Time in a collapsing world

The giant beast fell asleep on the ground, and Li and Alicia slept on the beast's head all night. They didn't wake up until the sun shone on their faces the next day.

"Um...good morning~?"

Alicia rubbed her hazy eyes and greeted Li and the giant beast as she had done in the orphanage.

"..."

Li didn't respond.

"Roar……"

The giant beast roared in response to Alicia.

"Huh? Mr. Monster, are you getting more hairy again?"

Alicia looked at the growing hair on the giant beast in amazement and discovered the huge changes it had undergone in one night.

In addition to the increase in white hair, the giant beast's originally short limbs and thick body have also changed.

The size is much larger than last night. If the giant beast was only two stories high before, now it has grown to the height of four stories.

The originally slightly bloated body became streamlined, the limbs became more slender, and the head became closer to that of a dog...or a wolf? After it is covered with hair, it looks more like it. The only difference is that it can stand on its two feet.

Hmm...a white-haired werewolf?

Alicia remembered a fairy tale that Celia's mother told her. The current image of Mr. Monster is really very similar to the creature Celia's mother described~?

"Mr. Monster, you are so beautiful!"

Alicia praised, and the giant beast also scratched its head with its forelimbs in a humane manner, looking embarrassed?

"Li, I want to give it a name~?"

"...Why do you ask me?"

Li gave her a confused look.

"Isn't it already your pet?"

"pet?"

Li looked up at the giant beast that could swallow him in one gulp. It was also looking at him with its head lowered. After a moment, it lay down obediently and rested its head on the ground in front of Li.

"..."

He couldn't afford to keep such a big pet.

"...Get up as soon as you remember."

Li agreed to Alicia's request for a name, but it wasn't for herself anyway.

"Okay!"

Alicia cheered, and then came up with the answer she had already thought of:

"Then...how about calling her Afilida?"

"..."

Isn't this the name Alicia wanted to name herself before?

Li turned his head and met the giant beast's eyes. The other man moved his head slightly, as if shaking his head, but unfortunately, it couldn't speak, and it couldn't name itself like Li.

"Li, doesn't the name I chose sound particularly nice?"

Alicia's eyes seemed to say, "Praise me quickly."

"..."

Torn between the giant beast and Alicia, Li thought for a while, "I think it can be called Theophel..."

"Eh~"

Alicia raised her voice in dissatisfaction because Li took away her chance to name her name again.

The giant beast seemed to like it quite a bit, and even kissed Dingli's body affectionately.

"...Let's go, walk as much as possible before lunch."

Li climbed onto Teofel's head, and then pulled Alicia up. The two of them just sat on this means of transportation, moving bit by bit towards the edge of the woods.

……

During the march, Alicia stood up on Theophel's head, opened her hands, and enjoyed the breeze blowing in front of her. Li was worried more than once that she would slip and fall.

"Li, please stand up too. This feels very comfortable~?"

Alicia grabbed Li's hand and tried to pull him up, but he pulled him down instead.

"Safety first."

Facing Alicia's dissatisfied gaze, Li spoke concisely.

"Nothing will happen, Mr. Monster... No, Teofel is walking very steadily~?"

"If you fall, you will die miserably."

Li thought for a while and described, "The brains will burst and blood will flow all over the floor. And maybe the branches will penetrate into the forehead through the eye sockets and just hang on the tree..."

"..."

Alicia choked on Li's words, "That's why I want you to stand up with me. If it's Li, you won't fall down, right?"

As she said this, Alicia blinked her eyes, as if there was hope in her eyes.

"There is still a chance."

It's a pity that glass oil and salt are not included.

"Um~Li, do you know what Celia's mother said about what will happen to a boy like you who doesn't understand the charm in the future?"

Alicia complained.

"Who is Celia's mother?"

"Celia's mother is mine...ah, no, no, that's not the point! The point is, Li, you are too ignorant of the style!"

"...Don't understand the style?"

Li tilted her head, her face full of confusion, "We are just children, it is more important to protect ourselves."

"...Hmph, I'll ignore you and enjoy myself." Alicia wanted to get up, but her hand was tightly held by Li.

Alicia looked at him, as if she saw four big words in Li's eyes:

be careful.

"Sit down, or I'll ask Theophel to stop, and we'll go down and walk."

"……Oh."

Being threatened like this, Alicia had no choice but to give up the idea, but in her mind she was already imagining herself rubbing Li's face into various funny shapes.

Bad glass!

……

At twelve o'clock at noon, lunch time, Theophel stopped walking. I don't know how it sensed the time accurately.

"Li, look, this mushroom is so beautiful!"

Alicia pointed to a red-spotted mushroom beside a tree and pulled Riya over to watch it together.

"Can I eat it?"

Li was only concerned about this issue.

"No, Celia's mother said that this kind of mushroom is poisonous at first glance."

Alicia made a "cross" sign with both hands.

"..."

Li instantly lost interest.

Afterwards, Li and Alicia walked around in the woods for a long time.

"Look, Li, the shape of this fruit is so strange!"

"Can I eat it?"

"No, it's poisonous."

"Oh……"

"Li, look at this cute little insect..."

"Can I eat it?"

"...Li, are you so hungry?"

"Ah."

"I'm sorry, I'm just going to find some normal food. I'll be fine soon~?"

……

Soon, Alicia found some green fruits. Although they didn't look ripe, they were at least edible.

Li, who was extremely hungry, ate one bite at a time, as if she hadn't eaten in hundreds of years.

Alicia, who was watching Li eat from the side, couldn't help but swallow her saliva, but seeing Li's crazy appearance of eating fruit without spitting out the core, she decided to let Li eat his fill first.

"..."

After eating until the last one and taking half a bite, Li noticed something strange about Alicia.

"This...give it to you."

Li handed the half-bitten fruit to Alicia, and Alicia immediately took it and ate it with a happy face.