Nia Serita
“……I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s alright.”
“…I’m truly sorry. To do something so rude to someone I’ve just met.”
On a bench tucked in the corner by the well sat a woman who couldn’t even look me in the eye. She kept her face buried in her hands, head bowed low in response to my calm reply. Her name was Nia Serita—a pretty, kind person who had spoken to me in a gentle voice and even helped quench my thirst. Seeing her hanging her head like a criminal didn’t sit well with me at all.
So I deliberately sat down right beside her and kept my tone light.
“I didn’t feel bad about it. Please don’t worry.”
“…Ahaha.”
My sincere words finally coaxed a slight softening of her expression.
“I was surprised when you suddenly hugged me, but I felt relieved. I realized you weren’t trying to hurt me.”
“…R-really?”
I spoke as if it were nothing, but the truth was I had been quite flustered only moments earlier. I was simply keeping my face under control thanks to hard-earned experience. I couldn’t check, but my cheeks were probably still faintly flushed.
Anyway, the situation could be summed up like this: a short while ago I had half-lost my mind and doused myself with water. I must have looked like a drowned rat. Right after, I felt a gaze boring into my back and instinctively turned toward Ms. Nia. The instant our eyes met, the highly excited woman rushed over and hugged me tightly without a word—flinging the paper bag full of ingredients she’d been carrying onto the ground in the process.
Her ragged breathing and flushed face had been a little frightening, but the result of that impulsive act wasn’t bad. It was completely different from the near-assault by a man at the entrance. This was pure worry, free of lust, and a deep human-to-human fondness. It felt like the way someone might treat an adorable animal they simply couldn’t resist, which was exactly why I could tell it was the purest form of goodwill.
Besides, the brief moment of bliss when my face sank into that soft chest really didn’t require explanation.
…It feels like that last part was the main reason, but anyway, I came out of it with a nice little gain(?).
Being in a girl’s body is surprisingly useful in situations like this. Note taken.
“By the way, are those ingredients okay?”
“Hm? Oh, they’ll be fine once I wash them. Don’t worry. If necessary I’ll prepare a separate portion for Berry.”
I cut off my wandering thoughts and spoke while looking at the dirt-covered ingredients. Ms. Nia’s response was breezy. Since they were going to be cooked anyway, a little time on the ground didn’t matter.
It seemed my following her home was now decided. As I smiled awkwardly at her subtle offer to treat me to dinner, she spoke again.
“Berry is from the 7th District, right?”
“7th District? I’m not sure.”
“Oh, you’re not? Then where are you from? Don’t tell me the 1st District?!”
“……I, um, came from outside.”
“Outside? You mean somewhere beyond even the 11th District?”
Nia tilted her head, seemingly confused by her own words. Thanks to that, I learned the village I was in was called the 11th District. I pondered for a moment.
Should I tell her everything honestly? Or embellish things to my advantage?
The dilemma didn’t last long. I had no desire for small lies to snowball, but it was important to shape the story so I could gather useful information.
That was also why I had given the name Berry. It wasn’t that I hated my real name or wanted to hide it. I simply wanted to use the name engraved on the iron pipe as a kind of hint. If I went around using it, someone who had known this body in the past might approach me first.
“From out there. The red lands. That’s why I don’t know anything about this place.”
“What? You mean you came from beyond the barrier?”
“So that wall is called the barrier. Then yes.”
“…….”
I gestured toward the enormous black wall. At my calm answer, Nia’s eyes flew wide with shock.
“You don’t seem to be joking… but nothing can live out there……”
“Now that you mention it, I didn’t see anything alive. A machine that looked like a giant bug charged at me and we had quite a fight.”
“You fought it? If it was a giant bug, could it have been the dragon race’s autonomous weapon……?”
“Autonomous weapon? So that’s what they’re called.”
It had certainly lived up to the name. It was a monster I wasn’t confident I could beat in a rematch. Had the terrain been completely open and flat, I would undoubtedly have been the one shattered and left in pieces.
As I realized just how dangerous the situation had been, my shoulders trembled faintly where no one could see.
“Then you really are a doll───.”
“I’m not a doll.”
“Huh?”
“I said I’m not a doll!”
“S-sorry!”
Oops. I overreacted without meaning to.
There were a few minor hiccups, but it seemed Nia had given up on digging for details. After my declaration that I wasn’t a doll, the conversation continued with only polite, surface-level questions.
“Do you know anyone here?”
“No.”
“What about your parents?”
“I don’t have any.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“No.”
“Then would you like to come to our house?”
“Huh?”
“Stay even just for one night. It gets very dangerous here after dark.”
She added that someone as cute as me(?) would be an easy target for bad people. It was a convincing enough explanation, so I nodded.
The progression felt a little clumsy, but it was fine. Her gaze toward me was somewhat dangerous, yet I didn’t think she would cross any lines. Above all, Nia was a woman. What could possibly happen just by tagging along behind her?
With that thought, I steadied myself.
“So let’s go together.”
I hesitated for a moment before taking the hand she cautiously offered. Seeing her face brighten made me feel like I was the one taking advantage of her.
