Chapter 65: My Measurements

It was no secret throughout the tribe that the animal-skin skirts Lukan wore had all been stitched by his own hands.

After observing him closely over the past few days, Sora had noticed just how flawless his craftsmanship was. Every seam on his clothes was neat and even, with barely a stitch visible from the outside. They looked smooth and elegant, nothing like the skirts she had sewn herself, which were riddled with crooked seams and tiny holes from the bone needle.

When Lukan heard her request, he didn’t refuse.

After all, everyone in the tribe knew Sora’s sewing skills were practically disastrous. Even the animal-skin skirts she was wearing now had originally been made by him.

He gave a small nod before asking calmly,

"What style do you want? Waist-length or knee-length?"

Those were the only two styles females in the tribe usually wore.

The shorter skirts were cooler during the hot season, while the knee-length ones were more practical for gathering food and working in the forest.

But Sora wasn’t interested in either option.

To her, the only difference between them was a few extra inches of leather. Neither style had any sense of beauty.

If she had no other choice, she would have accepted them.

But now that she finally had the chance to make several new outfits, she wanted clothes that were actually attractive.

After all...

She still had five beast husbands to win over.

Looking good was one of her greatest weapons.

Sora blinked before coughing awkwardly.

"Actually... I want to make something different."

Lukan raised an eyebrow.

"Something different?"

Instead of answering immediately, Sora gently tugged on his sleeve and led him toward a large flat stone nearby.

"I drew it here."

The instant her soft fingers wrapped around his arm, Lukan froze.

A faint warmth spread through the place where she had touched him.

It wasn’t the first time Sora had grabbed him.

The former Sora had often clung to him shamelessly whenever she wanted something.

But...

This time felt strangely different.

Before, her palms had always felt rough and damp with sweat.

Now...

They were surprisingly soft.

Smooth.

Warm.

The brief touch lingered on his skin like a feather brushing across it.

An unfamiliar feeling quietly stirred inside his chest.

Meanwhile, Sora hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

She simply looked at him expectantly.

Only then did she realize...

She was still holding his arm.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no.

Physical contact between them was practically forbidden.

She hurriedly withdrew her hand as though she’d been burned.

"I-I’m sorry."

"I didn’t mean anything by it."

"I only wanted to bring you over here."

She hurriedly explained, afraid he might misunderstand and think she was trying to take advantage of him again.

Lukan lowered his gaze.

His arm still carried the lingering warmth of her fingers.

When she pulled away, her fingertips had brushed lightly across his skin, making the strange sensation even stronger.

For a brief moment, he simply stood there.

Then he quietly suppressed the unfamiliar feeling and turned his attention toward the stone slab.

Sora had carefully scratched a drawing into its surface using a sharpened stone.

The design looked unlike anything he had ever seen.

She nervously clasped her hands together.

"Can... can this be made?"

Although she knew Lukan’s sewing skills were exceptional, this was still a primitive world.

The clothes she had drawn required curved cuts, fitted lines, and far more precision than ordinary animal-skin skirts.

She wasn’t sure whether such tailoring was even possible here.

Lukan examined the drawing carefully.

The clothing was indeed strange.

Instead of a simple strip of leather wrapped around the body, this design had shaped shoulders, fitted sleeves, and elegant lines that emphasized the figure.

It was unlike any clothing worn by beast females.

Yet...

For some reason...

It looked beautiful.

After studying it for quite some time, he finally nodded.

"I’ve never made anything like this before."

"But..."

"It should be possible."

Sora immediately let out a long sigh of relief.

Thankfully.

She had been most afraid that he would simply say it couldn’t be done.

Lukan lifted his eyes from the drawing and looked at her.

"I’ll need to take your measurements first."

Sora nodded instinctively.

Then she paused.

Measurements?

There weren’t any rulers in this primitive world.

How exactly was he planning to do that?

Before she could ask, Lukan had already disappeared like a gust of wind.

Only a few moments later, he returned carrying several long green vines of different lengths.

Sora blinked.

Right...

Of course.

Vines could easily be used as measuring cords.

Why hadn’t she thought of that?

