I always got a bit nervous when messaging Katsuragi-san. Did I write anything uncalled for? Am I being annoying at all?
The other day, on my way back from Yumoto-san’s, I ran into her acquaintance Yamanaka-san, who asked me how Katsuragi-san had been doing. I told her we exchanged messages every now and then, and she asked me to look after her. I just gave her a vague smile.
She must be worried about Katsuragi-san too. Honestly, right now, I still don’t want to deal with women around my age if I can avoid it. Aikawa-san said the same thing. Uh, not that this means I’m switching teams or something like that. Don’t get the wrong idea.
Yamanaka-san seemed troubled, but I didn’t understand why she expected me to be that much of a busybody. If Katsuragi-san herself asks me to help with something, I’ll be glad to, but I’m not “looking after her” because someone else asked me to. Having said that, I was aware of the circumstances involving her ex-boyfriend, and I kept that in mind.
With a sigh, I decided to drop Katsuragi-san a message: “Rainy season is just around the corner. How have you been faring lately?” I wasn’t actually expecting a reply, so I put my phone back in my pocket.
I drove up to the cemetery—the same place I’d gone flower viewing with Yuma before. It was a two, maybe three-minute drive. Back in the day, there used to be a few people (two households, to be precise) living up here, but they’d moved to the village at the foot of the mountain five years ago. By the time I got here, the old houses had already been cleared out and left at the mercy of the weather.
However, the graves still remained. Some people who moved away had taken the remains of the dead with them, but needless to say, it wasn’t possible to do that for every single grave, so there were still a fair number of people resting in eternal slumber here. I’d asked the villagers to let me know in advance when they wanted to come visit the graves, but so far, the only one who had come was the former village head. Maybe it’ll get more visitors in the fall...or maybe no one will come. Who knows?
After tending to the cemetery—washing the graves, picking weeds, and so on—I set some flowers and water on the graves. I’d picked the flowers on the mountain, looking for the prettiest ones I could find. I clasped my hands and prayed for a peaceful rest for the deceased and also that they’d watch over me and my chickens.
They’re not gods or anything, but I think it’s a good idea to pay my respects to the people who lived here before me.
If not for the dense vegetation on the mountainside, this cemetery would overlook the village. That was probably their intention when they decided to build the cemetery here. Maybe they’d appreciate it if I cut the trees down?
But first, I had work to do on the roadsides, and it had to be done from top to bottom. Boy, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me...
The chickens were out and about, full of energy as always. I could use some of their energy.
Pochi came to me with a viper in his beak. “Jeez, again...” Waaay too many on this mountain.
I didn’t have a bottle on me, nor did I want the snake bad enough to bother going back to get one, so I just let them eat it. I walked away as the three chickens began to devour it. I’ve gotten somewhat used to them tearing it apart, but it’s still not a pretty sight.
I checked my phone and found that Katsuragi-san had messaged me back: “Hello, I’m doing fine, thank you. Recently, the peas I planted ripened, and I’ve got a lot of them. Why don’t you come over for a meal sometime?”
I froze for a moment. She...doesn’t have any ulterior motives, I’m sure. She’s probably just lonely.
“Thanks. What time would be good for you?” After replying, I realized that maybe she was just being polite, and I regretted my message. Thankfully, she soon replied back with date suggestions that would work for her.
“Pochi, Tama, Yuma... Teach me how to talk to girls...”
Yuma trotted over to me, but Pochi and Tama just stared at me and gave me the cold shoulder. That hurts, you know?
I knew they weren’t being cold to me on purpose—the chickens each had their own unique personalities, and Yuma just so happened to be kind and caring in a straightforward way. I do wish they’d be nicer to me in times like these, though. Yeah, yeah, I know—I’m an adult, and I should be able to look after myself. Whatever.
Tama and Yuma tagged along the day I went to Katsuragi-san’s mountain.
“What about you, Pochi?” I asked, and as usual, he replied by lifting his head, puffing out his chest, and clucking—his way of saying, “Leave the house to me!”
