ZZZ: A Hunter's District Zero!

Chapter 318: Kailu

Hearing the Grammeowster Chef’s words, Andrew hadn’t actually expected there to be a Felyne who met the criteria — he blinked in mild surprise, eyes widening just a fraction as he looked at her with undisguised curiosity, waiting for her to continue.

Faced with Andrew’s interest, the Grammeowster Chef had no intention of being coy about it and asked directly:

"That child came from the Old World — from Flamewood Village. Have you heard of it, dear?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow slightly.

Flamewood Village. Even back when he had first become a Hunter, it had already been one of the Old World’s most famous settlements — a village that had produced a legendary Hunter by the name of Retsuen, who had gotten to the very bottom of the Elder Dragon known as the "Calamity Dragon" — the Crimsonite — and ultimately slain it, putting an end to the catastrophe known as the "Night of a Hundred Dragons" that had once threatened the land every fifty years.

After that, Retsuen had gone on to assist the Kingdom’s Knights in their battle against the Elder Dragon Legiana. And then, in the end, he had resolved the legend of the silver-winged star beast — Namielle — as well. Back in the day, that had made the young Andrew immensely curious about this larger-than-life Hunter.

So when the Guild Master had mentioned that the Scholar’s Lodge had a field guide compiled by the local Handler, Hime, which supposedly contained a remarkably accurate portrait of the Hunter Retsuen — Andrew had borrowed it at the first opportunity, eager to see exactly what manner of legend this Retsuen was.

What he got, bursting with anticipation, was a watercolor stick figure.

The only thing you could make out with any certainty was the absolutely enormous Great Sword strapped to the figure’s back.

Well. At least he knew what weapon the man used.

And when he’d flipped to the page in that same guide dedicated to Felynes, and seen an equally abstract ink-wash doodle staring back at him — Andrew had simply made his peace with it.

He really never should have trusted that old geezer from the start.

The memory of his utter speechlessness in that moment resurfaced, and Andrew reflexively raised a hand to cover his face — but he caught himself, suppressed the impulse, and instead gave a nod.

"I’ve heard of it."

"Good, then this will be easy to explain."

The Grammeowster Chef nodded with a satisfaction one reserves for promising juniors, and continued:

"That child came from Flamewood Village in the Old World. She spent several years there working as an officially hired Palico for licensed Hunters, so her physical fundamentals are exceptional."

"We just don’t quite know why she stopped."

The Grammeowster Chef paused at that, a flicker of puzzlement crossing her kindly face — but she let it go just as quickly.

After all, the Old World villages had always operated Palico placements on a contract basis. It was a completely different system from the New World, where each Hunter was paired with a dedicated Palico as a permanent hunting partner. Leaving a post there was perfectly normal.

The Grammeowster Chef pressed on:

"Her other skills still need polishing, but anything related to Barrel Bombs? She handles those with absolute mastery. Her raw ability is so outstanding that rookie Hunters simply can’t keep up with her."

"So even though she’s been in the New World for several months now, she still hasn’t found a partner."

There was a touch of quiet lament in the Grammeowster Chef’s voice as she said that.

"If it weren’t for the fact that the explosions were destroying my mushroom patches — and I had to put my foot down — she’d have long since marched out there and dealt with every last one of those monsters herself."

"It’s just that her personality..."

The Grammeowster Chef paused, her narrowed eyes creasing together slightly as she seemed to weigh her words with care — then finally continued:

"...is a little unique."

Andrew raised an eyebrow at that, mildly curious, and pressed:

"How unique, exactly?"

"It’s a bit hard to explain. You’ll understand once you see her for yourselves, dear."

Andrew mulled that over, puzzled.

Going by what the Grammeowster Chef had described in terms of ability — even if rookie Hunters couldn’t keep up with her, that alone shouldn’t be enough to leave her without a partner for this long. Anyone who had made it to the New World was, at minimum, considered a prodigy back home, and those who rose to full Hunter status quickly were hardly rare.

Take those three rookie Hunters they’d run into earlier.

Ragged as they’d looked, the Great Jagras had been their very first official hunt. The fact that the Guild Master himself had personally taken them under his wing upon arriving in the New World meant they were genuinely talented — not the kind of people who’d stay partnerless this long.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the conversation, the Grammeowster Chef’s kindly face took on a faint, helpless expression — and then, without further ado, she tilted her head upward and called out toward the branches overhead where someone could easily be hiding:

"Kairu~! Kairu~! Come on out! There’s a new Hunter here looking for a partner!"

Silence.

The Grammeowster Chef wasn’t the least bit worried, and called again:

"This one’s different from the ones before — this Hunter’s a reliable sort!"

After a few quiet seconds of waiting, the branches finally stirred — though not the cluster the Grammeowster Chef had been calling toward. The movement came from the opposite direction entirely.

As if trying to sell the idea that she had only just arrived in response to the summons.

