An Ordinary Forest

Mom and Dad are going to prepare the evening menu, so you and Marie can go play, Leon.

That's right. Be careful, okay?

At those words from Mom and Dad, Marie suddenly stood up from her chair and shouted, as though she had just remembered.

"I forgot! Big Brother, I promised to go to the forest with Big Brother Nicola and Luke today!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Did you forget, Big Brother?"

"N-no, I remembered. We need to hurry and get ready."

I answered Marie while panicking inwardly. Sure enough, when I searched Leon's memories... it seemed I'd made a promise.

These memories don't come to me unless I actively try to recall them, which is a little inconvenient. ...Still, I'm grateful to have them at all.

Nicola and Luke are the children of the tool shop next door. They're childhood friends, and apparently play together frequently. The fact that Nicola is the same age as me and Luke is the same age as Marie is probably another reason they're close.

"You're going to the forest today? Make absolutely sure you take the animal-repelling bell."

"Of course. Don't worry, I won't forget. We'll bring back lots of fruit!"

Apparently, the animal-repelling bell is something they always take when going to the forest. It was probably like the bear bells people use in Japan. According to Leon's memories, there were no monsters in the forest, just small animals and bears. They lived deeper in the forest, so they hardly ever encountered them near the edge, and apparently they would never run into any animals at all if they carried an animal-repelling bell.

Monsters were a staple of otherworldly settings, but maybe this world didn't have any. Had they only existed in stories...? ...Well, if there weren't any, that was a good thing. Actually fighting monsters would be impossible for me and way too scary.

"Big Brother, let's get ready!"

Marie took my hand, led me upstairs, and entered the storage room on the second floor. Apparently, when they went to the forest, they changed into leather boots and took a knife, a leather pouch filled with water, and a basket carried on their backs for whatever they harvested.

My clothes consisted of a stiff, T-shirt-like top and drawstring pants made from the same material, but apparently I was supposed to go to the forest in the same clothes.

All right, I'm ready. Having a knife strapped to my waist is kind of nerve-racking. This really is another world if even children carry knives.

"Marie, are you ready?"

"I am!"

"Then let's fill our water pouches and go."

Since their drinking water came from a well, they had to go to the well even to draw water. It wasn't a pump-operated well; they had to pull the bucket up with a rope, so drawing water was hard work.

When I reached the well, I dropped the bucket in and filled it, then pulled the rope up with all my might. It was heavier than I expected, and my hands started to hurt.

Phew, it's finally up. Drawing water from a well is quite a chore with an eight-year-old's body. I poured the water into the leather pouch, and we were ready to go to the forest.

"Then let's go, Marie!"

"Yeah!"

We opened the kitchen door, said goodbye to Mom and Dad, and left the house.

"We're off!"

"Have a safe trip. Be careful."

"Be home before it gets dark."

"Okay!"

After leaving the house, we headed for the one next door. It was built much like ours, except the area that was our diner was a tool shop. They sold various everyday tools, such as knives, leather pouches, and hemp sacks.

"Hello! Are Nicola and Luke here?"

"Oh, hello, Marie-chan."

"Hello, Auntie."

"Leon came too, I see. Nicola and Luke should be here soon, so wait just a little, okay?"

Nicola and Luke's mother was at the shop counter. I called her Auntie, but she was still young, about the same age as my mother. She was slightly plump, with a kind, memorable smile, and even now she was sitting on a chair behind the counter that served as a cash register, smiling warmly at us.

"Is Uncle not here today?"

"Ben went to get supplies. I'm sorry. He should be home by the time you get back from the forest, so you'll be able to see him."

"Yay! I love Uncle!"

"He'll be delighted to hear that, teehee."

Ben was Nicola and Luke's father, a very cheerful and energetic man. Marie loved Uncle and apparently often came to see him. By the way, Auntie's name was Sarah.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Leon and Marie."

"Nicola! Don't worry, we haven't been waiting long."

