Sophie realized she was isekai'd into a video game, and whether she liked it or not, the older woman was adamant that she remain in bed for the remainder of the day. Looking down at the hide blanket now covering her medicinally wrapped body, she wondered what might have happened to her best friend, Ava.

Was Ava also brought here? If so, where is she? I hope she's safe...

What would happen to her here? Would she have to act out the role of the main character? Was there any way to return to her world?

I really hope this is a dream... I don't think I'm ready to explore this mature world. But I have to give it props though... it looks way better than the original graphics...

While the older woman moseyed around the small enclosure, setting aside her basket of herbs in favor of sorting through some belongings, it wasn't long before she returned with an article of cloth in hand. "Here you are, young one. I'm not sure how well it will fit, but it's better than what you were originally wearing."

As she accepted the two-piece article of hide, bewildered why she needed to wear a fur bikini in this place, she made no efforts to complain. However, she silently wondered what might have happened to her original clothing, but judging by the shaman's expression, it was likely they were gone for good.

Wonderful... Now I'm even more vulnerable than when I started... What about my bra and panties though?

Just then, a figure stepped into the room, pushing aside the animal hide as he entered. In an instant, Sophie recognized him as the person who saved her, but she hadn't anticipated that he would parade around in nothing more than a loin cloth.

"Is the female okay, healer?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Ah, so you've returned, Ryo? The female is fine but needs plenty of rest." The older woman greeted. "Did you just return from hunting?"

This beast man, stood before her at a stature of around six feet, his skin slightly tanned and muscular, with waist-length ebony hair and a slightly disheveled fringe barely concealing his golden-amber eyes. His features were sharp, like any anime character, without any flaw to his physique, aside from the scar upon his chest which looked recent.

Sophie silently noted his wolf-like gray ears above his head and his matching tail which hung loosely in the back beneath the cloth which fortunately concealed his manhood. This was definitely the person who rescued her! She recognized his face and voice, but she didn't recognize him as a familiar character in the game.

Then again, she didn't really look at the pamphlet which came with the game because she had wanted to be surprised whenever she ran into these romanceable characters. Now that she thought about it, since she and Ava hadn't gotten past the first bit of the story, since it was a lot of narration to begin with, they hadn't actually met the main bachelors.

But did it really matter at this point? Regardless if he was a bachelor or a random npc, the most important thing at this very moment was to find a way back to the real world. Before that, she needed to verify if Ava was also here.

The beast men kneeled beside her and placed a large leaf filled with various nuts and fruits beside the straw bedding. After which, he smiled kindly. "You've been unconscious for two days now. You had me worried, little female. Eat so you become stronger."

Two days?!

"Thank you..." She said, picking up a small fruit and taking a bite of it. It was sweet, but it wasn't anything she'd ever eaten before. From the rounded shape and purple color, it reminded her of a grape, but it tasted almost like an orange. Weird.

"Female, now that you are awake, where is your mate?" He asked. "I scouted the perimeter of the woods and mountains, but I did not pick up any other scents mingled with yours."

At the inquiry, the shaman also glanced over, her eyes narrowed curiously. "I was wondering the same thing. Female, what tribe do you hail from?"

Sophie looked between the duo asking her questions. Great. How would she answer this without raising suspicion? But just before she could say a word, a beautifully intricate, transparent dialogue box suddenly appeared in front of her, with two choices presented before her. No one else could see it but her.

I have no mate.

I don't know...

As she stared at it, she suddenly realized something else had happened within the room. Everyone had fallen silent, stopped breathing, and stopped blinking. It was as if time had completely frozen, and she tested this by poking the young man's cheek.

"Whoa… this is so strange…"

Since there was no obvious timer, she moved away from the bedding, albeit a bit slowly at first considering her injuries, and moved to peer outside the hut. Unlike the two behind her, time was moving normally for everyone else as they went about their daily chores, foraging for food and wood, and from what she could gather, the entire village was predominately made up of men.

Ava and I didn't get past the first bit of narration with the shaman, so whatever happens outside this hut is a mystery to me. I wonder if she's also here? My luck, she's probably safe back home wondering where I am…

Sighing, she returned to her uncomfortable bed and stared at the dialogue box once more. Throughout this game, there would be several romance routes and several more endings depending on the choices made. So, what was the point in lying if she wanted a good ending?

