Chapter 7 A Bet

Kira stared as Keith's figure faded down the road. At that moment, she was sure that he wouldn't return for quite a while. A relieved expression painted her face as she headed back into her cave.

After a whole day, she felt exhausted.

With weary eyes, she laid on the stone bed covered with dry grass. As she fell asleep, she dreamt that she was back in modern times.

Immediately, she went to a store and bought food. She ate different kinds of modern food. As if she hadn't eaten in ages, she swallowed them in her dream like a crazy glutton with a big appetite.

Meanwhile, Keith was now standing beside her bed. He was anxious as to when she would wake up.

It seemed that his suspicions were correct. She was still a lazy woman. Although she acted well yesterday and almost fooled him, she showed her true colors today.

When Kira woke up, she noticed that Keith was standing in front of her, blocking the sunshine outside. She then made some hand gestures.

"What are you doing?"

Keith didn't understand her. He looked at her for a while and exited the cave. Suddenly, Jayda called him from outside, "Keith, is K awake?"

However, Keith simply looked at his sister and frowned.

"Why are you here?"

"Mama worries that you might bully K. As such, she told me to come here and have a look." She squinted her eyes and added, "Mama said that K could come with us and gather food. Moreover, she can share food with the rest of us."

When he heard this, Keith revealed an anxious expression.

'I'm doing this to protect you. But instead of thanking me, you're befriending the enemy.'

When she heard Jayda's proposition, Kira stepped out and gestured to show her gratitude to her.

Jayda approached her and held her hand.

"Is it okay if I call you Kiki? K is a strange name after all."

Immediately, Kira's heart softened as she stared into Jayda's clear eyes. She felt lucky that a nice girl like Jayda was there with her.

Kira nodded with a smile. Suddenly, her stomach rumbled.

An awkward smile flashed across her face.

"Are you hungry, Kiki?"

'Of course, I am, ' Kira thought.

"You're such a bully, Keith. Why haven't you fed her?"

"What? I-"

However, Jayda interrupted his explanation by saying, "Kiki, Keith is being mean to you. How dare he treat you like that? Don't worry. I came here with a large basket of fruits. We'll start gathering after you eat."

With an expression full of gratitude, Kira looked at Jayda and began eating. When she finished, they finally went into the forest.

"Wait for me, both of you. It's mating season. As such, a lot of dangerous animals are wandering in the woods. Don't be careless."

Keith followed the two ladies when he noticed how far they were away from him.

"Please don't hate my brother, Kiki. Usually, he's a kind man. Well, it may take some time for you to know him better."

Since Kira couldn't care less about Keith, she just nodded at Jayda. All she cared about at that moment was finding something to eat. It seemed that she was still starving.

While strolling, the two ladies looked around curiously.

Suddenly, Kira noticed several edible mushrooms on the ground.

However, she remembered that primitive men did not know how to create fire. As such, she decided not to pick the mushroom.

She moved on and kept looking for food.

Finally, she noticed a persimmon tree not far away from them.

The presence of persimmons surprised her.

In excitement, she rushed towards the tree. Suddenly, Keith began yelling at her.

"Hey, why are you walking that way? You can't find any food there."

However, Kira ignored him and continued forward.

Her excitement grew larger when she noticed the fruits on the persimmon tree. Immediately, she reached out her hands and tried to pick one.

Keith approached her and said, "There's no need for that. That fruit tastes too puckery. If it is edible, I would've told you so."

For a moment, she turned around and stared at him. However, she ignored what he said and continued to reach for the fruit.

"Why are you ignoring me when I'm talking to you? Can't you hear me?"

Although he was angry, he still had a kind tone.

However, aside from not answering him, she also ignored his warning.

Finally, Jayda approached them.

"What's the commotion between you two?"

"I'm telling her that the persimmon isn't edible. But instead of believing me, she ignores my advice. This girl is very impolite and ungrateful." He seemed somewhat mad.

"Kiki, please trust Keith. After all, he's quite knowledgeable in the woods. He's probably right about that fruit."

However, Kira stared at Jayda and shook her head.

An anxious expression painted Kira's face as she gestured at the persimmon she was holding.

Although she was a mute, she was trying her best to tell them that the fruit was edible and delicious.

"I understand, Kiki. You're telling us that this is edible, right? I believe you, so calm down. Can we pick a few then try it first? If it's tasty, we can return here and have some more. What do you think?"

With a smile, Kira nodded in excitement.

"What an absurd plan. I already tasted those before. Why would I keep it a secret to you if I know that it's delicious?"

