Kays Translations

Chapter 36. Longing for a Truckers’ Hitch

“Yes, I’ve confirmed it,”  

Mathilda-san is as fast and accurate as ever in her work

It seems the mugwort-like herb I brought with me has been delivered safely. That’s good.

Though I left it overnight, I stored it immediately after harvesting in a green bag I had bought at the 100-yen store. It helps keeps their freshness. Japan’s technology is amazing! it’s not possible to stop time for vegetables, but with this, you can do something close to delaying it.

And, being able to reuse this bag several times is a huge plus. They are more expensive than regular plastic bags though, so I use them carefully.

However, the number of these green bags has decreased recently. Like really decreased—about half of what it used to be. I often buy what I thought was the same as before, and then when I get home I’m surprised to find that the number of bags inside is not like before.

I often use them but don’t buy them that often, so I decided to buy some ziplock bags for the first time in a while, and had to take a double look at them in the store .

Isn’t that half the quantity?

I thought. And the thickness has drastically decreased. Everything seems to be getting thinner and thinner. Isn’t the only thing that is better the thinner it is, gold leaf?

Oh? What happened to the bear?

　When I woke up, it wasn’t there.

　Even though it was the outcome I wanted, I was still scared in a way.

The feeling was like when I went to bed and woke up to find that the black devil I had killed during the night but could not bring myself to touch had vanished—I wanted to shout, “You’re still alive, you little!,” and I want to know as quickly as possible where it went.

But well, I slept soundly and I feel fine. I’m glad the bruises weren’t too bad.

And then—

“Yesterday, I heard a Mad Bear appeared along the forest path,”  

“Ah, and it was a big one, right? Why did it show up there…”  

“Good thing it was taken down quickly,”  

Were the kind of conversations I overheard among adventurers at the Adventurers’ Guild.

It seems It’s not the kind of monster that usually appears. That’s right. I haven’t heard that the forest is that dangerous. It’s the kind of forest where beginners gather medicinal herbs.

I’d heard that only horned rabbits and some insect-type monsters appear in shallow areas, but I’ve never encountered them myself.

So, when I came to deliver the goods, Mathilda was very glad about my safe return.

For herb-gathering requests, I usually deliver them the same evening I accept them. Since I accepted the request around midday yesterday, it’s understandable that I’d deliver them the next day.

When she thought I wouldn’t come today, it seems that news came in that the Mad Bear had been defeated.

I’m sorry for making you worry, but It’s somewhat nice knowing there’s someone who cares about me.

Can I get away with giving sweets as a tip to the receptionist? Probably, yes.

But I can’t think of any sweets that seem appropriate—something that’s not too out of place but still somewhat tasty.  

Maybe I could rewrap all those moonlight cookies’ packaging and give her those? But even then, their shape is too perfect, and they’re ridiculously delicious for their price. I love them.

Could I maybe make a treat using ingredients I have here?

While my thoughts wandered a bit, I watch Mathilda handle the completion of the request.  

While she’s at it, I ask her to check if there are any other requests from Nia Farm still open.

“It’s available. Hehe. And he said he’d like you to come again, though it’s not a specific request,” she replies.

Great. I’ll take it.

While heading to work, I wonder if I can ask Dawn-san about the seed situation here. If he doesn’t know, I’ll just visit the Agriculture Guild.

For now, my immediate goal is to produce vegetables that Luna can eat. I want to set aside enough for myself, and if I have any left over,  I want to sell them and make a little money.  

My aim is to become somewhat like a semi-farmer, semi-adventurer, and eventually focus more on farming in the future.

　I’ll have to try growing vegetables with the seeds from these vegetables without using green magic or with Luna’s green magic to see if Luna can eat them. It’ll probably be fine though.

“It’s Saki! What a relief!”

When I arrive at Nia Farm, Dawn-san greets me with a big smile.  

He has a huge smile on his face—like he’s excited to have recruited a new worker. Seeing him so happy makes me a little nervous, just now realizing how tough the job is, and I plaster on a strained smile.

I return his greeting and ask,  

“How’s your back?”  

He leans back and says,  

“Actually, it doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s healed!”  

That’s good. Having a sore back is really painful. When I wake up, my first task in the morning is to figure out how to get out of bed in the least amount of way possible.

There seems to be a lot of work to do at Nia Farm today as well.

When I ask Dawn-san for instructions, he says,  

Setting up the supports is the top priority, but there are also many seedlings they want to plant.  

They also said that there is small work to be done, such as repairing nets that have been blown away or torn off by strong winds, and guiding seedlings that have grown a little larger than the rest.

For now, let’s get to work.

Though I’m still a bit shaken from yesterday, I slept well, so physically I’m fine.  

Mentally, I think it’s best to keep moving my body and hands at times like this.

I start blindly setting up supports. To connect the supports, I need to tie them with string, but I’m not very good at it…

There is a way to tie the supports in a crisscross pattern called a  “mans knot,”  but I can only do it slowly. 

I really admire people who can do ropework quickly. I managed to learn how to tie a bowline knot and a taut-line hitch, but no matter how many times I tried to tie the truckers hitch, my favorite knot, it just didn’t feel right.

And no matter how many times I see that trick of loading luggage onto a truck and quickly securing it, it still looks like magic.

Even so, if I keep practicing, I start to get the hang of it. Tying knots is about familiarity; if I don’t keep at it, I forget. Doing it helps you remember.

My work gets faster, and I was starting to think that it might be time to call me a pro at setting supports soon, when Milia-san calls my name.

I wonder what today’s snack will be. I’m kind of looking forward to it.

And, during break, I think I might ask a little question too.

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