I took another look at the forest around me and it stared back. There were eyes everywhere—in the trees, behind the tree trunks, beneath the leaves and clumps of grass on the forest floor. We weren’t short of witnesses. This young woman certainly knew how to make a point.
She was making things very easy for me as well—if I’d ever had even the slightest intention of not honoring the pact, that temptation was gone in an instant. Of course, I wasn’t one to break my word in the first place. But I made a quick mental note to keep it that way and follow this agreement to the letter. I gave a solemn, confident nod, exaggerating my gesture for our observers’ sake.
Once I’d done so, the young woman released my wrist. Her grip was very firm, leaving behind a clear handprint.
“By the way,” I said, rubbing my tender wrist with my other hand, “I can’t say I’ve ever heard a name like Tokatechi before. Is it popular around these parts? Or is it a traditional name among beastfolk or something?”
“Oh,” she replied. “I was wondering why you made a funny face when I told you my name. Yeah, I don’t know if I’d say it’s traditional, but it’s been passed down through my family. If you can’t get your mouth around it, Techi is fine too. That’s what Tomiyasu used to call me.”
“I see. In that case, if you don’t mind, I’ll allow myself to take that liberty. I shall call you Miss Techi from now on,” I said, with a customary bow.
“Listen…” she said, sounding maybe a little annoyed. “I know we just made a pact and we’re now technically coworkers or whatever, but let’s cut the polite business talk, yeah?”
I nodded in agreement but using casual speech with a woman I’d just met— a perfect stranger—still didn’t sit right with me. What’s more, this was my first time meeting a beastperson, and I wanted to show the right level of respect.
But if that’s what she wants… I set my discomfort aside and flipped that switch in my head.
“Right. Yeah. Got it,” I managed, trying my best to sound casual. “I’ll do that then. I look forward to working together, Tetch.”
Dropping polite speech was one thing, but trying a nickname right out of the gate was too much. She glared at me sternly and I immediately regretted it. I quickly corrected myself.
“Sorry, Miss Techi. Just a little joke.”
Now seemingly content with my term of address, she gave a satisfied nod, turned toward the forest, and drew in a deep breath.
“All right, you guys!” she bellowed. “Out you come! The pact is made, so show yourselves!”
And out they came; an army of little chipmunks. Well, I say little, but they were far bigger than any rodent I’d ever seen at around a foot-and-a-half tall. They didn’t look human like Techi. Rather, they looked just like regular chipmunks, except for their extreme size and that they all wore clothing. A whole swarm of these strange creatures was coming out of the forest.
Some wore shirts and trousers, others dresses. There was even one completely hidden beneath a long cloak. The mob of oversized chipmunks chattered excitedly to each other in perfect Japanese as they walked this way and stood in a long row before us.
“S-So cute!” I blurted out, unable to stop myself.
Chipmunks are stupidly cute in the first place, but the way they were all lined up, staring at me with those adorable, round eyes, was too much for me to bear. Not to mention their delightful little plush toy outfits or the slight toddle in the way they walked like human children. It’s a wonder I managed to restrain myself as much as I did.
“Techi! Techi!” shouted one of the little ones. “Does that mean we can keep looking after Grampa Tommi’s orchard?”
“That’s right,” Techi replied with a firm nod. “The deal’s done. The orchard is our responsibility. So don’t you worry—we can keep looking after it, just like before.”
The little faces of the oversized chipmunks lit up with big smiles. They started running and jumping all over the place, hands joined together and bursting with joy.
“Erm…Miss Techi? What exactly are these young creatures?” I asked. “Are they also some kind of beastfolk?”
I was unable to tear my eyes away from the joyful spectacle before me. I could have happily watched these little chipmunks frolic about all day long.
Techi frowned once again—though briefly this time—but still answered my question with her usual look of annoyance.
