04. Small Whirlwind (1)

Kale, who left home early in the morning under the pretext of exercise, found his way easily despite the dim light. At the end of the path he could now walk with his eyes closed, having visited without fail every single day, was a garden full of olive and lime trees.

He, who had been relieved to see the still green leaves of the olive trees that thrived even without their owner’s care, immediately brightened when he noticed dewdrops on the withering lime trees on the opposite side.

“Olive! Are you back?”

Since the only person who would water the lime trees would be the garden’s owner, Olive, Kale dashed across the garden to the entrance, thinking she had finally escaped from that beast’s forest.

“Olive! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”

Kale, who entered through the smoothly opening door, wandered around the shop with an excited face looking for Olive. The display shelves that had been covered in dust were now neatly organized, and the windows were wide open, so she must have returned……

Following Olivia’s request not to tell anyone because she would return soon and the villagers might be in danger, he had kept quiet and patiently waited for her return without telling anyone. But each day he came to check the cabin, the signs of her absence only increased, making Kale, who had escaped alone leaving her behind, constantly uncomfortable.

“Olive? Olivia isn’t in the shop?”

But the person who appeared opening the inner door of the shop wasn’t who Kale was looking for. The stranger, drying his wet hair with a towel and looking for the laundry basket with familiarity, seemed as comfortable in this cabin as Olivia.

“Wh-who are you? How can you just enter someone else’s house?”

“Well, look who’s talking. I’ve told her so many times not to leave the door open like this, but neither my mother nor she listens to me.”

It’s heartbreaking, really. The man who playfully pretended to wipe away tears suddenly approached Kale and crouched down. Willingly lowering himself to meet the boy’s eye level, the man smiled kindly and gently stroked Kale’s hair.

“Though we’re both seeing each other for the first time, since you came here this early morning, you must be close to Olivia, so let’s be friends too.”

The man, who greeted him energetically with a smooth manner, naturally took Kale’s hand and completed a handshake. With his bright hair color that suited him like midday sunshine, giving him a cheerful impression, the man poured a cool juice and offered it to Kale.

“By the way, could you elaborate on what you said earlier?”

“Ah, what I said earlier?”

“When you came in, you said, ‘I’ve been waiting for a long time.'”

Cough. Kale, who had been drinking the juice, choked and coughed loudly, unable to hide his embarrassment. The man, sitting right next to Kale and gently rubbing his back, kept the boy within his radius to prevent him from running away.

“There’s no rush, you can tell me slowly. But preferably in detail?”

“Why, why should I tell you about Olive?”

“If not me, who else would you talk to about Olive? Ah, right! Since we’re meeting for the first time, you must have come to the village after I left?”

How can I prove my relationship with Olivia? We don’t look alike, hmm. Should I call the elder? Though he’s probably still sleeping…… The man muttered to himself, making a slightly sad face, then suddenly pushed his face close to Kale with a deliberately hurt expression.

“Has Olivia really never mentioned me? No wonder her replies were getting slower.”

Wait…… The familiar way he spoke about Olivia, and how naturally he moved around the cabin like it was his own home. Suddenly, something Olivia had once mentioned in passing came to mind.

<That’s my brother’s name. I’m Olivia, my brother is Lime. Easy to remember, right?>

Could it be? Kale, who had been examining the man’s features looking for any resemblance but finding none, carefully opened his mouth.

“Are you Olive’s younger brother?”

The man’s disappointed expression immediately brightened. As he smiled softly, a fresh atmosphere burst forth, matching well with his gentle hair color.

“That’s right! I’m Lime Friche, Olivia’s brother.”

The man who had finally returned home after leaving the cabin four years ago, Lime, smiled brightly.

05. Small Whirlwind (2)

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Lime remained silent for a while. Staring blankly at the empty room without its owner, he recalled what the boy who had just left had said.

‘She, she’s been missing for a while now. The villagers and I have been searching, but we still don’t know where she is……’

There were no signs of forced intrusion in the house. There weren’t any valuables to begin with, and it didn’t seem like anyone had come to search through things, which meant she disappeared somewhere outside…… After staring at the room for a long time, Lime approached the pile of unopened letters. As he checked the senders and found his own letter that had received no reply, he unconsciously raised an eyebrow crookedly.

