Volume 8 Chapter 4 Bamboo Shoot And Stranded
Nel-Nel keeps finding bamboo shoots one after another and digging holes.
Maybe because Nel-Nel isn't just any rabbit, but digs super fast. With a whoosh of her front paws, she quickly gets her face and paws all dirty, making a big hole in no time.
I'm filling in the holes that Nel-Nel made while digging for bamboo shoots with a shovel.
If we leave it all full of holes, someone might fall in.
"Hey? Sir Roxas... Sir Roxas?"
There are a lot of people near the entrance of the Bialaba bamboo grove, and many bamboo shoots have already been dug up.
So, it seems Nel-Nel is moving deeper into the bamboo forest to dig for more shoots.
Before I knew it, the people from the commercial association and others digging for bamboo around us had disappeared.
And by the way, Sir Roxas is also nowhere to be seen.
Nel-Nel, Eir-Eir, and Ms. Famine are together, and my dad is nearby watching over us.
"If it's Roxas, he probably said he'd dig for bamboo where Eirnelys isn't and went further in."
"Uh, th-this is bad, Dad, Sir Roxas might get lost..."
"Nah, in such an open bamboo grove, it's unlikely he'd get lost."
Dad said, tilting his head cutely.
That's true. There's no height difference in the bamboo grove. It's harder to get lost.
Still, it's Sir Roxas we're talking about.
He's the one who breaks plates and teacups and trips over nothing.
Maybe he's stuck in a hole left by someone digging for bamboo shoots...!
"Nel-Nel, thank you so much for the bamboo shoots! You're amazing and super awesome! But let's go look for Sir Roxas; he might be collapsed somewhere."
"Fried horse mackerel!"
I put the last bamboo shoot into the bag, lifted it with a grunt, and picked up Nel-Nel in one arm.
As I grabbed the shovel, Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine hopped onto my head.
Eir-Eir, Nel-Nel, and Ms. Famine are light, but the bag with the bamboo shoots and the shovel are heavy.
I'm pretty strong, but Nel-Nel dug up so many bamboo shoots that the bag is bursting.
"Are you okay, Lydia? Should I turn back into my human form and carry your stuff?"
"I'm fine, Dad. I like you as a puppy."
It's a nice thought, but I'll pass. I'm not really used to Dad's human form. I saw it once, but it was in the bath. He was completely n*ked.
That image is pretty strong in my mind. Maybe when he turns back into a human, he'll be n*ked again.
I can't be alone in a bamboo grove with a n*ked man, even if it's my dad.
"Sir Roxas, are you okay, Sir Roxas!"
"Roxas is an adult. He'll be fine."
"He's an adult, but he might be stuck in a hole or fallen into a river!"
"That might be true."
As we called out Sir Roxas's name while moving deeper into the bamboo grove, I heard a voice from a little distance saying, "Over here, Lydia."
Sir Roxas had stabbed a hoe into the ground.
At his feet, there were sad remnants of bamboo shoots scattered around.
"Uh, Sir Roxas, the bamboo shoots are all messed up..."
"I'm trying to dig them up nicely, but the hoe keeps stabbing into the bamboo shoots. It's tough work digging up bamboo."
"Well, the tips are the most delicious, so as long as the tips are okay, I think we'll be fine..."
I comforted Sir Roxas, who looked downcast.
The bamboo shoots looked all messed up, but the tips seemed okay. It should be fine.
"That's good to hear..."
"Sir Roxas, you worked hard digging up the bamboo shoots too. Thank you."
"I want to be helpful. Plus, it's my first time digging a hole, and I actually found it pretty fun to mindlessly dig with the hoe."
Sir Roxas said this with a hint of happiness, packing the battered bamboo shoots into the bag.
They look rough, but once peeled and cleaned, I'm sure they'll be edible.
He really did his best, Sir Roxas. I thought I'd just have him carry the stuff, but it looks like he enjoyed it, so that's good.
He's carrying my stuff too. It was heavy, so I really appreciate it.
"Well then, shall we head back? We collected a lot of bamboo shoots."
"Yeah."
"Sir Roxas, do you know the way back?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"...The way back?"
"Y-Yeah, the way back..."
Sir Roxas and I exchanged glances. Then we looked down at Dad, who was at our feet.
"Don't look to me for help. I'm just a cute puppy, so I don't know the way through the bamboo grove."
"Really...? I thought you could do anything... I thought you might know the way back too."
"No, no."
Dad shook his head. The Eir-Eirs looked at me with confused faces.
What should I do? We might be lost in the bamboo grove. I got too caught up in digging for bamboo shoots.
"We shouldn't have come this deep. If we go back the way we came, there should be someone around."
Sir Roxas said that calmly and started to retrace our steps. I wasn't sure if this was the right path.
After all, the bamboo grove looks almost the same no matter where you are.
All I could see was bamboo, bamboo, bamboo.
"Whoa!"
Sir Roxas, who had started walking confidently, suddenly disappeared right in front of me.
"Sir Roxas!?"
I rushed over, but he probably tripped over a hole someone had dug and fell with a splat.
Splash! The sound echoed as water splashed up.
Before I knew it, I had fallen on top of Sir Roxas, who had landed in the clear flowing river first.
I was lying on top of him. His face was right under my chest. I must have squished him pretty hard.
"W-Wait... I'm so sorry, Sir Roxas! Does it hurt? Are you okay...!?"
"I-I'm sorry, but c-can you get off me, Lydia...?"
The river was shallow, so it wasn't like he was drowning, but about half of Sir Roxas was submerged in the water. I squirmed on top of him.
"Calm down, Lydia. Roxas is dead."
"W-What? He can't be dead, can he? Is it... is it from drowning?!"
"I don't think so. It's not drowning. He died happy."
"He fell into the river and was happy...? T-This is bad, Sir Roxas, there's blood, so much blood...!"
"Please, just move aside, Lydia..."
As I stumbled, I saw his glasses floating down the river.
Splash, splash.
I was in a panic, overwhelmed by the bright red blood spreading in the water, and my mind was racing with unnecessary thoughts.
Drenched and disoriented, I somehow managed to get up from on top of Sir Roxas.
My clothes were all messed up, with my neckline loose and my skirt flapping, but that didn't matter right now. It was all about Sir Roxas.
He might have hit his head and was bleeding from it. He could die.
"Sir Roxas, I'll heal your injuries now. I have the power to do it...!"
Drenched and holding his nose and mouth, Sir Roxas shook his head slowly.
"Lydia. Don't worry too much about the blood. It's just a nosebleed. I'm fine."
"You hit your nose, didn't you?"
Sir Roxas was lying on his back, but yeah, he must have hit his nose.
I couldn't help but notice it was pressed against my chest.
Is my chest really that hard? I feel bad about it.
"Sir Roxas, I'm sorry that my chest is as hard as a rock..."
"It's not hard, it's soft... L-Let's not talk about that. Forget about the blood."
"Sir Roxas, you're soaking wet and covered in blood."
"It's not a problem."
It's definitely a problem. And yet, the river.
I didn't see any river while we were out looking for bamboo shoots.
We might really be lost.
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