Chapter 4

The day broke.

The sky was clear. Although the village overlooked a spectacular mountain range, the horizon was completely covered in clouds, spreading across the sky like a sea. It was as if the whole village was floating on a cloud.

Illuminated by the sunlight, freshly harvested ears of wheat were being carried. 

All the villagers were bent over like old folk. When asked, they gave no answers, and all village chief Yaginuma replied was that this had resulted due to it being more convenient for farm work.

The hunched villagers descended the slope, carrying sheaves of wheat ears. Sometimes a kernel, like a drop of twinkling gold, would tumble onto the ground. As soon as that happened, another villager would reach their hands to collect the grain without a moment’s delay, like a bird pecking at their feed. They were so thorough that not a single grain was overlooked.

Next to the milling hut, preparations were underway for cooking outdoors.

Firewood had been prepared and set aflame, and an unglazed pot for cooking was set on top of it.

Beside the fire stood Utsurogi, his daughter Yo, Yaginuma, and me.  Utsurogi and Yaginuma were talking merrily, Yo chiming in as well, as if the disturbing incident of last night had not occurred.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kishibe. You were kind enough to extend your stay for one more day.”

Yaginuma bowed politely. 

“I’d be sowing a loss if I left without further research after coming all this way …”

I wanted to verify for myself the truth about the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’. 

Besides, I was concerned about what had happened last night: both Utsurogi’s abnormal appetite which went off the rails, and Yaginuma’s suspicious forgetfulness about the matter of curing allergies, despite him being the one to bring it up in the first place. Likely, there was probably discrepancy in both of their perspectives. Additionally, I was also worried that the discrepancy could potentially lead us into trouble. Was it really safe for Yo with her wheat allergy to eat the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’?

Above all, I was most curious about the exact power the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ had. Indeed, no noticeable change had occurred as of now, a day after we had eaten the bread. Both Utsurogi and I had eaten the bread served for breakfast, although less than the amount last night (Yaginuma had the villagers forage for fruits and nuts specifically for Yo). If there had to be any sort of change, I suppose I had more of an appetite than usual and was brimming with energy, as if the exhaustion of last night’s climb had been completely washed away.

Nevertheless, Yaginuma would not have gone so far as to have declared that it would ‘change the constitution’ if boosting your health were its only effects. Greater changes might even occur—and it was that anticipation, that uncertainty that was the biggest thing keeping me in this village for one day more.

All the same, the beauty of the ears of wheat drew my attention; for all intents and purposes, the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ had me wrapped around its finger. Whenever I saw ears of wheat being threshed, saliva threatened to drool from my mouth unabashedly.

It was as if a hunger, bordering on starvation, overtook me whenever I recalled the wheat’s wonderful taste. I wanted to eat more, despite having undeniably eaten a hearty breakfast. I was unable to tear my gaze away from the ‘gleaning of the wheat’ in front of my eyes, revealing their contents.

The threshed kernels were gathered and noisily poured into the simmering pot.

Soon afterward, steam wafted from the cooking pot, the fragrant aroma of wheat was carried over by the wind. My appetite was stoked even more, but the villagers were to eat first.

The villagers sipped the porridge in silence in the plaza by the hut. Without exception, every single face beamed with a smile. As for how delicious the porridge was—the answer was clear, their content countenances conveyed the delicacy of the food they were eating.

And then it was her turn. 

“Come now, we’ve prepared your portion too, we would really appreciate it if you would eat with us.”

Yaginuma served the porridge and passed the bowl to Utsurogi. He received it smiling all throughout and plopped himself down onto the ground. He then handed the bowl over to Yo, who sat perched on a fallen log. 

“Here you go.”

Yo scrutinized the bowl full of thick porridge. She was frozen stiff, holding a small wooden spoon in her hand. No wonder, after how vigilant her father Utsurogi had been with his daughter’s allergy. The first time discovering her allergy must have been a tremendously terrifying experience for them.

Food allergies are said to be caused by the body’s immune system responding abnormally to ingested allergens. Although the threshold for triggering such an allergy varies among individuals, for food allergies, even a tiny amount can be deadly.

This was why even a small spoonful of wheat porridge could mean life or death in unlucky circumstances. To be fearful was only natural. Yaginuma had said that the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ was safe, being an ancient variety, which was virtually a different lineage from the modern wheat bread varieties currently being cultivated. These were the words of a professional involved in genetics research. Although it may be safe, humans were not so simple-minded to be content with words alone.

