Chapter 62

Chapter 62

062: Extra – New Year’s Holiday –

There’s no New Year in this world.

In the first place, there are no national holidays.

There are a few festivals that look like a no-holds-barred party, but not all soldiers like Rodo can take a day off.

The same could be said for Ruu and the other magicians, and so are the healers.

They’d take turns patrolling and guarding so they can’t take a day off that much.

Seems like some people would go off once in a while, but they’d be severely rebuked later.

I don’t know if it’s just Marihect or it’s the same with other countries, but there are seasons, though there are only subtle changes.

──the only difference is whether you’re wearing a little thicker or lighter clothes.

When listening to the environment and customs I was in, Rodo would always listen with a mysterious face.

Seems like there’s no such thing as a 'school where everyone learns the same content” in this world, and it’s divided into “people who aim to be soldiers”, “people who aim to be magicians”, and “people who aim to be healers.” It seems like what’s taught is also different.

It’s like a vocational school from the beginning.

There are also no compulsory education and some people can’t read or write.

Most of the lessons are given in the barracks and towers since there are no facilities like schools.

There are many practical exercises and they rarely stay on a desk.

Especially when it comes to soldiers.

Magicians also only spent a short time going to the desk and most memorize chants.

There seems to be a spellbook, but it’s so expensive that newcomers won’t touch it.

I also heard that the Chief Magicians manage it.

…I was shown it once, but I wasn’t sure what’s written inside.

It looks like technical books having many technical terms is the same in every world.

So for chanting, I just have to repeat after Ruu and try to remember it.

By the way, I couldn’t understand the difference in magic power consumption between when I cast magic by chanting and when I just imagined it.

Since the activation time is long, I thought it’s better to just imagine it.

When I asked Ruu if my magical power had decreased, he just told me that I had too much to tell.

Even if I remember the chants, I might not be able to use them.

Next time, I should start studying as a healer.

I wasn’t sure whom I would learn from, but the Third Corps healer was the one I’d seen the most so I decided to ask him.

I heard that the healers in the First and Second Corps Barracks are the best, but they’re far from home.

If I ask a healer to teach me, it’d be hard to attend their class.

But I don’t like living away from Rodo.

When I asked him to teach me how to study as a healer, the Third Corps healer──Noma nodded

Noma is…at first glance, a man of unknown age with a cold impression.

He’s a bit less muscular, and should be in the thin category in this world, I think?

…but he’s definitely more muscular than me.

He had a beautiful face, slender eyes, unchanging cold facial expression, and doesn’t speak much.

I didn’t even have the impression of him yelling, unlike Ren, who’s quick to scream.

My image of him is that he’s calm and works silently.

Unlike the King, I don’t feel scared because of his race.

Because Noma is from the cat family.

The pattern on his ears and tail looked like a wildcat.

I want to pet him and my hands unconsciously got excited, but it’s unlikely because I haven’t even said what I wanted.

…will he let me stroke it someday?

However, other than Rodo, the only ones I stroked were his parents, Sato and Al, when they’re beastified, and Ren’s ears, when he’s humanized.

The rest are pre-humanized children in town.

Well, that’s already plenty…

Right now in Japan, it’s around New Year.

The beginning of the year in this world is the day of the harvest festival, which is a must every year.

In other words, not now.

Is it because it’s been less than a year since I came to this world that I still want to spend the New Year?

I want to eat Toshikoshi soba (new year’s even noodles).

But there’s no soba in this world.

There’s no noodle itself.

But there’s something similar to wheat flour that would only be kneaded and baked. There seems to be no custom of cutting it into small pieces.

The people in this world might not be good at detailed work in general.

It’s impossible to make soba, but if it’s similar to udon, I might be able to make it.

Of course, I don’t know how to make it for real, and there’s no guarantee that my method would work.

During this time, I made awkward dumplings, but Rodo was happy to eat them, so he should like eating udon noodles, right?

It’s been about a month since we got married, but I haven’t studied cooking yet.

