The Bride Of The Sacred Forest God
Chapter 47. Starting Back from the Beginning

After delivering the sleeping little fox to his room, Ginko returned to the room and gathered with the others.

As soon as he sat down, Ginko looked at Kuroto in annoyance and reprimanded him with a serious face.

“Why are you lying to Reda-sama if tomorrow is the day of the death of all our colleagues?”

“You think I have another way? If he returns to this place tomorrow, he will be thrown again by Aragaki-sama! Better he calm himself down in that old hut.”

“But not by lying like that in front of Ryuunosuke, Kuroto!”

“The child also did not say anything!”

“That's because he's being so devastated and sad!”

“It all started because of the stupidity of you and Nagi!” Kuroto yells at Ginko

Ginko is surprised by it but eventually relents. “I and Nagi didn't mean that.”

Kuroto sighed, “I understand you guys didn't mean to be evil and wanted to make her close to Aragaki-sama. But, it's all like this now. To be honest, I doubt Aragaki-sama will be home tomorrow.”

“With his current emotions, it looks like he will go to Shuen-sama's place and stay there.” Hakuren tried to guess

“No matter where and where Nushi-sama went. I'm still more worried about Reda-sama.”

Everyone went back to being silent. The silence began to feel so dark from the anger of their master.

“You guys..do you think we have betrayed Aragaki-sama?”

“…”

Nagi's question made the others realize something. “We have changed in just 8 days and it was done by the village girl.” Nagi continued her sentence. He looked at his three friends with serious faces.

“I know this makes no sense. The first time I took him with Ginko, I was pretty sure he was just like everyone else. Until finally in a short time, I felt she was so compatible with Aragaki-sama.”

“He also treats the little fox well, very well. I think Ryoko-san came back to life in that girl because it made the little fox laugh like a child in general.”

“Without realizing, I felt that everything he did was really for the sake of his promise to that little fox.”

“And those words earlier..I know he didn't lie!”

Nagi's words were not wrong, they were all true. Ginko, Hakuren and Kuroto do not deny it.

“Reda-sama really loves Nushi-sama.”

“I know we may have betrayed. But, it is not because we hate Aragaki-sama! It was because..it was because I felt the same feeling as that little fox!”

Nagi's words just now were an honest heart from the servant who was loyal to his master.

Nagi still let out all her feelings and heart.

“You haven't forgotten reality, have you? Of the hundreds of residents of this residence, within one night on that day, only the five of us are alive.”

“Ryoko-san even sacrificed herself to protect her little fox.”

“I certainly will not forget my hatred for the blood of the girl's ancestors. But, the little fox even liked the girl more than her master.”

“Again, I understand what you mean. We have received Reda-sama, but the feeling of Aragaki-sama's wounds is too deep to be covered by Reda-sama a.” Hakuren said

“Because it was me and Nagi trying to help back then. But, who would have thought it would be like this.” continued Ginko with a disappointed expression on himself

That afternoon, Aragaki's four loyal servants were shrouded in guilt. No one thinks of such a trivial thing as lunch or division of duties.

Blaming yourself, that's what they do.

**

Inside the hut, the poor country girl tried to stop her tears. She was still slightly sobbing but finally managed to stop her own crying.

For a while, he was silent without doing anything first. After that, he saw her clothes that were wet from being drenched in water.

“History..wet..”.

Reda tried not to imagine the recent bad incident and went to the back to take a shower.

After bathing, the girl washed and dried all her dirty clothes. He rolled out his floor mattress and laid down for a moment.

He wanted to rest, but he couldn't sleep.

“I...really don't know what to do now. It feels.all come back in vain. Hiks..”

Without realizing it, the girl came back crying but only for a moment. He wiped his tears and tried to close his eyes.

“I have to rest. Don't make Nagi-sama and the others worry.”

After closing his eyes, Reda immediately fell asleep.

Perhaps the same as the little fox who fell asleep tired of crying, Reda seemed to feel the same way. In addition, he was also thrown twice today.

Only in sleep can he forget the pain and the crushing rejection of his loved ones. The road is too long for that poor girl.

The day changed quickly and Reda woke up to a sound that woke her up.

“Reda-sama..”.

“Mm..”

“Reda-sama, let's get up.”

Reda opened her eyes and saw a familiar face with a slight shining light.

“Reda-sama, finally wake up.”

“Ryuuno...suke?” Reda woke up and saw the little fox before her. “This Ryuunosuke? Why dark?”

“Reda-sama sleeps till night. Ryuunosuke brought you some soup and rice. Reda-sama hasn't eaten from lunch, right?”

Reda tried to sit down, but she felt her body ache.

“Reda-sama!” the little fox became panicked at Reda's moans when she woke up. “Reda-sama! Reda-sama is okay?”

