Chapter Text
The interior of the truck rattled and bumped as Hinoka drove it down the road. “You would think,” she said, swerving slightly to avoid a large pothole and hitting two smaller ones in the process, “that with all the road construction they're doing, they could spare a few workers for us.”
“Maybe,” said Sakura from the back of the cab. If the bumpy ride made her uncomfortable, she didn't show it.
“But no, instead they're all off who-knows-where, building factories so that they can produce more goods that nobody out here even wants.” The truck hit another pothole, and Hinoka gritted her teeth. “Ugh, I swear, if I have broken eggs because of this damn road, I'll—” She trailed off into quiet muttering.
“Um, sis?”
“Yeah?”
“Did s-something happen this morning?”
Hinoka sighed. “Just the usual. Mr. Iago was hanging around waiting for me. Wanted to make me another offer on the farm. I’ve told the bastard I’m not interested, but it’s in one ear and out the other with him.” The fingers of one hand drummed restlessly on the wheel. “This time, he was pulling the ‘reasonable’ act. Talking about how I wouldn’t be able to run the farm by myself, and how I should really just sell the land, since his laborers would be much more capable of maintaining it.”
“…oh.” Sakura folded her hands in her lap.
“Of course, I told him to shove it. Running the farm by myself might be hard, but better that than selling our family’s place.” She glanced at Sakura’s face in the rearview mirror and frowned. “What’s the matter?”
“I just f-feel bad,” mumbled the younger girl. “You’re working without any help at all, and I feel like d-dead weight. M-maybe if I—”
“Sakura, you are not dropping out of school,” said Hinoka, repeating words that she’d said over and over again. “I don’t want that, and neither would your brothers. You have three years of high school left, and by that time, I’m sure that Takumi and Ryoma will have made enough to come back home.”
“O-okay…” Sakura smiled shakily. “Thanks, Hinoka…”
“Anytime.”
They were mostly quiet as they finished up the drive into town—almost forty-five minutes, from the outskirts of their farm into town. At last, they pulled up in front of the school. Whitefield High was a two-story brick building, a relatively new construction that stood out in stark contrast to the weathered buildings around it.
Sakura got out quickly, waving to her older sister. “Thanks!”
“You’re all right to stay with Hana this week, yeah?”
“Uh-huh, so don’t worry about it!”
Hinoka smiled. “All right. I’ll pick you up on Friday, then. Love you, Sakura.”
“Love you too! See you!” Waving, Sakura hurried up toward the school.
Hinoka pulled away, smiling faintly. I really should think of something nice to do for Hana’s family. I can’t really afford to pick Sakura up from school every day—not with the price of gas what it is, anyway. But every time I bring it up, Hana’s father just tells me not to worry about it…
She supposed that it made sense, in a way. Hana’s father was a senior officer on the police force, so his job was much more secure than most. Accepting their charity stung Hinoka’s pride—but if it was for Sakura’s sake, she would do it.
Her next stop was Azama’s general store. As she pulled up, she saw the brown-haired man relaxing on the front porch, leaning back in a rocking chair. He gave her a lazy wave as she approached. “Morning, Hinoka.”
“Azama. I’ve got today’s eggs.”
“Ah, marvelous. Hopefully your drive over didn’t scramble them too terribly much.”
“I tried to be careful, but the road’s been awful since spring.”
“Excuses, excuses.” Azama chuckled softly. “Still, I won’t complain if a couple are cracked—I’ll just make them into my breakfast. It’s worth the full price if it means you’ll keep delivering to me.”
“I appreciate it,” said Hinoka, and meant it. As irritating as he could be at times, Azama had always been a loyal friend. Without his support, Hinoka doubted that she she would have been able to keep the farm afloat.
She picked up the first crate of eggs, calling over to him. “Where do you want them?”
“It’s fine if you just put ‘em down on the porch,” said the store owner. “I can move them later.”
“Thanks.” As Hinoka set the first box down, she glanced over at Azama. “So, what’s the word in town?”
“Apparently old man Gunter is thinking of selling.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. You know how his tractor kept breaking down, yeah? Well, the last I heard is that the old thing is well and truly dead this time. And he doesn’t have the money for a new one, so it’s either sell or let the whole field go to seed.” Azama chuckled. “Ha, ha, to seed.”
