After hearing the old man's story, Chiba Yo grew a little curious about the girl he had mentioned. Despite struggling to get by herself, she gave wisteria sachets to passersby. And these were not casual gifts-she specifically made them to give away every day. It seemed a little unusual.
Of course, strange as it might be, the girl was clearly kindhearted. Chiba Yo guessed that she might also believe demons existed, which was why she did this.
"She really is a kind child," Chiba Yo said with admiration.
The old man nodded in agreement. "She certainly is. Even when the people who accept her sachets offer her money, she refuses it.
"Making so many sachets to give away must take a great deal of time and effort. She's poor herself, so there would be nothing wrong with accepting money when someone offers it. But she simply won't take it. Even if someone forces it into her hands, she'll give it right back. She's stubborn as a mule.
"She does charge for the other little trinkets she makes, though. It's only the wisteria sachets that she absolutely refuses to take money for. Those are just gifts for passersby."
Chiba Yo also felt that the girl was rather stubborn after hearing this, but it only made her kindness all the more apparent.
Night had fallen some time ago, and insects chirped intermittently around them.
After finishing his story, the old man seemed a little sleepy. But he was afraid something might happen during the night, such as an encounter with a wild animal, so he did not dare go straight to sleep. Fighting his drowsiness, he added more tobacco to his pipe, hoping that smoking would keep him awake.
"If you're tired, go ahead and sleep. I'll keep an eye on our