“Should’ve packed better,” Noela interjected.
“Yeah!” agreed Mikoto. “This isn’t your fault, Vivi.”
“Guys…”
Still, Noela and Mikoto’s kindness didn’t change the girls’ situation.
“Looks like I’ve got no choice,” Ejil concluded. “Use this, Noela!”
Fwoop! Fwoop! Thonk. He threw the Hell Flame and fire life stone toward the werewolf girl, rolling them skillfully just past her feet.
“Groo? C-can’t be.” Noela picked up both objects, looking shocked. She held them toward the other girls as if she’d pulled a legendary sword from a stone. “These on ground!”
“Oh my gosh!” Vivi cried. “What an amazing coincidence!”
“Now we can start a fire!”
The atmosphere brightened as the girls lit the firewood with the stone and Hell Flame. The drugstore product worked perfectly, and flames spread quickly across the kindling. The three chatted before the fire, occasionally taking a second to peer into the flames.
“I guess I’m not the only one who never gets sick of gazing into a fire…” Ejil nodded quietly in the bushes, remembering occasions when he’d camped outdoors with his troops.
He rummaged through the bag, curious about what else Reiji had packed, and found that it also held “Bye-Bye Bug Queen” insect repellent. “Makes sense. Noela does hate bugs.”
The bag also contained a water purifier for clean drinking water, as well as Hot-Hotter-Hottest, which produced steam that instantly warmed objects. There were also a few bottles of black potion for anyone who enjoyed complex flavors, as well as some syrup.
“You might’ve been more concerned about the girls than I thought, Doctor,” Ejil mused. Still, those were all things that served a purpose outdoors.
While the girls were busy focusing on the fire, Ejil edged closer to them, using the bug repellent on their surroundings to keep pests from drawing near. Just as the demon king began sneaking back to the bush, one of the many things Reiji had packed in the now-open bag fell onto the ground with a thud.
“Groo? What that?”
This was bad, Ejil realized. There was no time to pick up the item and vanish. In fact, he might as well leave the bag itself behind so the girls could use what they wanted, when they wanted.
Ejil immediately tossed the bag away. The loud thud it produced drew Noela’s attention. “Arroo! Over there now!”
“What is it?! Is something there?” Mikoto cried.
“I can’t stand m-monsters,” Vivi said nervously. “J-just because I’m a spirit doesn’t mean I can fight, all right?”
“Leave to me.” Her guard up, Noela carefully closed the distance between her and the bag.
“I’m pretty sure we don’t have anything to worry about,” said Mikoto, who now sounded as though she knew something the others didn’t. When Ejil turned around, his eyes met the girl’s. Mikoto gestured for him to book it, and he dove soundlessly for nearby cover.
“She’s something else,” he muttered.
Once Ejil had had a moment to catch his breath, the girls located the bag.
“Groo! This Master’s bag!”
“Reiji’s?” Vivi asked. “Really?”
“Sure. Smell Master.”
“Then did he drop by earlier…?”
Mikoto—the only person present who knew that Ejil had brought the bag, not Reiji—giggled to herself. “What’s in it, Noela?”
The question prompted Noela to dig through it. She found all kinds of useful drugstore products. “Master definitely bring!”
“I’ve seen this water purifier and Hot-Hotter-Hottest at the store,” Vivi agreed. “Those’ll help a bunch!”
“You’re sure the drugstore owner brought this stuff?” Mikoto asked, barely hiding her laughter.
“Groo? This Master’s bag. Noela know. Smells like Master,” Noela replied. She sniffed the bag thoroughly. Soon, her expression darkened, and she narrowed her eyes. “Other scent too.”
Ejil nearly jumped. “I-Is she finally aware that I’m here?”
Reiji had told him to keep his visit secret, so he had done his best to conceal himself. Still, he couldn’t deny that he was a little happy that Noela had picked up on his presence.
“Smell Ejil,” Noela announced.
“Really?” Vivi gasped. “On the bag?”
