"Not everything broken needs to be fixed. Some things just need somewhere to rest."
— Kazuto Aoi
Previously...
Kazuto, a former celebrity who wished only for solitude, built a life of peace in the heart of Miurell's forest using nothing but his gear and his gift: Camping Mastery – EX.
A wounded girl—Lyla—stumbled into his camp, half-conscious and half-feral. He offered her food, shelter, and silence.
And in return, she stayed.
Morning returned with birdsong and the smell of damp wood.
Kazuto had risen early, as always. He moved with slow, precise intent, gathering smooth stones from the streambed. He wore a simple undershirt and rolled-up trousers. No armor. No sword.
Lyla watched from her bedroll.
She hadn't meant to stay another night, but her legs still ached, and there was something unexplainable about this place. The quiet wasn't empty—it was full of something she didn't understand.
She tilted her head as she saw Kazuto measuring a circle on the ground using a stick and string.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Making an oven," he replied without looking up.
"…An oven?" she repeated, as if it were a foreign word.
He nodded. "Stone oven. For baking. Smoked meals. Bread, eventually."
"You… cook like this here? In the wild?"
Kazuto smiled. "The forest's not wild to me. It's quiet. I like quiet."
[System Notice: New Construction Attempt – "Stone Oven" Registered.]
Progress: 3%
Required Materials Remaining: 12 Smooth Stones, 1 Clay Binder, 2 Fire Logs
Kazuto's eyes flicked briefly to the corner of his vision. Lyla caught the shift in focus.
"You saw something again, didn't you?"
"Mm."
"You have a system?"
"It doesn't boss me around. Just… keeps track."
"…Huh."
She sat up slowly. Her leg was bandaged, and she realized with a quiet start that the pain had nearly vanished.
[Passive Buff: Tranquil Soul – Wound Recovery Accelerated]
She stared at Kazuto again.
He wasn't a healer. He didn't use magic. He didn't carry potions.
He made soup and fire.
And somehow, that had done more for her than any spell ever had.
☀️ Midday – Work and Watching
Kazuto continued stacking stones in a semi-dome shape, layering them like puzzle pieces. Lyla, still skeptical but undeniably curious, stood and walked over.
"…You're serious about this. Building an actual oven."
"I told you," he said, brushing dust off his hands. "I like cooking."
Lyla glanced at the pot simmering by the fire. The scent of root vegetables and mushrooms drifted upward, carried by the breeze.
"You don't have any weapons. No sword. No dagger. You're out here alone. Why?"
Kazuto didn't stop working.
"I wasn't built for killing," he said. "I was good at smiling for cameras. Pretending. Making people like me."
He looked up at her, finally meeting her gaze.
"…Then I stopped liking myself."
Lyla said nothing. But her hand subconsciously touched the old scar across her side. A reminder of someone else's orders. Someone else's war.
[System Notice: Companion Lyla – Trust Level Raised: "Wary Ally" → "Guarded Observer"]
"Some hearts bloom slowly. Especially those once scorched by fire."
Kazuto continued building. When he stopped to rest, he handed Lyla a chunk of dried fruit. She accepted it without a word this time.
And in the quiet, a question built in her throat.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked finally. "I could still be dangerous. I might steal from you. Or stab you in your sleep."
Kazuto stirred the soup, then answered:
"You didn't."
🌙 Evening – The Softening
The oven was halfway built by sundown. Kazuto had also reinforced the tarp shelter and hung a drying line between trees for herbs and cleaned tools.
Lyla helped—grudgingly at first, then out of quiet habit.
That night, as they sat beside the fire eating soup again, Kazuto opened a small wooden box from his pack. Inside were tiny glass bottles—seasonings from his old life.
He added a pinch of something citrusy to her bowl.
She blinked. "…Is that lemon zest?"
He smiled. "You've had it before?"
"Yeah. Once." She stared at the bowl. "You really don't fight?"
"Nope."
"…That's stupid," she muttered, taking another bite.
Kazuto let out a small laugh. "Probably."
As the fire crackled between them, Lyla glanced at the edge of camp—where her knife still lay on a flat stone, untouched.
She hadn't needed it today.
And that scared her more than anything.
[System Notice: Camp Aura Deepens – Companion Lyla: +1 Emotional Recovery]
"Not all healing is loud. Some happens quietly, between spoons of soup."