Kays Translations

Chapter 11: Hurdles.

　

When I told them about the toilet issue , they agreed with me with open arms. I didn’t need to mention bathing, collecting fish, or any other usefulness.

“It’s a pressing issue, and we’ll go down to the river now.”

“From here to the river, it was about three minutes to the east. I walked carefully at that time, so I think the distance is about 100m.”

Just to be safe, we all took what we thought might be weapons and stood at the edge of the boundary.

“Then I should set the minimum width of the site at 10 meters and widen it.”

When I ask that question,  Sasamiya-san immediately answers.

“With a width of 10 meters, that would give us a path of 120 meters.”

“Oh, that’s pretty close, isn’t it?”

When I extend the boundary in the direction of the river, the trees within the range quickly disappear. The land seems to be less undulating, and once I had a clear view, I was able to visually confirm the river. I feel like we can manage to reach it this way.

“It’s pretty close when you look at it like this, It seemed like there was more distance then. ……”

“We had to be on the lookout for the surrounding area, and the visibility was poor due to trees and vegetation.”

“I see. Let’s head for the river anyway.”

The three of us proceeded toward the river and arrived there in less than two minutes. The end of the boundary ended just on the other side of the river. If sunrise and sunset are the same as in Japan, the river flows from the north to the south.

“Hey, the river water must pass through the boundary.”

“How does it work that the trees disappear but the river stays the same?”

“I don’t know the reason, but we can’t do it without this degree of convenience.”

“Well, it’s a good result, anyway, I’ll fix the barrier.”

Imagining the site being fixed, the barrier that was blinking until now returns to normal.

Now the land in the village is much larger. It is a 20m x 20m square land centered on the house and a 10m x 120m rectangular land extending from there to the river to the east.

When fixing, the shape around the house was changed from a circle to a square. This is to increase the land as much as possible.

“For the time being, we will use this river for bathing, washing, and using the toilet. Fortunately, the water looks clean and flows well. It will flow well.”

(Sorry if there are people living downstream ……)　

I thought about that and returned home after admiring the river for a while.

“I was glad to have the river nearby. It makes life a lot less stressful.”

‘Yes, it’s also quite reassuring to have an extra safe zone.”

“What should we do after this?”

“That’s right. Sasamiya-san, I’d like you to maintain your kitchen garden. Toudou-san, please fill the bathtub and bucket with water.”

Once the water source was secured, we quickly moved on to our next move. The next step was supposed to be….

“By the way, Keisuke-san?”

“Yes?”

I was surprised when she suddenly called me by my name.

“I know this is sudden, but from now on, when we call each other, why don’t we use each other’s names?”

“I don’t mind, but is there something on your mind?”

“Mentally, I want to shorten the distance between us a little more.”

（I see. There is no reason to refuse.)

“Yes. I was talking about that with Sakura-san at the river earlier.”

“Then, from now on, I’ll call you by your names, Tsubaki-san, Sakura-san”

It’s a little embarrassing, but i’ll get used to it. I’m not too old to move like that now.

“Ah, please take care of us, um village chief.”

“It’s quite a difficult hurdle to say.”

“Nice to meet you, Keisuke-san.”

“Keisuke-san, thank you very much.”

It turned out to be like an unexpected social gathering, but after finishing lunch, everyone went back to their work. I also went to pick up firewood, which is my responsibility.

(……, I’ve got to shorten the distance between us…)

As I was diligently gathering firewood, I thought back to our earlier exchange. This is outside the boundaries, of course, and I am alert to my surroundings.

Sakura can use the precious water magic method and has a wealth of otherworldly knowledge. She also offers sound advice here and there and is not flirtatious in her remarks. Above all, she has that extremely high loyalty value.

Tsubaki is a farmer by profession. She will be a valuable asset later on. She has no otherworldly knowledge, but she is very quick-witted. She is not very assertive at the moment, but she is thoughtful and cooperative.

It is unknown how many transients we will encounter in the future, but people like the two of them are very valuable. On the other hand, there are likely to be a lot of people who are not so good……

(I’ll talk about that tonight, too. If they have this much credibility, they’ll probably be fine…….)

I spent about two hours picking up firewood, and gathered a good amount of branches under the eaves of the house. When I returned to the house, Sakura and Tsubaki were organizing the food.

‘Thank you both for your hard work.”

“Oh, Keisuke-san, we’re almost finished here too.”

“As you said, I put everything in the spare room.”

“I see. Then it’s a little early, but let’s get ready for dinner.”

It was only 3:00 p.m., but there was no electricity at night, so we moved early.

“I’m going to use all the meat and eggs I have in the fridge. It would be a shame to let it go to waste. Let’s cook some rice and have a big dinner.”

“Oh!

They  were both happy because every time we had a simple meal. 

“I’ll make the fire, so you two take care of the rice and meat prep. We can use vegetables from the vegetable garden. I have a Dutch oven in storage, so you can use that to cook the rice.”

“Like a heavy pot?”

“Yes, you’ll know it when you see it.”

The firewood seemed to work fine. I started a small fire with my fire starter and made a simple furnance.

–Well, it’s going to be a fun dinner tonight.

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