The next day, I texted Katsuragi-san before leaving the house.
I still had some leftovers of the food she’d given me. That was even more food than I thought. Mainly the bamboo sprouts.
Speaking of which, aren’t we having bamboo sprouts at Yumoto-san’s place too? Well, there should be some other mountain plants too, or at least, I hope so.
I got into the truck with Yuma. I did invite Pochi and Tama as well, but they gave me the cold shoulder, as if to say, Mountain plants? No thanks, and trotted off into the mountain. I mean, yeah, I guess if they wanted to eat mountain plants, they could just go get some.
On my way, I made a quick stop at the general store and asked around.
“Do you usually see many strangers around here on Golden Week?” I inquired.
“Not too many of them, but yes. The villagers’ kids and their families also come to visit.”
I nodded. “Besides those visiting family, what kind of person tends to come to the village?”
“At this time of the year? Probably people who come here to hike and pick mountain plants.”
“They come all the way here just for that?”
“Right? Not like there’s anything to see or do here.”
I bought some frozen pork as a gift for Yumoto-san. Not exactly the greatest of gifts, but it’s this or rice crackers.
I arrived at his place before Katsuragi-san.
“My, you didn’t have to bring any more food! We picked the bamboo sprouts and other plants on your mountain, Sho-chan!” Still, Machiko-san still seemed happy about the pork.
“I don’t know how to prepare them anyway, so you’re the one helping me out.” Honestly, I can’t even tell which ones are edible, so...
“I see Yuma-chan is here too. How about some veggies?”
She had set aside a basket full of vegetable and meat scraps, which Yuma promptly began to eat.
“By the way, I heard Miya-chan is coming too, isn’t she? I don’t think we have any food for her big lizard...”
“I think she’s probably already taken care of that, and besides, maybe it can go some time without eating.”
I’d heard there were some carnivorous reptiles who, after eating their fill, could go several days without eating again. Then again, I’ve only heard about it. I have no idea if it’s true.
“Well, I hope so.”
I heard a vehicle approaching and went over to have a look—it was Katsuragi-san. She got out and came to the door.
“I’m sorry for imposing on you...” she said after greeting everyone.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” said Machiko-san.
“Um, here... I brought this for you.”
Katsuragi-san had brought some mountain plants too. She must have picked them herself.
“Oh, perfect! We had to eat some of them yesterday because they spoil fast, so we could use some more. I’ll make them into tempura.”
Meaning, if not for Katsuragi-san’s vegetables, we’d be having a bamboo sprout all-you-can-eat. Thanks, Katsuragi-san.
Her dragon had come too. He crawled sluggishly toward the garden. Probably wants to rest in the shade.
“Hey, you’re here!” Yumoto-san noisily came out to greet us.
“Ah, Yumoto-san, here.” I handed him a pair of plastic bottles.
“Caught more of ’em, huh?”
Katsuragi-san took a look at the bottles and let out a shriek. Well, I don’t blame her. Vipers are pretty scary.
“Oops, sorry.”
“I-It’s okay...”
Yumoto-san walked away with the bottles in hand and a smile on his face.
Katsuragi-san went to the kitchen to help cook, and I went with Yumoto-san to get beverages for everyone. The house itself was already pretty big, but they also had a storage shed with a fridge. We took beer from there.
“We’ve got a lot, so take some home with you, will ya?” asked Yumoto-san.
There were several boxes next to the fridge, and at least three or four of them were beer.
“But Yumoto-san, I’m sure you can take care of these yourself.”
“Heh, I guess you’ve got a point there!” He laughed heartily, grabbed as much as he could hold, and we headed back. The food was already laid out on the table.
“Here’s to the blessings of the mountain and to our newest couple!”
“Uh, Yumoto-san? What are you talking about?”
I had a feeling he might have gotten the wrong idea.
On the table we had boiled mountain vegetables, simmered bamboo shoots, mountain plant tempura, and some sashimi. I wanted to make a toast and start the meal, but the old man’s words lingered in the back of my mind.
“Well, you know, you brought her with you, so that’s what’s going on, no?”
Please stop being so vague and just say it.
“Give it a rest already!” His wife smacked him over the head with a newspaper.
“Ouch!”