Still holding the spoon, Yo did not touch the porridge. The porridge had begun to steadily cool.

“What’s wrong?”

Utsurogi moved his face closer to his daughter, fretful.

“Why won’t you eat?”

“Papa, it’s because Papa didn’t eat it yet …”

Yo nudged the dish back over to her father. Before each meal, Utsurogi had always fed her after tasting the food. That was skipped this time, explaining why Yo was afraid to eat.

“Don’t worry. You will be able to eat this, since it’s a special wheat!”

Regardless, Utsurogi thrust the plate upon her, evident in his desire for her to eat as soon as possible.

“I don’t want to … I’ll never eat it …”

Yo shook her head sideways forcefully, with her face downturned.

Utterly petrified, she wouldn’t risk eating the wheat porridge.

“Come now, eat … don’t cause trouble. Here …”

Utsurogi scooped the porridge with a spoon and guided it to her mouth, trying to make her eat by force. Such pushiness was new. Even so, his expression remained eerily tranquil. His face was as if he were in a dream. The smile on his face was nearly identical to the ones worn on Yaginuma and the rest of the villagers’ faces.

“Look, everyone is waiting for their turn to eat …”

It was exactly as Utsurogi said. Without realizing it, I was wishing strongly for it to be my turn to eat already as well. I wanted to eat that wheat without a moment’s delay. I experienced a hunger so extreme, it felt almost as if I was being starved in torment. If she did not want to eat, I might as well eat it first—

Unable to hold out any longer, I darted forward, stretching out my arm to snatch the bowl of porridge in Yo’s hands.

And then …

I tossed away the bowl with vigor. Wheat porridge splattered over the ground.

I wedged myself in between Yo and Utsurogi, positioning myself to shield her.

“… Hey, you’re acting nuts. Why would you force-feed your child when you know how much she doesn’t want to eat it?”

Undoubtedly, Utsurogi was not himself. Both the unnatural hunger tormenting me even now and my previous preoccupation toward the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ became a powerful suspicion.

This ancient variety of wheat was clearly modifying the personalities of the humans who ate it, of Utsurogi.

“As an outsider, I can’t be sure about whatever it is that’s going on between you, but at the very least, it looked like you all were adamant on feeding her no matter what, instead of feeding her to cure her allergy.”

Certainly, this ancient wheat was, in some way, affecting the body and minds of humans.

For example, humans who ingest rye infected with ergot could succumb to symptoms of poisoning and abnormal mental states due to the compound alkaloids contained within the fungal infection. If the same compounds were contained in the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’, if that was the case …

A ghastly moan interrupted my thoughts.

“The-the wheat …”

Suddenly, Utsurogi was now groaning. Or so I thought, until he immediately started to scoop up and scarf down the porridge spilt on the ground, dirt and weeds and all.

“Pa-Papa …”

While his daughter Yo was struck speechless, Utsurogi’s bulky and thick tongue slid out of his mouth, lapping up the wheat porridge around his mouth together with the dirt like a rabid dog. Next, he chewed slowly and savored the kernels of wheat.

Although the look in his eyes was calm, they reflected no emotion. Gazing my way fixedly, he breathed hot and ragged, snorting and sniffing unabashedly.

“Toshiya Utsurogi … You’re out of your mind right now—”

Sheltering Yo, who was paralyzed in fear against my back, I inched myself away from Utsurogi.

In doing this, I would be able to deal with him immediately in case he tried to make a move.

“—Apologies. He must have become overly excited over how delicious his first taste of the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ was …”

This time, Yaginuma wedged his way in between. He was gently stroking and petting Utsurogi, who was on all fours, around the neck, lightly patting his back as if calming a startled cow. Moreover, he presented Utsurogi with an ear of wheat, the kernels still attached. He took this in his mouth and slowly started chewing.

Subsequently, Utsurogi’s breathing gradually slowed down and he sank down to sit where he was.

“In our village … this is a regular occurrence. At times, people are so struck by this exceptional wheat that they momentarily lose their senses. See, didn’t you state that yesterday too, Mr. Kishibe? ‘I’m compelled to tell others about this, it tastes so good’—right?”

“Sure, I did say that, but …”

“Toshiya feels the same way. To the ignorant person, his actions would make it seem as if he were trying to force her to eat. Yet, if his actions were spurred by the love he has so deeply for his daughter, that his feelings of wanting to feed his child delicious food overwhelmed him … in that case, then as a third party we hardly have a right to judge his actions. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Kishibe?” 

