Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Hearing the well-coordinated dialogue between Maon and Najina, occasionally, Wozma and I would laugh and make comments.
We were heading home together.
In the town, many different people came and went. On Earth, too, people were divided by skin color and religion.
Conflict and bloodshed were not uncommon.
However, in this other world, there were also elves, gnomes, and beastmen.
I haven’t met them yet, but apparently there are dwarves too.
Even if they are of the same race, for example, there may be differences in interests or there may be times when resentment leads to hostility.
Thinking about it like that, even though we were a group of four people, we had only just met, isn’t it amazing that we get along so well?
….
“Well then, Genta, I’m heading home. I’m looking forward to some delicious bread again tomorrow. By the way, buddy, what are you going to do now?”
We returned to Maon’s house and spent the afternoon fixing her home.
Wozma, who had said he would be spending the day there, called out to Najina.
“Hmm, me? I don’t have anything in particular to do. That’s right… Okay, let’s clean up that area.”
Looking around, I found the only building that was left intact after the fire.
Najina-san replied as he found the stove that had been fastened.
“Oh, that’s not right, sir!”
“Well, that’s a piece of cake! Leave it to me.”
Despite Maon’s hesitation, he picked up the blanket he had brought with him.
Najina handed the backpack to Maon.
I walk towards the burnt ruins.
I felt bad for leaving that work to Najina alone.
I followed him to help clean up, but…
“Hehehe, big brother. This kind of thing… It’s all about the tricks. So, big brother, please take care of grandma’s things.”
“Huh?”
“We sold bread to so many people early in the morning, it’s quite tiring, let’s give her a little rest.”
I see… It was early in the morning, and maybe she didn’t get enough sleep because of the cold.
She was having a lively conversation with Najina just now, but there were times when fatigue and sleepiness suddenly come over her body.
It’s true that sales at the guild were busy, but I was working part-time at a convenience store.
I’ve worked the lunch shift before, so there were a lot of people there.
I understand the difficulty and pressure of waiting in line.
The pressure I felt when I first started working, it was quite mentally taxing. Of course, the physical fatigue is also a factor.
Considering the mental fatigue caused by the first rush, I think it would be best to let her rest, as Najina said.
“Maon-san, I’ll take Najina-san’s advice and go a little further. Let’s rest. You have a new blanket. Please lie down for a bit.”
“That’s good, ma’am. I’ve seen the sales this morning. The hard part is that it’s only the first day. So please continue selling bread as usual from tomorrow onwards without any fatigue.”
Wozma and I decided to let Maon take a rest.
Somehow she agreed.
“Genta-sama. I’ll give you a break, thank you.”
“Oh, there’s nothing to worry about here. In fact, Granny, you can even sleep scratching it!”
“Hey, sir! I’m a woman too! I won’t say that!”
“Hahaha, sorry about that, Granny. Well, don’t worry.”
Maon folded the silver mat in half and laid it in the barn.
Then she wrapped herself in the blanket.
“Ah, this blanket is so soft and warm…”
“Thanks to Grandpa Gnome. Get some rest. Maon-san, I think I’ll prepare dinner while I’m at it.”
For some reason, Maon-san suddenly looks lonely.
“Hey, Genta. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
“Huh?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
I don’t know…Maon-san seems a bit hesitant.
Let’s have dinner together… Right! I live alone near the university.
I often eat alone. However, there, we have television, so there are images and sounds, which help to reduce the feeling of loneliness.
But there is none here. So the night is dark and I feel even more alone.
There will be no sound and the feeling of loneliness will increase.
One of my friends from university said that food is not tasty when eaten alone.
I remember him complaining about how he came here from Oita Prefecture in Kyushu.
He was confused by the new life.
People have one heart. That one heart is filled with loneliness and being exposed to sadness hurts.
Maon here was burdened with the grief of losing her familiar home in a fire and must feel even more lonely.
The night is when the anxiety grows. Maon-san acts cheerful, but maybe it’s only possible now, when we’re here and the sun is out and it’s bright.
I don’t know. As the sun sets and the distance grows, she might feel anxious.
And I’m sure she would be trembling with loneliness. So I…
“Maon, let’s have dinner together. Not just the two of us, but everyone who helped us this time too. Call me along…. Leave the preparations to me!”
