“Pipipi… Piyoppi pi…”
Asapis chirped outside the house. The morning sun entering through the window hit Prow’s face. He half-opened his eyes but soon covered himself with the blanket, feeling annoyed.
“Just a little longer…”
In the warm and dim comfort of his blanket, Prow started to doze off again. He felt like he had a very nostalgic dream. He wanted to see that dream again, just one more time…
“Hey, Prow! How long are you going to sleep!?”
However, Prow’s groggy mind was jolted awake by his mother’s voice coming from the next room.
“Yawn! I’m up! I’m up now, Mom!”
He hurriedly got out of bed and changed out of his pajamas. He tied his slightly grown deep green hair in a ponytail and got ready to go outside, then moved to the living room where his mother was waiting.
“Really, Prow, you and your oversleeping!”
His mother, a beautiful woman with deep green hair like Prow’s, smiled while setting the table with plates of bread and fruit. Her name was Otta, Prow’s mother. She had lost her husband a long time ago and was now raising Prow single-handedly.
“Sorry! I was having such a great dream!”
“What was it? Hehe, so I should forgive your oversleeping because of that? What did you dream about?”
“I forgot!”
The two chatted idly as they finished breakfast. The warm sunlight brightened the room. The golden bread on the table shimmered under the morning sun. It was a peaceful, happy moment.
“Now, once you’re done eating, it’s time for work! As usual, Prow, start by fetching water from the river!”
“Okay, I know, Mom!”
After breakfast, Prow grabbed three large buckets and dashed out of the house. Although he was still small, he was strong. He could carry two full buckets of water in his hands and another on his head without feeling their weight. That’s why fetching water in the morning was Prow’s job.
Everyone in the village did what they could without overburdening themselves.
The residents of Grow Nodekka Village lived that way. They lived leisurely and happily, helping each other out, working hard to grow wheat.
Prow walked towards the river, gazing at the vast green wheat fields stretching far into the distance. He loved the wheat fields. He loved the green swaying in the wind under the blue sky. He loved the golden shine in the sunlight. He loved all wheat fields. Just looking at them made him happy.
And Prow loved the people working there too. When Hark Uncle, working in the fields, noticed him walking by, he stopped his work, wiped his sweat, and waved at him with a smile. Next to him, Gruete Granny was weeding. Both were Prow’s neighbors.
Further away, Lonte and Itack, who recently came to the village and used to be adventurers, were cutting trees to expand the fields. They were a bit rough around the edges due to their adventurer background and had some trouble initially, but now they were important members of the village. They chatted and laughed with other villagers while working.
“Prow!”
Suddenly, a cute voice called out from behind. Turning around, Prow saw a girl running towards him with a bucket in hand.
“Feti! Good morning!”
Her name was Feti, Prow’s energetic childhood friend. With each hop and skip, her hair tied in two buns on either side of her head bounced. The accessories tying her hair were handmade by Prow, who thought her calm brown hair was very beautiful and worked hard to create matching hair ornaments. Feti loved them.
“Hey, Prow! Are you fetching water too?”
“Yeah, Feti! Wanna come with?”
“Yes!”
Together, they headed to the river flowing beside the village. Time flowed gently.
◇ ◇ ◇
The river, located straight west from the village center and flowing through the forest, was a clean and beautiful stream. It was essential for village life, used for washing and bathing. Prow didn’t know its name. It was simply “the river” to the villagers, so there was no need for a specific name.
“Hey, Prow, do you think there’s any treasure washed up today?”
Feti tugged at Prow’s sleeve, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Occasionally, various things would drift down from upstream in the river. Usually, it was fruits or strangely shaped black branches, but sometimes they found rare items like animal fangs. Feti’s hair ornament was made from a shiny scale that came from upstream.
“Ahaha, who knows?”
Laughing, Prow admired the sparkling river surface under the sunlight as they walked to the water-fetching spot. The forest was well-maintained by the villagers,
with cut underbrush and appropriately thinned trees, making it a bright and safe place. No magical creatures had ever appeared, so the two walked leisurely, stepping on the soft moss.
“Treasure! Treasure! …Huh?”
Suddenly, Feti, who was pulling Prow’s sleeve and walking ahead, stopped.
“What’s wrong, Feti… ah!”
Prow quickly spotted the reason for her pause. Something black and unfamiliar had washed up at their water-fetching spot.
Rushing over, the two realized what it was and were greatly surprised.
It was a person.
A girl, about their age.
Prow gasped when he saw her. He had never seen such a beautiful girl before.
Her clothes were tattered, but her skin was pale, her hair black as night. Her features were so perfect, she almost seemed like a doll.
She was beautiful.
Eerily so.
And for some reason, looking at her black hair, Prow felt…
“Nostalgic.”
He couldn’t explain why. He had never seen someone with black hair before.
“Ah! Prow! She’s alive!”
“Eh!?”
Caught off guard by the girl’s presence, Prow was brought back to his senses by Feti. She had cautiously approached the black-haired girl and found she was still breathing.
“Let’s take her to the village quickly, Prow! We need to warm her up and help her!”
“Uh… yeah!”
Regaining his composure at Feti’s words, Prow dropped his buckets and hurriedly carried the black-haired girl, heading back to the village.
