Chapter 32
“You mean Fiore doesn’t have his own shelter?”
“That’s right.”
After answering so naturally, Adelaide added somewhat awkwardly:
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like we deliberately refused to give Fiore one.”
Of course not. There are plenty of empty containment facilities in the village anyway.
Perhaps he uses another building like Charlotte does?
“Then where does Fiore stay?”
“I don’t think you quite understood me. He stays… anywhere.”
“…You mean he’s… homeless?”
“Listen, Alice.”
Adelaide gave a bitter smile.
“You look like you’re imagining something tragic. Fiore’s a lot tougher than you think, and he lives exactly the way he wants to.”
“Ah, yeah! I get it! It’s not like anyone could just kick him out either, with his size and all… It’s just, I wasn’t expecting him to not have a home at all…”
Even animals have their dens.
Though she wasn’t sure what animal Fiore originated from, where does he rest his tired body?
‘Was it easy to run into Fiore all this time because he was always wandering around?’
Adelaide said exactly that.
“It’s not hard to find Fiore. If you walk around the village, you’ll find him within half a day.”
“That makes sense.”
“If you can’t find him, try walking along the fence. Fiore spends his free time repairing the village fence.”
“Ah, thank you!”
“Don’t mention it. When I go to ask him about the candy errand, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him.”
“Please don’t tell him that! I haven’t even figured out what to say to him yet!”
“Hehe, don’t worry too much. Fiore might be a bit fierce, but he’s not a bad resident.”
“Yes… that’s true.”
While she couldn’t call him kind, nor say he had a good personality…
Too many things had happened for her to just write him off as impossible to deal with.
How should she express her gratitude?
It would be easier if she could just give him a gift. Hand it over and make a quick exit.
As she finished washing dishes and was about to leave Adelaide’s office, Alice asked one last question:
“About Fiore… do you think he’d like something like beef jerky?”
Just looking at those densely packed fangs, he had to be a carnivore. Maybe he’d appreciate something to chew on.
But such simple thinking crumbled before Adelaide’s questioning:
“You really want to give him a gift, don’t you?”
“Ah, no! That’s not it! I just thought words alone might not be enough!”
“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a heartfelt thank-you from our lovely guest.”
That ‘lovely’ comment surely wasn’t about her appearance. Still, Adelaide’s gentle pat on Alice’s head calmed her teenage-like urge to protest “Stop messing with me.”
“Just relax. It’s such a small village that, with time, relationships that are meant to improve will improve, and those that should end will end.”
“Yes…”
“And don’t go giving Fiore food and risk whetting his appetite.”
“What?”
There was no chance to ask what that meant exactly.
Village children came running in, arguing with each other, and clung to Adelaide’s skirt, demanding she judge who was wrong.
“Madam Adelaide! Gon was teasing me again, and then he got mad at me!”
“What do you mean ‘again’! You said you’d try harder last time!”
“You’re supposed to help too! You’re always like this, always!”
Alice almost burst out laughing seeing Madam Adelaide’s flustered expression.
‘Relationships that should improve will improve, and those that should end will end, you say?’
These children who must have lived together in the village for 10 years are still fighting.
But Alice ended up smiling when she noticed how the children, even while shouting, couldn’t let go of each other’s hands.
Clearly, this was a serious argument for them. But with their voices nearly overlapping in a chaotic mess, she never did figure out what they were actually fighting about.
Madam Adelaide was wise.
She took the children into the room one at a time, saying she’d listen to their stories carefully, and after each conversation, she’d come out and tell the waiting child “They said they’re sorry.”
Of course, she repeated the same process after switching their positions. Soon both children left the office with bright smiles.
For some reason, each holding one of Alice’s hands.
Their hands were damp as if they’d been playing in the dirt. Still, the feeling of their proper weight hanging onto both hands wasn’t unpleasant.
Gon, on the right, chattered:
“The weather’s so nice today. I wanted to run around before the grass gets too crispy, but Carla didn’t want to!”
