The branch chief of the hunter association branch in Sarewado, Yakofu, had abused his authority and was then detained by Oofuia. During the middle of the monster raid (ekusupuroodo), when he had attempted to escape, he was eaten by a monster. His scattered remains were then later discovered by a staff member.
Moments before the monster raid (ekusupuroodo), Zauru was together with the Sarewadoâs branch chief, Yakofu. After receiving the obligatory request to dispatch, he disappeared. Presently, Zauru actions after the obligatory request was issued is being investigated.
Ivană»Minaefu (ă€ăŽăĄăłă»ăăăšă).
Yakofuă»Serugeriiă»Maizeeru illegitimate child. From the perspective of the other staff member, as a blood relative, he has taken an active role in the Yakofu familyâs investigation. For the time being, the Yakofu family is under Oofuiaâs custody. Currently, he is serving as a temporary staff member assign to oversee the aftermath of the monster raid (ekusupuroodo).
The Sarewado staff members are presently managing the chiefâs duties.
From the view point of the branch chief, the most influence man in the village, Yakofu did not allow for any objections. After this, in regards to the associationâs administration, the staff members will have more of an opinion.
âââ
As Oofuia reads the report, she draws up official documents to sent to the office in headquarters.
She applied her hand to her forehead; with blurry eyes, she looked to the ceiling.
Two days have passed since the monsters were annihilated. Currently, the situation is how it would normally be in the aftermath of a monster raid (ekusupuroodo).
The damaged outer earth wall & moat, and houses are being restored.
The forest areas where the monsters destroyed are being surveyed.
For those who have died, their relatives are being contacted and funerals are being held.
The village that had survived the monster raid is busy as there was no time to waste.
Although, when night falls, here and there, the cries of children sobbing can be heard.
âWhere is papa? He promised to return.â
The voice of small children can be heard if one were to walk through the village.
When she heard the young childâs voice, she recalled her broken promise.
Those bitter feelings re-surface.
Because of the emergency, the promise couldnât be kept.
And thus, the truth behind the other party.
âââ
The following morning after the monster ekusupuroodo.
In the morning mist, Kurando figure can be seen. She called out to him.
ăGood morning.ă (Oofuia)
ăMorning.ă (Kurando)
Side by side, the two of them walked on the mountainâs slope.
ăAh, here.ă (Kurando)
Kurando handed Oofuia the dark green rings.
ăThis isâŠâŠ?ă (Oofuia)
ăI was expecting too much, right? To be able to hide my identity from him, in reality, it was never a guarantee.ă (Kurando)
The hero, Hayatoă»Ichihara is the antagonist.
At first glance, it merely seemed like they had simply gone into the cave together.
From what she surmised, Oofuia dare not ask Kurando. Chances are, he has been secluding himself on the mountain since 2 years ago. That would best match up with the time period in which Hayato and the others were summoned. But, the question is, what is their relationship?
One year ago, Hayatoă»Ichihara subjugated a dragon type monster; before that time, none of the other summoned people left. If something were to have happened between Hayato and Kurando, it must have occurred during the year following that monster subjugation.
However, Akari and Makushiimu had come into contact with Kurando 100 days prior to then. If one were to account for Hayatoă»Ichiharaâs activities, during that time, Kurando was on the Arerudouia mountain range. In that case, timewise, it would have been impossible.
Although, there is a possibility that on the school campus there is a secret communication method. But, that might not be the case as Hayato, for better or worse, is always thinking about the people around himself.
Then, when did they meet?
Kurando had secluded himself on the mountain. While he does insist on living as a hermit, he seemed to have known the hero Akari, who he sheltered. If one were to compare Akari, Kurando, and Hayato; they seem to share similar features.
In other words, it is best to assume he and Akari knew each other from before, that would make the most sense.
If so, that would means, since before the heroes were summoned, they ăpreviouslyă were acquainted.
