Chapter 3

Walking through the mountains without a path is not easy.

It’s even more difficult when it’s an unfamiliar mountain.

I push through the underbrush in what I think is the direction of the mountain’s base.

There is no path in front of me, but there is one behind me.

I take a short break by a stream along the way. Washing my face with the cold water clears my head.

I refill my nearly empty water bottle and start descending the mountain again.

As I descend the steep slopes several times, I eventually reach a place where the incline is barely noticeable.

It feels like I’m walking through a deep forest.

Occasionally, strange birds with a “gyaa” sound fly overhead, and I spot a few wild boar-like animals (with two large tusks on each side) in the distance.

“It’s become much easier to walk.”

“Yeah… But, how far does this forest go?”

“If we keep walking, we’ll eventually get out. We’re moving in the same direction, checking the compass.”

One of the reasons people get lost in the mountains and forests is losing their sense of direction.

After bypassing rocks and trees, they lose their way. We are always moving in one direction, south.

We know it’s noon by the time on our watches and eat portable food on a rock.

We boil water with solid fuel, make coffee, and share it.

“…Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m grateful that you chose me. I don’t want to be separated from you…”

Suddenly, I am hugged by my sister. However, we are on a rock, and when I am hugged like this, the laws of physics are correct…

Thud! We both fall into the underbrush below.

“…Sorry!”

With a red face, she quickly switches positions and gets off me.

I stand up, put my gear back into my backpack, and start walking through the forest again.

This time, my sister is in the lead.

Her long G-shirt back is loaded with a backpack and a crossbow.

That backpack should contain a disassembled crossbow, two handguns, and ammunition pouches, but even after removing them, the backpack is still bulging. …It’s a mystery.

My sister leads the way, avoiding the giant trees in the forest.

Occasionally, she checks the compass to confirm our direction.

After about an hour of walking, the area in front of us gradually opens up.

The trees become thinner and more spaced out, but the underbrush seems to have grown deeper.

Suddenly, the area in front of us opens up.

We have reached a grassland.

A low escarpment extends far to the south.

The scenery to the east and west is also a mix of forest and grassland. Looking back, a range of 2000-meter mountains stretches, and behind them, a particularly high mountain, resembling Mount Fuji, stands.

We can’t see any houses. There are no fields in the wide view, and not even smoke.

“…Sis, it looks like there’s nothing here.”

“It doesn’t seem that way. There are signs of firewood collection on the trees.”

My sister is monitoring the wide grassland with a small pair of binoculars she took out at some point.

When I check with the binoculars she hands me, I can indeed see marks where branches have been cut with a sharp blade.

We decide to head to that location, about 200 meters to the east.

The grass in the grassland is a type I’ve never seen before, but it’s only about 20 cm tall, so it doesn’t hinder our walking. We reach the marked tree in a few minutes.

Indeed, someone has intentionally cut branches.

Looking around, a compact path is visible in the forest, and there are signs of firewood collection on some trees.

“It looks like someone is here.”

I nod at my sister’s murmur.

Inhabitants of this different world… Do they look like us, or do they have three eyes, or tentacles instead of hands…?

“I think they probably look like us. Look!”

Pointing to the ground, my sister shows me footprints.

The footprints are about 15 cm long and continue alternately at intervals of about 30 cm. It’s clear that they belong to a bipedal creature that uses shoes as part of their culture.

But, this size suggests they are about the height of a child. The idea of Gulliver’s Travels crosses my mind…

If the standard height is that of a child, then we are giants.

Looking more carefully at the grassland, I see a path where the grass has been trampled, heading east.

The forest has a path, but the grass in the grassland is too strong to form a clear path.

My sister wanted to go ahead, but there might be beasts in the grassland.

We decide to camp for the night next to the forest where we can collect firewood.

We sit side by side, staring at the campfire.

After eating portable food and drinking coffee, we take turns keeping watch by the fire until morning.

“Sis… There’s something I’m a bit curious about. Can I ask?”

“What is it?”

“Your backpack… Why is it still bulging even after taking out so many things?”

“Well… This backpack is a magic backpack. It can hold ten times more, but it only weighs one-fifteenth. …Isn’t that great?”

“And, just so you know, Akito’s gun and pouch are also enchanted. They won’t break, and you get six bullets per day…”

“So, you can’t shoot too much. …Got it.”

I want to say, “Then make my backpack like that too!” but I remind myself that I’m a boy and should be patient.

I’m glad the gun won’t break. You can shoot up to 18 times a day, but only 6 the next day. Considering the power of the M29, it’s probably for large animals. If we can run away, we probably won’t need to use it much.

“Here!”

My sister hands me a thin silver case.

There’s a small protrusion on the side.

When I press it, the case opens, and inside are five cigarettes.

“You’ve been keeping it a secret, but… I know. I’ll allow you to smoke this many a day.”

I felt a bit awkward but said, “Thanks!” and took one out, lighting it with a branch from the campfire.

My sister, watching me exhale smoke with interest, took a small bag from her backpack and put a candy in her mouth.

“Something to change your mood is necessary, right?”

After spending two days in this unknown world with my sister and not seeing anyone, I might have been a bit nervous.

I need to be a bit more positive.

Tomorrow, we’ll follow the path in the grassland and try to find a settlement. If they collect firewood, they must use fire, and from the cut marks, it’s clear they have the technology to process metal.

They might not be primitive, and they might have some level of civilization.

If they accept us, there will be no problem.

Before I know it, my sister has fallen asleep.

The weight on my shoulder doesn’t bother me anymore. The sky is filled with stars, and two small moons are visible.

Both are half-moons, floating side by side in the sky, like us.

When the moon moves about 30 degrees to the right, I’ll wake my sister to take over. I stare at the campfire and light my second cigarette in this world.