EP.11 Negotiation -2
EP.11 Negotiation -2
"Ah...!!"
I had let slip something that should never have left my mouth.
Hati's demand was so out of nowhere that the words escaped before I could stop them.
What was I supposed to do...?
Depending on who heard it, those words could cause deep offense.
I could not think of anything beyond, 'I was screwed.'
"Pfft...!! Ahahaha!!"
Oblivious to my feelings, Yata merely laughed...
I wanted to grab her and ask if she thought fanning the flames of a burning house would somehow help.
No, before that, I had to apologize to Hati quickly.
"W-Wait! That's not what I meant...!!"
"Human."
"Eep! I-I'm sorry...!!"
"...What does masochist mean?"
"Huh...? M-Masochist, you don't know what that means?"
"Regrettably, my knowledge of human vocabulary is not extensive, so I do not know what masochist means. Though I do know that pervert means one who changes into a different state."
Wh-What a relief...! Saved by an unexpectedly innocent wolf!
He didn't know what masochist meant, and he understood pervert in a completely different way.
In that case, I just had to give a vague excuse and move on.
How should I phrase it...
"Hrk...! A masochist, you see? It refers to those who take hits without flinching, so they're fine with taking even more hits!"
"Hm? In other words, you mean warriors who display fighting spirit despite their injuries?"
"Krhaha...!! Exactly...!"
"I see, so a masochist pervert is one who is reborn as an indomitable warrior! Then yes. I am a magnificent masochist pervert!"
"Puhaha!! Ahahahahaha!!"
"Yata!!"
While I had been fretting over how to explain, this crow had taken the initiative and injected weird knowledge straight into the innocent wolf.
Yata, who had made the wolf directly call himself a masochist pervert, was clutching her stomach and laughing uproariously.
"How could you explain it like that?!"
"Hahaha!! I didn't say anything that was technically wrong, did I?"
"Well, it's true that it wasn't completely wrong, but..."
Still, if the day ever comes when this wolf learns the real meaning of masochist...
Ugh! I could already imagine a future where I'd have to fight an enraged wolf over this.
I felt dizzy!
Yata suddenly hugged me while I was clutching my head like this.
She brought her lips right up to my ear and began whispering quietly.
"Don't worry, that idiot wolf cares about nothing but the moon. He'll live his whole life without ever learning what masochist means."
"I-Is that really true?"
"It's true. You can trust me!"
"If you say so... Fine, I'll believe you."
If it came from my companion crow and no one else, I had no choice but to believe it.
Yata sometimes did things I could not understand, yet she always declared them part of a grand design. Somewhere along the way, I had begun trusting her completely.
Of course, the fact that she was my precious Companion Animal also played a part.
"Mm! Thank you for trusting me, I truly love you, dear husband!"
"Ngh...!!"
Yata looked at me lovingly with a soft smile.
At this affectionate sight of Yata, I ended up turning my head away.
Ugh, when she came at me so suddenly like that, it made me embarrassed...
"Husband...?"
"Eeeek?!"
Meanwhile, Miho had appeared without a sound or warning.
She was leaning in through the reception room window, making her way inside. As if they'd already known she was coming, the other animals showed no particular reaction, but I had to calm my pounding heart after Miho's surprise entrance.
"I just got back, husband."
"Ah, welcome back. Miho."
A shopping basket overflowing with ingredients hung from her arm, so it seemed she'd gone out to buy groceries and had only just returned.
"A-Anyway, Miho. Why did you come in through this window instead of the front door?"
"I got a weirdly unpleasant feeling from the reception room, so I came to check, and it turned out everyone was gathered here! So I came in this way!"
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes! Though it did look like that nasty crow was trying to pull some stunt on my husband...!"
Miho shot a glare crackling with hostility at Yata.
Whether she noticed or not, Yata just smiled and played dumb.
"Hmm, so has the last Divine Beast finally gathered as well?"
"Oh? And what's this son of a bitch? When did our house turn into a doghouse?"
"Miho?!"
