Autumn had deepened, yet Konoha, situated deep within the Land of Fire, remained lush and green. Only the soft morning breeze carried a damp chill that brushed against their faces, bringing a faint hint of cold.
The three little girls cautiously drew closer, warily watching their surroundings.
"No one around. Looks like coming early was the right choice. If we want to catch a monster, we have to come when there are fewer people. If there are too many people, the monsters will all be scared away."
"Tsumugi, keep your voice down!"
The sword-bearing girl with silver hair falling past her shoulders motioned for the short little girl to be quiet.
"That Makoto actually didn't come. If we catch a monster, we definitely won't let him play with it."
Though there was nothing he could do about being dragged off by his father to help with work at the last minute, he had still broken his promise.
The children had made thorough preparations for today's expedition. They had originally planned to come at night, but their parents had refused, so they could only take advantage of their rare day off and rush over early in the morning.
"Then let's begin. We'll head to the river first. There's a wooden bridge there, and that's where monsters have appeared the most!"
The purple-haired girl, Nagi Gekko, looked at the intelligence map in her hands and said hesitantly, "Are we really going? It feels a little dangerous."
The petite Futaba Tsumugi replied, "We came here to explore in the first place. What's the point if everything is safe and steady? Only a scaredy-cat like Makoto Ito would be too afraid to come!"
"But Tsumugi, you're shaking. Are you a little scared too?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Futaba Tsumugi hurriedly retorted, puffing