At night, my chickens don’t make noise. I guess they got enough exercise to be sound asleep. But since they’re going to be working in the village during the day on weekdays, I should still be careful. I say that, but really, what can I do about it?
As for Aikawa, he was contacted by his lawyer last night. It’s true, that woman really did get married last month. Apparently it was in a prefecture far away. It wouldn’t take long to get here by plane, but apparently it would if she traveled through any other mode of public transportation.
Aikawa told his lawyer that he wants nothing to do with her, and to not accept any letter she left with her siblings.
“…That’s a relief.”
Is what he said on the phone, earnestly.
He doesn’t want to see her face, and definitely wants nothing to do with her. He said it was fine like that, and that he didn’t want to see her behind bars or anything. I don’t really get that, but it is what it is. I’m not Aikawa, and it’s his decision.
And today, I’m taking my chickens to pops’ again.
“Pochi and Tama sure can move. No wonder they lacked exercise last week. Were they okay last night?”
“Yes, they slept through the night. As for how it will be going forward… I don’t know.”
“This really helps. They found three of them yesterday.”
“Tiger keelbacks?”
“No, pit vipers.”
“…Lots of venomous snakes around.”
Pretty wild, just like a remote place.
“Yesterday they ran around fields of six houses. Today we’re going to have them go through the same places, but I doubt they’ll catch anything.”
Then I remember.
“By the way, did that place that was raising venomous snakes have foreign snakes?”
“…Apparently they did. As for how they got them…”
He says, sounding annoyed with it. Following procedure and raising them with a license is one thing, it’s releasing them into the wild when they didn’t know what to do with them that’s the problem.
“I hear someone got bit over in the village on the other side of the mountain. It was a pit viper, so it might be unrelated though. Every year someone gets bit anyway.”
That’s scary. Apparently there are three thousand injuries caused by pit vipers every year in the whole country. And among them, ten end up dying. I need to be careful not to get bit.
“I hope there aren’t any foreign snakes…”
Saying that might be setting up a flag. When I notice that, a chill runs down my spine. No way, right?
“Pochi, Yuma, if you see a snake that doesn’t look familiar, catch it, and then ask about it.”
As always, Pochi isn’t listening. And since they’re going to the same place, Yuma is going to take over for Tama. Yuma turns my way, and moves its head a little. Yuma really is a good girl.
“I’ll bring them over in the evening again.”
“Thank you.”
I bow, and go back to the mountain.
Aikawa sends me a message on Line asking if I’m going there today. But Tama takes off running when I ask, so I tell him I’ll go tomorrow.
“I guess you really are bad with Rin and Ten, right?”
I ask, and it pecks at me hard. I was right.
‘Do you need to keep asking!?’ Is what I feel it’s saying as it kicks me. Ouch. Sorry. But you’re being very bad.
I go check the field and the river. It’s still raining, but there aren’t any signs of the crops becoming sick. That’s very good.
The river is still rising, but it’s flowing well. I’ve been checking to see if there were any problems in the areas around the river, but the ground is getting looser due to the rain, and pretty soon, I won’t be able to walk here. But my chickens patrol all the time. Maybe it doesn’t affect them because of the way they run, or maybe they have some sort of trick to it.
“I should check the other houses too…”
They should have been dismantled before the rainy season started. Houses fall into ruin when people stop living in them, and it can be dangerous because all sorts of animals start living in them.
“But taking them apart costs money…”
And in the end, there they are. Although I don’t feel right leaving them there forever.
“I should speak to the head of the village.”
Everything, including my chickens’ vaccination, is being delayed by the rainy season.
“It feels kind of lonely…”
Tama is with me. Not as close as Yuma, but not too far. Basically, I feel the distance.
“I’m going to inspect the house today, but what about you, Tama? You can run around outside if you want.”
Tama turns its head away, like it’s not listening. I think my chickens worry a lot about me. Sorry I’m not a reliable owner.
“Thanks for everything, Tama.”
It turns again, acting like it’s not listening. But Tama has a kind side too. I think it’s a tsundere.
“Tama, are you a tsundere?”
It pecks at me hard again. Why do you even know what tsundere means? Or is it just picking up on my tone or something?
And as I check inside the house, I get a message from Katsuragi.
“Sorry. Tatsuki ate this. Are snakes with this pattern venomous?”
The message comes with a picture of a tail, the only part Tatsuki didn’t eat.
“Eeh…”
I don’t know. I’ll show it to pops when he comes by, so for now, I’m messaging ‘I’ll contact you again after I check, but it will probably be in the evening at least’.
This trouble with venomous snakes really shows no signs of ending.
