She is not an investigator.

Was she cursed? Or were they really that thirsty?

Igris suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for the time when she was still Aaron. At least back then, as long as he didn't initiate conversations with others, the people he interacted with most were the monsters and cultists.

It's something to miss.

"Igris?"

Someone else came looking for her.

Judging from the voice, it should be Simia. She had been avoiding Igris since this morning, but she still came knocking on her door again.

Igris didn't want to move, so she simply ignored her and continued to lie on the ground, pretending that she was really dead.

"Igris?"

Seeing that Igris didn't move, Simia still went into the tent, squatted down and looked at Igris who was lying in front of her.

"Aren't you going to get something to eat?"

Igris wasn't actually very hungry. Perhaps it was a psychological issue, but her appetite had been very poor lately. She seemed indifferent even to foods she used to love.

Of course, it's also possible that after eating those strange meats, she started to have some resistance to eating.

Therefore, Igris remained motionless and did not answer.

"Igris—?"

Simia poked Igris's head, and frowned as she watched Igris remain motionless.

"Are you asleep or dead? You should at least tell me."

This statement tickled Igris's funny bone. Although she didn't know why she had such a strange sense of humor, she still wanted to say it, because whether asleep or dead, no one could answer her question.

Seeing that Igris was still engrossed in pretending to be dead, Simia simply sat down next to her.

Then he patted her head.

Actually, for a moment, Simia wanted to go straight for his butt, but she felt that if she did that, she would probably have a few fingers broken, so she didn't go that far.

With her courage, touching her head is enough.

"...I'm not hungry, don't touch my hair, it'll be a hassle to tie it up."

"Oh... okay."

Igris finally responded, though she still didn't get up from the ground or lift her face to face her.

Simia originally wanted to leave immediately, but she was still a little reluctant to go.

So he touched Igor's back again.

"…?What are you doing?"

Igris finally turned her head and looked at Simia, who was sitting next to her, intently touching her back.

Her movements were light, gentle, and earnest, which reminded Igris of how she petted her pets.

However, unlike most pets worth keeping, Igris doesn't have much fluffy fur.

Actually, I'm not that hungry.

Simia continued speaking without stopping what she was doing.

Igris raised an eyebrow and swayed her body slightly in dissatisfaction.

"I mean... what are you doing right now?"

Does this really need an explanation?

Simia pursed her lips, stopped what she was doing, and felt a tickle in her heart.

Now might be a good opportunity to harass her, since there's no one else around, and she's so close to Igris right now.

This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Should we go?

Risk the glory of the rest of your life?

Want to give it a try?

Try it.

Give it a try!

Simia's gaze shifted from confusion to hesitation, and then to determination.

She made up her mind, regardless of the consequences or the fear of death.

Finally, she reached out her hand again.

Under Igris's questioning and wary gaze.

He pounced on it.

"…What are you doing."

As expected, they came up empty-handed.

Simia's body fell mercilessly to the ground, while Igris stood up, squinting and coldly watching Simia fall to the ground.

Igris may appear careless, but she is actually always ready for battle.

Simia, having missed her target, did not answer. Instead, she silently got up, knelt on the ground, and looked at Igris standing in front of her.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

Would you mind if I slept here tonight?

"You changed the subject way too fast...? Don't you have your own tent? Why are you sleeping here?"

Simia pursed her lips and lay down on the ground with a sorrowful expression.

"As expected, you're still angry about what I did during the day..."

"Are you referring to... the voting incident, or the one after that?"

So you're really angry?

Igris shook her head.

"I'm just curious about which one you care about more."

Simia clicked her tongue, seemingly knowing that arguing with Igris would likely have no effect, and then stood up from the ground.

“Igris, I have something to ask you.”

Again.

If everyone could be as carefree as Philina, Igris would probably wake up laughing every day.

"Go ahead and ask..."

What kind of person do you like?

That's a classic question.

So classic that even Igris couldn't come up with a specific answer for a while, and even began to feel a little lost about the direction in which the answer should go.

Seeing Igris deep in thought, Simia added in a timely manner.

I wasn't referring to personality.

What does that refer to? Appearance?

Igris rarely paid too much attention to this aspect, after all, she had almost reached the limit of her own aesthetic sense.

At least for now, she hasn't met anyone she thinks is prettier than her.

This is not arrogance, it's the truth.

Even the witches, Igris didn't think they could match her in appearance.

Why are you asking this?

Igris couldn't come up with an answer, so she could only throw the question back at them.

"It's very simple."

Simia put her hands on her hips and said with a serious expression.

"If I know what kind of person you like, I can try my best to become the kind of person you like, and sooner or later you will be fascinated by me."

She actually said it.

Saying such things to someone's face would probably be very embarrassing, at least that's how Igris felt.

But she didn't seem to think so, and even the way she said it sounded somewhat...proud?

This is so different from when they first met. Indeed... love can easily change a person's personality and emotions. This statement is true.

However… it seems that Igris has no way to actually respond to her.

The Gods' Fool - The Northern Train: Chapter 59, I Just Want to See You More

"Listen."

Igris's hand touched Simia's cheek, and her face visibly began to flush, becoming shy.

Her body instinctively recoiled, but she couldn't bear to avoid Igris's caresses, so she could only slightly arch her neck and lean her cheek against Igris's.

The gentle touch made her feel somewhat dazed, her consciousness fading. She could only see Igris's lips moving, seemingly listening intently to her words, but she couldn't hear a word she was saying.

“Simia, you don’t need to change anything for me.”

Finally, she heard it clearly—she heard her name and Igris's words.

Igris slowly closed the distance between them until all she could see was her expression and smile, and nothing else.

She instinctively leaned forward, drawn by intense desire to kiss the girl in front of her, but Igris's fingers precisely blocked her lips, slowly separating the two.

Simia was somewhat unwilling to give up, so she took Igris's finger into her mouth and looked at Igris with moist eyes.

Igris could feel the dampness on her fingertips and the occasional softness, but she didn't react much and didn't intend to stop Simia.

She learned about Simia's feelings for her, and also about everything that Simia had been pursuing all along.

Although she couldn't respond, at least she didn't want to just watch Simia become depressed because of this.