The blue-haired girl knelt down and caught her breath. She clenched her fists against her chest, trying to calm her pounding heart. She closed her trembling eyes. Her body was sweating profusely.
After a while, she calmed down enough. She got up and sat in her room. Lying on her bed, she stared at the ceiling.
"Maybe I shouldn't have helped her." The girl's face fell.
"I want to get over my fear. But it's hard."
"Huuu." The girl sighed.
"By the way, that old woman won't remember the way here, right? I was too careless bringing her here." The girl's face twisted into a ridiculous panic.
"If that happens, I might have to move again. But how long will I be the one running away?"
"Hahh, this is annoying." In the quiet night, the girl closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, she went about her usual activities. She wandered around the forest and caught some jungle fowl to eat. After catching her kill, she returned to her house.
On her way, she saw someone. It was the old woman she had helped yesterday. What she had feared had happened. The direction the old woman was heading was her house.
"I shouldn't have said that yesterday." The girl looked panicked and shocked.
She was confused about whether to return home or hide somewhere else. After some deliberation, she chose to hide in the tall bushes around her house.
Why was she so afraid of other people? Even though they weren't monsters or anything?
The old woman arrived at the door of the girl's modest home. She knocked several times, but there was no answer.
"Is she gone?" The old woman muttered.
She decided to sit and wait for the girl to return.
"No! Why are you sitting!" The girl screamed in her heart.
An hour passed, and it was almost noon. The girl, still sitting hidden behind the bushes, smiled bitterly.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Her stomach growled with hunger.
She saw the old woman still sitting there casually. The girl's eye twitched several times, and the smile on her face grew even more bitter.
Holding her hungry stomach, the girl clenched her fists and steeled her resolve. She emerged from hiding with the two chickens she had brought and approached the old woman.
"Ma-madam?" Despite her determination, her words were still nervous.
The old woman was a little surprised, having not noticed her presence.
"Ah, I'm sorry I just sat here." The old woman stood up and approached her.
"N-no, it's okay. S-sorry if you kept me waiting." The girl said.
"No, no. It was my fault for coming so hastily."
The girl smiled awkwardly.
"That..." 'groowll!' Before the girl could finish, the sound of her hungry stomach could be heard.
The girl smiled embarrassedly.
"S-sorry."
"No, no. Oh, how insensitive of me." The old woman picked up a box and placed it beside her.
"Here. I came to give you this as a thank you for your help yesterday." The old woman handed the box to the girl.
The girl immediately reacted and released her two chickens to accept it.
"Did you hunt it yourself?"
"Y-yes."
"Why don't you just go to the village and buy it?"
Hearing this, the girl couldn't hide her anxiety. The old woman realized something was wrong.
"Oh, what did I say? My mouth." The old woman slapped her lips.
"Please forgive this old woman." The old woman apologized sincerely.
The girl felt bad seeing her.
"I-it's okay, ma'am. There's no need to apologize."
"Thank you." Just call me grandma, madam is a bit too stiff." The old woman smiled.
"Open the box."
"Okay." The girl opened the box.
A fragrant aroma wafted out. Her eyes widened. There was a delicious-looking cake inside.
"T-this..." The girl looked at the old woman.
"You haven't had lunch yet, right? Come eat first." The woman smiled and motioned for the girl to sit down.
"I-can I have some?"
"Of course. Come eat."
The girl took a cake and took a bite. The sweet taste, the soft dough, and the fragrant aroma gathered in her mouth. Her eyes widened. Her chewing speed increased.
Seeing the girl eat with gusto, the old woman smiled.
"Oh yes. Your medicine is very effective. My leg doesn't hurt anymore. If you used ordinary medicine, it would take at least three days, or even a week."
"You seem very skilled at making medicine." The old woman praised her.
But instead of feeling happy at the praise, the girl felt a little uneasy. As she was about to respond, she choked on a cookie. Surprised, the old woman patted her shoulder. The girl went inside and got a glass of water.
"That old woman didn't mean any harm, did she?" The girl muttered.
"Well, it's natural to praise, but if I overdo it, it'll look suspicious."
"Don't worry. It won't be like that time." The girl also got a glass of water for the old woman.
"Th-that, thank you for the cookie."
"Thank you, too."
The sun was already getting higher. The old woman excused herself to go home.
"Oh yes. You can stop by my house if you like."
"No! Thank you!" The girl thought to herself.
"If I have time." The girl replied.
"May I stop by sometime?"
"No! "No way!" the girl screamed in her heart.
"I-if you don't mind. B-because this place is quite far from your house." She replied politely.
The old woman smiled and waved her hand. The girl nodded.
After the old woman left, the girl went back into her house.
"You're such a mouthful!! Why don't you just tell the truth?!!" The girl fell to her knees and pounded the wooden floor.
"Isn't this... bad?" The girl lay on the floor.
"Well, it seems like that old lady is quite nice. Although it's not like I hate her, but we'll never know what's on their minds."
"Ah... My life has been peaceful all this time. I've ruined it."
"Should I leave here now?"
"But finding a suitable place and rebuilding the house is annoying!"
"And also, there's no way I can leave this house full of memories."
"Arrghh, old lady! Why did you have to show up?" The girl became melancholy.
"No. It's my fault. Why did I help her?"
"But this has already happened! There's no point crying over it!"
"But I still want to cry."
The girl continued to mourn her sadness as she slaughtered the chicken, cooked, ate, and even slept.
"Tomorrow when I wake up, there will be no more crying."
On the cold night, the girl fell into a deep sleep.