“Let me in too!” Makoto-kun, in new clothes, ran over to Pochi and the kids who were playing tag.
Heh, probably the type of kid to come home with bruises often. I can see where the mother is coming from.
The couple had gone back inside. I was watching over the children with Yumoto-san. There were a number of younger families living in the area, and there were seven children gathered here—one from each household. Though I’m sure they won’t be the last.
“It’s nice having children around,” I said.
“Yup, they’re our greatest treasure. We gotta make sure they grow up strong and healthy.”
The girls took Yuma and Tama to a spot where some weeds were growing. The two chickens were curiously watching the kids make something with grass.
“I had no idea my chickens were so popular with kids.”
“That’s ’cause you’re always cooped up in your mountain. The kids were scared at first, but you know, these are just big chickens. By the next day, they were already getting along fine. The chickens take good care of the kids too. I’m getting sick of being asked pretty much every day where to buy chickens like that.”
“I see...” I really had no idea. They always acted the same and patrolled the mountain after they got home from work.
“So, y’know, if the chickens are okay with it, we’d appreciate it if they still came to look at the farms once a week or so, even after their work is done. The kids would be happy about it too.”
“That’s true.” The chickens seemed to enjoy playing with the children as well. I guess that might be nice every once in a while. Maybe not once a week, though.
“Kyaaaah!”
Suddenly, I heard a shriek coming from the girls’ direction. I looked to see what had happened.
Yuma held a snake in her beak. Yumoto-san and I got worried and ran over to them.
“Ah, it’s just a rat snake. Just let it go,” Yumoto-san said. Yuma did as he told her.
“That was scary!”
“Thanks, Yuma-chan!” The girls were still slightly out of breath.
“No need to get so worked up about a rat snake,” Yumoto-san chided them.
“It’s still a snake, and snakes are scary!”
“It has no legs! That’s so creepy!”
The girls protested, leaving Yumoto-san in an uncomfortable position. Looks like Old Man Yumoto’s no match for girls. I laughed.
“You agree, right, mister?!”
This time, it was my turn. “Well, yeah. I have the chickens catch vipers for me too.”
“Really? There are vipers in the mountains?”
“Yup, a lot of them.”
“That’s scary!”
It really is. The mountains still had the same number of bugs, but there was a wider variety of animals.
“Why do you live in the mountains? You should come live down here too,” Makoto-kun said.
I paused for a moment, then replied, “Us grown-ups just have a lot going on.”
“Like ‘adult problems’?”
I bet he doesn’t even know what that means. It’s a pretty convenient term, to be sure. “Yep, that kind of stuff.”
“Ah, there’re the chickens!”
Where did these other children come from? I looked at Yumoto-san.
“The kids love the chickens,” he explained, “so they always come looking for ’em.” Seems like a great enrichment activity, if anything. “Maybe the school will ask to borrow them next.”
“Mr. Pochi and Ms. Tama, huh?” For some reason, it doesn’t sound that weird. As their owner, however, I know this may be a bit selfish, but I’d like to let them stay on the mountain and run around as they please.
This time of year, the days were getting longer and longer. Before I realized it, the sun was nearly setting. It seemed we’d spent a lot more time chatting away than I’d thought.
“Pochi, Tama, Yuma, we’re leaving!”
The children piped up.
“Whaaat, already?”
“Don’t go!”
I wanted to avoid driving after dark, so I had to ignore the children’s protests. I need to get home before the sun sets.
“Are they coming here again tomorrow?” I asked Yumoto-san.
“Yup, same area.”
“They’ll come back tomorrow!” I told the children.
“Okay!”
“Let’s play again, Pochi-chan!”
“See you tomorrow, Tama-chan!”
“You’re so cute, Yuma-chan!”
One of those isn’t like the others... Anyway, I drove back home with the chickens. It was interesting getting to see an unexpected side of their interactions with others.
“Say, do you guys want to keep working at the village?” I asked them later that night. They all cocked their heads. “Your work ends this week,” I explained. They lowered their heads, probably intending to say they were aware of that. “So, do you want to keep going? Or have you had enough?”
Yumoto-san had said that he’d been asked about the chickens—some people from neighboring villages had inquired because they’d like the chickens to help them out too. That would extend my chickens’ work term, of course. Yumoto-san also said that they wouldn’t be able to offer much in the way of payment, so I was free to refuse. It’s not about the money, though. I want to respect my chickens’ decision.
“Won’t do!”
“Won’t go!”
“Don’t wanna!”
Surprisingly enough, all three refused.
“Huh? Why’s that?” They all seemed like they were having a lot of fun playing with the children.
“Mountain!”
“Mountain!”
“Sano!”
The first two responses were from Pochi and Tama. And Yuma wanted to stay by my side, apparently. This is so like them. I chuckled.
The next day, Pochi and Tama were on duty. I thought you two wanted to stay on the mountain...?
“Are you okay with leaving the mountain?” I asked them. They both gave me the cold shoulder. Really, guys, that hurts.
I’d asked yesterday if it wasn’t better to drop them off directly at the farm, but since Yumoto-san was the one running the whole operation, we’d decided it’d be better to leave them in his care, as before.
“Good morning.” I showed up at the Yumotos’ with the chickens in tow.
“Hey there, Shohei. Sleep well?”
“Yes, thankfully.” After we went home, the chickens spent the rest of the day running up and down the mountain. In their own way, they were also taking care to make sure they got enough sleep.
“Yumoto-san, about what we discussed yesterday...” I informed him that the chickens weren’t too enthusiastic about it.
“That’s fine. It was just a suggestion—we gotta respect the chickens’ wishes. I’ll let them know.”
Yumoto-san said I could leave the logistics to him. He would get in touch with the folks from the other villages and refuse their offers. That’s a relief.
“So, Shohei... Are you sure you want to take part in the meeting?”
“Will that be a problem?” I asked.
Old Man Yumoto looked somewhat uncomfortable. “Well, you know... They’re your chickens and all, so sure, it’d be great if you could also join. Just...keep in mind that it’ll be a bunch of cranky old geezers.”
“That’s...”
“You can sit in, sure. Having you around might also help clear up any misunderstandings. You’d just better keep in mind that there might be people who like to run their mouths even when they have no idea what’s going on. You gotta be prepared to hear things you don’t wanna hear. If that sounds like a bad time to you, don’t bother.”
Yumoto-san is just too kind.
“It’s all right... Well, not exactly, but still. I think I ought to participate at least once.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Once is enough.” Yumoto-san reluctantly agreed to let me sit in on the meeting. I was actually a bit excited to hear just what they were going to say to me. No, I’m not a masochist or anything!
The meetings were always scheduled for Saturday night, and they spent the whole night drinking and chatting. I feel a little sorry for the old lady. With that in mind, I had to decide what to do with the chickens for the night. It’s just one night—they’ll probably be okay if I just leave the door open. Even so...
I told Aikawa-san about it, and while he did offer to take care of them, I imagined Tama wasn’t going to be pleased with that, plus I was afraid of what might happen if I left the chickens alone with the snakes for a whole night. I don’t want to start a war or anything. I politely turned him down. The other day? Well, I was there to mediate between the chickens and the snakes, so that was different.
Basically, I was the one who didn’t want to part with the chickens. Yeah, I’m the lonely one. I know already. What about it?
“Guys, I gotta go to Yumoto-san’s Saturday night for a meeting, and I’m gonna be spending the night there. What about you? Do you want to stay here on the mountain or go with me to his place? Or...”