I watched the girl tear down the hillside toward the village at breakneck speed. Even from this distance, I could see her clearly.
Like I'd said before, she looked about Leona's age—around ten, give or take.
Her features were delicate, her eyes slightly upturned and full of spirit. Black hair tied back neat behind her head—she was unmistakably pretty.
But what grabbed my attention most was what she wore. Simple, but definitely a kimono—or at least traditional Japanese dress. And the two swords at her waist.
Then there was the enormous bundle strapped to her back, stacked high on a carrying frame. Food…?
She came flying down the slope with that load—something that had to weigh dozens of kilograms—and burst into the village. Then she noticed something, surprise flickering across her face.
"Huh?"
Our eyes met. She'd definitely spotted us.
Even from this far away, her eyesight must be incredible.
And she's running straight over here… fast, too.
"Who are you? You're not from this island. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Suzu-chan, you've been working hard again. You carried so much today… That must've been tough, wasn't it?"
"Ah, yes, Granny. It's nothing, really. I'm pretty strong, you know? I'll share later—just wait a bit. So… who are you people?"
The girl—Suzu—kept a wary eye on us as she spoke, shifting just slightly to put herself between us and the old woman.
Hmm. The way she moves… her stance… she looks like she can handle herself. That sword isn't just decoration.
"Ah, well, um…"
So we explained everything.
"I see. You were passing by and took shelter from the storm. You don't look like you're lying. In that case, there's no need to make a big deal out of it."
Suzu-chan nodded, apparently satisfied.
"But like Granny told you, it's best not to stay on this island long. The meat, the fish… even the water. Everything's tainted by the toxins from the mountain plants and trees. It's all poisonous to humans. If you want to ignore that, I won't stop you—but don't eat any of it."
"I heard about that, but… what's that?" Leona pointed at the massive bundle on Suzu-chan's back. "It smells incredible. So fresh and clean… That can't be poisonous, right?"
Vegetables, wild greens, fruit, and more. And was it just me, or did Leona look a little… hungry?
Suzu-chan tried to hide it—or more like, tried to keep it away from Leona. She wasn't doing a very good job.
"You can't have any."
"Huh? Why not? It looks so good!"
"No. This is for the village elders. Sorry, there's nothing to share with you."
"What? But there's so much! Just a little—"
"I said no! Ugh, get lost! …I don't have time for this. I need to hand it out before it starts raining."
With that, Suzu-chan hurried to the central plaza, laid everything out, and divided the pile with practiced efficiency. Then she went door to door, delivering small portions of vegetables and fruit to each household.
"That's how Suzu-chan shares food with everyone every day," Kai said.
"Is all the food on this island poisonous?"
"Only what comes from the mountains or the lowlands is tainted. Those were grown at the Mountain Farm, so they're safe."
Ah, so it's the rain and groundwater that carry the toxins down. The higher altitude must be untouched.
If it's from the Mountain Farm, then it's just normal food. Safe. And probably delicious.
"…Wait. Did you say every day?" Leona blinked. "That kid carries that much—?"
"Yeah. They bring it down daily. Sometimes they go up and down two or three times in one day… and they run the whole farm themselves. Planting, harvesting—everything."
The mountain didn't look enormous, but climbing it once would be exhausting. Doing it every day with that kind of weight—then working the fields on top of it…
Just imagining it made my shoulders ache.
And then—
"Huh? She gave away all the food she brought down?"
"Yeah. Suzu-chan never eats any of it herself. She gives it all to the old men and women. She always says, 'I ate before I came down, so I'm fine,' but…" Kai's voice softened. "I don't know if that's true."
The old woman watched Suzu-chan from a distance as she finished her deliveries and wiped sweat from her brow with a weary little "whew." Her face held something complicated—pride tangled with sorrow.
"It's because Suzu-chan brings us safe food that we're still alive," she said quietly. "If it were only us, we'd be forced to eat poisoned fish and toxic plants. We would've been claimed by death long ago. We're living longer than we should… because of her."
"That girl…" Leona stared after Suzu-chan. "Who is she? Someone's granddaughter?"
"No, she's—"
The old woman was about to continue, but the rain finally began to fall in scattered drops. It was getting too dangerous to stay outside.
One by one, the elders hurried indoors.
We decided to find somewhere to shelter, too.
---
That "somewhere"… turned out to be an abandoned stone shack, the kind that looked long uninhabited. But when we rushed inside, we found we weren't alone.
"Hm? What's this… You two ran here too?"
Suzu-chan was already there, resting beside her now-empty backpack. She'd gathered branches and scraps, built a small fire, and was warming herself by the flames.
And she was about to take a bite of a fish she'd grilled over the fire, opening her mouth with an "Ahhh"—wait.
"Hey… Suzu-chan? That fish—where did you catch it? It's not poisonous, right?"
The fish looked delicious, oil sizzling and skin crackling over the flames. But Leona's uneasy expression made my stomach tighten.
