The Village

Rania quickly says: "He's my servant. In the city we had too many customers in the tavern, so my aunt hired him. Today she sent him with me so he could serve me."

Tanen looks doubtful for a moment, but he didn't want to ruin the moment, so he says: "HAHAHA alright! So boy, what's your name and why are you wearing those strange clothes? Can't you see it's cold here?"

"My name is Hiroshi Nakamura. These are the clothes from my homeland. If I had known it was cold here, I would have prepared myself. You, since you're demi-humans, don't feel the cold as much thanks to your skin, so I kindly ask you to provide some clothes, otherwise I'll get sick."

"HAHAHA RANIA! YOUR SERVANT IS STRANGE IN EVERYTHING: CLOTHES, WAY OF SPEAKING, AND EVEN HIS FACE! HAHAHA LOOK AT HIM! HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S ALREADY DEAD! HAHAHA"

"Hehehe father, let's go inside so we can talk there properly," says Rania trying to move from there before something else happens.

"OK, BUT DON'T YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR UNCLES WHO ARE HERE WAITING FOR YOU WITH ME?"

"I know, but first I want to meet mother."

As soon as she says this, a moment of silence appears. Tanen, who just seconds ago was joyful and booming with his voice, now says in a low voice: "Alright, let's go inside."

So they start entering a large tent. Hiroshi was walking behind with Hukuro.

While they were walking, Hukuro asks: "Boy, how long have you known Rania? And why did you come with her?"

"For a week. She has to give me back my money that she lost betting on the race of that animal that was in front of the cart, whose name I don't know."

"Hehehe, you're really funny. That animal is called Gogo."

Hiroshi and Hukuro enter the tent last. Besides the two of them, there are about twenty other people. In the middle there was a large bed on which a person was lying. Around the bed were some elderly people, then there were Rania, her father, and their relatives.

"Dad, what happened to mom? Why is she lying like that?" asks Rania desperately, seeing her own mother lying on that bed.

"Rania, listen here, you have to be strong, ok? Because what you're going to hear isn't good," says Tanen gripping his daughter by the shoulders.

"My daughter, your mother has been struck by a very serious illness for which there is no cure. She doesn't have much time left and wanted to meet you before closing her eyes."

Rania loses control of herself: "WHY DIDN'T YOU HAVE HER SEEN BY A DOCTOR?! A GOOD DOCTOR! YOU COULD HAVE CALLED SOMEONE FROM THE ROYAL KINGDOM!"

"Dear, we did everything, but everyone said the same thing: that there was no remedy."

Rania, who was happy just moments ago, now starts crying like a child: "And why isn't mom waking up?"

"We made her sleep because she hadn't slept for a while. She'll wake up soon, don't worry."

"HOW CAN I NOT WORRY, DAD, WHEN MY MOTHER IS IN THIS CONDITION?!"

Hearing Rania's voice, the woman lying down also opens her eyes and says in a low voice: "Rania, you're back, dear."

Rania, seeing her mother, runs to hug her and starts crying: "Mother, why didn't you call me earlier? Am I so ugly that you didn't want me near you?"

"Hahaha, silly, what are you saying? Look, everyone is watching. Come on, get up, look, I'm fine."

"Please mom, don't say that. Let me stay like this right now."

For a while Rania stays like this. Then one of the elders who was sitting says: "Kids, go now. Mrs. Tanen needs to rest. Too much strain isn't good for her."

After that, slowly, people leave the tent and only Mr. Tanen, Rania, and Mrs. Tanen remain.

Meanwhile, Hukuro shows a small tent that has been prepared for Hiroshi: "So young man, this is your tent. Here you can rest, do whatever you want. We eat food all together: you'll know when the bells ring and call everyone. So, all under the vast sky, we'll eat together."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for organizing all this."

"Don't mention it."

So Hukuro leaves. Hiroshi sits on this type of cushion made of leather.

Ahhhh, now what do I do? I came here but I don't know what to do. And on top of that, Rania's mother's condition isn't the best. I hope she recovers soon, but I haven't understood what I should do in this world. How can I become a man? I don't know. GOD, please help me. I've been wandering without a destination from the beginning.

Hiroshi, lost in thoughts, falls asleep there.

TAN TAN TAN TAN

The bells were ringing to call everyone. The sound was loud, so Hiroshi wakes up and sees that next to him lay a coat made of fur and a hat. Hiroshi puts them on and sees that they were warm enough to keep his body comfortable. The coat reached down to his knees and was a bit loose, but it was fine.

Hiroshi then exits his tent. The sun was already tinted orange for a while and it was starting to get dark. He sees people going in one direction, so he also starts following them.

Everyone gathers in the middle of the village where a huge carpet was laid out that had places for everyone. There were cushions placed to sit on, and in front of them was hot and fragrant food. The aroma was everywhere and it truly showed that the food in front of them was made to perfection and would be a pleasure for their taste buds.

Everyone starts sitting in their places. Hukuro signals Hiroshi to come and sit next to him.

"So young man, how does our village seem to you?" he asks.

"I was sleeping all this time, so I couldn't see anything. But seeing this surrounding atmosphere now, I think this must be something traditional."

"You're right! As I told you before, here we eat together. It's our village's rule to all stay in peace and harmony."

"Good." Then Hiroshi looks around, but he can't see Rania. "Mr. Hukuro, I can't see Rania and Mr. Tanen. Where are they?"

Hukuro's voice lowers a bit: "They're inside the tent, you know..."

"Yes, I understand," a dry response from Hiroshi.

After that, everyone starts eating. There were various types of food: meat-based, vegetables, fish, and much more. Everyone was eating with joy and happiness, talking and laughing. In the middle of the crowd there were some who were also singing.

It was only Hiroshi who ate solely to survive.

A few minutes later: "So, how was the food?"

"Edible. The cooking and freshness were adequate. The taste was balanced."

"So you liked it?"

"We can confirm that."

After that, everyone gets up and helps clean everything up, then they go with their families to their own tents.

A couple of hours pass. It was almost midnight. Hukuro was in his tent when at some point he feels the need to go to the bathroom, so he goes out. On his return, he sees Hiroshi sitting on a rock looking up at the sky. Hukuro approaches:

"What's wrong, boy? What are you looking at up there?"