"Oh, finally!"
"Hehehe, been waiting for this."
Iruka remarks with exasperation at the white fox's behavior. In response to her declaration, the soldiers gathered around the campfire start gathering their desired items from the bucket one by one.
As the soldiers formed their own group and began drinking and reveling, Iruka turned to the servant and posed a question, her voice laced with intrigue, "How about you? Are you going to drink?"
The servant shook his head, his voice carrying a sense of duty, "No, I have the night watch duty. I'm good," he assured. "You can go ahead and sleep if you want. Just don't drink too much. We'll take turns later, after all."
"Heh, what a boring guy."
Iruka sighs at the servant's response, opens the bottle of booze she obtained from the storehouse, and drinks directly from it. She also grabs pickled vegetables from the storehouse, biting into a whole pickled radish and crunching it.
"Heh, aren't you the carefree one? Don't you lack a sense of tension?"
"Didn't I say it before? Life is short and thick."
In response to the servant's impression, Iruka confidently proclaims her philosophy. It was an unmistakable expression of her true feelings. In these times, it's ridiculous to hold back and have regrets. Iruka had made up her mind to live and die in a straightforward and honest manner.
"...It's not like I have any complaints about your view of life. After all, I haven't lived a life where I can preach about it either."
The servant shrugs his shoulders with a mix of genuine exasperation and self-mockery, sipping his tea. Iruka pauses her drinking, observing the servant intently.
"...What's wrong?"
"Take this!!"
"Ouch!?"
"Whoa!?"
Immediately, Iruka forcefully yanks a part of the servant's hair. The servant involuntarily screams in pain. Startled by the scream, the white fox girl next to them wakes up in a dazed state.
"Hehehe, your reaction just now was pretty good, huh?"
"You...!?"
"W-What happened...!?"
Iruka stands up, laughing gleefully, while the servant slightly accuses her with a teary voice. Meanwhile, Shiro, still groggy and confused, looks back and forth between the two. By the way, the soldiers of the group were observing the scene with amusement from a little distance away. They were purely enjoying the spectacle as entertainment with their drinks.
"This pickled radish is no good. The pickling is halfway done. I guess I'll go find some other side dish."
"Don't you dare come back ever!!"
As Iruka heads back to the storehouse, the servant shouts insults at her. The bewildered Shiro looks around, unable to understand what is happening, while the soldiers burst into laughter. With that commotion behind her, Iruka leaves the scene, laughing heartily.
Unfortunately, the sight of her secretly tucking the torn hair into her pocket remains hidden in the shadows and unseen by anyone. Her expression, as if she had bitten into a bitter bug, also...
* * *
"Is it still snowing..." I said, my voice tinged with weariness, as I emerged from the main building of the station, clutching a bucket filled with straw and sigh as the cold air brushes against my cheek. The blizzard has been going on for over a day now.
"But... it seems like the intensity is weakening a bit. If these conditions continue, it might calm down by tomorrow."
I walked towards the station's stable to feed the horses, I looked up at the sky and predicted the upcoming weather. The snowstorm had surprisingly lasted longer than expected, but it seemed like the weather was slowly improving. Well, it better improve, or else we would be stuck in this abandoned station for days, which I wanted to avoid.
"At this rate, we'll be leaving tomorrow?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah. We're planning to depart tomorrow morning."
When I turned around in response to the voice behind me, I saw Hikorokurō, dressed in a leather outfit with only cold-weather gear, having removed his armored helmet. I affirmed his words and stepped into the stable.
Inside the stable were nine horses, seven of which were ridden by the soldiers of the group, and the other two were the ones we brought along. As soon as they saw me, they neighed eagerly as if they had been waiting. The horse with a distinctive blue mane stood out the most, vigorously shaking its body, demanding hay.
...By the way, the horses originally left at the station had only a few bones and dried blood clinging to the walls. That's the situation.
"Are you heading north?"
"...Why do you ask?"
