4 Chapter 4: Villagers

Bright and early next morning, Itas, Bravos and Ena are sitting around the living room table eating breakfast that is a bit of steamed fish with rice mixed with soya sauce.

Itas takes a couple of peeps over at Ena and hope it's not who he thinks it is that will come, he has asked multiple times and tried to act spoiled. She still hasn't said it. He has concluded that it's probably the village woman coming, even tough he doesn't want to come since he feels like a baby every time, well here is a brief list from who he has gotten to know

Aimi is married to Aoi (villager chef)

Aiya is married to Hibiki (Butcher)

Etsu is married with Hiki (Chief farmer)

Fuji is married with Shou (blacksmith)

Gen is married to Katsuo farmer)

Gina is married to Nori (tailor)

Haruko is married to Ryo (physicians)

Haya is married with Shin (physicians apprentice)

They are all good people, but weird hobbies, like Aimi likes to cut up corpses for learning medicine and Aiya likes to find ways to make puppets and each, they are pleasant to talk with when he is with Bravos or Ena but if he meets them alone, he always feels like a sheep in the middle of a wolf flock, and Itas have gotten to know five children friends at his age in the village, not that he wanted, but got forced into being with them, or Ena didn't want to teach him different things that he needed to learn or get him more books of his liking instead she gave him children book, not that it hurt that much though but it's boring, He got to know a lot about the world from them, and that's how it works, He plans on training them to become fighters and skill in managing business later, so they can run his business if something makes him not able to work, or lift some pressure from him

Well it's too early to think of it though, Itas looks out of the gap at the side of his room and look at a big apple tree, but it is getting bright and beautiful to watch it, and he wonders when they that are visiting will come, well they will probably come later tough, but it has become a habit to watch the trees and leaves moving at the wind, then he goes to his room and picks up the book at side of the one he finished reading yesterday, and open to where he at the start and read it, while reading he found something pretty interesting in the book, it's a book about how to motivate soldier in different situation. And motivate underlings to work hard for him.

While Itas was focusing on reading his books, eight beauties with different styles were closing in to the house, Gina wonders with a small voice ¨I wonder how surprised Itas will be when we come and visit him, one of the woman named Haruko with a playful voice says ¨Probably not that much, he will probably run away again¨

Gina wonder looks up at the sky with a sad look ¨Why does he always run when he sees us?

Haruko looks at Gina with a weird look ¨Not that we can blame him We kept a couple of secrets at why our husband doesn't like him, and he accidentally saw us planning on cross dressing him¨

Haya looks at Haruko with an icy look ¨That he handsome and with starry eyes, that is easy to like and a prophet said he will become a womanizer? I think its little chance of it happing tough¨

Gina snickers ¨Yeah, but they are trusting the swindling prophet too much, we can't stop them from believing in that nonsense¨

Haruko looks over and sees Itas house and with a playful smile says ¨Nothing that we can do, look there it is Itas house¨

Fuji lifts a hand and wipes away sweat ¨We are finally here, I have forgotten how long it is to walk here¨

Gina looks at Fuji, ¨How can you forget that? Last year it was you that visited the most of us if it wasn't for the Village being busy with harvest this year you would probably run over and play with Itas more¨

Fuji laughs, awkwardly, ¨I have forgotten that¨

Haruko looks at Fuji with furrowed brows, ¨Your memory is getting worse, want us to get you a doctor when returning? ¨

Fuji stroke her back of her head with a mischievous laugh ¨Nothing I can do about it, I was born like this¨

Haya looks at Fuji weirdly and laughs ¨you never forget anything, your only clumsy¨

Gina laugh at the side ¨True, you never do¨

As the girl gets close to the door of the house, Itas suddenly get goosebumps, and lose his focus and he lifts his eyes and look outside the gap and see eight beauties closing in and tilt his head and sigh ¨So it was them then¨ then take a leave at the page where he stopped reading and slowly close it, and then put it at the side of the table, and rises up and pats his pants before going to the door and opening and goes out of the door and then suddenly *bang bang* sound of knocking comes from the door, as Itas looks at the door and sigh in frustration ¨Time to run¨ then start running for the backdoor

As he open the back door and prepare to bolt out as fast he can, he suddenly gets hugged out off nowhere, and he sits with frustration

Fuji hugs Itas and takes a deep breath and says ¨I knew you would run little Itas¨ then looks down at Itas and give a beautiful smile ¨I miss this feeling, should have come more often and visit¨

Itas tries to struggle away from Fuji grasp with no avail, and each of the beauty takes their turn to give him big hugs, the last one is Aimi who almost always has a cold face, but he thinks she is cold at the outside and big fire at the inside.

