Chapter 2
"Where are you gonna take that pie Nobara?"
"Uhm, for Maki, the woman I told duh"
"You just met that woman once and now you want to bring that whole just came out pie to give her?"
"It's not just a normal pie, Megumi, it's the first pie she made successfully. Even I’m the one who teach her how to do it, I was only gave a small part from it"
Yuuji crossed his arms pretending to be jealous, and Megumi was looking at her with a face that seemed to be thinking about something. But Nobara only felt quite embarrassed when he was literally just hit her nerve, so she didn't pay attention to it.
"Well, so what! That woman helped me so of course I should also express my gratitude to her. Besides, this pie is too small to share with both of you, especially your bottomless Yuuji"
"Hey, because my requirement job is easy to see a heavy work request, so it's normal for me to eat a little more than you guys"
"You're just justifying yourself" Nobara rolled her eyes, after putting on her shoes, she stood up "Anyway, I have to go now"
"Okay, have fun!"
"And remember to come home before 8"
"Okay mom, I'm not a kid anymore so you don't need to remind me like that, Megumi"
"Uh huh, like the last time"
"I told you, it was just a small incident. That won't happen again"
"Just saying, just come home before 8 o'clock, otherwise Yuuji will go find you"
Nobara roll her eyes, since the last incident, Megumi seems to become stricter every time she goes somewhere other than work. Nobara doesn't blame him, though, it just makes it difficult for Nobara to say that she will go back to the Western forest and especially can't tell Maki is actually a hunted wolf. And despite feeling a little bit guilty, Nobara still decided to lie to him and Yuuji.
"Fine, see you later"
Continuing to go deep into the Western forest, crossing the bushes, Nobara tried to follow her memory but this method didn’t seem to work at all, because it was dark last time and all Nobara remembered seemed to be nothing but Maki....
Okay, maybe Nobara is a bit reckless when she doesn't even remember the way but still keeps going into the forbidden forest like that, but who can blame her? This Western forest is the largest of the 4 forests around the town, if someone gets lost a few times, it's not strange at all. Not to mention, if she doesn't try, she will never remember or know the way in here. Besides, Nobara can't tell Yuuji to guide her if she doesn't want to be stopped by him, so choosing to be recklessly 'a little bit' is still the most reasonable and understandable choice right now, right?
"Great, where am I?"
Nobara looked around trying to find out where she was, but surroundings her were only trees and bushes, bushes and trees and rocks, making her feel even more hopeless in finding her way.
Maybe I should just buy a compass next time.
Sighing, Nobara decided to sit down under the tree to rest for a bit then find the way later. Her legs have started to sore and it's a sign that she has been walking for a long time and quite deep into the forest.
While massaging her calf, Nobara suddenly heard a sound from somewhere, she wasn’t sure what it was and where it came from, so she immediately stood up, looked around with high alert. But after a few minutes, Nobara started to wondered if she had misheard, because there was no one or any wild animals around her.
"Nobara"
Obviously not, although she was a little unsure earlier, but this time Nobara was definitely sure that she did not misheard it. Because this is her name and it is impossible to suddenly hear her name in the middle of a deserted forest.
And Nobara looked around again, try to found out who had called her name but in the end still didn't see anyone.
"Red"
When Nobara turned her head around, a face was only a few centimeters away from her face that caused her startled and step back and almost fell to the ground when she stumbled on the root, but luckily she didn't fall down (Nobara can keep balance very well, thank you).
Blinking a few times to have a clear look the one in front of her, no one else but Maki, she still let her legs hooked on a tree branch and hanging upside down. Nobara pulled down her hood, at this time she breathed a sigh of relief but then immediately pouted at Maki's amused face.
"Got ya"
"Maki, can you stop teasing me?"
"No of course, just now when you was confused and looking around, you looked kinda cute made me want to tease a little" Maki shrugged, she folded forward to sit up on the tree branch and then jumped down, landing lightly "Anyway, we met again aren’t we. What's wrong? Get lost again this time?"
Despite Nobara was still distracted by Maki's compliment on her, she instantly awoke when heard this.
"N-no...." she embarrassing turn her face away and lower her voice down "Well, just disoriented a little, I'm not lost"
Maki just rolled her eyes, obviously not believing her.
