Forest Friend

Morning sunlight washed over Kai's face, making his eyelids twitch before he forced them open.

He dragged his body upright, rubbing his eyes, yawning, and stretching his limbs.

Suddenly, he crossed his arms, shivering as the cold winter breeze blew through the tattered roof.

After coming to his senses, he glanced around and saw that Lira was awake. She, too, was shivering, sitting with a blanket wrapped tightly around her body.

"G-Good morning!" Lira greeted him with a warm smile, though her lips were blue and trembling from the cold.

"Ah, good morning!" Kai replied with a smile. Despite feeling cold, he wasn't shivering like Lira as he had grown used to this kind of environment.

"Are you okay?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as he observed her condition.

Hearing his question, Lira looked down, nodded, then quickly shook her head, hiding her lips, leaving Kai confused.

"Eh?" Kai tilted his head, puzzled by her inconsistent response. However, he chose not to press her further and changed the subject.

"It's really cold today. I think we need something to help keep us warm," he said, standing up and walking toward the table.

Kai grabbed the cloak and handed it to Lira.

"It won't be enough, but it's better than nothing," he said with a smile.

She unwrapped the blanket and put on the cloak. It was a dull black color and a bit loose on her small, fragile body, but it reached down to her ankles, offering some warmth.

"Hey, what do you say? Want to take a little tour around town while we buy ourselves something useful?" Kai asked, gesturing toward the wooden door of his shack.

Lira nodded with a smile. She stood up and followed him, still shivering slightly from the cold.

As they stepped outside, many people glanced their way but said nothing. as it was nothing new to see a child at slums, because who it could be other than a poor orphan?

Kai tugged her along as they strolled through the narrow alleyways leading to the market square. Along the way, he explained the places they passed, pointing things out with a casual air.

Lira listened to him curiously as if it were the first time she had ever heard such an explanation in her life.

They stopped at a fruit stall, bought some fruit, and continued on. As they reached the outskirts of town, Kai pointed to a large flat rock near the exit.

"You see that? I always used to come here to pass the time, sleeping," Kai said, gesturing toward the rock.

"Y-You come here alone? Don't you have any friends?" Lira asked, with her innocent voice.

"No, I don't." Kai shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I just live alone."

"What about you? Do you have any friends?"

Lira shook her head, her gaze falling to the ground. "I don't have any friends either."

"Does that mean you also live alone?" Kai asked curiously, as he didn't know much about witches.

Hearing his question, Lira shook her head vigorously.

"No, I lived with my parents... but I didn't really have any friends," she murmured, still staring at the ground.

"Ah, okay. Since neither of us has any friends, why don't we become friends?" Kai said with a smile, offering his hand to Lira.

"Really?" Lira's eyes widened with joy as she looked at his smiling face. Kai nodded in response.

She hesitated for a second but then quickly grabbed his hand and shook it.

"Alright, we're friends now, hahaha!" Kai declared, chuckling as they shook hands. In response, Lira giggled cutely.

"Now, let's head to the market square," Kai said as he gently dragged Lira along.

They stopped at several stalls, buying few winter clothes and one comforter. Kai couldn't help but notice how the vendors charged Lira less than they did when he inquired about prices.

'That must be her powers,' Kai thought as they made their way back home.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"I can't believe I spent almost all my money in a single day," Kai muttered, his head hanging low as he wiped away an imaginary tear from his eye.

The comforter wasn't very large, so Kai managed to carry it without much trouble.

When they finally reached home, they ate the food they had brought and shared a lighthearted conversation about their day.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and night fell, they spread out separate blankets on the floor to sleep. Kai pulled another blanket over himself, while Lira used the comforter.

The comforter was big enough to cover two people, but Kai insisted on sleeping alone, showing his "tough" side as if the cold didn't bother him.

"Achoo! Sniff!"

Kai sneezed, shivering slightly from time to time.

Seeing this, Lira sat up and pulled the comforter to the side, leaving enough room for Kai to join her.

"Umm, my grandpa always said never to share a bed with a boy. But... I won't tell him about this," Lira said, averting her gaze and gesturing for Kai to come over.

"Haha! I don't need that, I'm fin—" Kai started to protest but shivered violently as a cold breeze blew through before he could finish.

Reluctantly, he stood up, grabbed his blanket, and spread it beside Lira.

Lying down on it, he pulled the comforter over himself, his face turning red with embarrassment. Once again, his attempt at maintaining a tough demeanor had failed.

