Chapter 115
I woke up in the late afternoon, just as the sky was tinted a deep crimson by the sunset.
‘It feels like… I had a sad dream.’
I couldn’t remember it clearly.
But one thing was certain—I had dreamt of someone I dearly missed.
Still half-asleep, I rubbed my eyes and cleared away the crust clinging to my lashes.
How long had I slept?
When I’d dozed off, the sun had been high in the sky…
Now, the whole day had passed.
Even though I’d lost precious time, maybe it wasn’t so bad to take a rest once in a while.
Streeetch.
I lifted my arms and gave a light stretch. My stiff body loosened up, and a sense of relief washed over me.
Then, my nose picked up a familiar scent drifting into the tent.
‘That smells delicious…’
The scent of beef stew from outside teased my senses.
“Where should I put this huge pot?”
“I think right here is fine.”
The sound of clanging dishes and my teammates’ voices carried through the air.
“Lyria, the stew’s about to overflow. Can you lower the heat?”
Hearing the bubbling stew, it was clear everyone was busy with dinner preparations.
Now that I thought about it—yeah, it was around mealtime.
Even in an apocalypse world, you’ve got to eat regularly.
Still rubbing my eyes, I dragged my drowsy body out of the tent.
“Sorry, everyone. I must’ve slept way too long.”
Wrapped in the blanket I’d used inside the tent, I stepped outside and glanced around.
“Wendy!”
All eyes turned to me. My teammates who had been cooking looked up.
Yeriel waved at me brightly.
“Did you sleep well?”
I greeted him with a lazy blink and turned toward Lyria, who was crouched beside a large pot.
“Unni! Did you sleep well?”
Her cheeks were flushed from concentrating so hard on adjusting the flame.
“Yeah, thanks to you, Lyria.”
I gently patted her cheek, and Lyria beamed.
Maybe it was because we had survived a huge ordeal together—but the atmosphere felt especially lively today.
I watched my cheerful companions with a fond expression.
“Let’s see… where are those chopped vegetables…”
Yeriel, who looked a little overwhelmed preparing the stew…
“Should I go get more?”
“We’ve still got some left in the inventory.”
The twins were helping him gather more ingredients.
Nia and Darwin were off in the corner having some serious discussion I couldn’t quite figure out…
‘And Xenon still isn’t back?’
I didn’t expect him to return quickly, given his personality.
But I hadn’t thought he’d miss dinner entirely.
‘Is he skipping another meal today?’
They say strong willpower builds a strong body…
At this rate, he’d starve to death before getting stronger.
Just as I let out a sigh—
“You’re finally awake.”
“Hiiieeek!”
Startled by the sudden voice behind me, I yelped—drawing everyone’s attention.
“X-Xenon, you were here?”
Embarrassed, I stammered out my words, my face flushing red.
Xenon looked at me coolly, unfazed.
“I’ve been here. I was helping Yeriel with the cooking.”
So… he hadn’t just arrived—he’d been here since I woke up?
Did I have some sort of Xenon-blind filter on?
Or had I just assumed he wouldn’t be here and overlooked him?
How had I missed him entirely?
“…You must be tired.”
He frowned slightly, then pointed toward a small wooden chair nearby.
“There.”
It was just the right size for one person.
When did someone even make that?
Was it Sylvester’s craftsmanship?
“Sit there. It’ll be ready soon.”
Since I had nothing else to say, I nodded and took a seat on the chair.
‘…Nice.’
The rising steam from the stew and the peaceful atmosphere gently eased the tension that had built up in my body.
How long had I been sitting there? Before I knew it, Yeriel handed me a bowl of stew.
“It might be a little hot.”
“Thank you.”
I accepted the steaming bowl and licked my lips.
The stew was filled with soft vegetables and tender, slow-cooked beef. Just looking at it made my mouth water.
‘Looks good so far…’
— jiaxxx: Is this going to be another “visit to heaven”?
— paaxxxx: Honestly, it looks decent this time tho lol
— haexxxx: Let’s not let our guard down.
— xiaxxxx: Action beam at Wendy about to eat stew.
[You’ve gained favor with 15 observers.]
[Accumulated Favor: 775]
Just like the reactions in the comment section… surely this stew wouldn’t send me to heaven—or hell—again, right?
Half worried, half curious, I lifted the spoon and cautiously brought it to my lips.
‘This is…’
But the worry turned out to be unnecessary. The moment it touched my tongue, the soft and savory richness coated it beautifully.
The meat had no unpleasant smell and was deliciously clean.
The combination with the tender vegetables was flawless.
It reminded me of the rich, slightly salty soup served as an appetizer at fancy Western restaurants when I was a kid.
To be precise, it was a clean and savory nostalgic taste.
Chewing thoroughly, I swallowed the stew and my eyes sparkled.
“It’s delicious!”
My declaration lit up the faces of my teammates who’d been lurking nearby.
“…Really?”
Among them, Eden couldn’t hide his joy—his lips were curled so high they practically reached the sky.
“Yeah. It’s the best food I’ve ever had.”
“I mean… it’s not that great…”
Despite his denial, his shoulders were bouncing with pride.
Same for Lyria, Yeriel, and the twins.
Adorable. Everyone must’ve still been thinking about the last stew incident.
As I looked around at my companions with a pleased smile, a rough hand tapped my shoulder.
“Noona, this is for you.”
“Huh?”
I blankly accepted what Darwin handed me and stared at the bundle of fur in my hands.
“…What is this?”
The long, white fur was soft like cotton, almost like a scarf.
As I gently stroked it, Darwin scratched the back of his head and replied shyly.
“It’s a scarf. I hunted with her to make it. Originally, we wanted to make a cloak, but it needed more fur than we thought…”
He trailed off while tugging Nia’s hand.
“To avoid unnecessary killing, we only used leftover rabbit fur from meat used for food.”
Oh, so this bundle of fur was a handmade gift from the two of them?
And they even considered not wasting any life unnecessarily. That’s… really thoughtful.
So that’s what they were discussing with such serious expressions earlier.
‘So it was because of this.’
And with the weather getting colder, I had been thinking about buying a fur cloak from the magic card system.
But with a scarf like this, I could put off that purchase.
“Thank y—”
I was just about to thank them for the wonderful gift—
“Are you done with the stew?”
Xenon suddenly swooped in and snatched the empty bowl from my hands.
“Huh? Uh… yeah, I guess?”
Flustered, I looked up at Xenon.
He opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, then held out his hand to me.
“Then let’s go.”
Wait a sec…
“Go where?”
Where are we going, leaving this cozy haven behind?
Sure, I’d finished my stew, but I was hoping to bask in the warmth just a little longer.
As I grumbled, Xenon let out a small sigh and gently pulled my hand.
The moment I was lifted to my feet—I found myself pulled straight into his chest.
“…Hey!”
I quickly backed away, only to find Xenon calmly gazing down at me, my cheeks now a bright red.
Then, in a low voice, he said something that caught me completely off guard—
“You promised. That we’d go on a date.”
—
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