Giving her a moment to rest, Kaito moved efficiently through the battlefield, sifting through the fallen goblins to secure anything of value. The dull scent of iron still lingered in the air, and the occasional flickering embers from destroyed torches barely illuminated the chaotic mess of corpses.

  With quick hands, he searched through armor scraps, crude weapons, and scattered pouches, collecting anything worthwhile. Every now and then, the faint shimmer of an Aether Stone caught his eye, their subtle glow cutting through the dimness.

  Pausing to check his status screen, he nodded in approval at the experience gained from the battle.

  From behind, a lazy voice cut through the silence.

  "You're quite the handy one, aren't you?" Jenny muttered, still half-reclining against a fallen log, her arms lazily folded behind her head.

  "Figured I'd never be able to get you to do this, so I saved us both some time." Kaito quipped without missing a beat.

  She let out a tired chuckle. "You're not wrong, to be honest."

  Kaito continued his search, picking through the corpses of the Goblin Soldiers before moving on to the Marauders, who, unsurprisingly, had better loot. Their weapons were more refined, their armor sturdier, and some even carried unique trinkets or reinforced materials.

  "Anything good dropped?" Jenny asked, taking a sip from a water flask she pulled from her inventory.

  "Some decent equipment and accessories from the soldiers," Kaito replied. "The Marauders' drops are better—some high-quality materials, a few reinforced pieces of gear. Found a handful of Aether Stones too." He paused before glancing back at her. "Anything in particular you were hoping for?"

  Jenny exhaled, tilting her head toward him. "I've been looking to upgrade my scythe," she admitted casually. "Saw one of those guys swinging one around earlier. Liked the way it looked."

  Kaito raised a brow. "What, you just liked the way it looked?"

  "Yep."

  "...That’s it?"

  "That’s it."

  His mouth hung open, his expression a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

  “We came all the way out here… just to jump goblins? Were you a thief back on Earth?” Kaito asked, still trying to process her priorities.

  Jenny tilted her head, adjusting her glasses with a lazy smirk. “Thief? Could’ve been, I guess. You wouldn’t be wrong to say that, honestly. But I did things more on the legal side.” She paused, tapping a finger against her chin in thought. “Nothing to convict me of a crime… yet.”

  Kaito blinked. “I—what?”

  She let out a small chuckle, clearly enjoying his confusion.

  Kaito, still baffled, tried to process everything. “So… wait. We ran all over the damn place because you wanted to mug goblins and steal their stuff?”

  Jenny shrugged. “I never said I wanted to. Just said I needed a new scythe. And hey, it may work out.”

  He sighed, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.”

  Jenny stretched before glancing at Kaito again. She seemed to be waiting for something.

  A long beat of silence passed.

  “…Huh?”

  Jenny let out a tired sigh. “Kinetic Force. That’s what my Force Alignment is.”

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  Kaito raised an eyebrow as she absentmindedly smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt.

  [Status Screen]

  [Name]: Jenny

  [Force Alignment]: Kinetic

  “You seem to have a habit of not hearing me when I actually answer the things you ask,” Jenny muttered, adjusting her glasses with an irritated flick of her fingers.

  Kaito scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, well, sometimes I just need a second to process the nonsense that comes out of your mouth first.”

  Jenny rolled her eyes and turned away, already moving toward their next destination. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get moving.”

  Nervously and frantically, Kaito blurted out, “In all fairness, I never asked!”

  Jenny paused mid-step, turning to give him a knowing look, her smirk growing wider.

  “So you’d be totally fine never knowing my name? Or never knowing what abilities I used to fight like that?” She adjusted her glasses, her voice smooth and calculated. “Good to know. I’ll definitely keep that in mind for the future.”

  Kaito’s face paled as realization struck.

  “Oh no, no, I didn’t mean it like that! Wait—future?!” His voice cracked slightly as panic set in. “What do you mean, future?”