To be kind enough to make the recipient of your goodwill feel guilty—in a world like this, she was practically a living monument.
My anxiety hadn’t vanished completely, but the important thing was that she didn’t seem like an uncomfortable person. One day would probably be okay. It would also be useful for gathering light information about the village.
Of course, I wouldn’t let my guard down entirely.
With those thoughts in mind, I gripped Nia’s hand in one of mine and the iron pipe—which was still working hard as a translator—in the other.
We left the bench by the well and walked for a short while. After about ten minutes, the woman walking half a step ahead stopped.
“Here we are.”
“───.”
Occupying one side of the paved road was a fairly large two-story building. All straight angles and no personality, it was an ordinary house with multiple windows. The first floor was a shop, the second a residence—a very common layout.
What caught my eye was the small business on the first floor. The sign reading Maida Job Placement Agency suggested it was some kind of employment office.
Work hours must have ended. The lights were off and no one was visible. The double doors were firmly locked.
Come to think of it, I had often worked part-time at an employment office during my school days. It had been really tough back then.
As old memories surfaced from the sign, someone gently tugged my hand.
“You must be hungry. Go inside and wash up first. I’ll prepare some clothes for you to change into.”
“……Thank you.”
My physical strength had recovered after drinking water, but my exhausted mind remained the same. Even though the headache was gone, it would be a lie to say I didn’t want to sit somewhere comfortable.
I had lost track of how many hours I had been wandering outside. The sun that had been shining beyond the giant magic circle had completely set. Streetlights were beginning to flicker on here and there, and the smell of evening meals being prepared drifted from all over the village.
In that moment, Nia’s kind invitation was an irresistible temptation.
“Well then, let’s head up.”
Nia led me—who offered no resistance—to the stairs on the right side of the building. The staircase wasn’t wide enough for two people to walk side by side, so she had to let go of my hand. A clear flash of disappointment crossed her face.
She really likes skinship.
I was grateful that she had taken a liking to this suspicious body of mine despite it being our first meeting, but I would have to be careful about opening my heart so easily.
“Come in, don’t be shy. It’s just me and my dad living here anyway. The boss sometimes drops by without warning, but she’s probably busy with research today……huh?”
Nia, who had been chattering away in a voice as pleasant as a hummed melody, suddenly fell silent. I, who had been listening attentively, was startled as well.
“That’s strange. The door’s open.”
Nia tilted her head while gripping the doorknob. Just as she said, faint light was leaking through the slightly ajar door. I watched her face harden.
A moment later the door swung fully open, revealing the interior.
“Oh my god…”
The inside was a disaster. It looked as if someone had burst in with their shoes on and flipped over every piece of furniture in sight. An overturned table, a shattered shelf, a sofa lying on its side, a dirt-covered carpet, broken windows, torn-off doors, walls full of holes, and a lighting fixture with a half-destroyed magic circle that looked ready to fall at any moment. And—
“Oh, you’re back, Nia.”
In the middle of that chaotic scene lay another unfamiliar person, collapsed on their side.
“……Boss?”
Fortunately it seemed to be someone she knew. Nia, who had frozen at the sudden apocalyptic sight, finally reacted. So it wasn’t a burglar. Setting aside my pounding heart, I watched her rush inside and had no choice but to follow.
I couldn’t pretend not to see the ingredients rolling across the floor for the second time. You two have really been through it.
“Yeah, I came for dinner after a long time, but it looks like I picked the wrong day.”
“What on earth happened?”
“The debt collectors stopped by a little while ago.”
While Nia picked up the scattered fruits, vegetables, and meat from the flung paper bag, she helped the woman who had been sitting on the living room floor to her feet. The slender stranger appeared to be a gray-haired woman in her early thirties. Her eyes lacked any spark of life, as if she were drunk. Her gaze was gentle like Nia’s, yet the focus in her half-lidded black eyes was completely off. She wore a white lab coat over a tank top and short shorts—an odd combination. Still, the beautiful lines of her exposed legs were impressive. Though she wasn’t particularly tall, her proportions were excellent. In short, she was a beauty in her own right.
“What?! Debt collectors? Isn’t the repayment date still far off?”
“…Looks like that person borrowed money again without telling us.”
“Then where’s Dad?”
“He went out.”
“Where? Don’t tell me they took him—”
“No. He said he’d earn the money right away. By gambling.”
“───.”
…For a second I thought I was looking at a vengeful demon.
“Berry, wait here for a little while.”
“Huh?”
It had been only a brief moment, but pure rage had gathered on Nia’s face. The fact that such a kind-looking person could burn with that much emotion reminded me of the eternal truth that one can never truly know another’s heart.
“Boss, I’m sorry, but could you watch this child for me? I’ll be back within thirty minutes.”
“Suure. Have a safe trip, dear.”
Nia spoke with her gentle expression restored. The relaxed voice of the woman called “Boss” followed as she looked at me.
Wait a minute. I don’t understand. You’re leaving me alone in this situation? With this woman who looks like she’s on some suspicious drugs?!