The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 6 - Chapter 284

Chapter 284:

Still So Small

I SLEPT WONDERFULLY, like a log. As I sat up in bed and stretched my arms, I noticed the sunlight peeking through the cracks in the curtains. Since the sky had been gray every day since the rains started, this seemed a little odd. I parted the drapes and…

“Ooh, it’s a winter wonderland!”

When we got back from the forest the previous day, the snow had stopped. I’d been dreading that this meant it would rain again, but my fears were all for naught. Before my eyes lay a town blanketed in white. So I guess this means we’re back to a normal winter? Gee, I sure hope so.

“Morning, Ivy.”

“Good morning, Mr. Druid. It snowed!”

“Yeah, looks like it.” Druid got out of bed to go to the window and look outside. Unlike other towns I’d been in, snowy Hatow had windows that were small and double-paned. When you had two panes of glass, the space between them created a good insulation against the cold.

“Ivy, we can go hunting now that it’s snowed.”

“You mean for the monsters that only come out in the snow, right? Yeah, I’m excited. Oh, wait! We’ll need to go to the dump and get the stuff to make traps first.”

“You get materials for your traps at the dump?”

“Huh?! Um, yeah, of course I do.” Why did he look so confused to hear me say that?

“Well…I guess it doesn’t matter. Okay, how about we go to the dump after lunch?”

“Sure.”

Okay, so today’s plan is: Go to the dump to get materials for traps. Oh, but what about the new slime? I looked over at my bed. Everyone was still asleep on it, tired from all that playing the day before. There’s Sora, Flame, and Ciel… Wait, it’s not there? I couldn’t see the tiny black slime. Was it sandwiched between the other creatures?

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find the black slime.”

Druid helped me look around and under the bed for it, but it was nowhere to be found. I looked at the clock and saw it was already time for breakfast.

“Let’s have a good look for it after we eat. We owe it to Dola and Salifa to show them we’re doing okay now after all that worrying we made them do yesterday.”

“Oh, good idea. Right, the creatures! Good morning, guys, I’ll just put your potions here. Eat them whenever you want, all right?”

“We’ll be right back after breakfast, okay?” Druid waited at the door while I gave everyone a goodbye pat on the head. Then I walked over to join him and…

“Pu! Pu, puuu.”

“Te! Ryu, ryuuu.”

Mrrrow.

“Pefu!”

“Hm?” Druid and I mumbled at the strange noise. It was quieter than the others, but we definitely heard it. We scanned the room but still couldn’t see where it had come from.

“Let’s go eat first.”

“Okay.”

We left our room and locked the door behind us. The quiet little voice was concerning, but first we had to make an appearance at breakfast so our hosts wouldn’t worry about us. I also wanted to thank Salifa for the special dinner.

“Good morning…good morning…” We greeted the other guests as we walked through the dining hall. Since we had seen one another around for several days by then, we were all quite friendly with each other. Our breakfast arrived as soon as we sat at the table.

“Are you two feeling better today?” Dola asked with a look of relief in his eyes at the sight of us.

“Yes, thank you,” Druid said. “And sorry we worried you yesterday.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay. Oh, by the way, the village watch sent me some information about your memory loss. Salifa was really worried. She’ll probably pop in to check on you later, so please put her mind at ease, okay?”

“Of course. Sorry about everything…”

We watched Dola scurry back to work, and then we started our breakfast. Salifa’s handmade bread was delicious as ever, and I couldn’t stop eating it. As we sipped our after-breakfast tea to settle our stuffed stomachs, Salifa walked into the dining hall. She marched straight over to us, gave us both a hard looking over, then smiled and said “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay” with a sigh of relief. I felt just awful to see how worried she’d been about us.

“I’m so sorry we caused such a scare, ma’am. But don’t worry, the memory loss hasn’t affected our ability to function in our day-to-day lives.”

“But you still don’t know for sure, do you? That’s just a little scary. Oh, I know! Why don’t you have supper in the dining hall again tonight? I’ll feel much better if I see you two are eating well.”

Druid looked at me for my opinion, and I gave him a questioning look right back. Salifa giggled over the similarity of our actions.

“Should we take her up on the offer?” Druid asked.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Wonderful! I’ll make an extra-good supper for you both tonight.”

“But your cooking is always excellent, ma’am,” I said.

Salifa’s face softened into a proud smile. “Oh, Ivy, you are such a charmer.”

But I really meant it. This bread alone was excellent, and her soup was always delicious because of the way the vegetables changed up its flavor. Not a day passes where I’m not grateful that we found this inn.

“Oh, could I trouble you to teach me how to cook something else, Ivy?” Salifa said.

“Are you sure, ma’am? If anything, I’d love for you to teach me how to cook.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet. How about we teach each other?”

Gee, Salifa’s smile sure is therapeutic. We set a date to teach each other some recipes, then she returned to the kitchen to get back to work.

“Wanna head back to our room?” Druid asked.

“Yeah. I think my stomach’s settled enough to walk now.”

“I noticed you’ve been eating a lot more since we came to this inn, Ivy. You even have bigger lunches now, too.”

Druid sounded happy about that, but I was a little worried. I really shouldn’t be overeating.

“I’d feel a little better if you’d eat just a bit more.”

“Huh?!” Eat a bit more?!

“You’ve been having bigger portions, but you still don’t eat as much as normal nine-year-olds, Ivy.”

“You mean they eat more than I do?”

“Um, yes? Do you see the girl at that table over there?”

“Yeah, the redhead, right?”

“Right. She’s only seven, but she eats more than you do.”

She’s seven? Huh? Wait, we’re the same height, aren’t we? But she’s two whole years younger?

“What’s wrong?” Druid asked.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking she looks awfully big for a seven-year-old.”

“Hmmm…well, you’re right, she is a little on the big side. She’s not that much bigger than other seven-year-olds, though.”

Oh, that’s interesting. Maybe I’ve been thinking all the kids I meet are a little older than they really are.

“I’m still small, aren’t I?”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll grow.” Druid gave my head a couple gentle pats, and the weight in my heart floated away.

“Hiii, we’re back,” Druid and I called out as we entered the room. The potions were all gone.

“Ciel, are you sure you don’t need to go hunting yet? Are you hungry?”

Mrrrow.

I guess it’s okay. “Let me know if you get hungry, all right? Promise me.”

Mrrrow.

Okay, now let’s find that black slime. Druid was already checking around our beds. I looked for a little while, too, but I didn’t see it.

“Black slime…where are you?”

“Pefu!”

That voice…I think it came from the part of the room where we keep our stuff…

“Please come out.”

“Pehhh.”

I’m not sure why, but that sounded like a whiny “nooo.”

“It sounds like a very interesting little friend has joined our party,” Druid observed.

“Yeah.”

“You know, I just realized that black stain on Flame is gone now.”

I looked at Flame, who jiggled happily back at me. Druid was right. The black stain it’d had for a while was no longer there. It really was gone.

How funny would it be…if the black stain had turned into the same black slime we’re looking for right now… Come to think of it, when Flame was born, that red patch on Sora vanished completely, too.