Build a house

After the tournament, the forest was silent and had beautiful visuals. The forest feels like a heaven smell of soil and birdsong. Ark carried a basket on his arm as he walked next to Delta. They picked fruits from the forest, as is their routine.

"Look, Delta!" Ark said while

Pointing a tall tree hanging off groups of yellow fruits."These are mangoes. Let's pick some.”

Delta's eyes shined. "Mangoes? I've never had those before.”

Ark easily climbed, carefully picking a few and throwing them to the ground. Delta placed them in the basket after catching them in her arms and waving her fluffy tail joyfully.

Once Ark jumped back down, he wiped sweat from his forehead and handed one directly to her. "Here, try it. You'll like it.”

Delta hesitated, then bit into the juicy bite. Her eyes widened immediately. "It's... sweet. So sweet and soft!"

Ark laughed, taking a bite of his own mango. "Right? I told you. This mango is very sweet."

Delta smiled faintly, juice glistening on her lips. "I love it. I declared for today's my favorite fruit is mango."

Ark teased, "Wait until you try others," as he took another fruit out of the basket. He reached a reddish one in the shape of a heart."This is lychee. Peel it first.”

Delta carefully peeled it, popped it into her mouth, and her ears twitched with delight. "It's so soft and watery! Ark, this one tastes... refreshing!”

Ark smiled. "Lychee is good in summer. Now, this-" He grabbed a handful of small, purple berries. "-these are wild grapes. Be careful, some lichi taste sour.”

Delta ate one, her expression instantly scrunching. “ Sour! You tricked me, Ark.”

Ark burst out laughing, grabbing his stomach. "I warned you!"

Delta moved, her tail fastly "You're so mean you didn't tell me before. This is very sour."

One by one, they shared all the fruits they gathered while seated under a tree. When Ark tried a guava and Delta tried bananas, they both laughed at each other's funny reactions—Ark spit out seeds, while Delta found it difficult to peel. For a moment, they seemed to be enjoying eating together without worrying about anything.

After their small breakfast, they decide to move deeper into the forest for fun. The grass was shimmering with dew, and the air smelled fresh with Tomorrow raining at night. Ark unexpectedly stopped and held up his hand to Stop delta. They are someone nearby.

The two quickly crouched down in a bush, peeking through the leaves.

A woman and her small son walked along the forest path. The boy was holding his mother's hand, swinging it as he spoke cheerfully.

"Mom, when we get home, please make soup," the boy said brightly.

"Of course, my dear," his mother replied warmly.

The child said. "Mom, I love our home. It's the best place in the world.”

The woman smiled, gently patting his son's head. "Yes, my cutie son. Every person loves their home. Because a house is attached to the heart for every person."

They continued to move their house, then they disappeared in the forest for walking home.

Ark turned toward Delta, ready to speak, but stopped. Her face was downcast, ears drooping, her golden eyes shimmering with a loneliness she couldn't hide.

He understood instantly. She has no home... no place she belongs.

He reached out, gently patting her head. "Delta."

She looked up, startled.

"Let's make one," Ark said softly. "Let's create your home. Somewhere no one will take from you. I know it's not the same, but we'll try. We'll make something together.”

Delta blinked, her sadness slowly melting into warmth. A small, genuine smile spread across her lips. "Ark... you'd do that for me?"

Ark smiled and said. "Of course. You're my friend. And besides, I want to see you smile like this more often."

Her face flushed slightly as she nodded. "Then... let's do it. Let's build my home."

Ark stood, pointing toward the distant hills. "There, on the hillside. The view will be nice, and no one will bother us."

Delta's tail wagged with excitement. "Yes! The hill area side! That will be my home.”

Hand in hand, they began walking toward the hills, their basket of fruit swinging between them. The forest sounded with their laughter as they dreamed of building a place of belonging-something that would become more than just a shelter.

It would become their secret house.

The hill they had chosen overlooked the forest and the faraway village. From up here, the wind felt fresher, and the sunset painted the grass in gold. Ark stretched his arms wide, his voice carrying across the empty slope.

"Alright, Delta, this will be your new home!"

Delta's eyes sparkled with excitement. Her tail swished back and forth as she crouched, scratching into the dirt with a stick. "Then we need a plan. Look, Ark, I'll draw the map."

She began sketching rough lines: a square for the house, a small rectangle attached to it for a storage room, and a circle beside it. "This circle is for a fire pit. I want to sit outside when it's cold."

Ark smiled, crouching beside her. "Not bad, Delta. Simple but beautiful. Let's make it happen.”

The first step was leveling the ground. Ark placed his hand on the earth, closing his eyes. The soil shifted and hummed, the uneven lumps sinking down as if pressed by invisible hands. Within minutes, the slope had a perfectly flat area large enough for a small home. Delta's jaw dropped.

"That's... amazing! You just made the ground smooth like a table!"

Ark smiled, wiping dirt off his hands. "Easy. But we'll still need strong foundations.”

Delta cracked her knuckles and walked toward a nearby tree. With surprising strength for her small frame, she grabbed a thick trunk and gave it a mighty shove. The tree creaked and toppled after a few strikes with a sharpened rock she had fashioned earlier.

Ark blinked. "You... just knocked down a tree."

Delta grinned, her ears twitching proudly.

"Beast humans may not have much mana, but we're strong. Cutting trees is nothing."

Together, they spent the rest of the day gathering logs. Ark used a bit of wind magic to slice the trunks into cleaner sections, while Delta carried them with ease, stacking them into neat piles. By sunset, they had a small mountain of wood ready.

"Phase one, complete," Ark said, pretending to be an architect.

"Phase one?" Delta tilted her head.

"Yeah. Step two-install the pillars. Watch." Ark carved out square holes in the ground with his earth magic, making perfect slots. Delta placed the logs upright into the holes, slamming them down until they fit snugly.

For days they worked like this, side by side. Ark focused on shaping, smoothing, and cutting with magic, while Delta's strength carried the heavy load. They created a wooden skeleton of the house: four strong pillars holding up a simple frame.

By the third day, the walls began to take shape. They stacked smaller logs horizontally, sealing the gaps with mud and grass that Ark magically hardened. Delta clapped her hands in delight. "It looks like a real house now!"

Ark scratched his head, smiling proudly. "Still missing a roof."

They cut thinner logs for beams and layered large leaves and dried grass for roofing. Delta crawled on top of the frame, carefully arranging the leaves while Ark secured the beams with earth magic to keep everything steady. At one point, the wind almost blew Delta's tail hair into Ark's face.

"Watch it!" Ark laughed, swatting the fluffy tail away.

"Oops, sorry," Delta giggled, wagging it even more just to tease him.

On the fifth day, the house was finally complete. It was simple-a single-room wooden hut with a small window and a sturdy wooden door Ark carved himself-but it felt warm and welcoming. The outside fire pit was neatly arranged with stones, and Delta even added a few flowers near the entrance.

Delta stood before the finished home, her eyes shimmering. "This... this is mine? My own house?"

Ark crossed his arms, grinning. "Ours. We built it together. So take care of it."

Delta ran inside, spinning around the small room. "It's perfect! I love it!" She suddenly pounced on Ark, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Ark!"

He froze, his face turning red, but he smiled and patted her head. "Y-yeah... no problem.”

After exploring every corner, they finally lay down on the wooden floor, side by side. Both were exhausted, but their hearts felt light.

Delta whispered softly, her voice trembling with joy, "I finally have a home."

Ark turned his head toward her, smiling gently. "And I'll make sure no one tak

es it away from you."

The two of them drifted into a peaceful nap, the first under the roof of the house they built together.