Chapter 4 …

 Night Raid

The next day, after the sun rose, we thoroughly searched the inside of the shack again and found what appeared to be a hatchet meant for chopping firewood.

This was a huge discovery. It was covered in red rust, so it was probably iron. I gained a little more respect for this world’s civilization. I immediately sharpened it on stones from the riverbank and tested it out—it worked not only for splitting firewood, but also for trimming branches and peeling bark from trees. Right away, we tied strips of bark together using the ropes we’d originally been bound with and made simple clothing for ourselves (or rather, it looked more like armor…). At least I was finally free from being half-naked.

Then I made a hole in the shack’s roof to create a smoke vent. It didn’t work well at first, but after adjusting it several times, the smoke finally started escaping properly. Now we’d be able to use fire even while sleeping.

As for the most important issue—food—

When I started flipping over rocks by the riverbank, I discovered there were actually quite a lot of small insects underneath them.

Ugh… can we really eat these?

Just as I was thinking that, ma’am said:

“I think these are probably edible. I heard that in Nagano Prefecture, people eat river insects.”

At this point, beggars couldn’t be choosers. We gathered the bugs, boiled them in the earthenware pot, and tried eating them. Surprisingly, they didn’t taste particularly awful—though they were bland, more like chewing on the shells of tiny river shrimp. Still, after so long without food, my body seemed genuinely grateful, and for the first time in a while, I felt somewhat human again.

“Mmm… If only we had a little salt or seasoning…” ma’am said, fearlessly eating the bugs too.

“But wow… if Tomori saw this, she’d probably faint.”

True enough. She’d always hated bugs since she was little.

With our stomachs at least somewhat filled, and the shack now reasonably warm from the fire, it finally felt like on our third day in this world, we might actually be able to sleep properly.

Or so I thought.

“Yuu-kun. It’s snowing.”

At ma’am’s voice, I stepped outside the shack.

Well, well… it was coming down pretty hard.

This might actually pile up.

“Ma’am. Let’s get back inside so we don’t lose body heat.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. But, Yuu-kun… can I ask you something? Just while we’re in this world… could you stop calling me ‘ma’am’? I mean, I know I technically am one… but while we’re here, I want to be your reliable partner. So… I’d like you to call me something more equal.”

I see.

Personally, I didn’t really mind either way, but maybe this was her own declaration of resolve.

“Then… may I call you Hoshi Akari-san?”

“Yep. You could even call me Akari-chan… haha, just kidding. That’d honestly be a little embarrassing. Hoshi Akari-san, please.”

“Then, Hoshi Akari-san. Let’s rest up for tomorrow!”

“Okay!”

◇◇◇

Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up from some strange sensation.

M—… Hoshi-san was sleeping soundly beside me, softly breathing.

The shack occasionally creaked with sharp cracking noises.

This was…

Was snow pressing down on the shack?

I tried going outside, but snow had already piled up around the entrance so heavily it was nearly blocked. Forcing my way through the snow-packed doorway, I stepped outside and saw that although the snowfall had lightened considerably, a dangerous amount had already accumulated on the roof.

If I didn’t clear it off immediately, there was a real risk of carbon monoxide poisoning—or worse, the shack collapsing.

I returned inside and shook Hoshi-san awake.

“M—… Hoshi-san, please wake up. Too much snow has piled up. The shack’s dangerous. We need to go outside.”

“Ugh… so cold. The fire’s still going, right?”

I put on the wooden armor we’d made during the day, cleared most of the snow from the entrance, secured a path outside, and stepped out. Hoshi-san followed behind me.

With only the torchlight, it was hard to see clearly, but there was definitely a serious amount of snow on the roof.

If we didn’t remove it, this was bad.

Doing this kind of work in the dark felt incredibly dangerous, but we had no choice.

I had Hoshi-san hold the torch while I climbed onto the roof and somehow managed to clear away most of the snow.

Then, just as I was carefully trying to climb back down—

<<WOOOOOOOOOOON!!>>

A terrifying howl echoed nearby.

What was that?

A wolf?

“Yuu-kun! Over there! Something’s there!”

Hoshi-san shouted, pointing the torch toward the riverbank.

“Hoshi-san, give me the torch. Then get inside the shack!”