If Andrew hadn’t already caught the soft, telltale sound of padded paws hurriedly shuffling through the branches overhead — betraying the rush of someone repositioning themselves — he might have almost been convinced.

With a rustle of leaves and the quiet spring of soft paws leaping from branch to branch, the presence overhead closed the distance in mere seconds.

Then a dark silhouette dropped down from the canopy above.

Despite the height of the fall, she landed in near-perfect silence. Her sleek black fur swayed gently in the breeze from the momentum of the descent — light, soundless, like a snowflake drifting down from a branch.

The sunlight fell across her, turning that coat of deep black into something soft and luminous. Every strand of fur was immaculate — pitch-dark from head to tail, save for those brief touches of white at the tips of her four paws and the end of her tail. Her eyes were a vivid, brilliant blue that caught the light like two sapphires set against dark velvet.

Her slender tail swayed gently behind her, the fur layered and lustrous — like silk that had been carefully groomed.

If you went purely by looks, this was absolutely the kind of adorable black cat that made you want to scoop her up and squeeze her the moment your eyes landed on her.

But her expression made Andrew reconsider that particular impulse.

Her face was utterly blank — but beneath that blankness lived a clear, piercing scrutiny, a cool detachment, and an unmistakable wariness toward every living thing in her vicinity.

Even the Felyne cubs that had been clustered around Hoshimi Miyabi scattered in a heartbeat, spooked by her arrival.

Andrew now had a very good idea of why she hadn’t found a partner.

He genuinely hadn’t expected it. Among Felynes — a species practically synonymous with open-hearted enthusiasm — here was one who looked, at first glance, like a complete and total outlier.

Kairu lifted her head and swept those blue eyes across Andrew, then across Hoshimi Miyabi.

Her gaze lingered on both of them a beat longer than was strictly casual — but then, just as smoothly, she looked away as though it hadn’t happened. freёweɓnovel.com

She turned toward the Grammeowster Chef and said, with respectful brevity:

"I’m here, Granny."

Her voice matched her expression — cool and flat — yet there was a directness to it that left no room for argument.

But when addressing the Grammeowster Chef, she deliberately softened that edge as far as it would go. After turning to face her, she added quietly:

"So these are the Hunters Granny mentioned — the ones recognized by my idol’s partner?"

The Grammeowster Chef smiled and gave a serene nod.

Kairu didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she shifted her gaze back to the two of them and looked them over — carefully, thoroughly — from head to toe.

After a moment, she tilted her chin up slightly and let out a soft, dismissive hum.

"Doesn’t look like much, does it."

Andrew raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Kairu continued, in a tone as flat as if she were reading off a weather report:

"I knew it was too much to ask — coming all the way to the New World thinking I’d find a Hunter who could match my idol’s partner."

But then she gave a quick shake of her head, immediately walking it back:

"No — wait. That’s not right. There was never going to be a Hunter who could reach that level. That’s just the reality of it."

"Idol?"

Andrew’s curiosity was piqued. He asked:

"I’m actually a little curious about who your idol is. Do you mind telling me?"

Unexpectedly, Kairu didn’t answer. Instead, she slanted a glance at him and fired back, cold and flat:

"It’s definitely not you."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked off to one side, putting her back to both of them. Her tail flicked back and forth in a slow, impatient arc.

Andrew simply shrugged. He wasn’t offended.

Who someone’s idol was had always been a personal matter, after all. Not answering was perfectly reasonable.

He was just a little curious. He genuinely had no idea who this little Felyne’s idol might be.

Could it be the Guild Master’s old partner...?

Meanwhile, facing Kairu as she impatiently turned her gaze elsewhere, the Grammeowster Chef was utterly unruffled. She shuffled leisurely over behind Kairu and gave her a gentle pat on the head.

Smiling, she broke the slightly awkward silence:

"Don’t let little Kairu’s scowl fool you — she’s actually a very sweet child."

Feeling the pat on top of her head, Kairu instinctively let her eyes slip half-shut — and then caught herself.

Her whole body went rigid. Then, thoroughly flustered and mortified, she spun around and shouted:

"Granny!"

To stop the Grammeowster Chef from saying anything further, the now thoroughly exposed Kairu whipped back around to face Andrew and Hoshimi Miyabi.

Even through the veil of her fur, the tips of her ears were visibly pink — but Kairu kept her face locked in a rigid, expressionless mask and pressed on:

"I’ll agree to act as a temporary guide for your upcoming quest. But let me be clear upfront."

Her expression went stiff again. She raised one paw and held up a single claw, face utterly blank:

"My job on this quest is guide duty only."

"I know the terrain around the Felyne Village well, so getting you to the mushroom patches isn’t a problem — but don’t expect me to handle any of the hunting. Your quest is your business. I won’t be lifting a paw."

With that, she turned around, her long black tail sweeping a clean arc through the air behind her as she started walking toward the village entrance without looking back.

"It’ll be their active hours by nightfall, so we need to arrive before dark. Don’t dawdle."

