The first thing you noticed when you woke up wasn’t the blinding sunlight slicing through the trees, nor the faint smell of cooked meat wafting from somewhere close. No, it was the faint poke of a small, but firm, hand on your shoulder.

“Oi, wake up, you,” said a voice that was equal parts irritation and amusement. You cracked one eye open. There she was—Silica. Your rescuer, nurse, and apparently your unpaid babysitter, sitting cross-legged with her red hair bouncing as she tried to look stern.

“You’re awake,” she said, sounding relieved but also like she’d just survived babysitting a wild boar. “Finally. I thought you were going to stay passed out forever and let me haul your sorry body all the way back to town.”

You groaned, rolling over just enough to peer at her. “Look, in my defense, that beast—” you waved vaguely toward the forest—“was surprisingly terrifying. And maybe I overreacted.”

“‘Maybe’? You were screaming like a girl who’d just seen a giant spider do taxes,” she said, eyes narrowed, though you caught the faintest twitch of a grin. “Honestly, how do you even survive in this game?”

You tried to sit up, only to remember that your leg now had a decidedly unpleasant bend. Silica groaned. “Don’t even think about moving yet. I patched you up the best I could, but you’re not walking anywhere today. You’re stuck. Like it or not.”

“Well, I like it,” you said immediately, raising a thumb like a proud hero. “Free room service from Silica herself.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Room service? Really? I’m basically a doctor, you know. Dangerous, lethal beasts don’t care if you think it’s funny. You could’ve—ugh, never mind. Stop moving.”

She leaned closer, inspecting the makeshift bandages she’d wrapped around your leg. “This is actually better than I expected from a random healing item. You could have used a real potion, but no, you had to pick a fight with a level 12 wolf. What were you thinking?”

“Thinking? That I’m invincible,” you said, clearly aware that her eyes were narrowing. The grin didn’t last long. “Okay, fine. Maybe not invincible. But slightly above average.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Slightly above average? You mean barely competent, with a dash of terrible decision-making.”

“Hey, don’t knock the dash,” you said, wiggling your fingers like a magician revealing a trick. “That’s my signature move.”

Silica rolled her eyes and laughed. It was a short, sharp laugh, the kind that made you think she was trying to convince herself she wasn’t enjoying this. “You are impossible.”

“Thank you,” you said with mock solemnity. “I strive for that title every day.”

The day passed with you trying to move as little as possible, Silica hovering nearby like some sort of vigilant, red-haired guardian angel with attitude. She brought you water, threw a few “don’t do anything stupid” warnings your way, and occasionally smacked your arm for leaning too far to grab a snack from your pack.

At one point, she muttered under her breath while cleaning a wound, “Honestly, I’ve saved idiots before, but you… you’re a special kind of mess.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” you said, smirking.

She finally sat back, folding her arms. “You know, you really owe me. I just spent half a day patching up someone who thought running at a monster was a brilliant idea. And I didn’t even get a thank-you yet.”

You grinned. “Consider this the pre-thank-you. Full ceremony once I can walk without looking like I’m auditioning for a sloth ballet.”

She shook her head, laughing, though there was a glint of genuine fondness in her eyes. “You’re ridiculous. Don’t think I’m letting you out of here tomorrow, either. You’re staying put until I say otherwise.”

You leaned back against the tree, smirking like you’d just won the biggest battle of your life. “Fine. But just so you know… you’re stuck with me, Silica.”

Her ears twitched. “Great. Just what I always wanted.”