"Come on, I'll take you home"
"Wait" Nobara reached out to grab Maki's wrist when she saw her turn away "Actually I....I...."
Maki raised her eyebrow, confuse looking at Nobara. Dang it, why did she suddenly become so embarrassed, she literally just need to say 'I made a small pie for you as a thank you', why does it make she feel so embarrassed.
"Nobara?"
"P-pie"
"Pie?"
"I-I mean, I brought you a pie, I want to thank you for last time so I hope you will like it...."
Seeing that Maki didn't say a word, Nobara suddenly felt so stupid. Just because Saori likes pie doesn't mean that Maki will be the same, why does she think giving a pie to a wolf is a good idea, you stupid. Maybe Nobara should just retract her word by saying 'yeah, I'm actually lost and this pie is actually for someone else', but it's so obvious that Nobara just blocked her way back earlier when she said she wanted to thank Maki, or maybe she should...
"That basket?"
"Huh?"
"The pie, it’s in that basket you put there right?"
"Oh, yeah, it is…"
"Great!"
Maki walked to the basket and sat down on a root next to it, she flipped the cloth cover on it to look at the pie inside.
"Umm, smells good" then Maki turned to her "Sit and eat with me Red"
It's not a question, it's a request, but whatever. Nobara just shrugged and sat on another root opposite with Maki.
"So, how it is?"
Nobara asked after seeing that Maki had just tried a few pieces.
"You mean the pie?"
Nobara nodded.
"Hmm, although I've never eaten any sweet thing like this before, this is kinda delicious" Maki said, then lifted the whole piece of pie that was impaled on the fork and took a big bite, not paying attention to having jam sticking on the corner of her mouth is starting to flow down her chin.
Seeing that, Nobara immediately took out her handkerchief and leaned forward to wiped her mouth, Maki initially seemed surprised by this act but still said a thank you to her, Nobara smiled and nodded slightly in response. Sitting back, Nobara also began to cut a small piece with her fork that made the raspberry jam filling flow out a little, she put it in her mouth and enjoyed it. Although it's a bit sweet and still slightly burnt on the edge, it's actually quite good, or at least it's better than the previous ones. But anyway, this is Nobara's first time making pie, next time she will make a pie that definitely taste better than this.
"You say you've never eaten some sweet thing like this?" She chewed while saying "Cake, tart, cookies or even thing not sweet like bread?"
"Nobara, I'm a hunted wolf, I don't have time or a reason to learn to make these things. Also, it’s impossible to find cakes or pie in the forest, right?" swallowed the piece in her mouth, Maki continue "Besides, you already seen my place, it only has a few pieces of furniture and no kitchen at all"
"Oh right, I don't know how you can live like that"
Maki didn't say anything but just shrugged, she leaned forward to the basket and used a knife to cut another piece of the pie to put on her plate.
Nobara's piece was still half left but she just left it on her lap, she looked at the pie and pondered. Perhaps after this, Nobara should ask Yuuji to teach her how to make more different types of dessert, or she could also borrow a few baking books from the library in case Yuuji only knows how to make a few kinds of pies or something.
"So why did you bring the pie then?"
"To thank you for last time, I said that didn't I?"
"No, I mean I know the reason why you brought the pie, I just wonder why it's a pie. You know, when it comes to wolves, people usually just think of meat, right?"
"That's because Saori, a wolf I used to know also likes pie"
"Wolf?"
"Yeah, you already know the story about me, right? Saori is actually the wolf in that story"
And Maki's face now looks at her with curiously, obviously waiting for her to tell that story, the truth about that famous 'Little Red Riding Hood' story.
"At that time, I was still living in a small village, quite far from this place. I met her in the forest when I was chasing some brats who bullied my friend Fumi, those kids were really panicked and immediately ran away as soon as they hit Saori. I was the only one who didn't run away at that time"
"Weren’t you afraid?"
"Of course not, you don't think I'm that easily scared, do you? Well, It's true that although I wasn't afraid at that time,…there was actually a reason for that..."
Nobara remembers quite well that time, when Saori turned to looked at her, the first thing Nobara thought was 'She's so beautiful', and maybe that reason why she didn't run away immediately. Nobara was kinda foolish at that time, yeah she know, that's why instead of tell Maki that part, she just cleared her throat and continued.
