The following days were much the same. Every morning, we had breakfast together, and then I chopped wood or did another type of chore while Hatchet set up the training grounds. Each day brought a new kind of physical torture in the form of Hatchet's relentless training. From muscle training to cardio, he could come up with the most efficient yet most intense training plans, and I would repeat them again and again until I dropped from fatigue.
Then we went into weapons training, from swords to spears to bows. We practiced until calluses formed, and then until they ripped and bled. This continued until the afternoon when Cecile called us for lunch.
After lunch, Cecile took charge and became a strict teacher. She taught me anything and everything she could for hours. The only joy I found during her lessons—besides the accumulation of new knowledge—was seeing Cecile get annoyed and embarrassed when she tried to teach me math. I always ended up acing everything or correcting her. After all, I came from a world with far more development in the fields of science and math than the world of DanMachi. After a while, she simply gave up trying to teach me mathematics.
This schedule slowly became routine, and before I knew it, time was flying by.
After three months of this, when I woke up, I checked my status to see the progress I had made.
STATUS:Name: UnknownRace: Unique HumanAge: 11Gender: MaleStrength – 5Dexterity – 6Control – 5.5Intelligence – 6Vitality – 6.5
Looking over the stats, I was quite happy seeing that all of them had grown—especially the fast growth of my dexterity, control, and vitality. It was only because of my vitality that I was able to get up every day after the extreme training. Even Hatchet was surprised. Though he responded by making the workouts even harder, forcing me to push my limits every time.
After grimacing at the thought of Hatchet and his increasingly difficult exercises, I noticed something that hadn't been there yesterday. The age display had changed to eleven.
"Huh. I guess it's my birthday today."
Not giving it much thought, I got ready for the day.
Coming out of my room, I was met with the increasingly familiar scene of Cecile in the kitchen cooking while Hatchet looked over some of his knives in his daily ritual. Looking up from his work, Hatchet said, "Good morning, kiddo."
Giving him a tired nod in return, I said good morning to both of them.
While Hatchet went back to his work, Cecile looked up with a cheerful smile. "Good morning, Cain. Food is almost done. Go ahead and take a seat."
Smiling, I said, "Okay, thank you for the food."
Sitting down, I thought for a moment and then asked, "What month and day is it?"
Looking up, Hatchet asked, "You don't know? Well, I guess we never told you. I just thought you already knew."
Placing the food down, Cecile lightly smacked Hatchet's head, saying, "Don't be insensitive." Looking over at me, she said with a smile, "It's the 4th of March 2211. Why do you ask?"
Muttering to myself, I said, "March 4th, huh? That does feel familiar. I guess it really is my birthday."
The sudden jarring noise of silverware hitting the table made me look up. I saw Cecile's stunned face.
Before I could say anything, she said in a slightly louder-than-normal tone, "It's your birthday? Why didn't you tell me? I don't have a gift. I don't have a gift!"
Before I could register anything, I felt her hug me and say, "Happy birthday!" before she ran out the back door.
Slowly looking back at Hatchet, I asked, "What just happened? And how did she do that?"
I pointed toward her plate, where there wasn't a speck of food left. Somehow, between hugging me and rushing out the door, she had eaten all her food before either Hatchet, or I could even take a bite. She left us staring at her plate in wonder, awe, and a bit of fear.
After Hatchet and I finished breakfast, the day went on as normal. The workshop in the back of our yard had its lights on, the forge was lit, and the noise of a hammer striking metal rang out throughout our training.
Which was slightly odd.
For as long as I had been here, she only went into the workshop later in the day after finishing lessons with me, and she almost never fired up the forge. As far as I knew, she mostly worked in leather crafting.
And judging from what she said that morning, she was making me a birthday present.
I wanted to tell her that it wasn't necessary—that I barely remembered my birthday and that it wasn't important—but Hatchet stopped me.
"It's no use, kid. When she gets like this, there ain't nobody who can stop her."
Looking back at Hatchet, I was surprised to see a strange look on his face. Looking closer, I could see a hint of fear in his eyes when they flicked toward the workshop. I wisely decided to let her be.
Later that day, I realized that Hatchet and I were quite helpless in the kitchen. While Mother was in the workshop, we were left to fend for ourselves. After an embarrassing amount of time fumbling around, we decided to have some of the cured meat we had in storage.
While eating our lunch, we made a silent pact never to mention what had happened in the kitchen that day.
While finishing up, Hatchet suddenly spoke.
"Hey, Cain, do you want to go hunting with me today?"
Looking up in surprise, he gave a soft chuckle and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, it's your birthday and all. It'll be good to get out and try something new. You hardly ever leave the house. It'll be a good learning opportunity, and Cecile likely won't be out until the evening. The town's butcher asked if I could get a deer and a few hares."
I was slightly stunned. This was the longest Hatchet had ever spoken in one sitting. The only time that could compare was when he shouted orders during training.
Suddenly, a warm feeling spread through my chest. I realized Hatchet, in his own awkward way, was trying to do something nice for my birthday. And knowing Cecile had locked herself away just to make something for me made that warmth grew stronger.
It made me feel like they were really my family.
That feeling had been there for a while, but I was only fully realizing it now.
Giving Hatchet a smile, I said, "Sure. I'd like that. What do I need?"