Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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The old woman introduced herself as Maon. The two of us were in the barn, wiping off the wet areas with the towel. It was important to do it quickly so we wouldn’t catch a cold.
After calming down a bit, Maon-san introduced herself, so I also introduced myself with my first name Genta for the time being.
Since Maon-san only gave her first name, I felt embarrassed to give my surname. I was worried that giving my first and last name at the same time might cause some inconvenience.
Since in Japan, up until the Edo period, only those of samurai rank or higher were allowed to use surnames. The system in this world was unknown, but let’s not be rash. There may be some kind of qualification or title required to use a surname.
I didn’t want to give my last name because I didn’t want to be found guilty of lèse majesté[1] or something like that if I was found giving my last name.
….
Occasionally, the sound of thunder rumbled and heavy rain could be heard, but you could also hear the intensity and pattern of the rain changing from time to time.
After all, it was just a barn surrounded by boards. The sounds from outside were transmitted directly through it. The sound of heavy rain hitting the roof from above came from the far wall, and after a while, the sound started from behind me. It was not just the rain outside the barn, but a strong wind was blowing as well. It didn’t just blow in one direction but was constantly changing rapidly.
It’s rare to be able to feel a sudden thunderstorm so close to you, and on your skin. It’s a different story if you’re standing outside wearing a raincoat, but if you’re just living your normal life, you don’t often get the chance to experience such a thing.
The reason why wind direction changed so drastically was that when it suddenly rains in one place, the temperature on the ground drops suddenly. This causes a sudden change in the temperature difference between that place and the sky above, which then changes the balance between the sky and the ground in another place where it hasn’t yet rained. The wind and clouds that blow in there also create guerrilla clouds.
And so, until the extreme temperature difference and humidity between the sky and the ground subside, the localized rain will continue…or so I thought, a baseless theory based on my own experience of the sudden thunderstorm that I had experienced for the past ten minutes, separated only by a board.
After wiping off our wet clothes and exposed skin around our necks, we regained our composure. She thanked me again for helping her up, and then… little by little, we began to talk about ourselves.
“Yesterday… I don’t know who it was, but two men started fighting in front of my house…”
Maon-san spoke sadly about what happened yesterday.
“It started out as just a simple argument, but it got more intense and one of them pulled out a weapon… and the other one used a fire spell…”
“…magic…”
“…and it hit my house and caused a fire…”
Was there magic in this world?
To be honest, it was something I longed for. However, it was this magic that burned down Maon’s house…
“Who used that magic…?”
“As soon as the fire started, he ran away… and so did the other one. I escaped, so my life was spared… but the house and everything else burned down.”
He set someone’s house on fire and then ran away without doing anything to help?! If it was a quiet time of day or if it was difficult to notice, people could have died if they hadn’t been able to escape in time…
“In the end, I never found out who did it. Was it a drifter, a mercenary, or an adventurer? Being able to use magic is rare, so it should have made you stand out in this area, but… that is completely unknown…”
“You don’t know?”
Maon nodded.
“I have no idea who they are… Maybe they’re new to town…”
“Is that so…”
It seems like it’s going to be difficult to track down the culprit…
….
“That’s a dark story… Now tell me about Genta.”
Maon-san turned to me and talked while sitting back down on the replacement wooden box.
“Ah, yes. I just arrived in this town. I’m just a student…”
“A student… so does that mean you go to an academy? Or an academy in the western commercial city?”
Maon leaned forward excitedly.
“Besides, I’ve never seen anything like that before … it was incredibly high quality and soft… Genta, are you a noble or something to be able to use something like that?”
“N-no, I’m not a noble at all… My family runs a small shop in a village in the mountains, and we also have a few fields…”
“But it’s not easy to get into an academy, right? First of all, you need money…”
“In my hometown, everyone goes to school at a certain age. It’s rare for children to work.”
How should I explain about Japan? I don’t want to be too obvious, but I don’t want to lie as well.
“Everyone? Even if you’re not an adult yet, even children can help out with the farm work, so why don’t you do it?”
Maon-san went to sleep with a puzzled look on her face. Perhaps in this world, children were also considered to be part of the workforce.
And if they don’t do that, they may not be able to make a living.
“No, I don’t. Also, my hometown is mostly mountains and deep forests. There are few flat, liveable areas, and the land is poor, so there are limitations to what you can do.”
“If the land is poor, will it produce less crops?”
“Yes. It depends on the crop, but there are many that are almost impossible to grow, and the biggest worry is that there are few people to take over.”
“You say there is no successor… then what about the fields…?”
“Most of the people who are protecting farmland now are elderly people.”
There was a TV program in which certain national idols were involved in farming and other activities, but even these people, who had a young image, were mostly in their 40s. In rural areas, it was common for farmers to be in their 60s or 70s. The reality was that these people were the ones who were keeping Japan’s food on the table.
“Working in the fields must be hard when you’re older… But what do the young people do? You’re not just playing around, are you?”
“No, most people make money by making things and selling them. Then they receive a salary… well… you see, this is what they receive to live.”
“I see… so many people become artisans or merchants… but if that’s the case, even children can work outside of the fields. They could become apprentices or errand boys for artisans or merchants.”
“The truth is, in our homeland, not only is the soil barren, but there isn’t much ore either. That’s why we hone our skills, buy ore from other countries, and use it to make various things, which we then sell both within the country and abroad.”
“I see,” Maon nodded, glancing at the towel in her hand. Perhaps she sensed Japanese craftsmanship in this towel.
“For that reason, we will teach them how to read, write, and do arithmetic from a young age. They will use this as a basis for learning various things. Then, at the age of 15, they will decide what they want to do from now on.”
“Fifteen years old… that’s the age for the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Coming of Age Ceremony…?”
“Huh? Genta. You know, it’s the coming-of-age ceremony. At 15, you’re a grown-up. After all, some girls have children and have to work and support their families at that age.”
Wow… that went by quickly. Getting married at 15 and having a child… I don’t even have a girlfriend… I feel a huge sense of defeat.
“I see. In our country, you become an adult at 20. However, the law has changed recently, and in a few years the age of adulthood will be 18. Going back to what I was saying earlier, school ends at 15. Some people go on to further education, and there are also vocational schools…um, schools where you can learn craftsmanship, cooking, or other skills.”
“Genta, did you come from somewhere really far away? Around here, even if you’re from a different country, the age of adulthood is the same for everyone. If that’s not the case, it must have been difficult for you.”
Maon looked at me as if I were her grandchild who had come to see her after enduring hardships. I felt a warmth in her eyes as she repeatedly said, “It must have been really hard for you,” but at the same time, I felt anger that such a good person had her residence taken away from her for such an unreasonable reason and was now living in grief.
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[1] Lèse-majesté, from the French for “injured majesty,” is an offense or defamation against the dignity of a ruling head of state or the state itself, essentially an act of treason against a monarch.