Chapter 160
Whew... Calm down.
My thoughts are all jumbled, and they're running wild.
I take several deep breaths to calm myself.
A big chicken... What even is that?
Besides, food would work for a barter, too.
As for money, maybe I could sell the ore.
I can't say for sure, since I don't know what the ore is worth.
...For now, I should calm down before doing anything.
I look at Boss-san and Shuri's eggs in front of me.
Somehow, just seeing them puts me at ease.
For a while now, something murky has been lingering in my heart.
It was pointless to think about, so I'd been ignoring it... but maybe I'd reached my limit?
Huh? Had the bad dreams and lack of sleep made all that unease burst out and muddled my thoughts...?
Was I always like this?
I'm feeling a vague anxiety right now.
That's for sure.
It's probably because the forest keeps changing its appearance almost every day.
Looking at my companions, I can tell everything's fine, but the scenery changes almost every day.
It's only natural that I'd feel anxious.
Not being able to talk to anyone about it probably made my anxiety worse.
I'd been trying not to think about it or look at it...
Considering my personality, it feels strange that anxiety could get bad enough to leave me confused.
Well, at least my thoughts are just running wild. If I took it out on my companions, that'd be a real disaster.
I should make sure I understand my current state.
With that in mind, if I'm feeling anxious, I need to think of a way to address it first.
More than anything, I need to calm down first.
Phew.
And I should look into the cause of this indescribable sense of unease, too.
Something's wrong.
No, I do want eggs.
Though I'd prefer regular chicken eggs, not eggs from a giant chicken...
...I want pancakes.
I deliberately tried not to think about them, because I knew I'd want them for sure once I remembered!
I want rice, too.
Oyakodon, katsudon... No, I'm getting sucked into a rabbit hole.
Yeah... my cravings for the food I'd been trying not to think about are running wild, too.
Let's change my mood.
Maybe I'll run to the lake for the first time in a while.
Getting some exercise will help clear my head, too.
...Maybe I'll come up with a good idea about the eggs.
...No, I'm thinking about them again.
A change of pace!
...
I run to the first lake I found.
Crow gave me a look as if asking why I wasn't riding on his back, but I declined.
I received a mournful look, but held firm.
As I ran through the forest, the changes were noticeable after all.
Some of the trees I was used to seeing had grown a size larger.
Some of the flowers seemed to have changed shape, too.
Recently, I've also started seeing non-hostile monsters I'd never seen before.
No, if monsters are animals that attack, then those must be different...
Are they ordinary animals in this world?
Come to think of it, what even is the definition of a monster?
...I don't know.
I stop and look around at the scenery.
The impression the forest gives me is quite different from before.
In particular, the strength and amount of the magic power I sense are different.
Once again, I was reminded that this is another world.
No, I should have known that already... but something still feels off about the way I think.
What's wrong with me?