7. The Future Project

Nasty or not, it was edible, at least.

Yume had learned the hunting skill Pit Trap. There were other trap skills like Foothold Trap and Snare Trap, but Yume didn’t know either of those. Besides, Foothold Trap required specialized equipment. Still, her master had shown her Snare Trap once, and she’d figured it might be possible for her to build one herself, so she’d decided to try it. If they set up a number of traps near the road to the charcoal burning site, they might be able to snag an inuzaru.

The poisonous swamp snakes were scary. The four-eyed beast merited caution, too. But, for now, Corpse Swamp was the only place they could count on making an income.

If there were snakes, they would immediately move elsewhere, and if they heard the footsteps of the four-eyed beast, they would immediately flee. With those agreements in place, Haruhiro and the others decided to continue searching for black coins in the Corpse Swamp.

Haruhiro couldn’t afford to be dispirited and mope around, even though there were many, countless things that could make him feel that way, and he was never far from falling into self-loathing.

There was no helping that. It was always like this, so he had gotten somewhat used to it. Haruhiro had found some tricks for recovering from it, too. If he gave up and decided this was just the way things were, he could accept it.

It had always been a given that Haruhiro had no aptitude as a leader. He had no desire to be one. But he had to do it, and he had no choice but to do it, and so he was one. That was why, naturally, it was hard for him, and the stress was building up.

Haruhiro was no saint, and was in fact an ordinary, mediocre person, so it was only to be expected that he might go a little crazy and lust after his comrades.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to improve himself. For his comrades, and for himself, he wanted to become a better leader. If only he could. But it wasn’t so simple. Progress wasn’t steady. It was one step forward, two steps back, another step forward, another step back. That was fine. If he didn’t tell himself that, he couldn’t go on.

One day, when they went to Corpse Swamp, there were multiple four-eyed beasts lurking around, and they had no choice but to turn back.

Another day, they changed spots several times, but they kept running into the poisonous swamp snakes. In the end, Kuzaku and Yume were both bitten, giving them a terrible time.

Even when the inuzarus fell into their traps, they would usually break free and escape. Still, maybe Yume was getting better at trap-making, because sometimes they did manage to catch them now. They were figuring out how to cook them, too. If they bled them quickly, seasoned the meat with strong herbs, and flavored it with salt, they could be pretty tasty.

The grocery store sold salt, but a tiny bag cost one whole ruma. It was pricey, so they were stingy with how they used it.

In Well Village, though not quite every day, they would see visitors here and there. They were of many races, but all of them covered their faces, so they seemed to be aware of the rule for entering the village. Perhaps it wasn’t only Well Village that did this; perhaps it was a rule that held true all across this world, or all across this region.

Visitors primarily came for trade. Some came to sell, some came to buy, and some to do both. The ingredients at the grocery store were gathered by a number of people from Well Village, or brought in by hunters like Scarecrow-san.

The residents of the stone building still hadn’t shown themselves. Haruhiro and his party more or less recognized all the others.

The lookouts on the five watch towers and the guard at the well worked in shifts, and there were nine of them in total, as far as Haruhiro could tell. They were apparently allowed to eat at the grocery store without paying.

Outside of those nine, the blacksmith and everyone else had to pay to eat. Furthermore, the residents of Well Village only ate once, maybe twice a day at most.

Well, due to budgetary considerations, Haruhiro and the party were doing the same.

They couldn’t hold anything resembling a proper conversation with the residents. Thanks to that, they hadn’t been able to get permission in advance, and it had taken some courage to go ahead and try it, but they had managed to bathe safely at the riverside in Well Village. When they’d gotten carried away and tried to pitch a campfire there, too, the well guard had come over and put it out without letting them say anything, so apparently doing that was against the rules.

It was cold and unpleasant sleeping without a fire. That made sleeping outside preferable.

Thus, by the time they were spending their nineteenth night in this world, their money on hand had reached more than 4 ruma, and they had developed patterns in their lifestyle.

