With Yumi gaining an unwanted rival and an ued course set, the rest of her friends faced different troubles and plications. They were adjusting to their new surroundings in their own way. And finding a different means to survive.

  Putting his bato it, he pulled up with his legs fighting against nature’s wish to remain still. It wouldn’t be enough to stop him though. He would win in the end. That much was certain. Nothing could ge that. Even it khat much to be sure. All it could do was dey the iable. Eventually, it would fail and he would e out on top. He just kept up the pressure.

  A tear erupted from below. He smiled. He khe sound well. It finally gave up the struggle. Only a little more and he would pull out a victory. Digging in more, he gave the finishing blow and the ing victory.

  Out of the earth came an almost uhy sound as the tree roots snapped painfully or stripped from the earth. Seiji gave a deep triumphant roar as the cut trunk finally rose above his head raining down clumps of dirt into the pit.

  Seiji dropped the hunk of tree to the grouo him and sat down on it. He took a long breath to recover himself from the job. It left him a little winded and sweaty from the hot sun. A slightly dirty cloth, from some tunic likely, appeared in front of his fabsp; Seiji looked up seeing Mr. Horri appear before him, the old man that opened his door for him. “Thanks!” Wiping the sweat from his forehead and then bare chest, Seiji gnced over Mr. Horri’s shoulder.

  The job wasn’t pleted yet. He threw the makeshift towel over his shoulder and lifted the tree stump off the ground. Though his seat, it was also destined for other things. It would make food wood to be used by the vilge. And now they could expand their farms. Seiji carried the heavy k of wood on his other shoulder walking back with the old man. “Hmm?” asked Seiji, notig the repeated gnces his way.

  “Just reminding myself how strong you are.”

  ‘Oh yeah, Nerine keeps telli to overdo it…’

  “Are you sure you’re not a Hunter, son?”

  “Oh definitely! I’m just your average teenager!” he decred, while effortlessly wielding the tree that likely weighed close to the same as the old man.

  Mr. Have a small ugh at Seiji’s reply. “I see!”

  “If anyone could be one of those Demon Hunters, it’d be Nerine. Though if they’re as strong as you’ve mentio might be fun to go a round.”

  “You speak very highly of the young miss.”

  “She’s saved my life more than ond she’s helluva lot smarter than me.”

  The vilge started to e up for them. It was still early in the day, so it remained fairly empty. Though opposite of them, Nerine came walking back with two rabbits tied and slung over her shoulder. “She is remarkably skilled at hunting.”

  Seiji waved across the vilge ter to her. She sloroached the two of them, while passing off the catbsp; Wringing her hands out from the day’s work, Neriopped o Seiji. “Finished your battle with nature?”

  “That’s right! I finally won!” He gave her an eager grin ign the few strange looks that he got for still hauling around the stump. “I’ve got to drop damn this off to Mr. Tamura, but I’ll be free after that.”

  “Very well, I’ll meet you back when you’ve finished.”

  Chapter 409 – A Carefree Life

  Mr. Horri waved to Seiji, departing for the fields to help with the care of the crop. It wasn’t something that Seiji was needed for, though he did wish to help out more. But that was an argument he lost already.

  Behind Mr. Horri’s small hut at the very edge of the forest, which had the game Nerine found, she waited for him. Their usual spot out of the away from the others. He came up behind her leaning over the wood feh baked food in hand. “From Mrs. Tamura.”

  A slight wrinkle came through her forehead looking at the sweets. Neriook it with some relubsp; “She’s nosy.”

  “She’s nice.”

  “She says I’m too skinny.” Nerine squeezed her hand not carefully minding the sweet as it crumbled a little. “I’m a soldier! I have a routine.”

  Seiji chuckled a little watg Neri frustrated over something so small. He leapt over the fend sat dowo her, staring out into the thick line of trees. “You’re not going to find the same as shit routine around here.”

  She fihe gift and dropped her guard allowing her Field to fade. “It’s less advanced, but it’s not too unlike w the border patrol.”

  “Is that why yood at camping?”

  “They’re survival skills, don’t make it sound like a vacation.” She leaned a little at him trying to get her point across when she had no arms to make any sort of gesture. But she slipped and fell into him.

  He quickly grabbed her and helped her back up right. “Are you feeling alright?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she answered curtly.

  An unvinced look came over his face looking at Nerine. He could see her breathing still hadn’t recovered. There were slight beads of sweat along her fad a shaking in her body. “I’ve been notig it’s beeing worse as shit each day. Maybe you should stop, you don’t have to keep it up.”

  “I’m fine! I'm a soldier, this effort is not a problem.”

  “Nerine…” Seiji stared at her trying to see if she was improving. ‘I know how much you’re struggling, but you don’t have to do it alone… Wish you’d at least talk to me…’ Watg her was all he could do aed it. It wasn’t the first day she rebuffed his help. Staying in Japahought that she started to trust him more, but she still put him at a distan specific things. She was difficult to read for him. “I just want to help, dammit!”

  “Your idea of help only causes more troubles.”

  “That’s not true!” he protested.

  Turning her head back towards the vilge behind them, she disagreed with that assertion. “Your helping is making them suspicious. They don’t know what to make of you.”

  “I tell them that I’m just naturally strong.”

  “No normal human is that strong, even naturally. This is going to e to a head eventually.”

  “It was your idea to stay here rather than look for Yumi and the others. I sure as shit ’t do nothing!”

  “We’re staying still because we have less of a ce of finding the others if we’re all moving. Besides, it’s not as if I’m doing nothing.”

