Chapter 157: Even Apart, We Will Always be Friends (9)

“That miso soup thing was really delicious, Wera!”

“You’ve been talking about breakfast for a while, Azui.”

In the shaking car, two small dragons with brown hair and two horns were chatting happily.

Their hair, which had regained its luster after a bath, swayed freely, and they wore T-shirts that had been handed down from Aoi and Saeki, making them look like they were in their early elementary school years.

She’s not wearing any clothes on the lower half of her body, which made her look a bit risqué, but thanks to the waistband, nothing was set free.

She seemed to be very impressed by her first human meal, and her eyes sparkled as she ate more without hesitation.

It was very funny to see her eat so much food in this form, and all the adults, including Yuri, who was struck her adorableness, encouraged her to eat this and that, and she ate it all.

Dragons eat a lot, after all. Aoi didn’t eat so much, so maybe it’s a difference in tribes. Rouge also eats a lot. I wonder if all earth dragons are gluttons.

“Hmm, Shouhei and Yuri-san’s food is really delicious.”

“Kyu?”

The little bear tilted her head as she watched Rouge nod deeply over and over again.

Rouge was wearing a tight checkered shirt and jeans, an outdoorsy style.

I guess she’s expecting to move around in the mountains.

Those are the jeans I bought her the other day, aren’t they?

The structure of clothes for a species with tails and wings is more complicated, so Rouge, who has a long tail, couldn’t wear them even if I gave her my hand-me-downs.

I was able to manage four or five pieces of clothing on my allowance, and Rouge didn’t have many clothes to go out in, so it was a necessary expense.

…Don’t tell Aoi or Rouge that I have to put up with a lot for a few months. I don’t want them to be troubled by it.

I’ll have to find a part-time job.

I don’t care if it’s close to home, but if it’s available, I’d prefer a part-time job that pays more.

I’m confident in my physical strength, so I don’t mind doing hard work, but this is the countryside. There are seasonal agricultural jobs, but there are very few jobs available for high school students.

Even if you can find one, you have to go to the station in front of the station, which is a 40-minute bus ride away, or to a more prosperous town about an hour’s train ride away.

Hmm. I should try asking Gasara and the others about the idea I’ve been thinking about for a while.

“Is this place okay?”

As I was grumbling in the passenger seat, the driver, Officer Inoue, stopped the car.

Officer Doggy, who was hungover, and my father, who had probably had too much to drink, stayed back.

The only person who didn’t drink to take care of Officer Doggy was Officer Inoue, who offered to drive us.

He didn’t want to let us go alone as minors in the first place.

Aoi and Rouge? Well, they’ve both been alive for more than 200 years, but they’re both children in appearance and mental age.

I guess they’re under the protection of the adults.

“Azui, Wera. Are we close?”

“Here, here, Jaja, Nana. It’s a big mountain.”

“Dah?”

“Ah?”

Jaja and Nana were in the baby seat for twins in the back seat, and Aoi was sitting next to them, pointing out the window.

In the back seat, Rouge was holding the baby bear, while Wera and Azui were side by side.

I really wanted to get a baby seat for the baby bear, but unfortunately, we only had enough for the twins.

So I had Rouge fasten her seatbelt tightly and secured her and the baby bear with a baby sling.

Officer Inoue, a police officer, will be driving. I’m sure he won’t tolerate even the slightest infraction.

I heard that as long as the number of people in the car doesn’t exceed the limit, you were exempted from the obligation to install a baby seat if it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t know that.

“Um, um, yes. This is probably the closest place to where the beastmen live…”

Azui pressed her face against the window and squinted at the mountain.

Well, you don’t seem very confident, do you?

“Hey, hey, are you sure?”

“We’ve never seen the mountain from the road. That’s where the mushrooms are, and that’s the river… Un, I’m sure of it.”

The calm Wera quickly followed up the uneasy Azui.

“Then, I’ll explain the situation to the people at the house we passed on the way here and ask them to let me park there. I’ll be back, so get off here and wait for me.”

“Okay. Aoi, I’ll take Jaja, can you hand me the sling?”

“Okay. Nana will go with Mommy, okay?”

“Da?”

We hurriedly got ready and got out of the car.