4 ruma was worth only four meals, two days’ worth of food. It was no great amount of money, but even having just a little bit saved up gave them some degree of comfort. For the moment, Haruhiro was holding all of the black coins as the shared property of the entire party, but when they saved up more, he intended to give everyone their own share. Then he could buy a little of this, a little of that. Little dreams would open up to him.

“But, man,” Ranta said, rolling over in bed, “we can’t go on like this forever. I mean, I’m tired of digging through the mud.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re tired of it...” Shihoru was huddling by the fire with Yume and Merry.

The three of them had bathed before Well Village’s gate had shut for the day, so, somehow... they seemed strangely radiant, and Haruhiro couldn’t stand to look at them directly. Funnily enough, when he looked too long, he got kind of aroused. But curbing his baser desires was Haruhiro’s specialty.

Yeah. Maybe not? Maybe not...

How were Ranta and Kuzaku handling it? Was Kuzaku occasionally sneaking off and doing you-know-what with Merry? Though, if that was going on, even Haruhiro would have to notice. Yeah, it didn’t seem like they were. Were they holding themselves back? They didn’t have to. There was already little enough to enjoy here. A little fun would do them good. It was necessary, in fact.

But clapping Kuzaku on the shoulder with a smile, telling him they could go at it all they want, and that it was A-okay... that seemed wrong, somehow. Or rather, Haruhiro could never do it...

Lying on his back, Kuzaku sniffled a little. He apparently had a cold. “...Feels like our efficiency is dropping. Well, that’s just the sense I get. We haven’t cleaned the place out yet—but it’s looking like we’ll need to go into the poisonous snake-infested areas or the ones where the four-eyed beasts always show up eventually...”

“How’s about goin’ a little further out next time?” Yume had her cheek up against Shihoru’s chest, and she was hugging Merry at the same time.

Damn, Haruhiro was jealous... No, no, no, no, no.

“There was a road past the charcoal burner’s place.” Merry seemed a little tired. She looked drowsy.

“I’ve been curious about that, too, actually.” Haruhiro stared into the fire. O flames, bring me to my senses. Please, he prayed. “Like, is there another village out that way, or something? Or maybe a bigger town? Though, even if there is, I’m not sure it matters to us.”

“Anyway, that’s our number one candidate,” Ranta declared with a click of his tongue. “Other than that, we could cross the Corpse Swamp and head south. Heading downstream along the Lukewarm River’s an option, too. There was something in the riverbed, but if we put our minds to it, we can deal with whatever it is.”

Haruhiro kept staring into the fire, never looking away. “But it’s not like we have anything to go on.”

“Are you stupid, Parupiro?” Ranta said scornfully. “It’s a brand new world, damn it. There’s no way we’d have anything to go on.”

“Well, yeah, but you don’t think things through enough.”

“Call me bold and fearless,” Ranta declared. “Well, you know how it is. Figuring all of that out is the task at hand. But we’ve got another task to accomplish, don’t we? An important one.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Shihoru plugged her ears. “It can’t be anything good.”

Haruhiro looked over towards Shihoru despite himself, then instantly regretted it. Yume had her face practically buried in Shihoru’s chest, while Merry was leaned against Yume, her eyes half closed. He wanted to punish himself for carelessly thinking, Hey, share some of that warmth with me.

“I’m saying, we could end up living here forever.” Ranta took on a serious tone, completely out of character for him. “We’ve gotta be ready for that... you know?”

“Hey, now...” Haruhiro struggled to find a response. “What are you saying? This is so sudden.”

“It’s a fact, and you know it,” Ranta replied. “I’m not wrong, am I?”

“Hope is—”

“—not lost yet, is that it? Oh, come on, Parupirorin. Don’t you start talking like some hotblooded hero. You’ve never been that positive and optimistic. Face facts. We may never make it back home. If so, we’ve gotta live here until we drop dead.”

Merry took a deep breath, held it, and then gently exhaled. She was gazing absently into the fire.

Shihoru started to open her mouth, but she said nothing.

Yume let out a weird groan.

“You say we may never make it back home.” Kuzaku sat up. “But where is home? Grimgar?”

