Chapter 2: The Beast Must Die

Chapter 2: The Beast Must Die

And so, a few years passed.

Well, it was actually just three days. Through bouts of intense pantomiming, Mitsuha had somehow been able to get Colette’s parents to understand what she wanted. At least, she hoped so. First, she’d asked them for permission to stay in exchange for helping around the house. She had also informed them of her plans to travel to the nearest town and requested a supply of food and water for the journey. Lastly, in a flurry of motions, she’d asked for directions to get there.

Mitsuha had long since given up on learning their language. She couldn’t learn a great deal in just a few days, anyway. Mitsuha felt that as long as the larger town had citizens who spoke Japanese—or at least English—she could get her hands on a phone to call the embassy or someone in Japan. Then she would have no problem getting home, and once she returned, she’d never be in another situation where the local language was useful. She would send thanks to her benefactors, of course, but only with the help of a translator.

Another thing Mitsuha grasped from her talks with the family was that they thought she was a child. It was utterly unsurprising, especially considering she appeared underage by Japanese standards. In their eyes, she was only ten years old, or twelve at best.

You know what? I’m fine with that. For the most part, anyway. It’s convenient for me, so I’ll play along! If Colette’s eight, I don’t mind being her twelve-year-old friend.

As it turned out, it was a local custom for families to take in orphans or disowned children. It wasn’t uncommon for these boys and girls to end up marrying the adoptive parents’ real children once they grew up, and it would always be considered an auspicious occasion. “Now you are truly our child!” and whatnot. The majority married into other families, of course, but still treated their adopters as their real parents.

Then again, it was a small village, so everyone here was like family to begin with. The mentality behind this practice could be summed up as, “It’s better to just look after orphans and lost children instead of handing them over to the authorities. Why waste time looking for parents who are either long gone or have abandoned their children?” Now it made sense as to why Colette’s parents were so kind to Mitsuha and didn’t seem to consider her presence a big deal. Well, she would be leaving soon anyway, so it didn’t matter all that much to her.

With that in mind, why did Colette spend half a day telling me all this? Waving her arms like crazy, drawing her family tree with some sticks... What’s the big deal? A girl on some branch of the family tree had lost her parents and been taken in by a family that had a son. She eventually married him, and now they both took care of their elderly parents and... Hold on, wh-why are you staring at me like that?!

If you ignored the discomfiting pressure from Colette, Mitsuha’s next few days had been pretty peaceful. She helped around the cabin in various ways, one of which was cooking. Even though the family had no spices or modern appliances, Mitsuha had learned to cook from her mother from the time she was in elementary school and knew enough to get by. The resulting dishes were so good that Erene, the lady of the house, was visibly irked.

Wood-splitting was an entirely different story. Does it even count as housework? Isn’t this something the dad’s supposed to do by himself? After muttering such complaints, Mitsuha quickly learned that preparing firewood was in fact Erene’s and Colette’s job. As she struggled to help them out, Mitsuha found the hatchet heavy and hard to use; she often missed her target. Even when she didn’t, the blade wedged itself snugly into the wood, and she failed to pull it free so she could finish the job.

Eventually, her skin began to peel, and her muscles started to ache. She was short of breath, and her legs wobbled beneath her. It didn’t take long until she was instructed to do something else. Why is Colette so good at this? Look at her go! Those logs are flying…

The next day, Mitsuha and Colette went out to the woods to forage. They had each been given a basket, but Mitsuha ended up holding them both. Not because she was confident in her foraging skills, but because it made it easier for Colette to move around and work her “child of the wild” magic. An undoubtedly clever idea.

Wait, this is the forest I was wandering in, isn’t it? Mitsuha realized. So this is how Colette found me. I gotta make it up to her since I wasted her foraging session! She fired herself up to gather as many plants as possible. Colette had shown her samples of what she had to look for, so there wouldn’t be any problems... or so she thought. It turned out that they only grew in specific places, and you needed to know where to look. She had no luck finding any without Colette’s assistance. Oh well, it’s not like I’m gonna make a career out of this. It’s okay as long as I can help out a little.

Right about when the baskets were one-third full, Colette suddenly stopped. Mitsuha looked at her. The younger girl had gone pale. She gestured to Mitsuha to put the baskets down, and she did just that, even though she had no idea why. Colette slowly backed up a step and whispered, “Kel kolore, maltoneis...”