And thus, it is possible, Kurando and Hayato were enemies since before then. A story like this wouldnât be complete bullshit.
At best, it is a guess.
However, in the end, it is merely an assumption. There is no evidence, no concrete proof, and no way to verify it.
ăIt is alright, please keep it. It is true that I have broken my vow. There is no need for you to return it.ă (Oofuia)
ăIs it, are you alright with trusting a person with an unknown background?ă (Kurando)
ăWhen it was possible to runaway, with few numbers, you along with the other women bought time by fighting off the monster ekusupuroodo. You didnât try to runway.ă (Oofuia)
ăI might take advantage of the women.ă (Kurando)
ăFufu, well, as long as you protect them.ă (Oofuia)
ăYukishiro might attack them.ă (Kurando)
ăYukishiro-san wouldnât do something so pointless.ă (Oofuia)
Kurando shows an expression that couldnât be described.
ăAlthough, I havenât known you for long, you donât seem to be the type to initiate a crime. I have decided to believe in you.ă (Oofuia)
ăYou trust me, but why?ă (Kurando)
ăâŠâŠyou are similar to the moon goddess; therefore, I will believe in you.ă (Oofuia)
ăâŠâŠwhat, that was random.ă (Kurando)
ăYou being accompanied by a large leopardâŠâŠ but not only that.ă (Oofuia)
ăI donât know what youâre talking about.ă (Kurando)
ăFufu, beside the moon goddess was a bow, followed by a dagger, a grimoire, a large wolf, a large leopard, a large owl, a mantle, leather boots, a sliver spoon, and an arrow. In the night sky that was in the image of the goddess, from the nearest to the farthest, the stars received their names. You see, the hunter star ranks are named after the constellation.ă (Oofuia)
Like a day-dreaming girl, while enjoying the conversation, Oofuia continued to talk.
ăWhile she was a beautiful goddess; she was stubborn, eccentric, narrow-minded, and whimsical; she would only let her guard down around the magical beast in her care and women. She rejected the marriage proposals of the male gods, and she rejected the invitations of the female goddesses. And like that, she simply isolated herself. However she wasnât heartless, she would unconditionally help those she took notice of. Naturally, she would sever ties with those she deemed wicked and bring down judgment onto them.ă (Oofuia)
ăA goddess that governs human relationships, huhâŠâŠ is this nothing more than a myth?ă (Kurando)
ăFar in the distant past, god-like beings did exist. There have been ancient unknown relics such as building and powers that have been uncovered. Even to this day, although is it very rare, some people have been gifted with the power of an oracle. But still, while it canât be proven that the gods really did exist; nevertheless, I believe they did in fact existed.ă (Oofuia)
ăI donât have such great qualities.ă (Kurando)
ăThat is fine. Iâm placing my faith in you at my own convenience. Out of nowhere, a young man, who has secluded himself on a mountain, appeared being accompanied by a large leopard. For someone of my age, it made my heart pound. And then, after we met, you showed that you were not the type of person who would abandon women. Stubborn, eccentric, narrow-minded; it is difficult to say whether you are right or wrong.ă (Oofuia)
ăIt is nothing like that.ă (Kurando)
Oofuia shows a wry smile.
ăPerhaps so. But, the way you didnât abandon them felt similar the actions of the moon goddess. Well, when it comes down to it, it is my delusion, an elderly personâs dream. Let us leave it at that.ă (Oofuia)
Kurando felt a bit lost as he drew back the dark green rings.
ăHowever, please donât choose to end your life in the same way as the goddess. That would be too sad.ă (Oofuia)
Before she knew it time passed, all the stars went out and in the end, alone, she vanished. Oofuia did not wish that the young manâs last moments would be the same.
ăWe will seeââă (Kurando)
âââ
ââKnock, knock
Oofuia awoke from her dream by the sound of someone knocking on the door.
At some point, she had drifted off to sleep while sitting down.
