Early the next morning, while the other two were still fast asleep, Que Tang slipped back to the ninja village to gather some essential supplies. By the time she returned, the female lead was already standing there, waiting for her while cradling the male lead.
"I went home this morning to prepare some necessities we might need on the road," Que Tang explained.
Immediately, Little Mushroom’s voice rang in her ear: "Meow~ The female lead’s favorability toward the host has increased by ten. Current favorability: forty."
"...I really should have turned off my speech settings in this world too!" Que Tang grumbled inwardly, realizing her mistake too late.
"Meow~ The female lead is quite nice, isn't she? Does the host really not plan to pursue her? It’s worth five thousand points."
"...Do you think our little Ruan Mianmian didn't have enough fun pulling your whiskers?"
"Meow-wu~" Little Mushroom went silent, behaving itself.
"Let’s get moving. When I was back in the village, I mentioned the seven magic orbs to the Elder. He said that the five elemental orbs—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—are guarded by five wolves of different attributes in this forest. These five wolves correspond to the Five Elements. The one closest to us right now is the Earth Wolf." After speaking, she didn't bother to check if the two behind her understood; she simply took the lead, leaping through the trees.
"The Ninja Lady is such a cool and mature beauty. Let's go, Himiko!" Watching Que Tang’s graceful movements, the Hero’s eyes sparkled. He called out to his companion to hurry up and follow the female ninja’s silhouette.
By the time they arrived at the destination, Que Tang had already been observing from a high vantage point for a while.
"This river valley was originally a riverbed. But after a massive earthquake a hundred years ago, the water was suddenly cut off, forming a barrier lake, and this channel gradually dried up into what it is now. According to the scouts our village sent to investigate, there is a strange six-pointed magic circle inside, and the Earth Wolf lives nearby. If anyone tries to approach the magic circle, the Earth Wolf will emerge to attack."
"Then let's go find that Earth Wolf right now!" As soon as the Hero shouted his agreement, Himiko immediately followed his lead. Que Tang didn't even have time to stop them; she could only watch helplessly as they jumped down right onto the six-pointed magic circle.
"...I was just about to tell you that the magic circle is down there. Isn't jumping down like that just asking for death?" Que Tang turned her head in exasperation to look at Little Mushroom. "Are you sure you didn't pick the wrong story this time? Why is this Hero so stupid?"
"Meow~ Edgy teenage boys always save the world and win girls' hearts by acting like idiots!" Little Mushroom twitched its whiskers. "I heard there are delicious Japanese-style grilled dried fish in this world. I’m going to go eat some first. Find me after you finish the mission, meow~" With that, it vanished without a trace.
"..." Que Tang watched speechlessly as Himiko and the male lead were already under attack. Stone spikes, earth dragons, and ground-cleaving spells were being unleashed in rotation, leaving them scrambling with no opening to counterattack. She honestly doubted if the female lead and male lead even had any offensive skills...
She enjoyed the show for a bit, even taking out some matcha dango she'd received from an auntie in the ninja village to snack on. It wasn't until Himiko failed to notice a loose patch of earth beneath her feet—slipping just as a stone spike erupted in front of her—that Que Tang finally moved.
Que Tang leaped down, accurately catching Himiko in her arms just before the spike could pierce the girl's face, then moved swiftly from side to side to evade the follow-up.
"You're pathetic. Is jumping blindly to your deaths really how you plan to save the world from the Demon King?" Que Tang mocked them verbally, yet her arms held Himiko tightly as she dodged the Earth Wolf's attacks. Her eyes scanned the wolf's attack patterns intently. Suddenly, she shouted, "I've got it!"
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the female lead toward a safe spot above. Then, she charged toward the male lead, whom she had abandoned earlier, scooped him up with one hand, and hurled him straight at the Earth Wolf's face.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" The male lead screamed all the way until he slammed into the Earth Wolf's eyes. The attacks stopped instantly.
"Hmph. You were using your eyes to control the movement of the soil, weren't you? As long as you can't see, you're useless." Que Tang looked up. "You, Priestess! Get down here and chant the spell! You should know how to turn it back into a magic orb."
Himiko nodded and suddenly jumped down. Que Tang instinctively reached out to catch her. Their eyes met.
"Meow~ The female lead’s favorability toward the host has increased by ten. Current favorability: forty. Host, you are so cool! These grilled fish are delicious!"
Que Tang’s hand trembled, and she quickly set the girl down on the ground.
