Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 14.1 - Chapter 3.01

1. Not There

“Unngh? It’s gotta be here, right? The hunters’ guild...” Yume crossed her arms and frowned.

“...P-Probably.”

Beside her, Shihoru was fidgeting. She always was. Maybe Shihoru liked fidgeting.

“Yep,” Manato said. “This should be the place.”

Manato had brought them here, and he said it was, so that was that.

They were in Alterna, the northern part of it, in a corner of the North District. Close to the gate in the north, the North Gate, there was a building surrounded by a wooden fence.

“Okay, Yume’s gonna get goin’, then,” Yume announced.

“...T-Take care,” Shihoru stuttered.

“Do your best,” Manato smiled.

Thinking, Manato’s smile, it’s such a smile! Shihoru’s voice, it’s so tiny! Yume tried to climb over the fence.

“Y-Yume!” Manato stopped her.

“Nuh? What’s wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong, but you don’t have to climb the fence. It looks like there’s an entrance over there.”

Looking over in the direction Manato was pointing, he was right—a part of the fence was a gate, and it was open. If she went through there, she could get in.

“Wah!” Yume cried. “Yume, she didn’t realize at all. Climbin’ is tough, so that’s good. Thanks, Manato.”

“Do your best,” he said after a pause.

“Yeah. Yume, she’s gonna do her best! Shihoru, Manato, you do your best, too! But, y’know, what’s Yume supposed to do her best at, huh?”

“Th-That’s...” Why did Shihoru look ready to cry? “We won’t know until we go...”

“Guess not, huh. Shihoru, you feelin’ lonely?”

“...Huh? Wh-Why...?”

“Aren’t you cryin’ a little?”

“I-I’m not... crying... I-I’m fine.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, that’s good, then. So long! See you later!”

Yume went inside through the gate. There was a big yard on the other side of the fence, and a number of pens. The pens had dogs in them, and when Yume looked at them, they started barking.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “That was a surprise! There’s no need for barkin’ like that. Yume, she’s not here to do anythin’ bad.”

Once she said that, some of the dogs stopped barking, but some of the others wouldn’t stop. It was a bit scary, but she approached and clicked her tongue at them.

“There, there. It’s all okay. Ahhh. If only Yume had some food on her. She didn’t bring any. Sorry about that...”

“Hey,” came a voice from above her.

When she looked up, there was a man sticking his head out the window, and the bottom half of his face was all beard.

“You there, what are you doing?” he demanded.

“Hoh?”

“No, not ‘hoh’! Tell me who you are, you!”

“Yume’s Yume, right?”

“Oh, I see. So you’re Yume, are you? For now, get your hand out of there. The dogs bite.”

“Meow? They’re lickin’, not bitin’. See? You wouldn’t bite, would you, little pup?”

“...Well, those are no ordinary dogs,” the man said. “They’re wolf dogs, made by crossbreeding wolves and dogs. They’re more fierce than a dog, but more obedient than a wolf. Not that it matters, I guess.”

“Wolf dogs? Whoooooooooo!”

“Wh-What? What is it?”

“They’re cute,” Yume said happily. “Wolf dogs. Yume, she wants to make friends with a wolf dog.”

“No... I’ve been asking, what are you? Please don’t tell me you intend to join us.”

“Us? You mean join you, old man?”

“O-Old man...? Well, I am an old man, but... sure, in the eyes of a young girl like you, I wouldn’t be anything but an old man, but...”

“Dad, then? That seems wrong.”

“I’m not your pops,” the man snapped. “This is the first time we’ve met. Do I really have to say this? It should be beyond obvious that I’m not your dad.”

“Oh, it’s obvious? Hm...”

“Wait, don’t get so depressed!” He looked alarmed.

“Okay! Yume’s not gonna get depressed! She’s gonna do her best!”

“R-Right. Good luck... What are you going to do your best at, anyway?”

“Nuh?” Yume nibbled on her index finger, cocking her head to the side. “Yume, is it okay if she does her best? You know, she’s not really sure about that yet. She did just get here, after all. Ah!”

“Wh-What is it this time?”

“That’s right! Yume just got here! You know, here?”

“Ohh. You’re one of them, huh? A volunteer soldier trainee, right?”

“Vole and deer soldier trained bee...?” Yume nodded, clapping her hands. “That’s it!”

“You just said... something completely different. Anyway, you’re a volunteer soldier trainee, and you’ve come because you want to join the hunters’ guild, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah. That’s it.”

“Well, then stop playing with the dogs and get inside already... Hey. Hey. Hey! Wait, what are you doing?!”

“Fwuh? What? Yume’s goin’ inside the pen, isn’t she?”

“Not the pen! No, the building! Get inside the guild buildeen—”

“Buildeen?” Yume repeated.

“I tripped over my tongue, that’s all! Ugh, that’s enough of this. I’ll come get you, so stay put!”

“Got it! Yume’ll stay here waitin’ for the old man to come get her!”

“...Stop it with the old man stuff.”

“Well, what should she call you, then?”

“It’s Itsukushima.” The man sighed, then slowly enunciated, “It’s I-tsu-ku-shi-ma. Don’t get it wrong... because I have the feeling you’re bound to.”

“Itsitsukushima?”

“Only one ‘its’!”

“Itsukushima!”

“Right. Now, listen. Until I get down there, don’t you take a single step. Got it?”

“Yes, sir! Itsukushima!”

“...A fine response, but no honorific? I can already tell you’ll be a handful.”

Itsukushima sighed again, then pulled his head back in the window.

Yume decide to play with the wolf dogs until Itsukushima came.