Until the staff member from headquarters arrives, Oofuia is borrowing one room in the associationâs building and is acting as a mediator. This isnât permitted in bigger towns; however, for better or worst, this place is a rural area on the frontier.
Oofuia gives them permission to enter the room.
Arii excused herself, and then entered the room.
ăThe re-trial party has arrived.ă (Arii)
Acknowledging the information, Oofuia got up.
ăThen, let us go met them.ă (Oofuia)
âââ
The sun is above them.
As the temperature quickly raises, the day becomes warmer.
ăWelcome, you have traveled a great distances. It may be noise and unsightly, thus, I ask for your forgiveness.ă (village chief)
As sweat flows from his brow, the village chief silently bows.
It is the same bearded old man for before that was together with the branch chief when Kurando had exterminated the Toukorusuka (mist starling).
ăIt is nothing, you are the onesâ who had it rough. I send my condolences.ă (priest)
The middle age man, who is wearing a white colored priest attire, saw the village before him.
Behind the priest are 2 magical beast carts surrounded by battle-harden priest-cavalry mounted on war horses. The 2 magical beast carts are being towed by giant armored lizards.
This magical beast is able to travel long distances in arid regions and the hard armor on its back is tough enough to withstand the fangs of a wolf. While its downside is its soft abdomen, the magical beast is indispensable for long distance travels.
ăOh, if it is not Oofuia-dono. Did you arrive before us?ă (priest)
The middle-age priest who saw Oofuia standing behind the village chief called out to her.
ăAbout that, having arrived early, I lead the fight against the monster ekusupuroodo. As I thought, these old bones had to endure it.ă (Oofuia)
ăWahaha, my lady, what are you saying, youâre the ăcrimson elfă. As expected, you drove away the foolish ones from this village. So, how is the tyrannical branch chief fairing?ă (priest)
As the cavalry was the first to arrive, the information had already reached them.
ăAbout that matter.ă (Oofuia)
ăââI understand. It is best to hurry with the re-trial; the village has already suffered enough damage. Nothing more bad should happen.ă (priest)
The middle-age priest erased his smile and whispered this in a low voice.
ăWhere is the girl, now?ă (priest)
ăShe is in a safe place. She is in a dayâs reach from this village.ă (Oofuia)
ăI see, if Oofuia-dono says so then there must be no mistake. Anyhow, this special trial will be the first of its kind; this test case will be aătrial of truthă.ă (priest)
The priest looked towards the magical beast cart.
Although no one else can see, inside the cart is the person who wields the ăsythe of factă, Aoiă»Goutokuji (ăąăȘă€ă»ăŽăŠăăŻăž).
ăWe have preparations to complete; therefore, is 3 days from now at 15:00, alright?ă (priest)
ăI see. All of the messengers for each country arrived this morning. I only need to contact them. Iâm fine with the schedule, so is that alright with you village chief?ă (Oofuia)
ăY-yes.ă (village chief)
The village chief was wiping away his sweat with his bread and thus he was unable to nod.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter; a high-ranking priest & the chief lady, and a messenger from each country had come to this village. He was exhausted and couldnât think of anything to say. The village chief, who was constantly oppressed by the branch chief, was in distress with merely having each countriesâ messengers here.
By the way, the group of priests only had the small church in the village to lodge at, while the messenger of each country had to borrow the houses of the villagers. The messengersâ role here was nothing exaggerated; they were here to observe the heroâs re-trial with their own eyes and then merely report the events to their respective country. They were not high-ranking officials.
And thus, the villagers and their family and their relatives lent their homes. The village chief received plenty of lodging fees. The families that endured the monster ekusupuroodo were expelled from there homes; however, it wasnât troubling as the money gained will be used to restore the village. It was a delicate matter for the villagers.
âââ
Makushiimu had dashed there and learned that the re-trial party was half a day away.
The sky had already grown dark.
