Chapter 117: Friends First, Mates Later

Nuan’s eyes curved into a highly satisfied crescent shape. "Say that again?"

Kael shifted his weight, resting his forehead heavily against her shoulder as he let out a low, defeated sigh.

His warm breath filtered straight through the linen of her collar, tingling against her collarbone. "Can you be my friend too?" he muttered, his voice dropping into a rare, vulnerable pitch. "I wanted to be your first in absolutely everything, Nuan... it makes me furious that the sky-bird got to be your first friend, and that he does things you find attractive."

Ohh, boy, nice try, but you still think friends and mates are the exact same thing! I can’t just fall for that, Nuan thought rapidly. She needed the system’s voice recognition to register a flawless, legally binding agreement.

"But Kael, you literally just said a second ago that friends and mates are the same thing," Nuan pointed out loudly, making sure her pronunciation was crystal clear for her internal radar. "I can’t be your friend if you’re just using the word as a cover-up."

"No! Mate is different, friend is different!" Kael snapped back, his head snapping up as he stared directly into her eyes with intense concentration. "You will be my friend first, then you will later make out with me and call me mate! Now I get it. The slow step-by-step thing is what is attractive to you! I can do that!"

"You’re sure? You mean it from the bottom of your heart?" Nuan pressed, leaning forward slightly.

Kael slowly released his tight grip on her wrists, letting his large, calloused hands drop to anchor against the furry Muskoxen hide on either side of her shoulders, trapping her in a loose, respectful frame. "Yes. From the bottom of my heart."

Nuan’s smirk widened into a triumphant grin. She placed both of her greasy, blood-smudged palms directly onto his ripped, bare chest, pushing him back just an inch so she could look at his face. "Then, if we become friends right now, you won’t mind the boundaries? No mating until the levels are cleared?"

"Yes. Friends! No problem," Kael rumbled, his tail giving a sharp, rhythmic thud against the grass.

"Yippee!!! Friends, friends!!! We are finally friends now!" Nuan chirped at the top of her lungs.

In a burst of pure, unadulterated financial joy—vividly imagining the glorious metal kitchenware in her future—she threw her arms completely around his thick neck, pulling herself into a massive, tight hug.

Whoa, finally! The concept actually managed to break through his dense, blockhead skull!

Kael’s entire body went stiff for a fraction of a second before a massive, radiant smile broke across his face.

He had never seen her this incredibly happy, let alone initiating a physical embrace all by herself.

His silver tail started wiggling back and forth in the dirt like a hyperactive puppy.

"Being friends is very useful," Kael thought to himself with deep smugness as he eagerly wrapped his large hands around her soft waist, squeezing her tightly against his warm torso.

Nuan stayed completely still in the hug, thoroughly celebrating her tactical victory.

Blue buddy! she called out triumphantly in her mind. Now you can’t make a single digital excuse! You heard him, right? He said from the bottom of his heart that he wants to be friends! Pay up!

Ding!

[ I heard it, Host. ]

[ Congratulation!!! The system logs have successfully verified a mutual platonic agreement! ]

Yes! Now where is my fifty kilograms of high-grade forging steel? Drop it right into slot number three!

[ Steel? Oh, no, Host. Your current reward is not fifty kilograms of steel. ]

Nuan’s internal smile dropped instantly. Huh? What do you mean by that? Look at the live feed, you blind software! We are literally friends! We are hugging right now!

[ Yes, Host. I can clearly see the ’Hugging’. ]

[ But fifty kilograms of steel was the milestone reward for achieving ’Best Friend’ status. ]

[ As per the established hierarchy: Acquaintance, Good Friend, Close Friend, Best Friend, Crush, and lastly, Mate... ]

[ I will generously consider this sudden, aggressive hugging display as a leap straight to the ’Good Friend’ tier. ]

[ Unlocking Good Friend Tier Reward: One Forged Hammer Head. ]

Hammer head?! Hammer head what?! Nuan screeched mentally.

[ A hammer head, Host! Forged from exceptionally strong, high-density metal. But due to weight tier limits, you will have to source and craft the wooden handle yourself! ]

Eh? Why?! Why are you giving me half a tool, you cheap little punk?! Give me the whole thing!

[ Host?! I am your loyal, protective blue buddy, why are you calling me names? ]

[ It deeply hurts my digital feelings. ]

You have feelings?! Since when?!

[ I DO. ]

[ Regardless, for now, the host should probably stop arguing with me and focus on Mate Kael’s physical feelings... which are currently rising at an alarming rate. ]

Hm? What do you mean by ris—

Before Nuan could finish the thought, her modern brain registered a highly alarming sensation. Right against her lower half, pressed tightly between her thighs through the thin fabric of her loincloth skirt, something incredibly hard, thick, and radiating pure, apex beast heat was poking directly against her.

"Ackkk!!!"

Nuan’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. She violently shoved Kael’s chest with all her might, slamming her own back hard against the dead Muskoxen as she scrambled to get away from him.

"Whoa! What the hell, Kael?!" Nuan hissed, her face turning entirely beet-red as she pointed a trembling, defensive finger at his lower half. "Control that hammer of yours! It was literally about to break down my front doors!"

Kael tilted his head in genuine confusion, his gaze dropping down to his asset, which was indeed failing to hide well within the constraints of his leather loincloth.

"Hammer?" he repeated, completely oblivious to the slang.

"Yes! Keep your little beast—or giant beast, whatever—to yourself!" Nuan hissed, her face burning like a solar flare as she violently whirled back around to yank on the Muskoxen hide. "It was just a platonic hug! Why is your body reacting like that?!"

She dug her knife back into the flesh, her hands shaking slightly as she tried to focus on the skinning process. Internally, her brain was running a chaotic diagnostic check.

Wait, what was that sensation just now? Seriously, why am I suddenly ovulating at the worst possible time? A sudden dread washed over her. Oh, great, that reminds me I’m about to get my period again soon. Fantastic.

The thought of her upcoming monthly nightmare instantly triggered a memory.

Oh, that also reminds me! Miss Selka wanted to give me the clan’s bloodmark sooner, but I begged her to wait until the full moon. Which is finally tomorrow night! Finally, time to get a cool tattoo.

With a fierce determination to ignore the lingering heat radiating from the silver Alpha behind her, Nuan threw all her energy into slicing the fur, trying desperately to pretend her own hormones weren’t trying to sabotage her grand escape plans.