How many are there?

Definitely more than one.

My weapon—

The hatchet was by the hearth.

Mistake.

I should’ve brought it inside.

Regretting it now was useless.

I rushed toward the hearth, but snow had piled over everything, and I couldn’t find it.

Damn it.

I’m surrounded.

One… two… three… four…

At least five.

There was no time to hesitate.

I frantically started digging through the snow around the hearth.

One of them lunged at me—

But I drove a full-force kick straight into its stomach, sending it flying backward.

Were they really wolves?

They seemed bigger than any wild dog I’d ever seen… though honestly, I’d never seen a real wolf before.

It didn’t matter.

I just had to survive this.

Oh—there’s the hearthstone!

Then—

Found it!

Grabbing the hatchet, I repositioned myself with my back to the shack.

If they were wolves, then they probably fought as a pack.

That first attack had likely just been a jab—testing my strength.

Soon they’d attack simultaneously.

The real question was how I’d handle that.

As I considered this, two lunged from my left and right at the same time.

This wasn’t bamboo sword practice.

I wasn’t sure if my range would be enough—

But in kendo, you can’t rely solely on your eyes to strike.

And in this darkness, that was even more true.

Trusting only their presence, I shifted my body and struck left and right in rapid succession.

“Kyain!”

Yes!

I’d hit them.

I could feel the impact, though I had no idea how much damage I’d actually done.

Perhaps realizing I wasn’t easy prey, they widened their distance.

Which meant next time…

Front, back, left, right—all at once?

Could I handle that?

…I had to.

Steeling myself, I focused every nerve on the movements around me.

Then—

A frozen silence.

And the next instant—

They came!

Front, back, left, right—

Above too!?

No good!

Every escape route was blocked!

At that moment, my body moved not through reason—but instinct.

One!

Two!

Three!

Though nearly simultaneous, there were tiny differences in timing—

And I exploited those gaps, striking each incoming presence with my hatchet.

Hit!

Then—

Four! Five!

Damn—it was nearly simultaneous!

I struck Four—

But in the very next instant, Five sank its fangs deep into my left shoulder.

“GAAAAAH! THAT HURTS!!”

I shook the beast off, but the agonizing pain forced me to my knees.

Because of the pain, even sensing their presence became harder.

But losing focus meant death.

Calm down!

Deep breaths!

It seemed like at least two were still capable of moving.

Could I still fight?

Luckily, my dominant arm was my right.

I could still swing the hatchet.

That’s right…

I had no choice but to fight through this.

If I died—

Hoshi-san would too…

And then—

Suddenly, a massive pillar of fire erupted behind me.

What!?

Is the shack burning!?

The enemy flinched in surprise.

Damn it—

Now’s my chance!

I charged the remaining two.

◇◇◇

“Ahhh… what do I do? That really hurts, doesn’t it? Okay… first I’m going to wash it.”

Thanks to Hoshi-san’s quick thinking—burning down the entire shack—the area had lit up, the beasts had hesitated, and in one desperate all-or-nothing attack, I’d succeeded in killing the final two.

As long as the shack kept burning, other beasts probably wouldn’t come near.

But my left shoulder…

The bite wound was serious.

“Hoshi-san… whatever happens, don’t let the fire go out. After washing the wound, we need to disinfect it… Rabies and infection are a real concern…”

“Ehhh!? But disinfect with what!? We don’t have alcohol!”

“There’s only one option.

We burn it.

It’ll cauterize it too.”

“That’s so… brutal…”

“No… in this situation, it’s probably our only choice. Please hand me the torch. If I pass out… keep burning it until the bleeding stops.”

“EHHHHHH!? …Okay…”

“Then… here goes.”

I pressed the torch flame directly against the bite wound on my left shoulder.

“Ghh…!”

Unimaginable pain surged through me—

But somehow, I endured it.

“GUUAAAH…!”

Barely…

I managed to stay conscious.

“…Hoshi-san… I’m about to collapse now… once I do… cool the burn with clean water…”

“Yuu-kun…!”

Hoshi-san was already in tears.

The snow had stopped.

But the shack was gone.

Tomorrow…

We’d be starting over from nothing.

Thinking that—

My consciousness faded away.