Flying like an angel

"They appeared suddenly."

Hinako turned to look at the seven water springs that had suddenly appeared behind her.

The springs made no sound; the only reason she noticed them was because she had turned around by chance to check if Julian was still following her.

'This means there are plenty of water sources within this great tree,' she thought with a hint of relief.

At least now, they wouldn't have to meet out of necessity for water. She could simply search for another source every now and then until she found a hidden place to settle down.

Hinako continued walking to explore the place further.

After a short while, darkness began to spread rapidly, and the animals that had been grazing started moving in groups, heading toward the great tree in an orderly manner.

And so, Hinako's second night in this place arrived.

'I feel so sleepy, but I must not sleep.'

'I'll just rest here for a little while.'

Hinako sat on the soft, dough-like grassy ground, leaning her back against the tree trunk covered with lush branches, which felt soft to the touch.

Since arriving in this place, she hadn't tasted the comfort of sleep. She couldn't sleep unless she found a spot far away from Julian.

From her perspective, she had to deal with two enemies: hunger and Julian. The food problem was solved, but now she had to figure out how to handle him. She didn't know yet, but for now, all she could do was keep her distance from him.

After a short while of resting, Hinako accidentally lay down on the ground, giving in to exhaustion, and fell into a deep sleep.

***

"This doesn't seem like it's going to work," Kougan scoffed with a bitter smile.

After the group disappeared from his sight, having locked hands in pairs, he tried something he already knew wouldn't work—interlacing his fingers together.

As expected, nothing happened.

It hadn't been long since they vanished from his view, but he already started feeling that staying here alone might not be a good idea.

It seemed as if the school principal had called all his classmates except him.

Had he called them to scold them for being bad students while he was the good one?

Or had he called them to reward them for being good students and left him out because he was a bad one?

"Is this yellowing?" He sat on his knees, opening his eyes with his fingers, staring at the reflection of his eyes on the ground.

"Could it be from the fire? Maybe..."

He stood up and began walking in a straight line, hoping something would change ahead of him.

"It doesn't seem like I'm moving at all."

There was no beginning, no end, no boundaries—just emptiness, and beyond it, more emptiness.

"This way, I can be sure."

Kougan stripped off his clothes and left them on the ground as a reference, remaining as bare as the day he was born.

He started running away from his clothes to confirm he was actually moving.

"I'm really getting farther away." He looked back at his clothes, now distant from him.

"This place is truly amazing."

"Endless and vast, clean, shiny, and peaceful."

"Just add some food, and I'll stay here forever."

"Well, I wouldn't say no to a kind wife either."

Kougan was impressed by this empty place. Compared to the city he came from, this would definitely be paradise for him.

"The ground feels so fragile, even though it withstood more than 30 people, it looks like it's about to collapse."

He placed his hands on his hips and tapped the ground with the tip of his right foot, producing a sound like an echo.

"Should I do it?" He knelt on his left knee, placing his palm on the ground while his right hand clenched into a fist.

"What if it breaks? What will I do?"

"What will happen next?"

"I just want to break it. If I don't try, I won't feel at ease."

Punch …

***

"Hinako... Hinako," Julian called out to Hinako, who was lying on the ground in front of him.

She slowly and painfully opened her eyes, only to be surprised by Julian standing before her.

She immediately crawled on the ground, feeling her clothes to make sure they were intact.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing. I didn't see you around, and I got worried, so I came to look for you."

Julian sat down, crossing his legs.

"I'm fine," Hinako said, while thinking, 'As long as you stay away from me, I'll be at peace.'

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Julian seemed a bit tense.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry for what I did... or what I almost did before."

"I'll be honest, I felt a lot of pressure and fear."

'You're just trash, you were planning this from the start,' Hinako scoffed internally.

"And so, when we arrived at this safe place, after some deep thinking, I started to understand things."

"Our arrival here as a pair means that we should live as a pair."

"We need to start a family here, and build this place up."

'In your dreams,' a sense of unease began to rise in Hinako's heart.

Julian adjusted his sitting position slightly, then suddenly jumped toward Hinako, pinning her forcefully to the ground.

"Let me go, you animal!" Hinako screamed as she struggled with all her might.

"Hinako... Hinako, listen to me. We need to live together and start a family."

"I come from a rich and noble family. I'll treat you like a queen, I swear."

Julian was smiling with suspicion as he looked at Hinako's face, pinned to the ground, but suddenly, he started shouting.

"I can't take this anymore, no one here will stop me."

"Don't worry, I'll do it gently. You'll get used to it."

He grabbed her shirt from the chest and tore it, revealing her white bra.

"Why is this happening to me?"

"All the characters who get transported to another world get good friends or powers to help them."

"But I got this … dog."

Hinako was crying, her face turning red. She was slapping and kicking him, but it seemed like he was enjoying it. She had reached her physical limit and could no longer resist.

After a moment, the weight on her suddenly lightened. She opened her eyes and saw Julian floating away from her in the air.