The woman got out of the truck in one smooth motion and went over to Aikawa-san’s side. Then she coiled herself around him.
“Rin, you’re heavy.”
“Annoying bird.”
She was expressionless and spoke in a monotone voice, but she seemed to be annoyed with my chickens.
“Ah... Pochi, she’s with Aikawa-san. Stop it, will you? It’s okay.”
Pochi clucked in response, but he remained in front of me and wouldn’t budge. He was clearly wary of Rin-san. I mean, you can’t blame him—just look at the size of this snake...
“So, uh... It was just a regular snake when you bought it, right?”
“That’s right. The other one’s a male, and it just looks like a huge snake, but Rin... One morning I woke up and she looked like this.”
He said the male “looks like” a huge snake... What does he mean by that? It was a bit weird talking out here, so I suggested we go back inside. However, Rin soon interrupted.
“Eat bugs.”
“Ah... Sorry, is it okay if Rin eats some of the bugs around here?” asked Aikawa-san.
The fact that he’s asking for permission probably means she eats a lot. Actually, what do snakes usually eat?
I glanced at the chickens. They clucked at me like they were giving their permission.
“Seems it’s all right... Oh, but if you could try to only eat pests...”
Is she able to tell which bugs are harmful to crops? I can’t tell at all, so I just rely on the internet.
“Yes, no problem. I can hear the sound of water—is there a river running nearby?”
“Yeah, there is.”
“She eats crayfish, if there are any.”
“She eats invasive species too?! That’s great.”
I don’t know much about this stuff, but it looks like her eating habits don’t disrupt the ecosystem much.
“By the way, do snakes prey on other snakes too?” I remembered we had a lot of vipers around the house, so I figured I might as well ask.
“They do eat snakes smaller than them, yeah. Well...I doubt there are any snakes bigger than mine around here.”
“Y-Yeah, I guess...”
Snakes this big in every corner? That’s straight out of a horror movie.
“There’re a lot of vipers around here, you see,” I clarified.
“Should I have Rin take care of them?”
“Oh, it’s okay—the chickens eat them.”
He said, “take care of them.” This is starting to sound like some sort of yakuza conversation.
“That’s good to hear, then. Viper bites can be dangerous.” Aikawa-san seemed relieved.
He’s a nice guy.
I remembered something else I wanted to ask him. “Aikawa-san, do you have wild boars and bears on your mountain?”
“I’ve never run into a bear before. I think I’ve seen Rin and Ten...catch and...eat boars...”
Aikawa-san gazed into the distance. That must have been quite a sight. Did they swallow it whole, or...? I shuddered at the thought.
“Th-The other day, the chickens caught a boar...”
“Yes, I heard about it down at the village. You held a boar banquet for the villagers? Maybe I’ll try doing that too.”
“I’m sure everyone would be happy to join.”
The fact he’d said it so nonchalantly meant he was probably running into boars relatively often. They’re a big environmental problem, so catching and eating them is killing two birds with one stone.
“Are there that many boars around here?” I asked.
He nodded. “This area has a lot of mountains, and the ones on this side are all natural mountain forests rich in vegetation. It’s probably the perfect habitat for them.”
“I’ve heard there’re fewer and fewer hunters every year.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Oh, speaking of which, I do have a hunting license.”
“Eh?! Really? So you have a hunting rifle and all that?”
“I do. If you ever need to hunt something, just let me know.”
“That’s awesome!”
I was pretty excited to learn Aikawa-san had a hunting license. I thought he was around the same age as me, but is he actually older?
We were chatting near the fields when Yuma, who was standing next to me like a bodyguard, suddenly moved.
“Whoa! What is it, a viper?”
Yuma raised her head proudly—as usual, with a viper in her beak.
“Thanks, Yuma. Can I have that?” I turned to Aikawa-san. “Excuse me for a moment, will you?” I headed inside to get an empty plastic bottle. With Yuma’s help, I managed to squeeze the viper inside. This is always nerve-racking.
“Very impressive!” Aikawa-san exclaimed as I was opening a hole in the bottle.
“Yumoto-san from the village taught me. This is going to give me a heart attack someday...”
“Doubt it—you seem pretty skilled. What are you gonna do with the snake?”
“I’m giving it to Yumoto-san. He said he wants to make snake wine with them.”
“Oh... That’s a great use, yeah.”
We chatted the afternoon away—Aikawa-san must have been craving a conversation partner. As the afternoon waned, we decided I’d be visiting his mountain after Golden Week, and I saw him off.
I was definitely caught off guard by Aikawa-san’s snake, but she seemed to obey him, so there was probably no danger.
“Whew... But still, that was quite a shock...”
“Shock.”
“Shock.”
“Shock.”
What’s up with your voices, anyway? Do chickens...? Gah, it’s no use thinking about it.
“Tomorrow, we’re going patrolling again.”
They didn’t repeat after me this time.
Best-case scenario, no one shows up, but if someone does, I gotta tell them to leave. I’ve never done anything like that before, though. Will I be okay?
I’d gotten a bit anxious.
What am I gonna do if they don’t listen to me? Do I have to call the village’s police station? It’s illegal trespassing. I’ve got a bunch of “No Trespassing” signboards inside the fence. I’m pretty sure this is covered in the Minor Offenses Act. And picking wild mountain plants without authorization is a forestry crime, you see. You should take heed when you go to a mountain.
Wait, who am I even talking to?
“Hey, just letting you know I’ll be over tomorrow to pick some wild plants!”
I’d gotten a call earlier from old Yumoto, and of course, I’d said it was fine.
Yup, that’s right. You should ask for permission. Well, if it’s Yumoto-san or other acquaintances of mine, they can come whenever they want. Not like I have any use for these plants. I don’t know how to prepare and cook them, and even if I tried to learn, I don’t think I could. Seems way too difficult.
Anyway, that was about what my easygoing life in the mountains looked like.