She watched as the female lead first took out her soul-summoning banner and began that strange dance again. Finally, she pulled a transparent sphere from her wide sleeves, pointed it at the Earth Wolf, and said, "Pokémon, I choose you!" Then, she threw the ball.
The transparent sphere emitted a golden light in mid-air. The Earth Wolf was sucked inside, and the sphere turned earthy brown before returning to Himiko’s hand.
"...I thought this was a story about a boy from another world saving the day. Why did it turn into Pokémon?"
"Meow~ You’ll have to ask the author what kind of plot holes they have in their brain. I don't know either."
"..."
The rescued Hero first happily hopped onto Himiko’s chest to nuzzle her, then said with glowing eyes, "Did you see me defeat the Earth Wolf? Wasn't I heroic?"
Himiko nodded expressionlessly.
"As long as I have Himiko, we can form the strongest hero party, defeat the Demon King, and save the world!" Compared to the cold female ninja, Aotian Slime preferred this girl who, although she didn't speak much, was always by his side. She was the first like-minded companion he had met in this world.
"Meow~ The male lead’s favorability toward the female lead has increased by twenty. Current favorability: eighty."
Completely unbothered by being ignored, Que Tang sat on the ground and studied the six-pointed array. She discovered that the array seemed to be created according to the topographical distribution of the forest. They were currently at the bottom-most position, which happened to be the dried-up riverbed. If they followed this riverbed toward its source, they would reach the barrier lake on the right—the habitat of the Water Wolf.
Que Tang nodded. As she stood up, she found the female lead standing right in front of her.
Seeing the girl staring at her, Que Tang waved her hand dismissively. "I already said I’d help you find the seven magic orbs. Helping each other is only natural. If something happens to you, it’ll just be a hassle for me." As soon as the words left her mouth, Que Tang cursed inwardly.
Himiko’s usually lifeless eyes lit up for the first time.
Under that gaze, Que Tang awkwardly turned her head away, pretending nothing was wrong. However, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the leggings on Himiko’s left leg were torn, and blood was seeping through. She must have been injured while failing to dodge the Earth Wolf’s attacks. Frowning, Que Tang pulled a white medicine jar and a strip of cloth from her backpack. She sprinkled some white powder on the wound before tying the cloth around it.
"Attacks from these kinds of monsters are usually toxic. You can't just leave them alone; you must remember to apply medicine." Que Tang lectured her like an elder, but the female lead just kept staring at her without a word. Que Tang really wanted to pretend she didn't understand what that look meant, so she did exactly that. She tossed the medicine jar to Himiko, packed her bag, and started walking along the riverbed alone.
She couldn't bring herself to say something like "we're companions who have faced life and death together" even if it killed her. Moreover, she found it hard to accept the setting of a "natural ditz" kuudere girl carrying the name of the greatest Shaman Queen.
The Himiko in her heart was a powerful queen who could command the wind, rain, and lightning with a wave of her hand, someone whose very presence made people surrender. She was definitely not this dazed, cute girl before her.
Himiko watched her retreating back, her eyes dimming with disappointment. Beside her, the male lead, who was still jumping around in satisfaction over his "heroic" performance, finally finished celebrating and hopped into Himiko’s arms.
"Let’s go, Himiko! Let’s catch up to Tang!" The Hero charged forward with burning passion.
They soon caught up with Que Tang, but this time things didn't go as smoothly as in the morning. The end of the riverbed was blocked by a wall of thorns.
Que Tang looked at the setting sun. "It looks like this is as far as we go today. We’ll have to find a way through this area tomorrow. Regardless, let’s find a place to stay for the night." After speaking, she climbed up the earthen wall herself and found a large tree to start a fire under. She caught a rabbit, knocked it out, and threw it onto a makeshift rack to roast.
Himiko silently took over the task of roasting the meat. Ever since she received the divine oracle telling her to leave the shrine and go on an adventure with this hero from another world, she had gradually transformed from a girl who knew nothing into someone accustomed to and skilled at living in the wild. Although she didn't understand why the gods wanted her to follow this boy, she knew the divine instructions could not be wrong.
At the very least, she was beginning to understand what "companions" meant and was starting to experience the joy of adventuring with others. Her once-barren heart was beginning to feel the flow of emotions—happiness, disappointment.
She stole a glance at the ninja lady, who was resting with her eyes closed.
Although the ninja lady was cold and didn't like to pay them much mind, she was never stingy with her guidance and would jump in to save them without hesitation whenever they were in danger. Powerful, wise, calm, and composed—Himiko wanted to become someone like Tang.