Oh, that’s one of the phrases they made sure I learned. While Mitsuha had determined she wouldn’t learn the language, she had memorized a few words to make communication a bit easier. After all, it was nearly impossible to get by without the bare bones of “yes”, “no”, “water”, “food”, “hungry”, “give me that”, and so on. Colette’s words had something to do with a dangerous beast being close, which meant…

Wait, WHAT?! But they told me beasts were rare around these parts! Colette literally drew me a picture to tell me that! Mitsuha felt herself panicking. Oh, yeah, “rare” doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t ever show up. Silly me. The two silently backed away, leaving the baskets behind. Mitsuha assumed they would come pick them up once the beast either left or was hunted down.

Shame there’s no saving what we collected. The stuff won’t dry properly under these conditions, so it’ll all be ruined by the time we come back. Whatever. Life’s way more important than a couple of plants. We just gotta sneak away, and... Wait, we’re going upwind here! This is real bad!

But hold on a sec. As superhuman as she is, there’s no way Colette could’ve noticed the beast before it noticed us, so there’s no point in sneaking around. Then why isn’t it coming after us? Is it not hungry? Is it chasing some other prey? Is it an herbivore? Yeah, right—we’re dealing with a real primetime thriller here. What is it waiting for, then? Think... Think! Come on, brain, you’re a PC stuffed with random knowledge!

Done. I got three possibilities.

One: It’s taking its time to make sure we don’t escape. But it doesn’t really need to do that for small, slow humans like us, right?

Two: It sees us as playthings and is toying with us just for fun. In that case, it’d have shown itself to try to scare us.

Three: It’s using us as practice hunting targets for its young.

Two girls running on foot were relatively slow, so they would be unable to escape; additionally, the beast wouldn’t have to worry about its young being hurt by some kind of counterattack. Yep, human girls are just perfect for the babies’ first hunt. Though one of us isn’t really a “girl” anymore at this point, but let’s keep that a secret. It was just a guess on Mitsuha’s part, but regardless, it was clear they were in danger.

Mitsuha racked her brain for the best way out. Should they buy time? She had no idea how late it would have to get for the villagers to come searching for them. Maybe at nightfall? Would they come then? Colette’s parents obviously would, but others might find it too dangerous. Not to mention, the two of them probably wouldn’t hold out long enough.

Mitsuha turned around and spotted a few creatures lurking between the trees. One large wolf-like thing and a few smaller ones... I was right. They can’t climb trees, can they? she wondered, rapidly scanning the area for any trees with low branches. The wolves geared up to make a move, so she settled on the first one she saw instead.

“Colette!” she yelled, then grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her closer. The tree’s limbs were out of reach, too difficult for beasts to climb, and despite their thinness would be stable enough to support Colette. Mitsuha clutched her by the armpits, lifted her off the ground, and shoved her into the tree.

“Mitsuha!” Colette cried her name and babbled out some other words she couldn’t understand. Ignoring her, Mitsuha moved her hands from her armpits to her feet and pushed her up. She quickly understood what Mitsuha was doing and began climbing the tree on her own. Once she reached the first branch, she pulled herself onto it. “Mitsuha!” she called out again, and reached her small hand as far down as she could muster.

“Sorry.” Mitsuha smiled and shook her head. “I’m not good at climbing trees, and that one probably won’t hold us both. Bye-bye, sweet pea!” The beasts slowly began to approach—with their prey staying in place, they may have thought it was giving up. Confirming what Mitsuha had glimpsed earlier, one adult beast emerged alongside three of its offspring. They were extremely wolf-like, so she chose to assume they were actual wolves.

She threw a stick at them as a distraction. It didn’t hit, but they understood it was a sign of aggression, and their lips curled into a series of snarls. Good. That raised me from “weak and easy prey” to “prey that resists”. I got their aggro on me, so all I have to do now is lead them away! She ran as fast as she could from where Colette sat wailing, “Mitsuha, Mitsuha, Mitsuhaaaaaaa!”

It didn’t take long for her to start panting. I always wake up early, since I have tons of things to do in the morning. And I run out of energy real quick, since there were tons of things I never did. Besides gym class, my only workouts were airsoft matches my brother dragged me into, so I’m as weak as I look. I have good reflexes, but I’d be awful in a marathon.

The forest’s terrain was unfriendly to a human sprinter, too, so the beast easily caught up to her. It didn’t appear to be trying very hard, either; Mitsuha figured it was just toying with her in preparation for the kill. Only the big one’s chasing me. Good thing, too, since the little ones definitely can’t climb up Colette’s tree. It wasn’t as though the larger one could, but Mitsuha wished she could’ve made sure by taking out one of its legs.

