Interlude: The Existence Named Haku

(Point of view: Lars, the child adventurer.)

Early in the morning. Normally, this would be the time I’d set out for the forest with my companions to gather medicinal herbs, but today I was waiting in front of the Guild for a meeting.

There was still time before our appointment. I’d never done anything like this before, and I was so restless that I kept glancing around nervously and stepping in place for no reason.

It felt almost like waiting for a date, I thought—then I shook my head to chase that idea away.

W-we aren’t in that kind of relationship!

Slapping my slightly flushed cheeks, I recalled how this meeting came to be.

It all started with a casual conversation yesterday.

I was gathering herbs in the shallow parts of the forest with my group when, toward evening, I saw Haku coming out of the woods.

Haku is a kid who became an adventurer recently, maybe six or seven years old. He says he’s eleven, but I’m sure that’s a lie.

However, he can use magic and is way stronger than me. He goes deep into the forest where monsters are everywhere and comes back like it’s nothing. I even heard a rumor recently that he tangled with an Ogre on the highway.

Haku has helped us out a lot. He’s given us potions, and he once saved my friends when they wandered too deep and got attacked by monsters.

As an older kid, it’s a bit of a complicated feeling to be outdone by someone smaller, but there’s no doubt he’s a really good guy.

His rank supposedly went up after that Ogre incident, so he hasn’t been showing his face in the forest much lately, but he just happened to visit that day.

Since our return times overlapped, we ended up walking back to the Guild together quite often.

That was when I asked him something that had been on my mind.

“Hey, aren’t you scared of facing monsters?”

Monsters are terrifying things. A kid like me wouldn’t stand a chance if attacked. Yet, Haku faces them head-on despite being a child.

I guess being able to use magic helps. But usually, you’d still be afraid. No matter how much power you have to fight, there’s always the risk of death.

In response to my question, Haku answered flatly, his expression unchanged.

“Not particularly. I’ve already gotten used to it.”

Already used to it. Just how many monsters has he faced to overcome that fear?

He’s built up so much experience that he’s become accustomed to it; has he never felt like he was going to break?

Haku, speaking as if it were nothing, turned the question back on me.

“Is Lars-kun afraid of monsters?”

“Well, yeah. You could die if you run into one.”

For an adult with the strength to fight, the monsters around here might be nothing. But I’m a kid. I don’t have that kind of power.

The only thing I can do against monsters is move carefully to avoid meeting them in the first place.

“Do you not think about fighting them?”

“I mean, I’d like to if I could, but it’s not like you can fight empty-handed.”

The rewards for herb gathering and monster subjugation are totally different. With subjugation, you get a reward just for the kill, and if the materials are in good condition, they sell for a lot. In terms of income, it’s way more promising than picking herbs.

That said, I wouldn’t recklessly try to hunt monsters. It would be different if I had a weapon, but there aren’t any monsters you can fight with your bare hands.

I thought that if I could do it with relatively low risk, I might want to try.

“In that case, let’s buy a weapon.”

“I don’t have that kind of money. I have my hands full just surviving.”

“Then I’ll pay for it.”

“…Hah?”

I had been half-heartedly replying that I wouldn’t be struggling if I had the money for a weapon, but when those unexpected words came back, I just stared at Haku’s face, dumbfounded.

As always, he had that expressionless face where you couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but his tone was serious—it didn’t sound like a joke.

Haku earns quite a bit for his age. He hunts monsters and is already a C-rank adventurer. His income must have gone up. Even so, why go out of his way to buy a weapon for me? What brought this on?

“I’ll be waiting at the Guild tomorrow morning, so let’s go together, okay?”

“Wait, ah, hey!”

Before I knew it, we had reached the Guild. Haku left only those words before hurrying off.

The hand I instinctively reached out to stop him only caught the air.

And so, I ended up waiting in front of the Guild.

Because I came out really early to make sure I wasn’t late, there weren’t many people around.

I’m honestly glad no one saw me acting so suspicious. I don’t even know why I’m this nervous.

“Lars, are you nervous—?”

“I-I’m not nervous at all!”

I brushed off the teasing from Cyan, who’s like a little sister to me.

I intended to come alone, but she tagged along quite naturally. It seems she overheard our talk yesterday.

She’s been curious about everything since she was little, always showing interest in whatever catches her eye. That personality hasn’t changed.

“Why did you even follow me?”

“Because I want to go shopping with Haku-onee-chan too!”

Cyan has been completely attached to Haku ever since he saved her from a monster attack in the forest.

No matter how you look at it, Cyan looks older, but she seems to believe Haku is eleven.