“In that case, Noela, he probably brought you this bag because he was worried.” Mikoto shot a glance toward Ejil.
“Don’t look over here! You’ll give me away,” Ejil muttered. Despite his nervousness, he was deeply grateful for Mikoto’s kind comment. It felt like he at last had someone on his side. “Thank you, young lady.”
“But this Master’s bag,” Noela objected.
“Ejil borrowed it, then.”
“Arrooooo,” the werewolf girl grumbled with a conflicted expression.
“There’s even black potion and syrup in here, Noela! We can have refreshments!”
“Groo! Great. Drink! Watch fire!”
“I like the sound of that!” Mikoto agreed.
The three returned to the campfire by the tent.
“So, uh, I know I said I liked the sound of it, but what is a ‘black potion’ anyway?” asked Mikoto.
“You’ve never had any? It’s a drink adults really like.”
“Noela drink lots. Adult,” Noela attempted to brag.
Preparing to boil some water, the girls arranged a few large stones in a “U” shape. Vivi poured river water into a small pot she’d brought, adding the purifier. “Now we won’t get sick.”
“Once done, water hot. Mellow,” Noela told Mikoto.
“You mean, the water will have a mellow flavor?”
“Groo.”
The three tossed some firewood onto the stones, then set them ablaze and placed Vivi’s pot on top. It didn’t take the water long to boil.
“I brought cups. We can use those.”
“Groo! Mikoto prepared.”
“Yeah!”
The young ladies poured black potion into their cups, then mixed in hot water, followed by some syrup at the very end.
“You combine the black potion with hot water?”
“Reiji taught us that it’s easier to drink that way,” Vivi explained.
“Noela drink unmixed.”
“But didn’t you complain that it was too bitter last time?”
Ejil also remembered Noela trying to choke down a cup of black potion.
The girls clinked their cups together and cheered. Siiiiip!
“Ah…” they sighed.
Time drifted by slowly for the three. The occasional bird chirped in the background as the gentle sounds of the river and popping firewood filled the air. The atmosphere was enough to take your mind off your day-to-day life, and the girls looked as if they were having tons of fun.
“I-I wish I could join them,” Ejil whispered sadly to himself. “I also…want friends… Friends I could spend time with outdoors on a day off…”
He cried quietly within the shadows of the foliage.
✦ ✦ ✦
The girls packed up as the sun lowered, since Reiji had told them strictly to be back by sunset. They returned to the drugstore in the evening; needless to say, Ejil came in not long afterward.
“Home, Master!”
“Welcome back, Noela. You too, Ejil.”
At Ejil’s name, Noela spun around.
“Yeah, I’m back,” the demon king mumbled.
“Sorry about everything today,” Reiji told him.
“No, it was no problem.”
Noela hopped up and down as if she wanted to say something. “Master! Master! Camp fun!”
“Glad to hear it. How’d the tent work?”
“Easy! And Master’s products big help!”
“Oh, the stuff I had Ejil bring you?”
“Arroo?!” Noela turned her gaze to Ejil to confirm this.
“You’re the one who packed all those products, Doctor,” said Ejil. “All I did was bring the girls the bag.”
“Ejil follow?!”
At that point, Reiji looked surprised. “Wha…? You mean, the girls didn’t catch you?”
“Nope.” Well, Mikoto had detected him, but…
“Really? I could’ve sworn you were going to get found out.”
“Doctor, please don’t assume from the beginning that I’ll fail at a task.”
“Ejil’s the one who brought you that drugstore stuff, Noela,” Reiji told her. “You should say thank you.”
“Groo…” Noela looked displeased, but then she bowed her head slightly, reluctant to ignore Reiji’s request. “Ejil, camp fun thanks to you.”
“N-N-Noelaaaaaaa!” Ejil closed in recklessly, attempting to embrace her; he got whacked with her tail instead. “Gaaah!”
“Hate.” Noela glared daggers at him.
“You just can’t get her to come around, huh?” Reiji asked with a pained smile.