Chapter 5 : Doesn’t look like a good thing

“Hm?”

Her busy hands hadn’t stopped,

but Qianyu’s gaze, fixed on her body beneath the clear water,

caught something odd.

She should have noticed sooner.

“What is this?”

Without wiping herself, she stood hurriedly.

Bright dawn light filtered through gaps in the high canopy,

spilling onto her clean, white skin still dotted with water droplets.

Also warmed by this light

were black characters on the outer elbows, behind the knees, inner thighs.

These hid at cunning angles.

Normally, no one would check spots in daily blind spots.

Thanks to sitting cross-legged in the bath,

she barely glimpsed some—

“C-Chinese?”

After triple-checking in shock, she confirmed it.

Since arriving in this world, cut off from Earth and her homeland’s culture,

she never expected to see her native language again—on her body.

“Hiss, but this is too weird.”

No memory or impression of these characters.

Origin, time, place, person—all unknown.

“Could it be a prank? Let’s read first.”

To trace their source, start with content.

No translation magic needed;

Qianyu could understand—

…

.

.

“Don’t listen to her voice”

.

.

“Your body will be controlled”

.

.

“Don’t believe what she says”

.

.

“You will forget what happens after”

.

.

“Find the truth.”

.

.

“Beware, Ye—”

.

.

“No, no.”

.

.

…

It was a clear, sunny day.

Deep in the sweltering jungle.

Fresh from a bath, body still warm.

Yet after reading the words,

that warmth turned to chills, heart pounding in terror.

Understanding the characters

didn’t mean grasping their hidden meaning.

Heartbeat raced, legs trembled, breathing quickened.

Anxiety flooded her mind, thoughts tangled like yarn.

“Qianyu.”

“Ah?!”

Under explosive pressure, someone called her name.

Like a pressure cooker bursting, she let out a very undignified sound.

(So girls really do scream when panicked…)

She inwardly mocked her past naive thoughts.

“What happened?!”

Perhaps startled by her reaction,

a woman immediately rushed from the swaying tree shadows.

She closed in fast, stopped before Qianyu, turned, spread stance low, right hand reverse-gripping a short dagger at chest level, warily scanning for danger, shielding the still-panicking Qianyu behind her.

“Y-Yeyuan?”

“Danger. Where.”

“E-Eh eh eh.”

So she mistook the scream for an attack.

(Yeyuan came to protect me.)

Anyway, clear the misunderstanding—

Qianyu first smoothed her heaving chest, calming from the outburst.

Then lightly tapped Yeyuan’s shoulder.

“Here?”

“No danger, sorry. Just startled by Mr. Deer passing through the jungle.”

“Is that so.”

Hearing the explanation, Yeyuan sheathed the dagger.

Her body relaxed from alert, returning to normal.

“I didn’t see a deer.”

“I-It must’ve run too fast, haha.”

Qianyu smiled helplessly.

Trying to pass off the lame excuse—

the truth that Yeyuan’s sudden call scared her.

“Anyway, good that you’re fine.”

“Mm, mm. Thank you for coming to save me, Yeyuan.”

“It’s… mm!?”

Accepting Qianyu’s thanks,

Yeyuan turned to face her but quickly averted face and gaze to the empty sky.

“Eh, what? Enemies in the sky?”

“No. Y-Your clothes.”

“…Ah.”

Only now remembering she was still naked.

They were all girls; seen is seen.

“Sorry! Wait a sec.”

Her body had dried in the tense farce.

Qianyu dressed in a flash,

then followed Yeyuan back to camp at a leisurely stroll.

Influenced by the fabricated—

no, still uncertain if fabricated—Chinese words.

Qianyu barely spoke to Yeyuan on the way, unsure how to start.

What to talk about? Tell her what she found?

Such questions circled endlessly in her mind.

Plus Yeyuan’s taciturn nature, unlikely to initiate.

They returned to camp in silence.

“Ah, Captain Lily! They’re back.”

“Oh oh, welcome back—you two.”

Lilix was instructing a girl half a head shorter than her,

whose tiny doll-like head reached only her abdomen—adorably petite.

Seeing Qianyu and Yeyuan in view, she greeted warmly.

It wasn’t that one-meter-sixty Lilix was tall.

The one before her belonged to a famous demi-human race on the continent—

a dwarf girl named Tasuwa.

Dark red short hair like lava, tied with ribbons into two short braids over her slender neck; texture rough and tangled, occasionally knotted.

Small bright eyes, round flat nose, cherry mouth thinner than a finger.

Childlike, undeveloped cute features. The epitome of baby face.

She wore goggles on her forehead, a light brown inner shirt under a khaki apron, pockets stuffed with tiny dual-handled short tools. This outfit had barely changed since joining.

Clothes, gear, even race symbolized her role.

Maintaining weapons, crafting simple adventure tools.

Logistics like Qianyu, the errand runner.

“Mm…”

But compared to craftsman duties,

Qianyu saw her more as the team mascot.

If anyone disliked her,

it’d be Leila, scornful to all.

Even so, Leila held no hostility or verbal attacks toward her.

Quite different from Qianyu.

“Ye—Yuan sis.”

Tasuwa trotted over,

leaping into Yeyuan’s comparatively broad embrace.

“Morning, Suwa.”

Yeyuan’s face flashed a rare smile—

lips curling maybe 10° upward.

For her, who rarely smiled, it was precious.

She supported Tasuwa under the arms, lifting her playfully like a child.

Head tilted up, gazing gently.

“Wah wah, so high so high—”

“Hehe.”

They seemed to be having fun.

Seizing the chance,

Qianyu mustered courage to greet the raised Tasuwa nervously:

“M-Morning, Tasuwa.”

“…”

Ignored as expected!

The moment Qianyu spoke,

smiling Tasuwa glanced over, face cooling to disdain.

Then ignored her completely, continuing to play with Yeyuan.

(I thought after so long in the team, relations would improve a bit!)

“Sigh.”

Dejected Qianyu sighed deeply.

“There there.”

Lilix quietly approached from behind,

patting her shoulder, smiling gently in comfort.

Soon, the other two members, hearing the fun (Qianyu excluded), gathered.

“Pfft—someone sure is pitiful first thing in the morning.

Wasted my carefully prepared opening line.”

Likely satisfied with the entertainment,

Leila approached grinning, face screaming serves you right.

“You’ve been close with Yeyuan lately, Qianyu. Woke me early—what were you planning?”

Still upset about morning,

Del crossed arms, demanding an explanation.

“Well, that’s a secret between me and Yeyuan.”

“Hmph, say it or don’t. I don’t care.”

“The elf girl sure is kind. Want me to pry her mouth open?”

From Leila, it didn’t sound like a joke—

no, she was serious.

Magic already gathering in her right hand!

“Cut it out. I don’t trust you either.”

“Hehe.”

Yeyuan, Qianyu, Tasuwa, Patridel, Leila, and Lilix.

All current main members of the team were here.

“Since everyone’s ready—let’s start today’s strategy meeting!”

With the captain’s command,

teammates chatted and laughed, gathering by the campfire before the tents.

Only uneasy Qianyu trailed silently behind,

flipping her arm—the black characters stark like brands on fair clean skin.

The shadow in her heart refused to lift.