Mono's powerful Spirit once again allowed him to calm down quickly.
Looking at Little Six, who was staring at him intently, he said:
"Alright, alright, I give in. I'll help you fix it, okay?"
As the words fell, Sixth Master, who had just been radiating an aura that warned everyone to stay away, was stunned again.
"Can you help me fix it?"
Her slightly dry voice came through, her eyes filled with hope, mixed with expectation, a hint of unease, and urgency.
It almost seemed like a plea.
In short, she seemed to really care about this music box.
Mono nodded:
"Of course, you're my friend, aren't you?"
Just a small music box; Mono felt that with his skills, it wouldn't be a problem.
"Bring it here, give it to me."
Mono reached out his hand.
Sixth Master snapped out of it, took the music box—now cracked in two—from her bosom, holding it tightly in her small hands.
She glanced at Mono, then looked down at the music box in her hands, her movements showing a hint of hesitation.
Even though the music box was broken, she still seemed reluctant to hand it over to someone else.
However.
Sam looked at Mono seriously again.
"Hey, do you still want it fixed? If not, just stay here and keep crying."
Mono felt a bit unnerved by her gaze.
Although Sixth Master's soul-devouring Ability hadn't fully awakened yet.
Who knew if that direct stare held some other chilling intent?
It was scary just thinking about it.
Indeed, he still had to continue improving his strength as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, he would never feel at ease.
Sam finally slowly reached out and carefully placed the music box into Mono's hand.
Seeing this, Mono breathed a sigh of relief.
Holding the music box, he walked out.
Seeing this, Sixth Master also hurriedly followed behind him.
It looked like she still wasn't quite at ease.
After the Hunter died, this place had temporarily become a safe haven.
Mono found the Tool Shed.
He rummaged through the room and found strong glue, wire, and new gears.
Then he sat down by the room and began to repair it seriously.
Sam's gaze remained fixed on the music box, for fear of any accidents.
Mono glanced at her a few times but said nothing.
At the very least, he could now confirm one thing.
She cared a lot about this music box. Mono had some experience repairing clocks.
Although he hadn't tinkered with a music box before, he could figure it out and fix it by feeling his way through.
During this time, Sam stayed crouched beside him, watching.
When she saw Mono install the last part and slowly turn the gear, she hurriedly leaned in.
"Is... is it fixed?" she asked nervously.
Mono nodded and then let go.
"Click-clack, click-clack~"
The turning gears provided enough drive for the music box.
A peaceful melody slowly rose once again from beneath the dark little wooden cabin...
"Ding~~~ Ding~~~~ Ding~"
Hearing the familiar sound, Sixth Master's tense expression finally eased, and a faint, barely perceptible joy flashed in her eyes.
Then she snatched the music box, held it in her arms, walked to the side, and sat in a corner to listen quietly.
Mono couldn't help but feel puzzled by her actions.
Was this wind-chime-like music really that captivating?
Why did Sixth Master keep holding the music box and immersing herself in it like that?
Mono felt a bit emotional.
In the World of Nightmares, everything, no matter how small, always exudes an inexplicable eeriness.
Everyone's heart was shrouded in an indiscernible mist.
Mono didn't know why Sixth Master did it.
And he didn't intend to ask.
Mono rubbed his stomach and walked out of the wooden cabin.
By now, the sky had already turned completely dark.
The sky emitted a dismal glow; it seemed that whether it was day or night, this world always shared the same color, always the same cold tone.
He searched the surrounding houses for food.
But in the Kitchen cabinet of the rooms, there was nothing to eat except for some unknown chunks of meat.
Mono naturally didn't dare to eat these meat chunks of unknown origin.
He ran into the forest.
"Rustle, rustle~"
A light breeze brushed through the leaves, causing them to rustle.
Mono closed his eyes tightly, listening to his surroundings.
Soon, he detected some chirping sounds.
A few Sparrows landed on the clearing in front of him.
Mono remained in a blind state, and his right hand, which had been ready, suddenly exerted force.
"Whoosh!" A dark shadow flew out at an extremely high speed.
"Bang!"
A heavy impact sound followed.
"Flap, flap~"
The sound of wings flapping echoed above the clearing.
Mono opened his eyes and saw a Sparrow lying on the ground ahead.
"Tsk tsk, this Ability is really handy."
Mono smiled and picked up the Sparrow.
It was called a Sparrow, but because of his size, holding it in his hand made it feel as large as a wild pheasant.
"It seems being small isn't without its benefits."
Mono muttered to himself.
At least in terms of food, he didn't need to eat much.
A Little person's stomach was always so easily filled.
He plucked the bird's feathers until it was bare.
Mono returned to the cabin with the meat.
"Hmm? How should I start a fire?"
Mono looked around and found a pocket lighter from inside the house.
The lighter was printed with several flower petals; it looked quite exquisite and seemed to be specifically designed for Little people.
This might have been something left behind by those victimized Little people from before.
Mono lit a fire inside the house, set up the meat, and began to roast it.
After a while.
"Sizzle, sizzle~" grease and smoke began to rise from the meat over the fire.
It was hard to imagine such a small Sparrow having so much fat.
Who knows what it ate to get so fat.
Mono couldn't be bothered to think about it; if he was hungry, he should just eat.
As the aroma of the meat spread.
He finally couldn't help but start eating.
While Mono was eating, on the other side, Sixth Master, who had been staying quietly in the corner, seemed to have smelled the aroma and suddenly looked up.
"Gurgle~"
An ambiguous growl came from her stomach.
Mono looked up and saw Sixth Master staring blankly at the meat in his hand, and he couldn't help but curl his lip.
"What are you looking at? If you want to eat, then hurry up and put down that damn music box!"
"Listening to music there like an idiot... I've been busy all day and haven't even had a chance to rest. Do you really want me to serve you?"
"Is that how you treat a friend?"
Mono shouted.
He was extremely displeased with Little Six.
Although she had indeed helped him a few times during today's escape, it still didn't stop him from feeling annoyed with her.
Sixth Master didn't like to talk; he endured it.
Her aura was cold; he endured that too.
Her mind wasn't right; he even endured that.
But for her to fall into such an inescapable state of trance over a music box—he really couldn't stand that.
This decadent aura of hers felt inexplicably oppressive to look at.
If not for his strong mental fortitude, he might have been led astray by this atmosphere as well.
After a hard day's work, having to watch a teammate beside him spread such depressing emotions—how could he possibly be happy?
Hearing Mono's words, Little Six finally moved.
Clutching the music box and stepping with her bare feet, she walked toward Mono.
Then, she sat down beside him.
The music box in her arms continued to chime incessantly.