ăI see. Understood.ă (Akari)
Kurando happened to be nearby when Akari confirmed Makushiimuâs report.
ăPlease make any prepares you might need before tomorrow morning. As there wonât be any magical beast in the forest, we will be quickly making our way through.ă (Makushiimu)
After saying this, while dragging his heavy feet, Makushiimu left.
ăWell, you heard how it is. Thank you for letting me stay for so long.ă (Akari)
Akari corrected her posture and then silently bowed.
ăWell, various things happened, a bunch of it couldnât be helped. With this and that, not much changed anyways.ă (Kurando)
Akari raised her head.
Her eyes are watery.
ăAh, do you mind drawing me a picture?ă (Akari)
She made a sudden request.
ăAh, I donât draw guys.ă (Kurando)
ăY-youâre misunderstanding. I, I want you to draw me.ă (Akari)
ăâŠâŠa nude portrait?ă (Kurando)
Akariâs face turned red.
ăW-who would want such a thing? Iâm asking you to draw a normal portrait.ă (Akari)
ăâŠâŠIâm not particularly skilled, you know.ă (Kurando)
ăIâm not asking for a good drawing; I want a picture that Kurando-san has drawn.ă (Akari)
Kurando thought about it for a little while before nodding. He took out his usual small brush & notebook and then brought out the ink.
By the fireplace, Kurando and Akari, the two quietly sat facing each other.
As he moved his brush, a faint sound can be heard.
While sitting still, Akari began to speak her feelings.
ăâŠâŠKurando-san, do you not want to return?ă (Akari)
Without stopping his brush, Kurando looked within himself for an answer.
ăâŠâŠperhaps, Iâm cold-hearted. I donât think about returning much.ă (Kurando)
ăNot even a little bit?ă (Akari)
ăâŠâŠIâm human too, sometimes I feeling like returning to my hometown. When that happens, I would either play the flute or draw. And then, the next day the sun would be shinning.ă (Kurando)
ăâŠâŠis that so? I didnât. Unlike everyone else, I did not yearn to return home. But, it is not like I donât miss my family and friends. But, I donât think I would give anything up to be able to return, though.ă (Akari)
ăIs that not human enough. Just become youâre cold-hearted it doesnât mean you have no sympathy.ă (Kurando)
As Akari cried, she showed a smile on her face.
ăHow unlike you to be comforting.ă (Akari)
ăIâm not particularly trying to comfort you.ă (Kurando)
ăHmph. Right. But, Iâm the same as you Kurando-san; sometimes, I do think about returning. Immediately after being summoned, we were lead around by people we didnât know and we sometimes got hurt. During those times, I especially thought about it. However, after I was invited by Makushiimu-san, during that one year I spent as a hunter, I didnât think about as much.ă (Akari)
ăYou have a hunterâs spirit.ă (Kurando)
ăI also think so. But of course, even now, I think magical beasts and monsters are frightening. Although, during those moments that is when I feel the most alive. While there is no certainty, people make requests to hunt magical beast. For that, I express my gratitude. These things bring me happiness.ă (Akari)
ăIt doesnât matter where you live as long as you can eat. There is nothing to feel ashamed about. To love oneâs country is another matter, though. Anyhow, a person only needs food and shelter, right? Well, something like that.ă (Kurando)
Akari continued the conversation; Kurando nods in response as he moves his brush.
She rambles on.
ăKurando is your family not worried about you?ă (Akari)
ăWorried, hmm? I am a bachelor; I was never married. As for my parentsâŠâŠ well, it was an ordinary family. It was probably the only normal thing that happened for me.ă (Kurando)
ăHow unfortunate.ă (Akari)
ăIâm not trying to belittle myself, but I couldnât find permanent employment. I worked as a contracted dispatch security guard, a garbage collected, and then as a janitor. I spent three years working back-to-back as a contracted employee. If I wasnât summoned here, I wonder what would I be doing now. It is not like I could make a living playing the flute or drawing pictures. First of all, I donât have the skill. Pretty much, all the door were closed around me.ă (Kurando)
Akari never had the chance to experience society, for she was summoned.