"It seems the people here all find it amusing to treat me like a dog."
"Well, your actual appearance is pretty dog-like, isn't it?"
"On top of that, he's the son of a bitch who hurt my precious husband."
"Oh, no...!"
The two companion animals were casually flinging curses containing the word 'dog' without a care.
This was bad. This was a fight waiting to happen.
When even saints might struggle to endure such words, if a prideful Divine Beast was mocked as a dog? There was no way he wouldn't get angry.
"I'm sorry...!! I'll apologize on behalf of both of them! Please, just hold back from fighting!!"
When I even lowered my head deeply and sincerely apologized to the wolf, the reply that came back was unexpected.
"Human...? Why are you apologizing to me?"
"W-Well, because you must be angry after hearing what they just said...?"
"I do not particularly get angry over such things. Compared to my great father, I am indeed a mere pup."
Hati truly seemed unbothered, as calm as could be. But this ice wolf's demeanor was so completely opposite to the fake wolf I'd encountered before that it gave me a strong sense of dissonance.
"B-But when your duplicate, the wolf, was called a dog, it flew into a rage...?"
"That is a limitation of my ability. My duplicates are ice given new life. They are not born with my memories, so their mental age is markedly low and they tend to follow only their instincts."
"So your duplicates aren't something you control, but entirely separate entities from you?"
"Correct. A me that does not possess memories of my great father, and a duplicate that knows it is a fake—it can only be more ferocious than I am."
It was a false self that knew the real one existed somewhere else.
Under those circumstances, if the fake had no memory of ever receiving proper care or education and had to live possessing only a certain level of knowledge, then it really couldn't help but be aggressive.
After all, if I had to live knowing the real me was somewhere else while I possessed not a single precious memory, I'd probably come to view the world negatively too.
"When you use that ability, don't you feel any discomfort or guilt? Even if they're fakes, another version of yourself dies or acts recklessly...?"
"I do not. Before they are lives, they are creations of my power. Many grow attached to what they create, but I do not. If I cared for every creation, I would only impose limits upon my own ability."
"I see..."
You could call it cold-hearted, but I couldn't bring myself to reproach him for it.
He must have his own thoughts and values.
They're simply different from our thoughts and values—that doesn't make them wrong.
So saying anything to him would be the wrong thing to do, which meant I couldn't say anything at all.
"In any case, the wolf you encountered is an entirely different being from the me here now, so there is no need to be so wary."
"Got it. Then can I ask just one more question?"
"Ask as many as you wish."
"Unlike your duplicates, you came to talk with us and even made demands of us. Does that mean you aren't bound by the Divine Beast Rules either?"
"No, if I can follow the Divine Beast Rules, I shall. It is simply that the Divine Beast Rules are lower in priority than my own goal."
"So you came to us, who should normally be your enemies to fight, because you needed something?"
"That is so."
"Then if we agree to your demand, what will you do for us?"
"That is not for me to decide. It is for you to decide."
He was telling us to name our own compensation for granting his demand.
A problem that was simple yet perplexing.
"Hah..."
Honestly, I had no idea how to approach this.
If we didn't give Hati what he wanted, we'd immediately become his enemies, so refusing his request wasn't an option.
Then what should we demand from him as compensation? The key was figuring out what he would accept in return.
"Dear husband, can you leave this negotiation to me?"
"Hm? If you'll do it, I'd be grateful."
"Great! Then I'll get our money's worth, so look forward to it!"
Yata sat down facing the wolf with a mischievous smile.
I'd only learned this recently, but when Yata got serious, she smiled exactly like that.
A smile that looked deliberately obnoxious, as if laying the bait to make her opponent easier to toy with.
She genuinely looked like a chef pondering the delightful problem of how to cook something tasty.
"Wolf, you clearly understand that for every give there must be a take, yes?"
"Of course."
"Then we have two demands for you. Is that alright?"
"I shall hear them, and if they are things I can fulfill, I will be as accommodating as possible. However, would it be acceptable if I also added one more demand?"
"You can't."
