Chapter 58: Childhood Sweetheart

Sora studied the beastman standing before her, her expression becoming slightly guarded.

He was a black bear beastman.

Because of that, she couldn’t help wondering whether he had some connection to her adoptive mother.

Just as she was considering how to question him, the black bear spoke first.

"Don’t you remember?"

His rough voice was calm.

"Your mother sent me."

"Mother?"

Sora frowned.

Her first thought was Lyra.

But she quickly dismissed the idea.

It couldn’t possibly have been her.

If Lyra had been the one who arranged this, she wouldn’t have been the first person to publicly accuse Sora only moments earlier.

The only other person Sora could think of who might be called Eve, besides Lyra, was her adoptive mother.

A flicker of caution crossed her eyes.

Looking at the black bear beastman, she asked carefully,

"Why would my adoptive mother send you here?"

The black bear answered without hesitation.

"Don’t you remember? We were promised to each other when we were children."

Silence fell.

Sora stared at him blankly.

A childhood engagement?

She had expected many things after arriving in this primitive beast world, but an arranged childhood marriage had certainly not been one of them.

For a moment, she was genuinely speechless.

It seemed even this world had its own version of childhood betrothals.

She had truly underestimated how complicated the original owner’s past could be.

Suppressing the urge to sigh, Sora hurriedly searched through the original owner’s fragmented memories.

Nothing.

Not even the faintest image of the black bear appeared.

No face.

No voice.

No childhood memories.

Nothing at all.

Her brows slowly knitted together.

Either the original owner had forgotten him...

Or those memories had somehow been lost.

Thinking of that possibility, Sora couldn’t help silently cursing the system.

Seriously?

You chose now of all times to start updating?

You couldn’t wait until after explaining this mess?

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

The one thing capable of answering her questions had conveniently disappeared the moment she needed it most.

After weighing her options, Sora quickly made a decision.

For now...

She could only keep the black bear nearby until the system finished upgrading.

Once it came back online, she would investigate everything properly.

After all, she had never even met the original owner’s adoptive mother.

She had no way of confirming whether anything this man said was true.

If he really wasn’t lying...

Then the original owner had actually been childhood sweethearts with him.

Just thinking about it gave Sora a headache.

She had finally managed to stabilize her relationships with Lucas, Xavier, Ace, Lukan, and Ryan.

Now another supposed fiancé had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

This has to be deliberate.

She narrowed her eyes.

The system definitely created this situation to make my mission harder.

Otherwise, the coincidence was simply too ridiculous.

While Sora was silently complaining, the black bear looked at her with surprisingly gentle eyes.

His expression became almost pleading.

"Please..."

He lowered his head slightly.

"Don’t chase me away."

His cautious tone made Sora pause.

Although she couldn’t verify his identity, he hadn’t shown any hostility since arriving.

If anything, he seemed genuinely nervous.

After a brief moment of thought, Sora pointed toward the forest beyond the village.

"There’s a deep pond over there."

"You should go wash yourself first."

She glanced at his mud-caked body.

"When you’ve cleaned up, come find me."

Beyond the trees stood her outdoor kitchen.

It was almost lunchtime anyway.

After spending the entire morning making pottery, she was already planning to prepare something to eat.

The black bear’s gloomy face instantly brightened.

A wide smile spread across his dirty face.

"Thank you, Kaelira."

His voice was filled with unmistakable relief.

"You’re still just as kind as you were when we were little."

Before Sora could even ask what he meant by that, he turned around and hurried toward the pond.

She watched his retreating figure with an increasingly confused expression.

Just as kind?

What exactly happened between the original owner and him?

Unfortunately, no memories surfaced.

Not a single one.

Beside her, Ace folded his arms and smirked.

"I never expected you to have a childhood sweetheart."

His teasing voice immediately drew several pairs of eyes toward Sora.

She rubbed her forehead helplessly.

"I don’t understand this any more than you do."

That was the truth.

She wasn’t pretending.

