"Do you still want to eat or not?"
Mono looked at Sixth Master, who was holding the box in both hands, feeling somewhat speechless.
Is this really necessary?
Hearing this, Little Six, sitting beside him, nodded.
Of course she wanted to eat.
Otherwise, her stomach wouldn't have just growled.
"Then turn off that music box for me."
Mono said.
He didn't believe he couldn't cure Sixth Master of this habit.
But Sixth Master clearly didn't understand his well-meaning intentions; her small head, covered in loose long hair, slowly shook from side to side again.
"If you don't turn it off, then just watch me eat."
Mono spoke again,
"Are you going to turn it off or not?"
Hearing this, Little Six hugged the music box tightly again, dazed for a moment, then silently lowered her head, never uttering a sound.
Seeing this, Mono stopped what he was about to say.
Looking at Little Six hugging her knees, that sense of loneliness radiating from her without a word, he fell into a brief silence.
Little Six's behavior couldn't help but make him think of the ending in the game again.
Why is life always full of tragedy?
little nightmares—who exactly creates the nightmare?
Isn't it precisely these heavy emotions pressed deep into the human heart—like being on a desert island in a vast ocean or lost in a forest mist, misunderstood and rejected, only to be either digested over time or grow more intense?
The world was already so cruel.
Why treat others who were already covered in wounds so coldly?
Granted, the world itself was indeed full of desire.
Full of conflict, struggle, and darkness.
But was that a reason for him to act this way?
Of course, for his own desires, he could indeed do anything.
But was being so absolute really okay?
Mono hesitated slightly.
Little Six's mental state wasn't normal, and she betrayed him later on.
Why should he worry about her?
As long as he used her to get what he wanted, wouldn't that be enough?
The crackling of the firewood snapped Mono's thoughts back to reality.
Looking once more at the silent, head-bowed Little Six, he felt a sense of helplessness in his heart.
"Hey, eat."
Mono handed out the rack in his hand, extending it in front of her lowered head.
Of course, Mono definitely wasn't being soft-hearted.
He was just doing this so he could better continue mistreating her in the future, to let her know the consequences of betraying him later on.
Therefore, no matter what, he had to let her eat her fill first.
After all, if she starved to death, how could he take his revenge?
This reasoning was perfectly fine.
Mono thought to himself.
He wasn't soft-hearted, absolutely not.
Seeing this, Little Six slowly raised her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
She seemed to be wondering why Mono had changed his mind.
Didn't he say he wouldn't give her food if she didn't turn off the music box?
Mono couldn't be bothered to explain; he just said irritably:
"What are you looking at? I've never seen such a stupid person. Don't expect me to help you fix that tattered music box again next time."
As the words fell, Little Six shook her head: "I won't let it break again."
"I think you're the one who's already broken."
Seeing that Little Six's attention was still on the music box, Mono laughed in frustration,
"Are you going to eat or not? If not, I'm feeding it to the—dogs."
Before Mono could finish his sentence, he felt his hand go empty.
Little Six had quick hands and eyes, snatching the wooden rack and stuffing the meat into her mouth.
With vigorous chewing followed by a few swallows, a sparrow was gone just like that.
"F*ck... finished... just like that?"
Mono's mouth hung open as he looked at the empty wooden stick, feeling a bit dazed.
This speed?
"I say, are you really a dog? You didn't even leave a bone for me! I was busy for ages just now! And I didn't see you helping me pluck the feathers either, you jerk!"
Mono shouted.
Little Six simply licked her lips, seemingly wanting more.
"What a wasteful girl!"
Mono grumbled.
However, he had no choice but to get up again and head outside the cabin.
By the time the area around the fire was littered with bird feathers and bones, two small figures finally collapsed onto the ground with rounded bellies, expressions of relief on their faces.
Mono had caught a few more birds and finally filled his stomach.
Sure enough, in such a cruel world, filling one's stomach was the greatest pleasure.
The two lay quietly for a while.
Mono had intended to spend the night in the Wooden Cabin.
In fact, they had already prepared to rest.
However, in the middle of the night, Mono suddenly woke up with a start.
He stared with wide, uncertain eyes, his ears twitching as his expression shifted.
In the distance, something was approaching them; although the movements were slight, how could they escape Mono's now-sensitive hearing?
His hearing had been enhanced tenfold.
He could hear a heavy huffing, like a wild beast, and a strange whispering sound like a murmur coming through the shadows of the trees swaying with the wind.
It seemed like something terrifying was coming.
"Damn it, quick! We have to go!"
Mono hurriedly nudged Little Six, who was sitting nearby.
Little Six didn't understand why Mono was suddenly in such a rush.
But, having just been startled from her daze, she stood up nimbly.
"Thump, thump, thump—"
Mono listened to the heavy footsteps echoing in his ears, his face changing again.
That thing was rapidly approaching their location—could they have been discovered?
How was that possible?
Mono turned to look at the bird feathers on the ground, his body stiffening.
Damn it, the scent here must have spread.
"Hurry, let's go!"
Mono hurriedly pulled Sam and ran out of the wooden cabin.
Having recovered most of their strength after the rest, their movements weren't slow.
However, Mono could still sense something behind them, following closely.
Moreover, the distance between them was slowly shrinking.
What on earth was it? How could it be so fast?
Could there be monsters even more terrifying than the Hunter in this forest?
The mere thought of this possibility made Mono shudder.
A single Hunter had already given them so much trouble; if another even more terrifying fellow showed up, wouldn't he meet his end here?
Fortunately, when Mono had gone out to hunt birds earlier, he had already scouted the surrounding terrain.
"There's a lake over there, let's head there."
Mono said urgently to Sam.
Sam nodded, her pace suddenly quickening.
"Ah~" Mono was once again dragged forward by her.
Finally, after a short while, the two of them reached the shore of the lake...