"I'm surprised you managed to come back here. I heard medics don't get any days off."
"I accomplished something pretty impressive, and this is my reward."
When I entered the house, Anita welcomed me with a surprised look on her face.
I was led into the living room with Sedol in my arms.
"I'm glad to see that everything is going well. I just wish you'd write me a letter when you come back."
"Sorry, I didn't have time to send one."
First, I apologized to her for the sudden visit.
The Sabbatian Special Economic Zone is in a remote area and there were no quick means of communication.
"Make yourself at home, this place is like your house."
"…Thank you."
Anita warmly welcomed me despite the sudden visit.
She truly is a kind person.
"I'm sorry for leaving Sedol entirely in your care."
"Don't worry about it. Gomuji is an old friend. Besides, if you weren't around, I would have taken Sedol in myself"
Anita is an excellent healer and doesn't charge a lot of money.
I heard that people come all the way from other villages to receive treatment from her due to her reputation.
"Immigrants who don't want to be seen by Austs come to me. There should be healers in nearby villages, though."
"That must be tough."
"Thanks to that, I don't get any rest."
Since I send Anita money, she is able to keep her medical fees low.
She is a very appreciated presence for the poor immigrants.
"The treatment fees are lower thanks to you, Touri. You should act more proud."
"No, it's because of what you're doing, Anita."
"In the first place, is it really okay for you to send that much money home? Aren't you pushing yourself too hard for Sedol's sake?"
"It's fine. …Due to various circumstances, my salary has become quite substantial, so…"
Incidentally, I send half of my salary to Anita's bank account.
Given the current security situation, I send the money through the bank since there's a risk the it could be stolen during transport.
"My salary might increase a bit more. I heard I might get another promotion."
"…Touri, what did you do? You said earlier that you had accomplished something impressive."
"I just managed to win a battle with the help of my comrades."
Anita must not have read the article about Argalia yet.
Perhaps newspapers don't reach the special economic zone.
"Well, whatever. Anyway, you're free tomorrow, right? You can keep Sedol company."
"Yes, of course."
"He's been pestering me, asking, 'When is Tou-chan coming back? Tomorrow?'"
Anita glanced at Sedol in my arms.
The sun had already set, and Sedol was starting to nod off.
"You only have two weeks of leave, right? Make sure you spend it well so you don't have any regrets, Touri."
"Yes."
"That's good."
This peace is what I've been fighting for.
I'll indulge a bit in this peace for a while.
"I'm a bit tired from the long journey. I'll rest now."
"Yes, good night."
I said that and laid Sedol down on the bed.
I tucked both of us into the same bed and slept soundly through the night.
***
"Tou-chan! Let's go to the river, the river!!"
"Yes, yes."
The next day, Sedol was in top form from the morning.
"Guess what, guess what! There was a big frog over by that rock. I caught it last time. It was really big!"
"Really? How big was it?"
"This much!"
Sedol enthusiastically showed me various interesting spots around the village.
We walked continuously from the early morning without taking a break.
The energy of a small child is truly remarkable.
"The man at that house sometimes gives me nuts."
"That's kind of him."
"And the old lady at that house, I met her in Vanya before!"
"You shouldn't call her 'old lady.'"
"But she said it's okay to call her that!"
It seemed that the whole village was helping to raise Sedol.
Quite a few elderly people waved to Sedol as we passed by.
I'm glad he's growing up in such a good environment.
"I'm a bit tired and sweaty."
"Shall we go back home for now?"
"No! I want to go to Vanya."
"Oh, Vanya?"
After playing with Sedol all morning, he wanted to go to Vanya.
"I'd like to go to Vanya too, it's been a bit."
"Let's go! Let's go!"
I also felt like bathing in Vanya for the first time in a while.
There are fewer men during the day on weekdays, making it an easy time for women to enter.
If we're going, now is the best time to do so.
"This Vanya is really big!"
"I see."
It would be even better if I could talk to the villagers and become friends with them.
Yozack mentioned that some people could be hostile towards Austinites.
Let's deepen our friendship with the villagers before any trouble arises.
***
"Yay…!"
"Sedol, don't run. It's dangerous."
The Vanya bathhouse in this village was slightly larger than the one in Othello Village.
Being newly built, the changing rooms were nice and clean.
"There are other people here. Don't make too much noise, okay?"
"Okay!"
Upon entering, we saw a few men near the furnace.
A group of young men occupied the center, chatting away and laughing.
There should be fewer men around during the day on weekdays…
It's a bit unusual.
"Oh, a new face. And a girl too, that's rare."
"Haven't seen you before. Nice to meet you, young lady."
"Are you talking to me? Yes, it's nice to meet you."
I was worried about how they'd react, but they were friendlier than I anticipated.
I feel a bit relieved.
"Are you taking care of your little brother? That's very diligent of you."
"Well, we're not siblings… but we are family."
"I see, I see."
The man who spoke to me looked to be in his thirties.
As part of Vanya's etiquette, I should engage in conversation as much as possible, but…
There was just one thing that bothered me a little.
"Umm, are you from Austin?"
"Yes, we are. Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all."
It was their fluent Austinian that piqued my curiosity.
Are these people from the village…?
"The culture of the Sabbath, this Vanya, is really nice."
"And young ladies come in too, it's a feast for the eyes."
"Uh, excuse me… My name is Touri, and I'm staying at the clinic in this village. May I ask who you are?"
"Oh, pardon me."
This is the Sabbath Economic Zone, so there shouldn't be any Austinites living here.
Then why are there Austinites in Vanya?
"We are the government officials who manage this area. It's our job to help you live safely."
"…Oh, I see. I understand now."
When I asked out of curiosity, it turned out they were government officials.
