Chapter 348 - Post-Respite

"Alright, alright, tone it down, would you? You'll wake up Jae-Seong."

Moving Macheo away, Ren sighed as he put the young man on his path. As Ren watched the two begin to walk away, he got an idea like a flash of lightning through his mind.

"Valerie!"

He snapped his fingers, saying the woman's name out loud as he turned to her.

"Hah?"

"You can get a bird's eye view on this place! You're the perfect one for this!"

Ren's realization was like a shining ray of hope to the others' eyes. 

"I forgot about that!"

Iris joined in, standing next to Ren as they looked at the draconic knight like pleading children. 

"…How exactly did you forget that?"

Asking this with a perplexed, almost annoyed tone, Valerie stretched her scaly, crimson wings out as a reminder. 

"Ehehe…"

Iris chuckled wryly with an embarrassed, red hue to her cheeks as she avoided the question. 

"Anyway…are you up for it, Valerie?"

As Ren asked this, he met the draconic woman's naturally fiery gaze with his own as she fell silent for a moment before sighing.

Standing up, Valerie answered, "I suppose I can help out."

She really doesn't like Macheo much does she? This is life or death, Val! Ren thought. 

With that, the unlikely trio set off into the region of ivory grass and discarded steel. Somehow, in all of the time that had passed, the red-furred panda still managed to fit more crackers in his stomach, shoveling down the dry, crunchy snacks in his throat. 

"Stop that! You're going to run our supplies dry!"

Ren snatched the sack filled with crackers before Hongse could reach in for another, setting it down as the panda was left still with shock for a moment. 

"I'm starving! You don't understand the feeling of hunger that thrives through a pandaman like myself! Gimme! Gimme!"

Attempting to retrieve the pack of crackers back, Hongse reached out as Ren kept it away from him. 

"Eat some real food then! These crackers are practically air! You'll need one hundred crates of them before you're full!" 

Saying this, Ren countered Hongse's attempt to grab the sack with a swift piece of bread to the demi-humans open mouth--halting the panda's ravenous state as he munched on the dry, but more fulfilling food. 

Ren brought the crackers back with him, safeguarding them from the crimson panda as he sat back down beside Iris, who shared a laugh with Aiko at the ridiculous situation. 

"It's not funny; he's going to run our supplies dry if we're not careful." 

"...It's not that...it's just nice to see everybody so carefree. Right, Aiko?"

As Iris said this, the beige-haired girl nodded in agreement as Ren looked between them before replacing his sigh with a smile. 

"It's a weird feeling…I know we're still in Purgatory, but this place is…pleasant. It feels like forever since I've seen flourishing nature."

Aiko said as she brushed her hands across the soft blades of ivory grass with a small smile, keeping her knees tucked close to her chest. 

"I know what you mean; it's actually kind of beautiful. I think it's the first time I've really felt that way looking at anything here."

Ren replied as he looked up at the sky of hanging trees. Like a light dance of rain, white leaves glided down from the skyborn cedar, trickling down onto the white fields below. 

"It kind of reminds you of Grandueve, doesn't it?"

Speaking softly as she shared the same view as him, Iris smiled gently.

Looking at her, it was as if the beauty of the domain was exemplified by her presence; her crystalline blue eyes contrasted the pristine white like a heavenly angel. Catching himself in this trance, he nodded his head in agreement with her words, "Yeah."

"…I want to go home. I want to see them again. I miss Sora's cooking…the sounds of Fai and Brahmi training outside…I miss it all."

Iris' eyes watered a bit as she spoke of her deeply missed home. 

It was a feeling all too familiar to Ren was he gripped the ivory grass, nodding his head. 

"We'll return. We're almost through this, Iris."

Giving her some reassurance, he patted the girl on the shoulder with his sable glove as they shared smiles with one another. 

"Right. Thank you, Ren. It's amazing. You've become…so dependable."

Iris' words were enough to try a pink tinge to the young man's cheeks as he scratched his cheek bashfully. 

"Was I that lame before…?"

