"So, I'm really not interested in figuring out what makes that kind of guy tick. More importantly, I want to know how I can get even stronger."
"Ga-Gavial, you're already really strong!"
"Not enough, not enough. Compared to that girl, and compared to Garde, I'm still far behind."
"That girl?"
"Yeah, a woman from the Vouivre tribe. I wouldn't lose in a straight fight, but the moment she starts using that Originium Art of hers, I can't beat her."
Though it had been two months, Gavial was still hung up on her loss to Saria. She wasn't as composed as she appeared on the surface.
"Originium Arts..."
Gavial muttered to herself. She could use some minor tricks, but compared to that Vouivre woman, they were hardly worth mentioning.
In Garde's house, two lively young girls and a half-grown child were having a meal together. It had to be said that while Garde was gone, he'd left plenty of supplies behind: pickled cabbage, radishes, string beans, smoked meat—there was no shortage.
Since Garde wasn't around, it would be a waste not to eat them.
"Zumama, when are you going back to your tribe? If you keep staying here, they might think something happened to you."
"It's fine."
The short-haired, pointy-eared girl replied nonchalantly as she continued eating. "Garde left plenty of tools here that I can use, so there's no rush to go back."
"This isn't your home!"
"Garde told me to treat this place like home."
"That's just something people say to be polite!"
"I don't think so."
"I think it is."
"It's not."
"It is."
"..."
Watching Gavial and Zumama bicker like children, Tomimi finished the last bite of her meal and stepped outside.
It had been two months since Garde left, and she missed him.
Suddenly, she heard a voice.
"Gavial, Garde is back!"
Hearing this, Tomimi's face lit up with joy, and she hurried back into the house.
"Gavial! Gavial! Garde is back!"
The two who had been about to start another fight stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.
"Fight tomorrow?"
"Fight tomorrow."
The two rushed outside, leaving Tomimi standing there alone.
"Ga-Gavial, wait for me!"
By this time, Garde was already surrounded by a large crowd, most of whom were members of the Wilderness Will tribe, along with a few traders from other tribes.
Garde was quite famous in Acahualla—not just because he had ventured into the Hotlands and returned alive but also because he was genuinely strong.
In the rainforest, physical strength was highly respected. Might made right.
Garde was widely regarded as the strongest contender for the position of the next chieftain of Acahualla. Some even declared that if Garde entered the competition, they would withdraw and fully support him as the next chieftain.
Not long ago, Garde had ventured into the Hotlands, inspiring a group of Acahualla's Tiacauh warriors to think they could do the same.
"Didn't expect that Garde didn't go to the Hotlands but went to pick up his daughter instead."
"Garde's daughter seems pretty old already, around three or four years, right?"
"Could it be that when Garde went out a few years ago, he hooked up with some woman from outside?"
"..."
As the murmurs spread, Garde noticed that the story of him having a daughter was quickly being rationalized by everyone around. People were making up tales about how he abandoned someone outside because of Gavial, only to later find out the woman had given birth to his child, and that's why he had no choice but to bring her back.
If it weren't for little Whisperain being so scared she curled up tightly in his pack, Garde might've already taught these guys a lesson.
In the rainforest, fighting was a virtue!
At that moment, a voice came from outside the crowd.
"Break it up, break it up! Why are you all crowding around Garde? Have you finished hunting? Hung the laundry? Cooked your meals? If you've done all that, go eat! What's so interesting here? Never seen a good-looking guy before?"
Gavial pushed her way through the crowd, grabbed Garde, and started dragging him out.
"Whatever you need to say, we'll talk back at the house."
Gavial glanced at the little Whisperain in Garde's pack. She didn't believe for a second that such a frail little thing could be Garde's daughter. Just look at her—so weak! If she and Garde had a child, and that child couldn't beat a full-grown Adakrys adult by the age of three, she'd be ashamed.
"Gavial, why is your face suddenly red?"
"None of your business!"
Back at Garde's house, Gavial tilted her head up to look at him.
"Garde, you've grown taller in these two months, haven't you?"
She compared herself to him with her hand and realized, much to her frustration, that she, who used to reach Garde's chest, couldn't even reach that anymore. How annoying!
"Yeah, just a bit taller."
Garde gestured slightly with his hand. Seeing that Gavial couldn't even reach his chest now, he suddenly remembered his intimate moments with Saria.
Hmm... until he figured out how to control his own size, he resolved to stay pure.
Desire leads to emptiness!
Gavial pouted and hopped onto the table, motioning towards the little Whisperain in Garde's arms.
"So, what's the deal with this little one?"
Although she didn't believe the girl was Garde's daughter, she wanted to hear it directly from him.
"Well..."
Garde placed little Whisperain in the corner, leaned closer to Gavial, and whispered the whole story of how Whisperain came to be with him. Though they'd grown up as childhood friends, such intimate gestures hadn't happened between him and Gavial in years.
"I-I get it. It's not like I didn't believe you."
Gavial crossed her arms, turning her head to the side. Garde could clearly see her ears turning slightly pink.
Seizing the moment, Garde decided it was now or never. If he was going to die for saying it, he might as well get it over with. There was no point in hiding—it would only make things worse.
Being a flirt comes with consequences.
"Uh, Gavial..."
"Hm?"
"Well..."
"If you've got something to say, spit it out! Since when did you become so wishy-washy?"
Gavial gave him a puzzled look, unsure what he was playing at.
"It's just, I like you!"
For a moment, Gavial's heart stopped.
"Eh?"
"I like you..."
Garde closed his eyes, bracing himself with a look of resignation, like a pig about to face boiling water.
"...and everyone else!"
The smile that had just begun to spread across Gavial's face vanished instantly.
"Wait, what?"
<+>
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