Chapter 14: Picnic and New Trouble

I smile a little when I see Tsukuyo dancing around with the Palicoes and the Palimutes. She is truly good with animals, and the animals love her.

We are currently walking to the place Tsuyuku chose for our picnic. I want to choose a place near the village, on the edge of the island. However, Tsukuyo said that she knew a perfect place for our picnic.

"Come on, Terry! We are almost there!"

I can only shake my head and follow her to a clearing in the forest. I widen my eyes when I see a lake in the middle of the forest. Because of this world's unique flora and fauna, it makes this place even more beautiful.

Tsukuyo stops near the lake and says,

"Here. We can use this location!"

I shake and begin to prepare for our picnic. A minute later, I sit on the picnic blanket with a massive basket full of food. Tsukuyo sits next to me and says.

"Hey, Terry."

"Hmmm? What is it?"

"Do you like being here?"

"I like it here. Why?"

She shakes her head and smiles at me.

"Nothing, really. I'm glad that you like being here. Kamura Village is different from the Kingdom, but I'm glad you like it here."

We stayed silent for a few seconds before Tsukuyo continued.

"Terry, can I ask what kind of place is your hometown?"

"My hometown, huh?"

I think for a few seconds and say.

"My hometown is a small village on top of a mountain. It is a peaceful village without any monsters, but there are wild animals in that place."

I decided to tell her about my real hometown on Earth.

"We are a farming village, but some of us are hunters. However, not that kind of hunter. They are hunting animals instead of monsters."

"Really? That must be a peaceful village."

"Yeah."

Kamura is peaceful, but every now and then, a roar of monsters can be heard throughout the night. This place is peaceful, but that roar keeps us on guard because one neglect of our defense can kill hundreds of people.

"Anyway, a farming village, I started as a farmer, but I started to notice my calling was not in that village. At first, my father wanted me to inherit the land and continue his job, but after some convincing, he let me go to the city."

"What makes you want to be a hunter?"

"Hmmm, it was one man. He comes and tells me about a never-ending adventure. He told me that I can explore the world."

"I see. So you want to be a hunter because of a never-ending adventure, huh?"

"Yes, and I'm glad to be taking this job. It might start rough, but I did not regret it because I met you."

I smile at her, and I can see her blushing.

"I also meet Kuku and Hina"

I pat both my partners and see them purring under my touch.

"I meet Elder Fugen, who has a youthful personality that can rival a sun. I met Hinoa, who likes to tease you. I met Minoto, who is shy and kind despite her cold expression. More importantly, I create a family. A new family that I can proudly declare to the world. If I'm back in time, I will make sure to follow my step back so I can meet you guys back, as I will not trade this family for anything else."

I look at Tsukuyo and give her my best smile. She looks at me for a few seconds and returns my smile. She gets close to me, and slowly our lips connect. However, it did not last long as a loud snap came from our back.

When we look back, I can see four people looking at us with a sheepish expression. These people are Elder Fugen, Hinoa, Master Utsushi, and Yomogi.

Tsukuyo releases an 'eep' sound and buries her head on my shoulder. I can only sign and say.

"Did you guys not have anything better to do?"

Elder Fugen gets up from the ground and gives us a large smile.

"Bwahahaha! Sorry, you two. We are just curious about our newest couple, after all! Tsukuyo is like my granddaughter; Utsushi and Hinoa think of her as their little sister, and Yomogi thinks of her as her older sister. Pardon us for following you because we are curious about her first relationship."

I can see Tsukuyo's face get even redder at Elder Fugen's explanation. I can only sigh at that answer and say.

"I don't mind, but please don't do it every time we are going out. We want a time just for the two of us."

Elder Fugen gives me a small smile and says,

"Of course. I understand. Anyway, I think we should leave you two."

"Wait! Why don't you come and join us? We make a lot of food."

Tsukuyo suddenly says and looks at me with puppy eyes while also pouting. That should be illegal.

"Fine. Come on. There is a lot of food here."

I quickly take out the food from the basket and place it on the blanket. I can see they hesitate but decide to join us after a few seconds.

While I like to spend my time alone with Tsukuyo, I don't mind this. I'm not lying when I say they are my family because they are my family in this world. I like it when we are together.

~Three hours later~

After the picnic, I return home with Kuku and Hina, the same with Tsukuyo. When I step inside my home, I blink for a few seconds when I see that I get transported to another place, a familiar one.

I turn around and see Vy sitting behind the desk with a stack of paper on it.

"Vy?"

"Hmmm? Ah, Terry! Take a seat. We need to talk."

I look at him in confusion and sit on the chair.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Hmm? No. You are not in trouble… Well, it depends."

"What do you mean by depend?"

"Well, I have some bad news. We just got a report from our scouting department that Kamura Village will be destroyed."

"What?!"

"I know. I know. That is some bad news. There is good news, however. You can prevent it."

"How?"

"Kill the monster that caused it. Among those monsters are the ones that will appear by the end of your day in that place. The other one will appear in two, then once more appear four months later. Don't worry. We will give you the thing that lets you know which monster it was. We will highlight the mission where the said monster is the one you will hunt."

"Are they more powerful than a normal monster?"

"Absolutely. They are three times stronger than normal, and some of them even five times stronger than normal."

"Yikes."

I really need to increase my training then.

"While this increases the danger rating, we will also compensate you when you hunt them down. For every marked monster you hunt that we mark, we will give you ten points."

"Ten points, huh? Sure. That is good enough."

"Heh. You are not complaining about how low the reward is?"

"Low? Ten points is a lot. I can buy new perks with that, and after I witness how powerful the perk is, I will not complain."

I can see Vy smirk at me and nod.

"Good. It looks like we are right about you. Anyway, anything else you want to ask while you are here?"

"Right. When you say a new monster is coming, one question pops up in my head. How can I make a familiar bond with Kuku and Hina? They are my Palico and Palamute."

"Hmmm, you know what? I will give you a bonus. We are at fault for giving you faulty information. Here, catch."

I blink and catch what he throws at me. I look at the item and see it is a ribbon.

"Place that ribbon on your familiar, and they will officially become yours. Your familiar will have a boost in their growth but remember that each familiar has a limit of how much they can grow."

"I see. I don't mind. As long as they can grow strong and can survive the mission."

"Good. Anything else?"

"No. Nothing at the moment."

"Then, good luck. We are rooting for you."

The next thing I know, I'm back inside my home.