Nicola opened the door and came into the shop area. Nicola had green hair and green eyes. To me, a Japanese person, they were pretty unusual colors, but they were ordinary in this world. According to Leon's memories, Luke had blue hair and blue eyes. Those were pretty wild colors too...

"Luke will be here soon, too."

"Big Brother Nicola, let's gather fruit today!"

"Yeah. Let's gather lots."

"Yeah!"

Nicola doted on Marie like she was his real little sister. Even now, he was gently smiling as he patted her head. Nicola was reliable for his age and someone we could count on.

"Sorry! Did I keep you waiting? I couldn't get my shoes on properly..."

Luke came into the shop area saying that.

"It's okay, Luke. Did you get your shoes on?"

"Perfectly!"

Luke put his hands on his hips, stuck out his chest, and looked proud of himself. Unlike Nicola, Luke was a slightly mischievous boy. But judging from Leon's memories, he seemed like a kind, honest, good kid.

"You're late, Luke! Honestly, if we don't hurry, we'll run out of time to gather fruit!"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll help gather some for you too, Marie."

"Really!? Yay, thanks!"

At first, Marie frowned angrily, but the moment Luke offered to help her gather fruit, her face lit up with a huge smile. The only sweet things Leon remembered eating were fruits gathered in the forest, so fruit must have been a precious source of sweetness.

"Then shall we go? Did you bring your animal-repelling bell?"

"I did!"

After Nicola made one final check, we set out. According to Leon's memories, the royal capital wasn't surrounded by walls. Once they passed the densely packed residential area, fields and pastures spread out, with only the occasional house.

We continued along the road in front of the house, which was nothing more than packed earth. Before long, we could see fields and pastures, and after going a little farther, a road branched off to the right. Following it for about ten minutes brought us to the forest. We walked in silence and reached the forest at a brisk pace for children.

"Let's rest a little before we look for fruit."

"Big Brother Nicola, I'm still fine. Let's hurry and find some fruit!"

"You need to rest properly first. Even if you get tired, you'll still have to walk all the way home."

"...I guess so. Okaaay."

Just as Nicola suggested, we all sat down and rested for a little while. It took about thirty minutes to walk to the forest, but that was pretty tiring for children.

"Big Brother! Can we gather lots of fruit?"

"It isn't really hot yet, so I don't think there'll be much to gather."

"What? Aw, man..."

"Big Brother Nicola, can't we gather any fruit?"

Marie looked close to tears after hearing that there wasn't much to gather yet. Seeing her, Nicola hurriedly spoke up.

"N-no, there are some things we can gather even this time of year! Right, Leon?"

Why are you asking me!? Marie looked up at me with teary eyes. Um, what could be gathered at this time of year according to Leon's memories...? Wild strawberries!

There are a lot of plants and animals in this world that are the same as in Japan. Some are a little different, but many are similar.

"Marie, wild strawberries are in season right now. Want to look for some?"

"Really!? I love wild strawberries! They're sweet and delicious, aren't they?"

"We can gather wild strawberries!? Awesome! I love those!"

"Then let's look for wild strawberries today."

"Yeah!"

Marie nodded with a huge smile. I'm glad she seemed to be in a better mood. I let out a relieved breath and glared sidelong at Nicola. Nicola, you sacrificed me... As I stared at him thinking that, our eyes met, and he apologized with a look.

I felt pathetic, considering my mental age was twenty, and stopped blaming Nicola.

Ever since I ended up in Leon's body, I feel like my actions and thoughts have reverted to those of a child. Maybe Leon is influencing me a little. ...Well, I'm a child now, so maybe it's just right for Leon to influence me this much.

"Then let's find some wild strawberries."

"Yeah."

We entered the forest and split up to search for wild strawberries. But when we said we were entering the forest, we really only went as far as the outer edge, staying within easy reach of the forest's exit. It would be dangerous to get lost in the forest.

There was a river deeper inside, but they had decided not to go that far until they were a little older.

