Rick said, "You will be living in this village for a long time, right? Are you going to buy a house or live on rent?"
Gojo replied, "Although I will be living in this village for a long time, it's not going to be that long that I'd have to buy a house. Rather, I'd prefer to live on rent. Do you already have a house in mind?"
Rick nodded. "Yes, actually, I have another house—an older one. Although it's old, it's still in good condition. The roof doesn't leak, the walls are strong, and it can easily protect you from the harsh weather outside. If you want, I can rent that place to you."
Gojo smiled faintly beneath his blindfold and said, "Why not? It'll be fantastic if it's your house. Then maybe I'll even get a small discount on the rent."
Hearing those cheeky words, Rick laughed heartily. "Definitely! I'll give you a discount and won't charge you the same rates others in town take. I'm not that heartless."
Gojo nodded in appreciation. "That's good to hear."
Rick then said, as if suddenly remembering something, "Oh, I almost forgot! I still need to introduce you to the village head tomorrow morning. His name is Uncle Jack—he's the head of Cloverbook village. It's best to meet him once before everything is finalized. He's also the one who allows you to stay here in the village, though I doubt he'd object to it."
Gojo nodded in agreement, and the two of them continued along the quiet lane. The dim lanterns hanging from the wooden poles flickered gently in the evening breeze. Soon, they stopped in front of a medium-sized house with a tiled roof and a polished wooden door that looked newly built. Rick stepped forward and knocked.
From inside came a woman's voice, slightly muffled, "Who is it?"
The door opened moments later, revealing a woman in her thirties. Her face immediately brightened when she saw Rick. "You gave me a surprise! You weren't supposed to come home this soon. You just took ten days' leave last month."
Rick smiled, scratching the back of his head. "It's true. But this time my superiors granted me leave to help settle him down." He gestured toward Gojo. "His name is Gojo, and from today onward, he'll be our renter. I've decided to give our old house on rent to him."
Rick's wife turned toward Gojo, her curious eyes lingering on his blindfold and simple attire. She smiled kindly and said, "Hello."
Gojo returned the greeting with a slight bow of his head. "Hello."
"Come in," she said, stepping aside.
Both entered the house. The faint aroma of cooked vegetables and freshly baked bread lingered in the air. Rick asked Gojo to wait in the hall while he and his wife went into another room to talk privately about the newcomer.
Gojo sat quietly on the wooden chair, listening faintly to their hushed voices beyond the thin door. They seem like honest people, he thought, resting his hands on his knees.
Inside the room, Rick explained everything about Gojo—how he had arrived, what he had been through, and why he needed a place to stay. After hearing the story, his wife's expression softened with sympathy. She nodded, not minding her husband's decision to rent their old house to the boy.
A few minutes later, Rick came back to the hall. Gojo stood up and asked, "If possible, can you show me that home now? Also, are there beddings there, or do I need to buy them separately?"
Rick waved his hand casually. "Yes, yes, I'll definitely take you to the old house. But for now, stay with us for a while. Have dinner and rest a bit, then we'll go there. As for the bedding—don't worry. Everything's already there. It was our old home, after all, and we still use it sometimes as a guest house. So you'll find the basic necessities."
Gojo nodded. "I see. I already ate my fill at the restaurant earlier, so I'm not really hungry. Rather, I'm feeling quite sleepy and would prefer to rest soon."
Rick nodded in understanding and turned toward his wife. "Bring me some water and a bit of bread, just in case Gojo feels hungry or thirsty during the night."
Gojo smiled under his blindfold. "Thank you, Rick. That's very thoughtful of you."
Soon, Rick's wife returned with a jug of water and a small basket of bread wrapped in cloth. Rick took them from her hands, and after a few words of thanks, he and Gojo stepped out into the quiet street once again. The air was cool and still, carrying the faint scent of damp earth as they made their way toward Gojo's soon-to-be home.
Soon they reached Rick's old house. The night air was cool and still, and the faint creak of the old gate echoed as Rick unlocked the door. Gojo followed him inside, his footsteps soft against the wooden floor. The place looked fairly clean, faintly smelling of dust and soap.
Rick said, "Once or twice a week my wife comes here to clean. We're lucky—she just cleaned it yesterday, so everything's neat."
Gojo nodded at his words. After looking around and seeing that everything required for daily living was already in place—a bed, table, a few utensils—he felt relieved. "The house is quite good," he said. "I like this place."
Rick smiled. "I'm glad you do." He set the jug of water and the small basket of bread on the bedroom table. "Then I'll be leaving now. Get some good rest."
"Thank you," Gojo said softly.
Rick gave a final nod and stepped out, closing the door behind him. The faint sound of his fading footsteps mixed with the whisper of wind brushing against the wooden walls.
Gojo returned to the bedroom and lay down. He tried to fall asleep, but his heightened perception made it difficult. Even with his eyes shut, he could feel everything—the rustle of insects crawling under the floorboards, the tiny scurry of a mouse, the slow, steady footsteps of a few villagers still awake outside. It was only around seven in the evening.
Gojo focused on quieting his senses. Gradually, his awareness of the outside world began to fade, like a curtain being drawn. Yet he knew he couldn't suppress it completely—it was a passive effect of his Six Eyes, something he would have to learn to live with.
He stayed like that for hours, drifting between wakefulness and exhaustion, until at some point, everything slipped into darkness, and sleep finally claimed him.
When Gojo woke, it was already late in the morning. Beneath his blindfold, the world remained pitch black. With a quiet sigh, he sat up and stretched.
After a few moments, he removed his blindfold, stepped outside, and slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight hit him gently, golden and warm. The village was alive with the sounds of chatter and distant footsteps. He looked toward the rising sun and realized it was already late. After a brief moment of calm, he closed his eyes again to avoid being overwhelmed by the endless flow of information from his Six Eyes.
He bathed, changed into fresh clothes—a black t-shirt and loose white pants he had bought the previous day—and brushed back his white hair. Against his fair skin, the outfit made him look even more striking than before.
Once ready, he made his way to Rick's house. The door was already open, so he knocked lightly on the wooden frame. A young boy appeared at the entrance, looking curious.
"Who are you?" the boy asked. "I haven't seen you before. Did you just move to the village?"
Gojo gave a polite smile. "I'm here to meet Rick—your father, I presume."
The boy nodded quickly. "Yes, he's my dad. I'll go call him."
Moments later, Rick appeared, his expression brightening when he saw Gojo. "Ah, you're awake! I didn't come to wake you up this morning. I thought you might want to rest longer, so I didn't disturb you. Come in—let's have breakfast. We've prepared your share too."
Gojo nodded. "Thank you."
The smell of freshly cooked food filled the small dining room as he sat down with Rick's family. Gojo ate with quiet relish, appreciating the simple warmth of the meal.
Once he finished, Rick stood up and said, "All right, let's go meet the village head. As I said yesterday, I'll take you to meet Uncle Jack—our Village head of Cloverbook Village."
Gojo nodded once more and rose from his seat, ready to follow Rick out into the bright morning.
----
Want to get daily updates and read chapters on a daily basis? Then join my Patreon!
Patreon Link: https://[email protected]/Hkj822
Join Discord Link: https://discord.gg/Ab9HdNbK