After walking for a while, Kogan noticed a tree with relatively large leaves—big enough to be used as fans.
This tree wasn't common; it was the first time he had seen one since arriving in this place.
Its fruits resembled grapes but had a different taste.
Kogan picked a bunch and ate them before starting to cut the leaves.
"Should I help?" Hinako asked, waiting for opportunities like this to prove her usefulness to him.
"I won't say no."
"That's fair enough," she smiled and began plucking leaves alongside him.
After gathering dozens, Kogan rolled up a portion, tied them together, and formed a belt. He wrapped it around his waist—though uneven, it did the job.
He then stuffed the remaining leaves between himself and the belt, crafting a makeshift green skirt.
"You look like a primitive man now," Hinako started laughing at him.
Kogan turned toward her with a serious face.
"I was just joking!" She quickly stopped laughing and apologized.
"Should I take it off?"
"Huh?" She raised her eyebrows in fear and tension.
"This…" he said, pointing at the leaf skirt, "If you don't like it, I'll remove it."
"No, no, no! It's great! I was just joking earlier," Hinako waved her hands frantically.
"I see," Kogan sighed, then continued walking.
'He cares about my opinion!' Hinako couldn't believe it, but she felt happy.
***
After a long time had passed.
"Aren't we going to rest for a bit? We've been walking for a long time."
Hinako walked with her arms swinging in front of her like a drunk person.
"We won't stop until we reach our destination."
"And where is our destination?"
"As long as there's a place to step forward, it means we haven't reached it yet."
"That means our destination is at the end of the road."
"The end of one road is the beginning of another," his voice was calm, and his eyes were lost in deep thought.
"What are we even talking about? And what does this have to do with us being lost in this forest?"
Hinako felt confused, yawning the entire time.
"Alright, we'll rest here."
"Finally," she sighed in relief.
They stopped in a place that looked just like everywhere else. Sitting on the ground, they leaned against two opposite trees.
After a brief silence, Hinako spoke, "You said you worked in the cooking field... That wasn't true, was it?"
"Didn't you all do the same?"
"Seems like everyone thinks the same way," Hinako sighed, then asked, "Were you able to see my reflection there?"
"No, I was just looking, but your reaction made it clear to me. Everyone sees only their own reflection and hides it, thinking it's something special." He rested his head against the tree and closed his eyes calmly.
"Don't you know what that means?"Hinako raised her eyebrows.
"And why should I?"
"You seem like a wise and educated person."
"Hahaha, I can barely read."Kogan laughed mockingly.
"Hmph... You're lying again."She tilted her head.
"Why would I lie to someone like you?"
"Someone like me? What do you mean by that?" She pointed at him, puffing out her cheeks.
She paused for a moment, sighed, then added quietly, "Where did you live before coming here?"
"In the continent of Kremen."
"Kremen! I knew someone like you wouldn't be from Earth."Hinako sighed.
"What's the name of the place you came from?"
"It's the continent of Asia."
"And do you offer human sacrifices there?"
"No… we don't. Maybe in the distant past, people did such things, but now all those superstitions have disappeared."
"Nice… sounds like a good place to live." A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Earlier, I remember you said something about being offered as a sacrifice… My god, you were terrifying back there."
"I was burned alive in front of everyone."
"That's terrifying. I can't even imagine the pain you went through." She shivered slightly just thinking about it.
Kogan opened his eyes, and they were black, shining with a faint yellow glow. "The burning wasn't painful. My only dear friend was killed while opposing my sacrifice. They could have just beaten him, but... they killed him to show that anyone who defies them will die. Isn't it ridiculous? Showing off your strength in front of a bunch of filthy ignorants."
Hinako wiped her tears with her delicate fingers. "Your life is really terrible… My problems would seem like a drop of water compared to yours. There's no need to mention them."
"Let's keep moving." Kogan sighed and stood up.
"But we just sat down." She raised her hands while looking at him, but he ignored her. She let out a sigh of surrender and stood up.
"Maaa... Maaa..."
Kogan quickly turned toward the source of the sound.
Hinako's eyes widened. "Oooh, it's the Lightning Sheep... Ah—!"
Boom.
As Hinako was speaking, Kogan suddenly kicked the small sheep with force. It crashed into a tree, letting out one last cry of pain.
"Lightning Sheep? Have you encountered it before?" Kogan moved to inspect the dead sheep.
"I'm the one who gave it that name. I found it before with Julian, but it escaped from us at an unbelievable speed," Hinako said, then thought to herself, 'I'm really lucky to be with him. What would I have done if Julian hadn't died?' She sighed in relief.
'There's no way to cook this sheep. I can't start a fire, and there's nothing sharp to cut it with. For now, I'll just carry it with me,' Kogan thought. He then grabbed the sheep's hind legs with his left hand and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
"This will be the first time we get to eat meat here!" Hinako clenched her fists in excitement.
'I need to heal my injuries first,' Kogan thought. Suddenly, the weight of the sheep vanished from his back.
He pulled his hand back, only to see the sheep dissolve into a faint white mist, disappearing into the air.
Tak... Tak... Tak...
'Amazing,' Kogan thought as he looked at his right hand, seeing that his fingers had returned to their normal shape.
'My injuries have healed somewhat, but not completely.'
He clenched his fist and did a few squats and jumps to test his body.
"Our dinner vanished, but that doesn't surprise me anymore... Whoa! Your hand is healed!" Hinako exclaimed, pointing at his hand.
"I'm not sure how exactly, but it has something to do with the sheep..." Kogan said.
Suddenly, the morning illuminated the surroundings like a lamp in a dark room.