“Just stay quiet, will you! Sorry, Sho-chan, I’ll give him a good scolding later.”
“Oh, it’s all right. Thank you.”
Yumoto-san was a nice person, but he was slightly lacking in tact. I don’t really blame him—there’s not a lot to keep yourself entertained here. If he saw a man and a woman together, he seemed to be prone to jumping to conclusions. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited Katsuragi-san. We might have spoiled the mood a bit.
We enjoyed our meal together. As a child, I used to dislike the bitterness of mountain plants, but I’d grown able to appreciate the flavor. Is this what they call a mature palate?
We ate, chatted, then called it a day. On our way out, I handed Katsuragi-san the container she’d given me yesterday, and she thanked me.
“I appreciate you inviting me today,” she said.
“And thank you for the meal,” I replied. We bowed to each other and went our separate ways. Yuma and the dragon had both spent some quality time in the Yumotos’ garden.
This year’s Golden Week ended tomorrow. Let’s hope nothing else weird happens.
Back at home, the chickens caught sight of me clasping my hands at the setting sun. They joined in, cocking their necks. Cute.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“What’s up!”
“What’s up!”
“What’s up!”
The chickens sang in unison. Seeing them made me appreciate the peace and quiet. I felt warm and fuzzy inside.
The following day was spent mostly mowing the grass.
These days, I feel like I’m competing with the grass around the house to see if I can mow it faster than it grows. Overgrown grass attracted snakes, so it was fairly dangerous, especially since some of them, like vipers, were venomous. I should probably also get to mowing the grass around the road as well.
Golden Week ended without any further issues.
As for Katsuragi-san’s ex-boyfriend, he’d been working a regular job at the time she’d moved here, so we assumed that after Golden Week, he would have to leave and go back to his routine. Yamanaka-san (Katsuragi-san’s acquaintance) had shown a lot of concern for her and told some of the other villagers about it. We still need to stay on our toes, but we should be safe as long as we keep each other informed. Not like there’s anything else I can do anyway.
The chickens, as usual, were out and about running around. Pochi was with me today.
Lately, I get the feeling that they don’t think of me as their owner anymore. It’s like they’re keeping me company or looking after me... Should I be worried?
We were down at the riverbank doing our rounds when Pochi caught a viper.
So many of them on this mountain. I’ve got my work clothes and mountain boots on, but I don’t know if this is enough to keep me safe from a viper bite.
During the warmer months, we also had to look around and check for wasps and such. They weren’t too dangerous in the spring (they did still sting, though), but they became more and more aggressive through the summer into early fall. Wasp nests had to be dealt with as soon as possible. I need to learn more about the mountain’s ecosystem, for the chickens’ sake too.
I was pretty interested in insects and animals. What I didn’t know anything about was wild plants and mushrooms. Old Man Yumoto had warned me to stay away from the mushrooms. Although you didn’t see them too often this time of year, they were plentiful during colder months, so some people liked to head up into the mountains to pick them. But you really had to know your stuff. Every year, there was news about people around here who got food poisoning from wild mushrooms. I’ve heard there are varieties of poisonous ones that look almost the same as shiitake. Scary.
I let Pochi have the viper. After devouring it, he raised his head with a satisfied look, then plunged his beak into the river.
“Eh? Looking for dessert?”
Held within his sharp beak was a struggling crayfish. He tilted his neck at me, probably asking what I wanted to do with it. I paused briefly, then said, “Sure, go ahead.” I heard they taste like shrimp, but preparing it seems like way too much of a hassle for me. Well, it’s always good to have options, I suppose.
That reminded me: Aikawa-san’s snake, Rin-san, liked crayfish, didn’t she? His mountain also had a river, but the current was pretty fast—it was probably hard to find crayfish there. On the other hand, the river near my house was shallow, and the current wasn’t that fast. Apparently, there were a few other rivers on my mountain too. I haven’t had the time to check all of them yet.
Crayfish were commonly found in rivers by suburban areas, so it was surprising to see them all the way up here in the mountains. Most likely, someone had thrown some live ones away around here, and they’d multiplied.
If I ever catch whoever did that, I’ll have a word or two for them.
I was watching Pochi try to eat the crayfish, but he was struggling with the shell. Funny how he has an easier time with wild boars.