"Why is that?"
"The reason we're making two demands of you: one is compensation for granting your demand, and the other is compensation for the damage caused when your duplicate seriously injured our dear husband."
"Was that incident not the doing of my duplicate acting on its own, rather than something I did?"
"Did you forget what you said with your own mouth just now? The duplicate is also a part of your power. Even if there was no will of yours behind it, in the end, your power made my husband get hurt, so we must receive compensation."
Yata poured out her words without hesitation, taking a hard-line stance with zero intention of backing down.
Right now, she was the very image of the female pontiff I'd seen at the Yata Church's assembly before.
Yata usually behaved like a prankster, but when it mattered, she became more serious and commanding than anyone. That contrast was uniquely hers.
"Hmph, a sound argument. Very well, I shall graciously accept two demands."
"Good, I'll tell you our demands. First: never interfere with us again."
"To what extent do you mean by interfere?"
"Just everything. Don't attack us, obviously, and don't do anything that seems like it could cause us any harm."
"Fine, I accept. What is the next demand?"
"Next: prevent the other Divine Beasts of the north from attacking us. That's all."
"By other Divine Beasts, do you mean ones like Yeti or Wendigo?"
"I mean including them, and all Divine Beasts of the north."
"That is unreasonable! In the snowfields of the north, there are Divine Beasts who have been established there far longer than I. Preventing all of them is something beyond my capability!"
"Don't worry, those old geezers of the north find even moving around too troublesome, don't they? The ones you'd need to keep in check are the hot-blooded ones, the ones you can handle well enough."
"Hm, then there is no major problem, but even so, it seems that demand does not tip the scales fairly."
Indeed, this demand was something you could easily call excessive on our part.
For Hati to prevent other Divine Beasts from acting was behavior that could easily violate the Divine Beast Rules.
It was no different from telling Hati, who generally sought to follow the rules, to break them.
So even for Yata, this was a demand that would be hard to get Hati to fully accept.
"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that?"
"Why is that?"
"We already dropped a meteorite once while fending off your duplicate. You must know that we showed off our power to the Divine Beasts living in the north and nearby, right?"
"Yes, for it was upon witnessing that spectacle that I came to seek you out."
"And yet, you're asking us to summon another meteorite, aren't you? Obviously we can't summon it here. So where do you think we'd have to drop the meteorite again?"
"There would be no choice but near my nest, where no life exists."
"Now then, what will the northern Divine Beasts think when they see a meteorite fall again? They'll naturally think we're threatening them. The anxiety that builds up will soon turn into anger against us, and ultimately, we'll end up fighting the Divine Beasts of the northern region. All because of your selfish desire!"
"Hrmm...!!"
A perfect checkmate.
There was no other word to describe the situation.
I was in awe of Yata's logic, which had made accepting a demand I thought would be difficult the only option.
"Then you should take responsibility for it, should you not?"
"Hah... I am defeated. I accept the second demand as well."
"You should've just come out with that from the start!"
Yata had successfully concluded the negotiations. She immediately turned toward me, making a victory V sign and grinning smugly.
"How's that~? Was I cool enough to make you fall for me?"
"Yeah, that was some magnificent negotiating, the kind I couldn't even hope to imitate."
"That's not true, dear husband. You can show off some magnificent negotiating skills too, you know?"
"I can...?"
"Mm, right here, for instance... ♡"
"Nguh?!"
Yata began gently caressing my groin area.
She gave her lips a suggestive lick with her tongue and began licking her chops.
"I can look forward to tonight, right? A physical negotiation with my dear husband ♡"
"W-Wait...!"
At that instant, a ceramic teapot whizzed past right between Yata's face and mine.
The teapot slammed into the wall and shattered with a crash! The noise silenced the clamorous atmosphere instantly, and I could tell who had thrown it without even looking.
"...Have you lost your mind, crow? My husband told you to negotiate. I don't recall him telling you to deploy bedroom arts."
"Haven't you heard of the dialogue of the flesh? That's a perfectly legitimate form of communication too."
