Rookies

A week passed like a quiet breeze through the trees.

Red's cabin, once a sanctuary of silence and solitude, had grown fuller, but not louder. Life, however, had settled into its corners. A warmth, unfamiliar but not unwelcome, threaded itself into the routine.

Lia and Lana were not yet fully recovered, but they were getting there. The dark bruises had faded from their limbs, and the vacant fear in their eyes was slowly replaced by wonder.

They had started to smile.

They still clung to Selena when they woke, and sometimes cried at night, but in the mornings, they would eat the porridge Selena made, small spoonfuls at first, and then more.

Selena had taken to the role of caretaker naturally.

Lio helped where he could, gathering firewood, washing utensils, watching the traps Red had shown him. He and Selena worked together easily, like old friends. Sometimes she teased him. Sometimes he made her laugh.

They called each other "rat" and "mouse" more than by name, but the affection was there.

Red didn't comment on it.

He simply continued his routine.

Armor - checked. 

Sword - sharpened. 

Traps - inspected. 

Quest board - monitored. 

Slum food - delivered.

Then one morning, as Red prepared to leave, Lio caught him at the edge of the property.

Lio: "Let me come with you."

Red paused. Looked at him. "Why?"

Lio: "To help! You carry so much stuff back, and you go every day. Just let me tag along. I'll be your errand boy or something."

Red stared at him for a moment, expression unreadable.

Red: "…Fine."

Lio's grin faltered slightly. "Wait…really?"

Red closed the last strap of his armor. "You offered."

They walked the forest path together in silence, boots crunching dirt and twigs underfoot.

Lio tried to keep pace, but Red's long strides forced him into an awkward half-jog every few steps.

"You know," he said, glancing at Red, "you're not like people say. Back in the slums, we used to think you were some kind of ghost. Like a monster in a cloak who only showed up when someone was about to die."

Red said nothing.

Lio rubbed the back of his neck. "But you're just… really intense. And kind of terrifying. But also weirdly thoughtful."

Still nothing.

Lio glanced at him sideways. "You know that's a compliment, right?"

Red: "…Hm."

At the gates of Silverhaven, Red glanced toward the streets.

Children laughed near the merchant row. The city bustled with its usual noise, peddlers shouting, guards chatting, adventurers comparing bruises like trophies. Red passed them all without pause.

As they passed through the city gates, Red's eyes swept over the plaza.

His steps slowed for just a moment.

Selena's boots were worn. Lio's coat was torn. The girls barely had clothes that fit.

They need new clothes, Red noted to himself.

He didn't say it aloud.

But he would fix it. Quietly.

Inside the Guild Hall, Red checked the board.

Still no goblins.

Still no high-risk monsters.

He left without a word.

The market was as lively as ever.

Red moved with his usual discipline, no wasted time. He knew exactly what he needed. And this time, the quantities had doubled.

Rice. Flour. Salt. Root vegetables. Onions. Beans. Smoked meat. Spices. Dried herbs. Oil. Firewood. Soap.

He ordered everything in bulk. Five, ten kilograms each.

Lio's eyes widened with every item added to the list.

It was only then that Lio realized what he had truly signed up for.

At first, it was fine. A sack of rice here. A few potion vials there.

Then flour. Salt. Barrels of dried meat. Bags of onions, roots, cooking oil, grain.

By the fifth stall, Lio was sweating.

Lio: "You, uh… always buy this much?"

Red: "Yes."

Lio: "Do you eat this much?"

Red: "No."

Lio: "For the house?"

"For the house," Red confirmed. "And the slums."

Lio tried to lift a bag of flour. It slumped against him like a collapsing wall.

Lio: "Oh god…"

Red watched him without comment, then quietly handed the vendor a payment slip and flagged down a wagon service nearby.

Red: "They'll deliver to the trail near the stream."

"Why didn't you just call the wagon first?" Lio gasped, red-faced.

Red: "You volunteered."

Lio groaned and dropped against the side of the wagon. "This is the worst decision I've ever made."

Red didn't answer.

He handed the final list to a vendor and arranged a delivery cart for the outer gate.

Lio sat down hard on the edge of the stall, panting. "Okay. This was a mistake. My shoulders are already sore and I haven't carried anything yet."

"You wanted to help," Red said, passing him a water flask.

Lio: "Yeah, I thought you meant carrying a satchel. Not restocking a kingdom."

As Red finalized the delivery arrangements with a wagon driver, Lio's eyes wandered.

They caught movement near the city's central fountain.

There, sitting alone on the stone edge, was a girl. Maybe their age. Long black hair, black dress modestly patched. She stared into the water, her legs curled beneath her, lost in thought.

Something in her posture, alone, but not sad, caught his attention.

Lio's feet moved before he could think.

He walked straight up to her, grinning.

Lio: "Hey there. You dropped something."

She blinked, confused. "Huh?"

He pointed at her.

Lio: "A smile."

Her face turned scarlet.

"I-I didn't drop anything…what? Who?"

Lio laughed. "Just kidding. I'm Lio. You look like you could use a friend. Or someone to talk to."

"I… I don't usually talk to strangers," she mumbled.

"Perfect," he said. "Then let's not be strangers."

She stared at him, completely flustered.

He sat beside her anyway, not too close. Just enough to be present.

Lio: "I'm not trying to bother you. Just figured... you looked like someone who could use a quiet moment with company."

She looked at him again. And this time, she smiled.

A real one.

Yuzu: "…I'm Yuzu."

Lio: "Nice to meet you, Yuzu."

Nearby, Red watched silently.

He didn't intervene. Didn't approach.

But he noted the name. The posture. The spark in Lio's expression.

He didn't understand it fully, but he knew what it was.

Lio just winked at her.

And that awkward little smile she gave him…

Was her first step toward real friendship…and something far deeper