I fed the horses by peeking my head over the fence while Hikorokurō stood at the entrance of the stable. I gave him a puzzled look, trying to decipher the intention behind his words. However, there was no need because he stated his purpose.
"My companion and I will accompany you. Any objections?"
"Huh?"
I tilted my head in confusion at his casually spoken words. Beneath my expression, I furrowed my brows.
"Do you understand what you're saying?"
"You're quite different from when we were in the county capital. You've got a foul mouth, don't you? Huh?"
Hikorokurō responded to my question with a deflective remark.
"Don't dodge the question. What's going on? Our job here isn't a picnic, you know."
"Gosuke and Yahachirō intend to return to the capital. The rest of us will accompany you and head north."
"Why again? I'm telling you, the danger might be greater here."
In response to my observation, Hikorokurō smirked and entered the stable. He reached into the bucket I was holding and started feeding their own horses.
"It's not a whim or recklessness. Of course, it's not out of sympathy either. It's just that... from our perspective, the local area is in danger. We can't just tuck our tails and run."
"I see... I understand."
I momentarily puzzled over Hikorokurō's words but quickly comprehended and agreed. The imperial army consisted mostly of local residents, except for the higher-ranking commanders.
"I understand your reasons. But what do you plan to tell the authorities?"
"There. We were ordered to recruit volunteers from various villages and stations, but no clear instructions were given after that. And you have a letter from the governor, don't you? That can be useful."
"Facilitate supplies and accommodations... huh? But stretching it to include manpower is an expansive interpretation. I might get criticized later."
"But you and your group are just three people, including the kid, right? Don't you need more manpower?"
"You can't put your own needs ahead of others, huh..."
I couldn't help but nod at Hikorokurō's suggestion. Honestly, these soldiers, who tried to touch Yukine... no, Suzune and the others, were a handful. But that's how it was. Hikorokurō's words were rough, but his gaze was serious. It seemed that he, too, felt a sense of crisis about his own village being ravaged by the Namahage, and there was even a hint of impatience in his expression.
"Understood. I will allow you to accompany us. However, I have two conditions."
"What are they?"
"First, you must follow my warnings and orders. You and your group are amateurs when it comes to curses and yokai, right? You struggled even against those weaklings the other day. I'm not being conceited, but I have more knowledge in that area than you do. I don't want you to do anything foolish and make the situation worse."
"...And the second?"
"You need to improve your behavior. Don't act like you did in the capital the other day towards my companions, fellow travelers, or villagers we encounter along the way. If you can't do that, then you'll just be a hindrance."
Hikorokurō glared at me for a moment in response to my proposal. He glared for a moment... then sighed in frustration.
"Fine, I got it. You really hold grudges, don't you? Don't worry, that day was unexpected for us too. And it was night duty on top of that. We had drinks and were annoyed. Onitsuki, right? That bratty maid was also getting on my nerves. ...Hey, hey, don't give me that look. We won't do something like that again. That werewolf is scary too."
As soon as he mentioned Suzune, Hikorokurō hurriedly tried to explain himself, sensing my hostility. His words seemed genuine. It appeared that being overwhelmed by Iruka and collapsing had traumatized him to some extent. It was convenient in a way.
"...Sigh. Here."
"Hm? What's with your hand?"
"It's a handshake. I'm not planning to boss you around with a nod of my head. I show sincerity to those who cooperate... Or perhaps, you don't want to touch hands because I have spiritual power and might be a monster?"
I said with a slightly sarcastic and playful tone.
"...You really do have a good personality."
In response to my words, Hikorokurō briefly widened his eyes, but then quickly put on a genuinely displeased expression. And as if responding to my call, he tightly gripped my hand...
...
...
...
"...By the way, you. Your hand has been chewed by the horse since earlier."
"What?! How many arms are you chewing?!"
Immediately after Hikorokurō's remark, I hurriedly withdrew my hand from my mouth, along with the hay, and vigorously slapped the cheek of the blue-haired dark horse that had been eagerly nibbling on it.
It was the story of the night before we departed from the station...