  Seiji perked up, remembering the reason that Nerine chose to be a hunter for the vilge. “Did you hear anything?”

  She shook her head and looked back at the forest once more. Her back pressed harder against the wood beam of the fenbsp; “No, the traveling merts had no rumors that fit with your friends.”

  “Our friends, Nerine.”

  “Of course…depending on the way the rest are living in this virtual space, we should eventually hear something. They no doubt have more of your leanings, which I’m ting on. We won’t be staying here forever.”

  It was something that Seiji hoped for as well. He uood why she had them stay still, though it wasn’t his choibsp; She made a ving enough argument for him. Stig around this vilge uo find his friends wasn’t what he po do forever. They would reunite again and help Yumi with her personalities.

  The sun began to set in the back, signaling to them that it was time to move. Everyone’s day was over now and they would be returning to their homes. It meant that dinner would begin ara hands were already wele.

  Seiji stood up from the log they used as a bend stretched out from being in the same position for hours. It gave him some fort to know that Nerine looked to be doier. Though with her arms back, he could already see all of that rest starting to melt away once more. She was never going to be vinced against it. “You take the day off tomorrow. They’ve got a crap ton of food now and there’s not supposed to be any merts in the area.”

  “I’ll be fine, I told you. More than me, you should take the day off. The less they see you doing things that aren’t normal the shorter our time here will bee.”

  “I’m not even using my true strength, Nerine! I’m holding back.”

  “Your idea of holding back leaves much to be desired.”

  Seiji crossed his arms looking proud of his progress so far. It had been a lot of work to get where he was now. “Unlike you, I wasn’t born with this. And until now, I haven’t o restrain myself. I’m still not used to only using a tiny ass bit. But I’m gettier!”

  “It’s unnecessary. Just let me do it.” She remained unvinced of Seiji’s insistenbsp; Everything was well pnned in her mind and he kept risking the pn. She hoped that they would find someone soon. The thought of having to deal with the meltdown and what sort of world this was stressed her out. Not that it was anythihan what she normally dealt with when she aired with him.

  “It’s training!” he repeated, as he told her every day before. Seiji ched his fist for her as though it was going to prove anything. His strength was already impressive and nearly unrivaled by anyone. It really did nothing to reassure anything.

  “Point that training at dinner for now.”

  “Yes, ma’am…”

  Even if he was a little defted by Nerine ck of enthusiasm for his efforts, that didn’t ge his energy for helping. While he wasn’t perfe the kit, he helped in what ways that he could. And night fell upon the sleepy little vilge. A normal and uful day ended like eae before it, but not to be repced with the same. There had been a new card shuffled into the de the m.

  After breakfast and the start of the vilgers going about their daily routine, Seiji and Nerine’s inal pns were halted. They didn’t even make it out of the door before they noticed something was off. It was Seiji that noticed it first. A sound that wasn’t normal, it was out of pce amongst everything else that he knew from the vilge. “Shit! Do you hear that?”

  “Huh? What?” she asked, not having the sensitivity that Seiji gained. The look on his face was enough for her to know that something was wrong. “It’s not an animal?”

  “No, it sounds too damn heavy for that. Whatever it is, it’s big.”

  “A demon that they talked about?”

  “Shit if I know, I’ve never seen one. But I don’t like the sound of it.”

  Neriurned back to catch Mr. Horri as he stepped out, all prepared for the fields. She stopped him quickly before he got out of their sight. “You o warhers. There’s a strange wind in the air, I don’t think it’s safe.”

  That immediately caught his attention as his eyes widened in shobsp; He knew what she was implying, even though she remained uain. His hands cmped tightly onto his hoe nearly turning white. “Is it…”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to go check it out. If it is, I’ll try to draw it away from your vilge.”

  “But you’re not a Hunter! You won’t stand a ce against…”

  “It’s better than the vilge being attacked. Now go and warhers!” Neriepped baext to Seiji. She whispered to him to keep it out of the ears of their patron. “Is it ing this way?”

  “Hard to tell. I’m not really used to this damn thing. I just know it doesn’t sound right and I’m pretty sure they aren’t alone.”

  “Then we o go, just remember if we fight, keep it out of sight of the vilgers.”

  They both ran off with Seiji taking the lead. “Got to give me a challenge,” he teased. His ears listened carefully for the sounds letting it guide him to the sourbsp; “This is taking too damn long.”

  “Don’t. We have to keep our secret.”

  “I know! But what if someone is hurt or killed because we took too loing there!”

  “This is a fake world, remember. Nothing is being harmed.”

  Seiji ched his hands together. “This shit is too real! I ’t see it as anything but real!” But their debate on their situation had to stop. They finally made it to the top of the hill that the farms were built into. Down at the bottom, they could both see a rge figure. What Nerine couldn’t see that Seiji did was the sed person, smaller than the monster. “They’re in danger!”

  Without even thinking, Seiji disappeared from the hill. Nerine couldn’t track his movements, only felt the wake of his burst. While not necessarily as impressive as Saki in speed, he still reached the strange monster in moments to save the one being attacked. Seiji’s fist stretched out eg with the creature, sending it tumbling backwards as saliva and blood sprayed through the air. “Pi someone your own damn size!” Seiji taunted, wanting it to focus on him.

  “I didn’t need your help, idiot.” Suddenly, an arm appeared around the wide neck of the hairy beast as it brought it down to its knees uremendous strength. An audible snap popped out of it as the arm broke the nebsp; The dead creature fell down in the grass as the one behind it revealed themselves.

  A smile quickly grew over Seiji’s face as he saw them. “Saki!”