I might as well be honest and see where this path leads me…

Sophie raised her hand and pressed the first option.

The instant she pressed the first option, a musical note jingled, followed by a sparkle of light, and then the dialogue box vanished as though it had never existed. It was satisfying sight. It ended too quickly however when she realized the two occupants in front of her were no longer frozen, but staring at her almost incredulously, and she wondered if she made a wrong choice.

Before she could utter a response, Ryo responded, "You have no mate? How can that be?" He asked, but just then realization must have struck him before he furrowed his brow. "Could it be that bird killed him?"

Sophie shook her head. "No..."

He nodded at this. "I see... Were you separated from your tribe? Where do you come from?"

Unfortunately, no dialogue box appeared at this moment, and because she had chosen to be honest from the start, she figured it wouldn't hurt to remain truthful. "I was separated from my friend. She and I are... the last of our kind left..."

It wasn't necessarily a lie. The only inhabitants of this world were beast men and beast women, and since she lacked furry appendages, fangs and tails, it only made sense that she was the last of her kind. As far as she knew, humans did not exist in this game, except for the main female character(s).

Again, her response surprised them, and this time, the shaman's curiosity got the best of her, and she kneeled beside Ryo. "The last of your kind?" She inquired before furrowing her brow, her dark eyes scanning what little she could see beyond the blanket shrouding her body. "You are indeed... different from the usual females... When I removed your clothes earlier, I did not see any markings on your body, and you also do not appear to have any fangs or claws..."

"Speaking of which, where are my clothes?"

"I burned them," She replied without missing a beat, to which Sophie sweat dropped. "They were shredded and stained with blood, so it wouldn't be wise to continue wearing them. They would only attract ferals to this village."

It was too good to be true... That was my favorite pair of leggings and flannel too!

"I see..."

But the shaman didn't stop there. "If you are the last of your kind, then what exactly are you? You do not appear to be a wolf or fox... Since your teeth are flat, I can only assume you come from the herbivore family."

"Actually... I'm a human," She said, hoping it wouldn't take them by surprise or bring any distrust toward her, but the only reaction she received were confused stares. Maybe it was possible they didn't know what that was?

"Human?" The shaman asked with a tilt of her head. "I've never heard of such. But then again, perhaps that is why you look so different..."

Sophie almost sighed. It seemed they believed her, so that was a start. "We are very weak compared to others, so there aren't many of us left," She said, revealing that the vast majority had gone into hiding from outside predators. "By chance, did you see another female who looks similar to me? Her name is Ava."

Ryo shook his head. "You were the only female in the area at the time," He said, and as if sensing her despair, his gaze softened. "Do not worry. You are safe now. If it helps, I can search and ask around for your friend."

Her eyes lit up at this. "Really?"

Before he could reply, there was a soft rapping at the entrance of the hut, and when they looked over, they saw a young man with shoulder-length red hair, matching pointed ears and a fox tail step inside. "Ryo... your mate is calling for you outside..."

Ryo stood at this and followed him to the entrance. "Is she okay?"

"She's... causing quite the commotion since you left earlier... And a lot of people are misunderstanding some things. You should probably talk to her," He said, his expression strained with concern.

The moment he stepped outside with the young man, Sophie couldn't help her growing curiosity, and neither could the shaman. The two approached the door and peered out, and immediately noticed a crowd of other beast men gathered around, with one female standing in the center.

Ryo has a mate? So, I was right. He's just a regular npc... I wonder why she looks so pissed?

Beside her, she heard the shaman mumble about how Ryo would get himself out of this mess, especially with his mate's feisty temper, and as Sophie watched Ryo stop directly in front of the female, she hadn't anticipated a couple's fight would break out. She had slapped him, so hard, that it caused a chorus of gasps outside. Including one from Sophie and the shaman.

"What is the meaning of this, Clarissa?" Ryo asked.

"What is the meaning of this?! How dare you ask that! How can you treat me like this, Ryo?! Since when has our relationship been so poor that you would care for another female?!"

Oh my gosh… Are they about to break up?

The accusation caused further misunderstandings as the crowd of male onlookers pointed and muttered their disapprovals to Ryo, but he otherwise ignored them. "She was nearly kidnapped by the bird tribe and has suffered several injuries. How could I ignore that, especially since she's one of the few females left in our world?"

"But you're MY mate! Let the shaman deal with her! It's not your place, Ryo!"