(Heartfelt thanks to 'ASSASSINTER', 'darkrad', 'You're Quietly Watching Me Update', 'Pokémon', 'hatin', and 'Dimensional Flowing Wind' for their rewards!)
In the tranquil forest, gentle sunlight streamed through the gaps between the leaves, illuminating the somewhat dim woodland.
Noah slowly made his way deeper into the forest, turning down a few bends now and then. Compared to when he had first arrived in the Elf Forest of this world ten days ago, his steps had become far more practiced, and he no longer showed any signs of getting lost.
However, as he walked along the forest path, Noah seemed somewhat uneasy, his gaze repeatedly sweeping toward his back.
"Stare—!"
A short girl with vivid red hair trailed behind Noah at some distance, step for step. Her fiery red eyes were fixed tightly on him, filled with vigilance and a hint of curiosity.
Being stared at so intently from behind by Claire was precisely why Noah felt uncomfortable.
What was more, ever since they had left the academy, Claire had been watching Noah like this the entire time, making him feel extremely awkward all along the way.
Unable to endure it any longer, Noah stopped and turned to look at Claire.
"Hey, could you stop staring at me like that?"
However, the moment Noah said that, Claire's expression changed drastically, and she cried out in panic.
"Wah! Wah! He talked to me! I'm going to be defiled!"
As expected, Noah's mouth twitched.
"H-He looked at me too!" Completely disregarding Noah's feelings, Claire scrambled behind a nearby tree in panic, still crying out frantically.
"N-No! I'm going to get pregnant!"
This time, even Noah's eyelids twitched.
His instincts told him that if he did not clear things up here, he would definitely lose something very important.
Rubbing his temples, Noah walked straight toward