"Is that so? Then by that logic, me slapping your face right now would be a perfectly legitimate dialogue of the flesh too, wouldn't it?"
"As if I'd ever be in dialogue with an unreasoning beast."
The two of them were fighting heatedly, as always.
It looked like it was my turn to talk with the ice wolf now.
"Sorry, those two don't get along."
"I knew without being told."
"Right. Then I'll take over the conversation from here, if that's okay?"
"Mm, I do not mind."
"Then I've got something I wanted to ask about your demand too. Why are you asking us to fire a meteorite for you?"
"As I said before, to swallow the moon is my dearest wish. And the meteorite you summoned—while smaller than the moon, it was still of considerable size. I wish to test myself against that meteorite."
To swallow the moon, he first needed to swallow a meteorite.
The fake Hati before hadn't even been able to block it, let alone swallow it, but the real wolf, many times stronger than the fake, believed he could do it and had confidently come to challenge it.
In other words, what we'd done had stirred the wolf's competitive spirit.
"So that's what it was..."
I felt embarrassed at myself for having thought of this wolf as a masochist pervert.
I was reflecting on it now, but how was I supposed to apologize to this wolf for calling him a masochist pervert...
"Human, is there nothing more you wish to ask?"
"One more thing. Our negotiations ended well, but how can we trust each other?"
I couldn't exactly present a human contract to a Divine Beast.
But neither could we just exchange promises based on nothing but a request to be trusted.
We knew little about one another, so trust was bound to become an issue.
"If that's the issue, I've brought something good. Dear husband!"
"Huh?"
In the middle of her ongoing fight with Miho, Yata tossed something to me.
An object with a fair amount of volume yet surprisingly light.
Its identity was...
"An owl feather...?"
"Impressive, crow. I did not expect you to prepare something like this."
"Oh? You know what this is?"
"That feather belongs to Minerva, a Divine Beast who dwells in the eastern forest region."
"Minerva?"
"The owl Divine Beast of wisdom and contracts. If a vow is exchanged using this Divine Beast's feather, it must be kept no matter what happens."
"Even if you later have a change of heart?"
"Regardless of the mind, the body will move to keep what was promised. It is said that no Divine Beast in this world can undo this power, so a contract made using this feather may be regarded as absolute."
"While you were unconscious, I popped out to go get that feather! I'm quite close with that owl, you see!"
She really had prepared everything meticulously down to the last detail.
That was Yata, our household's proud and endlessly capable crow.
Now if only she'd get along with the fox, she'd be utterly perfect...
But since that seemed like something that would never happen even if I died and came back to life, I decided to give up on it early.
"Then shall we proceed with signing the contract now?"
"Certainly. I swear to keep the promise."
"Good, then we swear too."
As soon as we exchanged our oaths, Minerva's Feather floated into the air.
Once it had floated to a certain point, the feather began to glow brightly as if about to reveal something, but then it abruptly started to turn transparent.
Soon, the feather vanished completely into the air, and a long silence descended upon us...
"...What? Is that it?"
"Yes, that is all."
"I figured something incredible would happen since it's a Divine Beast's feather, but that was surprisingly nothing special, huh?"
"It may lack flashiness, but the performance is absolute, so don't worry, dear husband! There's a reason people say simple is best, you know?"
"You think so...?"
I wouldn't have minded something a little flashier, honestly.
In any case, it was undeniably a very anticlimactic sight.
"Now that the contract has been established, I shall take my leave. Come to where I am once you are ready."
"Ah, right..."
After the anticlimactic spectacle came an anticlimactic farewell with the ice wolf.
Then, almost as an afterthought, we agreed to revisit the north.
Everything had ended almost anticlimactically.
But...
"Snowball fight! Can do again!!"
"Ah...! Aaah...!!"
Tia, who'd woken up at some point, realized we'd be going back to the north and her eyes were sparkling brilliantly.
And the words that burst out of that Tia, astonishingly, went beyond energizing my entire body—they gave me goosebumps.
