Two days later, it’s time to visit Aikawa’s mountain.
My chickens have been catching a lot of red swamp crayfish. I have a big bucket full of them. Of course, this is because I’ve been patrolling down the river, but no matter how clear the river looks, the fact that there are so many of them makes me worried that it doesn’t have any fish.
Being an introduced species means it’s probably fine to exterminate them, and it will probably make a fine gift, considering the amount.
I figured my chickens would all come along, but I guess Tama is staying.
“Are you scared of Rin by any chance?”
That was supposed to be a joke, but it pecks at me hard. Sorry.
I heard Aikawa’s story the last time he was here. He quit being a salaryman about three years ago, and bought the western mountain and the one behind it with the help of someone he knows. That means he also owns two.
He bought it from a friend of that acquaintance, who moved to the town. He got himself a hunting license to protect himself when he decided to live on the mountain, and apparently knows hunters in this village.
When I asked if he knew Akimoto, the one who took the boar apart, he said yes like it was obvious.
“He told me to take fresh animal carcasses to him if I found any.”
He said with an awkward smile.
I guess you need a license to use a hunting gun or traps even in a mountain you own. On the other hand, if you catch animals without using them, or treat them as if you found them, you don’t need a license. I wonder where the boar my chickens caught would fall. I guess it’s fine, since it was on my mountain.
Aikawa’s mountain, like Katsuragi’s, has pretty steep edges. The other mountain Aikawa owns is more like a hill, and my second one looks bigger.
That reminds me, I should go see my other mountain soon. I heard that the mountain deeper from there also has an owner, but there’s no road connecting them, so no one’s looking after it. Apparently there’s a lot of land like that. (I would learn later that it’s state-owned land)
Aikawa’s house is on the mountainside. Most houses are in places like that, and I assume it’s because it makes it easier to manage them.
“Hello, excuse me.”
I stop my mini truck next to his house, after noticing that the road on the way here seemed to be neatly looked after.
“Good morning. Oh? You brought two today?”
“One stayed back to watch the house.”
“They’re good.”
He says with a laugh. He really is handsome. I feel like I can see some wrinkles near the corners of his eyes. I’m pretty sure I heard he’s in his early thirties.
I get the bucket of red swamp crayfish from the mini truck, and Aikawa’s eyes open widely.
“That’s so much… It makes me feel like going there once in a while.”
“Feel free. I didn’t think I’d get so much either… I just followed the river close to my house.”
“…Someone dumped them… And since they’re omnivorous, they thrive in a place with so much vegetation.”
“That’s probably it.”
“I will do just that, and go visit sometime Rin! Ten! Yano brought us a gift!”
I met Rin before, but I wonder what Ten is like.
Wah, a big snake. I think it’s a python.
Rin’s upper half is like a human’s, but Ten is all snake. How many meters long is it?
“Good morning. Thank you.”
Rin greets me with a deadpan face.
“Good morning Rin. And this is Ten?”
“Ten, speaks. Thanks.”
“Wah…”
Ten, the big snake, spoke. If it’s a snake, what about vocal cords? I guess it really isn’t a normal snake.
“Ten, these chickens are like family to Sano. Don’t eat them.”
“Understood.”
Suddenly, I notice Pochi and Tama are in front of me, and their tails are up. Well, it’s a big snake. It could probably gulp me whole. That’s a scary thought.
Aikawa takes the bucket, and places it a bit far.
“This is a gift from Sano. You can eat, but wait until we’re inside. And eat everything.”
“Understood.”
I was too overwhelmed by Rin and Ten to notice that Aikawa’s house is pretty big.
Is this a mansion too? It looks like it has a few rooms.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
After passing through a sliding frosted glass door, I see a large dirt floor. I see the table and chairs on the concrete dirt floor, and think he must have remodeled a lot.
“Eh… Fancy…”
“I’ve remodeled it twice. After getting Rin and Ten, I learned that they tend to get bigger.”
So the snakes come here at night, and when it’s cold. There’s a big room heater next to the table too.
“Hum… Can my chickens eat bugs and grass?”
“Feel free. I’d be happy if they ate the weeds near my field.”
“Rin and Ten… Are carnivorous, right?”
“They are. That means that they don’t help me with the grass.”
He says, sounding amused.
“They can eat all the bugs and grass they want.”
Pochi raises its head and goes out to have a look around. Yuma is staying.
“They really are good.”
He sounds happy, as he pours tea. And once again, here are the rice crackers. I feel kind of taken aback by the fancy teacups and teapot.
Apparently his room is next to the kitchen. This house is more stylish than you’d think from the outside.
“Do you have Japanese-style rooms?”
“Yes, in the back. It was a lot of trouble changing the tatami.”
“I bet.”
In my case, the place was looked after, so I just used it as it was, but he had more trouble because his was pretty much abandoned.
His hunting gun is in that Japanese-style room, and he shows it to me for a bit. It’s a shotgun. I don’t get to hold it, but its barrel is long, and it looks pretty heavy. Looking at it up close gives off a big sense of pressure. Guns are scary.
“I should get a hunting license too. Apparently there might be bears in my mountain in the back…”
“…I’d love to have more hunters, but there are expenses too. And you need a gun permit too.”
“Really?”
I would check that after getting home, and apparently there are all sorts of annoying formalities to get through. I don’t know if I can do it.
Apparently Aikawa is the fastidious type, and he picks vegetables and cooks them himself.
“Actually… It’s my first time having someone on this mountain. Make sure you eat plenty.”
Wah, I’m the first. I ask him if he can let Yuma have some scraps, and he seems kind of moved.
“Chickens are so eco friendly… Snakes… They’re reliable partners too.”
“Everyone has their strong points.”
I eat a lot of bamboo shoot rice, boiled stuff, and tempura. I never get tired of having these mountains’ harvest. I feel like his cooking is fancy, like it’s from a restaurant.
“You can come back any time.”
“Yes, I will.”
I didn’t get to talk to Rin and Ten a lot, but I got to hear about all sorts of things, and had fun. It really made me feel like guys being silent is a lie.
After eating a lot of red swamp crayfish, Rin and Ten snuggle up next to me. I know they’re thanking me, but it’s really scary. I’m glad I didn’t wet myself.
There’s still a lot I want to hear, so Aikawa and I start visiting each other more from time to time.
And around the time when the weather starts getting hot, I get a rare distressed call from Aikawa.
It’s really abnormal, so I rush to the mini truck with Pochi and Yuma.
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