The old men were all speechless.
“You heard him. Just give up,” said Yumoto-san. “They really did do a great job. Now it’s up to us to stay on the lookout.”
“What about the next village over? You should have heard from them.”
“I declined that too. The chickens would have to sleep there,” Yumoto-san explained.
“So you just decided that on your own...”
“You’re the ones acting on your own. You’re not the ones raising them. Have some common sense.”
It seemed that these men were the ones who’d initially suggested that the chickens go help out at other villages. I agree with Yumoto-san—that was indeed pretty selfish of them.
“It’s just a night or two, so what’s the problem?!”
“Um, sorry, but the problem is that they make a lot of noise at night if they don’t get enough exercise. It would be a big bother for the neighbors,” I explained. Plus, stress also affects sleep quality.
“They’re just chickens! What’s the big deal about lending a couple of them...?”
I snapped. What did you just say about my chickens, old man? I’ll have you know they’re the greatest, most special chickens in the whole world!
“Ask them directly, then,” I said. “They shouldn’t mind going for a day if you can convince them.”
“How am I supposed to talk to them?!”
By that logic, how do you expect me to tell them what to do? If they can’t understand human language, I can’t tell them what to do either.
“They’re outside—feel free to go look for them.”
“Don’t give me that crap! At least bring them here.” I looked at Yumoto-san, who just shrugged.
“You’re the ones who need a favor, right? So obviously you should go to them,” he said.
“You’ve always been like that! No respect for your elders!”
“Respect begets respect!”
The two started arguing again. Uh, I know there’s a fair amount of distance between houses, but the windows are open. Won’t you think of the neighbors?
Suddenly, I spotted Yuma from one of the windows.
“Yuma, want some meat?” She came closer when I beckoned her. I know she’s standing on the veranda, but yup, she really is huge. I picked out some fried pork for her. Not chicken, needless to say.
I noticed it had gotten oddly quiet. I turned back to find everyone—besides Yumoto-san, Akimoto-san, and others who’d already seen the chickens—staring in disbelief. Well, yeah, that’s a natural reaction.
I turned back to Yuma, opened the window screen, and gave her the meat. Yuma chewed on it with her sharp, jagged teeth and went trotting off.
“Come back when you’ve had enough, okay?” I called out to her and returned to my seat.
“Uh, Shohei... Is it just me, or did they get bigger?” asked Yumoto-san.
“I think they’ve grown a bit taller, yeah.”
“That tail looks like a dinosaur tail or something.”
The other men, who probably didn’t expect the chickens to be that big, remained silent. Good job, Yuma! I gave her a mental thumbs-up. The rest of the meeting was relatively peaceful, and we just ate, drank, and made merry.
Tonight’s meeting ended earlier than usual, I was told, and the old men went home in fumbling steps. Are they going to be all right? Hopefully they don’t fall into a ditch or anything.
Usually, a bunch of them would sleep over, but tonight, only a handful stayed behind. I was one of them, of course. Pochi and Yuma stayed in the earthen-floor room. They may be huge, but they’re pretty fluffy and cute.
“Pochi, Yuma, thanks for everything!” I thanked them from a distance, since they didn’t like it when I got near them after drinking. Yuma was the one who’d been able to shut those people up. I guess a picture really is worth a thousand words. Wait, that’s not quite right...
The old folks had been drinking pretty heavily, and they were already snoring loudly. I was also still lightheaded from the alcohol, so it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.
The next morning, I woke up earlier than I’d expected. I headed to the kitchen to have some water and ran into Yumoto-san there.
“Good morning.”
“Hey. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I walked out onto the veranda for no particular reason. Pochi and Yuma, who had apparently woken up a while ago—they’d eaten some vegetable scraps—were in the garden pecking away at the ground. What a pleasant morning.
“It’s gotten pretty hot, huh?” Yumoto-san remarked.
“Yes, it gets quite hot without the rain.”
We were almost through the rainy season. I had a lot to do after that, from taking the chickens to see the vet to resuming the usual weeding, checking the roads, and cleaning the graves. It’ll probably still be a while before I’m able to go get a look at my other mountain. Living in the mountains really is a lot of hard work. Oh yeah, I also need to do something about the abandoned houses.
“You know, Shohei,” Yumoto-san suddenly called out to me.
“Yes?”
“Well... It feels a bit weird for me to say this when I was the one dishing it out last night, but those geezers don’t really mean any harm, y’know.”
“I understand.” Really, I do.
“It’s just...as you get older and older, your mind gets more rigid and inflexible. One day you’re ‘with it’ but then they change what ‘it’ is, and what you’re with isn’t ‘it.’ It wasn’t that bad back when we still had a lot of young folks in the village, but there’re fewer and fewer of them. And on top of that, we keep burdening the few that’re still here. No wonder they all leave for the city...”
It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, but easier access to information is also probably a significant factor. Back in the day, information about what life was like in other places was scarce, but nowadays, that’s all trivial. There are more job opportunities in the city, and life is just more convenient in general. You also don’t have to participate in the local community if you don’t want to, and consequently, no one can try to force festival cleanup jobs on you “as a member of the community.” I agree that there’s not a lot that can be done about young people being attracted to this freer, more convenient lifestyle.
The older villagers couldn’t keep up with all this, and as a result, they were basically the only ones left. It’s a real shame, but it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it.
“Well, you know... I bought the mountain, so I’ll probably be here for a long time.”
“Right. You couldn’t keep those huge chickens in the city either.” Yumoto-san looked at the chickens and chortled.
That’s true, yeah. And the same goes for those huge snakes and that dragon. I suppose Aikawa-san and Katsuragi-san must also be intending to stay here for a long, long while.
“But still... How on earth did they get that big, anyway...?”
I have a hunch that I had something to do with it. A pet owner who’s a problem for his pets... Gosh, I feel sort of pathetic.
“I wonder...”
Yumoto-san let out a hearty laugh.
He’s right—at that size, I doubt I could take them with me to my hometown. I gotta figure out what to do with them when I go to visit grandpa’s grave. It’s a bit too far for a day trip... I’ll have to leave them alone for at least a night.
“My, it’s hot, isn’t it? Here, I brought you some chazuke.”
“Thank you very much.”
Machiko-san brought us a tray with some tea, chazuke, and pickles. I hadn’t had enough to drink to have a hangover, but the refreshing sourness of the pickled plum felt just right. I hope I can also become this thoughtful someday.
“Just let me know if you’d like more, okay?” she said and went back inside.
“Yumoto-san, how did you two meet?”
“Eh? What’s the matter, Shohei? Are you thinking of settling down too?” Yumoto-san grinned.
You’re teasing me, aren’t you?
“No... I think it’s still early for that. I was just thinking it must be nice to have such a kind and considerate wife...”
He gave me an odd look and glared at me. “I’m not letting you have her.”
“You don’t have to worry about that!!!”
What the heck are you saying, Yumoto-san? Besides, I bet she wasn’t like that at the beginning of your marriage. You both turned out this way after many years as a couple. That time spent together is the key.
Anyway, it’s freaking hot, even though it’s still pretty early. I’d better go home as soon as the booze wears off. I felt eyes on me and looked up to find Pochi and Yuma fixedly staring. They probably want to go home too. Sorry. Just hang on a bit until the alcohol wears off.