Still...

Why had he brought so many?

She watched curiously as he sorted through the vines.

Before she could ask another question, his gentle voice sounded beside her.

"Raise your arms."

Sora hesitated.

"...Me?"

Lukan nodded patiently.

"Yes."

Only then did she realize...

He intended to measure her personally.

She had assumed he would simply hand her the vines and tell her what to do.

After all...

Taking someone’s measurements required unavoidable physical contact.

Especially after what had happened earlier when she’d accidentally grabbed his arm.

She had clearly noticed him staring at her hand.

Thinking about it made her even more nervous.

She cautiously confirmed,

"So... I just raise my arms?"

Lukan gave another small nod.

"Mm."

Since she hadn’t misunderstood, Sora slowly lifted both arms.

She wasn’t being overly cautious because she feared Lukan.

She was worried about something far more important.

Her heartbeat points.

She had worked so hard to increase every one of their affection values.

She absolutely couldn’t ruin her progress over one careless misunderstanding.

Seeing that she was ready, Lukan picked up one of the vines.

He gently measured from the top of her shoulder all the way to her wrist before snapping off the excess length.

Next came the other arm.

Then her legs.

He measured from her hip down to her ankle with the same calm concentration.

Each vine was carefully broken at precisely the correct length.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of impatience in his movements.

After finishing those measurements, he selected another longer vine.

"This one is for your chest."

Sora immediately stiffened.

Before she could react, Lukan stepped behind her.

The long vine slid carefully around her back before crossing gently over the fullest part of her chest.

The two of them were suddenly much closer than before.

Close enough for Sora to hear his breathing.

Her heartbeat gradually sped up.

This was the first time since arriving in this world that a beastman had touched her so closely.

Although his hands remained perfectly respectful, she couldn’t stop herself from becoming nervous.

Lukan, on the other hand, remained completely focused.

He carefully adjusted the vine until it rested properly before snapping off the correct length.

Only after finishing did he quietly step back.

Sora secretly released the breath she’d been holding.

She had survived.

Unfortunately...

There were still two measurements left.

Her waist.

And...

Her hips.

Compared to the slender females of the tribe, these were still the areas she felt most embarrassed about.

Although weeks of jogging, exercise, and healthier eating had noticeably reduced her weight, she remained much curvier than everyone else.

Still...

Clothes couldn’t be made without proper measurements.

She silently braced herself.

Lukan wrapped another vine around her waist.

Almost instinctively, Sora sucked in her stomach.

If the measurement became even a little smaller...

Maybe the finished clothes would look nicer.

Unfortunately...

Lukan immediately noticed.

Without even looking up, he said in his usual calm voice,

"Don’t hold your stomach in."

"The measurement won’t be accurate."

His tone wasn’t loud.

But the surroundings happened to be unusually quiet.

Nearby, Ace, Xavier, Lucas, Damien, Ryan, and the others were finishing the cleaning.

Every single one of them heard his words clearly.

For a brief second...

Silence.

Then several muffled snickers escaped.

Ace was the first to bite his lip.

Lucas quickly looked away, pretending to be busy wiping a bowl.

Even Damien lowered his head, though the smile tugging at his lips made it obvious he had heard everything.

Sora’s face instantly turned bright red.

Seriously?

Did he have to say it out loud?

She shot the laughing beastmen a glare.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Just wait."

"When I finish losing weight..."

"You’ll all regret laughing."

The group wisely pretended not to hear.

Finally came the last measurement.

Her hips.

No matter how much she wanted to hide them...

There was simply no way.

Lukan calmly wrapped the final vine around her hips, marked the correct length, then stepped back once he finished.

"There."

"That’s everything."

He gathered the vines together neatly before looking toward the drying racks.

"I’ll go get the animal skins."

Sora immediately spoke.

"I’ll come with you."

There were several large hides drying outside.

Carrying all of them alone would be tiring.

Lukan didn’t object.

He simply gave a small nod before turning toward the storage area.

Without hesitation, Sora hurried after him, matching his pace as the two of them walked side by side, completely unaware of the complicated gazes following them from behind.