NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"So, what did you bring? I really want to eat some meat right now. I miss the taste of chicken and its juicylicious wings. You know what I mean, Okami, now, do you?"

"Change of course. We'll be vegetarians for this day onward."

"WHAT!" Ryoshi shouted. "What do you mean veget-? You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head in response. "Did I ever tell a lie?"

Silence filled the air as I placed all the herbs, berries, and vegetables inside the boiling pot of soup. We could already taste the simmering vegetables touching our tongue, but the smoke did not pack a punch.

It was what Ryoshi mentioned, having organic foods as our nourishments was incomparable against crimson flesh meat. I had nothing against vegetarians, but the two of us wanted some viands on our rice, paired with a splash of soy sauce to add colour.

"What happened to the boar? O-Or the rabbits you've told me?"

All Ryoshi could do was sulk in the corner while pouring the soup into his mouth. He was also thinking of all those dishes in his head while slurping the bowl clean. If my friend was a dishwasher in a restaurant, he could've aced all the plates in one go.

After filling ourselves with our green meal, Ryoshi and I went to hit the sack. Since the two of us were living in the wilderness, the two of us planned duty roll-calls every six hours.

"Same as last time?" I asked.

Ryoshi gave me a nod and went to the make-shift futon. I was the one on watch right now, so I prepared my post and warded off the insects near my place.

I placed all our equipment and cooking tools in the [astral space] while cleaning every dirt I could find. The miscellaneous job took me forever to finish, but I finally did everything I could to make the atmosphere less gloomy.

However, there were still things that I needed while watching the scenery. There were a lot of things left by Ryoshi and me when we ate our bowl. The two of us made a mess and even left our leftovers in the open. By burying the residues underground, we could avoid getting spotted by those monsters lingering in the forest.

I took the temporary shovel with me and shovelled the dirt to the sides. But upon seeing the orbs blinking from afar, I went to the sides and nudged Ryoshi's shoulders.

"Hey, can you lend me a hand…?"

Instead of a response, Ryoshi growled in his sleep and turned to the other side. I could only frown in dismay, knowing that I had to do this on my own.

"Having your help would speed things up, you know?" I whispered, but Ryoshi's persistent snores kept me annoyed. I was better off dealing with these anomalies than asking for anyone's help.

I heaved out a sigh and went to explore the woodlands once again. I did not mind leaving Ryoshi alone, knowing that he was a light sleeper. One slight touch on his hair, Ryoshi would burst his eyes open and scream to anyone near his face.

However, exhaustion hit him hard where my nudging hands never cracked his shell. And the monsters would growl near Ryoshi's ears, which would be enough to wake him up for good. So now, clearing out these pesky creatures of the wild was a job for me to handle. Even though I hated it, these beasts landed in my duty hours.

Ryoshi would've done the same thing if he was the one awake right now. I really wanted to save my strength and have my beauty sleep, but I guess the pipe dream needs to wait.

....

The bushes rustled with the wind as I returned to my campsite. All the dirt glued themselves on my face, as if I placed some lotion of some sort in my daily night routine. As I stepped foot near the make-shift tent, Ryoshi's figure welcomed my eyes. A mixture of emotions greeted my sight as I heard the pestering snores of my best friend.

"Wake up."

I kicked the sloth on his side, jolting Ryoshi awake from the ground. As he turned around, his eyes widened in shock while welcoming me into his imaginative world.

"I had a dream, Okami, that you were out in the woods, fighting against these monsters! Yikes! It was a really scary dream, and you were really, really mad at me!"

"What a realistic dream you have, Ryoshi. Now, get off from my bed and do your duty." My stern face, accompanied by my low-pitch voice, escaped from my mouth.

I had my arms crossed the entire time, which Ryoshi also noticed at the end of our conversation. That man moved to the side like a snail and cleared his throat.

"Six hours… right on time," Ryoshi murmured, but I was already fast asleep.

...…..

____________

Ryoshi's Point of View

______________

Something was not right when I last talked with Okami. He was all cranky and sadistic, which was clearly like him, but not really. He would usually nag about something and snarl at me about something. But right now, Okami was not in the mood to do all of those.

I perched on the side and watched the night sky. The stars in Code were incomparable from the ones we had on Earth. Thousands of buildings blocked the view, so seeing something like this was a blissful time…

Not until the death game showed up and ruined everyone's life.

"I just want to play video games… and here I am, stuck inside this world, with him…"

Despite my rant, I was thankful enough for Okami. He was the reason I kept living in this world. If he had not come for my rescue, the elves could've ended my life. My family would've been sad to know that I'm gone both in Code and on Earth.

I recalled all the memories I have had in my life while gazing at the constellations. That one scene that haunted me the most was the girl I accidentally killed with my arrows. I was new to this game, and I wanted to help. But it turned out, I was still an underleveled character and ran away from the scene… like a coward.

After returning to that scene, I saw two girls, sisters, once again. I strummed the string from my bow and fired my arrow, only to see it hit the little girl from the older sister's arms. Once the bolt pierced through the girl's head… the older one ran away.

"Who wouldn't?" I said.

I filled my words with regret as I cradled myself to a fetal position. If I could turn back time, I could've played this stupid game first to save that little girl's life. 

It was all my fault that the girl died. And if I were in the older sister's position, I would have held a grudge against that person… against me.

"Are you… alright?" A voice from behind startled every cell inside my body. That sound came through my eardrums, calling for my wounded attention.

I wiped the tears nearly falling from my eyes before turning around. The figure of Okami sitting on the ground sent shivers down my spine, thinking that I woke him up from his sleep.

"Sorry for waking you… I-I didn't mean it."

"No. You didn't wake me. I… can't sleep."

Okami went beside me and stared at the vast heavens above. It was as if the ceiling filled itself with glitters all over the place, sparkling endlessly at every position. 

"So what are you thinking about late tonight?" Okami asked, with his eyes still gazing at the stars.

A smile emerged from my mouth as I gave him my response. "Nothing. Just… Thank you for saving my ass back then."

"The great Ryoshi thanking me? Wow! What a wonderful world I live in!" Okami straightforwardly exclaimed, while flashing me a grin. "I must be the luckiest guy on the planet!"

"Quit it, or I'll take that back!" 

After our exchange, the two of us burst into laughter. We knew that all those bickering that we had was nothing compared to our friendship. Okami has always been my friend on Earth or even in this different dimension. And besides, I also helped him rise up from his financial struggles and paid off his debt.

"What are you saying? If it wasn't for you, I would have been bankrupt until now! Your money saved me… and my sister. That's why saving you would come natural, hm?" 

"Then I guess we're even?" I asked, while chuckling.

"I guess we are." 

Within a few minutes, the two of us talked about the memories of our past. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but those all happened behind.

"We should look forward, Ryoshi. Getting out of here is still our primary goal."

With Okami's words, he returned to his mat and slept for eight hours. Despite pushing him to the side, that guy refused to open his eyes.