The moment he asked this, an embarrassed blush came over Iris as she quickly waved her hands to protest his words. 

"No…no! I didn't mean it like that—"

"I'm just joking."

Giving her a cheeky smile, he promptly received a hit to the arm before wincing with a chuckle.

"Jerk."

"…I guess I deserve that one."

Watching the two be playful with one another, Aiko spoke up from her spot across from them, "Why don't you two just admit you like each other already?"

Her clear cut words completely froze both Ren and Iris as whatever blushes they held previously didn't compare to the cherry-red that overtook them. 

"…Huh?! What're you talking about, Aiko?! I…I—"

Iris cut herself off as she cupped her own cheeks as if trying to shrink away from the moment.

"Yeah! What do you think you're saying, Aiko! You can't just make wild, baseless claims like that!…it's slander! I could take you to court for that, you know!"

Half of what he said was completely lost on Aiko, who held a smug smile in triumph at the reaction she pulled from the two. 

"Mm…speaking from experience, it's much better to just come out with it."

"Bias! That's biased! Just because it worked out for you once doesn't mean it always does! You have a cute face to work with, so your data is totally skewed!"

Ren jabbed his finger towards the girl as a blush continued to persist on his cheeks. 

Playfully sticking her tongue out at him, Aiko giggled before retrieving a stick of bread from their supply. 

Little brat, Ren thought. 

Looking to the side, he watched Iris quickly swing her head to face the opposite direction.

Was she looking at me? He thought. 

"Ren…"

Iris spoke his name with a muffled voice as she had covered most of her face with her own hair, nervously fidgeting as she twirled her azure locks around her index finger. 

"Y-yeah?" 

"...How do you feel about me?"

As the question traveled from her lips to his ears, Ren felt as if time stopped for him, but his heart continued to amp up the intensity. It was the type of question that sucked away any notion of calmness as his body ran hot with a mixture of fluster and just pure overheat. 

What do I think of her…? What kind of loaded question is that?! How are you going to put me on the spot like this, Iris?! He thought. 

"How do I feel...about you?" 

He repeated her question as if not hearing it properly; looking at her but not looking at her at the same time as his sight became blurry and his breathing rugged. 

A slight nod from the crimson-cheeked girl who seemed to share in the same fluster as him confirmed the question. 

Wait--maybe this is a good thing. If she's asking this, then maybe she's into me as well. But...what has my deducement of girl's hearts ever done for me?! I may have packed on some muscle and learned some magic, but I'm still a NEET at heart! No amount of dating sims prepared me for this moment…! Ren thought. 

It was a high-stakes question, one that needed a careful answer; placing his hand on his chin, he ran through his options, all the while feeling the anxious gaze of the girl locked onto him. 

Maybe she's asking what I think about her as a comrade? She could be having doubts about her own strength...that's probably it, isn't it? I understand completely, Iris! These same types of feelings have plagued me too, so I get it! I do! That's what I'll do… Ren thought, nodding his head. 

"Iris." 

Holding a completely serious expression as he cooled his heart with his own realization, Ren looked straight at the azure-eyes girl as her blush intensified. 

"Y-yes…?" 

"You're a reliable companion! Don't worry! You've always had my backs in fights, and it totally makes things easier for me! You're strong! That's why I can always rely on you in a battle, Iris!"

Giving his answer, Ren placed a hand on Iris' shoulder as his answer completely took her by surprise as she stared at him. 

"...Huh?" 

"That's how I feel about you, Iris." 

Letting out a sigh, Aiko shook her head silently to herself--witnessing a high-level act of thick skulled-ness. 

"I see…" 

Iris lowered her gaze a bit with a soft smile as she returned to her relaxed position in their small area to camp out in. 

Closing his eyes to catch a bit of momentary rest, Ren peeked with one at the girl, seeing her dulled expression. 

Sorry, Iris. I'm not that dense; I get what you were asking. It's just...now isn't the time for love. Somehow, I feel like proclaiming my feelings will only result in jinxing our own happiness.. That's why--I'll ask you the same thing once we're out of this place, Iris, he thought.