Only then did she realize the danger that tiny creature posed to her.

  Her gaze quickly shot upward toward the metal machine, which was already preparing another attack.

  "Watch out!"

  The girl shouted urgently, warning Noroi himself. Not stopping there, she dashed forward as the laser fired a second time, tracking her movement and scorching every inch she stepped on.

  She reached Noroi and shoved him out of the way, sending him tumbling to the side, while she raised her axe against Mini.

  The robot aimed its weapons straight at her forehead, and in that tense instant, both were prepared to kill the other…..

  Before either of them could destroy the other, Noroi rushed forward and positioned his entire body between the two.

  Both sides froze, halting their attacks.

  Noroi's voice rang out sharply and authoritatively.

  "Stop!"

  At his command, Mini's screen returned to its calm blue state, and the robot retracted both of its weapons back to its sides, obedient to its master.

  Meanwhile, the girl dropped her axe with a loud thud on the ground, gesturing angrily and exasperatedly at the boy.

  "You're defending the creature that tried to steal my prey? Really?! Whose side are you on?"

  Her voice carried a strong sense of irritation and a hint of disbelief at Noroi's actions, while she referred to Haruki as her "prey."

  Noroi squinted and opened his mouth slightly, unable to speak at first.

  After gathering himself, he replied, somewhat flustered.

  "Excuse me… do I even know you well enough to take your side? Besides, that so-called prey is just a human boy, in case you hadn't realized."

  The girl tilted her neck back, looking up at Haruki, suspended in her net like a ball.

  Her lips curled slightly in a disgusted expression as the words slipped out without much thought.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "I thought he was some kind of creature here… disappointing."

  "He does look like them, I won't disagree with you on that."

  Noroi spoke harshly, both hands shoved into his pockets, his eyes fixed on Haruki above.

  A frown formed on Haruki's lips as he glanced down at the two of them, then raised his voice so they could hear him.

  "Can you get me down now?"

  The girl bent down to pick up the axe she had dropped moments earlier, fastening it firmly onto her back.

  She then looked at Noroi and gave him a kind of peace gesture.

  Noroi understood the gesture, but he didn't return it. Instead, he averted his gaze from her and turned it toward Mini, floating beside him, before ordering with a stern expression.

  "Get the fool down from the tree."

  The small robot instantly processed the command and flew upward to where Haruki was dangling.

  It shifted its hand into a sharp-edged tool, then moved in to saw through the rope with the blade-like extension.

  Haruki's face lit up with joy, finally, he would be free from the net and regain his freedom.

  But as soon as the rope was cut, his body slipped from its place.

  The boy gasped loudly, then crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.

  BOOM!

  "Ah…"

  A small groan slipped from Haruki's lips as his back slammed against the ground with force.

  He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing, then arched his back with stiff movements, rubbing the sore spot.

  After that, he stretched out his body and rolled his neck from side to side, his muscles had gone stiff from being trapped for so long.

  A laugh escaped the girl when she saw his pained state after the fall, and she teased him with a mocking tone.

  "What's wrong, huh? Can't handle a little tumble from a tree branch?"

  Haruki looked up, his eyes widening slightly as a memory flickered in his mind. A single word left his mouth in a low murmur.

  "You…"

  His memory pulled him back to the very moment his feet had stepped into the market just yesterday morning.

  That girl with pale skin, orange hair braided into small intertwined plaits, and bright green eyes, her face sprinkled with a few freckles.

  She still wore the iron helmet with bull horns jutting from the top, and the massive axe strapped tightly to her back… It was the very same girl who had been yelling at the merchant in the marketplace.

  The girl tilted her head, surprised by Haruki's stunned look and the way his voice suggested he somehow knew her.

  That confused her, because she didn't remember him. She asked in a hesitant tone.

  "Have we met before?"

  "Yes! No!.. I mean, I saw you, but it didn't seem like you noticed me."

  Haruki pushed himself up from the ground as he tried to explain how he knew her.

  Still, he looked genuinely happy, excited at the thought of gaining another friend.

  The girl rested her right elbow over her left arm, her hand settling under her chin in a contemplative pose as she tried to grasp at a thread of memory.

  A few moments passed before she broke her stance, then lifted a supportive hand to place it on Haruki's shoulder.

  She looked straight into his eyes and spoke in a tone that carried true seriousness.

  "I don't remember you."

  "But there's one thing I do remember… that creature tried to kill me!"

  The girl's voice rose sharply on the last words, and in a burst of speed too quick for Haruki to catch, she swung her axe off her back and charged directly at Mini.

  She raised her weapon-