V1 Chapter 5: You're a Good Person

With Natsuki leading the way, Yae Sakura didn't need to worry about directions. After all, she was in a completely unfamiliar ancient world, deep within the mountains.

Carrying Natsuki on her back slowed Yae Sakura's pace.

Having often carried her younger sister in the past, Yae Sakura felt no discomfort carrying Natsuki, who was even slightly smaller.

But something felt off. Natsuki felt impossibly light, almost weightless.

Of course, this wasn't because Natsuki was truly weightless, but rather due to Yae Sakura's current Valkyrie physique.

As a fully maxed-out, SSS-rank graduate Valkyrie, carrying a small girl weighing less than a hundred pounds was no burden at all.

-

Several hours later...

"Yae-sama, shouldn't we rest for a while? We still have a long way to go."

Natsuki, nestled against Yae Sakura's back, had grown to completely trust the beautiful half-demon miko. If Yae Sakura had intended to harm her, she would have done so long ago. Instead, she had carried her for hours.

"Alright," Yae Sakura agreed.

After a moment's thought, she found a suitable resting spot and gently set Natsuki down.

It must be due to the Gyakushinn Miko's physique. Yae Sakura carried Natsuki on her back for hours without feeling the slightest fatigue, gaining a deeper understanding of what it meant to be an SSS-rank Gyakushinn Miko.

However, Yae Sakura still wasn't entirely sure where her own strength ranked in this world.

If she were to go by game logic, it seemed impossible to calculate. But if she drew from the lore of Honkai 3rd, where an S-rank Valkyrie could contend with a Herrscher capable of destroying human civilization, what could an SSS-rank Valkyrie achieve?

Yae Sakura dared not imagine.

After all, her S-rank Mother-in-law-sama could already hold her own against Sirin.

An SSS-rank Valkyrie should have no problem facing the Herrscher of Finality, right?

Yae Sakura wasn't entirely certain. Becoming Yae Sakura felt like directly stepping into the character's shoes. While she possessed the knowledge of her skills and swordsmanship techniques, these weren't abilities she had personally honed. She would need time to familiarize herself with them.

Still, even without full mastery, she should be able to handle most great yokai in this world with ease, right?

Only battle would reveal the truth.

-

Dusk had already fallen, and Yae Sakura, still carrying Natsuki on her back, hadn't encountered a single yokai. She couldn't understand why.

Natsuki should have been incredibly tempting to these creatures, even if she wasn't as irresistible as Tang Monk's flesh.

As Yae Sakura pondered this, a sudden "gurgl~" sound broke the silence.

It sounded like a hungry stomach rumbling.

Yae Sakura turned to see Natsuki clutching her abdomen, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Are you hungry?" Yae Sakura asked.

"I..." Natsuki met Yae Sakura's gaze, wanting to deny it, but the words wouldn't come.

She was indeed hungry.

"Let's look around for something to eat nearby," Yae Sakura suggested, standing up and glancing at the darkening sky. "It'll be completely dark soon, and we'll have to find a place to spend the night."

"Okay," Natsuki replied softly.

Yae Sakura continued carrying Natsuki on her back. The fox ears on her head twitched slightly as she immediately picked up the sound of a small animal nearby.

Hurrying forward with Natsuki on her back, Yae Sakura leaped onto a tall tree. Perched on a branch, she snapped off a twig and hurled it into a patch of knee-high grass.

A piercing squeal erupted.

Yae Sakura jumped down, retrieved the twig, and found it impaled through the body of a black rabbit.

"This will do for dinner tonight!" she declared.

The rabbit was quite large, easily enough to feed both of them.

-

Afterward, Yae Sakura led Natsuki to a small stream to prepare the rabbit.

It was then that Yae Sakura realized how truly useful her fox ears were. Normally, they filtered out unimportant sounds, but when she focused, she could hear faint noises from great distances—like the rabbit's whimpers or the gentle murmur of the stream.

They were practically a divine artifact for wilderness survival!

Having finished preparing the rabbit, Yae Sakura unexpectedly spotted several palm-sized fish in the stream. With these provisions, she used her keen hearing to quickly locate a suitable temporary shelter: a dry mountain cave.

Inside, they built a fire and roasted the rabbit and fish.

Yae Sakura took a small bite and stopped eating. Compared to her usual meals, the pure, unadulterated taste of the meat was rather unpalatable.

Of course, the main reason was that Yae Sakura wasn't particularly hungry. Perhaps if she were starving, anything would taste delicious.

Like Bear Grylls—when food is scarce, he'll eat anything!

"Yae-sama, aren't you going to eat?" Natsuki asked hesitantly, holding out a piece of roasted meat.

"You can have it all. I'm not hungry."

"Oh..."

Natsuki took a few bites of her meal, gazing at Yae Sakura across from her. Before she realized it, she found herself mesmerized.

Despite being a half-demon herself and sharing the same gender as Yae Sakura, Natsuki felt an unprecedented sense of security in her presence—stronger than any samurai or even her own father had ever given her.

She recalled Yae Sakura's battle against the yokai earlier...

If she could stay by my side forever, I wouldn't need to fear any yokai, would I?

"Yae-sama..." Natsuki murmured, looking up at Yae Sakura.

"Hmm?"

"When we return to my home, would you consider staying to protect me?"

"Stay?" Yae Sakura stared at her in surprise. "But I'm a half-demon! Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not at all! Yae-sama is a good person!"

A... a good person...?

Is this my first "good person" card in life?

"No," Yae Sakura said, still refusing.

"Why not?" Natsuki couldn't understand.

"Even if you don't mind, what about your father and the others? Would they be okay with it?" Besides... Yae Sakura couldn't possibly stay in one place for someone else's sake.

Regardless of whether Yae Sakura was a girl or a boy, she simply couldn't fall in love with anyone.

She knew she would eventually have to leave this world and couldn't afford to form too many attachments. Therefore, whether someone was male or female, they could only ever be friends.

It was impossible for her to stay in one world forever just because of someone.

"You're right..." Hearing Yae Sakura's words, Natsuki calmed down. She thought about her father's temper. If he were human, it might be manageable. But if he were a half-demon...