Chapter 7: The Old Wolf.
A while later, Haruki was kneeling on the ground, his face full of remorse. Kazuka was also kneeling, the spoon still in his mouth, his face also full of remorse.
Aiko was walking back and forth around the two of them, holding a stick in her hand.
"Hmph! You two are something, daring to criticize my chicken! Now you both have to apologize to me!"
"You can only stand up when you are sincere."
By noon, Aiko was sitting with Kazuka, drinking tea. Kazuka lifted the teacup and took a sip. His face scrunched up.
"Eww, what kind of tea is this? It doesn't taste good at all."
Aiko also lifted her teacup, her expression savoring the taste.
"You have to learn to appreciate it! Drinking tea is to calm your mind."
"Huh? How can my mind be calm with such awful tea?"
"Alright, forget about the tea. Will you go shopping with me later?"
"Huh? Shopping?"
"Yes, shopping. I think your clothes are no longer clothes."
"Come with me later, and I'll sew you a few sets, okay?"
Kazuka shook his head, looking reluctant to go.
"No, I won't go. I find these clothes very comfortable to wear. I won't be used to wearing new ones."
Aiko looked at Kazuka seriously.
"No, you must. Last time, when I came to pick you up for my wedding ceremony, I planned to sew you a new outfit, but you ran off to hunt tigers!"
After saying that, Aiko pointed to a large iron cage, inside which three tigers were lying.
"Now, how about this: I will sew you a few sets of clothes just like the ones you are wearing. Will you agree?"
Kazuka nodded.
"Yes, that's fine."
A while later, the two arrived at a fabric store. Kazuka was standing with his arms outstretched while a man took his body measurements. Aiko stood beside him.
"Alright, I'll come back in two days."
The shop owner replied, "That's fine."
On the way back, Kazuka asked Aiko, "Hey, is Brother Haruki a knight? Why is he still here, then?"
Aiko looked down at Kazuka and replied, "He has to go back to the town soon. He will be leaving next month."
"Huh? Today is May 20th. So, he will leave in 10 days?"
"Are you going to be sad?"
Aiko's face looked pensive.
"Of course, I will be sadder. Fortunately, I have you to keep me company."
Kazuka then spoke in a more serious tone.
"Sister, listen to me, please don't be sad, okay?"
"I will probably be leaving in about 10 days too. You must take care of yourself."
Aiko's face was surprised, then it darkened. Her eyes looked down at the road beneath her feet as she walked.
"Is that so? Where are you going?"
Kazuka looked at Aiko's face, which had a hint of sadness.
"Don't be sad! If I have free time, I will come back to visit you. I will be bigger and taller and definitely stronger by then."
"Come on, smile!"
Kazuka turned away, pouting.
"I shouldn't have told you. Now you're sad."
Aiko turned back, her cheeks puffed out, her hands on her hips.
"Huh? What's this? Are you trying to pout back at me?"
Kazuka turned back and laughed, "Haha."
Aiko's face was no longer gloomy. It had returned to its usual cheerful state.
"So, where are you planning to go?"
"I am going to the place where Brother Haruki's master is. He said that if I go there, he will teach me how to use energy."
Aiko stopped walking. Kazuka saw this and stopped too. Aiko's face became serious as she looked at Kazuka. Confusion was clearly visible on Kazuka's face.
"Hey, why aren't you walking?"
Aiko grabbed Kazuka's shoulders, her face grave, her eyes looking straight into his.
"Listen, that place is very dangerous, do you know that? It is full of people who can kill anyone they don't like."
"Ah, Brother Haruki warned me about that too."
"Oh, well, that's good. Did he say anything about his master?"
Kazuka's face looked like he was trying hard to remember.
"I think he mentioned it, but it was nothing important."
Aiko put one hand on her forehead, shook her head, and sighed.
"That man is very dangerous."
"Huh? Dangerous? Why didn't he tell me?"
"Yes, he is very dangerous. He is a wolf, not a human."
"When I followed Haruki there, he initially threatened to eat us both. Haruki also has a scar on his back, but it was inflicted by that old man."
"Training with him can be life-threatening."
"That sounds dangerous, but the fact that he is a wolf is also very interesting!"
Aiko sighed, feeling helpless.
"Oh, you boy! When I went along to take care of Haruki, I saw that old man throw Haruki into a monster's den. Then the old man just went back home and played around."
"I was so worried that I had to run to the edge of the pit to give Brother Haruki food supplies. After training for over a year, that old man kicked Haruki out."
"Actually, I don't know the reason why. I just saw the old man shake his head, and then Haruki was expelled."
"But generally, what I mean is that training with him is extremely dangerous, so you must be careful. I know you are still going to seek strength, but you must be cautious."
"You are my savior. If something happens to you, I will only blame myself."
Kazuka sighed.
"Come on, Sister, don't take on those worries. I will be fine. I will also remember your warnings."
