Soft Thorns ❦𝙺𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚞𝚒❦

Thirty-Two

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NSFW-ish situations here and there.
I intended for this to be a silly ha ha chapter, but my hand slipped.
Oops.
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𓇽𓇽𓇽𓇽

"Take these," Ririka said, throwing the pieces of armour on the ground, which wasn't even planked with wood yet. "You're going to need protection."

"What about you? You don't have anything on," It wasn't like she could decline Ririka's chivalrous offering, as her character had already absorbed the items.

"I have far more knowledge of this game than you do. I'll be alright, I promise." The double reassurance helped to some extent, but not enough to calm Shiori down and get her out of her stupor.

"No, you're not allowed to go out there exposed," She tossed Ririka the remaining two pieces, leaving little space for disagreement as she kept the iron helmet and chest plate for herself. "I will feel more at ease if we both wear it."

Ririka sighed. Though she was sure she could beat the game with only a sword and a few pieces of cooked meat to her name, she let Shiori gently mother her around; anything went as long as it made the girl's doubts disappear.

"Anyway, shouldn't we build an actual house? Because as much as I enjoy moving like one block before I bump into you in this dirt hut, it does not inspire a good quality of life."

Ririka perked up, barely containing her excitement as whatever she was working on at the crafting table lay now disregarded in the corner of her mind. "Yes! Yes, of course. We can build whatever house you like, be it underwater, or, or in a tree! There are limitless possibilities for building. Oh, and we need materials, but since we're at the beginning, we'll have to make do with what we can find-"

The way her beady eyes sparkled so brilliantly against the warm lights in the living room had Shiori thinking if she were real. How her snowy white eyelashes fluttered whenever she blinked, the juxtaposition of the light settling on them akin to two forbidden lovers dancing in tandem with each other under the spotlight. And that little laugh was the only thing Shiori hadn't tuned out in her unintended map out of Ririka's perfect visage. She would probably still remember it, that and the sudden upswing in her voice whenever she talked about something she greatly enjoyed, even if she happened to have amnesia — which was impossible since she had a healthy state of mind — for she would never forget such a beautiful person.

"... Shiori?" Ririka called out to her, her lips upturned in worry.

Shiori dropped her eyes to stare at them, slightly letting the tip of her tongue bruise her own before she met Ririka's eyes of an angelic hue. "I think..." She whispered, "I want to kiss you."

𓇽𓇽𓇽𓇽

"Excuse me? Could you repeat that?"

"Yes," Shiori stood up suddenly. "I said I wanted to kill the zoo."

"Kill... The zoo?" Confusion took over Ririka's face as she stared at Shiori, freezing the game with the press of a button.

"Mhm," The girl hummed as she gathered all of her hair at the back of her head and fastened it quickly with the hair tie that chafed her wrist. "Like the, uh, wildlife in the game. Yeah. Because we ran out of food and... Stuff."