“Oh yeah…I forgot, you don’t know the first thing about us, do you? These kids are beastfolk, yes. They’re the children of other members of my clan, about five or six years old. Looking at their perfectly animal-like appearance, you might be surprised to hear that. But that’s how we are.
“Beastfolk are born in animal form, and as we grow, we stay that way. Only when we approach adulthood do we begin shedding our fur, our teeth and claws shorten, and we start to look like humans.
“There are some differences,” she continued. “For example, some beastfolk grow both human ears and animal ears, like me. Others will only have one or the other. Occasionally, a beastperson will grow into a perfect human lookalike, but that’s very, very rare.”
She pulled back her hair, revealing a pair of human ears, hidden away in their usual places on either side of the head, in addition to her chipmunk ears perched up top. I curiously inspected them in turn; first one pair, then the other, then the first pair again.
“Those ears…” I asked. “Do they all…work? Do they all hear?”
“Of course,” she replied. “That said, my human ears aren’t as sensitive. And I always cover them with my hair anyway, so you could say I don’t really use them. If a beastperson hears a loud noise with both pairs of ears at once, it can really throw them off balance. It feels kind of like motion sickness. So most folks will cover their human ears with their hair like I do. Some’ll even use earplugs or earmuffs. Beastfolk with only one pair of ears don’t have to deal with any of that. They don’t know how lucky they are…”
I wondered what might cause such a phenomenon. Perhaps it had to do with the ear’s semicircular canals? Maybe the ear canals of both sets of ears were somehow interconnected, creating an unpleasant echo? Or perhaps each ear had its own eardrum, with all four being overstimulated? In the end, I decided that trying to apply human logic to beastfolk biology might be a futile exercise. But it was a fun thought experiment nonetheless.
But now, there were more important things to attend to.
“I do have one major concern that I have to raise,” I said. “In your talk with the children, you seemed to suggest that they would be working the orchard. That might be a problem. They’re so little! Isn’t that technically…child labor?”
In response to my question, Techi’s mouth visibly turned down at the corners, fully expressing her incredulity without saying a single word. It was the most irritated face she’d pulled all day.
“Look, that might be how you see it,” she huffed. “But that’s human logic, based on human laws and human values. Trying to bring that into the forest…I’m not sure whether to question your good sense or just laugh.” She paused and gave me a hard look.
“As you can see, young beastfolk are near-indistinguishable from ordinary animals,” she began to explain, seemingly deciding our pact required it. “And so they possess equal…no, an even greater physical agility than the animals themselves. Naturally, we adults are still very strong climbers. But our skills pale in comparison to the little ones. They’re so light, they can zip up a tree like nobody else.
“Moreover, there are some jobs that can only be done by children. It’s not just limited to members of our clan—it’s common throughout beastfolk society for children to do such unique, skilled work. Of course, nobody’s forced into anything,” she stressed. “They’re all paid very fairly, and there’s always a grownup around to supervise the work. Also, once the youngsters reach a certain age, we start to prioritize their education instead.
“All this is to say that every one of these kids wanted to be here today. And when the autumn harvest comes, they’ll get to stuff their little faces with chestnuts and walnuts till they’re sick. Trust me, these kids can work harder than any adult. Isn’t that right?”
Techi turned to look at the kids, who displayed an amazing range of reactions. Some puffed their little chests out with pride. Some raised their arms in the air in mock superhero poses, as if to say I can do this! Some even covered their faces in embarrassment at the compliment. However, there wasn’t one gloomy face nor one look of aversion. Observing their enthusiasm, I compared them to the kind of helpful spirits you sometimes see in fairy tales as I tried to adjust my perspective.
“Well, if that’s the case, I guess that’s fine. I’ll leave the orchard in your capable hands,” I said, nodding profusely.
If I nod hard enough, perhaps I can convince myself that I’m not violating any child labor laws.
“So…” I continued. “Did you want to start work right away? Or was today meant to be more of a meet and greet situation so we can start fresh tomorrow? What’s the plan?”