The beast, a monstrous lion with a three-headed serpent's tail, roared, fixing its hungry eyes on us.

"Natsu, get up and attack," Nagi ordered, his voice strained but firm.

I slumped back onto the grass, completely exhausted. "Nah... I'm tired. You handle it, Mister Perfect."

"Natsu, you idiot, help Nagi!" Ren shouted, her voice a mix of fear and frustration.

"Mister Perfect can handle this," I muttered, closing my eyes.

I heard Ren and Nagi sigh in unison.

"Seriously," Nagi said, more to himself than to me. "You just give me more work."

I heard the hiss of his sword being drawn. An instant later, a swift movement, a flash of steel, and a clean slash. The lion's roar was cut off abruptly. I heard the dull thud of its body falling to the ground and the soft click of Nagi's sword returning to its sheath.

"Hmph," Nagi said. "It was weaker than I thought."

Ren collapsed to the ground, arms spread wide, letting out a long sigh of relief. Her gaze fell on me, still lying in the grass, and she let out a little giggle.

"Hee hee hee."

I saw Ren's cheeks redden slightly before she turned her head away, embarrassed.

Later that night, the forest was silent except for the crackling of the campfire and my own snoring. While I slept soundly, Ren and Nagi stood guard.

"Hey, Nagi... can I ask you something?" Ren began softly.

"Yeah, what is it?" Nagi replied, poking the fire with a branch.

"It's about Natsu..."

Nagi sighed impatiently. "Ugh, come on, just say it."

"Okay..." Ren lowered her voice even further, her cheeks flushing red in the firelight. "D-does Natsu... have a girlfriend?"

Nagi froze for a second, surprised by the question. And then, a loud, genuine laugh broke the night's silence.

"HAHAHA, hahaha!"

"W-what's so funny?" Ren stammered, embarrassed.

"Natsu? A girlfriend?" Nagi said, still laughing. "Why are you asking?"

"It's just... I don't know. Ever since that day... I think I've fallen in love with him."

Nagi's laughter stopped. "Wait... are you talking about that day?"

"Yes."

The memory of that day returned to Ren's mind with crystal clarity. She was only six years old.

(Flashback)

The voices of her adoptive family echoed through the forest.

"REN!" Grandpa Rei shouted.

"REN, DARLING, WHERE ARE YOU!" Grandma Riomi's voice called out.

Ren was huddled in a small cave, crying silently. Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance, hanging upside down from a branch.

"There you are," Natsu said with a smile.

"Hey, Natsu..." Ren sobbed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "How did you find me?"

"I know you too well."

"Yeah, whatever..."

"Why did you run away? Everyone's worried."

"You know... about my parents... and my brother."

"Yeah, I know. And I'm so sorry about your parents."

"I really don't want to worry anyone," Ren said, tears welling up again. "But everything is going wrong for me! I have no family, I have nothing left!" she cried, her voice cracking with pain.

Natsu swung down from the branch, landing gently in front of her. He approached and, with a gentleness he rarely showed, wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"That's not true. You still have me, the grandparents, and my brother."

"But I only cause you guys trouble..." she sobbed.

"And I'll always be there to solve it," he said, his voice surprisingly serious. "I might be an idiot, but I swear I'll always be there to help you with your problems."

He extended his hand toward her.

"So get up and dry those tears. Leave your troubles behind... and let's go have dinner, okay?"

A genuine smile lit his face, framed by the moonlight peeking in behind him. In that moment, Ren remembered her mother's words.

"You know, daughter, one day a person will come who you can trust, who will get you out of all your troubles. A person you'll trust for the rest of your days."

Ren took Natsu's hand. They left the cave together, and soon, their laughter echoed in the silent forest.

(End of Flashback)

"And from that day on... I think that's when I fell in love with him," Ren confessed, looking into the flames. "Though I admit, his craziness tires me out."

"Yeah, Natsu's a huge idiot," Nagi said, but there was a hint of affection in his voice. "But I'll tell you this: don't worry. I could never see that fool with anyone else."

Ren laughed softly and remained thoughtful, looking up at the sky.

The next morning, I was already exploring, running to the top of a small nearby mountain.

"Wow, the view is beautiful from here!"

"Yes, it is," said Ren, who had arrived behind me with Nagi.

I looked down at the valley below us. "Look, there's a village over there," I said.

"Let's go there and ask some questions," Nagi suggested.

"But how do we get down?" Ren asked.

My eyes fell on a huge fallen log, big enough for the three of us to sit on. A brilliant and terrible idea formed in my mind.

"I have an idea."

Nagi and Ren looked at each other, a shared expression of panic on their faces.

Moments later, we were sliding down the mountainside at breakneck speed on the log.

"THIS WASN'T WHAT I MEANT!" Ren shouted, clinging to the log for dear life.

"NATSU, I HOPE YOU HAVE A PLAN!" Nagi exclaimed, barely keeping his cool.

