[Part 1/4]
"""There's watermelon seed spitting~♪."""
The brats sang in harmony. And then there was the sound of crunching. Followed by a loud, childish smacking sound.
"Hey! What are you doing? That's rude!!"
The older brat with 2 deer antlers scolded them, and the little brats hurriedly ran away. It was probably because the young lady who had eaten watermelon earlier was having a fun seed-spitting contest (with only one participant). They likely thought it was okay to imitate her since the surveillance guy wasn't around. By the way, the girls didn't join in, and they were saying things like, "brats are such kids, right?" It was a pretty silly thing to say, especially since they were planning to play afterward.
"Seriously... I'll have to give them a good head rub later."
"For now, we need to clean up. ...Geez, they really threw them far!"
The older brats grumbled while picking up the seeds they had thrown. Without a lookout, this is what happens. They were being quite mischievous.
"Make sure to separate the seeds and the rinds, okay? We'll use them later!"
The brat with a beast-like face said cheerfully while holding a tray. The seeds can be planted or roasted as snacks, and the rinds can be used for Tsukemono (pickled vegetables).
"Seeds and rinds, huh..."
The Ako's maid, Yona, looked on with a bit of annoyance. She had never experienced eating watermelon seeds or rinds, neither at the Ako house nor in the rich western region. It seemed really poor to her.
...As expected, this is the bountiful Center region. Life isn't usually that tough here. Still, the Azuma's orphanage sometimes prepared meals that reminded one of a famine. There was a meaning behind it: to give knowledge that could fill one's stomach in times of need. The orphanage director, a Tanuki, knew that distinguishing between what is edible and what isn't is the secret to survival.
"Crunch, crunch... By the way, where's Akane (the lizard girl)? If it's her, she's probably off participating in the seed-spitting contest, right?"
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since breakfast... Wait, why are you eating that?"
While chewing on the collected watermelon rind, a beast-faced brat noticed the absence of the mischievous girl, and a cat-eared girl added a comment to his response. By the way, this was just a case of mindless snacking.
"If I remember correctly, she went off with Ume (the cow girl) to follow big brother, right?"
Speaking of 'big brother', there were many who could be called that, but for the older kids who had experienced the incident with the youkai fox, simply saying "big brother" referred to just one person. It was indeed a sign of trust.
"Is she visiting someone? It's a bit late for that... but knowing Akane, she's probably chatting away with Shiro."
"Was it a cold? Should we go get her (Shiro)?"
The older kids discussed how Akane was probably causing a lot of trouble. That's how much of a problem child Akane was.
"...Speaking of which, the young lady from Miyataka also took some watermelon, didn't she?"
And in the conversation among the older kids, Yona recalled the chat when they served the watermelon. It was for a visit, coordinated by the Household Member Coordinator, and somehow, she had borrowed extra watermelon for herself. She probably knew about some unexpected guests coming from somewhere.
"Ah, then maybe it's better not to intrude too much."
If it was just family, that would be one thing, but with a young lady who is like a goddess to them, they wanted to avoid sticking their noses in and upsetting her.
The older group understood their position better than the younger family members. While the younger ones played with the young lady, the older ones kept a subtle watch to make sure nothing went wrong or turned into a hassle. It seemed best to leave things to the trusted guardians present.
"But how long are they going to hang around...?"
Meanwhile, the Ako's maid helping with the chores was suspicious of the Household Member Coordinator who hadn't returned. She had been warned to be cautious, especially since she had heard many bad rumors about the young lady. The recent incident still lingered in her mind, making her frown with a bad feeling.
"No way... It can't be... right?"
In the room of the person they were visiting, she didn't want to think about the possibility of 'something happening' with a child involved. If it came to that, it would be beastly. There should be a time and place for everything.
"..."
Given her position, it wasn't something she could interfere with. All she could do was wait and hope. Was it okay to trust? Please let her trust.
"I just wish the young lady would show her face before she leaves..."
For the sake of her pure-hearted master, the maid could only sigh helplessly, wishing for everything to be alright.
"Sister, sighing will make happiness run away. Want some?"
"No, thanks."
She rejected the offered peel for now. Thinking about whether she would be the one to pickle it made her sigh again at the forbidden thought.
...By the way, when she tasted the contents of the pickling jar in the kitchen for seasoning, it surprisingly tasted good. She thought she would use it as a snack for the second son when she returned to Ako's main house.
In a remote frontier village of the Fuso Country. The population is about 150, and in one corner of this small village, which has only about half a century of history since its establishment, there is a house belonging to the Miko family.
