44 Conflict
25 minutes later, Yamada, Nakamura, Aizawa, and Inoue, each holding their respective caterpie, entered the meeting looking notably embarrassed, especially Aizawa and Inoue.
"Oh, you already catch it? Also, you made it this time, which means there's no additional punishment. Let your beasts come out first and come and sit down next to me," Kanraku said as he looked at them.
"Aye," the four of them responded, panting, then let the 4 caterpie come out, a few moments later. they found their seats.
Kanraku looked around at the people at the elongated table who sat in their specific groups. They were inside a large house close to their previous location.
"Now, since we're all gathered, let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm Kanraku Hiroshi from Nihon. I serve as the chairman of the Asian Alliance Association and am also a biologist currently delving into the existence of beasts," Kanraku introduced himself.
Silence fell upon the room.
Kanraku shot Yamada a stern look, prompting him to stand up, trembling slightly. "Hi... Kon'nichiwa everyone, my name... is... Yamada Yukihiro, from... Nihon. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." He quickly sat back down, appearing uneasy.
"Kon'nichiwa everyone... my name is... Nakamura... Yuto, from Nihon. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," the plump Nakamura introduced himself before swiftly reclaiming his seat.
"Kon'nichiwa, everyone. My name is Inoue Kazuki from Nihon. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," Inoue quickly stated and then sat.
"Kon'nichiwa, everyone... ah, um, my name... is Aizawa Haruko... from... Nihon. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," Aizawa mentioned, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze.
"Kon'nichiwa everyone, my name is Ryota… Suzuki Ryota, from… from Nihon, uhm, etto, I'm ten years old, yoroshiku onegaishimasu" Ryota blushed and took a seat.
Kanraku couldn't help but slap his forehead, apparently embarrassed by their collective performance.
Jonathan, leaning over to Bianca, joked, "Bianca, I think I found your relatives here."
Floyd smirked in amusement at the remark.
Bianca, caught off guard, simply blushed and lowered her head.
"Next," Kanraku prompted.
"My name is Chen Yu from the country of Long Dong. Nice to meet you all," a handsome man in his mid-20s introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Chen Xin from Long Dong. Chen Yu is my brother. Nice to meet you all," a young woman said, drawing several glances, which her brother Chen Yu countered with warning looks.
The introductions continued:
"My name is Li Qing..."
"My name is Xiao Yun..."
"Hu Tianyi..."
"Chu Weihao..."
"Xin Yuexin..."
"Li Zhengui..."
"Ren Mingzhe..."
Then, a man with glasses stood up. "My name is Kang Jihoon, from the country of Jo-a. Nice to meet you all."
Others from Jo-a followed:
"Park Taeyang..."
"Choi Yerin..."
"Jeon Seungmin..."
"Oh Jiwon..."
"Go Jisung..."
A striking woman took the floor, and crossed her arms, "My name is Le Mai Linh from Rong Xanh."
More from her group added their introductions:
"Nguyen Hoang Phong,"
"Pham Anh Quoc..."
"Hoang Mai Phuong..."
"Nguyen Thanh Cuong,"
"Huu Xuan Thao..."
"Nghiem Minh Tuan..."
Jonathan then rose to his feet, "My name is Perez, Jonathan from Maharlika. Nice to meet you."
The rest of his group followed suit:
"Lester, Floyd..."
"Quinto, Ivan..."
"Jimenez, Bianca..."
After everyone's introductions, Kanraku continued with the meeting.
After introductions, Kanraku stood. "Now that we've all introduced ourselves, remember why I gathered you all here?"
Kang Jihoon reflected on this. "Your plan and ambition are indeed grand. If successful in harmonizing beasts with humans, our names will be forever recorded in history, especially yours," he said, casting a thoughtful glance at Kanraku.
Chen Yu, on the other hand, voiced a concern. "But if we fail, we'll be labeled as traitors to humanity," he sighed.
"It's a bit late for doubts, don't you think?" Le Mai Linh remarked with a smirk.
"Well, considering our situation, what other choice do we have?" responded Chen Yu.
"I trust the Professor," Floyd chimed in confidently.
Le Mai Linh frowned at him. "Young lad, is it appropriate for you to chime in?"
