Chapter 11: Family Dynamic

"You didn't have to buy me a grimoire Naofumi."

"Yeah, you almost broke as it is."

"Okay I'm not broke I'm just… financially challenged at the moment, besides its kind of useless to learn your magical affinity if you have no way to use it."

"I'm just saying, you've used most of the coins today so we can't just be spending like we have an infinite amount."

"I know Sakura, I started budgeting our current amount, we can get about 1 stay in the inn, and a quick meal at the pub. The rest is going to your cart, I should be finished by dinner."

"You got Sakura a cart?"

"Yeah it's in the forest, just follow me." Naofumi returns to the area where he places his cart and shows it to Sakura.

"Woah!"

"It's still undergoing some repairs. I still have 2 wheels to replace, and a lot more planks, it probably would have been easier to just buy one instead of all of this."

"I'll like it, even if it looks like a hot mess."

"Yeah, thanks for the encouragement Sakura."

Naofumi takes a bag of wood out of the cart and gets ready to chop them, Raphtalia comes up to him and asks what to do."

"So what should I do today?"

"Work on your motion sickness, since Sakura is back so it's time."

"Do I have to?"

"I'm not planning on stopping because of it, you have until tomorrow to fix it."

"Fine, Sakura let's go."

"Got you Raphtalia."

Sakura gets up and transforms into a Filolial, Raphtalia gets on, and together they ride off into the forest, trampling any monsters that cross their path.

Naofumi continues to work on the cart until Sakura returns with Raphtalia and several other dead creatures in tow."

"So, how did it go?"

Raphtalia falls off of Sakura landing on the ground, she gets up and dusts all of the dirt off of her clothes, replying to Naofumi when she's finished."

"I puked three times."

"Well at least you're improving, so what's with all of that?" Naofumi said, pointing towards a sack of dead creatures in it.

"Sakura brought food for dinner, and some extra for dessert."

"Sure, haven't eaten since breakfast, I can also use a break on this stupid cart." Naofumi pulls out a small pot and hands it over to Sakura."

Anyways go grab some water. I'm making broth."

"No problem." Sakura runs off into the Forest with a pot in her beak. While she was gone, Naofumi taught Raphtalia how to properly skin a Usapil. Sakura later returns with a pot of water and some more rabbits.

"Sakura, Why did you bring more food?"

"Dessert."

"You already bought dessert!"

"Extra dessert."

"*sigh, I'll just put it in the broth."

Naofumi took the extra food and water Sakura had and bought and made them into a broth, the group then spent the rest of dinner eating and having fun.

"Hey Naofumi, I can't sleep."

"Another nightmare."

"Yeah."

"Well I'm still working on the cart so I can't do much now."

"You can sleep with Sakura for now."

"Okay, wow your feathers are so soft, and so… warm."

Raphtalia sinks into the Sakura feather more and more, instantly falling asleep. Naofumi walks over and picks up a feather that fell on the ground while sticking his hand into Sakura's feathers.

"Wow, there's actually a lot of space in here, and is this sleep-inducing?"

"Sakura doesn't know."

"Welp, I'm going back to work."

"Another all-nighter or whatever you call it."

"Yes, I need to finish this before tomorrow."

"I thought you said it would be finished by dinner."

"I didn't ask for any sass Sakura."

"Kind of your fault."

"And how is it my fault?"

"Well, you are the one who raised me."

"I… can't argue against that."

"Exactly."

"Just go to sleep, if I'm not awake by tomorrow morning pack up the camp and start heading to lute, the map is in the back."

"Ehh, doing all of that sounds like a pain."

"Are you really this lazy?"

"Sometimes. Sakura just wants to pull something."

"Then you can do it tomorrow."

"Sakura will then, goodnight Naofumi."

"Good night Sakura."

"Sorry!" Sakura shouted.

Naofumi wakes up after hitting a bump on the road.

"Damn that hurt."

"I see that you slept well."

"Yeah, I didn't immediately wake up this time."

"Then Sakura guesses she's doing a good job as your emotional support bird."

"Sure, whatever. Raphtalia you know what time it is?"

"I don't know, We left as soon as Sakura woke up."

"Okay then Sakura, did we pass by any villages?"

"Yes, one village a few minutes ago."

"Good, now with this information." Naofumi takes out a map and some ink and marks the areas they have passed. "We still have a while to go."

"Then can you help me with something?"

"The bag of medicine should be next to you."

"No not that, I need to get these shackles off my neck and arms."

"Oh sure, but you'll need to stay still or you might get choked out."

"Choked, umm can I reconsider."

"If you start to grow then you'll be choked by the shackle as well, so it's best to get it removed now." Naofumi grabs a bag and pulls out a set of lock picks, and starts to fiddle the shackles to unlock them."

"Did you just have these at the ready?"

"Kind of, I broke into some stables awhile back."

"Why?"

"Because Sakura wasn't a human yet and they didn't allow her indoors, she was really hard to take care of."

"Come on Sakura wasn't that bad."

"You went through a week's worth of food in a day."

"Sakura was hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"To be fair, I was a growing child who needed nutrition."

"You were basically an adult last week. I don't understand how this world's aging works but In my world, it took time to grow."

"You two sound like an angry couple."

"Absolutely not!" Both of them shouted.

"One, Pay attention to the road Sakura and watch the bumps please, and two, we are and never will be in a relationship, so drop the shipping."

"Shipping?"

"Forget it."

"Yeah, We're more like siblings, I'm the annoying sister and he's the protective older brother."

"Protective brother"

"Does Sakura have to bring up the time with the other Filolial?"

"Please he was too close trying to flirt, I was doing you a favor by driving him away."

"I was going to kick him anyways, but this just proves my point."

"Wait I'm confused, do you actually understand Filolial's?"

"Kind of, I don't truly understand what they're saying but due to body language and their tone you can kind of deduce what they're saying, Got it." The Shackle on Raphtalia's neck opens and falls to the floor of the cart, he then moves onto the next one on her arm. "Anyways I'm gonna finish picking these shackles then I'm going back to sleep, wake me up if something happens."

"Got ya."

"Who's there!" Naofumi shouted." He looks around to see a cowling Raphtalia in the corner."

"Umm sorry, Sakura asked me to wake you, I didn't mean-."

Naofumi interrupts Raphtalia and pats her on the head. "No, you're fine, sorry for getting angry."

"Seriously if you were going to wake up like that Sakura would have done it herself." Sakura walks into the cart holding a key.

"You know how I feel about people around me while I'm sleeping so why send Raphtalia?"

"Because she can't rent a room or get the location of the mine."

"I thought I told you to wake me up when we got here."

"No, you asked Sakura to wake you up if something happens, I was going to let you sleep till the afternoon but the mine is infested with monsters, so a morning attack would be the best choice unless you want to be overrun by monsters in the dead of night."

"Okay ceasefire, let's just go to the mine and get our cash."

"There's a cabin in the area with some supplies so we'll stop there first."

"Then lead the way, oh holy bird of navigation."

"Sure." Sakura transforms and they all ride to a cabin, they find a few pickaxes and rope. Naofumi grabs both and absorbs them into his shield, unlocking a new one.

Pickaxe shield conditions met

Equip bonus: Mining skill 1

"Okay, ready guys."

"Sakura is ready to cut anything down."

"Um, I'm also ready."

"Then let our first adventure begin."