Chapter 10: Not Surprised
"Stupid elders. Stupid Outsider. Why do I have to do this?" Malak complained to himself as he walked through the forest, pushing aside bushes and branches.
"Because you're a pushover?"
Malak flinched in surprise and turned around at the sudden voice.
"Soso...! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
Sosora hopped down from the tree branch she landed on and walked next to Malak.
"Don't you mean I made your heart skip a beat?"
"...That too," Malak said, clearing his throat in the other direction to hide the blush on his cheek. Sosora covered her giggle with her hand as she looked at Malak fiddle with his hair.
Eventually, Malak remembered what he was doing.
"Wait, what are you doing here? I'm supposed to visit the Outsider. You shouldn't follow me."
"I know." She winked. "The elders are free to come and stop me if they dare. Did you know most of them refuse to even get close to the center of the forest?"
"Isn't that just because they don't have their own elders telling them to go there in their stead? Kind of like they are doing with us?" Malak complained. If he were an influential elder, he would also just sit back and relax in his home, waiting for the youngsters to do stuff and give him something to complain about with an angry frown.