Gah, I’m already done for! I just need to make sure Colette gets away! she thought, but a moment later she took a wrong step, tripped, and crashed into a nearby tree. If the snarling wolf was out of the picture, it would have been right out of a slapstick comedy. Ahh, I don’t wanna die! Colette! Dad! Mom! Bro! She panicked, shrinking back against the trunk. As the wolf’s deadly fangs approached, various moments of her life flashed before her eyes.

Colette’s smile, Mitsuha’s parents, her big brother... He’d doted on her and taught her all sorts of things. She had loved him dearly and could always rely on him no matter how much of an... eccentric he was. It had always annoyed her how much he loved using one-liners he got from novels, and how smug he looked whenever he said the perfect line at the perfect time. But right now, in the face of death, she wondered what he’d say in this situation.

In the end, all that came from her lips was a loud, shrill “BROOOOOO!”

At that moment, Mitsuha vanished. The wolf, with its jaws still open, rammed its head into the tree. After writhing in pain for a bit, it stood up and whipped its head from side to side in utter confusion.

◇ ◇ ◇

With a thud, Mitsuha fell onto a bed. She’d materialized out of nowhere about one foot above it, and the place she was in now left her dumbfounded. Not because it was unknown to her—far from it. She instantly recognized that she was in her own house. Specifically, she was sitting in her brother Tsuyoshi’s bedroom.

Before she could even think about why she’d ended up in his room and not her own, her body sprung off the bed. She knew her brother’s room inside and out. Her legs walked her to the desk, and her hand made its way into the second drawer.

Huh? Umm, this is Tsuyoshi’s room, right? Where’s the wolf? Was it all a dream? What about Colette? she wondered, left far behind after her supreme reflexes took over. It was now “Spex”, not Mitsuha, who was in control.

Whenever she couldn’t spare time to think and every single second was critical, her body sprung into action. It ran along like a well-oiled machine as her thoughts inched their way to the present.

Um... I’m still wearing shoes, there’s leaves on my clothes, and I’m a mess in general, so... it wasn’t a dream? That means Colette is still... Mitsuha tried to right her reeling mind; meanwhile, her fingers emerged with a small nylon bag full of tiny pellets. They tore open the bag and poured the contents into her right pocket. The pellets were heavier than they looked, especially in these quantities.

Her arms wrested an object from one of the bookshelves, then fixed it into her belt. It was a “Falcon II” slingshot. Though it looked like a toy at first glance, it could deal as much damage as a .22 caliber mini-revolver. Tsuyoshi had trained her to wield it, and she was a decent shot.

Next, they opened a glass case, took out a gorgeous piece of metal, and shoved it into her pocket. It was a knife—the “Gerber Folding Sportsman II”. As her eyes fell upon it, Mitsuha remembered her brother’s words: “I heard there’s some country where every boy gets a folding knife from his dad on his tenth birthday. The elegant form! The glimmering metal! The threatening aura only real weapons have!” He’d made it sound like the best thing since sliced bread, but really, it was a pretty standard folding knife.

Mitsuha’s legs carried her down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her hands took over once more, pulling a carving knife out of a drawer near the sink. Sashimi knives were sharper and longer, but they probably wouldn’t have made it through wolf hide without breaking, so carving knives were the more reliable choice. After the blade was wrapped in a cloth for safety, it was fixed into her belt. Her trusty hands then grabbed a three-foot-long kitchen towel, folded it up, and set it on the floor. After it was filled with spices such as pepper, shichimi, and chili, they rolled it up and tucked it in her left pocket.

How’d I get here from the woods, anyway? No, forget it—right now I need to save Colette! But how? Wait, I was calling out for my brother and ended up in his room. Does that mean I can like, wish myself places? In that case, I need to get something that can take out the wolves.

But it was too late—her body had already done the job. Before Mitsuha realized it, she’d finished preparing everything she thought she needed. After she checked to make sure her reflexes hadn’t faltered or missed anything important, her thoughts were finally caught up. Mitsuha called this phase “Acknowledgment”.

Can I really go back? No, should I go back? Will this stuff be enough against those wolves? I might die for real this time! I’m back in Japan now, safe and sound! Why should I go?! What reason do I have?! Suddenly, Mitsuha recalled her brother again and wondered what he’d say about all of this.

She realized she’d made a mistake, but it was too late; his way-too-smug words were already resounding in her head. “Hmm? Dear sister, do you really need a reason to rescue a cutie in trouble?” All right, all right, you’ve got a point! Jeez, bro. You’re noisy, and a complete pain in the ass... But I still love you, damn it!