Once more, Yaginuma ladled the porridge from the cooking pot and approached us with a bowl in his hand.

He smiled cheerfully at Yo.

“Come now, eat.”

“I won’t eat it.”

“It’s alright. Now eat.”

“I said I won’t, that means I’ll never, ever eat it!”

She was utterly scared out of her wits. Tightly gripping the cuffs of my trousers, she went out of her way to prevent Yaginuma from coming any closer to her. 

“… This is a bit of a problem.” Yaginuma scratched his head. “If you don’t mind, would you also please tell her to eat with us as well, Mr. Kishibe? You can do so after helping yourself first, if it suits you.”

In front of my eyes, a dish filled with porridge was raised. The smell of the wheat stoked the flames of my hunger into a frenzy, my stomach beginning to rumble wildly. Like a dog forced to heel, my mouth filled with drool. I wanted to eat it. To gulp down this porridge immediately and savor that delicacy.

“—Unfortunately, I’ll be taking this child’s lead.”

But there was no way I could eat this. If I submitted to this overwhelming temptation, the odds were that I would become a captive of this ancient wheat as well, and not only that, but I would also become like Utsurogi earlier, and the three of us could have ganged up on this small child to try and force-feed her the wheat porridge.

That was especially despicable. If it was just me alone, I probably would have given in to my curiosity, but there was a child here right now. I couldn’t just let her get caught up in all of this. Now, with her father rendered useless, somebody had to take over his role.

“… It seems nothing more can be done. Let’s take a short break, shall we? The meal can be eaten some other time.”

“Nope, as of right now, I’m leaving. I’m also taking that zonked-out fellow over there, and the three of us are going to descend this mountain immediately.”

“—That would be rather unwise.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“All three of you would be descending the steep rocky track amidst a thick fog if you descend the mountain now. If it were only just Toshiya and you, then you might get through one way or another, but bringing a small child along would be highly dangerous.”

I winced. Touché.

“Worry not. By tomorrow, the temperatures will have risen, and the fog should clear up. You’ll be able to leave safely after eating a leisurely breakfast.”

“You really don’t want to let us leave, huh…?”

“That’s absurd. We’re just keeping your safety in mind.”

“Are your words … the truth?”

Directly after this question, Yaginuma’s face split open instantaneously like the pages of a book.

“… ‘Heaven’s Door’. That ability which reads the memories and thoughts of the opposition—”

I activated my Stand, paging the inner depths of Yaginuma. There was no way I could take the man at his word. I needed to gather more evidence.

‘My best friend Toshiya Utsurogi, his daughter Yo, and the popular manga artist Mr. Rohan Kishibe. All three are guests of grave importance who will be eating the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ for the first time. I must treat them with special courtesy—’

So far, the text confirmed he held no ill-will towards the three of us. Delight bled through his words when discussing the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ with “A discovery to achieve my dreams! With this, our prayers will finally be heard at last!”.

“At the very least … he doesn’t seem to be considering attacking us unprepared or the like—let’s write ‘I will obey Rohan Kishibe’s demands from now on’ as a safety precaution.”

When I recalled my ability, Yaginuma shakily rose to his feet.

“So, Mr. Yaginuma. For the present I’ll listen to what you say. Having said that though, we’re heading down this mountain immediately when tomorrow comes.”

“… Regrettable, but I suppose there isn’t much else but to do that.”

“As for our meals, something besides the ‘Gleanings of Paradise’ if you will. Some fruit for this child, and you should have milk or something too from the noise the livestock are making. I’ll be requesting some of that as well.”

“I see. We’ll prepare those as you requested. If you don’t mind then, I think I’ll be off now. I must look after the villagers and the wheat.”

Nodding obediently, Yaginuma turned to his heel alongside the villagers.

“That settles it … for now. Hey, you, sorry for making you go through something so scary.”

I softly patted Yo’s head, who was still clinging onto my leg. She did not answer back, instead tightening the grip of her embrace once before separating, approaching where Utsurogi sat.

Utsurogi had been greedily munching the raw wheat berries given to him by Yaginuma like gum, but sluggishly stood up when Yo approached and started to walk with her.

“Delicious … so delicious … mmm …” he droned, repeating the word over and over all the way back to the hut.