“Pipipi… Piyoppi pi…”
Asapis chirped outside the house. The morning sun entering through the window hit Prow’s face. He half-opened his eyes but soon covered himself with the blanket, feeling annoyed.
“Just a little longer…”
In the warm and dim comfort of his blanket, Prow started to doze off again. He felt like he had a very nostalgic dream. He wanted to see that dream again, just one more time…
“Hey, Prow! How long are you going to sleep!?”
However, Prow’s groggy mind was jolted awake by his mother’s voice coming from the next room.
“Yawn! I’m up! I’m up now, Mom!”
He hurriedly got out of bed and changed out of his pajamas. He tied his slightly grown deep green hair in a ponytail and got ready to go outside, then moved to the living room where his mother was waiting.
“Really, Prow, you and your oversleeping!”
His mother, a beautiful woman with deep green hair like Prow’s, smiled while setting the table with plates of bread and fruit. Her name was Otta, Prow’s mother. She had lost her husband a long time ago and was now raising Prow single-handedly.
“Sorry! I was having such a great dream!”
“What was it? Hehe, so I should forgive your oversleeping because of that? What did you dream about?”
“I forgot!”
The two chatted idly as they finished breakfast. The warm sunlight brightened the room. The golden bread on the table shimmered under the morning sun. It was a peaceful, happy moment.
“Now, once you’re done eating, it’s time for work! As usual, Prow, start by fetching water from the river!”
“Okay, I know, Mom!”
After breakfast, Prow grabbed three large buckets and dashed out of the house. Although he was still small, he was strong. He could carry two full buckets of water in his hands and another on his head without feeling their weight. That’s why fetching water in the morning was Prow’s job.
Everyone in the village did what they could without overburdening themselves.
The residents of Grow Nodekka Village lived that way. They lived leisurely and happily, helping each other out, working hard to grow wheat.
Prow walked towards the river, gazing at the vast green wheat fields stretching far into the distance. He loved the wheat fields. He loved the green swaying in the wind under the blue sky. He loved the golden shine in the sunlight. He loved all wheat fields. Just looking at them made him happy.
And Prow loved the people working there too. When Hark Uncle, working in the fields, noticed him walking by, he stopped his work, wiped his sweat, and waved at him with a smile. Next to him, Gruete Granny was weeding. Both were Prow’s neighbors.
Further away, Lonte and Itack, who recently came to the village and used to be adventurers, were cutting trees to expand the fields. They were a bit rough around the edges due to their adventurer background and had some trouble initially, but now they were important members of the village. They chatted and laughed with other villagers while working.
“Prow!”
Suddenly, a cute voice called out from behind. Turning around, Prow saw a girl running towards him with a bucket in hand.
“Feti! Good morning!”
Her name was Feti, Prow’s energetic childhood friend. With each hop and skip, her hair tied in two buns on either side of her head bounced. The accessories tying her hair were handmade by Prow, who thought her calm brown hair was very beautiful and worked hard to create matching hair ornaments. Feti loved them.
“Hey, Prow! Are you fetching water too?”
“Yeah, Feti! Wanna come with?”
“Yes!”
Together, they headed to the river flowing beside the village. Time flowed gently.
◇ ◇ ◇
The river, located straight west from the village center and flowing through the forest, was a clean and beautiful stream. It was essential for village life, used for washing and bathing. Prow didn’t know its name. It was simply “the river” to the villagers, so there was no need for a specific name.
“Hey, Prow, do you think there’s any treasure washed up today?”
Feti tugged at Prow’s sleeve, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Occasionally, various things would drift down from upstream in the river. Usually, it was fruits or strangely shaped black branches, but sometimes they found rare items like animal fangs. Feti’s hair ornament was made from a shiny scale that came from upstream.
“Ahaha, who knows?”
Laughing, Prow admired the sparkling river surface under the sunlight as they walked to the water-fetching spot. The forest was well-maintained by the villagers,
with cut underbrush and appropriately thinned trees, making it a bright and safe place. No magical creatures had ever appeared, so the two walked leisurely, stepping on the soft moss.
“Treasure! Treasure! …Huh?”
Suddenly, Feti, who was pulling Prow’s sleeve and walking ahead, stopped.
“What’s wrong, Feti… ah!”
Prow quickly spotted the reason for her pause. Something black and unfamiliar had washed up at their water-fetching spot.
Rushing over, the two realized what it was and were greatly surprised.
It was a person.
A girl, about their age.
Prow gasped when he saw her. He had never seen such a beautiful girl before.
Her clothes were tattered, but her skin was pale, her hair black as night. Her features were so perfect, she almost seemed like a doll.
She was beautiful.
Eerily so.
And for some reason, looking at her black hair, Prow felt…
“Nostalgic.”
He couldn’t explain why. He had never seen someone with black hair before.
“Ah! Prow! She’s alive!”
“Eh!?”
Caught off guard by the girl’s presence, Prow was brought back to his senses by Feti. She had cautiously approached the black-haired girl and found she was still breathing.
“Let’s take her to the village quickly, Prow! We need to warm her up and help her!”
“Uh… yeah!”
Regaining his composure at Feti’s words, Prow dropped his buckets and hurriedly carried the black-haired girl, heading back to the village.
