"Since you've agreed, consider us temporary partners." Zed's grin widened, the system's golden text flickering in his periphery. "And drop the 'Mr.'—just Zed is fine."
Erina nodded, her cheeks faintly pink. "Then you'll call us Erina and Hisako."
Hisako fidgeted, loyalty warring with newfound camaraderie. "Of course… Zed."
"Good." He gestured toward the Mother Tree's spiraling branches. "Now, let's meet my master and senior brother. They'll want to know about this… partnership."
Erina stiffened. "Your master—isn't he like… family?"
"Adoptive, technically. But don't worry—Yosaku and Jiji are… eccentric, not intimidating."
As they ascended the Mother Tree's organic staircases, Zed elaborated:
"Yosaku's the Healing Country's top Regeneration Master. Brilliant, but he'd rather punch a problem than discuss it. Jiji—my senior brother—talks enough for both of them. Think a parrot crossed with a philosophy professor."
Hisako snorted, earning a glare from Erina.
"What? It's funny!"
Zed chuckled. "Just don't mention Jiji's hair. He's sensitive about the… fried noodle aesthetic."
Inside the Mother Tree, the air hummed with tranquility. Erina's tension dissolved despite herself. "It's… peaceful here. Like a library, but alive."
"The Mother Tree emits calming pheromones," Zed explained. "And those bonfires?" He pointed to a central pit where lavender flames licked at prismatic logs. "Soothewood—burns for months, releases healing aerosols. Regeneration Masters tweak the blend weekly."
Hisako gaped at the tree's hollowed interior, bustling with clinics and labs. "How is this alive?"
"The Mother Tree's a Camping Monster," Zed said. "Rooted, but symbiotic. It regenerates faster than we can carve."
Outside Yosaku's Regeneration Center, Hisako hesitated. "Shouldn't we knock?"
"He'd complain if we did." Zed shoved the door open.
The room resembled a cross between a jungle and a junkyard: vines snaked over surgical tables, tools floated in gelatinous bioreactors, and a grizzled man in a stained lab coat—Yosaku—was elbow-deep in a pulsating plant pod.
"Back already? The Whispering Forest's—huh?" Yosaku turned, pod guts dripping from his gloves. "Who're the kids?"
"Partners. Temporary ones."
Yosaku's brow arched. "Two? Since when d'you collect chefs like Komatsu collects recipes?"
Erina bristled. "We're not collectibles—"
"Relax, princess. Just saying he's got taste." Yosaku wiped his hands on his coat, leaving chlorophyll streaks. "Name's Yosaku. Don't touch anything that glows, bites, or screams."
Jiji burst in then, a whirlwind of charts and chatter. "Zed! Heard you brought guests! Are they here for the Gourmet Cell symposium? Or the fungal outbreak in Sector 7? Wait—are you blushing? Since when do you—"
"Jiji." Zed pinched the bridge of his nose. "Meet Erina and Hisako. Temporary partners."
Jiji's eyes gleamed. "Oho! Dual-partner dynamics! Fascinating! Let's discuss compatibility metrics over Dragonfruit Tea—"
"Later." Zed herded the girls toward the door. "We're settling them in first."
As they fled, Yosaku's laugh boomed. "Kid's got guts! Two partners? Reminds me of my third divorce!"