Watching Kairu stride ahead — her every step radiating the careful energy of someone who was very much hoping the other two would keep up — the Grammeowster Chef turned to Andrew with a warm smile and said:

"That child — even as she says she’s only there to guide, the moment she heard there was a Hunter coming to the village, she was already packing her travel kit."

"She’s genuinely looking forward to going with you."

The Grammeowster Chef kept her voice low, but the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth refused to stay hidden.

She waved a hand and summed it up simply:

"She’s just got a sharp tongue, that one."

"G — ranny —!"

Kairu’s voice drifted back from ahead, the last syllable drawn out into a long, aggrieved note, clearly mortified as she called:

"Mmgh — ! If you keep talking, I’m not taking them anywhere!"

At that, the Grammeowster Chef immediately waved her hands with a cheerful laugh, gesturing for the two to follow while calling back:

"All right, all right, not another word from me! Stay safe out there on your quest, dears!"

Kairu’s silhouette in the distance gave a sharp, involuntary stutter-step — and then she picked up her pace and disappeared beneath the village gate arch.

Watching her hurried retreat, Andrew swallowed his laughter, brushed the dust from the plates of his armor, and turned toward Hoshimi Miyabi, extending his hand.

"Let’s go."

"Mm."

Hearing Andrew’s voice, Miyabi instinctively placed her hand in his, and the two of them walked toward the village gate side by side.

The sun had already begun its slow descent in the west. The orange-red light gilded every wooden rooftop in the Felyne Village, and the suspension bridge swayed gently in the afterglow, casting long, shifting shadows across the path.

The few little Felyne cubs from earlier were crouched behind the roadside shrubbery, peeking out to wave them off in secret.

Along the way, Miyabi’s gaze drifted — back and forth between the surroundings and Andrew’s profile.

She couldn’t quite say why she kept looking at him. Maybe to check her bearings. Maybe to confirm they were safe. Or maybe it was just...

...habit by now.

By Andrew’s side, she had grown a little accustomed to this — to not having to stay on constant alert. To not having to do what she did in the Hollows of New Eridu: identifying every sound, pinpointing every possible threat on her own.

Because Andrew would do all of that.

And she only needed to follow.

That kind of dependency had once been unthinkable to her. Head of the Hoshimi family. Chief of the Hollow Special Operations Section 6. The youngest Void Hunter in all of New Eridu — these identities had never once allowed her to lean on anyone.

In every crisis, it was she who had always stood at the front. The one others relied upon. The anchor of every battlefield.

She had always been that person.

But in this world...

She knew, logically, that this wasn’t right. For the sake of her goal — the elimination of every Hollow — she shouldn’t have let herself go slack for this long.

But then again...

This was another world entirely. Letting herself relax a little here should be fine, shouldn’t it?

Miyabi’s footsteps unconsciously quickened just a fraction, bringing herself even with Andrew.

Only for convenience on the road ahead. That was all.

That was what she told herself.

The setting sun stretched three long shadows across the forest trail.

Miyabi’s fox ears trembled softly in the evening breeze. Her gaze drifted from the stone path beneath her feet — and settled on Andrew’s profile.

The slanting sunlight caught the lines of his face, carving his features into something sharp and clear.

He had turned his head slightly, scanning the roadsides for tracks and potential danger.

Miyabi watched him for a moment, then looked away.

She still didn’t know what she was looking at, or why she kept looking. She only felt that...

When she was watching Andrew, her heart was quiet.

Like finding a clear, steady voice in the middle of all the noise — one that didn’t waver. One that wasn’t going to disappear.

Why was that, she wondered?

How strange.

Up ahead, Kairu walked at a brisk pace. The pale tip of her long black tail was striking against the deepening dusk.

She didn’t look back — only tossed a flat remark over her shoulder:

"Keep up. From here on out we’re on the outermost edge of the village. There’s a chance stray monsters could wander in."

After being thoroughly seen-through by the Grammeowster Chef, though, that initial air of cool authority she’d carried simply refused to reconvene.

But to spare their little guide’s dignity, Andrew played along without a word and picked up his pace.

Miyabi matched him, maintaining that same half-step behind.

The three figures gradually dissolved into the gathering dusk, heading southeast toward the mushroom patches beyond Felyne Village.

The Grammeowster Chef stood beneath the gate arch at the village entrance, watching the three silhouettes grow small and distant. She took off her old reading glasses, gave them a gentle wipe, and settled them back on her nose with a quiet, contented smile.

She shook her head with a soft laugh, then turned and walked back into the wooden house with the blue curtain at its door.

The little ones were off on a quest — she couldn’t very well let them come back to an empty table.

With that thought, the Grammeowster Chef got right to work, rummaging through the cupboard nearby until she pulled out the largest clay pot she owned and set it over the fire.

The warm scent of braised meat drifted out from the wooden house, mingling with the earthy, green fragrance that only Felyne Village carried in its evening air — and slowly spread out into the dusk on the evening breeze.

____

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