For Natsu, i was the first friend he made after taking over the farm.
And, at this rate, she might just beco his only friend.
After all, ever since he took over the farm, Natsu had lost contact with his forr classmates.
He had always been the type to disappear as soon as vacation started and go completely off the grid after graduation.
After elentary school, he vanished from his classmates’ radar.
After middle school, no one could find him anymore.
After high school? Even more so.
To Natsu, being in the sa class as soone was a kind of fate.
But whether that turned into friendship was a different matter entirely.
The sa applied to dormmates.
Just because they ended up in the sa room due to so random dorm assignnt didn’t an they had to be friends.
Everyone ca from different places, grew up in different environnts, and had different values.
If they got along, that was great.
If they didn’t, well, that was just how things were.
No need to feel bad about it or wonder if you were the problem.
Honestly, Natsu considered it a win that he hadn’t beco one of those novel protagonists who single-handedly isolated everyone around them.
Not everyone could maintain a calm mindset and interact with a bunch of kids using the rational thinking of an adult.
It had been pretty rough for him, to be honest.
Not that he hated kids or anything.
But seeing them go through their cringey, edgy phases made him recall his own dark history.
Just watching them made him want to curl his toes so hard he could dig a hole through the floor.
My embarrassing past is currently delivering flying elbow strikes to my soul.
On the flip side, Natsu was also an important friend to i.
With her bright and cheerful personality, it was no surprise that she had a lot of friends.
Back in school, plenty of girls were happy to befriend her.
What? Bullying?
First, you’d have to beat i in a fight.
She was never the type to just take a hit and cry about it.
Whether it was Pokémon battles or actual combat—
i, 18 years old, a genius fighter who could throw hands.
For now, both i and Natsu had a pretty good impression of each other.
As friends, sure.
As mbers of the opposite sex? Also, sure.
Honestly, love at first sight and whirlwind romances were overrated.
Most relationships started with two people thinking the other seed decent, dating to see how it went, and just continuing from there.
Not that many made it to the finish line, though.
"Delicious~!"
i bead, happily munching on a skewer of grilled at.
For the first ti in a while, the farm's open space was hosting a barbecue party.
The last ti had been shortly after Natsu moved in.
Since then, he hadn’t bothered doing it again.
Not because of his cooking skills or a lack of ingredients—
Just pure laziness.
After all, barbecuing wasn’t just about grilling food.
It ant prepping ingredients, setting up the grill, getting skewers ready, and worst of all—cleaning up afterward.
More importantly, barbecuing was about the atmosphere.
Even with Pokémon around, eating alone just felt... off.
But now that i was here, Natsu had finally dug out his neglected barbecue set from the storage.
"Right? I do have so confidence in my cooking skills," Natsu grinned from behind the grill.
Beside him, Lopunny carefully wiped the sweat off his forehead with a small towel.
Compared to the barbecue itself, Lopunny was more concerned about Natsu.
As long as the other Pokémon were having fun, that was good enough.
"Natsu, you're really amazing. It feels like you can do anything," i said, watching him work with admiration in her eyes.
To her, Natsu was the definition of an all-rounder genius.
Pokémon battles, training, Pokéblock making, everyday life—he seed to excel at everything.
Compared to that, i felt like a brainless brute who only knew how to fight.
Especially when it ca to daily life skills.
Sure, traveling had forced her to pick up a few things here and there, but—
Compared to Natsu, she might as well know nothing.
Better not to compare.
Otherwise, she’d start feeling self-conscious.
Her brown eyes reflected Natsu’s face, illuminated by the firelight.
For a mont, i found herself staring absentmindedly.
“…What’s wrong?”
Placing a freshly grilled skewer on the tray, Natsu turned his head—only to see i watching him, completely lost in thought.
Her expression was like… he had flowers growing on his face or sothing.
"Huh? Nothing, nothing!" i quickly waved her hands, snapping out of it.
Her fair cheeks seed to have taken on a slight red tint—probably from the firelight.
"Right, about that tournant you ntioned before."
"I actually signed up for it, too."
After a brief pause, i awkwardly changed the subject.
Though, to be fair, she had wanted to tell him this earlier.
She’d just been too distracted by Serperior’s evolution.
Now was as good a ti as any.
"Oh?"
"That ans we’ll be opponents then, i."
Natsu didn’t seem too surprised by the news.
Handing i and the Pokémon their grilled skewers, he wiped his hands on his apron and smiled.
"Opponent? Yeah, no, I have zero chance of winning."
i accepted the food with a helpless smile.
At this point, she couldn’t see any way to beat him.
Earlier, Natsu had ntioned his tournant team: Mudkip, a shiny Furret, and Corviknight.
Mudkip was one thing.
But the other two? Straight-up powerhouses who could solo entire teams.
"Just… go easy on , alright, Natsu?"
i grinned playfully, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture.
She even leaned in slightly, giving his shoulder a light squeeze—like she was trying to butter him up.
"Got it. Full power, no rcy."
Without hesitation, Natsu declared that he’d give it his all.
"Eh?! You’re my official translator! Shouldn’t you at least let save so face?!"
"Giving my all to defeat my opponent is the greatest form of respect!"
"I don’t need that kind of respect!"
i huffed and gave his shoulder a hard squeeze in protest.
Would it kill him to be a little gentler with girls?!
Looking at Natsu’s face, i suddenly had the urge to bite him.
Just a tiny little shock to his system.
The barbecue party celebrating Serperior’s evolution and their first day of special training wrapped up in a lively atmosphere.
Back in her room, i instinctively reached for her phone to send Natsu a goodnight ssage.
Then, she suddenly rembered—
They were only separated by a single wall.
Barefoot, she padded across the floor and knocked on the door next to hers.
"Hm? What is it, i?"
"Nothing much. Just wanted to say goodnight."
"Well then, goodnight, i."
"Mm-hm. Goodnight, Natsu."
That night, Miss i slept very well.
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