We watched the car slowly make a U-turn and began to prepare to enter the mountain.

With Azui and Wera assisting me, I put on the sling, holding Jaja. It was easy, but surprisingly, Jaja didn’t like it.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a baby sky dragon. Come to think of it.”

“Even the earth dragons rarely see babies. It’s natural. The last baby I saw was Azui, you know?”

“I-I’m kind of embarrassed about that.”

Azui, who was tying the straps on my back, squished Jaja’s foot.

Wera was working on the front part of Jaja’s tail, putting it in the hole for her tail.

“Jaja, say thank you to your sisters, okay?”

“Mmmm, yaya.”

Jaja lowered her eyebrows and shook her head, like her buttocks were getting itchy or something.

Apparently, the princess is not in the mood for that right now.

“Have you ever met any of the other sky dragons?”

In Aoi’s chest, Nana was completely surrendering herself to Aoi with a relaxed face. You spoiled brat.

“Before the world collision, there were quite a few of them. They told us where to feed from the sky, told us that beastmen were nearby, and came to rest before the storm. We were separated from the herd by the commotion, so we don’t know what’s going on in our home now.”

“We’re weak dragons, you see. The first human we saw was scary, so we’ve been running from place to place ever since.”

I guess dragons help each other. It’s surprising.

The three dragons I’ve met are Aoi, Rouge and Yule.

I’m not blind of my own shortcomings, but I don’t think any of them are very good at communicating with others.

That reminds me, Aoi and Rouge have known each other for a long time, haven’t they?

“Hmm. By the way, my mother was also very close with Aunt Ruby, the Earth Dragon King.”

“I heard that they had a big fight once before and then they became friends.”

A big fight between the Earth Dragon King and the Sky Dragon King, what a big nuisance that would be.

If you were caught in it, you could easily die.

I imagined the earth splitting open and spewing magma, and the sky filled with whirling storms and lightning strikes.

In the middle of the scenery that looked like the end of the world, Yule with her wings spread wide and the vaguely silhouetted Earth Dragon King were facing each other.

Wow, scary.

“After the Sky Dragon and the Earth Dragon… the only ones I haven’t met are the Sea Dragon and the Dragon Princess?”

I remembered what the Rat Sage, Alba Germain, had once told me.

There are three tribes: the Earth Dragons, the Sky Dragons, and the Sea Dragons.

The Dragon King of the Earth sunk the earth, the Dragon King of the Sky appeased the sky, and the Dragon King of the Sea purified the sea.

Finally, the Dragon Princess joined everything together…?

“I’ve never met a sea dragon before either, though my mother seemed to know one.”

Aoi responded while stroking Nana, who was relaxing with her head resting on her chest.

“Hmm. I’ve only met them once. A messenger from the Sea Dragon tribe came to the village of Earth Dragon to visit my mother. I greeted them then. The overland journey was very hard on them, my mother took them home. I heard that the sea dragons don’t come up from the sea very often.”

Rouge closed her eyes and tried to remember, tickling the little bear with her fingers as she moved her arms and legs happily in the sling.

That’s because they’re creatures that live in the sea.

I heard that the earth dragons are located in a place where humans and beastmen can’t enter, and it’s probably a long way from the sea. It must be quite difficult to walk there.

“I don’t really like… the sea dragons.”

“They talk in a difficult way just because they’re a little bit smart.”

Azui made a disgusted face, and Wera bitterly smiled.

That doesn’t sound like a good match for me, either.

If anything, Mikuma is only rather knowledgeable in her hobbies, so she’s totally fine, but I just can’t get into a conversation with someone who can study.

It’s just the backwardness and prejudice of an idiot, though.

“The Sky Dragons are free and uninhibited, while the Earth Dragons are laid-back and love peace and quiet. In the same way, the Sea Dragon is a dragon species that likes knowledge and seeks change. I’ve heard this from my mother.”

“Hmm. It seems like we’ll be able to see them when we go to the Sphere Continent, so I’m kind of excited.”

Now that you mention, the departure date for the Sphere Continent that I promised Prince Atol. It’s in three days, right?

My dad, who took a lot of time off for the Tsuk Crag incident, can’t take any more time off work, so he’ll be staying home, but the whole family will be there except for him.