"But anyway, Saori invited me to her house, the wooden house in the forest, where she had just moved in and located not too far from the village. There, she offered me tea, made me some pie, read books, or told me about many things in the town she used to live in"
"She sounds nice, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, Saori is very kind and extremely sweet, I like her, that's why I took Fumi to meet her after that day"
"Oh, your friend Fumi must have been really terrified , right?"
"Extremely terrified" she chuckled when recalling the scene at that time "But after getting to know Saori, Fumi was no longer afraid. We then often went to Saori's house and she agreed to keep this as a secret. Except my grandmother, the one I accidentally revealed but luckily she still understood and didn’t forbid us or spill out the secret or whatever, we are the only two people who know about the fact that there are wolves living near the village, or at least that what I thought at that time. I thought it would always be like that, but until one day, a hunter appeared and ruined everything"
"Is that the story?"
"Yeah. That day, it was still the same, I went to Saori's place, and she would always greet me with tea and cakes, we played a bit while wearing her parents' clothes. But then, a hunter suddenly burst through the door and pointed a gun at Saori. I was too panicked but at the same time didn't want her to die, so I threw the hot teacup at his face, temporarily blinding him. During that time, Saori also managed to hide somewhere and I ran out to make him think that Saori had run away"
"Did he believed?"
"Of course, that guy was just a stupid. But I was still just a little girl, when I reached a nearby lakeshore, he was almost catching up to me. At that moment, I wrapped some stones in my scarf and threw it to make a noise. And guess what, that hunter actually fell for it again."
"What an idiot"
Nobara snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Told me about it. Believe me when I say I was surprised too when he literally fell for that trick” said Nobora “Anyway, after that day, Saori left the village. When Fumi and I went there again, the house was empty, we hadn't even said a goodbye to each other"
"Do you know why the hunter was there?"
"I know, after that day, I knew it was because those kids had revealed it to others and just like that it transmitted to the hunter's ears too. And as for that guy, all I can think was he was just too ashamed of being deceived, so that why he made up a story of himself where he was the hero who saved me" Nobara held the fork and the pie plate tightly, her fingertips turning pale and her brows furrowed in anger "I hate it, I hate it that stupid village praises him like a hero. Hate that they only see me as a weak little girl who needs to be protected but don't even listen to me. That's why I left that place, I want to get out of that damn village and…with the thought that if I'm lucky I'll be able to see Saori again"
"So have you met that girl again?"
Nobara replied with a shake of her head and a sigh of disappointment.
"But I think that's okay, as long as she's still happy somewhere where wolves won't be hunted anymore, or at least a place where people can accept a wolf like her, that's already enough for me"
Actually, Nobara had thought about finding Saori a few times before, but she didn't know where Saori had gone. She came here because she heard that this is a big town and there are many types of racial living here, not only that, this is also the town Saori told her about before. That's why Nobara thought maybe she would meet Saori here, but it's been a few years since Nobara came here and she couldn't see any wolves in the town.
"I hope she's doing well. I wonder how she's been living since that day."
Then Nobara fell into deep thought, after a long silence, she heard Maki speak.
"I think she will be fine,..." Maki paused for a few minutes, seeming to be thinking before continuing "You made friends with her, you kept the secret to protect her, you did everything you could to help her. Although things may not have ended well, I bet she will never forget you and what you did. And who knows, with those things and your desire to see her again or that unsaid goodbye, I believe those will be the things that will help you meet Saori again one day"
Nobara looked up, facing Maki's understanding eyes and reassuring smile, although it was not clear, she could feel a little of her nervousness and it made her feel so warm.
"Thank you Maki" with a slight smile, Nobara then continued eating the half of the cake that had been left unfinished "Anyway, that's the truth about the story you've heard, do you have any more questions?"
"Aside from the fact that you're a reckless kid, it sounds like you quite often fought with the kids in the village, huh?"