She genuinely had no idea where the black bear had come from.

Seeing that everyone was still staring at her, she decisively changed the subject.

"Enough."

She pointed toward the stacks of pottery.

"Take everything to the outdoor kitchen."

She smiled faintly.

"It’s almost time to eat."

The effect was immediate.

Nothing distracted the five beastmen faster than the mention of food.

Ace was the first to react.

His golden eyes lit up as he immediately bent down, picked up several large pieces of pottery, and headed toward the outdoor kitchen.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Lucas chuckled before lifting one of the heavy water jars onto his shoulder.

"Let’s hurry."

Xavier silently picked up another stack of pottery.

Lukan followed without a word, carrying the largest storage vessel with practiced ease.

Even Ryan, who had remained unusually quiet since the black bear’s arrival, reached for several clay jars.

Although all five of them still had countless questions...

None of them pressed Sora for answers.

There was no need.

The black bear would eventually return after washing.

When that happened, the truth would naturally reveal itself.

For now...

Lunch was far more important.

Sora let out a quiet breath of relief.

Thankfully, food remained the easiest way to redirect everyone’s attention.

The group soon reached the outdoor kitchen.

Following Sora’s instructions, they carefully arranged each newly fired piece of pottery according to its intended purpose.

The massive water storage jar was placed beside the washing area.

The large clay vat for refining salt was positioned near the cooking hearth.

Smaller jars for storing oil, salt, dried herbs, and seasonings were lined neatly along the stone shelves.

The oddly shaped flower vases were set aside for later use.

Watching everything gradually take its proper place filled Sora with quiet satisfaction.

Her little home was finally beginning to resemble a real household.

Back near the entrance, Serena watched the entire scene.

A trace of mockery flashed through her beautiful eyes.

She let out a soft laugh.

"An ugly beastman..."

She deliberately glanced toward the direction where the black bear had disappeared.

"...and an ugly female."

Her smile widened.

"They really are a match made in heaven."

Her words were spoken softly, but several nearby beastmen still heard them.

Some nodded in agreement.

Others simply remained silent.

No one defended the absent black bear.

After all, his appearance had indeed been rather shocking.

Meanwhile, Ryan finished placing the last piece of pottery inside the kitchen.

Unlike the others, he hadn’t brought very much, so his work was finished quickly.

He turned, preparing to leave without another word.

Just then—

"Ryan."

Sora’s voice stopped him.

He paused and looked back.

She smiled naturally.

"You should stay for lunch."

Ryan blinked.

Sora continued,

"Thank you for helping me carry everything today."

"I believe in returning kindness with kindness."

"You helped me, so the least I can do is treat you to a meal."

Ryan looked genuinely surprised.

He hadn’t expected her to invite him.

His first instinct was to refuse.

After all, he had only helped because he happened to be there.

Besides...

He still wasn’t entirely comfortable around her.

The words of refusal had almost reached his lips.

Then he remembered yesterday’s breakfast.

The crispy egg pastry.

The fragrant fish soup.

The rich chicken stew with mushrooms.

Every dish Sora made seemed unlike anything he had ever tasted before.

His stomach, as if remembering those flavors, gave a faint growl.

Ryan’s expression stiffened slightly.

"..."

He hesitated.

Across the table, Lucas had already found his usual seat.

Xavier casually leaned back in his chair.

Ace stretched lazily before sitting down with a grin.

Lukan quietly took his place without saying a word.

The four of them looked completely at home.

Apparently...

This wasn’t the first time they had gathered here to eat.

Ryan looked from the waiting beastmen to the kitchen where Sora had already begun preparing lunch.

After a long pause...

He silently walked over to the round wooden table and took an empty seat.

No one teased him.

No one commented.

They simply accepted his presence as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Watching Ryan quietly sit down, Sora smiled inwardly.

One meal at a time.

Relationships, after all, weren’t built overnight.

Sometimes...

Sharing a simple meal was the best place to begin.