The Stupid Cannon Fodder is Stunning Today

Chapter 3: Midsummer

Everything else could wait until later. 

---

Fiamma's son was a strange boy. 

After his head injury, the child was quieter than he should be. 

It was concerning, at first, to see a boy who was once so rambunctious and loud turn quiet and reserved. 

But Toby was a good boy. While he spoke so little now, he made it up with his hard work and his kindness. 

Ula smiled as she watched the way the boy held her daughter. 

The children have been gravitating toward him since midsummer. They liked the way he listened and the way he engaged with them. He allowed them to drag him around, and he was patient. Whatever the children wanted, be that a game, a treat, or companionship, he generously gave them their heart desires. 

No child was like Toby. He was like a little adult, and while Ula found that sad, especially after his father's disappearance, Fiamma might have appreciated his maturity. 

Several of the mothers squealed at the sight of Toby holding her daughter. 

He was every bit like a kitten as he made rumbling noises to settle down her baby. 

But then the other children noticed and they wanted Toby's attention as well.

There was a hint of unwillingness in the boy's eyes as he handed her daughter back to her.

Ula made a mental note to talk to Fiamma about babysitting duties. 

---

The frost melted and spring had come. 

Gradually, the villagers started to leave the community hut.

Nine and his new mother moved back to theirs. 

"Toby."

A gentle voice called beside him. 

It was dark out and Nine was watching the sky in a daze. 

The moon was so bright. He had not seen the bright moon in months. 

"Are you watching the stars?" The woman asked with a smile. 

Nine shook his head.

He was watching the moon. 

The woman sighed. It wasn't a sad sigh, rather, she sounded wistful. "Those are ancient lights, Toby. Even when you're old and grey, they will still be there." 

Nine peered into the darkness, at the stars. 

Stars were... irrelevant in the interstellar age. 

Space travel had made them insignificant. Their beauty, their light, it didn't matter in the face of war and technological advancement. 

But from where he stood, the stars shined brighter than anything Nine had ever seen. 

---

Summer was drawing close and Nine was once again working as a mouser. 

He stared at the group of children without a word, then turned to Eru with a look of betrayal.

Eru laughed. 

"Come on, Toby. They're your apprentices now." 

The children were staring at him in awe. 

There were four of them. Two were twins, sons of the baker. One was the son of a herdsman, and another belonged to a family of seamstresses.