"Well, quite often sounds a bit too much, but it's true that I often fight with them" Nobara shrugged "What can I say, those brats, they thought that just because Fumi was a newcomer to the village and too gentle and kind, they could bully her? I don’t think so. I might get scolded by the adults for fighting, though not very often cause I usually run away before being caught. But no one bullies or makes my friends cry can get away from me, I’ll make sure to deal with them one by one til I feel enough, or until the adults show up. And I..." Realizing that she started yapping again and worried that it would make Maki start to feel bored like everyone else, Nobara cleared her throat and changed the topic "Do you have any questions?"
Maki raised her eyebrow to look at her, but then still answered.
"No, that's all I want to know"
"Good, so can I ask you now?"
Maki looked quite surprised when she heard that, but then just shrugged and nodded.
"So can you tell me your story? Why did you slaughter all those hunters? Is it really because they stole your prey or for something else?"
Maki didn't answer immediately, Nobara saw that she just put her plate aside and then lowered her face thoughtfully. After a long silence with no response, Nobara began to feel uneasy. But just as she was about to tell Maki that she didn't need to tell her if she didn't want to, Maki looked up at her again, her gaze darkened, no longer like it was before.
"Those bastards killed my sister"
And Nobara was shocked by this information, her eyes widened with her eyebrows raised high, but then the surprise gradually turned into worry.
"At that time, I went out as usual to hunt some animals, and Mai stayed behind. Nothing would have been unusual until I returned and discovered that our house had been destroyed and they were holding my sister captive. I was furious at that moment and was about to rush to kill them, but they knew what I intended to do, so they stopped me by pointing a gun at my sister, and because I couldn't do anything at that moment, I was pressed down and tied up by them" Maki said "I agreed to their conditions when they said they would release Mai if I followed them. But Mai was different, she didn't agree and scolded, struggled to try to escape, but then one of them used a gun and..."
"...Shoot her..."
Maki nodded, Nobara could see her eyes filled with anger when she remembered that time.
"They think just because I'm tied up that I wasn’t be able to do anything to them, but those dickweed were wrong. Although Mai still wasn’t dead at that time, the fact that she was shot was the last drop for me, I tore the ropes apart to rush at those bastards" Maki raised one hand and touched the scar on her face "These scars are proof of what happened that time, I was burned by a bastard while killing each of them, if it weren't because I was trying to save Mai, I think I would have collapsed when that fire covered me"
And Nobara suddenly remembered the last time when she was with Maki, when she walked to Maki's side, she immediately moved the torch to another hand to stay away from her.
"I slaughtered almost all of them in the end, one of them, when he saw me coming, he immediately pushed his injured comrade towards me and ran away. I was able to chase him, but Mai was in critical condition, so I could only let that fucker escape and try to bandage her wound with a cloth and take her to find someone who can help"
"Did you not find anyone?"
"I couldn't find anyone, but someone found us. Perhaps because of the burns all over my body and the wounds while fighting with them were quite severe, I gradually lost consciousness and collapsed while seeking help. And when I woke up, I found myself being bandaged by one person and two others standing on one side looking at me anxiously"
"Do you know who they are?"
"At that time, no, but now they are my friends. The one who bandaged me was named Yuuta, and the other two were Toge and Panda" looking at Nobara's expression, Maki immediately understood "Yes, Panda is a panda. But back to the story, I asked them about Mai as soon as I woke up, Yuuta said that Mai fell into a coma because of losing too much blood and wasn’t sure if she could survive. And...he was right, Mai didn't survive that night"
Nobara stood up, she went to Maki's side, moved the plate aside and sat down next to her. She doesn’t know why she did that, she just know that she want to do it and put her hand on Maki's hand.
"I was going to find that escaped hunter by going into town even though it meant suicide, cause I almost wanted to give up everything at that time anyway. If it wasn't for them to stop me, I think I would have suicide"
"So you give up?"
"No, how can I give up, but to explain, that's a another long story. But briefly, I will not kill myself because Mai want me to live, it was her last words for me. I will definitely kill that bastard if I see him again, but until that day, I will not kill myself"
After that, the atmosphere became so heavy, neither of them said anything to each other, Nobara worriedly secretly glanced at Maki who was still silent and lost in thought, she didn't know what to say or how to comfort. Because clearly, this story was beyond anything she had ever imagined and therefore makes Nobara feel so uneasy when asking Maki about this.
