Chapter 10: Aim the Ball at Your Opponent’s Chest

Chapter 10:
Aim the Ball at Your Opponent’s Chest

 

THE NEXT DAY, I woke up before sunrise and trained as silently as possible until everyone else was awake. If I didn’t at least try to contain my noise, I’d only be a nuisance. Showing consideration to others like this was exactly what made me a true gentle muscle man.

Not long after, I heard footsteps coming from upstairs—two pairs.

“Oh my, Yuri, you’re up awfully early, aren’t you?”

“You got up even earlier than us! What a respectable young man.”

It was Fira and Elgis. Fira started cooking breakfast while Elgis got out the plates. When Elgis finished getting things ready, he stood back to watch his wife cook.

“Ah, how on earth did I end up with such a perfect wife?”

“My goodness, honey, are you hoping to get something from complimenting me?”

“Ah, Yuri, what am I supposed to do? I love my wife so much I can hardly stand it.”

“H-huh…” Talk about lovey-dovey. I couldn’t deal with this stuff at all. C’mon, when was Filia gonna get up?

“Good morning!” Thank goodness, my wish was granted. Filia let out a long yawn as she traipsed down the stairs. Oh, Filia, my savior!

Elgis and Fira’s eyes widened when they saw Filia awake. Apparently the old Filia was a bit of a sleepyhead, so they were especially shocked. It certainly was true that back when we’d met, she’d woken up late, which had been pretty difficult to deal with on the road. Things had changed since those days.

“I still can’t believe my Lia woke up early…” said Elgis, shaking his head. “You’ve grown up since we saw you last, haven’t you? Yuri, is this your influence? No need to tell me—I’m so glad Lia is together with a proper young man like yourself.”

“Oh, I did nothing.”

“Yuri?” Filia replied breathlessly. “A proper young man? Is any of this real?”

Oh, this was real, all right. Of course there were people who understood my propriety and all that stuff!

After we finished our meal, Filia showed me around the village.

“There’s not much separation between houses, is there?” I noted.

I supposed there were a lot of dangers in the forest. The houses were probably kept so close together so people could group up right away if something happened. The village’s population numbered a whole eighty-two elves in Filia’s childhood, she said, but I got the impression even she thought that was small. From what I could see, there didn’t seem to be many places to play around either.

That didn’t necessarily mean things were shabby or something. The construction of the homes was impressively solid. It just seemed to be the way of elves not to embellish things more than necessary.

“Actually,” Filia said, “there’s a field the whole village uses, over there.”

“Can we see it?”

“Of course!”

Somehow, she seemed happy to introduce me to her hometown, and she just kept smiling brightly. I was a little relieved to see her so carefree. I mean, it wasn’t like all her memories of this place could be bad, right? I was sure she had some happy memories too.

I didn’t have much of any memory of my childhood, but seeing Filia’s smiling face made me feel like I was reliving some of her memories through her, vicariously. Then, suddenly, I came to a stop. I looked at my feet.

I was standing on a stone bridge that crossed a very, very small stream, only about as wide as my waist.

“Guh.”

“What’s the matter?” asked Filia, tilted her head to one side.

“We gotta hit that bridge when we come to it, right?”

“We gotta what? That makes no sense at all, Yuri. Oh, just look at me, I’d like a couple of horsetails to sprout from a thunderhead cloud. That’s how you sound.”

“I made more sense than that!”

Filia held her index fingers above her head like…horsetails? “So,” she said, wiggling her fingers, “what do you mean by wanting to ‘hit the bridge?’”

“It’s like, you know, the saying? ‘Hit that bridge when you come to it.’ Everyone knows that proverb.”

“That’s not a proverb. In fact, if you did that, it’d probably be a misdemeanor.”

Ohhh, I’d remembered the proverb wrong. At once, my desire to “hit the bridge” completely disappeared from my mind. What appeared in its place was a heart that cared for the bridge dearly—a heart that wanted to protect this tiny, necessary thing that worked so hard for the elves, no matter how many times it was trampled on. This little guy was truly a mirror of the good in people. I crouched down and rested my hand on the bridge, smiling gently at the touch of its tough, rugged surface.