We’d often eat in the cafeteria so I have to increase my repertoire.

…there’s so much to learn.

────

──

(Is it like this?)

I removed the plank and checked the dough.

There’s no vinyl in this world, so I used cloth instead.

I sandwiched it between boards and stepped on it.

I was hesitant to just step directly on the cloth, but Rodo got the planks from somewhere.

Whenever I was cooking, he was always wandering behind.

I even called out, “Are you injured?” or “Would you like to help?”

To be honest, it’s a little disturbing.

Because, even if I say help, Rodo can’t cook, so the most he could help me with is heavy lifting.

Even so, if I asked him to mix something, his strength would be too great and it’d all fly around. As a result, there’s nothing left on the bowl since it’s all on the tableware. And when I asked him to cut hard vegetables, he’d even chop off the cutting board.

In other words, he didn’t help at all.

It’s also a problem that he’d distract me whenever I’m holding a knife.

If I asked him to wash dishes, all would be crushed.

I was convinced that he hadn’t done any housework until now.

He’s so clumsy that it made me want to laugh.

He’s quite different from when he was working as a soldier.

…but I think him being like this is cute.

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When I saw him screaming with a broken plate, I couldn’t help myself.

While remembering such a cute Rodo, I stretched the dough thinly.

Truthfully, there should be more steps but I’m not familiar with it.

If I can make something similar, I’d be happy with that.

The food in this world is basically stir-fried.

After that, either baked or boiled.

There seems to be no concept of steaming.

Maybe it’s just that such cuisine isn’t available.

I asked Rodo, but he didn’t seem to know how to cook.

(Let’s cook chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard) next time.)

Since I’ve made it during cooking practice, I can make it somehow.

(Is it like this?)

There’s no dried bonito in this world.

I used some seaweeds resembling kelp for the dashi stock.

Besides that, I’m making the dashi stock by adding roasted small fish that has been dried overnight and boiling it. I don’t know in detail how to make the dashi, but this feels quite right.

I adjusted the taste with salt and I’m done.

I want soy sauce but I can’t make it.

Then boil the noodles and combine them with the dashi stock.

Put the edible wild plant tempura I made on top and it’s done.

“Sorry for the wait.”

When I carried the udon noodles, Rodo took them from me.

“Delicious.”

“That’s good.”

I don’t know if he really felt that way.

Because he’d always smile and say that whatever I make is delicious.

I took out the other dishes and I’m glad when the food I cooked was eaten slowly.

After we finished eating, I didn’t have to do anything special.

I don’t feel like moving during the New Year.

When I was in Japan, this was a time when I didn’t do my daily routine and just watched TV in a daze.

There are no machines in this world and no place for entertainment.

Is it because their childhood is shorter compared to their lifespan and they’re in beast form?

The children’s playgrounds are only large areas such as open spaces.

Adults either drink or go to a place like the red light district or work…something like that.

Rodo participates in training even on his days off and it seems like Ruu and the other magicians do the same.

…these workaholics.

I heard that there’s no death from overwork, and I wonder if that’s because their bodies are sturdy from birth.

I can’t keep up.

Because my room was a Japanese-style room, even in this house, I’d often lay around on the floor and when I went to the sofa, I’d be picked up by Rodo.

Then taken to the bath like that.

Even since we got married, we’ve been in the same bath and bed.

Even though I said I can take a bath alone, Rodo wouldn’t listen.

Moreover, he’d often wash me.

While washing, I’d get tired and he’d take me to bed and embrace me.

I’ve gotten used to being embraced during this one month, no longer feeling oppressed or painful at the beginning, but rather pleasant.

…not that I don’t feel any pain at all.

As a beginner, I knew it’d be painful to be embraced by Rodo, and now that we’re married, no matter how painful it was, I didn’t hate it.

An environment where I don’t have to think “if I get caught…” is not stressful.

I’m very happy now that I’m in the happiness I’ve given up.