“I’m counting on you then, Pochi. See you later.”
Just then, I heard my phone ring. It was a message from Aikawa-san.
“I’ve come into some quality liquor—would you like to come by for a drink?”
He must be feeling lonely. I’m probably the only one here who knows about his circumstances, after all. I ultimately decided to accept his invitation, and I messaged back, “I’ve got some business to take care of today—how about tomorrow?” He promptly agreed. I did plan to come back from Katsuragi-san’s before sunset, but you never knew what might happen, so it was probably a good idea to make sure I had no scheduling conflicts—even if letting him know about an eventual change of plans was as easy as messaging him. Well, either way, I gotta tend to the mountain every day.
Over at the neighboring mountain, the fence gate had been left unlocked. I went inside and locked it behind me. Would be nice if we could lock it remotely or something. But then, I suppose it’s actually safer that we have to check our surroundings when opening and locking the gate.
I parked my truck next to Katsuragi-san’s. Hearing the sound of the engine, she looked outside, and our eyes met. She was heavily dressed—work clothes, a straw hat with a towel tucked in, another towel around her neck, and gloves on her hands. It was still reasonably cool up here in the mountains at this time of year, but this was probably too much clothing for midsummer.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Sano-san!”
I helped her carry a basket full of vegetables—tomatoes, komatsuna, peas, and such—that she’d harvested. I doubt she can eat all of this by herself. Tomatoes, huh? I thought they ripened in summer, but it looks like they’re already good to harvest.
“Thank you! I wasn’t expecting this big of a harvest,” Katsuragi-san said gleefully. “Please also take some with you, if you’d like.”
“Thank you, I’d appreciate it.”
The weather was a lot nicer than the last time I’d visited her. It’s probably a bit too hot down at the village, but up here, it’s just right. Well...other than the bugs.
“Where’s Tatsuki-san?”
“He’s...over there in the shade, I think.”
“I’ll go say hi.”
I went looking for the dragon with Tama and Yuma. He was much closer than I’d thought—resting under a tree by the fields—which startled me. I’m almost tempted to take a picture and upload it to social media. (Again, I won’t.) I’m sure he’s also worried about Katsuragi-san and tries to stay by her side as much as possible.
“Hello there, Tatsuki-san. Do you mind if my chickens eat some of the bugs around here?”
He cracked open his eyes and gave a slight nod.
“Thank you. Tama, Yuma, he said it’s okay.”
Suddenly, for some reason, Tama walked over to him and began to peck at his body.
“T-Tama?!”
“Wow, is she picking the bugs from his body, like an oxpecker? That’s amazing! Ah, or maybe it’s more like a crocodile bird?”
Did she just call the dragon a crocodile...? Tatsuki-san himself seemed to be enjoying it, so I figured it was okay, though I did get pretty nervous for a moment there.
Incidentally, the oxpecker that Katsuragi-san mentioned is an African bird that perches on large animals and eats ticks and parasites from their bodies. It’s not exactly a symbiotic relationship, but the animals let the oxpeckers do their thing, so it is, to some extent, mutually beneficial. Crocodile birds are said to exhibit similar behavior, except with crocodiles, and unlike oxpeckers, that is supposedly a symbiotic relationship.
I set the basket full of vegetables next to the front door.
“I’ll go get us some tea,” Katsuragi-san said.
“Thank you,” I replied as I sat down on the veranda. Katsuragi-san was a woman near my age—I had zero intention of going inside. The house is not particularly large, anyway. She soon came back with tea and rice crackers.
The view from her veranda was nice enough. The grass looked well tended, and there was a wooden fence around the house, with trees beyond it.
“I need to prepare lunch. Can you wait here for a bit?” she asked me.
“Got it.”
Seems pretty peaceful here. I saw Tatsuki-san crawling toward the house. Tama was out and about. Yuma, as always, stayed near me and occasionally ate bugs and stuff. Thanks, Yuma.