This kid can probably pick up scents I can't. So I'm guessing—
"Hm?" Suzu-chan blinked like I'd asked something strange. "It's fine. Even if it's poisonous, it's not a strong kind. As long as you don't eat too much, it'll just make your stomach rumble a little."
"No, you can't just eat that! You know it's poisonous!"
Suzu-chan ignored me and swallowed the fish in a single gulp. Like the poison didn't matter at all.
Even though it was small, she ate it without hesitation. Like this was normal. But if she had vegetables from the Mountain Farm, she wouldn't need to do this.
Then she gulped down water from a bottle.
Wait—wasn't the water poisonous too?
"Don't worry about that." She tilted the bottle toward me. "This isn't just any water. It's spring water from up in the mountains. …Want some?"
"No. I don't want any, but… are you sure it's safe?"
"Perfectly safe. I'm used to it."
Used to it? How long has she been living like this?
Even Leona looked stunned by how casually Suzu-chan treated poison like it was nothing.
"With all that food, why can't you eat normally?"
"That would leave less for the old men." Suzu-chan stared at the clean-picked bones in her hands. "Since I can eat this without getting sick, I'm happy to."
She lay back to rest.
Was I imagining it, or did she look a little tense? Like she was enduring something. A faint crease between her brows.
And one small fish… could that really be enough?
She's growing. She does hard labor every day. That amount can't possibly—
…Right. It's poisonous. She can't eat much.
She did say "as long as you don't overeat." Maybe she keeps herself hungry on purpose.
Grumble…
"..."
"...Ugh..."
Thanks for checking the answers.
Suzu-chan flushed at the sound, then turned away, voice sharp like she could cut embarrassment in half.
"A-ah, once the rain stops, you'd better leave this island as soon as possible! I won't give you any food from the Mountain Farm, even if you offer me all your money. If you don't want to live off poisoned water and poisoned fish, there's no point staying here! Just leave already… or better yet, get out of here now if you can!"
"…Yeah," I said quietly. "You're right. We will. But before that…"
Even with her bravado, I couldn't help sighing as I pulled several sheets of paper from inside my clothes.
Of course, they weren't ordinary pieces of paper.
…We were getting hungry too.
A few minutes later—
"Delicious――――!!"
Nothing beats seeing kids smile as they tear into a good meal.
I selected a few dishes from the meals I'd prepared and served them, inviting Leona and Suzu-chan to eat with me.
Suzu-chan froze when food appeared out of nowhere, but she caught on fast. "Oh… an Ability User." For a kid, her grasp was quick enough to impress me.
When I offered her a plate, she stubbornly refused at first, acting like she wasn't interested. But her eyes kept flicking back to the food. Then her stomach let out a loud "Grr~…"
Finally, cheeks pink, she accepted the dish from my hand.
She took one cautious bite… and after that, she ate like she'd been starving for days.
She and Leona—both clearly famished—dug in with the kind of wholehearted appetite that warmed something in my chest. They practically inhaled their plates.
And that satisfied, happy smile afterward—
In the end, Suzu-chan devoured everything, not leaving a single grain of rice. Then, as if waking from a trance, she straightened suddenly.
"Ugh… I can't believe I ate until I was completely stuffed… It was incredibly delicious! Thank you for the meal."
"You're welcome." I gathered the empty plates, turned them back into paper, and stacked them for later washing. Then I looked at her. "Suzu-chan… is your diet always like this?"
Oh, do you want some juice after your meal? Here you go.
"Well…" She took the cup. "Mmm, this is delicious too! …Like I said, there's hardly any proper food around here."
"But that's no excuse for eating poison!" Leona snapped. "Why not eat from the Mountain Farm? You clearly have enough to give all the elders."
"If you think about the daily amount, we don't have that much to spare. We have to stockpile for emergencies." Suzu-chan lifted her chin. "Besides, my body's my best trait. Poison's no problem for me."
She said it like it was nothing.
Leona's face stayed utterly bewildered.
And honestly… mine probably would've matched if I wasn't trying not to show it.
A child this small, knowingly eating poison.
Rationing it. Staying hungry on purpose, just so she won't get sick.
The thought made my chest sink.
"Suzu-chan… do you live here all alone?" I asked. "What about your parents?"
"They're dead. Been years," Suzu-chan said lightly, like she was talking about the weather.
While we waited for the rain to stop, she told us her story in short, matter-of-fact pieces.
"Truth is, as far as I remember, I never really had parents… or anyone I could call that. I wasn't even born in this country. My grandparents brought me here from a distant land, crossing the sea… or maybe we drifted here. Either way, I'm an outsider too."
"Oh, really?" Leona leaned forward. "Where did you come from?"
I wonder if it's somewhere I've heard of…
"Hm." Suzu-chan's eyes drifted, searching through old memories she didn't quite trust. "I only remember bits and pieces, so I'm not sure. But I think it was called… wait, yeah—
—'Wano Country,' I believe."
To be continued...