Both overactive imaginations successfully kept their expressions under control. The hunters beside them noticed nothing unusual, and the conversation continued normally.
When the Long-haired Hunter heard that there was a vicious Black Bear in these woods that feared no humans, not only was he unafraid, he actually smiled with satisfaction. "Good. A bear. My long journey here wasn't wasted."
"What do you mean, 'good'?" Yoshida Ayumi looked at this adult who wasn't afraid of bears, both angry and anxious. "Didn't you hear what that old man said? That bear eats people!"
"It has to eat people, or there'd be no sense of accomplishment in hunting it." The long-haired man laughed loudly, stroking his Hunting Rifle. "Don't worry, I'll avenge your two companions who got eaten."
"Th-they were really eaten?" Yoshida Ayumi froze for a moment. Imagining the Black Bear devouring her companions, she burst into loud sobs.
Professor Agasa hurriedly fumbled to comfort the child, glaring angrily at the long-haired young man. "What nonsense are you talking about?! Who said Jiang Xia and Ai were eaten?"
The long-haired man scratched his head and tipped his chin toward the short hunter. "Didn't that old man say it? I was just repeating it. Why am I getting blamed?"
Seeing that they seemed about to start arguing, Lawyer Tachibana interrupted with a smile. "All right, all right. Stop arguing over pointless assumptions—let's find the missing people first."
The short old man nodded and looked at Professor Agasa and the crying child. "I know this mountain's terrain very well. I should be able to help."
Professor Agasa was speechless at these hunters' loose tongues, but clearly, this was not the time to fuss over such trivial matters. As Lawyer Tachibana had said, finding the missing people was the priority.
"Still, I never expected the