“Mister Arata! We’re heeere.”
I’d gotten bored while Reina was taking a bath, but then Luna came for a visit.
“Hey, Luna, and...”
“Grr!”
“Garr!”
The two Bloody Wolves, Grr and Garr, happily ran around in circles at my feet. These pups, who were still at the age when they were always up to play, saw me as someone who was above them, so they had really taken to me.
“And welcome, you two,” I said. I picked up one of them, and the other scratched at my legs, not wanting to be left out. With no other choice, I wrapped my arms around both of them. But then it was Luna’s turn to look up at me. “All right, fine.”
“Yay!”
I picked up and held all three of them in my arms. Luna happily giggled, which made me feel at ease. We were so close with each other that we were practically family.
With them still in my arms, I jumped toward the forest trees.
“Whoaaa!” Luna exclaimed. “Grr, Garr, we’re so high up!”
“Grrrr!”
“Garrrr!”
In the beginning I hadn’t known my own strength, and I had frequently done outrageous things, but lately I had gotten much better at controlling myself.
I leaped from tree to tree, occasionally raising my speed or suddenly jumping high into the sky like a roller coaster. Shouts of joy came from the three in my arms. I must have been moving with quite a lot of momentum, but they weren’t scared; on the contrary, they seemed delighted.
“Should I go even faster?” I asked.
“Yeah!” Luna said.
Although she was a kid, she was one of the Divine Beastfolk—she showed no indication that she felt intimidated, despite how fast I was going. Grr and Garr seemed totally calm too. That meant I didn’t need to hold back, so I instantly sped up.
“Eeek! This is sooo fuuun!”
“Grrrr!”
“Garrrr!”
And so, I went all around the island with Luna, Grr, and Garr in my arms. The monsters I encountered tried to run away, but I wasn’t hunting them today, so I hoped they wouldn’t feel too spooked.
“All right, to finish things up, I’m going to the river, so try not to fall off!”
“Yeah!”
The water we always drew from the river was chock-full of minerals from the island’s soil, very pure, and tasted wonderful. When we arrived there, we sat down close together, drank water, and smiled at each other.
“Mm-hmm, it’s cold and tasty!” Luna said.
“Yeah, the water here is great, as always.”
Ever since getting this body, the word “fatigue” meant nothing to me, but even so, I vaguely felt thirsty after running around everywhere. So, when I drank some delicious water, a smile automatically crept onto my face.
“Reina’s going to make food after this, but what will you guys do?” I asked.
“We’ll eat!” Luna replied.
“Grrrr!”
“Garrrr!”
“I’m glad to see you guys so lively. You made sure to tell Elga and Livia before coming, right?”
Luna paused. “Oh...”
She had seemingly left without permission again. Still, Elga and Livia had come to assume lately that if Luna wasn’t at their house, she was visiting us, so it wasn’t like I was too worried.
“But it’ll be an issue if Livia is making food, so from now on, make sure you tell them, okay?” I said.
“Okay...” Luna seemed a bit remorseful. This ability of hers to sincerely recognize when she had done something wrong was one of her good points.
“In that case, why don’t I ask Reina to make some takeout?”
“Takeout?”
“Some food for you, Elga, and Livia. Then, you’ll all be able to eat together tonight, right?”
“Grrrr.”
“Oh, my bad. I’ll get some for you two also.”
The two wolves started to frolic around the river, as if to say, All right! The sight of them was heartwarming, like watching puppies.
“Are you sure?” Luna asked.
“Yeah. We got some new ingredients again recently, though I’ll have to ask Reina first.”
Still, Reina liked to cook, so she would probably be all right with it. Also, she had previously remarked that it was easier and more fun to make food for many people than just two.
“In exchange, give us a portion of something tasty you Divine Beastfolk have next time,” I said.
“Okay! Miss Livia’s food is really good, so I’ll bring some of that.”
“Aha ha ha.”
It’s very much like her to not say that she’ll make it herself, I thought, and as I did, I turned to bring them back to our house.
“Mister Arata, something’s coming down the river,” Luna suddenly said.
“Hm?”
Spurred on by her voice, I looked upstream, where I caught sight of a familiar, dark-skinned girl floating our way. I met her gaze—it was Katima, the Alfr. She looked to be clutching a log as the current swept her along, so she wasn’t drowning like last time. She gave me an imploring look that said, Arata... Save me... so I uprooted a nearby tree and brought it closer to her. There, she placed a hand on the outstretched tree and moved onto it, and I hauled her up out of the river.
“Thanks, Arata,” she said.
“Yeah... By the way, why were you being washed away by—”
I broke off there when I noticed the rather dangerous state of Katima’s outfit. Her people worshipped nature, which meant that her usual outfit covered as little as possible, and you could see her belly button. And now, she was soaked with water; as a result, her top was slipping off, and her modest chest was almost visible.
“What is it, Arata?”
“Oh, it’s nothing... For now, wear this.” Averting my eyes, I handed her my coat.
“Hm? But I’m not cold.”
“Just put it on.”
She must not have had much of a sense of shame, because she didn’t seem to mind being so exposed. I knew from Elga and Livia that at least some people here got into relationships, but maybe this sort of thing was due to variation between different races. Regardless, Katima obediently listened to my request and put on my coat, so I finally turned back toward her. Incidentally, Luna, Grr, and Garr were quietly observing us from afar, maybe because they were reluctant to get wet.
“Why were you adrift in the river again?” I asked Katima.
“Actually... There’s something I need to see you about.”
“Me?”
I mean, I don’t really see a connection between needing to talk to me and being swept away by the river in the first place, but okay.
“I’m clever, so I had an idea,” Katima said. “The mountain where I live and your home are surprisingly far apart. But, I thought it would be faster and easier to get there if I went down the river.”
I paused. “In other words?”
“When I was going down the river, I got a cramp in my leg and I couldn’t get back onto the shore.”
“Okay, I think it’s best that you don’t go near water for the time being.”
You’d hope a girl as clever as she claimed to be would learn a few things the first time around.
“But it’s an amazing coincidence that you’re here... No, this must be the providence of the Great Spirits.”
She seemed just a bit moved, but it really was just a coincidence, which made saying anything awkward. My only thought was that she could just come to see me normally, without that sort of providence.
“By the way, you said you need to see me about something?” I said.
“Oh, that’s right. Alfar never forget what others have done for them. So, I was thinking I’d welcome you all to the village where I live.”
It was an invitation that would allow me to open up my life on the island to a fresh setting.