by Ao Jyumonji
“Oh!” he cried.
It looked like he’d caught something. Tokimune twisted his wrist and fished whatever-it-was out. It fell to the ground through the hole he had torn open. With a wet thud, it landed on the ground.
Everyone was holding their breath.
Tokimune crouched down, illuminating it with his lantern.
It was still moving, though only slightly. It resembled a mammalian fetus, perhaps 15 centimeters long.
It stopped moving.
It’s dead... maybe, Haruhiro thought.
“Wonder what it is.” Tokimune looked to his sword, now thoroughly covered in ooze. “It’s a creature of some sort, that much is clear. Think they’re eggs, after all? Like, this is a spawning ground of sorts?”
“There’re a lot of them here, these eggs,” the glasses-wearing Tada said with a snort. “If they all hatch, we’re in for some fun times.”
“Eggs, okay...” Anna-san was drawing in the notebook that was apparently her book of maps with a serious expression on her face.
Mimori the Giantess crouched down next to Tokimune. She was staring at the fetus-like creature’s remains.
“You want one as a pet?” Tokimune asked.
“Not so much,” Mimori shook her head. “Are they tasty?”
“Heh...” The eye not covered by Inui’s eyepatch suddenly flared open. “Like we should know!”
This guy suddenly snapped at her, Haruhiro thought, surprised. Was it really something to get upset over? I don’t get this guy at all. He’s scary.
No, but, the fetus-like creatures and their eggs are way scarier.
“Wanna smash all of them?” Kikkawa asked, as easily as he might suggest taking a short break.
“There’re too many.” Ranta looked around the room. “How many do you think there are? We’d be at it all day.”
“...Kehehe... Ranta... You’re actually sounding reasonable... You’re going to die soon... Kehehehe...”
“Don’t jinx me like that!” Ranta yelled.
“Ranta’s right on this one.” Tokimune stood up and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s too much trouble to smash them all. I mean, they don’t look like they’ll hatch for a while anyway? Probably not a threat. —Not these ones, anyway. Not yet.”
4. For Now, We Just Look Towards Tomorrow
“...Ahh...” Haruhiro laid his head down on the small table and closed his eyes.
The Lonesome Field Outpost’s back streets were a place for shopping, entertainment, and also the residential quarter. A number of the stalls stayed open quite late into the night, and Haruhiro had made the one with the least customers, a place that was always gloomy and mostly empty, into his regular haunt.
Well, it was little wonder the place wasn’t more popular: the food was awful, and the drinks were average. The owner always looked grumpy, and wasn’t the welcoming sort.
There were five seats at the counter, as well as another two tables in front of the stall, each of which had three chairs.
Tonight, there was one customer at the counter. Other than that, it was just Haruhiro at one of the tables. In other words, there were only two customers. That was still more than usual. It wasn’t uncommon for Haruhiro to have the place to himself.
Obviously, around dinner time, there would be a few more people, but the place was more or less always like this when it got later into the night. It wasn’t really any of his business, but, honestly, Haruhiro thought the owner would be better off to just close up shop a bit earlier.
Haruhiro would be nursing a glass of wine or a beer he didn’t even want to drink as he fought off his sleepiness until it finally overcame him. No matter how you looked at it, he wasn’t a good customer.
“I’m beat...” Haruhiro mumbled.
It was an awful stall, but it had its good points. Even when Haruhiro started mumbling to himself like this, he didn’t have to worry that anyone would hear him. If he nodded off, the owner would leave him be.
He could be by himself.
If he were alone all the time, he’d probably get lonely. But here at the Lonesome Field Outpost, they were living in a tent, which meant he was with Ranta, Kuzaku, or both, at pretty much all times. When he went into the Wonder Hole, of course, that was with his comrades, too, so he had hardly any time to himself.
The only chance he had for it was coming here like this, deliberately making that time for himself.
“...Well, it’s fine,” he mumbled.
It wasn’t like he didn’t complain, didn’t vent his dissatisfaction at all. He made a point of saying as much as he ought to say, because holding it all in wouldn’t do any good.