When everyone finished Itas tell them to come inside, after entering, they sit around the table, as Itas takes some water from the bucket for them all ¨What brings you all here? ¨

Fuji laugh mischievously ¨We missed you of course¨ after Itas have served everyone water she hugs Itas and force him into her lap and plays with his long hair since Itas was little he had let his hair grow out so it's almost down at his waist and pokes his face that Itas frown with displeasure each time.

Itas feels something is wrong, but can't pinpoint it like something dangerous is going to happened. So he tries to act cute for getting more information ¨What's happening around the village?¨

Aimi looks chilly out the window ¨Nothing particularly¨

Fuji finally let Itas go then with a tired voice ask ¨What should we play today? ¨

Gina says, ¨The game you taught us last time¨ with a faint smile.

Itas ¨Fine¨ then stands up and get some tables and figure that he has painted made look like chess figure, he gave the design to Bravos and asked him to create it for him, he was going to train his intelligence using it, he has also tried Shogi but he didn't like it so much, he like the other chess better.

After everyone gathers around the chessboard and watches Aimi and Aiya playing, then Ena comes in the door, and she looks at everyone and with a smile says ¨So everyone has come¨

Gina gets up and bows to Ena, ¨Of course, it is a long time since we came and played with Itas¨

Ena laugh a little ¨So he still likes looking at people playing?¨

Gina comes close to Ena, ¨Yeah, he still likes to observe people, and have hard time trusting other, but when people he like are circled around him, he usually looks carefree¨

Ena looks at Itas at the end with pondering face watching the chess ¨Yeah, it looks like he is sometimes stuck between reality and fantasy, and the chess game is the easiest way to contact with other and for him to distract from it¨

Gina looks at Itas with a worried look ¨He will fall hard if it continues like this¨

Ena takes back the look and starts to get closer to table ¨He will learn his lesson, but it's not time yet, but it will probably get better if he wakes up soon, but the problem is we are not sure what have made him like this since he hasn't left our sight since he was a baby¨ then sigh and force herself to look cheerful and goes over and hug Itas into her lap ¨How is it going darling today¨

Itas muscle tightens by getting hugged suddenly but after hearing the voice he relaxes ¨When did you come, mom? ¨

Ena cheerfully says, ¨Just now, I finally got back from getting herbs¨

Itas looks at Ena with a pure smile ¨That's good¨ then goes back to observe the game of chess.

While he's pondering what happens at a game and he looks for a way to defeat them in strategy, he feels like it's a way to train parallel thinking and train the brain too fast responses by doing it this way, it would probably help him to play it but he is still too young.

A couple of hours later after everyone finished, Ena cheerfully says, ¨Everyone stays for dinner¨

Fuji looks downcast, ¨We can't we promised our husbands to be home early for dinner¨

Ena looks at them regretfully ¨sure next time then¨ then smiles and shows them the way out ¨Come again soon¨

Aiya ¨Sure, we will take with us the other children next time, too bad they were busy with learning and could not come with us today¨

Ena looks at Aiya with a smile ¨Yeah¨ then watching them walking back home from the door and turn around and asks Itas ¨How was it¨

Itas look at Ena cheerfully ¨Its good¨

Ena cheerfully says, ¨Should we make dinner before Bravos comes home? I feel strangely active today¨

Itas look at Ena and his face turn a little bit of red but hide it fast and with a big smile says ¨Yes¨ then follows Ena to the basement and choose what's going to dinner today, while looking through the food they have they decided on a hog that has been curing in salt water for a month, and Itas gives Ena a helping hand to carry vegetables to the kitchen and put them at the cutting table, Ena takes a saw and cut some part of the hog and put the rest back in the brie.

Itas looks at Ena creating hog stew and some side dishes while Itas is entrained watching Ena cook Bravos come home ¨I'm home¨ then comes in and takes off his gear.

Ena and Itas look at Bravos through the door and in union say ¨Welcome home¨ then go back to the food preparing.

After it was finished, everyone gathers at the dinner table and eats.

Ena looks at Bravo's curiosity ¨how was the hunt? ¨

Bravos looks back with a smile says, ¨Good. I fixed the traps that have been lying around lately¨

Ena hears a sound far away and lookout, but don't see anything so she takes back the focus and continuing eating ¨that should be good¨

When everyone finished, they put everything at the cleaning area and put the rest of the hog down in the basement so it won't go bad early.

After that everyone goes back to their daily business

But this time it was one different as Itas goes back in the bamboo wood