NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Kuro
Chapter 9: Kuro
It had been exactly 12 days since Kuro came to the hideout.
Initially, upon Kuro’s return to the hideout, things were as expected – chaotic.
First of all, it was noisy all the time. Whenever it saw something even slightly unusual, it would scream, sing, or dance. Pink seemed thoroughly fed up and had been retreating into my pocket lately.
Moreover, it tried to imitate everything, resulting in one disaster after another. It tried cooking and ended up burning itself, ruining a pot in the process. It forcefully harvested crops from trees, breaking branches in the process. It spilled sugar I had just made. It made chocolate covered in sand, and coffee covered in powder. It attempted laundry and tore clothes to shreds, and so on.
If I took my eyes off it for a moment, tasks would multiply endlessly. It felt like raising a child, but unfortunately, it wasn’t as cute as a child. Even when it failed, it didn’t seem to reflect, instead screaming and dancing gleefully.
I had considered returning it to Menas multiple times. However, the situation changed after a few days.
As it turned out, Kuro had an incredibly good memory. While it often failed at various tasks, whenever I patiently taught it, it never failed again. Once it learned something, it rapidly improved. It became just as proficient as me in cooking, making chocolate, brewing coffee, and doing laundry. It was also quite dexterous. When cooking, it handled small knives surprisingly well, maybe even better than me. It peeled vegetables and fruits accurately and quickly.
What was even better was that it surprisingly had good hygiene habits. It bathed whenever we went to fetch water. Moreover, if I gave it some cloth, it would diligently clean itself. It even started mimicking me when I brushed my teeth with a makeshift toothbrush made from a branch. As a result, Kuro no longer smelled bad. It was really a relief.
However, it still annoyingly tried to cuddle up with me whenever it slept, which I honestly wished it would stop. Since it didn’t reproduce, I didn’t think it would sexually assault me, but its face was just scary.
By the way, I removed the ankle and wrist restraints on the morning of the second day. It just didn’t feel right watching it.
It generally approached everything with an innocent demeanor, sometimes making it seem like a small child, which just hurt my heart. Fed up with that feeling, I took them off.
As a result, it didn’t resist or try to escape. While it became slightly noisier, I had already resigned to it. It’s just its personality.
So, in these nearly two weeks, spending intensive time together, we had found a way to get along somehow. Ultimately, as Menas had said, Kuro turned out to be a hit in various ways.
Now, Kuro was completely accustomed to life at the hideout. Furthermore, due to its remarkably high domestic skills, I had become quite reliant on it.
“Oh! Dinner’s ready already… You’re the best!”
“Gyaa gyaa gyaa gyaa!”
And just like that, the day to head to Triangle Rock had arrived.
This time, Kuro and I would carry the luggage ourselves. We would use makeshift backpacks made of wood and hemp rope, tying various things to them. I decided to carry more than twice the usual load. If it felt too heavy along the way, I could always discard some items. Hopefully, I could retrieve them on the way back.
But compared to when I first arrived here, I felt like my stamina had improved significantly.
I’ve been mindful of my health and have been going to the gym, but basically, I think I only had the physical strength of an average middle-aged man. However, recently, I’ve noticed that I no longer feel tired the day after walking a lot, and I feel like my speed has increased. Also, since there are no addictive entertainment contents around, I feel like my mind is sharper. Well, the sharpness of my mind might be just my imagination, but anyway, my body feels unusually good.
“Gyaa gyaa, gyaa gyaa gyaa!”
“All right! Let’s go, Kuro!”
Even though this guy has only the strength of a child, surprisingly, it has stamina. I’ve never seen it look tired.
“Come to think of it, does this guy need shoes or something?”
“Gyaaa?”
By the way, I’m currently wearing a primitive style with just a cloth wrapped around my waist. Since it has been playing around with various ways of wrapping cloth around its body lately, it might be happy to receive clothes. I’ll get some for it in this trade. By the way, I’ve changed into clothes from this world that I bought from Menas. Maybe because they’re made for this climate, they’re surprisingly comfortable. It’s like a dress with a belt tied tightly around the waist, made of undyed hemp-like material. I wear leather sandals on my feet. The concept is to look like a poor villager who obviously doesn’t have much money. And when I’m at the hideout, I usually spend my time without underwear. You get used to anything; initially, I felt unreliable, but lately, I actually feel cool and comfortable. Above all, it’s only one pair of pants, so I have to take care of it. When going out, I further wrap a large cloth around myself to use as shade. It’s primitive and not fashionable at all, but it’s comfortable to wear. The people in Menas caravan wear robes with sleeves attached. Upon closer inspection, they even have geometric patterns, surprisingly intricate in design. At least compared to what I wear, it’s clearly more luxurious. Furthermore, Menas, Gazat, Edda, and others wear several silver-like rings and bracelets. If I save up a little more money, I’d like to try a stylish look. In this world, appearance is important precisely because it can determine life or death. Unless you’re familiar faces from the same village or town, it’s difficult to obtain personal information in advance. One wrong step and it could easily turn into a fight to the death. From appearance alone, you have to judge someone’s sociability and personality in an instant. In that sense, paying attention to clothing and appearance can sometimes make a difference between life and death. However, the price of cloth products is quite high, and it’s not easy to afford them. Even second-hand clothing is generally quite expensive, so for now, I’m keeping it to the bare essentials. Still, every time I meet Menas caravan, their selection of clothes is always good. There are quite elaborate designs, so even if I can’t buy them, it’s enjoyable just to look at them. Perhaps cloth products are one of the main items dealt with by Menas’ caravan. By the way, the clothes I wore when I first came here are carefully stored on the shelf.
When I and Kuro left the hideout, I was initially worried that the luggage might be too heavy, but in reality, it was quite manageable. We didn’t encounter any Kidanakemo on the way, and we arrived by early afternoon. It seems Menas and the others haven’t arrived yet. While Kuro eagerly prepares the meal, I sit back and relax with Pink and coffee. Somehow, Kuro is too capable, and I tend to slack off quickly. Moreover, since it does it so joyfully, I can’t help but indulge. I might end up becoming a good-for-nothing.