But there were some things he ought not to say, and things that couldn’t be fixed no matter what he said about them. There were things that, in the end, he had to keep to himself.
“If it’s between comrades... that’s still not so bad... but if it’s about other people...” Haruhiro was thinking it was best not to air his uncertainties about their joint exploration with the Tokkis, or to badmouth them to his comrades.
No one had opposed the decision, but it was still Haruhiro who had made the decision to work with the Tokkis. It would be unmanly to grumble about it now. Besides, if Haruhiro voiced an unfavorable opinion of the Tokkis, that would influence his comrades in some small way. Haruhiro was afraid to create an atmosphere where the others started to feel, The Tokkis suck. We can’t keep on going like this.
It’s still just the first day, Haruhiro told himself. It’s only natural that we’re not working together all that well yet. The Tokkis may be a bunch of weirdos, but they’re not bad folks, and we’ll have fun together—maybe. I think. I want to think that. I have to.
Be positive. Optimistic. Forward-thinking. Or able to appear that way, at least.
“...Don’t ask for the impossible...” Haruhiro mumbled. He looked up, taking a sip from his now-lukewarm beer.
It’s just not who I am. Being positive, optimistic, forward-looking. If anything, I’m the opposite. I’m negative, cynical, and always stuck on the past.
“...That’s it,” he said. I’m starting to understand.
Tokimune seemed like an impulsive guy. He didn’t think about things deeply, and he did whatever came to mind. He moved forward based on what seemed to him like it would work, and everyone followed. After that, it actually did work out.
But, even if it’s worked out that way so far, that doesn’t mean it always will, right? He could mess up, couldn’t he? It’ll be too late to do anything about it once he’s already screwed up badly, so wouldn’t it be better to be cautious? I’m scared. It’s damn scary. Being a leader, I mean. He needs to do, I dunno, risk management, I guess? He needs to think about that sort of stuff. He’s got to.
“No, that’s not it...” Haruhiro murmured.
That’s not what this is about. Well, no, it is what it’s about, at least in part, but there’s more to it.
“...Am I jealous?” he asked aloud. “Of people like Tokimune?”
They were the biggest party of jokesters in the Volunteer Soldier Corps. A gang of complete and utter weirdos. But it wasn’t as if they had no talent. Tokimune was pulling along a party like that on intuition and momentum. From his attitude when it came to Anna-san, he seemed to care for his comrades, and they seemed to trust him as well.
Tokimune was a weirdo. Haruhiro was too plain and ordinary.
It wasn’t that he wanted to be weird. It was just that, when he was next to a person like Tokimune, he started to feel a bit pathetic about his own mundanity.
To put it a bit more strongly, he felt inferior. Maybe that was making him more irritable than he needed to be.
“...Yeah. There’s that. That’s part of it. He’s cool... The guy’s cool...”
Haruhiro didn’t know that many leaders. Offhand, he could think of Shinohara of Orion, Renji of Team Renji, Kajiko of the Wild Angels, Soma of the Day Breakers, and, finally, Tokimune of the Tokkis. That was about it.
When I list them like that, each of them is cool in their own way.
“...Is it charisma?” Haruhiro wondered.
Yeah. That’s it. They have charisma. An aura that’s all their own, something that makes them stand out. They feel different. I dunno if they were always that way, but, really, I think they must have had an aptitude for it.
Maybe they were people who had something Haruhiro didn’t.
He’d felt that way all along. He knew it to be true. Haruhiro couldn’t be like Soma, obviously, or even Renji or Shinohara. Still, he had to be marginally better than Ranta, at least, and he couldn’t push the job off on anyone else, so he’d have to do it. He’d managed to do it somehow, so far.
Haruhiro was trying as hard as he could, and he didn’t think things like, I want to be recognized for it, or, Give me a break already.
“...Sorry...” Haruhiro buried his head in his arms again.
It’s gonna be painful. I’m sorry I’m such a bad leader. He was starting to feel bad for his comrades. A more charismatic, decisive, capable leader might be able to make his comrades’ strengths stand out more. Renji had tried to poach Ranta. Shihoru and Yume had received an offer from Kajiko. Haruhiro suspected that even Merry and Kuzaku ought to be able to do better than they were now. That perhaps he, as the party leader, was the bottleneck holding everyone back.