“Huh?” Ranta cocked an eyebrow and glared at Kuzaku. “What’s that supposed to mean, Kuzacky?”

“Nah, was just thinking about it. It seems like we weren’t always in Grimgar, after all.”

“Sure, but we don’t remember anything from before,” Ranta said.

“Well, yeah...”

“Don’t talk about stupid stuff,” Ranta shot back. “Besides, the issue I’m bringing up now has nothing to do with that. Get a clue. You damn moron...”

“You didn’t have to go that far, though.”

“Huh?! You looking for a fight, pal?! I’ll take you on!”

“Quit it.” Merry stopped them.

Normally that would have been Haruhiro’s job, but his mind was elsewhere.

“We’re looking for a way back to our original world,” Shima had whispered to him.

Back, Haruhiro thought. Back to our original world. What did that mean, anyway?

Haruhiro touched the receiver hanging from his neck through his clothes. With all that had happened, it wouldn’t be strange for Soma to contact them. Secretly, he was hoping he would. But the receiver had shown no signs of vibrating. Did it not work across worlds, maybe?

Haruhiro shook his head. No use dwelling on it. He and the others were here. Here, and nowhere else. They were in another world, not Grimgar, nor the Dusk Realm.

They might be spending their whole lives here. The possibility had, of course, crossed his mind before.

“Ranta,” Haruhiro said, “I knew without you having to tell me. It’s... entirely possible that could happen. I know that much. But so what? Even if we prepare ourselves to accept that, nothing will change, you know. What we’ll have to do won’t change. It’s all the same.”

“Moron. Are you stupid? There’s no way it’s the same.” Ranta got up, punching his right fist into his left palm. “We’ve gotta propagate, damn it! In other words, baby-making! Ba-by-ma-king!”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaa...” Shihoru held Yume tight.

“You—” Haruhiro was at a loss for words.

Merry shook her head as if to say, Unbelievable.

Yume looked simply dumbfounded.

“The thing about Ranta-kun is,” Kuzaku muttered, “no matter what happens, he’s always Ranta-kun.”

“So, with that decided!” Ranta hopped up, looking around at all of them. “Let’s decide on couples! We conveniently have three guys and three girls! With three pairs, if you each pump out about ten brats, we’ll have a population of thirty-six people in no time! How’s that?! As for me—Well, this is just, you know, part of the project to leave behind descendants, so I won’t be picky, but, yeah, if I had to choose, I want... Hm...”

“I refuse.” Shihoru raised her hand.

Without missing a beat, Merry did likewise. “Absolutely.”

Yume stuck out her tongue. “Yume says no waaaay!”

“Heeey, come on, come on.” Ranta stuck his left hand on his hip, waggling his right index finger and tut-tutting them. “There’s no refusing or saying no here. This is a project with our future in mind. Don’t be selfish. Guys and girls can’t make babies without one another, so you’re gonna cooperate whether you want to or not. It’s your duty, damn it.”

“Don’t just try to push this project forward on your own, man...” Haruhiro muttered.

“Shut up, Parupyuronosuke. I’m doing this because you’re hopeless. Oh, I get it, I get it! It’s not like I think anyone here loves me, okay? There’s no helping that. I’ll put up with the leftovers. Okay, first up, Kuzacky.”

“...Huh? Me? What?”

“You have any preferences? Which of the three do you want?”

“Whaa—” Kuzaku put his big hand on the back of his head, looking down. “Uh...”

There was no need for him to answer. But, honestly, Haruhiro was kind of interested in what he’d say. He knew how Kuzaku felt, but how would he express it in front of the others? Maybe he wouldn’t. Would he try to joke his way out of it?

“What’s wrong? Hurry the hell up!” Ranta shouted, spittle flying everywhere. “Fast! Make it fast! Hurry up! Hurry up! Huuuuryyyyy up!”

“Hmm...” Kuzaku crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Wasn’t he taking too long? Haruhiro glanced at Merry to gauge her response.

Huh? That’s not what I expected, thought Haruhiro.

