Chapter 10 - A Night in the Camper With My Familiar
I had formed a familiar contract with Haku and was sitting by the campfire, eating leftovers from dinner.
The Wagyu beef I had been grilling had already been devoured by Haku.
Using the leftover beef fat, I fried it to a crisp, sautéed it with some grilling vegetables, and managed to whip up a makeshift stir-fry. It was a leftover-based dish, but thanks to the Wagyu beef fat, it turned out delicious. Compared to the original dinner, it turned out to be much more of a junk food feel, but honestly, it wasn’t bad at all.
As I ate my improvised stir-fry, Haku climbed into the camper van, his curiosity now fixated on the driver's seat.
He was probably intrigued by the unfamiliar equipment. He sniffed at it, prodded at the levers with his paw, and fiddled around. With his now smaller form, his actions were indistinguishable from those of a curious dog.
Honestly, I had a feeling he’d eventually honk the horn. Sure enough, a high-pitched beeeeep suddenly echoed through the air.
Startled by the unexpected noise, Haku flinched and scrambled out of the driver’s seat in a panic.
"What is this?! Does it dare defy me?!"
Haku crouched low, growling at the camper as if preparing to attack. I put down my food, and approached the driver’s seat.
"It’s just a horn."
"A horn?"
"A warning device used to alert those nearby."
"...Hm, I see. Such a loud noise would indeed render sharp-eared creatures immobile.”
That wasn’t its purpose, but I could understand why a monster with heightened hearing like Haku might perceive it as some kind of sensory attack akin to a flashbang.
"By the way, Tohru, this camper of yours has no horses tethered to it. How does it move?"
"It doesn’t use horses as a power source. It runs on an internal engine and motor instead."
"So it’s a self-propelling magical tool? I’m curious about how it moves—make it run now.”
"Driving through the forest in the middle of the night is dangerous. Give me a break."
"Mmph."
When I refused, Haku showed a dissatisfied expression.
"We’ll drive tomorrow morning. Consider it something to look forward to."
"Something to look forward to tomorrow... That’s not a bad concept."
I wasn’t entirely sure why, but Haku seemed to regain his good mood.
I still didn’t quite understand what had made him so happy.
"...That looks tasty."
As he tilted my head, Haku turned his gaze toward the meat and vegetable stir-fry I was holding in my hand.
"Hey, this is my dinner made from leftovers! Also, are you seriously still hungry? You ate so much earlier!"
"As if that amount could satisfy my stomach."
It was hard to believe, especially after he had eaten more than ten kilograms of steak.
Since Haku asked for it, I resignedly offered him the remaining half.
"Hm? This meat’s fattier than the previous one."
"That’s because of the cut I used."
"The vegetables are crunchy and have an interesting texture. This isn’t bad either."
With his face close to the plate, Haku eagerly devoured the stir-fry.
Surprisingly, even this kind of junk food suited his palate.
Having my leftover dinner taken from me, I checked the GPS in the driver's seat.
"Hey, Haku, do you know anything about the Kingdom of Othelonia?"
"I don’t."
While checking tomorrow morning’s route, I casually asked, and Haku replied indifferently.
"How can you not know? Isn’t that the country you live in?"
"That’s just a boundary humans arbitrarily decided on. Besides, humans are constantly fighting and changing the size of their territories. It’s pointless to keep track of such things."
For Haku, who didn’t live in the human world, the concept of national borders didn’t seem to matter at all. I had hoped to hear his perspective on the Kingdom of Othelonia, but since he claimed ignorance, there was nothing I could do.
I operated the GPS, checking the route to the nearest village we’d head to tomorrow.
Beyond this forest lay a village called Lulusena.
For now, my plan was to aim for that village, stock up on unique foods from this world, and enjoy the scenery along the way. If I came across a nice spot, I wouldn’t mind taking a detour to camp.
"Hm? That’s quite a detailed map."
"Is it?"
"The maps I’ve seen before were much cruder."
Haku leaned in through the driver’s seat window, gazing intently at the GPS.
It occurred to me that in this world, where monsters roamed freely, cartography might not be very advanced. Alternatively, detailed maps might be restricted to a nation’s inner circle, kept from public use for fear of military exploitation.
Maybe.
"By the way, there’s a village called Lulusena to the south of this forest—"
"Don’t know it."
Haku interrupted bluntly and then, losing interest in the GPS, trotted back to the campfire.
