The mountain wind brushed through the tall trees, stirring them into a soft rustle-rustle.
The construction of their base began to move forward in an orderly way.
After receiving the Worker-Bee Amber Sora Aratō handed her, the purple-haired girl threw herself into work with almost abnormal enthusiasm.
Overall, the building itself was still handled by Sora Aratō—thanks to his ability to "mine blocks."
As for Asagami Fujino, the task Sora assigned her was to scout the surrounding area, and, while she was at it, capture small wild beasts from different regions.
Whether it was placebo… or something else at work…
Once she carried the Worker-Bee Amber, Fujino began accepting Sora's orders with almost zero hesitation.
Basically—
As long as Sora gave an order,
Fujino would act… without asking anything.
At first it was only mission-related commands.
Then it became how the living space in the base should be arranged.
After that, it turned into how she should live—what she should eat, where she should sleep, even how she should address Sora.
If the game characters had possessed the same bodily needs as real people, Sora strongly suspected she would have asked even more… intimate questions.
Watching her act as if she had abandoned her own brain and reduced herself to a tool left Sora at a loss for words.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about correcting Fujino's strange state.
But every time he saw the relaxation and quiet happiness that surfaced in her whenever she was given an order, his urge to correct it would pause again.
If he thought about it carefully, obeying instructions wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Children learn how to live by following their parents' directions—through obedience, they gradually come to understand what it means to survive.
Perhaps the girl named Asagami Fujino had simply lacked that kind of guidance in reality.
No one had ever talked with her about how a girl without pain was supposed to live.
…For now, maybe letting it continue like this wasn't so bad.
And so, beside the enormous beehive in the mountains, the intermittent voices of a boy and a girl began to echo through the air.
Fujino repeatedly tested the outskirts of the giant bees' territory, using the stone cages Sora made, and bringing back wild beasts one after another.
Meanwhile, Sora built at full speed.
A small stone fortress gradually took shape under his hands.
It wasn't pretty—its surface was pitted and uneven, and overall it looked like a hollow, half-dome stone stump.
Around the stone mound were small openings that could be opened and closed—
mainly for defense, letting them thrust spears out and hold enemies at bay.
And beyond the little fortress, there was also a simple stove—something they could use to make fire.
"Did you have me catch all these live animals to use as food?" the purple-haired girl asked, her voice full of hope. "I've studied cooking. If you give me the order, Mr. Aratō, I can definitely make something quite good."
Her red eyes were fixed on him, as if she couldn't wait to cook under his command.
This wasn't because Asagami Fujino wanted orders.
No—she told herself it was simply because the amber would only take effect once she received an order, and then her work efficiency would improve.
"They're not for cooking," Sora said.
Faced with her eager gaze, he felt a little reluctant to refuse—but because this involved the main mission, he ultimately shook his head with firm resolve.
"When I made the Worker-Bee Amber, what I had in mind was using it to control other creatures."
He spoke, then glanced at Fujino with an expression that was… a little helpless.
Then he picked up one pale-yellow piece of amber and stuffed it into the mouth of a beast locked inside a stone cage.
It was a rabbit with a single horn.
After Sora forced the Worker-Bee Amber into it, the rabbit first looked around anxiously.
Then it began spinning in place, its face gradually taking on a desperate, urgent expression.
—
[Name: Worker-Bee Amber (name can be changed)]
[Type: Item]
[Description: A gemstone formed by refining the power and concept of a giant worker bee.]
[Effect 1: After equipping the gemstone, the wearer can transmit and receive simple information and commands with a designated queen bee.]
[Effect 2: When acting in accordance with the queen's commands, stamina and mental strength are enhanced.]
[Effect 3: Under the queen's command, the wearer can enter a "burning" state. By permanently damaging the amber, the user's physical qualities are further increased.]
[Note: Exact effects may vary in practice. Because bee-related concepts have been extracted, use will influence the wearer to some degree.]
—
Effect One let a creature understand his intentions beyond language.
Effect Two strengthened the body and mind of anything that obeyed commands.
Sora had asked Fujino what that "strengthening" felt like.
She described it as feeling as if she had eaten a full meal—there was a faint sense of satisfaction throughout her whole body.
For animals living on the edge every day, recovering mental energy and replenishing stamina was absolutely something you could call pleasure.
And Sora's Worker-Bee Amber let them experience that feeling as a "reward" for obedience.
After a few tries, they would naturally grow more and more willing to follow the commands transmitted into their hearts.
Because obeying made them feel good.
Because obeying gave them the sensation of being full.
A beast driven by instinct had no reason to refuse such commands.
With a soft click, Sora opened the stone cage.
The rabbit—already rewarded many times for obeying—stepped out obediently.
Under Sora's command, it walked up to him and began rubbing its head gently against the hand he lowered.
Sora, seeing this, naturally reached out and began ruffling the rabbit's head.
The feel of it was… surprisingly nice.
Watching the rabbit lower its head and allow itself to be petted like this, Sora's mood brightened without him even realizing it.
This was the appeal of a world that contained Mystery, wasn't it?
To tame and raise a rabbit like this normally—how long would it take?
And yet now, with only a small use of a mystical item, he had achieved this result with ease.
As Sora's smile slowly formed—and as he started petting the rabbit even more enthusiastically—
a small voice sounded beside him.
"Mr. Aratō… will you send them to scout the area next?"
Fujino had somehow moved close to his side.
"I think that if it's searching and hunting," she said seriously, "then as a human… I'm more useful than these beasts."
When Sora turned his head, he saw Fujino staring fixedly at the rabbit he was petting.
…
He was certain he hadn't misread it.
Between the way she was staring straight at the rabbit, and the faint sourness in her tone just now—
Sora understood perfectly.
Asagami Fujino was jealous of the rabbit being petted.
The purple-haired girl was afraid her role would be replaced by these beasts.
Perhaps realizing that Sora had looked at her, Fujino immediately withdrew her gaze.
She looked at him instead, eyes carrying a small panic.
He saw her bad emotion just now, didn't he?
Her heart tightened on its own.
And faced with that emotion, Sora—while feeling a bit helpless—couldn't help finding her line of thinking a little amusing.
A girl like Fujino—so deeply, excessively self-abasing—was truly nothing like his previous girlfriend.
"Fujino isn't the same as beasts," he said in an even, gentle tone. "Later, if I want to find strong animals and carry out Biological Refinement, I'll have to rely on you. In this game, I'm basically powerless. I can't do it without your help."
Fujino lowered her head, looking at the rabbit sitting quietly by Sora's feet.
In her mind, she was probably replaying the way Sora had been petting and kneading the rabbit's head.
If I produce a result that surprises Mr. Aratō… could I ask for a reward?
Staring at the rabbit, she suddenly felt that being human was… troublesome.
If she were a rabbit, she wouldn't have to think about so many bothersome things.
Maybe she could become close to Mr. Aratō much more easily.
That small emotion—envy—surged up again.
In the end, Fujino listened to Sora's words and gave a small nod.
I'll make Mr. Aratō see my value, she thought. I'll find a way.
The girl who had just been enjoying the feeling of emptying her mind and obeying commands—
in this moment, driven by her own desire, seemed to begin forming the intention to act more proactively on her own.
....
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