Chapter 364. [The Language You Don't Know]
It seems this woman is a local living in the depths of the Amazon jungle.
She, wearing a wrap made of leaves around her waist, speaks to me with a smile.
"○○▲□?"
She’s probably worried about me.
She touches my body lightly, seemingly checking my injuries.
It’s likely that she’s the one who treated me.
As she examines me, I glance around the house.
Then my eyes catch something lying in a corner.
"Ah!?"It’s my smartphone and my bag.
I reach out for them, but a sharp pain shoots through my arm. Reluctantly, I grab them with my other hand.
I press the power button, but there’s no response—the battery is dead.
How much time has passed since I lost consciousness...?
"S-Say! Is she okay?! The woman who was with me... cough, cough!"
Trying to speak suddenly makes me choke.
My throat is bone dry.
The local woman hands me a vessel, perhaps made from a fruit shell, filled with water.
It’s murky brown, but I drink it down without hesitation.
"Ahh... so, about her..."
"○○※ΑΔ"
She seems to understand my desperation and smiles reassuringly.
Even though words don’t translate, feelings do.
That’s what my sister always told me.
"※"
She turns her back and leaves the house.
Though there’s no signal, it feels like she’s saying, "Follow me."
"Ugh."
The moment I step outside, countless eyes focus on me. Men and women, adults and children—there are about a dozen of them.
Their outfits vary more than I expected; not everyone is wearing leaf wraps.
"○○▲!" "○○▲?" "▲△□, □※!"
"I’m sorry. I don’t understand your language."
They speak to me all at once, but I can’t make out a single word.
Thankfully, none of them seem hostile.
The woman stops in front of a nearby house.
She gestures for me to look inside.
There lies the woman from the Secret Service, unconscious.
"!"
I try to rush to her side but collapse.
My legs aren’t fully healed yet.
It’s not my clumsiness... well, maybe partly.
I crawl over to her and check if she’s breathing.
《 ...Suuu... exhale...》
Her chest rises and falls softly. Her steady breathing fills the air.
Relief washes over me as all strength leaves my body.
"Thank goodness... she’s alive... she’s alive!"
Clinging to her, I tremble with emotion.
My efforts to save her weren’t in vain! Choosing not to abandon her wasn’t a mistake!
"Her injuries seem to be healing too."
Like me, her wounds are covered with leaves.
Though she still looks weak, her face shows far less pain than before.
"So, we made it. We were saved."
I turn back to the local woman and bow deeply.
I don’t know if bowing is part of her culture, but I trust sincerity will get through.
"Thank you so much for saving us."
"▲▼O※"
It felt like she said, "You're welcome," or "Don't worry about it."
The woman then smiles as if she’s remembered something and leaves the room.
When she returns, she’s holding a bundle wrapped in leaves.
She places it before me and unwraps it.
Inside are live larvae, roasted insects, and a small banana.
She gestures as if eating.
It seems she’s telling me to eat.
If I were still in Japan, I’d have hesitated.
But now, this looks like the finest meal.
"Thank you for the food."
I clasp my hands together and bow deeply.
I’m acutely aware of ‘receiving life’. That’s probably because of the incident with the jaguar.
"...Alright."
Taking a deep breath, I pop a wriggling larva into my mouth.
The local woman watches my reaction intently.
"It’s... surprisingly good."
Its rubbery texture gives way to a creamy, nut-like flavor, followed by a faint sweetness.
—Growl.
My stomach rumbles as if only now remembering it was empty.
The local woman laughs at my reaction, as if telling me to eat more.
I keep eating.
The insects taste somewhat like shrimp but distinctly different.
They’re bitter and have an odd texture but aren’t as bad as they look.
The banana is a banana, though much less sweet than I’m used to.
It’s probably a different variety.
Also, I realize something—the plates and the house’s roof are made from banana leaves.
Leaning closer to the plate, I catch a faint banana scent.
"Thank you for the meal."
The unfamiliar food makes my stomach uneasy, but I swallow it down.
I couldn’t waste the food that gave its life for mine.
"Come to think of it... I ate everything. What about her share?"
I glance between the Secret Service woman and the now-empty plate.
The local woman seems to understand and leaves the house.
"※▽△"
She returns shortly, carrying a vessel filled with a green liquid.
The smell is intensely grassy—it seems like a concoction of crushed plants.
It’s likely their version of medicine.
"○I※▼?"
She helps the Secret Service woman drink it.
Though she coughs and chokes several times, she manages to finish it all.
Good. She seems okay.
Feeling a bit more at ease, I ask the local woman,
"Um, we want to leave this forest. Is there any way we can contact the outside world?"
"○△▲▼?"
The woman furrows her brow, looking puzzled.
Even with gestures, it’s hard to convey something so complex.
Different cultures mean different languages.
Different languages mean different gestures.
"I guess I’m no match for Ah-nee after all."
I understand now.
To escape this jungle, I first need to learn their language.
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