Twiddling his thumbs behind his back, Enzo didn’t say a word.
Earlier, he had been trying to hide his presence by ignoring them, but now he had come face-to-face with the people he had ignored.
He was a bit embarrassed, but refused to show it. It wasn’t like he did anything wrong; it was for self-preservation.
Zeli walked up to Nova. Nova didn’t whisper as he spoke to Zeli. "What are you doing with him?"
"Don’t," Zeli warned. "He hasn’t done anything wrong."
Enzo lifted an eyebrow. He could hear the conversation very plainly. This Nova person seemed to have a conflict with him. And whatever the conflict was, it appeared to be well known.
He could tell from the faces of the others around them. Some had disapproving gazes while others were pitying him. It reminded him of the look Zeli gave him earlier.
He thought about the look Zeli gave him and how he refused to talk about the reason behind it. Was he alone that day because something happened in the tribe? No, according to Zeli, he did gathering by himself regularly.
The original was an antisocial person. Going gathering on his own sounded right for such a person. But there must be something more than being antisocial; otherwise, he would not be receiving such looks.
Nova scoffed. "I never said he did anything wrong. But Rin wanted Trak. He didn’t need to fight for him."
"He didn’t fight. He asked a question," Zeli responded in exasperation. "The matter has already ended. Trak and Rin are together. There’s no need to bring it up again."
Nova rolled his eyes.
"Alright, don’t talk about it anymore. You...I mean, Enzo doesn’t even know who Trak is. Gato says he has a forgetting disease. He doesn’t know any of us."
Nova turned to Enzo, who greeted him politely. He heard every word; he wasn’t going to pretend he didn’t hear. But he had no ill will towards Nova. Whatever trouble the original had, he wasn’t going to let it affect him.
Of course, he also wouldn’t befriend someone who disliked him. Not to mention, Zeli was right; he had no clue who Trak was.
From the sound of it, Trak might have been his partner or at least close to it, and he chose someone else.
Enzo sighed. Another scumbag.
Even so, didn’t Enzo say sub-beasts were in short supply? Even as skinny as he is, he should have beastmen jumping walls to see him. Nevertheless, he didn’t dwell. He wasn’t looking for a relationship now.
Aside from scumbag Trak, there was one thing on Enzo’s mind. The name Trak. Individually, it wouldn’t ring a bell, but when paired with Rin, it struck a chord with Enzo.
Nope, it couldn’t be, he comforted himself. The names are just similar.
But then, he remembered the name of the Tiger tribe chief and son. Orin. Rider. Now there’s Trak and Rin.
He comforted himself. There’s no way. It’s a coincidence. Enzo continued to hypnotize himself. He refused to believe he was in a book. The names only sounded familiar because he fell asleep after reading the book.
Not wanting to dwell on it, Enzo continued greeting the people around him. They were curious. They had never met anyone who had forgotten everything about everything.
They kept asking questions, like they were testing him. But the curiosity in their eyes told Enzo they weren’t malicious. When he couldn’t answer or stumbled over his words, they didn’t mock him.
"You’re much better now than you were before," one commented.
"Yes, before you used to sulk all the time. All the males used to stay away from you. After you become an adult, you might be able to find a partner," someone else commented.
Nova jumped in scathingly, "Even if you forget everything, they’ll still stay away from you. A female who can’t even attract a male, worthless."
"Alright, that’s enough," Zeli cut in. "We’re only here to have a bath, then leave. I still need to go back and eat."
With that, Zeli guided Enzo towards a quiet corner. The others didn’t approach, but went about their business, continuing their own baths.
"Here," Zeli said.
Enzo watched him as he plucked a few leaves from a shrub that grew nearby. Enzo took it, not sure what it was for.
Without waiting for Enzo’s question, Zeli tore off his loincloth and slipped into the water. He put the leaves in the water, and miraculously they began to sud.
Enzo didn’t even have time to be bashful at seeing Zeli’s naked behind. He had already told himself that soap was a luxury. There was no body odour from anyone he had passed before, so he assumed it was biological.
Now, it struck him that he might have been too narrow-minded.
He glanced around at the others. They were freely enjoying their bath. He was the only one overconcerned about whether someone saw him naked. Had he known them for a while, he wouldn’t be so self-conscious.
"Enzo, come in. What are you waiting for?"
Zeli’s shout brought him back. Seeing the expectant smile, Enzo relaxed. Yes, why was he acting like a prude? He’s seen naked men before. Not to mention everyone here is a ’sister’; who is he trying to impress?
Getting his confidence, he shrugged off the wrap and jumped in.
The water was deep enough to cover his lower half, so he had nothing to worry about. Not to mention they were secluded enough.
He washed himself thoroughly, even humming as he did. The leaves didn’t have a strong smell. If he was asked what it smelled like, Enzo could only reply, ’fresh.’
They hadn’t brought extra clothes, so they ended up wearing the same thing back to Enzo’s house, where he changed. Zeli changed as soon as he went home.
Dinner happened quickly. After dinner, Enzo learned more information. Zeli told him about warriors. There are Black and Bronze Warriors. The little cubs who cannot hunt at all are jokingly called White Warriors.
Hearing the details about the warriors made him certain it wasn’t the book he read. There wasn’t a warrior ranking in that book.
By the time they finished laughing and talking, the sun was already setting. Enzo left and walked back to his house. He no longer kept his head down and walked with purposeful strides.
Now that he had most of the information he wanted, he knew there was nothing for him to fear.
Tomorrow, bright and early, he would go with Zeli for his first gathering mission. He would get to know the people in the tribe and leave a good impression on them. If he was going to be here for the rest of his life, he might as well make it his home.
That night, Enzo went to bed. As his thoughts drifted, he wondered, maybe I could wake up in my own bed tomorrow.