Chapter 2: An Acquaintance.
The scene shifted to a boy standing on a sharp rock outcrop. He wore black clothes that were slightly ripped and dirty, and a knife, about the size of two adult hands, was strapped to his hip.
With an excited expression, he raised his right hand slightly above his eyes, as if shielding them from the bright sun to see clearer ahead.
The boy was standing on the mountaintop, looking straight down at the valley situated between the mountains.
There were two rabbits jumping around a pond in the middle of the valley.
The boy crouched low in the tall grass near the two rabbits, then shot out with great speed, his two hands grabbing straight onto the rabbits' forelegs. He stood up with a radiant smile.
"Ahaha! Today I have something good to eat! I have been eating wild berries lately; I can barely stand it anymore!"
Kazuka held a rabbit skewered through the middle with a stick, biting continuously into the roasted rabbit. His face clearly showed a bright, happy, and very cute expression.
"So delicious!"
Then he took the other rabbit, which was hanging by the fire, cut it into pieces, and put them into a small bag.
"Last night, I saw light coming from the East. There must be people living in that direction."
"I wonder if I can find friends there?"
"I am so excited!"
In Kazuka's mind, the image of his grandfather appeared.
"Grandson, one day you will find friends. Friends who will accompany you on your journey ahead, who will help you without fear of danger."
"They will listen and share stories with you. You will not feel lonely when they are by your side."
"Those friends will help you become stronger. If you have flaws, they will be the bandage that wraps tightly around you, helping you become more complete."
Kazuka asked, "So, you have friends too, Grandpa?"
"Haha, of course," and he rubbed Kazuka's head.
Kazuka was running and singing, his excited face clearly showing. Ahead was a small town; its wall was only about 1.5 tharn high.
Wait, that was incorrect. This was just a village with more people than normal villages. The defensive wall was merely to protect them from outside monsters and wild beasts.
It was, accurately, a measure to reassure the people living there. It could only fend off a few small monsters, tigers, or wolves.
Kazuka ran straight toward the city gate but was stopped by three men wearing armor and carrying spears. They each had a sword strapped to their hip. They appeared to be the gate guards here.
"Hey kid, where are you from? Don't you know you need to present a badge to enter this place?"
Kazuka looked confused, tilting his head to the side as he asked, "A badge? What is that?"
The soldier in front of Kazuka turned beet red after hearing him speak. He glanced at the boy again, his expression fierce.
"Are you a beggar? You little beggar, what are you doing here? You can't enter without a badge. Get out of here so we can work! You filthy beggar!"
Kazuka replied, "Huh? I'm not a beggar. Please let me in, Sirs. I came from a far-off place."
"No badge means no entry! If you ask me again, I will kill you, you beggar kid!"
After yelling at Kazuka, the man drew his sword from its scabbard, his face ferocious, and pointed the tip of the sword straight at the boy's face.
Kazuka, scared by the threat, looked down sadly, his face lowered to the ground. A few tear drops fell from his shiny eyes.
"I didn't do anything, did I? I'm not a beggar."
He walked over to a stone bench by the path leading into the gate. His eyes were teary, his cheeks puffed out, yet he continuously stuffed pieces of roasted rabbit meat into his mouth, chewing rapidly. His appearance was very cute, but also pitiful.
Just then, a carriage drove straight toward the city gate. It was not luxurious, but no farmers had one either, indicating that the person inside had some wealth. Outside, a driver held the reins of the horse with one hand.
"Hurry up and go!"
The curtain on the right side of the carriage was pulled open, revealing a girl with sea-blue hair, black eyes, and a refined face. She looked out the window and saw a boy eating while crying.
Aiko Mai's face immediately broke into a radiant smile.
"Hey driver, stop the carriage for me!"
Sitting next to Aiko was a man wearing white armor, with his sword resting right below his feet.
"Hey Aiko, take it easy! Where are you going?"
Aiko did not answer the man, seeming not to hear clearly. She jumped down from the carriage and ran straight toward Kazuka.
"Hey Kazuka, do you remember me?"
Kazuka looked up, still eating.
"Huh? Who are you, Sister?"
Aiko kept her bright and beautiful smile, her eyes looking straight at him.
"It's me, Sister Aiko, Aiko Mai!"
Kazuka's face turned surprised and then joyful, like a child who just saw his mother return from afar.
"Ah, Sister Aiko! What are you doing here? I remember we said goodbye, and you headed North that time!"
"I only went North for work. My home is here."
"But why are you sitting alone here, crying? You look so pathetic."
"I wanted to go inside, but those three people wouldn't let me and told me to show them some kind of badge."
"Oh, I see. Let me help you get inside, okay?"
Kazuka's face lit up again.
"Woah, really, Sister?"
"Of course."
The man who had been silently observing from behind finally spoke up.
"Oh, so this is the boy who saved us from the wolves and monsters, is that right?"
Aiko answered, "Yes, this is him. Don't underestimate Kazuka; the boy can pull up a tree with his bare hands."
Kazuka raised his right hand and flexed his muscles as if to confirm Aiko's words.
"Let me introduce you. This is my fiancé; we are about to have our wedding ceremony. His name is Haruki Avic."