He was supposed to be a resident of this forest, yet he didn’t even know about nearby settlements. I wished he’d show a bit more interest in the human world.
"Yawn... Guess it’s about time to sleep."
As soon as I finished tidying up the cooking tools, a wave of drowsiness hit me hard, and I couldn’t help letting out a big yawn.
It wasn’t particularly late, but exhaustion had crept in after everything that had happened today.
"Gotta put out the fire first."
Sleeping with the campfire still lit could be dangerous since embers might fly in the wind and start a fire. It was best to extinguish it before bed.
I set about putting out the fire.
The flames had already weakened significantly, so I fetched a light from the camper to illuminate the area.
"That’s pretty bright. Is it a magical light tool?"
"Well, something like that."
I didn’t know much about the magical tools in this world, but it seemed there were tools here with similar functions. Explaining further felt like too much effort, so I replied vaguely.
The best way to extinguish the fire was to let it burn out completely.
What you absolutely shouldn’t do is pour water on a hot firepit to put it out.
Doing so could cause a plume of hot steam and ash to fly up, potentially causing burns, or deform the firepit due to the sudden temperature change.
To safely extinguish the fire, I used a fire-extinguishing pot to smother the embers and firewood.
A fire-extinguishing pot was a camping tool that put out fires by depriving them of oxygen, providing a safe way to handle flames without the need for water.
It was simple to use—just place the firewood inside and close the lid.
By letting it sit, the fire was safely extinguished. Even better, the leftover charcoal inside the pot could be reused.
Charcoal was very easy to ignite, making it very easy to start a fire.
I would start a fire with this tomorrow morning and have a warm cup of coffee.
Once I finished putting out the fire, I packed up the camping gear and stored everything inside the camper, completing all the cleanup.
"Haku, want to sleep in the camper tonight?"
"There’s no way I’d sleep with you in such a cramped space."
Cramped? Oh, you’ve only been in the driver’s seat. You haven’t seen the rest of it, have you?
"I won't sleep in the driver's seat. I'll sleep in the back."
"Are you telling me to sleep in the cargo area?"
It seemed that Haku, who hadn't thoroughly checked the inside of the car, had an image of it being like a carriage.
"Come here for a second. Let me show you how great the camper van really is."
"??"
When I beckoned him, Haku approached the door with a puzzled expression.
I opened the camper door and revealed the interior to him.
"What is this?! There’s a table and chairs inside the cargo area!"
Haku exclaimed in surprise as he stepped inside.
"That’s not all. There’s a kitchen in the center, a sink, a toilet and shower room further back, and even a built-in bed.”
"I never would have guessed that such a luxurious living space could exist inside the camper van!"
Haku's sincere words of praise were quite pleasant.
The camper was so luxurious that the price was steep, but considering the beautiful hotel-like interior and the ease of living it provided, I didn’t have any regrets.
"Wait, there’s only one bed. Doesn’t that mean there’s no place for you to sleep, Tohru?"
Haku pointed at the built-in bed in the back of the camper.
Hold on a second, why is Haku assuming he gets the bed while I, the owner, am left out?
"If you want, there’s a bank slide bed above the driver’s seat."
A huge bank bed measuring 1,900 by 1,900 millimeters.
There was ample height as well, so you wouldn't feel cramped while sleeping.
When stored, it could also be used as a storage space.
It featured a smooth sliding mechanism with a slide-out design, making it easy to operate even for women, improving usability while reducing creaking during travel.
The lock fasteners were equipped with leather-like covers, and this attention to detail created the luxury feel unique to the TR550L Bolero.
"Ooh! This one’s even bigger and has a higher position!"
"How’s the comfort?"
"It’s not bad. I’ll sleep here."
"Alright. Then, sleep however you like."
I showed him how to turn off the lights, then moved away from the bunk bed and headed to the built-in bed in the back.
After quickly changing into my sleepwear, I collapsed onto the bed.
The bed was spacious, measuring 1,850 by 1,200 millimeters, big enough for two adults.
The wooden slats and cushioned mattress made it incredibly comfortable.
It felt just like lying on a hotel bed.
"I never imagined my first night camping in a vehicle would be in another world."
And to top it off, my companion for the night was a White Fenrir. Camp life in another world certainly seemed unpredictable.
"But it’s not bad."
As I rolled around in bed and reflected, my consciousness quickly fell into darkness.
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