Communication Between the Taciturn and the Taciturn

“......!!”

When I snapped my eyes open, the first thing I saw was a grimy wooden ceiling.

I instinctively touched my neck, confirming that my head hadn't said goodbye to my torso.

<Aah, thank goodness, Emi! You're awake!>

......Yeah, Omake-sama. Looks like I'm okay, somehow. I'm still tired and drained from running out of magic power, but I'm not hurt, and I've still got all my limbs.

“Haah~~......”

I let out a sigh of relief.

I mean, seriously!

I really thought I was a goner this time!

<My heart was in my mouth too...... You were lucky.>

Yeah.

If that...... mysterious old man hadn't saved me, I'd definitely be dead and buried by now.

Is this...... that man's house?

I looked around.

I was in a room of a small wooden house.

It was an old room with the wind whistling through the cracks, but unlike the house of that drunk trash of a man, it was neatly organized.

I pulled back the thin futon covering me and looked at my clothes: they'd been changed into something that looked like animal hides stitched together...... something I'd never seen before.

They didn't fit and were way too baggy.

Did that man change them for me?

Oh, I'm not going to go “He saw me naked! Eek!” or anything.

After all, I'm still only 6, and my previous clothes had been in a truly terrible state, covered in blood and whatnot.

Naturally, I feel nothing but gratitude.

But who is that man?

Chopping a wolf's head clean off with a hand chop was amazing, but, how do I put it, that, um, intense aura? That was something else, right?

<There is a technique called 【Intimidation】, where you deliberately release magic power to make your opponent shrink back. That's where that intensity came from. Either way, that man is no ordinary person.>

Ga, kiii......

While I was chatting with Omake-sama, the badly fitted, creaky door opened, and in came the old man himself.

The old man noticed I was awake, came over by the futon, and plunked himself down right there.

His piercing gaze was as sharp as ever, and the intimidation he radiated was exactly the same as when he saved me from the wolf.

““............””

Both the old man and I remained silent.

““............””

Only the sound of the wind whistling through the cracks reached my ears.

<......No, no, Emi, let's have a conversation, shall we? Why are you two just glaring at each other? This man is your savior, you know? Isn't there something you should say?>

S-sorry, Omake-sama.

I know I have to thank him, but look, I've hardly spoken to anyone in this life, right?

I just don't know what to say to start a conversation......

Also, isn't his intimidation insane? Huh? What is this? What's with this old man? Is he trying to kill me? Didn't he just save me? Is he some kind of dangerous old man, this guy?

<J-just say, ‘Thank you for saving me.’ And this man has no intention of harming you. If he did, he wouldn't have saved you, right? This man is probably just like you, Emi. Taciturn, and not used to dealing with people. I couldn't tell you whether he can't turn off the intimidation because he's not used to people, or he's not used to people because he can't turn off the intimidation.>

I-I get it, Omake-sama.

I just have to thank him, right?

I'll thank him with all my heart!

Come to think of it, apart from Omake-sama, I've never once had a conversation like this in this life.

T-this is actually kind of nerve-wracking!

“............Thanks.”

I muttered softly while looking into the old man's eyes.

“............”

The old man remained silent.

Huh? Did he not hear me?

Maybe it was drowned out by the sound of the wind?

This man isn't reacting at all.

“............Thanks.”

I expressed my gratitude a bit louder than before.

“............”

The old man was still silent.

Ah, but he gave a faint nod.

Yes! Communication successful!

““............””

And once again, a stretch of silence passed between the two of us......

<AAAAAAAAH~~~~! Seriously, what is wrong with you two~~~~!! Are you both just this bad at talking!!>

It can't be helped!

I'm a conversation beginner, okay?

Cut me some slack for being clumsy!

“......Doesn't it hurt?”

!!

This time, the old man spoke to me!

The old man's voice was low, but it was a powerful, dandy voice that carried well.

“......No.”

When I answered, the old man gave another faint nod.

Omake-sama! Omake-sama!

I was actually having a conversation just now, right?

This is how conversations are supposed to go, right!?

<......Haah. It takes you two an appalling amount of time to say a word or two! I mean, didn't you pretend to be the Spirit of the Myogomyogoshugo and talk to those thieves before? And surely you managed this much back-and-forth in Fenoben Village too.>

The thief thing was acting, so that's in a separate category.

Also, don't remind me about Trash Village! It's unpleasant.

““............””

Silence again.

But somehow, I found myself starting to enjoy this atmosphere.