“You don’t like running alone?”
“That would make me stand out too much!”
Perhaps it was an unavoidable habit for a prey-animal boy with herbivorous characteristics – something she’d learned while dining with him. Damn.
Carla, the child on the left, pouted.
“You’re too fast.”
A shy girl who Alice had only met a few times, even shyer than Gon. She hadn’t yet identified which animal characteristics she possessed. Alice gently felt Carla’s arm joint while asking:
“Carla, do you like running?”
“I do. But when I run with Gon, I fall down.”
“Did you fall today? If anything hurts, I can check it at the clinic.”
“I didn’t fall today. Because I didn’t run. That’s why we fought.”
Gon raised his voice:
“You said you’d run with me but you just stood there!”
“If I say I won’t run, you get all sulky, you little pest!”
“Little what? That’s a bad word!”
“No, it’s not! Got any proof?”
Damn, Alice could sense the signs of a second round that she definitely couldn’t handle alone. She quickly raised both children’s hands.
“Come on, no more fighting!”
“We weren’t fighting earlier! He was just pouting!”
“She started it!”
“You just pointed at me! Should I do it too? Doctor, let go of my hand!”
“You can point with your free hand, stupid!”
“I’m not stupid! I just wanted to do exactly what you did!”
Alice suppressed her urge to run away.
She remembered something from pediatric classes about handling young patients…
“Kids! Can I ask for your help with something?”
The children stopped shouting. Gon turned his head first.
“What is it?”
“I need to tell Fiore something. But he doesn’t have a home, right?”
“Yeah, he doesn’t. He wanders everywhere.”
“Would you help me find him? I might get lost if I look around by myself.”
“Doctor, you’re bad with directions!”
The children’s eyes immediately lit up.
‘That was the right approach.’
Wasn’t helping adults supposed to be a precious opportunity for children to experience self-efficacy?
Gon and Carla immediately grabbed both of Alice’s sleeves.
Gon took the lead:
“I’ll try to find him by sound!”
Carla pulled Alice to the left:
“Fiore usually walks around the sea or stays near the fence. Since the sea is dangerous, let’s go to the fence. Gon! Stop pulling!”
“I’m not. You’re just weak.”
“Show-off! Anyway, let’s go see if Fiore is still tinkering with the fence.”
‘Tinkering,’ she says.
Well, with those huge hands of his, holding a hammer probably looked like playing with a toy.
“Does Fiore fix the fence alone?”
“These days, yes. The assistant who came with Dr. Nathan before used to help really diligently from inside the fence.”
“I see. Carla, did you perhaps live with your grandmother when you were younger?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
The indelible traces of elderly speech patterns in her vocabulary gave it away.
Carla’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Alice rolled a few sentences around in her mouth while looking at those round eyes.
If she chose her words carefully, she might be able to hear about this child’s hometown.
Where did you come from? Did you really cross the sea…?
“Carla, do you remember much about your grandmother?”
“A little bit! Oh, the neighborhood ladies were jealous because she had thick hair even when she got old.”
“My, I’m envious of that too. Do you remember your grandmother’s hair color?”
“It was black mixed with brown and white. She tied it up in curls like you do! She kept trying to tie my hair too, but I always ran away.”
“I see. Your grandmother must have really loved you.”
Even as she responded, a question arose in Alice’s mind.
Tying up hair?
‘Are there animals that do that?’
Alice looked down at Carla’s black hair and large eyes. Were there any creatures besides humans that had hair and could distinguish between black, white, and brown…?
Just then, Gon squeezed her right hand tightly.
Looking up, she saw Fiore talking with a well-built man across the fence several dozen meters away.
‘That’s a police uniform.’
A week ago, she might have been glad to see that uniform. She would have probably begged him to listen seriously and investigate this village. To look into why people keep dying.
But just recently, Alice and her colleagues…
Alice unconsciously tensed up and squeezed both hands tight. She immediately regretted it when Carla let out a yelp.
The officer and Fiore both turned to look in their direction.