Lira curled up beside him, her back lightly touching his. Kai didn't mind and soon drifted off to sleep.

--

Several days passed as Kai continued to tour Lira around the town, showing her his secret hideouts. Over time, she seemed to recover from her trauma.

One night, after finishing their dinner, Kai turned to Lira, who was sitting beside him.

"Hey, Lira," he said, catching her attention as she turned her gaze toward him. "I need your help."

"Huh? My help?" she asked, blinking in surprise.

Kai nodded, his expression turning serious.

"You see, there are some people who bullied me and used to beat me," he said, staring straight into her eyes. "And now... I want to take revenge on them. So, please, will you help me?"

"Eh?" Lira tilted her head, she was dumbfounded by his question.

"I-I mean, I want you to beat them... with your powers," Kai clarified hesitantly.

"What powers? What are you even talking about?" she replied, her confusion only deepening.

Kai's eyes widened in shock as he stared at her, unable to comprehend her reaction.

"Wait, why are you acting like that? Aren't you the Wicked Forest Witch?" Kai blurted out.

Hearing this, Lira snapped to her feet, glaring at him.

"What witch?!" before she could say more, Kai opened his mouth.

"W-Well, I thought you were a witch, so I tried to do my best to stay on your good side and... uh... use you for my revenge." His voice faltered, and he looked at her nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Lira's face flushed with anger. Without a second thought, she slammed her head into Kai's, intending to punish him. But instead, she recoiled in pain, clutching her forehead with her palm.

"Ouch," Kai groaned, rubbing his own forehead.

Lira pouted, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at him.

"Okay, so you kept me here because you thought I was some witch you could use. And now that you know I'm just a human, you're going to kick me out, huh?"

"No, no, Lira, you've got a misun—" Kai began, but before he could finish, she interrupted him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Kai. I'll leave on my own tomorrow," Lira said sharply, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt.

"You just go find your witch and live with her. Grandpa was right— all boys are scoundrels."

With that, she quickly laid down on her blanket, pulled the comforter over herself, and turned away from him, facing the wall.

"Hey, Lira, just listen to me," Kai pleaded, standing up and taking a hesitant step toward her.

"I don't want to listen! Go away, you meanie!" Lira snapped her voice muffled by the comforter.

Kai froze in his tracks, staring at her small, curled-up figure. Sighing in defeat, he laid down where he had been standing, pulling another blanket over himself.

Lira drifted off to sleep after a few minutes, her breathing evening out, but Kai stayed awake, staring at the tattered roof above.

'Great work Kai, you hurt your only friend,' Thoughts swirled in his mind, keeping him restless the whole night.

As morning arrived, Lira woke up, rubbing her eyes and letting out a soft yawn. Stretching her limbs, she pulled herself to her feet.

Her gaze briefly met Kai's, and he greeted her with a warm smile. "Good morning, Lira."

But she simply looked away, walking toward the door. Before stepping outside, she paused, bowing slightly toward him.

"Thank you for saving me, Mr. Kai. I think it's time for me to leave now."

She turned and stepped out.

"Hey, wait!" Kai sprang to his feet and ran after her. "Look, I'm sorry! I didn't really mean what I said. We're friends, right?"

"Sorry," Lira replied coldly, not turning to face him. "You wanted to be a witch's friend, not mine. Please don't follow me."

Kai continued following her, pleading with her to stop, but she refused to listen. After a few minutes of persistence, he finally grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"What are you doing?" she snapped, trying to pull her hand away, but his grip held firm.

"There's still one secret place I haven't shown you yet," he said with a mischievous smile, tilting his head slightly. "Don't you want to see it?"

Lira blinked, caught off guard by his sudden shift in tone. She frowned but hesitated for a moment.

Lira didn't say anything, knowing that resisting would be futile. Reluctantly, she followed Kai.

"Wait, why are we going into a forest?" Her eyes widened in panic as she realized where he was leading her.

"Don't worry, just trust me," Kai replied with a reassuring smile and continued dragging her deeper into the forest.

To her surprise, no beasts appeared to attack them or even cross their path. The eerie silence of the forest sent chills down her spine, but Kai seemed unbothered, walking with confidence.

After about ten minutes, they stopped in front of a large, shadowy cave. Kai turned to Lira, smiling brightly, but she could only stare at the ominous entrance with a terrified expression.

Suddenly, a deep, gravelly voice echoed.

{Ah, it's you, boy. And it seems you've brought a friend.}