“That doesn’t sound too good.”
“It isn’t. But it happens.” Azama shrugged. “Nothing we can do about it. He’s not the only one having trouble, either. Last I heard from Mozu, one of her calves went missing.”
“…missing?” Hinoka picked up the fourth and last box, frowning. “What do you mean by that?”
Azama spread his hands wide. “Missing. Gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Plenty of words to pick from.”
“Any idea how it happened?”
“Might have been wild animals,” said Azama. “I heard someone cried wolf a few days back.”
“A wolf?”
“Canis lupus, also known as the common—”
“I know what a wolf is, Azama.” Hinoka set down the final box, crossing her arms. “But do you really think that there’s one here?”
“I’d be skeptical, too, but I saw a half-eaten deer by the side of the road, and that certainly wasn’t done by raccoons,” said Azama. “If I were you, I’d keep my cows locked tight.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Hinoka. She headed back over to her truck. “Speaking of cows, I should probably go back home and check on mine.”
“Good idea,” said Azama, waving. “Take care, Hinoka!”
“Will do.”
She thought about what Azama had said as she drove back. All of it was troubling. Gunter had owned his farm longer than anyone else in Whitefield, and the fact that he was finally selling it did not bode well. His resistance of being bought out by Iago was probably a major influence on the others. Without him to rally behind, it’s possible that others might cave in as well.
And now a wolf prowling around, too? As if we didn’t have enough to worry about already… The truck hit a pothole, nearly causing her to bite her tongue, and Hinoka shook her head. Can’t let myself get too distracted.
Something at the side of the road caught her eye, and she squinted, trying to figure out what it was. Might be another deer? Hold on…
Her eyes widened as she got closer, and she slammed on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road and leaping out of the cab almost the instant that she parked it. “Oh my god…”
It was a woman, her long hair an pale shade of lavender. She lay on her side, arms in front of her and legs slightly bent, as if she had fallen over in the middle of walking and simply stayed down.
She was also naked—bare skin covered in dirt and grime. Hinoka tried to ignore that part—there would be time for embarrassment later. For now, her concern was with whether or not this stranger was all right.
Hinoka was feeling for a pulse when she heard the woman stir, groaning softly. Immediately, she edged back, giving the stranger some space. “Um, are you all right?”
“I’m…” The woman’s voice was hoarse, probably from dehydration. She coughed and tried again. “Where am I?”
“By the road, outside of Whitefield. I found you passed out—are you sure that you should be doing that?” Hinoka said as the woman sat up, surveying her surroundings.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been through worse.”
Worse than waking up naked at the side of the road? Who is this woman? “I could call the police—”
The woman waved a hand vaguely. “No need for that.”
“I still feel like I should help you out. Let me give you a ride back to my house, at least? Then you can figure things out from there.”
“If you insist…” The woman started to get up, then winced, plopping back down. “I feel a bit… light-headed, actually…”
“Let me help,” said Hinoka, kneeling down next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She couldn’t help noting, as they got to their feet, that the other woman was quite a bit taller than she was, and built along considerably muscular lines.
They managed to reach the cab without too much trouble, and Hinoka helped the stranger into the passenger seat. After a moment of rummaging around in the back, she came up with a worn-out old blanket, handing it over with a jerky motion. “Uh, you can wrap up in this, if you want.”
The lavender-haired woman considered it for a moment, her eyes slightly unfocused, before accepting it. “Mm. Thank you.”
Hinoka hurried around to the driver’s side and got back in. She bit her lip. “Uh, I suppose that I should introduce myself. You know, seeing as I’m picking you up.”
To her surprise, the other woman chuckled. “I’m always happy to be picked up by a nice girl like you, Miss…”
“Hinoka,” she replied, blushing.
“Hinoka,” repeated the woman, as if sampling the name’s taste on her tongue. “A pleasure. I’m Camilla.”
“Nice to meet you too, Camilla.”
Camilla blinked several times, slumping slightly beneath the blanket. “If you don’t mind, I think that I’ll just…” Her words trailed off into sleepy mumbling, and her head lolled to one side.
I guess I should drive slowly on the way back, thought Hinoka, studying Camilla’s sleeping face. Otherwise, the potholes will probably wake her up…
She shook her head to clear it and put the truck into drive. Of all the thoughts circling her head, one stood out above all the others.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?