Mitsuha appeared in the forest again and immediately slammed her forehead into a tree—far from a smooth return. Looking around, she saw no sign of her canine assailant. It must’ve run back to Colette, so time was of the essence. There was also no wind, so she had to be careful not to make too much sound. Colette’s still fine, I’m sure of it. They can’t climb that tree, right?

She dashed back to where she had left Colette, ignoring the sharp brush licking her skin, but covering the distance took longer than it had during her initial diversion. Once she arrived, she hid behind a nearby tree. The four wolves were barking up at Colette. She looked terrified but otherwise unscathed. Mitsuha took the folding knife out of her pocket, unfolded the blade, and carefully fixed it into her belt. She then took the slingshot in her left hand and used her right to prepare some pellets.

These pellets were made of steel, which was a bit unusual considering lead was the standard for slingshot ammo. According to Tsuyoshi, “Those are cheap and easy to mass-produce, making them perfect for airsoft. And they’re heavy, but not hard enough to bounce off—meaning they sting like hell. But these babies are made of steel! Fire one of these off up close and you’ll pierce right through your target. It’s the manliest ammo there is!”

Mitsuha did have lead pellets, but since she was up against thick hide, she sided with her brother’s fervent babbling. Loading one steel pellet in the slingshot, she stuck the frame forward and pulled back as far as she could. Mitsuha may have seemed weak on the outside, but that was only due to her size. She was strong enough to pull the tense rubber; her only real limit was reach.

Of course, that meant her shots would be weaker than, say, Tsuyoshi’s. She would probably have to hit a weak spot to one-shot the adult wolf, and could only hope its young weren’t nearly as tough. Tsuyoshi also owned a crossbow, but she’d never used it before, and reloading it probably took a lot of time. So, she—or Spex, perhaps—had chosen not to take it.

Mitsuha did her best to aim carefully, but her hands were shaking so much she just chose to let go. She heard the whistle of the pellet flying through the air, then a shrill yelp as one of the smaller wolves collapsed.

D-Did I hit its head? There aren’t any muscles there, so I guess it either pierced through the skull or at least gave it a concussion.

Her shot had actually been intended for the adult. After all, it was the greatest threat present, so she wanted to at least weaken it. Then again, taking one out was good enough. Much better than missing, anyway. The big wolf had no idea why its offspring had collapsed, so it just ran around it, thoroughly puzzled. Yes, it’s still my turn!

She carefully prepared and fired a second pellet. This one hit the adult, but only on its right thigh. It didn’t hurt the animal whatsoever, and of course the now-alert beast had its eyes on her. If looks could kill, its glare would’ve made her drop dead instantly. The young wolves noticed where the adult—most likely their mother—was looking, and dashed toward her. Their mama looked bewildered for a second, then just stood in place, allowing her young to go in for the kill. She still assumed Mitsuha was a helpless child.

Mitsuha quickly fired the third pellet. This one missed. Can’t expect to hit them all. She clicked her tongue in frustration as she prepared the fourth shot—probably the last before they came too close. She felt herself beginning to panic, but the distance they’d closed made her last shot more accurate and powerful. Smack! One of the two remaining juveniles collapsed. She’d hit its throat—a true weak spot.

Without even glancing at its fallen sibling, the last of the offspring sprung at her. She had already chucked aside the slingshot, yanked the carving knife out of her belt, and unwrapped the towel. Blessed with excellent dynamic vision and reflexes, Mitsuha had no problem dodging the inexperienced young wolf as it came at her. As she did, she swung the knife and tore through its neck, sending it to the ground like the other two. And then…

“AWOOOOOO!”

A blood-curdling howl echoed through the forest. Her children had been killed, all three of them. Even if they were still breathing, the cruel wilderness showed no mercy for beasts with such grave wounds. Her dear children, given to her by that strong, rugged alpha. She’d worked so hard to raise them, and they were so close to adulthood, but now she had lost them to clawless, fangless, furless practice prey.

Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Kill. Kill. Kill. KILL, was all that went on in the mother wolf’s mind as she charged toward Mitsuha. Here it comes! She braced herself. She’d somehow taken out the young, but that gave her a final boss scenario with the mother. The wolf children were inexperienced, but this one clearly wasn’t. Tricking her wouldn’t be easy, and Mitsuha was a soft-bodied human who wouldn’t stand a chance against her in a one-on-one brawl, so there was only one thing she could do.