The Miko family consisted of three people: the mother, who was the head of the household, and her two children.
If that were all, it could have been said to be a common family. A family lacking a father, or any other member, is not unusual. Injury, illness, the harm of youkai... In this world, life is fleeting, and death is all too close. If that were all, there would be nothing worth noting.
What was peculiar was that the mother was not a widow and had never even been married, the eldest son was not related by blood, and the youngest daughter was not entirely human.
The mother was reputed to be the most beautiful woman in this remote village, yet no one sought to marry her. Cursed during the time of the Great War, the family had been scorned and shunned as a family possessed by fox spirits, and now, they were the last remaining survivors... In a world where curses truly exist, only a fool would be ensnared by beauty and seek to court her, and to help continue that bloodline would be tantamount to a crime. She was allowed to live only out of pity and fear tied to the origins of that curse.
The eldest son, who was not related by blood, was an abandoned child. One day, the baby, who had been thrown into the village with no one willing to take him in, was picked up and raised by the woman who had lost all her relatives and could not bear the loneliness of having neither a husband nor a child. The nickname "discarded fox" or "picked-up fox," which spread among the villagers, might be an apt metaphor in a way. Unlike the mother, being able to walk around the village and do communal work was a lenient treatment due to the lack of direct blood relation. Not that it was particularly joyful.
As far as the villagers were concerned, the Miko family consisted only of these two. The fox-possessed daughter and her fox-child... Only the mother and her son, me, their family, knew of the third family member.
Now, how many years ago was it when the mother got lost while foraging for wild vegetables in the mountains? She didn't come back for days, but no one went to look for her. Instead, they talked about how to divide her small possessions as if she were already dead. I almost ended up being sold off.
When the mother returned, the villagers must have been disappointed inside. The son found the fruits, meat, fish, and wild plants she brought back suspicious. The mother, who comforted me despite not being related by blood, was clearly shaken and never spoke about what happened in the mountains.
She locked herself in the hut, claiming to be sick, getting worse and worse, and despite her growing belly, she seemed to understand what was happening. The moment she gave birth, she almost strangled her own child, but her resolve wavered at the sound of the baby's cries and the bloodshot look in her eyes... Even if she had the ears and tail of a beast, she was definitely her blood-related daughter, born from her pain.
So, I accepted her as my sister. For my mother's sake. And, pushing my mother forward, she accepted my words. And that's why things were the way they were now.
To raise my sister, who is not related by blood and stays inside, I, the son works today as well...
"Today's work is done. Hey, everyone, gather around. Come on, hurry up!"
We were cutting down trees and splitting firewood at the forest boundary. It was a task to secure fuel for the winter. Before we finished our goal for the day, the supervisor called us village men together.
"Already...?"
"What's going on? You're not stopping out of pity, are you?"
The men, who had stopped working in the blizzard, murmured in confusion. The village head and the officials were not the type to spare villagers just because of some snow. They knew that during the famine 3 years ago, they had forced the villagers to pay taxes, and one family starved to death.
"What about our pay...?"
I was gathering branches when I voiced my worries. There's no way I could finish work early and still get paid the same. It didn't seem like I would get any extra fuel either, which was a problem. We needed both money and fuel to prepare for the real winter that was coming...
"Is everyone here? Today's work is done. Put the firewood and branches in the storehouse and pack up. Hurry up."
The supervisor ordered sharply. The men exchanged glances and started to complain.
"Wait a minute. This is a problem for us."
"There's not enough firewood. At this rate, we'll freeze to death in a month. Are you trying to kill us?"
"What do you mean we're stopping work suddenly? Tell us why!"
They all shouted their complaints and questions. The supervisor calmed the men down and began to explain.
"Wait, wait. Calm down. Don't make a fuss... There's a reason we have to do this."
"A reason? Is it to cut down on people?"
One of the villagers with a sharp tongue spat that out, and the others laughed coldly, but the atmosphere froze the next moment.
"Don't be stupid... A youkai has been spotted in the northern mountains. A small youkai."
"...!?"
Everyone gasped at the supervisor's words. I held my breath too, feeling tense as I imagined the worst-case scenario.
"...What kind of youkai is it?"
I asked with a trembling voice. A few villagers looked at me with curiosity, but they quickly turned their gaze back to the supervisor, wanting an answer.
"It's a bear. It's still a cub, but it seems to be a monster with a split jaw and 4 arms. A hunter shot it, but even after 3 shots, it ran away."
"Hey, hey..."
The men murmured about the injured monster. They looked at each other anxiously. They were scared. I was the only one feeling relieved inside.
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