Well, even if he were really eleven, they’d be the same age.

“We aren’t going there to play, you know?”

“I know—”

She says that, but I doubt she really understands.

Well, as long as Haku is there, she’d happily follow him anywhere. I decided not to worry about it.

“Ah, Haku-onee-chan!”

“Cyan-chan, good morning.”

After waiting for a while, Haku arrived from down the street.

He used to wear clothes that looked like tattered rags, but he must have bought new ones because he now gives off the impression of a traveler.

He doesn’t look used to them yet—it feels more like the clothes are wearing him—but I thought that was cute in its own way.

“I’m sorry, did I keep you waiting?”

“No, not really.”

I’d actually been waiting for over an hour, but there was no need to say that.

The moment I saw Haku, my heart started racing like a bell.

It was all I could do to give a blunt reply so he wouldn’t notice.

Seriously, why am I so tense? We used to walk home together every day.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“O-oh.”

Seeing Haku start walking, I followed behind.

Cyan was stuck to Haku as usual, holding his hand with a huge smile on her face.

I wish I could interact with him with that much ease.

Being a commercial city, the streets were lively from the morning.

The foot traffic, which was almost non-existent when I first arrived at the Guild, was now teeming with people as the shops opened.

Haku walked through the city with practiced ease and entered a shop.

I caught a glimpse of the storefront; it was clearly a weapon shop. Swords, spears, and various other weapons were lined up on the wall shelves.

I’d wondered if he was serious, but is he really going to buy something…?

I did bring some money. It’s a pittance, but I intended to pay if I could afford it.

However, looking at the price tags, it wasn’t even close to being enough.

Even the cheapest things cost amounts that required small gold coins. There was no way we, in our economic hardship, could buy anything.

“Welcome.”

The shopkeeper frowned slightly when he saw us, but when he saw Haku, he let us look at the merchandise without saying a word.

It seems Haku has become a bit of a celebrity because of the Ogre incident.

I felt that even though we were both children, there was a world of difference between us.

“Lars-kun, what kind of weapon would you like?”

“Eh? Uh… I guess a sword, after all.”

To be honest, I’d never even considered fighting, so I didn’t know what kind of weapon was good. But a sword feels like it would be useful in most fights.

I’m used to knives since I use them for gathering herbs, so if I think of it as an extension of that, maybe…? Or maybe not.

At my words, Haku’s gaze wandered around before settling on a single blade. It was a short sword displayed on a shelf.

After getting permission from the shopkeeper to hold it, it was surprisingly light; even I could swing it around easily.

But it was really expensive. Eight small gold coins—with that much, I could live comfortably for about a month.

However, the moment Haku saw that I liked it, he decided to buy it immediately without being intimidated by the price.

Hey, hey, is it really okay to buy something this expensive for someone like me…?

I’d understand if it were for a comrade, but Haku and I are just adventurers who see each other often.

Or could it be… he’s interested in me? …No, there’s no way.

After that, seeing Cyan beg for something, he bought a new bow, and saying “You need armor too,” he bought leather armor at another shop; he really splurged today. Is it really okay to spend this much money…?

My stomach was already aching from letting him spend so much, but then he even treated us to lunch. When was the last time I had a proper meal?

“Hey, why are you doing all this for us?”

I couldn’t hold it back and ended up asking.

If he cares this much just because we’re together a lot, he must be an incredible pushover.

He’s helped me a few times before, but we’ve never helped Haku once.

I became anxious about whether there was a reason for his help or if it was truly just out of the goodness of his heart.

What does Haku think of me?

“Hmm, well, it’s a whim in a way, but I suppose it’s because you’re a hard worker, Lars-kun.”

“Hah…?”

He put a hand to his mouth; was that slight twitch at the corner of his lips supposed to be a smile?

A hard worker. It’s true that I work hard on commissions every day with my friends and put in effort so we can support each other. But that was the first time anyone had ever said that to me.

I couldn’t help but stare at Haku’s face. It was expressionless and hard to read, but the warmth I felt made me happy, as if he had acknowledged me.

“Now then, once we’re done eating, we’ll do some practical training. I don’t know much about swords since I’ve never used one, but I can at least teach you how to move around.”

Saying that, he sipped his drink.

I wondered if he was really going to go that far after buying the weapons, but a weapon is useless if you don’t know how to fight. If it’s come to this, I might as well rely on him to the end.

Once I learn how to fight and can eventually hunt monsters, I’ll do my best to lend Haku my strength.

With that determination, I shoveled the food into my mouth.

End of 32