"Keith, please don't be intense. We're just going to taste it."

Jayda felt conflicted.

She took the fruit and was about to take a bite. However, Kira suddenly stopped her.

The latter shook her head. Then, Kira pointed to herself and at the persimmons she picked. Finally, she took Jayda back to the cave.

That morning, Kira had noticed a thin layer of sand by the entrance of her cave. Now she would make use of it.

"Kiki, why are we going back to the cave?"

Keith and Jayda had no idea why Kira suddenly wanted to return.

They watched Kira put the persimmons on the ground. Next, she dug a hole in the sand and placed the persimmons in it. After she finished, she got to her feet and smiled at the siblings.

Meanwhile, Keith and Jayda felt confused about what she just did.

"Kiki, what is that?"

Kira looked at the sky and gestured her hands together in her cheeks as if sleeping. Then, she stretched herself and pointed at the persimmons. It was a signal that they could eat the fruits tomorrow.

"Kiki, are you saying that we should leave the fruits here and eat them tomorrow?"

Jayda understood what she meant. With excitement apparent in her face, Kira repeatedly nodded.

Meanwhile, Keith couldn't remember anyone prepare food like that. As such, he wasn't willing to believe in Kira. He suspected that she was lying and delusional.

"You can't fool me. How can you be sure that the persimmon isn't bitter and puckery anymore tomorrow? Just putting it on the ground can make it delicious? Don't be gullible, Jayda."

Immediately, Kira glared daggers at him. It meant that she felt offended by what he said.

He was confident in his knowledge and skills in surviving. Since he was quite proud of himself, he challenged Kira to a bet.

It seemed that Kira had no interest in his suggestion at first.

However, when she remembered how rude Keith treated her, she wanted revenge. As such, she nodded in agreement.

Jayda also seemed interested in the bet. With a curious expression, she asked, "What are you betting?"

"Since Kira is a girl, she can decide. I'll agree to anything she wants to bet."

However, nothing came to Kira's mind.

"Maybe Kiki needs some time to think about it. She can tell us tomorrow before we taste the persimmon."

Kira and Keith nodded at Jayda's suggestion.

"Kiki, please don't get mad at Keith. I don't know what has gotten into him, but he's not like that before. He's a good man and always extends a hand to those in need. Moreover, he knows a lot about survival and taught me everything I know. In our tribe, he is one of the few people who can read,"

Jayda whispered discreetly to Kira.

At first, Kira didn't care about what Jayda was saying. However, when she heard that some people in the tribe could read, it piqued her interest.

At the moment, she was mute and couldn't read the alphabet of the tribe.

However, if she could learn their written language, Kira could write the words she wanted to say.

The following morning, Jayda brought Theo with her.

As Kira laid eyes on him, she thought he was good-looking. He looked different from Keith, who was very primitive and haggard. If Theo dressed up, he wouldn't look so different from a modern man.

'If I can live stream with him, he will definitely gather a lot of female fans. What a great idea!'

"Ahem!"

Keith felt unhappy when he noticed Kira ogled at Theo.

It seemed that this woman was very inconsistent.

"Kiki, is it fine that Theo is also here? When I arrived home yesterday, I told Mama about the fruit. Theo heard it by accident. As such, he begged to come here with me. Since I couldn't refuse him, I brought him along."

Kira gently nodded in agreement. After all, she already knew that she would win the bet.

"So, what will you bet?"

With a smile, Kira picked up a stick and scribbled something in the air. Then, she dropped the stick and run around them.

"Are you saying that you want me to teach you how to read and write? And then what? Why are you running around? I don't understand," Keith said in confusion.

"It seems that she wants you to show her around. She's asking you to help her familiarize herself with the place,"

explained Theo.

Kira put her thumbs up and smiled.

"Okay. It's not like I should care about what you want. You won't win anyway. So let's discuss what will happen if you lose."

With a straight face, Kira pointed at herself, then at the horizon. When she saw that, Jayda asked in an anxious voice, "Kiki, are you saying that you will leave if you lose?"

Kira nodded.

Being mute was really difficult for her.

A surprised expression painted Theo's face as she stared at her. The woman in front of him was skinny and fragile.

If she was left alone in the wild, something terrible might happen to her.

Nonetheless, he admired her bravery.

At that moment, he had a better impression of her.

Meanwhile, Keith smirked and looked very happy.

"Well, if that's what you want. It's not like I'm forcing you to leave."

"What? Keith, you can't do this. Kiki, this is too risky. I won't allow this bet."