“Hey, little guy,” I whispered to the bridge, “looks like you got some pretty good muscles there, don’t ya?”

“Please don’t run too far into your own little world today, Yuri.” Filia rubbed her temples. “Don’t talk too long to the bridge.”

“Filia, I’m going to tell you one important thing.” I held a finger straight up. “Conversation is like a game of catch, but with words instead of balls. Think about the other person. Have consideration for them. Engage them. That’s what matters in this wild, wild world.”

“Now that I understand, but why then do you end up in conversations like this? It really is strange. Yuri, sometimes you toss the ball way behind the other person, with all of your strength.”

But that—that wasn’t how to play catch! No, that couldn’t be true—not of a gentle, considerate muscle man like yours truly. I had to protest! “No, Filia, I’m always aiming at your chest—”

“What?! W-wait, Yuri, what you are saying? M-my…?! What a, s-strange thing to say…” Filia crossed her arms over her chest.

Err, huh? Okay, now I was starting to feel embarrassed, and I wished she’d stop. Jeez, how much of an overactive imagination did she have?

“R-really?!” Oh, right, Telepathy. “Well, I don’t care if you’re embarrassed too! I’m much too cute to be swayed by that! B-besides, Yuri, you’re always excessively self-conscious!”

Sure, Filia. Talk about the pot trying to burn the kettle’s booty!

 

***

 

When we arrived at the field, we saw some elves tilling the soil. It would’ve been easier if they tilled using earth magic, but Filia said they tried to live by the labor of their bodies instead. Something about not letting magic upset the balance of the soil’s magical energy, because only then could you harvest the best quality vegetables.

It was quite a refreshing sight to see the slender elves working the fields with hoes in hand. “There are only about eighty people in the village, but it looks like everyone takes turns.”

“The village chief takes charge of it. When we reach a certain age, we’re given certain responsibilities and take turns with jobs such as working the fields and patrolling the area. Sometimes, if you’re very talented, you’re given a job at a pretty early age. Like, say, the beautiful genius elf you’re talking to.” Filia flashed a refreshingly smug smile, complete with perfect white teeth.

Whoa, it actually felt great to hear her go on like that, even if it was narcissistic as anything. Calling yourself a genius wasn’t easy. Impressive.

Filia waved to a man working out in the field. “So, dear Yuri, that guy over there might actually be behind me in terms of work history. My junior, even though he’s older than me.”

“Hm? Behind you? What’s this about back muscles?”

“No, I said they’re behind me. What’s this about back muscles?”

“You haven’t heard of ’em? Aw man, well, your latissimus dorsi—”

“No, I didn’t mean to imply that I wanted to know about the latissimus dorsi. What I’m trying to say is, how in the world did you mistake ‘behind me’ for ‘back muscles’?”

“I was just thinking about it, that’s all. Ya know, the latissimus dorsi is extremely interesting. It’s just been on my mind. It happens, right?”

“Your experiences are not universal, Yuri,” said Filia with a long, dumbfounded look.

C’mon, I was the dumbfounded one! I let out a deep sigh, slumped my shoulders, and shook my head. “Filia, you really should use your head a little more often.”

“I obviously am!”

And yet she didn’t think about muscles? That seemed unlikely, to be honest.

Filia looked unconvinced. “For crying out loud, I—okay. First of all, you must think of things other than muscles, right, Yuri? Ever?”

Things other than muscles? Uhhhh.

As I pondered what she meant, Filia nervously explained. “You know, like have you thought about—you know, just as an example—a beautiful girl with long, silver hair and a slender body? Or, perhaps…a flawless adventurer with a mastery of wind magic? Or maybe the overwhelmingly beautiful elf girl standing right in front of you at this very moment?”

“Uh, aren’t those all just you?”

“Huh? W-well, now that you mention it, I suppose they are. Why, I hadn’t even noticed. Astonishing!”

What was with that reaction? Was she really pretending that was an accident?

“Okay, so then…” Filia paused. “Do you? Think about me? And stuff?”