"Meow, the female lead’s favorability toward the host has increased by thirty. Current favorability: seventy."
"It seems no matter whether I speak or not, I can't stop these female leads from overthinking things," Que Tang thought helplessly.
"Meow~ The role the host is currently playing is the most combat-capable character in the early-game party. In the eyes of a trainee priestess, you are undoubtedly a mentor figure. That’s why it increased so much all at once."
"...Are you sure it’s only the early game? I still don't know what this person and this slime can actually do... Setting the slime aside, the little priestess doesn't seem to have any abilities other than that 'Flat Chest Curse' that can one-shot me." Que Tang still felt a twinge of bitterness at the thought of that Curse Dance. Even though she had intended to lose the fight anyway, losing in such a ridiculous way was humiliating.
"Meow~ I don't know either. The host has to discover that for yourself. I’m going to go eat my dinner of dried fish now. Goodnight."
"..."
"By the way, there is a natural hot spring a hundred meters to the right of where the host is. You can take a bath while the others are asleep. Please don't let Ruan Mianmian pull my whiskers anymore, meow-wu~"
"Fine, I’ll spare you." Hearing that she could take a bath, Que Tang’s mood instantly brightened.
Even Himiko noticed this change in mood. When she handed the roasted rabbit leg to Tang, she could sense the hint of a smile in the ninja lady’s eyes. She turned her head away shyly. But since the kuudere girl’s face remained expressionless, Que Tang simply assumed she was doing something weird again.
After dinner, the Hero left a small cluster of embers burning, and everyone settled down to sleep. Que Tang, who was up in the tree, waited until she heard steady breathing from below. Then, she stood up lightly and sped toward the hot spring.
After finding the spring, Que Tang happily stripped and entered the water. Heaven knows she had been worried about how she would bathe during the adventure. Back in the apocalypse, she had been obsessed enough to use drinking water to bathe every day. Just as she was leaning against a rock, comfortably drifting off to sleep, she suddenly heard the sound of someone entering the water. Startled, she ducked behind the rock.
"Who is it?" Who would come here at this time!
"Ninja Lady, it’s me, Himiko." Himiko spoke a full sentence for the first time.
Knowing who it was, Que Tang relaxed slightly, but she was still confused. She thought the girl was asleep; why would she follow her? "Weren't you sleeping?"
"I woke up and found Lady Tang was gone, so I followed your scent."
Scent... Are you a dog? Que Tang’s face darkened. Although she was reluctant to leave the warm water, she didn't want to stay now that someone else was there. Just as she was about to get up and leave, she felt someone scrubbing her back. She spun around abruptly, only to find that Himiko had somehow circled behind her. Even though she didn't want to look, she saw the girl’s entire body from top to bottom. Then, she turned back around and hugged the rock in a fit of self-pity and sorrow.
How can a priestess have such a good figure? Or does she gain size specifically by cursing others to be flat-chested?
"Lady Tang, let me scrub your back."
"No, no need. You keep washing." With that, Que Tang scrambled out of the spring, snatched up her clothes, and fled in a panic.
For the first time in her life, Himiko smiled.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 异世の勇者 | Hero of Another World | The title of the current world's story. |
| 傲天‧史莱姆 | Aotian Slime | The male lead's name in this world. |
| 卑弥呼 | Himiko | The female lead's name; based on the historical Japanese shaman queen. |
| 棠 | Tang | Que Tang's name/alias in this world. |
| 忍者村 | Ninja Village | The place where Que Tang's character originates. |
| 土狼 | Earth Wolf | One of the five elemental guardians. |
| 六星魔法阵 | Six-pointed magic circle | A hexagram-shaped magical formation. |
| 抹茶团子 | Matcha Dango | A Japanese sweet dumpling snack. |
| 招魂幡 | Soul-summoning banner | Himiko's ritual tool/weapon. |
| 诅咒之舞 | Curse Dance | Himiko's technique that curses targets with flat chests or no girlfriends. |
| 神奇宝贝 | Pokémon | Used as a parody in the capture scene. |
| 病娇值 | Yandere Value | A metric for the female lead's obsessive/dark tendencies. |
| 三无少女 | Three-Nothings Girl | A "kuudere" character (no expression, no feelings, no words). |
| 御姐 | Mature Beauty / Onee-san | A term for a cool, mature, and authoritative woman. |
