Imara Diversifies The Beastmen World

Chapter Eighty One: The Gift of Friendship

Over the next two days, Qean kept stopping by, always saying she was just in the area and had a little free time. She often talked about how busy she was, but somehow, she always found a moment for me.

I teased her, saying, "Oh, my pretty one, when will you ever have time just for me?"

She'd reply with a small smile, "I guess I can make some time, but I can't stay long. I'm a busy woman, you know."

I'd just smile and enjoy our time together. We played games, relaxed, and spent time with the other girls whenever they weren't too busy—because they were very busy!

There were a lot of talks about "taking a walk and being back for dinner." The males looked so happy, and my ladies seemed to be glowing.

We often heard noises coming from the bushes, splashing water, and even the wagon they arrived in got used a lot. I was surprised it didn't fall apart from all the action.

It seemed like my advice had really made a difference. The males started bringing us even more fruit, furs, meat, wood, vegetables, and other supplies. There was so much that we had to store a lot of it in the warehouse, and the food was used for our group dinners.

Bai, however, had seen and heard more than she wanted to. She often ran off to Parker's house to escape, which never failed to make me laugh.

One afternoon, I saw Qean coming over the hill, and I ran to meet her halfway.

I hugged her and greeted her with a bright smile. "My pretty one, Qean, how are you today?"

As usual, she mentioned being busy and said she just stopped by to take a short break.

I nodded and said, "I understand, come and rest."

She didn't hug me back, but she didn't pull away either. That small change let me know she was getting more comfortable around me, even if she wouldn't admit it yet.

Qean's POV

Over the past few days, I had learned a lot from Imara—more than I expected. Whether it was through the things we did together or simply watching how she interacted with others, there was always something new to take in. Some days were filled with activities, games, and laughter, while others were spent in quiet rest, just existing together without the need for words.

I liked those moments the most. I wasn't used to it—always having something to do or working on things daily. At Imara's place, there was always something going on, always a task waiting to be completed. But then, sometimes, with Imara and the others, we would just rest. She called it "group nap time," and on some days, nothing was done at all. She called those days "just existing," and surprisingly, it felt different from my days of just existing.

And during all this time, I couldn't find anything about Imara that felt suspicious or out of place. No hidden motives, no schemes waiting to surface—just a strange openness that, try as I might, I couldn't find fault in. The only thing I had to report back to Wilbard was what I had learned, and even then, it wasn't much beyond how to better communicate or work on small projects at home.

It was almost irritating. I came here expecting to uncover something, to catch her in some kind of deception, but instead, I found myself gaining knowledge I could actually use. And on the days I didn't visit, I found myself showing Wilbard the things I had picked up—things that, surprisingly, brought us closer and gave us something to do together besides just existing in the same space.

I didn't know what to make of it yet, but I knew one thing—Imara was changing things, whether I liked it or not.

As I walked down the hill, I saw Imara coming toward me with that same bright smile she always had when she saw me. I told myself I was just here because I happened to be on this side of the City, taking a break from my busy life. That's all it was. Nothing more.