“Well, yeah, course I do. We’re partners. How could I not?” It was impossible to be together with someone twenty-four hours a day and not think of them at all, you know?

“Oh, just as I expected from you, good Yuri! And would you look at that—your likeability meter has shot way, way up!” Filia held her flattened out palm to just about her eye level to demonstrate.

Wait a minute, so just by thinking, my likeability went up? Jeez, that was way too simple-minded. Now she was starting to worry me.

“With that settled… When do you think about me? Come on, come on, tell me!” said Filia, poking me with her elbow. What was the deal with this excitement?

“Uh, well, I guess the time I thought about you the most was late a few nights ago, in the middle of the night.”

“Huh?!” Filia gasped. “I-In the middle of the night? Goodness, that’s, um…what were you thinking about?”

She sounded so hesitant to ask for some reason, but I replied anyway. “When you rolled over while you were sleeping, I just happened to catch sight of your belly. It stuck out in my mind, you know? Because, well, you just don’t got any abs at all.”

“And just like that, the likeability meter takes a sudden nosedive.”

“Huh?! What, why? What the heck just happened?!” Her palm was now flat on the ground! Had my likeability hit rock bottom?

“There’s no mystery to it,” said Filia with wise resignation. “It’s just a natural consequence.”

“I don’t get it…” Then again, that’s Filia for you. “By the way, is it okay if I go and help out?” I asked, pointing toward the elven folk working in the field.

“Oh? You’d like to help?”

“Yeah.” It looked like the elves had been using magical energy to strengthen their bodies, but it was plain as day to see they weren’t making much progress since their bodies were so dainty to begin with. If I could lend a hand, I’d surely prove useful.

“You don’t need to do that, Yuri. This is my birthplace. You have no ties to this village, and yet…”

Yeah, I might not have offered under normal circumstances, and it didn’t seem like this level of exercise would be good training for me, but things were different now. “I’m associated with you. If I make myself useful, it might change the way the village chief or whatever sees you a little. Something like this might be small, but if we keep doing this kind of thing, it’ll help us later on, probably. It’s like muscle trainin’, but with people.”

Not that it was gonna be that easy, but this was the least I could do. Just like Filia had said, I guess I was thinking about her.

“Yuri… Yuri?”

“Hm?”

When I looked at her, Filia was stretching tall, her legs wobbling as she stood on her tiptoes, her hands raised up high toward the heavens. “The likeability meter has skyrocketed.”

Seriously, talk about the pendulum swinging the other way. It’s certainly nice to have your partner like you, but what had I done to make my likeability just shoot up like that?

Eh, whatever. I released my muscles, headed out to the field, and—oh, hey, was that it? The very thought of me getting these muscles moving had captivated her! Totally understandable. My muscles even captivated me.

“Yuri, I get the feeling you’ve got the completely wrong idea again, but… Well, whatever, it’s fine. Let’s go over and help.”

“All right.”

Filia and I met with the elves in the field and started tilling. We finished working the soil in no time at all, mainly thanks to me.

“You were a great help, Mister…uhh…”

“Just Yuri.”

“Thank you, Yuri!”

“Oh, I just wanted to do something for Filia. If you want to be grateful, thank her,” I replied.

The elves turned toward Filia. “I see. Thank you, Filia.”

“Oh, no, no, I wasn’t very helpful myself.”

From there, we had a little small talk. Just like Filia had said, it seemed the elves hardly had any contact at all with the outside world. They seemed honestly surprised at everything I said.

“To be perfectly honest,” one of the workers admitted, “I’ve never met a human before, so I didn’t know what it would be like. You’re surprisingly normal.”

Another nodded. “We never would’ve known if Filia hadn’t brought him to us.”

“More reasons to thank Filia, if you ask me.”

No one seemed to care that Filia had left the village. On the contrary, everyone seemed grateful. I could only pray that this kindness would stick around even after Filia said she wanted to regain her abilities.

 

***

 

After we finished helping out, we went over to greet the village chief, Elfeit. It was just before noon, a good time to visit.

Filia sighed. “I’d prefer not to see him…”

“We both know that’s not an option, right?” He was the village chief, so (of course) he was the most important person in the village. This was a small little town, so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to just wander around without introducing ourselves.