"I found wild strawberries!"

I heard Marie shout. I hurried over when I heard her, and saw a tree covered in lots of wild strawberries.

Nicola and Luke came running over too, their eyes sparkling. Nicola looked mature for his age, but in moments like this he was adorably childlike.

"Let's harvest them. Marie, I brought a hemp sack, so put them in here."

"Okay, thank you, Big Brother! I'm so happy there are so many."

"Yeah. Let's work hard and bring some home for Mom and Dad, too."

"Yeah!"

Marie began harvesting the wild strawberries with her small hands, working as hard as she could. I started harvesting alongside her, while Nicola and Luke began from the opposite side.

There were quite a lot, so it was hard work. But it seemed there were hardly any sweet things in this world, and Leon's only memories of eating fruit were of things gathered in the forest, so these must be precious. I should work hard and gather as many as I could.

We continued harvesting diligently, then stopped when the hemp sack was full.

"Let's call it a day soon. The sack's already full."

"You're right. It's full!"

"We gathered quite a lot over here too, so we're good."

"I gathered the most!"

All three of them had gathered lots of wild strawberries, and their eyes were sparkling. A smile spread across my face before I knew it.

"Want to eat some while we take a little break?"

"Yeah, I want to eat them!"

"Then let's all sit on that rock."

We all sat on a rock that was just the right height and decided to eat some wild strawberries. They were dark in color and looked delicious, but what would they taste like...? I popped one into my mouth... and it was sooo sour!!

What is this? It's incredibly sour! There was definitely some sweetness, but the sourness was so strong that it overwhelmed it, and I could barely taste the sweetness.

Can everyone else eat these? I wondered, then looked at Marie beside me. She was eating them with a big smile, as if they were delicious.

"Marie, aren't they sour?"

"Why would they be? They're sweet and delicious!"

"Really? What about Nicola and Luke?"

"They're sweet and delicious."

"They're super tasty! Wild strawberries really are the best!"

They were all eating them as if they were delicious. Why...? When you heard "strawberries," weren't they supposed to be sweeter and juicier?

I see. I'd eaten so many sweet things in Japan that these tasted sour to me. If the only sweet thing you'd ever had since birth was fruit from the forest, then this would count as sweet.

That might be enough for everyone else, but I already knew about lots of sweet, delicious foods. I wanted to eat sweet fruit, and cake, cookies, and chocolate too. Just thinking about them made me want to eat them.

If I had sugar, I might be able to make simple sweets. I had to find sugar; this was an urgent matter. As I thought about that, everyone finished their break and stood up.

"It's still fairly early, so let's gather some firewood before we go home."

"Yeah. I'll gather the most!"

"I'll gather the most!"

The three of them began gathering firewood as they talked. Though by firewood, they simply meant picking up branches that had fallen on the ground, it was fairly hard work, and the branches were heavy, making them difficult to carry home.

The reason we gathered firewood and took it home was that we received spending money for bringing it back. Since we ran a diner, we used a great deal of firewood. We usually bought it, but it cost a fair amount, so whenever we went to the forest, we picked up branches to use as firewood in order to save even a little money.

Apparently, many other households also gathered wood from the forest to save money, and Nicola and Luke's family was one of them.

"Big Brother, hurry up and pick some up too!"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll do it now."

Marie urged me on, and I started gathering firewood too, but the basket on my back grew heavier and heavier, and staying bent over was hard on me. But Marie and Luke were doing it without complaining, so I couldn't be the older one complaining. I had to work hard too.

The children of this world are tough. Thinking that, I continued gathering firewood.

"It's getting late, so let's go home."

At Nicola's words, we all began preparing to go home. There were no clocks in this world, so we couldn't tell the exact time, but apparently you could estimate it from the sun's position.

"All right, is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"I can still walk!"

"I'm fine too. Shall we go home?"

On the way back, we all walked home in silence. It took us a little longer than on the way there, but we eventually made it home.