait.
In their current situation, Bryce couldn't leverage his status nor that peculiar gaze to give her a hand. It would be much easier if he used his system to do all stuff with just a few clicks, but knowing the reason for such an offer, Bryce hadn't shown anything and just thanked her.
Sharla went around with the masking totems, planting them to ensure no monster sensed them and their food. Then in a little clumsy way, Sharla unfolded tents and prepared sleeping bags.
She insisted on preparing a bonfire, too.
After gathering branches in her little hands, Sharla dropped them on the ground, then went onto her knees to start the fire with black stones and a knife. By sliding the stone on the sharp knife, Sharla easily created some sparks, then the bonfire hissed with tongues of flames.
Bryce found her and her actions charming, faintly smiling at her as she prepared everything for them. He then passed her epic-grade meat and scrutinized her face. Once again, Sharla surprised him as she hadn't shown any hunger or desire to eat the best meat in the world, carefully putting it on branches.
At last, Sharla pulled a long log to their side. She patted on it, then after Bryce took a seat on the edge so Gengo could be close to him, Sharla sat down next to him, and pretty close, at that.
She always sat on the opposite side, but not for today.
Sharla stared at her hands, which were dirty and a little painful.
"Won't you heal them?" Bryce saw her looking down, no way he'd have missed that with her so close, and he asked.
The healer shook her head and replied with a grin, "I won't do it for tonight. Only in this way, I'll be able to feel like a part of today's events. And, from now on, I will remember it every time I prepare a camp for myself."
Being unable to do anything with the villain and his servants around them surely hurt Sharla's feelings. Knowing that Bryce preferred her and Gengo to leave was enough to tell the clear difference between residents without special traits and the chosen ones.
She didn't give up on pursuing strength alongside status, however. And not to end the day on a sour note and to be a real part of Bryce's journey, Sharla wanted to do something for him.
Bryce could tell her feelings, and he felt bad for not telling her about himself and his other side. But for the same reason he didn't plan to journey with her after the village's arc, Bryce kept those thoughts to himself.
Sometimes, for the sake of others, it was better to keep some things to oneself. Recalling his cool moments with her as the audience, Bryce knew his case was simple; he'd rather have her still think of him just as a hero.
He still believed she would find her path and be able to adventure together with him in the future. Taking her with himself and Gengo now would only limit them all.
If such a future was impossible, they would still be friends, hopefully having some casual meetings in the Freedom Metropolis.
Still, Sharla's feelings were lovely and genuine, and she left a sweet impression on Bryce.
He whispered, "That's nice of you." Bryce then lifted his hand and roughly ruffled Sharla's hair to the point where her ponytail untied itself!
Looking at her with messy hair and into her eyes as Sharla turned her eyes at him, Bryce smirked, "Only now you will remember this day well."
Gengo loudly barked, adding the latest puzzle to their moment.
With her cheeks burning, Sharla smiled broadly and replied, "Thank you, guys!"
A few minutes later, it was time to feast! Of course, no amount of epic-grade meat and its taste could compare to what Sharla's heart felt at that moment!
On the other hand, Bryce and Gengo kept digging into the meat as though they had never tasted it.
Sharla stared at them oddly, "You two…."
Gengo finished his portion, then howled like a wolf. More! He thought!
Bryce took a wide bite, gulped it down, then said with narrowed eyes, "Shut up, Gengo, you eat too fast."
Gengo growled and stood up, ready to argue!
Sharla sighed.
-
-
-
-
It was a bright morning!
Amidst birds' chirping their tunes, the sun warming the tents, and the cloudless sky doing nothing to stop it, Bryce woke up first with his two friends lying on him. He didn't know how he'd ended up in this situation, but there was, indeed, Sharla sleeping soundlessly on his chest.
He didn't drink anything last night simply because no one had alcohol. He ate too much, though, mainly because his thirst for blood and heart still lingered on his mind, even while being just your typical human.
Bryce and his friends bickered quite a lot that night, though. He remembered that well.
Sharla complained a lot about them marring their last night with their heads in meat! And as she kept rebuking them until they went to the tent, Bryce was so tired, and so she was, that both of them entered the same tent.
Gengo didn't want to be alone, so he tagged in.
A lot happened that day, so Bryce believed it was normal for him to get tired at the end of the day.
"Well…" He slightly lifted his head and looked down at the sleeping bag. He spotted a bump on it, which obviously meant one thing: he'd rather somehow quench down that natural reaction. "If a man wakes up with morning wood, it means he's healthy, doesn't it? She's indeed a born healer, taking care of me even in her sleep."
Finding his words amusing, Bryce cackled faintly, not wanting to wake up others. He'd rather have them sleep for a little longer. Still, in this situation, what else could Bryce think about other than a girl's body?
He knew Sharla was his age, and if he played his cards right, he would part ways with her in a really memorable way, with their bodies remembering that day forever.
But Bryce hadn't shown much interest in sex in another world, so he didn't know what kind of protection girls used to avoid getting pregnant. What if she had no way, and it would be a bare ride? That could end up with a risk of Sharla leaving with his child, which was just heartless.
And would a kid be a hybrid, too?
'What if my seed is actually dangerous?' Bryce seriously thought.
And while he lost himself in those thoughts, Sharla woke up. She found his hand on her waist and then saw his lost in clouds eyes, gawking ahead as thought complementing the world's wonders. No matter what form he was in, Bryce was a handsome fellow, and she was in the same bed as him!
Sharla stuttered, perplexed like never before, "I-I-I must have been t-t-tired! I'm sorry, and thanks for the bed!"
"Huh?" Bryce woke up from his thoughts, saw Sharla's back running away from his tent, then slowly lifted his upper body.
He suddenly realized what he had lost.
"I don't even remember her touch and warmth!" It was such a loss. "I think too much! I think too fucking much!"
Bryce hit his knee from anger, clicked his tongue, then dropped onto the pillow again. It was fine to think a lot about the world, for it was dangerous, and his path to survive in it, but how could he overthink his sexual life? How could he even think that he couldn't have children and that his seed was dangerous to girls?
He could've leveraged the situation, hugged the healer, then teased her before their parting. It'd be so much fun, wouldn't it?
But instead, Bryce spent time on unnecessary thoughts, losing such a chance.
He was just eighteen, so this was a real loss; even his rational and mature side couldn't argue with his young mind and heart.
"Amen."
Gengo woke up and reared his head. Amen? He thought, then loudly barked! Hungry, he said!
Bryce clicked his tongue again, and annoyed by his loss, he took out the heart covered in bloody thorns, the vampire royal's snack.
Gengo shivered, whined, and his body shrunk so much that he became a puppy.
"Hey, I feel bad now," Bryce hid the heart and washed his hand through the water he had in his inventory. He then apologized to Gengo, encouraged him that he received a new skill to become smaller, then promised a lot of meat for breakfast.
Only with that did Gengo cheer up and leave the tent.