Silence filled the room, reflecting the tension of her directness.
"What do you mean? Don't I have the right to reply?" Floyd questioned, wearing a puzzled expression.
"Tsk. You've only just arrived, and we barely know you. Yet you suddenly intervene as if you're one of the old hands here," Le Mai Linh retorted with disdain.
"All of us are equals here, right? If I said something inappropriate, then I apologize," Floyd replied, still unsure of his misstep.
Jonathan clapped Floyd reassuringly on the back. "Floyd, you shouldn't have apologized to her. You haven't done anything wrong."
Turning to Le Mai Linh, he added, "And you, just because you arrived before us doesn't mean you can look down on us. Drop the superiority complex. No matter who you were in your country, you are nothing here, you are no different from the rest of us. Your arrogance is truly disgusting."
"You... What did you say? I'm disgusting? That I am nothing? Do you have any idea who I am?" Le Mai Linh's voice crackled with indignation.
The rest of her group shot frosty looks in Jonathan's direction.
"What, I'm just speaking the truth; you are nothing here," Jonathan remarked, noting their gaze and snorting in response.
"You're overstepping! All I'm saying is that you should show some respect since your group is new here," Le Mai Linh retorted.
"Why? Is there a rule dictating that?" Jonathan shot back, visibly irritated.
"Do you not know of the unspoken rule?" Le Mai Linh said with a snort.
Others around them sighed. While there wasn't a formal rule, there was indeed an understood, unspoken one.
"I believe we all need to remain calm..." Kanraku tried to mediate, but was quickly drowned out by the escalating disagreement.
"Oh, so you really labeling us as the 'new' ones. Then what does that make you? An 'old' woman?" Jonathan shot back, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"You shit, what did you say!" Le Mai Linh rose, her face contorted with anger.
Several women in the room, sensing the direction this was heading, threw icy glances at Jonathan.
"Guys," Kanraku attempted to intercede, but the clamor continued unabated.
"So, you are implying that I'm old?" Le Mai Linh snapped,
"Did you not say we're 'new', what's the opposite of new, isn't 'old?" Jonathan smug.
"And look at you, standing there, so smug, your nostril, you look like a hippopotamus!" Le Mai Linh rebut.
"You…"Jonathan was about to retort, but Floyd pulled him back, whispered "Jonathan, let it go. Rise above it. We're here as adults, not squabbling kids. If she wants respect, let's just give it to her."
One of Le Mai Linh's group members also pulled her to one side.
Floyd persisted, his voice low, "Just let her words roll off you. Remember why we're here. Stay focused."
"But she had the gall to call me a hippopotamus!" Jonathan grumbled, still glaring at Le Mai Linh, who retaliated by silently mouthing 'hippopotamus' back at him.
Before he could mouth back 'old woman,' she had already turned away.
"Le… Mai… Linh," Jonathan emphasized her name one by one silently, his eyes narrowed, "We're not finished."
"Have you calmed down now?" Floyd inquired gently.
"Fine," Jonathan responded, albeit reluctantly.
"Is everyone settled?" Kanraku sighed. "Let's move on. Our plan for the coming month is straightforward. The majority of the berries are set to ripen this autumn, and we need to harvest them. But the Kemonohaji forest is a bit large, so we need scouts to cover each sector. Here, take a look at this sample map. Yamada-san?"
"Aye, everyone," Yamada responded. Alongside Inoue, Nakamura, and Aizawa, they started distributing maps to each group.
"Study the map. Kame Village covers just a bit over 3.5 square kilometers, excluding the sea area. The Kemonohaji Forest alone covers nearly 2.98 square kilometers, making up over 85% of the village," Kanraku elaborated.
The attendees examined the map while taking in Kanraku's explanation, realizing that Kame Village was a mere segment of the larger Takihama Islands.
"Of the Kemonohaji forest's 2.98 square kilometers, we've claimed only 0.8 so far. The marked areas on your map show the territories we currently occupy. Our immediate goal is to focus on harvesting the berries in this designated region," Kanraku summarized.
...
AN: I'm prepared to be scolded by people for the names I've made. Come on, go for it. I'll take it.
