Small Things

“Woody-san, may I let my mom-friends try this?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

“Lord Woody, may I let my boyfriend try this?”

“B-boyfriend…? I don’t really get it, but sure.”

“Woody-san, may I eat more?”

“Yes, please, eat as much as you like.”

While Chief Jinga held his own personal fruit feast, his wife and daughter kept calling over more people.

Then those people brought even more, until one by one, villagers gathered.

Before I knew it, mats and carpets were spread out, and the whole village was laughing together as they ate fruit.

My aptitude was making people smile.

Nothing could make me happier.

This was something I’d never get used to, no matter how many times it happened.

The villagers broke into several groups, each chatting away freely.

Rather than families, it seemed they split by age and gender, people talking with others of their own kind.

“These little bits are delicious too!”

And at the center of all those groups was Chief Jinga.

He moved about busily, handing out fruit and calling out, making sure everyone enjoyed themselves.

He gave off the air of an older brother figure to the whole village.

A different type of chief than Shekuri-san, who supported everyone from behind the scenes.

There really were many kinds of village chiefs.

When someone brought out a hidden stash of liquor, all restraint finally broke.

Wild merrymaking broke out all over, people shouting and singing however they pleased.

The whole village was caught up in drinking and revelry, and at the center of it all, Chief Jinga laughed boisterously.

In this state, there was no way to hold any serious discussion.

At least for now, it wasn’t the time to talk about important matters.

Even if those matters could decide the future of this village.

—I didn’t want to spoil such a joyful mood anyway.

“Woody.”

“What is it, Nadja?”

As I watched the party from a little distance, Nadja came up to me.

She held a mug of ale in her hand, probably given to her.

“Look! Look at this sight!”

With a theatrical flourish, she spread her arms wide.

Some of the ale sloshed over the rim.

It looked like she was drunk.

Her face was noticeably red.

“This is all thanks to Woody!”

For some reason, Nadja laughed happily.

Her laughter made me laugh too.

When someone laughed, it made me feel happy as well.

Human emotions were truly mysterious.

“Woody… your aptitude isn’t useless at all!”

“Nadja…”

“Your power is a wonderful aptitude that can make everyone smile! Even if the whole world mocks it, I will always be on your side!”

“…Yeah. Thank you.”

I lowered my head and rubbed at my eyes with my sleeve.

I didn’t want anyone to see me crying, so I tried desperately to hide it.

To be honest… I never really liked my aptitude.

It was true that thanks to it, I could survive in the harsh desert environment.

But if I hadn’t been given it in the first place, I wouldn’t have been forced to live in this remote land.

So I had never once been grateful for it.

But watching the people laugh as they ate fruit, I felt my heart grow lighter.

If my aptitude could help bring smiles to people, even just a little…

Then maybe I…

“Of course, I’ll always be beside you too.”

Before I knew it, Aira had gently taken my right hand, the one I’d been rubbing my face with.

When I gazed at her gentle smile, my other hand was taken by Nadja.

“I’ll always be your ally! Way better than this she-cat!”

“She-cat…? You’ve read too many romance novels. What a sweet-tooth brain.”

“What was that, you!? You want to fight!?”

“There you go again, trying to solve things with strength. Honestly, violent women are the worst. Lord Woody, she’s definitely the type to sit on her husband literally if they ever marry.”

The two of them started arguing with me caught in between.

I thought maybe I should just leave… but with how fierce they were, I couldn’t say anything and just stayed silent.

As a man, it was pathetic…

But for some reason… my heart was dancing.

Maybe, just maybe, I really liked this life.

…Tomorrow, I’d do my best again.

If I could keep stacking up these small, good days again and again—

That, I believed, was true happiness.