Death by Rice

"So what I'm hearing is-" Inorin sprawled across the plastic chair outside the detention room. "you decked some kid who was talking shit about how you look?"

I slumped further into my seat, arms crossed. "He called me a demon hag."

"Ouch. But Kuro-chan, you can't solve everything with anger and fists."

"Oh yeah? What about you getting into bar fights every other week? I'm the one patching you up!"

"Hey now, that's different! Those guys are straight-up creeps who can't keep their hands to themselves. You're allowed to knock the lights out of creeps. It's basically community service!"

***

I snatched up another rock, bigger this time. Jiko's eyes widened as I cocked my arm back.

"Wait-"

The rock whizzed past his ear as he ducked, cracking against a tree behind him.

"What the hell was that for?"

"For being a creep."

"I-I wasn't-" His eyes darted away, then back, then away again.

"You're literally doing it right now."

Jiko scrambled over to where Peng dozed in its nook. He snatched up the penguin and held it in front of his eyes.

"Peng?" The penguin's eyes blinked open, head swiveling in confusion.

I needed to watch my words carefully. For all his awkward fumbling now, this guy was still planning to kill Ten. And while that woman was definitely hiding something, she hadn't actually done anything wrong that I'd seen.

"What are you even doing here? What do you want?"

"Keep your voice down," Jiko hissed. "She could hear us."

"Ten's off doing her rounds or whatever. And we're surrounded by trees. I doubt anyone can hear us out here."

Jiko shook his head frantically, still hiding behind a bewildered Peng. "You don't understand. Her other senses might not be great, but her hearing... it's not normal. She could probably hear everything we're saying right now, so be quiet."

I crouched down and whispered, "Whatever. Why are you here?"

"Before that, how do you know Ten's name?"

"Met her earlier. After you left me locked up, she saved me from that Rust thing you failed to finish off."

"Of course she did. That woman will do anything to win people over."

"And why would she do that? She seems decent enough to me."

The silence stretched as he absently stroked Peng's head. The penguin cooed, completely oblivious to the tension.

"You probably won't believe me if I told you," Jiko finally said. "So I'll just have to show you. Meet me at my place at noon. You can't miss it."

My fingers itched to grab another rock. Who did this guy think he was, making demands after spying on me? But Peng had settled comfortably in his hands, eyes half-closed in contentment.

That sneaky bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing, holding onto my penguin like that.

"Fine, I'll meet you. Can you leave now?"

"Just... don't get too comfortable around here." Jiko placed Peng back to its nook, eyes squeezed shut as he stumbled over roots and rocks. He bumped into a tree, cursed under his breath, then finally found his way back to the path.

I waited until his footsteps faded before dunking my head under water. Whatever earth-shattering revelation he wanted to show me better be worth it.

Ugh, this is stupid. I eventually hauled myself out of the river, wringing water from my hair.

"Hey Peng, what do you think? Should we trust Bow Boy?"

"Peng." The penguin barely lifted its head from its position in between the nooks, giving me the most apathetic side-eye I ever seen.

"Thanks for the input." Still, Peng seemed weirdly comfortable around Jiko despite his whole "I'll shoot you" introduction. And Ten, while nice enough, was definitely hiding something behind that smile.

"Alright, we'll give him one chance. But if this turns out to be a waste of time, I'm throwing rocks at his head until he cries."

"...Peng."

***

A gentle voice drifted beside me. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead."

My eyes cracked open. Sunlight pierced through gaps in wooden walls, casting thin golden lines across dirt floors. Last night felt like a blur - stumbling back to the hut Ten had shown me, collapsing onto... whatever this was I'd slept on.

A figure twirled, sliding open more wooden panels. She hummed as she worked, straightening the few items scattered about: a worn broom, some clay pots, a blanket that had somehow ended up wrapped around my shoulders.

"Who the hell are you?" The words came out sharper than intended. Force of habit.

She paused mid-sweep, turning to face me with a warm smile. "Oh! I'm Kanon, one of the residents here. Ten asked me to look after you this morning."

Heat crept up my neck. The only person who'd ever "looked after" me was Inorin, and that usually involved throwing cold water on my face or dragging me out of bed by my ankles. Kanon's gentleness left me completely off-guard.

"You don't need to do that" I mumbled. "I can handle myself."

"Nonsense! It's no trouble at all." Kanon resumed her cleaning with renewed enthusiasm. "Besides, we so rarely get visitors. Let me fuss over you a little!"

"Really, I'm fine. I don't need-"

A clump of warm rice filled my mouth mid-sentence. I nearly choked at the woman's lightning fast chopstick skills.

"There we go!" She beamed, already scooping up another bite. "Nothing starts the day better than proper breakfast."

I swallowed hard, barely avoiding death by rice. "Hey, hold on-"

Another mouthful cut me off. Kanon's smile never wavered as she kept up the assault.

I scrambled backward, finally noticing the unfamiliar cloth against my skin. Gone were my hoodie and jacket, replaced by simple clothes Ten had offered yesterday.

"Where are my clothes? The ones I was wearing before?"

"Oh, those? They needed a good wash. Don't worry, I'll take care of them shortly."

"But-"

"First things first!" She set down the bowl and clapped her hands together. "Once you're done eating, we've got work to do."

A chill ran down my spine. Something about her cheerful tone promised trouble.

"...What kind of work?"

"Why tending the rice fields, of course!"

"The fields? But I don't know anything about-"

The chopsticks swooped in again, and I resigned myself to death by rice.