"WHOOOHOOOOO!" I shouted, euphoric. "RELAX, I HAVE A PLAN!"

"I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT!"

I stood up, channeled mana into my hand to form an energy whip, and swung it toward a nearby tree branch. But I miscalculated. The whip tangled, knocking us off course, and we were sent flying through the air.

The three of us screamed as we plummeted toward a small lake.

SPLASH!

We surfaced, soaked and coughing.

"Ugh... NATSU, YOU IDIOT, YOU SAID YOU HAD A PLAN!" Ren scolded me.

"Sorry! But look, we're alive!"

"It was obvious his plan was bad," Nagi said, wringing water from his clothes.

"Hey, kids, are you alright?" we heard an elderly voice from the shore.

An older man was approaching. Once we were out of the water, we introduced ourselves.

"Hello," the old man said. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Nao Akatsuki, nice to meet you. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, and it's nice to meet you, too. I'm Natsu, this is my brother Nagi, and this is our friend, Ren."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Nagi and Ren said in unison.

"Hey, sir," I asked, "do you know where the village of Nalia is?"

Ren let out a loud sneeze, interrupting me.

"Let's go to my house," Nao said pleasantly. "I'll give you some new, dry clothes, and some hot chocolate."

The three of us looked at each other. "Hot... chocolate?"

In Nao's cozy house, Ren emerged from one of the rooms wearing a completely new outfit. She wore an open black leather jacket over a white corset, which in turn covered a white blouse. Short leather shorts hugged her hips, held in place by a striking orange belt decorated with gold fox ornaments, whose eyes sparkled with small red crystals. Her legs were covered by asymmetrical black stockings, and on her wrist was a black bracelet with white lines, matching the design of her belt. On her right hip, an emerald-colored dagger rested in a sturdy leather sheath.

"This is so cute," she said, blushing. "But it's a bit revealing."

"I'm glad you like it. That outfit belonged to my late wife when she was an adventurer," Nao explained.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I'll take it off right now."

"No, no, don't worry. I'm sure my wife would be happy for you to have it."

"Really? Thank you so much. I'll take great care of it."

A short while later, Nagi emerged. His transformation was impressive. He wore a pale blue high-collared shirt, perfectly buttoned, under a long, midnight-blue haori made of high-quality fabric, with a moon symbol embroidered on the back. His right hand was uncovered, but his left was protected by a small leather gauntlet. On the wrist of that same arm hung a bracelet with a moon pendant identical to the one on his haori. He wore straight-cut black hakama, held by a dark gray cloth belt where his katana rested. The scabbard was lacquered in a glossy black, the handle wrapped in dark blue silk, and the simple but elegant handguard was shaped like a lotus. His footwear consisted of traditional geta.

"Wow... this clothing feels strange," he said, shifting a little.

"Yes, it can be a little uncomfortable, but since you use a sword, it's very easy to move in," Nao said. "Besides, that katana is incredibly durable. They say its previous owner defeated a dragon with it."

"A-a... DRAGON!" I exclaimed, impressed.

My gaze shifted to Ren, who was sitting at the table, drinking something hot. In her new clothes, she looked like a little girl, dangling her feet in the air with an expression of pure happiness. I admit, she looks cute, I thought, but she looks like a little kid.

Finally, I came out. I was wearing a short, open, sleeveless jacket in a worn burgundy red color with yellow zipper edges and black leather trim. Underneath, a tight-fitting charcoal gray T-shirt with some patches and stitching visible. My hands were covered by black fingerless gloves that reached mid-forearm, secured with straps. On my right wrist, a braided leather bracelet with a small red crystal that seemed to pulse with a faint heat. On my left, a similar bracelet, but with a pale blue crystal that sometimes emitted a slight icy mist. My pants were loose-fitting, hakama-style but cut below the knee, in an off-white color, held by a wide black cloth belt and a thinner leather belt. My feet were shod in dark leather combat sandals, with straps that wrapped around the toes.

"This is way too comfortable."

"I'm glad you all like the clothes," Nao said, smiling.

"Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Nao."

We sat down at the table while Nao served us the famous "hot chocolate."

"Well, Mr. Nao," Nagi said, picking up the conversation. "Continuing what we were saying at the lake..."

"Yes, could we ask you something?" I added.

"Sure, go on."

"Do you know where the village of Nalia is?"

Nao's smile faded. "Nalia...? Isn't that the village that disappeared in a fight between two dragons... four years ago?"

The silence in the room was absolute.

"Disappeared...? Four years ago...?" Nagi repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "Mr. Nao, what year is it?"

"Uh... please, calm down."

"I'm so sorry," Nagi apologized, though panic was evident in his eyes.

"Right now," Nao said slowly, "it's the 25th day of the 9th month of the year 158, according to the calendar of the goddess Kitsune."

"What...?"

The three of us froze, our faces a mask of pure shock and terror.ç