As the wolf charged, Mitsuha fixed her grip on the knife in her right hand and reached her left into her pocket. Fifty feet... Thirty feet... Fifteen feet... Now! She swung her left hand and jumped to the left. “GROAAAH!” the wolf wailed and writhed on the ground, surrounded by a cloud of spices. With their super sharp senses, wild animals probably can’t handle all that pepper and chili! Even Mitsuha was in rough shape, with fluid gushing from her eyes and nostrils.

But she had to use this chance if she wanted to win. Fighting against the pain in her eyes, nose, and throat, she raised the carving knife and launched herself at the wolf. Unfortunately, real wild animals were built to withstand human attacks. Even if it couldn’t see or smell, a mature wolf wasn’t weak enough to let its prey take it out without a fight. It gnashed its teeth and swiped with its claws.

Mitsuha didn’t see a safe way to get close without it clawing or biting her, but she couldn’t waste too much time, since the advantage she’d gained from her spice bomb was dwindling by the second.

What do I do? What would my br—oh, not now! She tried fighting the urge, but it was hopeless; she was already imagining what her brother would do.

As always, her brain selected just the right pieces from the “What Would Tsuyoshi Say?” archives. “A truly strong person is fiercely proud and has the guts to back it up,” his voice rang in her head, followed by, “Did you know that wolves can’t close their mouths if they’ve got something stuck in their throat?” It seemed like such a pointless fact to know. Until now, that is!

You better not have been messing with me, bro! If I lose my arm, it’s all on you! Damn it, what am I thinking?!

“Why worry about losing an arm or a leg? Haven’t you seen any movies where people replace their limbs with chainsaws or submachine guns? It’s totally metal!”

GAH! You’re really just livin’ it up inside my head, aren’t you?! Not even death stops you from being a pain in the ass! Whatever.

Mitsuha jumped at the wolf. Coming from behind had seemed like her best bet, but it noticed and bared its fangs at her. She swung the carving knife around and somehow avoided any damage, then tackled it. She was now on top of its back, holding on with all her might. It couldn’t attack her with its limbs in this position, and it couldn’t turn its head enough to bite—Wait, it can?! I had no idea wolf necks could bend like this!

Left with no other option, she made the gamble of a lifetime and shoved her left arm deep, deep into the wolf’s mouth. “GEH!” the wolf gagged, raking its fangs over Mitsuha’s arm as it frantically tried to clamp down its jaws. The human was clinging to a wolf, the wolf had the human on top of it, but their battle had only just begun.

As she gripped the wolf’s body, Mitsuha lost her carving knife. But despite all the chaos, thanks to some miracle, she still had one weapon on her—the beautiful blade her late brother had cherished so dearly. “G-GERBER FOLDING SPORTSMAN TWOOOO!” She shouted the memento’s name—she felt he would’ve liked that—as she took it in a backhand grip.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

It was a short knife in the hands of a weak girl. The blade didn’t go deep, but it was of high enough quality to pierce the hide and deal decent damage. Mitsuha was far past her limits now, beyond any adrenaline rush. She was barely even conscious, and her sense of caution had long left her. Her legs held the wolf in a crushing vise, and with her left arm in the beast’s maw, she was pretty much fixed in that position.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

My arm hurts.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

I can’t feel my hand.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

It’s dark. When did the sun go down?

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

Bro... Where are you?

The wolf thrashed and bucked but just couldn’t shake her off. The girl’s small stature and lightness worked in her favor. The arm in its mouth made it hard to breathe, let alone retaliate. It couldn’t muster as much strength as before and felt something important leave its body. If the wolf had been capable of human thought, it would have been losing its mind to panic.

What is this thing on me? Prey? No! It’s something else! Disgusting! Scary! What is this?! What’s happening?! No, no, no! Help! Hel—

Before long, all was silent, and nothing moved. No, two of the young wolves were still twitching, but that was the extent of it. Eventually, there was the sound of one small girl slipping down a tree. She fearfully looked from side to side and noticed something that made her gasp.

It was a wolf and a girl, lying on the ground so close to one another it was like they were entwined. The blood on the beast and the girl’s arm, which was lodged in the wolf’s mouth, was enough to assume the fight had been fatal. The girl from the tree quickly ran up to them and checked the other girl for a pulse and any more injuries, and was relieved to find her condition stable. She then picked up a knife-like blade that was lying nearby, finished off the young wolves that were still breathing, and ran off to the village.

Cautious and merciless. How like Colette.