"I will definitely become stronger one day. Hehe, just thinking about the scene where my grandfather once cleaved an entire forest with a single slash makes me excited and want to become even stronger."
Aiko's face was surprised and curious.
"Oh, your grandfather was that strong?"
Kazuka's face was full of pride.
"Of course, he was very strong."
"What was his name?"
"My grandfather? His name was Hiroshi. He was missing one eye. I asked him why he was missing an eye, but he didn't answer. He must have gone through something he didn't want to talk about."
Aiko's face was pensive.
"Oh, so that was your grandfather's name. I haven't heard of it, but hearing you say he was very strong, he must have had some reputation. But maybe it's not famous in this area."
"Maybe so, Sister. I came from the East, and that place is very, very far from here. That's all I remember."
"When I got lost, I just kept going straight, so it must be very far. If you asked me to find my way back now, I would probably have forgotten."
"Ah, that's right! I'm getting a new sword soon. Brother Haruki took me to forge a sword the other day."
"Oh, really? I hope you become even stronger with your new sword."
Suddenly, Kazuka felt around his body, his face panicked as he searched for something. Aiko saw this and was curious.
"Hey, what are you looking for?"
"My whistle! Where did my whistle go?"
Aiko asked back, bewildered.
"Huh? What whistle? Why haven't I heard you mention it?"
"The whistle that my grandfather left me before he passed away! I always clip it to my pants' elastic band, but now it's gone!"
"What does the whistle look like?"
Kazuka was running around in a panic, looking everywhere.
"It's shaped like a small hand, but it looks like it's clenched tight! It's tiny, about the size of my three fingers."
Aiko also panicked, looking around the road.
"If it was your grandfather's item, we absolutely must find it!"
Aiko remained silent for a moment, as if thinking about something.
"Here's what we'll do: I'll run back along the road we just walked, and you run back to the house to look for it, okay?"
The two voices spoke up, panicked.
"Then be careful, Sister!"
"Yes, hurry up and find it! It's getting dark soon!"
Night fell. The sounds of owls and crows cried out everywhere, but one place was even louder. It was Kazuka. He was sitting in the house, crying.
Aiko immediately spoke up to comfort Kazuka.
"It's okay. Tomorrow, Haruki will look with us too. We will definitely find it."
"That's right. It's dark now. If you go out, you won't even be able to see the road, let alone find it."
Kazuka continuously wiped his tears and snot, his voice unclear.
"But what if someone steps on it? It's made of jade and is easily broken."
"It's okay. Just go to sleep. We'll continue looking tomorrow."
But the two looked at each other. Their eyes seemed to understand what needed to be said. They knew that if the boy didn't find it, he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep. That was the only thing he treasured left.
A while later, Aiko and Haruki quietly went out to look for the whistle.
Night enveloped the town. The weak light from the glowing stones placed on a black pillar only emitted faint light.
After walking for a while, they heard a strange sound—a sound like someone's hand scratching a wall, followed by a sound like screaming. Surprise and panic filled Aiko and Haruki's minds. Haruki drew his sword as a precaution.
Following the sound, they entered a small alley. A dark shadow was sitting in the back corner of the alley. Getting closer, it was a girl.
When she saw the light approaching her, the girl became panicked and shouted loudly.
"Who... Who are you? Don't take me! I don't want to be turned into a slave!"
Aiko and Haruki slightly lowered their guard when they heard the girl speak.
Haruki held up the lantern to illuminate the front. When the light shone on her, the girl immediately covered her eyes because of the glare.
It was a girl with black hair and torn clothes, holding a boy in her arms. Both looked very thin, as if they had been starved for a long time.
Haruki spoke up, breaking the atmosphere of panic.
"Calm down... Calm down. We mean no harm. We only came here because we heard strange sounds."
Aiko glanced at the girl in front, looking closer. There was something in the girl's hand. Aiko suddenly realized it looked exactly like the whistle Kazuka had described.
"Hey girl, did you find that whistle?"
She froze, looking at her hand. Then she looked at Aiko and Haruki. Her voice slowly rose, but this time, it was not as frantic as before.
"If... If you only need this, then leave us alone."
Haruki continued to reassure the two.
"Don't worry... Don't worry. We mean no harm. If that is the whistle, please let us have it back. But you two must be very cold out here. If you can, please come to our house."
The girl's expression changed again. She waved her hand in front of her and shouted loudly.
"Don't even think about tricking me! I won't be fooled by you! You want to capture me and make me your servant, don't you? If so, I will bite my tongue and kill myself right now!"
Aiko spoke up, her face serious, exuding an aura that forced the girl to remain silent and listen to Aiko.
"Calm down, girl. If we were slave traders, we wouldn't be traveling in such small numbers, and we are not carrying any iron chains."
"Our purpose is to find that whistle, but seeing you like this, we cannot ignore you and only want to help. We are also residents here, and we would not do such things."