"Sorry for letting you hear these things, I didn't mean to make the atmosphere so heavy like this"
"No, it's alright, I'm really sorry about your sister. And I'm also sorry for making you remember this"
"I don't mind, it's been a few years anyway. I don't feel as much grief about this as I used to be"
However, Maki's eyes betrayed her, showing that she was just lying.
"You must really love your sister, didn’t you?"
"How can I not, we never knew who our parents were, and we've always had each other since we were little. She’s the only family I had, but now..."
And Nobara inched closer to Maki's side, so close that their shoulders touched each other and she could feel the warmth of Maki's body through the fabric of her dress. Just like Maki, Nobara put her arms around her knees and just look forward.
"I also don't know who my parents are, since I was a child, all I remember is that my grandmother raised me" Nobara slowly said "She was always so worried about me, so we argued a lot before she agreed to let me leave the village. And you know, no one can escape death, especially for an old person. During the time I was here, she got sick and no matter what I did, it was inevitable that she passed away just a few days after I came back. She was my only family, so I was also really break down at that time"
Nobara can remember the whole thing very clear, from when her grandmother’s breath was still steady to when it became so weak and then stopped completely. Her hands clenched tightly, trying to hold back the emotions she felt once again as she recalled it.
From the corners of her eyes, Nobara could see Maki looking at her, but before she could say comforting words, Nobara continued.
"But you know, now I have a new family. Maybe the two of them are not blood-related to me, maybe they’re just fools, and of course, they can never replace my grandmother, but they’re just as important to me as she was." then she turned to Maki, tilted her head to look at her with a slight smile on her lips "That’s why I, too, believe that one day, soon, you’ll find someone important to you, someone who makes you want to live again, someone who will make you feel like you have a home again"
Nobara didn’t know if what she said was right. She admitted that she wasn’t very good at comforting others (especially in Maki's case), so all she could do was try to think what was most suitable words to say to Maki without making it sound pity.
Maki looked at her for a moment before a smile bloomed on her lips and Nobara take it as a victory.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are so sweet Red?"
Nobara snorted, her slight smile turned into a smirk.
"Except my grandmother, no. But you can always tell me that, I don't mind hearing more, you know"
At Nobara's smug expression, Maki just rolled her eyes, thinking that she would tease her again or want to take back what she had just said or something. But Maki just simply stretched her legs out, finally looking more relaxed and turned to look at her, still holding that soft smile on her lips.
"Hey, do you mind talking a bit about you? About you, about your new family and life here, that's what I mean"
"You want to hear...about me?"
Nobara was surprised as she asked and saw Maki look confused
"Why not?"
"Well, no one has ever said they wanted to hear me speak, especially if it's about me" but even so, Nobara doesn't blame them (except for a few people like that bitch Nishimiya, of course), because even she know that she often talk too much and sometimes her stories can be quite boring too.
"Hey, I'm not them, I want to know more about you, is that okay?"
And for some reason, something that had ignited inside Nobara seemed to flare up and she couldn't control the smile that was gradually blooming on her lips.
"Okay" Nobara said "But then you will have to tell me everything about you too"
"Everything?"
"Everything"
"It will be really boring"
"I don't care"
"Then I will try"
Thus, Nobara began to tell things about her, at first just her hobbies and job and later was Nobara's life with her two boys while Maki ate the rest of the pie. Most of those things were nothing too practically special or interesting, but what surprised Nobara was that Maki listened to all of it, she did not interrupt her but always left her questions til the end. Of course Nobara had no problem with it, on the contrary, Maki's actions only made something inside her, something Nobara couldn’t put into words, grow even stronger
But the conversation didn’t last long, as Nobara had spent so much time today baking and finding her way, so soon the sky began to turn orange, signaling that it was time to end their meeting.
"Oh no, I have to go home, otherwise Megumi will let Yuuji find me"
"What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that a good thing?"
"Of course not, Yuuji will go all over the town and shout my name. And I can't let that happen. Again"
"Oh, then I guess we can't let that happen, right?" Maki chuckled before extending her hand "Come on"
Nobara extended her hand and took Maki's, letting her pull her up as they headed back together
Maki's hand hands were rough, yet so warm, it was bigger than hers and when they held each other, it felt just right, as if everything was in its proper place.