  Jenny chuckled, a lazy yet victorious grin plastered across her face. Without another word, she turned and walked back toward spoils, leaving Kaito standing there, his brain still trying to catch up.

  He groaned, rubbing his temples. “Why do I feel like I just dug my own grave?”

  Kaito followed her with a sigh. “Seriously, though… legal thief? What does that even mean?”

  Jenny smirked but said nothing.

  Some things were better left unanswered.

  Kaito let out an exaggerated sigh but continued searching through the Marauders' bodies. Eventually, he found what she was looking for—a Jagged War Scythe, larger and heavier than the one she currently wielded. The blade was a dark, metallic gray, with serrated edges near the base for brutal, tearing strikes. It wasn’t an ordinary weapon—it had a faint residual trace of Force energy, meaning the previous owner likely had some minor Force enhancement infused into it.

  Kaito gave it a few test swings, feeling the weight before tossing it over to her. "Here, try this one."

  Jenny caught the scythe effortlessly, sitting up slightly as she examined it. The moment her fingers wrapped around the shaft, a subtle vibration ran through the weapon, reacting to her Kinetic Force alignment. She gave a few experimental swings, the air humming slightly as the momentum carried through.

  A lazy grin stretched across her face. "Oh yeah... I like this."

  Kaito rolled his eyes. "You say that about anything that doesn't require effort."

  Jenny twirled the scythe once more before standing up, stretching as she adjusted her oversized glasses. "Effort is relative. If a weapon makes my job easier, then it deserves my appreciation."

  Kaito just shook his head, shoving the rest of the loot into his inventory. "Whatever you say, Jenny."

  Jenny swung the scythe one last time before resting it against her shoulder. "Now, let’s find somewhere decent to set up camp. I’d rather not wake up to more of these goblins breathing down my neck."

  Kaito smirked. "Fine, but you’re setting up the fire."

  Jenny yawned, already walking ahead. "We'll see about that."

  With their spoils secured, the two set off to find a place to rest, unaware that their earlier battle had already drawn the attention of something far worse lurking in the depths of the forest.

  With the fire crackling between them, the warmth casting flickering shadows against their faces, they ate in comfortable silence.

  Out of nowhere, Jenny spoke.

  “I did gymnastics growing up,” she said, casually stretching her legs out. “I got hooked on the feeling of being light on my feet, so fighting in this world with these abilities came pretty easy to me.”

  Kaito paused mid-bite, eyeing her suspiciously. “Can you stop reading my mind? I didn’t even ask that yet.”

  Jenny smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Kaito groaned, throwing his head back. “What did I do to deserve this punishment?”

  Jenny lazily rolled her shoulders. “Ugh, I hope you don’t mind if I undo my ponytail. Feels like my scalp is being strangled.”

  “Oh yeah, go ahead. Make yourself comfortable,” Kaito replied, waving a hand.

  A few moments passed before Jenny spoke again, her voice carrying a trace of sadness, a rare moment of genuine curiosity.

  “What do you think is happening back on Earth?”

  Kaito exhaled, placing his half-eaten meal down.

  “They probably noticed we disappeared by now. There’s probably panic,” he said, then suddenly switched to a mocking tone, waving his hands dramatically. “‘As a matter of fact, I happen to know where they all are. No one knows better than me. I have the best guys on it. The best resources. We’re gonna find them. Trust me, folks.’”

  Jenny let out an unexpected giggle, shaking her head. “That was terrible.”

  Kaito grinned. “Yeah, but you know there’s some government guy back home doing exactly that.”

  Still smiling, As Jenny ran a hand through her now-loose golden hair, Kaito continued “If anything, it’s probably a good thing a company like Cherry Tree Inc. exists. They’d probably provide all the support the world needs during these questioning times.”

  Jenny nodded, poking at the fire with a stick. “Yeah… they probably will.”

  But Jenny’s voice was laced with something heavier.

  Worry.