In any case, Shouhei is looking forward to it the most.

I’ve heard that in this day and age, many people go their whole lives without ever going on an overseas trip.

Even though I can’t make it public, I’m being invited as a guest by Prince Atol and the others, but we’re not leaving Japan with Japanese approval, so we’re technically leaving the country illegally.

That’s why I made sure to tell Shouhei, who was itching to show off to everyone at school, to keep it to himself.

My little brother, who doesn’t brag much, must be really looking forward to it.

I wondered if it would be a diplomatic problem if I moved too fast and was found out.

We were always walking a tightrope as a family. I feel like we’re hiding more and more things every day.

Mikuma was originally planning to go to the Sphere Continent for a family trip that was separate from ours.

I’ve heard that there are only a limited number of countries that non-Demons are allowed to enter, and the only ones we’re staying in are Dailan and a few neighboring countries. Maybe we could meet up with them there.

“Oh, there’s Officer Inoue.”

From the other side of the road, Officer Inoue came running towards us. It seems like he was able to borrow a parking space.

“Hmm. Let’s go. Can’t wait to see your mom, right?”

“Kyuu!”

The little bear replied cheerfully to Rouge’s question.

When you see a face like that, how can you not try your best?

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

I was sweating behind Officer Inoue as he stretched his back.

We quickly entered the mountain, and Azui and Wera led us up the mountain.

We must have been climbing for about an hour.

We had passed over two small mountains and were now halfway up a rather large mountain.

We were now in the middle of a large mountain, surrounded by mountains, and the sparse man-made structures on the roadway were long gone.

“Watch your step, Aoi.”

“I’m fine though?”

Yeah, she does seem to be really relaxed.

Huh? Actually, the biggest hindrance in this group is… me, isn’t it?

The three earth dragon girls climbed up the mountain with great speed, and Aoi was as fast and steady as if she were on level ground.

Officer Inoue also assessed the route with a somewhat practiced gesture.

As for me, I was struggling with the unfamiliar mountain roads and unstable footholds, in addition to the weight of Jaja in my arms.

I put a towel over Jaja’s head and managed to keep up with him while weaving through the growing branches and grass.

This is not the time to be worrying about others. In fact, I’m the one who should be worried about the most.

“O-Officer Inoue. It looks like you’re good with the mountains.”

“Do I? I’ve only climbed a few times with friends when I was a student. But you can’t be too careful. Mountains are really scary. I should have packed my gear in the car.”

A mountain that requires equipment is not normal mountain climbing. Are you planning to attack the mountain?

I mean, this guy can do anything, really!

“Hmm. Don’t worry officer, there are three earth dragons. They won’t get lost and they’ve chosen the safest path.”

“Yes, yes, this mountain is our garden, so we can take a gentler path than the walking path, right?”

“Besides, our destination is not far from here and we’ll be back before dark.”

It’s not a metaphor, but the dragons are jumping ahead of us on the mountain road.

When the difference in physical ability of the races is shown like this, I can’t help but feel frustrated.

“Ada! Dah! Dah!”

“Jaja, you’re full of spirit, too.”

Jaja seems to be very happy with everything, from the vibration of me walking to the sound of the trees shaking.

She almost reached out and grabbed a leaf, which really freaked me out. Don’t do it, you might cut your hand!

“Dah!”

Jaja was really enjoying this situation right now as she occasionally patted my sweaty face. I envy her.

“Is Nana alright?”

“She’s sleeping soundly.”

Sleeping! She’s really going at her own pace!

If you look, you will see the towel in Aoi’s chest that Nana was wrapped in, moving up and down regularly.

I thought I didn’t hear any voices from earlier, but… I didn’t think she’d ever fall asleep in this situation.

No, maybe she has peace of mind because Aoi is so good at walking around the mountain with so much confidence. It’s a little frustrating.

“Kunepi-san, if it’s difficult, I can carry your bag for you?”

Diapers and other light items were in the bag I was carrying.

Officer Inoue was carrying the milk and water bottles. It’s very important to keep hydrated, so I brought more than enough.

“No, it’s fine. I have a man’s pride.”

