Chapter 3: The Great Forest of Another World : Encounter

　Sota woke up.

　Because, apparently, he had fallen asleep like that.

"Nn...!　Kuha...!"

　He stretched wide to release all the stiffness in his body.

　I had forgotten all about the fire, but it seems to have gone out by itself. The fire had gone out on its own, and Sota, far from remonstrating with himself for his carelessness, was no longer interested in it.

"... sleeping."

　The golden-haired beauty was sleeping regularly.

　I put my hand on her forehead to test her, but she seems to have no fever.

　I'm worried about her injuries, but I'll just have to wait and see how she progresses and let her rest.

　I'm relieved for the time being.

Thank goodness. ...

　Sota patted his chest in relief.

　The most important thing to remember is that you can't be too careful when it comes to your health.

　He rubbed his stomach, and took out a rice container and a small bag of rice from his pack.

　This was all the food he had - he had planned to buy meat and fish locally when camping - but he wouldn't mind eating it here.

　We have to give something to the injured beautiful women to eat.

　Sota decided to go to a nearby stream to fetch water to make congee, and quietly exited the cave with a rice container and plastic bottle in hand. He did not want to wake the beautiful woman, so he quietly slipped out of the cave.

　◇

　The river flowing through this forest is surprisingly pure.

　The bottom of the water is crystal clear and the surface of the water, which plays with the sunlight through the trees, is so beautiful that you can't help but sigh.

　The clarity of the water makes it easy to see schools of fish swimming in the distance, but they too are plump and full of shiny scales. If you grill them with salt and bite into them, you won't be able to stop eating white rice.

But it's not a sweetfish, it's not a rainbow trout, it looks like a ..., but it's not like any other river fish I know.

　The water was then rinsed out with river water, rolled around in the mouth a little and swallowed it down.

　This water is not only drinkable ... but very tasty.

　It tastes much better than tap water in Tokyo. It is probably easy for Sota to understand that the fish and plants are so fertile thanks to this pure water.

"Shall we go back? ..."

　He rises sluggishly and turns his feet in slow motion towards the cave.

　There is plenty of time anyway. Sota walks slowly, picking up a few reasonable branches to make a pole or something.

　When he returns to the cave.

"... what's that?"

　Sota notices.

　--The sleeping bag was empty.

　Just when Sota was about to look around, he wondered where the golden beauty had gone.

"Whoa!"

　The world went round and round.

　Then, without a moment's pause, a shock hit him in the back. It was a good thing I hit my head as well.

　Tears welled up in Sota eyes.

"Don't move."

　--The voice of a woman's voice, which was so sexy that it made him sob, struck his eardrums.

　It was a low but core feminine voice, Sota thought.

　When he opened his eyelids, the face of a beautiful woman spread across his field of vision.

　Her beautiful snow-white skin is fine. Her eyelashes are so long that they fall out and look up, and the deep blue eyes in her eyes are like jewels. Her lips are fresh, but they quiver, and at the same time her eyes begin to shake in astonishment.

"Oh, man ...!"

　The beautiful ... Phyllis did not even try to hide her surprise.

◇

◇

　When she woke up, she was carried to some cave.

　Phyllis was relieved, for the moment, that she was not in a prison cell or under a grave.

　Someone had apparently tended to her wounds. She had been horribly cold when she crawled out of the river, but now she was feeling better and better.

"She survived ..."

　To be honest, Phyllis never stopped thinking she was going to die like that.

　With a star in front of her chest, she offered prayers and thanks to the gods and spirits she believed in.

"..But it's a curiosity, or how can I put it: ..."

　Muttering, Phyllis checked the feel of the sleeping bag.

　The smoothness she had never felt before - it was a synthetic fibre - was warm enough to keep her heat in. The sack sitting nearby must seem like an unfamiliar piece of equipment to her.

"I'm sure it's not Kingdom equipment or ... I should be a little wary."

　At least we can't be sure that they are our allies.

　Phyllis alarm was slightly raised, and it shook her eardrums.

(Someone ... is here.)

　The sound of trampling young grass and fallen branches.

　It's as if there's no sign of alarm. A well-trained first-class warrior would walk with as little noise as possible. ...

　Phyllis hid herself in a slight depression at the entrance ... to the cave. There, she would be in a blind spot from anyone entering the cave.

...."

　She holds her breath and waits for the moment.

　The preparations to neutralise the target are already in place.

　And here it comes.

... Huh?"

　The distracted voice does not sound alarmed.

　Phyllis moves as soon as she hears the voice.

　She leaps out of the hollow like a lightning bolt, and with lightning-fast speed, she puts the 'man' down.

　She rolls off his feet and lays him down on his horse, placing her sword to his neck with the intention of killing him at any moment,

Don't move."

　After saying that much, Phyllis realised.

　Unlike the woman, he had a burly body.

　The woman's chest was gone, but instead there was a slightly thickened breastplate, and "he" was looking at Phyllis with tears in the corners of his eyes.

　Phyllis heart beat fast.

　Jet-black hair and jet-black eyes are the symbol of beauty.

　An even more 'beautiful' 'man' is being assembled under her.

（A man!　A man!　... Why is there a man here?)

　The birth rate of men is one thousandth that of women. The rate drops significantly when it comes to young, healthy men.

　And in every country, such men are nurtured in the capitals of kings and emperors.

　The most important thing to remember is that the most beautiful man in the world can't be found in the middle of a forest like this - and Phyllis is thinking about it as she buries herself,

"Oh, um, ... I'd like you to step aside if you don't mind. ..."

　A little reservedly, the man - Sota - raised his hand and said.