“...I wanna be cool...”
Haruhiro laughed.
Yeah, I can’t say that.
I can’t say that to anyone.
I have to hold onto it all by myself.
“...Okay.”
Haruhiro sat up and polished off the rest of his beer in one go. He winced.
Disgusting. Why do I have to drink this awful swill? He often thought that. Yet, still he drank it. It was a mystery why.
He left his ceramic mug on the counter.
“Thanks.”
Of course, the owner, his face half-hidden behind a bushy beard, only cast a glance in Haruhiro’s direction, not saying anything.
A “Thanks you for your business,” or a “Come again.” Say that much, at least. Haruhiro thought that every time. Yet, still he came to this place. But, maybe I should stop. He’d thought this a number of times now, too.
He walked slowly through the back streets.
They had managed to wrap up their exploration for the day safely. It had been a first-time experience, so he didn’t know if it had gone well or not. Regardless, as they’d progressed down the path, there had been more of those wide rooms with the faintly glowing egg-like objects in them. They had searched ten rooms of roughly the same width before turning back, and he felt like he’d be stuck looking at those eggs in more of those wide rooms tomorrow.
He felt like, Is that all? But at the same time, there was a unique sense of tension and anticipation, so it was fun in a way. If they encountered a creature no one had ever seen before, that would get him pretty fired up. But that excitement would probably come with an equal measure of terror.
He didn’t want to lose anyone the way they had lost Manato and Moguzo.
Though, now, he didn’t feel the same pain he did back then. If anything, he noticed that he was beginning to forget the pain. If this kept up, he might repeat the same mistakes. That was scary, too.
I can’t talk about this, either.
When Haruhiro talked with his comrades, Manato and Moguzo’s names never came up.
Was that intentional? It might be something he was doing unconsciously. Either way, he was avoiding the topic.
“...What a pain.” Haruhiro stopped walking and looked up into the night sky.
He couldn’t whine in front of his comrades. Was he trying to look cool? As leader, he didn’t want to show any weakness. He couldn’t make his comrades worry. Couldn’t get careless. Couldn’t do this, that, or the other thing. He couldn’t do anything. Gotta do this thing. Oughta do that thing. And even after forcing himself to try so hard, he was always going to be ordinary. He could only be an average leader, at best.
“It’s just not fair, huh...” he mumbled.
I wish I at least had a girlfriend.
“No, that’s, I dunno... Would I call what I want a girlfriend?” Haruhiro scratched his head vigorously.
What is it? Peace of mind? Someone I can speak openly with, in a fully trusting relationship? Or is it warmth? Well, maybe I want that, too. Like, wouldn’t it be great to have someone to hug? Or more like someone to hug me, maybe?
“Aughhhhh... I’m gross... Ahhhh!” he burst out.
Oh, crap, he thought, appalled. This isn’t the bar. I’m in the middle of the street. What do I think I’m doing here?
Haruhiro sensed someone stopping. He looked to see who it was, and... Those two up ahead, huh. He was struck by a slight bout of dizziness.
“Ohh...” the little one said.
The one next to the little one was huge. Had to be over 180 centimeters. Not just tall, but big in general, though not fat. Because the little one was small, they made an incredibly contrasting pair.
“What you doing, Haruhirokawa?” the little one asked.
“Nothing, really...” Haruhiro said, backing away. “...Nothing special...”
They’re staring. They’re staring at me. Staring hard. Especially, no, not Anna-san, it’s the big one.
The giantess, Mimori, with those small, animal-like features of hers that were incongruous with her height, was staring reeeeeeally hard at Haruhiro.
He wanted to run away, but that’d be awkward. It’d make them wonder what was wrong with him. He didn’t want them, of all people, thinking he was the strange one.
“H-How about you two?” Haruhiro stuttered. “What are you up to, out so late?”