“Genta…”
“Now, you must be tired. The sun is high and it’s getting warm. It’s time to go to sleep, isn’t it? Please try it now.”
Maon-san seems to want to hide her tears as she wraps herself in a blanket.
She pulled the blanket over her head. Then, in a muffled voice,
“What the … so much… so much. Thank you for treating me well…”
“Me too, Maon-san.”
Good night, I said, and slowly closed the barn door.
She cried while she was left alone in the barn.
Najina, Wozma, and Genta walked awat, their voices suppressed.
Everyone is kind and nice.
Wrapped in the warm embrace, she soon fell asleep.
….
“You’re so kind… Genta.”
When I turned around, Wozma gently tapped me on the shoulder.
“Mr. Wozma…”
“Oh, it reminds me of my mom.”
Before I knew it, Najina, who had been nearby, was also there.
“She wakes up earlier than anyone else and always does her own thing last. Suddenly, I remembered something like that…”
There was a somber atmosphere, which was unusual for the usually energetic Najina.
“By the way, Wozma-san, thank you for spending so much time with me. I’m sorry. I’m afraid I kept your family waiting.”
“No, it’s still okay. But Maon is in a serious condition. She’s a lonely person, so if you keep her waiting she’ll fall asleep. So, I’m off now. See you, Genta.”
“Oh, wait a moment, Mr. Wozma. If you don’t mind, would you like to join us for dinner tonight? Of course, you can also bring your family. Thank you for coming… I think as a token of my appreciation. I’ll prepare it for you.”
“Oh… Genta’s… Of course I’ll accept the invitation. But is it okay?”
“Of course! Ah, but we don’t have any tables or chairs, or like yesterday, lay a rug on the ground… It makes me feel like… if that’s not rude…”
“That’s okay. You can buy food from outside. You’ll be eating outdoors, and best of all, they’ll even provide a mat. This way your clothes won’t get dirty with dirt, so it’s not rude.”
“That’s good, how much time do we need?”
“I think it would be good to do it around sunset… but is there anyone else? Is there anyone you’d like to call?”
“First off, Najina…”
“Yeah! I was worried what I’d do if you didn’t call me!”
Najina-san eagerly joined in on what I was saying.
“Then, the three people at the guild reception, Mia Alice-san. And finally, there’s the old gnome who runs the general store.”
“Well, I’m sure the old man is bored anyway. Do you have any alcohol, brother? If he hears that there is one, that old man will come rushing over.”
“In that case, I’ll call the guild receptionists. I can stop by on my way home.”
“Then I’ll be with Grandpa and Miss Mia Alice. Regardless of the old man, the young lady is probably taking a nap right now. I’ll go and say hello to the church after I clean up the hearth.”
As expected of partners, they easily divided up the work.
“Also, what kind of food do you like? And what kind of alcohol would be good?”
“Hmm? We are the 『Humans』, you know that, right? Well, if it’s like the bread you had for breakfast, I like everything. I like alcohol, though.”
“Miss Mia Alice is a cat beastkin, isn’t she? In that case, she would especially like fish. But fish are precious in this town. The only place to catch them is the river, but it’s muddy. It’s simply rare. It’s difficult to obtain and expensive.”
“The same can be said for alcohol. There is cheap alcohol, but it tastes strange. The herbs and herbs mixed in are unpleasant to the nose, and the wine is just a failure…”
“That’s right, Miss Sylphy is an elf. She doesn’t like things that are too spicy. On the other hand, I think she likes fruits and sweets. So if the wine is good, she will be pleased.”
“Also, the old man is a heavy drinker, so there is something like that, that would be good.”
They both gave me a lot of information.
The production and distribution circumstances unique to this town, or to another world, if this were Japan, the roads and other distribution networks would be in place.
That’s why there are convenience stores all over Japan.
You can buy familiar products at a fixed price.
However, in this other world, trucks for logistics is not something that is being run. It is carried by people, pulled by carts, and using a cart to transport things takes time and effort.
But I can bring products from Japan.
Let’s have dinner with Maon and the people who have helped me.
If that’s what you decide, what should you do?
I began to think about tonight’s dinner.
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