Only villagers and officials are allowed to enter the village.
For a moment, I was wary they might be the rumored 'bandits.'
"Hey, you're really cute. How about we have a meal after this?"
"Ah, well… I guess I'd say that's a bit much."
"Come on, we can get something nice for that boy too."
"No, well…"
It's good they weren't bandits, but…
To my dismay, one of them was hitting on me rather insistently.
Vanya also has an aspect of being a place for people to meet.
"Well, for now, come over and sit with us.
"Umm… I have to take care of this little one, and I don't want to trouble you."
"He looks well-behaved, it's fine."
"No, I think he's scared of talking to strangers."
Since earlier, Sedol had been clinging to me and glaring at the man.
He was on maximum alert.
"Don't go near Tou-chan! No!"
"Oh, what a greeting."
"No! Tou-chan is mine!"
"I'm not planning on doing anything weird. I just wanted to have a friendly chat."
"…Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid he's very upset."
However, it's only natural that Sedol would be wary.
Though I tried to avoid looking, the man hitting on me was quite visibly aroused.
In Vanya, there's nothing to hide.
"Let's leave it at that, Chief. She doesn't seem interested."
"It's just talking. Isn't that what Vanya is about?"
"I suppose that's true, still…"
As I was soothing the growling Sedol,
Realizing that I was in trouble, his friends tried to mediate, but…
The man hitting on me seemed to be in a higher position, so they only gently suggested backing off.
"Enough already. It's because we're Austinites that you're acting like this, right?"
"Ah, no. That's not it."
"We tried to embrace the Sabbath's culture and be open, but…"
"Umm…"
The official got sulky and irritable.
However, if someone approaches you with clear ulterior motives, most women would refuse the conversation.
The Sabbatians view Vanya as sacred, meaning they hide their intentions.
"Talking like that will just cause more trouble."
"Even though we're doing our best with limited resources, all we get are complaints about there not being enough food and there being too much work."
"Yes, but Chief…"
"Even when we try to be accommodating, we're still blamed for everything being Austin's fault."
The Austin officials are also probably under a lot of stress.
Grinding his teeth, he began grumbling.
"We're trying to face the Sabbatians properly!"
"Alright, alright."
From their conversation, I started to get a sense of the usual relationship between the officials and the villagers.
It seems that the officials are trying to deal with the immigrants in their own way…
Their approach is somewhat high-handed, or maybe even condescending, as if they're doing it as a favor.
Is this the cause of the friction?
"I believe there's a bit of a misunderstanding."
"What is it, young lady?"
"I'm not a Sabbatian. I'm an Austinite visiting an acquaintance in this village."
"Oh, really? I did think you were quite good at Austinian."
Not wanting to leave it like this and cause any trouble, I decided to clear up the misunderstanding for the time being.
It was just a failed attempt to hit on another Austinite, and it has nothing to do with Sabbatian culture or anything like that.
"I'm following the Vanya rules by undressing, but I'm not comfortable getting too close to naked men…"
"Oh, I see, if that's the case then it can't be helped. That's only natural, I'm sorry."
When the official found out I was from Austin, he quickly changed his attitude and apologized.
I'm glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up.
"And, if I may… Approaching women with such obvious ulterior motives would be scary for Sabbatian women too."
"Ugh…"
"You can't hide anything in Vanya. Your approach was also quite intimidating and a bit scary. As an invitation, I give it a zero."
"Chief, she's got a point."
"Ugh, shut up."
By the way, I noticed that the way he picks up girls might lead to trouble. I thought I'd give him a heads-up.
Maybe if I criticize them as an Austinite rather than a Sabbatian, he'll be more willing to listen.
"Lastly, this is a time when children use the facility. If you're looking for social encounters, coming in the evening might be better."
"What, there's a rule like that?"
"The fact that men and women only talk at night is something that is shared even in the Sabbath. It's a tacit understanding."
"I see, so that's how it is."
"Also, I'm married. Please don't approach me even if we meet at night."
"Married?!"
To avoid any further advances, I also mentioned that I was married.
With that being said, I don't think there will be any more complaints.
"Ah… I didn't know. I'm sorry for everything, young lady. …Umm, was it Touri?"
"Yes. I'm glad you understand."
With the misunderstanding cleared, the man became quite apologetic.
One of the good things about Vanya is that we can understand each other by talking like this.
"By the way, Touri, huh? I've heard that name somewhere recently. A petite girl, as cute as a doll…"
"A doll?"
"Oh, no, sorry. It's just… something's clicking."
Suddenly, the man lowered his eyes and began thinking about something.
Looks like this is the end of the conversation.
"Tou-chan, tickle, tickle. Ahahahaha!"
"How's this?"
"Ahahahaha!"
It's about time I paid some attention to Sedol.
I started playfully kneading his sides as he hugged me.
"Uh, Touri? If you don't mind, may I ask your age?"
"I'll be 18 soon."
"Eh, 18 years old…?"
The official, looking pale, asked me again.
I don't exactly look my age. He might have realized it was rude to treat me like a child.
"Umm, what is your occupation?"
"My occupation? I'm a soldier in Austin's military."
Sedol was laughing uncontrollably, shaking from the tickles.
While I'm at it, I should wipe his sweat too.
But still, kids really love being tickled—
"Hey, maybe…"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Are you Lieutenant Touri Lowe?"
"Huh? Yes, that's me."
When he suddenly guessed my full name, I turned around in surprise.
The man's forehead was sweating like a waterfall, his eyes were wide open, trembling.
"I…"
"I?"
"I apologize profusely!!!"
Then, all of the officials stood up straight, standing at attention.
In front of the bewildered me and Sedol, they saluted and shouted.