Bonus 3: I’m Uneasy, So I’m Confused About Her

It had been a month since I moved to the village of Elna.

I now made my living as a hunter.

Fortunately, animals and monsters had begun returning to the forest where the miasma had cleared. Of course, the scars ran deep, and it was far from being back to normal. Even so, seeing life slowly regain its strength was a relief.

Early afternoon.

With my partner Galatein in one hand, I stepped out of the house.

“Oh? Lord Raiga. Off to hunt?”

The village chief—whose real name I finally asked for after feeling that “chief” was far too roundabout—Rillud, called out to me.

He looked like a man in his thirties at most, but as an elf, he was actually over three hundred years my senior.

“Yeah. We’re about out of the game from the last hunt.”

It had only been about two weeks since I’d brought down several plump wild boars, but they’d been devoured at a terrifying pace… not by the two of us alone, of course.

It seemed the elves of this village had fully awakened to the joys of eating meat—made all the worse thanks to Yuto’s delicious cooking. Every time I went hunting, they’d try to strike a barter deal.

I wondered if this was how Japanese people reacted the first time they had beef hotpot during the Meiji era.

Well, since we had no livestock or fields of our own, it was a welcome situation for us.

“…That said, I really wish you’d drop the ‘Lord.’ I’m not Gala. Yuto told you too, right? We’re just villagers.”

Rillud was the chief. There was no reason for him to attach an honorific to a mere villager like me.

—Then you should drop the polite speech too.

That’s what she would probably retort if she were here, but that’s just how I was, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Oh no, no. You two are the saviors of our village.”

The elf before me said that with a grin.

“But if you insist, perhaps I should make it a chief’s order that you give us priority on fresh meat?”

“…You’re something else.”

“Fufufu, I’m joking. Still, I do hope you’ll continue to favor us.”

“I’ll be dividing it equally.”

After exchanging a light farewell with the playful Rillud, I headed toward the nearby forest.

By the time I noticed the sun was starting to set, I was leaving the hunting grounds.

Today’s results could be summed up in one word: bountiful.

Two deer and five bird-like monsters whose names I didn’t know.

I had already bled them and removed the guts. With this much, we wouldn’t have to worry about meat for a while.

I broke them down with Galatein and packed them into the cases I’d brought. I had thought I’d left plenty of room, but they were full in no time.

Naturally, it was a considerable weight, but I lifted a case with one hand.

Unlike Yuto, whose body had once nearly vanished, I had retained the “Hero” power I inherited from her. That meant my inhuman strength was still very much intact.

I had been focused on the hunt for quite some time. As I relaxed, my stomach let out a loud growl.

Tonight’s dinner… was curry, I think.

Just picturing the smell of those distinctive spices made my mouth water.

Maybe I should run back.

The thought made me chuckle at myself.

—Like a little kid.

Back on Earth, both Yuto and I had lived alone. That meant we’d come home to an empty place day after day.

Yuto aside, in my case, if I was hungry, I could just eat out before heading home, so the thought of hurrying back because my stomach was empty was something I hadn’t done in ages.

Now, someone was waiting for me when I came home.

I found myself at peace with how natural that had become.

—Let’s take it slow.

Thinking that, I wanted to savor the anticipation of dinner for a little longer.

Enjoying the land sinking into dusk, I made my way home on foot.

“I’m home.”

I had been so absorbed in the scenery that by the time I realized it, it was already fully night.

Usually, light from the lamps would be spilling out of the windows, but they were dim, and with a hint of doubt, I opened the door.

…Pitch darkness.

“【Fire Seed】”

I lit a small flame at my fingertip and, using the faint light as a guide, made my way down the hall.

The lamp should be around here somewhere…

“I found it.”

I transferred the flame to the silver lamp, and instantly the room brightened.

This would make searching a lot easier.

“Hey, Yuto?”

Where could she be?

Though I wondered that, I headed toward the living room.

No answer at all, which made me worried.

—Soon enough, I found Yuto.

She was slumped over the table, asleep.

She was resting her head on her arm, but I wondered if it was comfortable.

Looking at her face, she was sound asleep, peaceful and happy.

Her vulnerable profile stirred something inside me — something I desperately tried to suppress.

Honestly, the first day we came to this village was bad, too.

“Do whatever you want,”

I had said, but I remember the unease in her eyes afterward.

Her shoulders trembled slightly after she closed her eyes.

…To be honest, I really wanted to hold her close in my arms.

I barely managed to stop myself from letting my desires overwhelm the small body in front of me.

Two things kept me from crossing that line.

One was the fear of being hated by Yuto.

The other was the terror that maybe this was something she did out of guilt.

Yuto denied it.

But if these feelings were just my selfish assumptions…

“…We have plenty of time, huh.”

I recalled Yuto’s words and let out a small sigh.

Then I decided to wake her up.

“Sorry, you fell asleep.”

I woke up to Raiga shaking me gently.

When I noticed, there was a blanket over my shoulders — he must have covered me so I wouldn’t catch a cold.

“I was folding laundry and started dozing off…”

“No, it’s fine. But I’m starving, so can you make dinner now?”

“Okay, got it. I’ll warm it up, just wait a bit.”

The pot was full of curry.

Because Raiga eats a lot, I have to make plenty. I also have to share some with the elves in the village who catch the smell.

Making a large amount isn’t a problem, but warming it up takes time.

There’s no microwave in this world, after all.

So I had no choice but to ladle some into a small pot and heat it up.

“Hey.”

I turned toward Raiga’s voice.

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

He immediately took back what he said.

“What was that?”

I asked, confused, but he just fell silent after that.