{"id":501,"date":"2026-01-25T21:32:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/?p=501"},"modified":"2026-01-27T22:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:51:11","slug":"kawagoe-kunoichi-detective-agency%e2%91%a2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/?p=501","title":{"rendered":"Kawagoe Kunoichi Detective Agency\u2462"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u21d2\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u306f\u3053\u3061\u3089\u3092\u30af\u30ea\u30c3\u30af\u3057\u3066\u306d\uff01<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Strange Meeting by the Water<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A baby tiger?<\/em> Natsuki thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It looked just like the tiger cub she had once seen at the zoo with her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman came out of the water, holding the little tiger close to her chest. She was not wearing any clothes at all. She sat down on the grass by the shore, stretched out her legs, leaned back on her hands, and let her long hair fall behind her. She looked up at the sun, squinting happily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked very beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natsuki found herself staring.
Beside her, the Director whispered in a small voice,
\u201cShe has such long, lovely legs\u2026\u201d
She sounded just a little bit jealous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the woman moved her legs, the tiger cub played around them like a kitten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo cute,\u201d Natsuki murmured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the very next moment, both snakes froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From between the bamboo trees ahead of them, a huge wild beast appeared. It looked like a tiger\u2014but it was twice as big as any tiger Natsuki had ever seen. Long fangs stuck out like sharp swords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two snakes, high up in the tree, shouted at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWatch out! Run!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA tiger! A tiger\u2019s coming!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman heard their voices and looked around in surprise, but she did not panic. Holding the cub, she calmly walked toward the giant beast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo! It\u2019s dangerous!\u201d Natsuki cried with all her might.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beast let out a deep growl\u2014but instead of attacking, it rubbed its huge body against the woman, just like a cat asking for affection. The frightening sound was not a roar at all. It was a gentle purr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you feeling well?\u201d the woman asked softly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she lifted the cub onto the beast\u2019s neck and, with a cheerful little jump, climbed onto its back herself, as if she were riding a horse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natsuki could hardly believe her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The light-blue snake, whose belly was now quite round, cried out in surprise and nearly fell from the tree. She quickly wrapped her tail around a branch and dangled there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman laughed happily on the tiger\u2019s back, then noticed the blue snake swaying in the branches. She climbed down and walked over, looking curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWere you the one calling out to me?\u201d she asked.
\u201cMy, what a lovely color you have. But you do look a little plump. Teehee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She gently poked the Director\u2019s round belly with her finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Director, still hanging awkwardly from the branch, looked deeply hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell! You\u2019re a bit too plump yourself!\u201d she snapped.
\u201cThin ladies are popular these days, you know. And your chest is rather\u2026 generous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman looked down at herself, clearly not understanding what the Director meant. She tilted her head slightly, then carefully picked up the blue snake and placed her on the branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can talk too,\u201d she said kindly.
\u201cJust like the green snake. And what a cute thing you\u2019re wearing on your head. What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hat,\u201d the Director replied proudly.
\u201cIt suits me, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA hat? Why do you wear it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell\u2026 for fashion. And to protect from the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFashion? The sun?\u201d the woman asked, puzzled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natsuki, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can talk too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman noticed her and smiled brightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh my! How adorable. Such a small little snake. And look\u2014there\u2019s a pattern on your chest. A kitty\u2019s face! With whiskers! How sweet!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natsuki puffed out her chest proudly, and the tip of her tail swayed.
But then she remembered why she had come here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm\u2026 you\u2019re Eve\u2026 Eve, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, I am,\u201d the woman said.
\u201cYou know me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course we do,\u201d the Director said quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natsuki felt she should introduce herself properly, so she spoke as best she could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy name is Natsuki. I\u2019m from Japan. I\u2019m in sixth grade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNatsuki\u2026 Japan? Sixth grade?\u201d Eve said gently.
\u201cI\u2019m afraid I don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realizing this was not helping, Natsuki asked her biggest question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen I have a question. Eve, why did you eat the apple?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn apple?\u201d Eve asked.
\u201cEat it? Is it tasty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seemed they were not understanding each other at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just then, a man\u2019s voice called out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEve! What are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Director and Natsuki knew at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There could be no other man in Eden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They looked toward the voice and screamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEek!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man approaching them was not wearing anything at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no hands and no eyelids, there was no way for two snakes to look away. Feeling awkward, they fixed their eyes on his face instead. He looked kind and gentle, with a full beard covering his cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, Adam,\u201d Eve said cheerfully.
\u201cThese are my new friends. Um\u2026 Natsuki and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIchiko,\u201d said the Director, giving her real name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNice to meet you,\u201d Natsuki said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can talk too?\u201d Adam said in surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSee?\u201d Eve said proudly.
\u201cI told you! That green snake really did talk!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHm,\u201d Adam said thoughtfully.
\u201cI wonder\u2026 Did God make snakes able to speak too? It seems a bit strange\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Director explained smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe come from a very faraway place. We heard the Garden of Eden was beautiful, so we came to see it. It truly is wonderful. May we stay here for a little while?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve\u2019s face lit up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, how lovely! I\u2019ve wanted someone to talk to. Adam has been so busy taking care of the garden lately. Please\u2014can they stay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam smiled brightly and nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course. This garden belongs to God, after all. I\u2019m just taking care of it. The more work I put into it, the more it grows. I want to make it bigger and better. I\u2019m so thankful to God for giving me such a wonderful world and such an important role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natsuki leaned toward the Director and whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t stay too long\u2026 My mom will worry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right,\u201d the Director whispered back.
\u201cOne day in this world is only about one minute in your world. Even a whole month here would be less than half an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh! Then it\u2019s okay,\u201d Natsuki said, relieved.
\u201cI\u2019ll think of it like a trip to Hawaii. I didn\u2019t bring a swimsuit, though\u2026 but I guess I don\u2019t need one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked at her snake body and shook her head with a small laugh.
Her worries drifted away, replaced by excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, one whole week in Eden passed\u2014
like a beautiful dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please feel free to leave a comment\uff01<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u21d2\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u306f\u3053\u3061\u3089\u3092\u30af\u30ea\u30c3\u30af\u3057\u3066\u306d\uff01 A Strange Meeting by the Water A baby tiger? Natsuki thought. It looked just like the tiger […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-novels"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=501"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":518,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions\/518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}