"Hello," I greeted Hotaru as I stepped into his house. My friend was already awake. He was sitting at a table, drawing. Yesterday, Rangiku had given him paper, a brush, and ink so he'd have something to do while he couldn't engage in anything too active. Still, he needed to go for walks — and I was going to make sure he did.
"Karasumaru!" he smiled. "What's this?"
"Traps!" I said proudly.
Five large steel traps. Very cool stuff. We'd found them in the basement. Apparently, before Momoto-san, the place had belonged to a hunter. And while we were sorting through the basement in the morning, we accidentally stumbled upon these traps. I even figured out how to use them.
"They're better than the ones we have. With these, we'll be able to catch even bigger game."
"Are you sure we can find something like that in the forest?" Hotaru asked doubtfully.
"If we go deeper."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"We won't go particularly deep. We'll just set the trap and leave. We're not fool, after all."
"I think it'll be interesting," he nodded.
When we found these traps, I immediately knew what to do with them. Hotaru needed fresh air, and it would be good for him to help everyone with something. Not only would it help him get better, but it would also boost his self-esteem. The boy always thought of himself as a burden — so let him show everyone that he could be useful too.
I tried not to think about the fact that Hotaru's life could end far too soon. It was better to live in the present than mourn something that hadn't happened yet. Maybe everything would be fine — and if not, I'd do everything I could to make sure he didn't regret the life he had.
"Get dressed and let's go," I said. "We're going to get some meat!"
"Yeah!" he answered happily.
He quickly got dressed and stepped outside. Picking up the traps, I headed toward the forest. Better to leave before anyone noticed us. Hotaru carried the bait — acorns and a small amount of porridge. Let him help too, but don't make him work too hard.
Deep in the forest, we walked as quietly as possible, trying not to attract attention. There might not be predators near the village, but you never knew what could wander in.
"Karasumaru-kun!" Hotaru called. "Look!"
He pointed at a pair of cute fox cubs that had jumped out of the bushes.
"How cute they are!" he smiled.
The fox cubs, as if understanding him, wagged their tails. They were probably hoping to beg for something to eat. But all we had was the onigiri I'd brought with me. Yeah, crafty little things.
"You're right," I nodded. "Cute, fluffy, well-fed," I added, licking my lips.
The fox cubs seemed to understand me and tensed noticeably.
"Look at all that meat. Enough for everyone." Their tails froze mid-wag, and they clearly started planning an escape. They must have mastered telepathy out of fear, because it genuinely felt like they were talking to each other.
"No!" Hotaru exclaimed. "You can't kill them! They're so small!"
"All right, all right," I waved my hand. "Go on!"
The fox cubs bolted instantly.
We continued on. Hotaru walked slowly; he tired quickly. But I was in no hurry, so I calmly waited for him. He'd spent too much time in bed — he simply couldn't walk for long. We were lucky to be souls, even if close to alive. We wouldn't suffer the terrible joint problems and stiffness that humans would after such prolonged immobility. Yes, he's not feeling well, but he's recovering quickly. Isane had done her best.
It was a pity that the price of his good health had been so high. But I hoped everything would turn out well.
This story had to have a happy ending.
"Karasumaru-kun," Hotaru asked quietly. "Do you really want to become a shinigami?"
"Yeah," I smiled. "It's my only chance to learn the truth about myself — and also to try to change this world. The strong can change everything. And I want to become the strongest!"
"Cool! Can I become a shinigami?"
"You can. Probably. You feel hunger and thirst, which means you're stronger than ordinary souls. So you need to train."
"I'd like to become a doctor like Isane-san," he said softly. "Besides, she's so beautiful…" My friend blushed.
"Yes, I agree," I nodded seriously.
"Rangiku-san is also a very good person."
"Hardly," I muttered. "She's a terrible slacker, a terrible bore, and she enjoys bullying the weak and small."
"You're exaggerating," he said with a wave of his hand.
"Sure. Once you get better, you'll get to know her better — and then you'll understand what I mean."
"He he!"
"Once you're recover, I'll teach you a couple of moves to practice."
"Yeah!" he rejoiced.
I really wanted to keep that promise… and hoped I would be able to.
When we reached the place, we set the traps, placed the bait on top, and covered everything with leaves. There, it seems to be ready.
Then we hid and waited. And I had a feeling it would be a long wait.
We sat, ate snacks, and chatted about nonsense. It felt good. The onigiri were quickly finished, but I didn't bring any water. Luckily, there was a river nearby with clean, drinkable water.
The cool water felt wonderful. It had rained yesterday, so the stream was quite strong. And judging by the clouds, it would rain today too. Maybe tomorrow as well.
Returning to the trap, we heard something.
Someone snorting.
We crouched down and carefully approached the bushes.
Peeking out, we saw a large boar with its leg caught in the trap. The boar was large. I would even say huge, big, gray, with sharp tusks. That will be enough for Marked for a long time.
"HA! It worked!" I rejoiced.
Oh, I shouldn't have said anything.
The boar turned toward us and snorted. It swung its leg and easily threw off the trap.
"Oh, darkness! Run!"
Grabbing Hotaru's hand, I jerked back.