Once I got used to it, the old man's intimidation wasn't that scary.

His mouth was set in a frown and his brow was deeply furrowed, but for this man, this was just his normal face.

He wasn't angry.

“......Why, did you save me?”

I tried asking a question this time.

“Even though I have, black hair, and black eyes.”

Yes, sadly, I look like the kind of person this world (or this region, at least?) discriminates against.

I'm confident I'm easy to hate, enough that villages won't even let me in.

So, why on earth?

“............”

The old man remained silent and pointed to his own eye.

The color was black, just like mine.

......Ah, I see......

<He has white hair now, so it's hard to tell, but perhaps this man has also struggled for a long time, just like you, Emi......>

Guuu......

Ah...... suddenly and without any context, my stomach growled.

In the silence between the two of us, the sound rang out loud and clear.

Hearing that, the old man stood up without changing his expression, went into the next room, and then...... he brought back something white and steaming on a plate.

He set the plate down on the floor in front of me, kotori, and on it was a heaping mound of white grains, simmered until thick and soft.

A sweet aroma drifted up with the steam and tickled my nose.

And by white grains, I don't mean some kind of larvae.

This is...... this is......!!

<A-amazing! Emi! This is ‘barley porridge’! I saw it on the Gourmet God's Isekai Reincarnation Broadcast a long time ago!!>

O-obviously I can tell without an explanation!

Eh!? What is this!? What is this!!? Can I eat it!? Am I allowed to eat this grain!!???

When I looked at the old man with eyes full of expectation, he gave a faint nod.

After that...... I couldn't stop.

I shoved my face into the plate and greedily devoured the barley porridge.

It's sweet! I never realized in my previous life that barley could be this sweet!

No gaminess, no bitterness, no sourness, just a really gentle flavor!

Soft and warm and fluffy, ah...... it's so good...... so this world had food this delicious too......!

Before I knew it, I was sobbing.

My face, its facial muscles as dead as ever, didn't so much as twitch, but the tears kept flowing and flowing.

<U...... u...... oeh......>

Omake-sama, who shares my senses, was also overcome by the deliciousness and was crying.

The old man silently watched me.

I licked up the remaining broth on the plate and took a breath.

<It was delicious...... wasn't it......>

Yeah, it was delicious, Omake-sama......

When I glanced at the old man, his face was as stern as ever, but he somehow seemed satisfied.

Ah, thank you, thank you.

I don't know how to thank you for giving me something so delicious.

<Let's thank him in the best way we can. We have to repay this kindness.>

You're right, you're right, Omake-sama.

We have to give something back to this man.

Having decided that, I stood up and looked around the room.

I wanted to return deliciousness with deliciousness. That's what I thought.

Then I noticed a spot on the wall with a thumb-sized hole in it, all discolored.

I had seen holes just like it in my family home in this life.

Or rather, according to Omake-sama, these are holes that are likely to be found anywhere in a dilapidated house.

For now, I approached the hole and gave it a kon kon knock.

The sound was clearly different from the other surrounding walls.

This is...... jackpot!

I stuck my finger into the hole and pulled with a bit of force; the brittle board made a pekiri sound as it came off, revealing a white, caterpillar-like creature hiding inside.

According to Omake-sama, this thing's name is the Mikikuishiroimomushi.

It's a pest that devours not only trees but even the walls of wooden houses, and as is the way of this world, it's officially classed as a monster, but in reality, it's not a caterpillar at all: it's a kind of shell-less snail.

And though not many people know it, it's also quite delicious.

Its odorless, crunchy flesh is full of umami, and it makes a great broth when put in soup.

To me, it counts as a feast.

Now, would this Mikikuishiroimomushi work as a thank-you for the barley porridge?

Come to think of it, this thing came from the old man's own house, so whether it counts as a thank-you at all is highly questionable, but he'd left it uneaten all this time, so he probably hadn't noticed it was there.

I harvested something he hadn't even noticed, so it should be thanks enough.

I mean, I don't have anything else that would make a good gift.

This is the only way I can return the favor.

I grabbed the Mikikuishiroimomushi and brought it to the old man.

“............Here.”

I tried to hand it over, but the old man wouldn't take it.

I tilted my head and stared at him.

The old man shook his head.

......I guess he means a gift is unnecessary, and a child shouldn't worry about such things......

This old man looks really scary and intimidating at first glance, but he's actually a very kind person......

Anyway, it'd be a shame to waste the Mikikuishiroimomushi, so I used 【Ignition】 to roast it right there and ate it myself.