"Miss, why did you decide to come here?" the boy asked.

"Oh! uh... I've decided to come here to see the beautiful snow! Yes- yes, very pretty."

As usual, I let Radio ad-lib.

"And what happened? Why were you stuck climbing the mountain alone?" it quickly changed the topic.

The boy looked embarrassed.

"Well... I got frustrated. My mom and dad would always follow me around!" he said. "Every day, they're like... Galu! You can't go out and 'plaaaay' alone!"

Oh, so that was his name. Galu put up finger quotes. They had quotes in this world too?

"What type of adventure is it if mom and dad keep dragging me around? Earlier this morning, I decided to run out while they slept!" he exclaimed. "I thought it would be fine, but I was attacked by a big biiiggggg monkey! But I am strong, like Lesluth! I won but I ran out of mana, so I couldn't cast Warmth. I had to head home like that when I saw you and then..."

My god, how long could he blabber for? Throughout the whole trip, he simply wouldn't stop talking! It was also kind of annoying that I kept getting called "miss", but unfortunately, Radio only had that voice. Radio was nice enough to keep the kid engaged though, which I probably wouldn't have managed.

Finally, I reached the gates of the town. It was definitely a lot smaller the other towns back in the grasslands, but that was understandable. Getting food in such an environment was probably hard, especially with no other cities or towns nearby. Did they have to hunt a lot?

"Halt! Please present your identity card and pay the toll of 10 silver!" one of the guards said.

Oh no. It would be terrible if I was barred out again. Stupid security measures...

Galu opened my door and hopped out. One of the guards gasped.

"Galu! Where have you been? Your parents have been looking for you for hours!"

Grinning devilishly, the boy laughed. He reached into his bag and turned it upside down. And out fell a snow-white huge ape around my size! That boy... he really wasn't exaggerating when he called it big! Were even children this freakish here?

The guards looked stupified.

"... As expected of Yueler's son. To be able to even take down an Ice Ape at such an age!" one of them finally exclaimed. "By the way, who's that escorting you?"

"Some nice lady found me freezing! She let me in to warm up."

The guards looked shocked again.

"As expected of Yueler's son..."

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

"Stop comparing me to dad!" Galu grumbled.

After they finished talking, the guards let me in without asking for the card. It seemed like Galu was some important person's son. I felt a bit of pride.

See, Tablet? They say what goes around, comes around!

[It won't always be the case.]

Hmph.

I followed Galu all the way back to his house. I thought it would be pretty big considering his status, but it was actually pretty modest in size. It was a cosy cottage surrounded by a garden with a stable right beside it. I could see two white horses inside the stable, peacefully munching on some kind of... blue hay?

"Come in! The house is warm!"

"Oh... uh, I have broken legs?"

"What? Oh no!" Galu looked alarmed. "What happened? I can carry you out!"

"The door is stuck... I can't come out..."

Radio again with the perfect excuses...

"Don't worry! I can pry it open!"

"Ah, please don't! Seriously!"

"I'm very strong! I can do it!"

"Nooo!"

This was not good. Galu ran out to my cargo door and grabbed onto it. Before I could drive away in panic, he pulled so hard that the clasp broke!

[-4 HP]

"You're free now!" he said triumphantly.

With glee, he hopped in and saw Sheepy. Instantly, he froze, looking stupefied.

"Baaaa..."

He looked at me with a look of understanding and deep compassion. I felt disturbed.

"Oh, I see. You're a sheep."

"No! I'm not! There's another hidden compartment I'm in!" Radio squeaked in panic.

"You don't have to hide it! I understand... I won't tell anyone your secret!"

Looking at the 'noble' look on his face, I wondered: what the hell did I just get myself into?

"What do I do? Do I double down or try to convince him you're not a sheep?" Radio whispered to me in panic.

Urghhhhh...

You know what? I don't even care anymore. Just tell him to keep it a secret.

"Ok, you got me, I'm actually a sheep! Please don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Don't worry miss sheep! I won't tell anyone, not even mom and dad!"

Galu gave me a thumbs up, got into the stable carried a pile of blue hay out, placing it before Sheepy. He then ran into the house and took out a bowl of stew, sitting right next to the sheep.

"We'll eat together!"

Sheepy, please... play along.

The sheep looked like it was about to burst into laughter.

Sure, sure.

It sniffed the blue hay.

"Hmm, smells funny." it took a bite. "Holy crap. It's amazing!"

Immediately, Sheepy began voraciously stuffing heaps of it down its throat, as if it had not eaten in days. The hay flew everywhere, bits of it even into Galu's soup.

What the hell are you doing? Eat slower!

Now the boy was going to think I was some sort of crazed smelly barbarian sheep! This was the worst idea I ever had.

"Whoa... you're uh... hungry." the boy seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Want more?"

Sheepy nodded vigorously. The boy picked the hay out of his stew and quickly swallowed the rest of it, going to the stables and getting even more hay.

"Oh crap, I think I might need to go." it said.

No, don't you dare! You better do it in some bush or behind a tree!

The sheep got out and unleashed nature's fury into a nearby bush. That was, unfortunately, one of the garden's plants. Galu looked horrified.

The impression me and Radio set... It was all ruined by this brute!