“Huh? Oh, is that so?”

My pride won’t allow me to let a girl carry my luggage while I enjoy myself!

Aoi seemed to have no idea about the psychology of such a worthless man.

She tilted her head in puzzlement.

In the end, it’s all about self-gratification. It’s cute, right?

“Shh.”

Azui, who was walking at the front of the group, put a finger to her mouth and bent down.

Wera slowly passed Azui and put her ear to a large tree that was growing nearby.

“…Yeah. You’re right, Azui. I can finally smell them now. I think there are five or six beastmen a little ways from here. I can hear their footsteps. How did you know?”

“Those beasties do a lot of things with burning pine branches, don’t they?　Even from here, I can smell the smoldering pine on their bodies.”

Huh?

“Do you? Smell it.”

I felt like they were saying something amazing, and I asked Aoi to try it out.

“I don’t know, and I think I have good hearing, but I can’t distinguish the sound of footsteps when there’s so much wood scraping in the wind.”

“Hm. The Herb Dragons are a tribe of earth dragons with a very good nose, and I think their senses are the best of the dragon species. They don’t have the power to fight, but they are sensitive to signs. They also grow special herbs to protect themselves. Some of them are very effective medicinal herbs, and some of them are hallucinogenic. As I recall, the smell is important to check the growth.”

Wow. Those little dragons are amazing.

“I’ve heard that when that not-so-pretty rat sage cures dragon illnesses, he gets herbs from them. Herb dragons are indispensable to the dragon species. But they are really weak. Very, very weak. Maybe Kunpei can make them cry right away.”

“… Are they okay? Shouldn’t someone take care of them?”

Suddenly I felt uneasy. I’m not sure how those two feeble-looking people could have survived all this time.

“Can’t they just move into the woods behind the house?

Aoi tugged at the hem of my shirt, looking worried.

“Hmm. I’ve got a feeling that would be better for them too. As long as the forest is there, they can survive, and I’ll have peace of mind if I’m nearby.”

“I’ll ask them. If they want, we’ll bring them back. I don’t think we can leave them alone.”

Azui was just like a defenseless child when she was eating breakfast.

They’re wary of humans, so it’s probably a good thing that they’ve been living in hiding until now.

If they want, they can have dinner and take a bath at my house.

… Let’s ignore the financial issues for now.

But what do you think? I’ve heard that it’s not a good thing for dragons to gather in one place. But I’m not sure if leaving them here is a good thing or not either.

“What?”

“What’s wrong?”

Azui, who was sniffing around, and Wera, who was looking at her proudly, turned to us.

“Hmm. We’ll talk about it later. Anyway, how long until these beastmen get here?”

“Yes, I think it will be about ten minutes. And they’re coming this way, too.”

That’s quite a distance.

“If we head towards them, we might give them the wrong idea, so let’s just wait here.”

Officer Inoue suggested while taking out a water bottle from his shoulder luggage.

That’s right. It would be less likely to be misunderstood if the other side found us first, rather than meeting us while we were walking.

I don’t want them to suddenly come face to face with me and point a weapon at me.

“Hm, you’re going to meet Mom and Dad soon, ok?”

“Kyu!”

In Rouge’s arms, the little bear made a happy sound.

“Let’s sit down. Let’s get some water and drink while we can. Are the babies okay?”

Before I knew it, I was looking at Jaja, who had ripped the towel off her head and was playing with it, chewing on it, and Nana, who had completely surrendered herself to Aoi and was sleeping with her thumb in her mouth.

“Yes, Jaja looks as happy as ever, and Nana is… well, she’s sleeping.”

“Nana, if you fall asleep now, you won’t be able to take a nap anymore.”

Yes. Aoi is very happy as usual.

“Here, Jaja, the little bear is going away, so why don’t you talk to her while you can?”

“Dah?”

Jaja looked up when I called her.

I leaned over and urged her to go to the baby bear, and she continued to stare at me for a while, gnawing on her towel.

“… Niheh”

“Kuh-ah!”

Ah, how cute.

Both of them made eye contact and smiled at each other.

“Yeah, It’s almost time to say goodbye…”

I didn’t miss Rouge’s slightly sad face as she smiled.