He had thought she would be acting awkwardly, or anxiously waiting for Kuzaku. But she wasn’t. Instead she was holding her knees tight with both hands, with an expression like she might apologize at any second. What was with that? Was it a, Sorry to put you on the spot, Kuzaku, or something like that?

Well, maybe it was, but it felt off somehow. It wasn’t like Merry. “Like Merry”? Did Haruhiro know Merry well enough to say what was and wasn’t like her? It wasn’t like he didn’t know her at all...

“You’re so indecisive!” Ranta stomped his feet. “Make it snappy! For tits, go Shihoru! For the face, go Merry! If you’re into freaky shit, go Yume! That’s all it boils down to, right?!”

“...Can we bury this guy?” Shihoru asked in a tone so dark it would make you shudder. “All of us together.”

“I vote yes.” Merry stood up, wiping all expression from her face.

“Gotta get ’im ready for an easy buryin’ first.” Yume smiled broadly, drawing her machete.

“Wait, what?!” Ranta fell on his rump and backed away. “Stop talking about burying me, and discussing how to do it, okay?! Okay?! Let’s stop this! Please?! I get it, I’ll stop! Okay?! I’ll be more careful in future! I mean, it was all a joke, okay?! You don’t have to take it so seriously, do you?! I wasn’t serious, so forgive me, I’m begging you! Seriously, seriously...!”

With Ranta’s kowtow, the conversation instantly died, and everyone went to sleep on their own. Haruhiro had a hard time getting to sleep. There was a lot floating around in his head.

What about Kuzaku and Merry? he wondered. Are things going well between them? I mean, in this situation, they really don’t have time for it, huh? But if it has to happen anyway, I want them to be happy together...

He tried to pretend to be a good guy, but it just made his chest hurt.

Besides, what’s happiness anyway? I don’t even know...

They slept, and woke to the cry of the giant chicken that heralded the coming of morning. A new day had begun.

For now, they crossed the bridge into Well Town and drank from the well. Once they had washed their faces at the riverbed, it was time for an enjoyable breakfast.

That was the plan, but there was someone at the grocer’s already. Of course, it wasn’t strange that there would be a customer, but this one caught their attention.

“...That guy.” Ranta pointed at the customer. “Isn’t he a little too human?”

The customer who had just accepted a bowl of bug soup from the giant crab grocer had two arms, two legs, only one head, and no tail. He stood maybe 180 centimeters tall. Taller than Haruhiro, shorter than Kuzaku. He wore a wide-brimmed hat, or rather, a braided hat made of dry grass woven into a shallow cone, as well as a scarf covering the lower half of his face, and an overcoat that went down to his knees. In addition to the ax-like weapon at his hip, he had a large backpack filled with swords, a crossbow, and more tied to it. He was like a walking arsenal.

The customer shifted his scarf aside and brought the bowl to his mouth, turning his face up a little as he sipped at the bug soup. When the broth was all gone, he picked up the solid ingredients—which was to say, the bugs—with his fingers, tossing them into his mouth and chewing them with gusto before swallowing.

There’s no way he’s human, Haruhiro thought for a second, but it wasn’t that strange that a human might like the taste of bugs.

The customer said “Ruo keh,” and returned his bowl to the giant crab grocer before turning towards the group.

“Oh?!” Ranta jumped backwards, taking a posture that let him perform a kowtow immediately if need be. That piece of trash (and slime) should have stopped calling himself a dread knight and started calling himself a kowtow knight.

Still, it was true that the customer’s stance was intimidating. Even with all the heavy gear he was carrying, he stood there as if it wasn’t heavy at all. The way he was standing, his center of gravity was stable. He could move quickly in any direction he pleased. There was no needless tension anywhere in his body. He had no openings, you could say.

It felt like, This guy is good, maybe...?

Kuzaku brought his hand to the hilt of his sword, then slowly let go of it, exhaling as he did.

“Is...” Shihoru said.

Is what? Haruhiro wanted to ask, but he couldn’t.

The atmosphere was awfully heavy.

Yume groaned, and Merry tried to say something. That was when it happened.

“You people.” The customer spoke. “Could it be, you’re human?”