The Melusine I was saved by guided me to the village.
As I was strolling around, I found the woman who had just saved me behind a hut.
“Ah, is something wrong?”
“Um, I have a small favor to ask. Could you let me stay here for a while? I’ve lost all my luggage.”
As I clasped my hands together, the woman casually replied with “Sure.”
“There should be an unused hut. I’ll go look for it later. By the way, what’s your name? Ah, wait, you’re human, right? … Sonpeke?”
“My name is Arisugawa Hiroaki.”
I had no idea where she got that name from, but she was laughing to herself.
“Hahaha, I’m Remie. Nice to meet you, Hirohiro.”
Remie arbitrarily gave me a nickname and reached into a nearby barrel.
“That’s right, you’ll help my brother with fishing later. If you’re staying here, you’ll have to work a little. We’re running low on Pongpongs.”
Then, she pulled out a slimy fish from the barrel. Upon closer inspection, it was the same round, pufferfish-like fish I had encountered in the swamp. It was weak but still alive.
Remie grabbed a large kitchen knife and mercilessly began to gut the fish on a nearby cutting board. I felt a little bad, but I also wondered how it would taste. She seemed to be wrapping the cut flesh in leaves and steaming it.
“That’s called a Pongpong. I saw them when I arrived.”
“Oh, really? They’re slow, so they’re easy to catch. But when the tide comes in, they dive into the mud, so it gets difficult. It’ll be ready soon, why don’t you go call some companions?”
Since she was offering to treat me, I did as I was told and called everyone. Her family members started gathering one after another.
“Excuse me for imposing on you for a while.”
As I bowed my head, her family welcomed me with smiles. Her parents and siblings. A dog also came from somewhere.
“Wow, you guys have it tough. But since you could defeat that Boa Orc, you’re probably fine.”
Remie’s younger brother said while eating the steamed white fish wrapped in leaves. By the way, the Pongpong was light, but it was fatty and had a lot of umami, making it quite delicious.
“Later, go fishing with Hirohiro. In the meantime, I’ll find a place for everyone to stay.”
After finishing the meal, I was taken by her father and brother to help with fishing.
“The tide is coming in now. Can’t it wait until tomorrow? Well, I guess I’ll have to dive and get them.”
The younger brother, muttering something, placed me on a large bucket-like object. He started pulling it towards the river, and I held onto the edge, bracing myself so I wouldn’t fall out.
After reaching the river, we headed into the flooded deep forest. We moved slowly, weaving through the trees.
“Alright, we’ll do it here, so be careful of crocodiles.”
He said that and dove into the stagnant water. The surroundings suddenly became quiet. The sun was setting, and it was very eerie. They had given me a lantern before I came, but it didn’t make me any less scared. I didn’t know when or from where a crocodile might attack.
I felt a chilling dread, as if I were playing a horror game. What if he didn’t come back? What if I were left behind in a place like this?
Contrary to my timid feelings, Remie’s younger brother surfaced and tossed a caught Pongpong towards me.