“I know. I’ve just always been bad at dealing with the village chief, after…all that mess. And with me leaving like I did, so selfishly, I… What if he’s angry?” Filia hunched over as she walked. The closer she got to the village chief’s home, the shorter and shorter her stride became. It seemed like he was a major source of trauma for her, so I could understand why it weighed on her.

But you couldn’t just admit defeat before you even fought. Sure, we’d been working toward getting her abilities back this whole time, but now it felt like we were getting down to brass tacks. We couldn’t just accept defeat!

“Filia, you gotta get fired up. You’re strong now. Right?”

“Yes.” She took a breath. “You’re right. I’ll, um…I’ll do my best!”

When we reached the village chief’s house, Filia clenched her fists, summoned her courage, took another deep breath, and knocked on the door.

After some time passed, an elf appeared from inside the house. His ears were noticeably longer than the other elves’. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, and he was (of course) pretty good-looking. He wore a long white robe that nearly touched the ground. I could sense his strength; power emanated from his entire body. Yeah, this had to be the village chief, no doubt.

After studying us and confirming our identities, he simply said, “Come in.”

We obeyed. The entrance room, which seemed about the same size as Filia’s house, was pretty sparse aside from the bare essentials.

Elfeit sat down on a chair and glanced over to me briefly before speaking. “It’s good that you’ve returned, but I never imagined you’d bring a human with you. Is this fellow your spouse?”

“N-no, it’s not like that.”

“Hmm… That’s all right, then. Now that you’re back, what’s your plan? Are you going to live here?”

“Um, no. I’m just visiting for a short time, then I’ll be traveling again.”

Elfeit’s expression chilled. A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows, and he glared at Filia like an investigator grilling a suspect. “In that case, why did you return? You, who abandoned this village. You, who selfishly left of your own accord.”

Even though Elfeit emanated an air of intimidation that could scare off a monster, Filia was unfazed. She’d dealt with mortal danger countless times since traveling with me. Some half-hearted bullying wasn’t enough to frighten Filia anymore.

Still, I guess Filia hadn’t gotten her feelings in order enough to outright ask about her abilities yet, because she brought up something else instead. “Apparently, some ‘Sinmarch’ fellow named Misery Mosery is going about hunting elves. I came back because I thought I needed to warn you all. He’s an extremely dangerous person who has already killed several of our kind.”

Well, that wasn’t not the reason we were here. That nearby village had warned us about the guy after all, and if, by some chance, he came to know about this village? He’d definitely attack. Just knowing he might be around could make a world of difference for the elves. And if the village chief was the head honcho around here, then the value of this information would be painfully obvious.

“I’m…grateful to you for providing me with this information. We’ll need to increase our security immediately.” Although Elfeit had a pained expression, he was already thinking about countermeasures. It seemed he was quite capable as chief. “Is that all, then? If so, go home. Elgis and Fira have been devastated since you left, you know. It would be a good for you to spend time with them.”

“Yes,” said Filia. “If you’ll please excuse me…”

And Filia and I stepped out, leaving Elfeit behind.

 

***

 

“I-I was so nervous…” As soon as we left the house, Filia just deflated like a torn ball. The whole ordeal had really worn down her spirit.

“He seems strong. I wanna fight ’im.”

“Yuri, come now! If you do that, I’ll never get my abilities back! Just—bear with it!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I will.”

If Filia could get her abilities back, then she could become stronger. And if that happened, I could train myself and have Filia hit me with even stronger magic on the regular! It’d be pretty disappointing to miss out on that chance just by getting in a fight with Elfeit. Besides, Filia needed to protect herself from people like that Sinmarch guy, so we couldn’t lose a chance to return her to full strength.

So I was just gonna bear with it! Do whatever I had to do, just, come on, bear with it, Yuri.

“Umm?! Wh-why do you look like a demon, Yuri…?”

“Because I’m fighting my own inner demons right now…”

Still wanting very badly to punch Elfeit one to two thousand times, I went back to Filia’s parents’ house with my partner.