"He is a knight!"
Kazuka looked up, staring directly at Haruki.
"Woah, you are a knight? You look so cool!"
Haruki's face immediately became smug upon hearing Kazuka's praise.
"But you are not handsome."
Haruki's expression instantly changed, no longer radiant, but very gloomy.
Aiko looked toward Haruki and chuckled.
"Alright, get into my carriage. I will take you inside."
Inside the carriage, Kazuka ran from left to right, his face clearly showing excitement.
"Woah, there are so many people here!"
"Do you still want to find friends?"
Kazuka put both hands on his hips.
"Of course! I must find friends today when I enter the town," Kazuka smiled after speaking.
Kazuka ran toward the window on the right side. Since his shirt was quite loose, a small part of his back, near his chest, was visible.
Kazuka ran past Haruki's line of sight, who caught a glimpse of something on the boy's chest through the loose shirt.
"Hey Kazuka, do you have a scar on your chest?"
Kazuka immediately lifted his shirt.
There were three parallel scars running vertically from his left shoulder down to his waist. A small body with a very large scar.
Aiko was shocked, her face showing clear fear. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with surprise.
Haruki also had a very stunned expression, his eyes looking as if he could not believe what he was seeing.
"Ka... Kazuka, this... this scar?"
Kazuka's face was still smiling as he scratched his head and replied.
"Haha, this big scar is from fighting a wolf two years ago."
"What kind of wolf could inflict such a large claw mark?" Aiko could not sit still and leaned closer to ask.
"Ah, back then I was walking in the forest looking for food when I saw a very large wolf. It seemed injured; there was a spear stuck in its back."
"That wolf was huge; it was taller than Brother Haruki. Its fur was white."
Haruki's face showed disbelief.
"That is a White Wolf! Did you really fight it? Even if it was injured, I would be afraid of it. White Wolves usually lead wolf packs. If you met it alone and injured, it is possible its wolf pack was destroyed, and it was running away injured."
"I fought it for a very long time. I killed it eventually, but it scratched me, and it hurt like hell."
"How did you survive with that wound?"
"My body was numb, and I had no strength left. I tore off my shirt and stuffed it into the wound, then I passed out. When I woke up, I saw the blood had stopped, so I threw the cloth away. That is how it became a scar like this, ahaha."
Aiko and Haruki's faces switched to disbelief with everything they had just heard.
"Ah, this place has so many people, Sister! Can you let me get off here?"
"Huh? Why here? Aren't you coming to our house?"
"No, maybe another time. I want to explore this place first."
"Okay, that's fine. Wait for me here in three days, and I will come pick you up."
"Sounds good. See you both in three days!"
Kazuka pulled back the carriage curtain, and the light shone on his face. It was a bustling intersection. The noise of people selling and chatting was deafening. He jumped down, looking up at everything around him. People were everywhere.
Kazuka was about to walk away when someone's voice called out to him. It was Aiko. She ran over to Kazuka, took his left hand, and handed him a small pouch that contained a lot of money.
"Huh? Sister Aiko, what are you doing?"
"Take this and buy something to eat."
"No, I will not take it."
Aiko put her hands on her hips, scolding him, "You have to take it, or I will get upset! When you buy something, you should ask for the price first. Otherwise, they will take advantage of you because you are small."
"Huh, but—"
"No buts!" After saying that, Aiko immediately ran off, leaving Kazuka bewildered, still holding the money pouch.
"Sigh, Sister Aiko, honestly. I told her I didn't want it."
The image of Aiko telling him to buy food reappeared in his mind. Just then, his stomach rumbled loudly.
Walking past a grilled meat stall, he looked back, then looked at the money pouch in his hand. Saliva streamed down his mouth.
"Give me a really big skewer of grilled meat, Sir. How much does it cost?"
"7 copper coins."
Kazuka searched the pouch but found no copper coins; there were only silver coins inside.
The owner of the stall immediately said, "How about this: one of my grilled squid skewers is 5 copper coins. I will sell you one grilled meat skewer and one grilled squid skewer for 1 silver coin. How is that?"
Kazuka's face broke into a smile.
"Woah, really, Sir? You are so kind!"
"Ahaha."
Kazuka held a skewer in each hand, his cheeks puffed up as he chewed the food.
"Oh my god, this is the first time I have ever eaten squid! It is so delicious!"
Walking through a small alley, still smiling, he heard a sound.
"Get out! You are nothing but stray dogs that bite your own pack!"
It was a boy yelling at the three people standing in front of him. The boy had red hair and red eyes. His clothes were patched everywhere.
Behind him was a little girl with short brown hair. Her eyes were teary and filled with fear.
The three people immediately became very angry after hearing that. The one in the middle pulled out a small dagger and smirked smugly.
"You are too annoying. I will give you a stab, alright? Nobody will care if an orphan boy dies, right?"
Upon hearing that, the boy standing in front of the three showed a worried expression.
"Ehehe, what's wrong? Are you scared now?"
The three laughed loudly. Fear was engulfing the boy and the little girl.
"Brother Takeshi, run! Just leave me!"
Takeshi's face was still filled with worry as he thought to himself.
— Damn it, Satsuki's leg is injured; she cannot run.