“It’s walk, yeah,” said Anna-san. “Girls’ walk. It’s night walking, yeah. Is Haruhirokawa on journey of self-discovery?”
“Ha ha,” Haruhiro laughed awkwardly. “It’s not like that. I’m not on a journey. No way. What’s that supposed to be? What do you mean, self-discover...?”
“Aughhhhhh!” Anna-san started tearing at her hair, a horrifying look on her face. “I’m gwosssssh!”
“I didn’t say ‘gwosh,’” Haruhiro said, confused. “Wait, what is ‘gwosh’ even supposed to...”
“Why? Why you ask Anna-san, yeah? You the one who say it, you ringworm!”
“No, I said I’m gross...”
“Gross!” Anna-san pointed her finger at Haruhiro, laughing so hard she cried. “Gross! That word fit you like glove, yeah! Gross!”
“...You could be right.” He didn’t have the willpower to refute her—or, rather, he couldn’t refute it.
Yeah, I’m lame, I know it. I’m plain, boring, indecisive, and gross. Yeah, yeah, you’re right. That’s exactly it.
“Well, anyway, it’s night, so be careful,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”
Haruhiro turned around and went the other way. It was the opposite of the direction he needed to go to get back to the tent, but he could take the long way around.
As soon as he started walking, one of them immediately called after him.
“H-Hey!”
“...Yes?” Haruhiro asked.
When he looked back, Anna-san was fidgeting awkwardly. “Uh... you know... um... J-Just now, too much... I go too far, maybe? Yeah? Yeah...?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” he asked, confused.
“...Uh... G-G-Gross?”
“Ohh.” He finally understood. Anna-san was apparently trying to apologize. Haruhiro smiled wryly.
It’s no big deal, really. It didn’t bother me that much.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Honestly, I think it’s a fair thing to call me. I’m aware of that.”
“No! Y-You not gross, yeah?” Anna-san raised the index finger of her right hand and shook it back and forth. “You not all that gross.”
I’m not all that gross, huh? he thought, but it might have just been how she talked. She didn’t seem to mean anything bad by it. He felt like he might und
erstand, just a little, why Anna-san was treasured as the Tokkis’ mascot. She had a foul mouth, and was loud too, but it was hard to hate her.
“Thank you,” he said. “Well, anyway, I need to get back and sleep. Good night, Anna-san and Mimori-san.”
When he bowed and turned to go, he was stopped again.
“Wait.”
“...Yes?” Haruhiro asked, turning around again.
This time, it wasn’t Anna-san. It was Mimori. And she was walking over to Haruhiro at a steady pace.
“Huh? Wha? Wha...?” he fumbled.
What? Am I about to get killed? Mimori’s as expressionless as ever. But her intensity’s incredible. I mean, she’s huge.
Mimori came to a sudden stop right in front of Haruhiro’s face. She was looking down at him. She had a good ten centimeters of height over him.
“Mimorin,” said Mimori.
“Huh?” Haruhiro said, blinking while scared stiff. “...Mi? Mimo... Mimo...rin...?”
“My God...” Anna-san covered her mouth with her hands.
“Yes,” Mimori nodded. “Mimorin.”
“...Huh? What’s that...?”
“My name.”
“...Mimori-san?” he said.
“Call me Mimorin. From here on, that’s what I want you to call me. Mimorin.”
“...Mimorin?”
“Right.”
“...S-Sure,” Haruhiro stuttered. “I... can do that. Mimorin.”
“That’s good.” Mimorin narrowed her eyes, both corners of her mouth rising. It was a smile. And a satisfied one, at that.
Mimorin made an about-face and took off. Anna-san chased after Mimorin, making a lot of noise about something.
“Mimorin! What the hell?! Are you crazy?!”
—or something like that.
I don’t get it. Haruhiro had no idea what to make of it. Well, whatever. Is this okay? I’m not even sure, but I should get back and sleep.
For tomorrow’s sake.
5. The Best Person to Put in Charge of Raising Pets
At eight in the morning, everyone gathered at the Wonder Hole. They passed through the valley of holes, the muryans’ nest, and the kingdom of devils to reach the problem spot.
