"Father, he's still waiting outside."
Ceth's reminder woke Garu back to his normal cheerful self.
"Uh— ha ha ha, right, right. I'll go and see him now."
Garu left after, leaving behind his laughter to continue ringing from every now and then.
Ceth shook her head helplessly; her father has always been like that.
But she does indeed feel how important they are, her family, to him.
"Juan..." Somehow, a picture of Juan's face appeared in her mind.
Meanwhile, outside the village chief's house. Jura met Juan who was waiting outside.
"I see, so you already toured the village with Ceth, huh? How is it?" Jura asked Juan as the two of them squatted down to talk.
Garu and his daughter have some important things to discuss.
Jura, although also a relative, still chooses to come out of the house in respect to their privacy.
As it seems, the topic they're about to discuss seems sensitive. Well, Jura could already tell what it was.
"The village is big and spacious. Food and clothing are abundant; people have smiles all over their faces; and most of all, everyone is very friendly."
That's the impression Juan had of the village in his heart after this morning's tour.
"Hmm, you like it here?" Jura muttered."
Just a casual question, nothing personal."
Juan nodded as he said.
"I've already decided to settle here. I don't want to be away from civilization anymore. I'm afraid I might go crazy just from loneliness."
Jura hears that and nodded, satisfied.
"Indeed, a wise decision. Just good enough to increase the village populace."
"Right now, what you need is a wife and make a family."
Jura pointed at him before he continued.
"The villagers won't fully accept you unless you get married and have a child."
"Only when you have something precious here that connects you with the village will they truly accept you."
That's the reality; no one would trust a stranger even more so an outsider.
In any unseen accidents or happenings, it's always the stranger who looks conspicuous and always takes the blame despite having done nothing.
People are more inclined to trust someone they know and accept their truth than a stranger they haven't grown up with.
"A family, huh? Am I too early for that?"
Juan wryly smiled; he was actually thinking if women could even accept him. He knows himself very well, despite his low self-esteem.
In front of a peer of the opposite sex, he always acts differently. He can't relax around them; all his thoughts are either on their mood or their bodies.
Juan can easily be attracted to and fall in love. But to move forward and grasp it, he can't do that. Because he understands the responsibility of creating a family.
Glancing at the face he was making, Jura sighs and seems to understand something somehow.
"You're different from the young people I know. Back then, all we wanted was to have a house and a job so we could be accepted by the family of the woman we courted."
Jura sighs as he reminisces about the past.
"We didn't even understand the deeper meaning of responsibility of being a man in a family. That's why when something bad happened, we were sometimes powerless."
"It's always the parents that give a lending hand and the people we can only run into. Even so, some situations just can't be solved with that."
Jura pointed at Juan once again as he smiled and showed appreciation on his face.
"That's why you should marry immediately. Because you're a responsible young man, the parents of your wife will be at ease knowing she's in your hands."
Juan was silent.
He actually didn't want to marry because of that very responsibility. However, when he thought of the future.
Who will take care of him once he can't move anymore? Will someone even be by his side when he feels alone?
What can he leave here on earth to continue being remembered and to exist once he dies?
"Yes..... you're right. I think I should do that." Juan sighed, suddenly feeling a lot more weight on his shoulder lately.
"Don't make such a face; it almost seems as though I was forcing you." Jura laughed and joked.
Juan rolled his eyes inwardly, because that was indeed what Jura was doing right now.
Suddenly, footsteps came near them. Attracting them to look over and see it was Garu.
"Still laughing as ever, brother, but there seems to be more to it? What, did you hear some good news?" Jura stood up as he said jokingly.
However, what he didn't expect was that Garu would actually nod in response.
"Brother, you know me very well indeed. Hahaha, I just received good news! It's worth celebrating over." Garu shoulder hugged Jura while saying that.
Jura, who was confused, then seems to have thought of something and immediately turned to look at Juan with a meaningful look.
Garu also noticed Jura was looking at Juan meaningfully, which made him laugh more happily.
"Brother, you are indeed my brother! You understand me easily." Garu patted his brother in the head emotionally.
However, Jura immediately ducks and evades getting his hair ruffled like a child in front of Juan.
Garu wasn't the least bit affected; instead, he stepped forward and patted Juan's shoulder, who was looking at him with caution.
"There's no need to be stiff, Juan; I won't eat you. Ha ha ha."
Juan remained silent; he didn't know what to say. He felt somehow felt cold under the sun just by the looks he received from them just now.
A while later, Garu calmed down somewhat.
This made Juan breathe more freely after feeling the weight on his shoulder disappear.
After wiping some tears from his eyes, Garu has already recovered to normal.
"Ah, sorry, sorry, I just can't stop it once I feel very happy." Garu apologized embarrassedly.
"It's okay, Village Chief; it's normal to be happy and laugh once one is in a good mood or has seen something funny."
Juan didn't mind; it's just that he didn't want to experience being held like that every time. It's too tiring and stressful.
"I do mind, brother." Jura was squatting by the side, cleaning his ears with his fingers.
"No problem then. Well, so where are we?" Garu didn't listen at all; instead, he looked at Juan warmly.
This made Juan feel a chill suddenly crawling from the sole of his foot up to the back of his spine.
'I feel some goosebumps just now.' Juan looked around him alertly.
But the only strange thing he found was the way the Villager Chief was looking at him seemed too...warm.
Juan suddenly shivered at a terrifying idea in his mind.
'Don't tell me. This Garu is into 'that'? '
Cold sweat suddenly started dripping down his face and down to his cheek uncontrollably.
Juan wanted to step back and run, but he can't do that right now. After all, it was just a suspicion; there's no proof.
'It's just my imagination. It's not possible, he has a family. How can he be....Ha ha ha.'
"Are you okay? You seem to be sweating a lot. Ah? Is it because we're outside and it's noon after all. Should we go inside then?"
Garu suggested, but Juan declined. There's no way he would let himself enter an unknown den's house.
Who knew if his guess might be true? He would surely regret it till he grew old. If the news got out, he might really die of shame before that.
"It's okay, Village Chief, in any case. I just want to ask the Village Chief where I can work to earn my meal from today onwards."
Garu heard him say that and immediately remembered what he told him this morning.
"Oh right, I told you I'd solve your problem of where to find a job." Garu patted his head in realization before he continued.
"So what kind of job can you do?" He can't just give a job the worker doesn't know after all.
Even if he could, he should at least ask before hand what Juan is capable of before he could decide which work to give him.
Juan was immediately excited upon reaching this point. He had been waiting for this.
"I can read, write, and count numbers. I can also teach if needed." for a modern person, just having this isn't enough to guarantee food on the platter.
But here in this place, it's a valuable asset. Juan knew that just by looking at Garu and Jura's shocked faces.
Suddenly, Garu stepped forward silently. His two arms bulged with muscles and strength apparent in his ripped clothes.
"Um....Village Chief?"
Juan couldn't help but step back a little. He could feel his feet and knees start shivering caught by this sudden change.
"Juan...Juan." Garu seems to have been possessed as he suddenly started to mutter his name.
Before he could further react, Garu and Jura suddenly came beside him with their huge arms on his shoulders.
He couldn't help but feel weak all over from their intimidating vibes. Juan was sure he might not be able to leave even a bone alive this time.
"I....did I say the wrong thing?"
Then... their yellow mouths opened at the same time. He closed his eyes subconsciously in despair.
"Juan, please assist us in governing this village from now on!"
"Eh?"