Although, on T.V. and in the newspaper the gloomy side of society couldnât be seen, she still felt uneasy about the future.
For here onwards, what will happen to us, she though.
ăWell, that doesnât mean things here will be any different. However, it isnât as narrow compared to there. Even so, I am glad to have come here. While I do feel regretful for the parents, although without us, they can retire without worry; therefore, Iâm not too concerned.ă (Kurando)
ăAre we not similar, both our circumstance and our way of thinking.ă (Akari)
ăWhat are you saying. Iâm 27 years old. Iâm different from you.ă (Kurando)
While Kurando dismissed it, Akari showed a slightly disappointed expression.
ăYour preferences are still changing, that is natural. Your stop isnât here, surely, you will become a good womenâŠâŠ so donât be fooled by a bad man.ă (Kurando)
ăAh, hmph, Iâm I suppose to take that as a compliment?ă (Akari)
ăâŠâŠis it not trivial, how would I know.ă (Kurando)
Being told itâs trivial, Akari caused a ruckus.
Kurando chuckled.
And just like that, their usual routine continued until the end.
ăWell now, this is the Akari I know.ă (Kurando)
ăWhy, why, why are you being difficult?ă (Akari)
After she said this, Kurando detached a single sheet of paper with a knife and then handed the paper to Akari.
Having received the paper, Akari showed a tense expression.
ăThis, is a blank sheet of paper.ă (Akari)
ăYep, it is blank, just like Akariâs potentialâŠâŠ right, right.ă (Kurando)
ăD-do it properly.ă (Akari)
As he laughed, this time, Kurando handed over the real picture.
Akari, while being doubtful, as she received the picture, she glanced at it.
She sees a proper picture drawn with ink.
ăDo you doubt me.ă (Kurando)
ăWhoâs fault do you think that is.ă Akari
Saying so, Akari looked at the picture.
It is a black and white picture.
While the picture is detailed, at the same times, it is abstract.
A long stretching road can be seen as if it was an extending wilderness.
The road begins from a schoolâs gate and ends with no destination as if the path continued on forever.
Her uniform had been cast aside and dumped by the roadside.
In the middle of the long road, from a profile view, a girl can be seen walking. With a mature expression on her face, to where was she headed?
ăEh, why is it a nude drawing!ă (Akari)
ăIt is my preference.ă (Kurando)
Kurando puffs up his chest.
ăTh, th, th, this part is too small!ă (Akari)
ăâŠâŠI put a lot of consideration into it.ă (Kurando)
ăHow rudeâŠâŠ you didnât, I was watching you!ă (Akari)
Kurando folds his hand under his arms and then made a broad grin.
ăFi, fine fine, whatever.ă (Akari)
After saying thisââ Akari puts away the pictureââ and she stands up.
ăKukukuku, now go, go. At this late hour, a young girl shouldnât be in a manâs room.ă (Kurando)
ăUck, you sound like an old manâŠâŠ ah, thatâs right, I should tell you this Kurando-san.ă (Akari)
Akari goes over to Kurando, who is sating down; she whispers something in his ear.
Kurandoâs eyes poped.
ăFufu, Kurando-san, I think this is the first time I seen you show that expression.ă (Akari)
Saying this, Akari gave a single kiss onto Kurandoâs cheek.
It was a light kiss which one would wonder if there was physical contact or not.
And just like that, she exited the cave.
Kurando was left behind with a bitter smile on his face. He clicked his tongue and laid down.
From beginning to end, Yukishiro watched their ridiculousness play out before it loudly yawned and then closed its eyes.
âââ
And thus, the next morning, Akari descended down the mountain.
Not even once did she turn around.
While viewing her face from the side, it was almost like a picture. It seems she appeared to have grown a little.