“I'm fine, Ryuunosuke. Just a little bit of pain. Don't worry ya.”

The little fox's ears dropped and his eyes began to look teary. He put his food on the side and hugged the girl while crying.

“Hiks...pardon Ryuunosuke, Reda-sama! Ryuunosuke, Reda-sama became hated again by Aragaki-sama. Hiks..”

“Ryuunosuke, don't cry. Come, smile. I'm fine, I'm not lying.”

Obviously it's a lie. While being hugged tightly by her little fox, Reda endured the pain in her body.

“There may be bruises. But, I can't make my little fox worry.”

Ryuunosuke released his embrace and wiped away his tears.

“It's done crying, right? Don't cry anymore ya.”

The little fox nodded. He instantly gave the rice a cocoon wrapped in bamboo leaves with warm soup in a small bowl.

“Reda-sama, Ryuunosuke made this soup for you. Come drink.”

“Ryuunosuke, I can't eat anything from the Aragaki-sama residence.”

“But Ryuunosuke already made it. Ryuunosuke already..hiks..make it for you..”.

The little fox was crying. Now, Reda became panicked. She knew that her little fox was sad and very guilty.

“I'm sorry for breaking your orders, Nushi-sama. After this, Reda will kneel down if Nushi-sama returns.” thought

The tears of the little fox almost entered into the soup he had brought himself. Reda instantly wiped away the little fox's tears and took out her soup bowl.

“I understand, don't cry. I drank. I'm going to eat some delicious food made by my sweet little fox. We ate together ya.”

The little fox's ears and tail immediately stood up and swayed in delight. His face also became full of blushing colors, as if the tears just now were just crocodile tears.

After eating, they pensively.

“Nushi-sama has not returned?”

“Not yet. It seems that Aragaki-sama is staying outside tonight. He must be angry.”

“Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of Ryuunosuke's friends and mother, right? How about–”

“Hmm? The anniversary of death? Who said that?”

“Ku–Kuroto-sama.” Reda is confused. “Didn't Nushi-sama not come home until tomorrow night because he went to commemorate the death of his friend and mother Ryuunosuke?”

“That's not true, Reda-sama. Kuroto-sama lied.”

“Lying? Why?”

“Maybe Kuroto-sama wants Reda-sama to rest in order to recover so tomorrow Reda-sama can take a day off. Besides..”

Ryuunosuke. “Ryuunosuke doesn't want to talk to Aragaki-sama. Ryuunosuke is angry, Ryuunosuke is angry! Aragaki-sama is so mean to you!”

The little fox started to look sullen and annoyed mixed with her red eyes. Reda tried to calm him down.

“Ryuunosuke, don't get mad like that.”

“But Aragaki-sama has already thrown you! If you know..if you get to know..hiks...” then you hear the cry of the little fox who started crying loudly, “Huwaaa...ibu..”.

Reda hugged him back. The little fox cried again. “Why does Aragaki-sama not want to like Reda-sama? Why is Aragaki-sama unwilling to accept Reda-sama? Ryuunosuke does not understand, Ryuunosuke does not understand!”

The crying made Reda almost cry. It hurts, of course because the village girl loves a person who would never open her heart to a human like that girl.

But, Reda's determination was already unanimous. He wanted to survive the remaining time.

“I don't want to regret. I want to carry my feelings until death comes. I still want to see a smile and hear the voice of Nushi-sama!”

Reda strengthened herself and said to her little fox.

“Ryuunosuke, we start again from zero yes.”

“Start...from zero?”

“True. We start again from zero. It's only been 8 days, Ryuunosuke. There are still many days we can go through. Too soon to give up. We start again yes.”

Reda smiled, “Consider tomorrow is the day I arrive at this place. We will make Nushi-sama smile back.”

“But, how to?”

“I still have an appointment for Ryuunosuke to teach you to make gifts, right?”

“Creating ikebana?” ask the little fox

“True. We made a new one, but this time it was the original Ryuunosuke. We will make for Ryuunosuke's late mother as well so that he in the sky feels happy.” Reda stroked her little fox head and hair, “As Nushi-sama returned, I am sure she will definitely forgive us.”

“Really? Ryuunosuke can make it himself?”

“Can. Don't worry.”

“Then, we make it together! Ryuunosuke will give his gift to Aragaki-sama and ask her not to be angry with you anymore!”

The little fox became excited and confident again. After the night began to get late, Reda drove her little fox up to the back door of the Aragaki residence and returned to her old hut.

He's getting ready for a break back.

“God, I'm ready to start over from scratch. I was ready to fight again to make Nushi-sama smile. I beg you please give me a chance once more.”

“Reda will try even harder this time. I beg you, please give me a chance once more.”

That night, Reda tried to go back to sleep. Without any good dreams or nightmares, the girl begins to wake up in the morning as the sun begins to greet the next day.

****