“No reply, huh? How long has it been since I sent this, and you haven’t even opened it?”

When they meet, he should pretend to be a little hurt about this. Playfully smiling while tapping the letter with his fingernail, Lime cleaned the dust accumulated in the room and headed outside.

“Would it be possible to know when her disappearance started? Me? I just arrived the day before yesterday.”

With good-natured smiles, Lime began asking villagers about Olivia’s previous whereabouts. Unlike Kale, people who had lived in the village for a long time knew that Lime was Olivia’s brother, so they welcomed him and readily shared information about her.

“So I thought something urgent had happened to you and she went to see you. How is it that you haven’t visited the village even once in four years?”

A kind lady who had treated both of them well since childhood smacked Lime’s back while pouring out affectionate scolding. Lime smiled brightly and nodded apologetically, saying he was sorry.

Just by casually circling the village once, he could gather quite a lot of information. Apparently, she had been missing for about a month, and coincidentally, a boy named Kale had also gone missing around that time before returning, which had sparked various rumors.

“Olivia isn’t the type to get lost in the forest, so the question is whether she left voluntarily or was taken……”

Since childhood, she had followed their mother and explored every corner of the forest. While Lime was sickly and frail as a child, mostly staying in the cabin, Olivia had been roaming cliffs and deep forests like an explorer, claiming to collect medicinal herbs.

If she had gone somewhere voluntarily, she should have at least said something—though Lime felt disappointed thinking this, he realized he had no right to complain. After all, he himself had left home with just a letter saying he’d earn money and return successful, without specifying where he was going or when he’d be back.

“Lots of rumors, but none seem plausible.”

It seemed that because Olivia was somewhat popular in the village, many rumors circulated about her disappearance. The most common speculation was that she had gone herb gathering in the forest and met with some misfortune. It was a reasonable and plausible opinion, but it didn’t quite resonate with his intuition.

There were also some unpleasant rumors, though they were in the minority. Some said she had eloped with a man, others claimed she had been captured for making a mistake while treating a nobleman’s animal, and some even suggested she had been distributing illegal medicines—all nonsensical rumors that only made him feel dirty.

As he was heading back to the cabin, thinking he should search the forest tomorrow focusing on places Olivia frequented as a child, he noticed someone lingering around the cabin.

“Hello? You’re here again?”

We saw each other yesterday and now again? Lime waved his hand cheerfully with a bright smile. His name was Kale, wasn’t it? He seemed to be a frequent visitor to the cabin, but for some reason, he was being overly cautious both yesterday and today. Though Lime noticed this, he pretended not to and welcomed him innocently into the store.

“Do you have a sick animal? Unfortunately, I can’t do any healing at all.”

“No, our Ricky is fine. Olivia made him healthy……”

Ah, so Ricky was their family’s animal. Since the name had appeared in the medical records he had examined, Lime nodded in understanding.

“Are you really Olivia’s brother?”

“I am. I went to greet the villagers today, so if you’re suspicious, check with them tomorrow.”

“Then where have you been all this time? Don’t you live with Olivia?”

“Hmm, I’m planning to live with her now. I’ve been far away earning money until now.”

Kale kept looking around nervously while checking Lime’s reactions. Looking down at the anxious Kale, Lime’s eyes narrowed slightly. He’s hiding something and not telling me.

“Are you strong then?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Are you strong enough to protect Olivia? If, if an extremely powerful person is holding Olivia, are you strong enough to rescue her?”

Lime, who had been listening half-heartedly like he’s playing with a child, suddenly became serious. Kale seemed to be testing him and trying to confirm something. He appeared to know something important. Straightening his comfortably reclined body, Lime extended his hand to Kale.

“Want to hold my hand?”

At that sudden request, Kale hesitantly took his hand despite not understanding why. Lime grinned and gripped Kale’s hand tightly to prevent him from running away.

“My hand, despite looking pretty, feels calloused when you touch it, right?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

It was strange that he called his own hand pretty, but true to his words, despite its fine appearance, his hand had calluses and traces of small scars.