Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Ossan, dreams about the past

Osako Satoshi was summoned to a room on the 20th floor of a modern building; the townscape reflecting on the polarized tempered glass. The company executives sitting on the table were all looking at him with stern expressions.

He well knew the reason why he was directed to come. The legal battle in which the two companies fought over the patent’s rights had just ended a few days prior and the company he worked for had won. The cause of dispute, however, was his sister Osako Reimi*, who leaked the program that was commissioned by the Ministry of Defense [of Japan] to an executive of a rival company, the main culprit of this scandal.

(*T.N: could be read in a couple of different ways, but since the author didn’t explicitly state the correct reading, im gonna go with the most common one I found.)

The problem was, on the other hand, that the crime was committed on Satoshi’s company dormitory, where she took advantage of the fact that she was his sister, quickly making the administrator let her into his room. At that time, Satoshi was abroad on a business trip, so he only discovered the truth when he came back.

When he arrived home and checked the program he was developing on his computer, he found a record of an access date he didn’t remember making, prompting him to report it to the company after growing suspicious about it. The security measures installed were still working just as before, however, they had been bypassed with a hacking program.

Then, a few days later, another company announced a certain program, and from the contents of the system, he eventually realized that it was the same exact one he was developing.

From there, the situation quickly evolved into a lawsuit, in which the conclusive piece of evidence that lead to his company winning the legal dispute was a bug that manifested every time the program was operated in a certain, specific way.

The litigation ended after he pointed out that it caused the whole system to freeze only in certain conditions, and that the bug was so small that no one else would have noticed. Moreover, it was officially announced that the program was to be used by the government, effectively bringing down the curtain on the affair.

However, things didn’t end there. Given that the accomplice of the culprit was, coincidentally, a relative of Satoshi who at the time was the head of the Development Department, they couldn’t just overlook and leave him be at the company as if nothing happened. That’s why, on that day, Satoshi’s punishment was to be handed down.

“You understand why you’re here, I assume? Honestly, it’s a pity to let you go after all the contributions you’ve made to the company, but this is the one occasion that, we, as a company can’t turn a blind eye to… sorry.”

“No, I understand. After all, a family member was involved. I have already made up my mind, too.”

“I see… Though, for the sake of your honor, I think it would be preferable to leave it as a voluntary resignation.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern, I have already written a letter of resignation, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Must be hard for you too… having a family member like that…”

“Indeed… I’m already thinking of cutting ties…”

On that day, Satoshi was made to quit his job after working for this company for seven years.

He didn’t remember how he got home after that.

The scene changes. Satoshi was in his bachelor’s dormitory, tidying up his belongings.

He found his job rewarding and believed he would be a programmer for the rest of his life, only to have his dream quickly collapse due to external factors.

Satoshi’s sister –who was also the cause of his departure from his workplace– had moved into the company’s dormitory under the pretext of her divorce, befriending the neighborhood’s wives, getting them on her side while she leeched off Satoshi for three years without doing anything.

And yet, when he left the company and moved into the bachelor’s dormitory, Reimi completely vanished without a trace.

She would TV all day, living in self-indulgence; or waste money on the occasional food delivery service. Moreover, because she had a nasty personality to the extent that she would incessantly spew lies towards the group of neighborhood wives, it was like a breath of fresh air now that she was gone.

People usually wouldn’t know all the details, from top to bottom, of their neighbor’s private life, and if there were people like that, it would only be those with a perverted, abnormal mind. Especially in the city, where only a slight show of kindness would make people perceive oneself as a kind soul –something Reimi was naturally skilled at– though, at the same time, she was just as skilled at making enemies.

He had tried to drive her out on countless occasions but ultimately stopped when strange rumors started spreading. And just when he was finally able to get rid of her thanks to the intra-company transfer, shortly afterward, she used their blood relationship for her make-believe industrial espionage drama.

Frankly, he didn’t care anymore at that point. Already without any motivation to do anything, he asked the company to arrange for him to stay in the dormitory for a few days, which they agreed out of courtesy. In the meantime, he was looking for his next place to live, namely, a house in the countryside he was going to buy using the money he had saved from working up until now.

Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about his livelihood to a certain extent because his parents had left him an apartment and a house for rent. Nevertheless, he, who felt a sense of emptiness in his life, only wanted to live peacefully in the countryside now.

After picking up his luggage and loading it into the mini-truck* on the parking lot, he pulls the green sheet over the pickup and secures it with a rope to keep it from falling off, all the while in complete silence.

you can look up 足踏み式の脱穀機 on YT to see how it works

“Looks super fuu∼n. Occhan, let me do it♪.”

“Alright then, but it could be a bit dangerous if you spin it too hard, you might hurt your hand.”

“Good job, Occhan.”

“We ain’t so soft that we finna get hurt by this kinda thing!”

“More importantly, give me some mee∼at, Occhan, ‘kay?”

For some reason, the children of the orphanage came to help.

“Luceris-san, is it alright? I’m sure they have a field to look after in the orphanage, too.”

“Yes, it’s fine. They mow the grass every day, it’s just that…”

“What is it?”

“Are these grass seeds really edible? I thought it was just a weed, though.”

“Yes, they are perfectly edible. Though the flora seems to be slightly different in general.”

(*T.N: I assume he’s referring to the flora on Earth)

Rice could be harvested from the Rice Weed, however, this plant wasn’t really a member of the family of the true grasses[Gramineae]. It was an isekai vegetation that was only similar in appearance to rice plants, with the exception of its blades being rounded. In other words, they were completely different plants that only happened to have similar-looking seeds.

As he casually glances at the children, he saw them clinging onto the threshing machine’s cylinder and making it rotate at a high speed. The centrifugal force would surely send them flying as soon as they take their hands off. Children often come up with unusual games on the spur of the moment, but this was a particularly dangerous one.

“Stop that, it’s dangerous!”

Luceris rushed to stop them, however, the speed at which the cylinder was rotating wasn’t something that could be stopped abruptly. Thus, after a few moments, when the spinning finally settled down, their eyes were all spinning dizzily.

“Ange-chan, Johnny-kun, Ruddy-kun, Kai-kun… Seiza.”

““““Yeee∼∼ess””””

And so, the real sermon began. The children were made to sit in seiza and listen to the sermon, but for some reason they were laughing happily. While looking at Luceris and the children, Zeros silently produced sheaves of Rice Weed.

“…Hm?”

As he made a bundle of Rice Weed, he felt something out of place for a moment when he picked up and looked at the plants’ ears, and noticed that the rice grains didn’t have a consistent size. He used appraisal on a few of the small grains on his hand, but an absurd answer popped up in his mind.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

【Rice (small grain)】

It’s very dry and not particularly tasty when cooked. It’s recommended using it for making rice crackers.

【Rice (medium grain)】

Delicious when cooked. It’s the best rice, with a chewy texture and moderate sweetness. It has a faint sweet aroma.

【Rice (large grain)】

Slightly sticky, more suitable for making things like rice dumplings and steamed rice. If you nudge it, finna become mochi. Wanna try?

[*T.N: it started speaking in dialect apparently]

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

(Wouldn’t the grains need to be sorted out…?)

Zeros realized that he had to build a winnowing machine. They are tools that have barrel-shaped windmills inside them, which separate the rice grains from the husks by using wind power to rotate at a high speed. Additionally, it was possible to sort the grains by size up to a certain extent, with the heavier rice grains coming out from the front and the lighter rice grains coming out from the opening on the other end. It was a type of agricultural machinery used until shortly after the war.

“I know how to build one, but it’s a pain to make. I would still have to more or less improve it.”

He wasn’t in the mood to do it today. Still, he knew it was a thing he had to do, so he decided to leave it for tomorrow. For the time being, threshing the rice was his first priority, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to finish anything.

“Uuu… my legs are numb…”

“Hehehe… Kinda like a tingling feeling, right? My legs are shaking[biribiri], too.”

“What’s so cool ’bout it? Uuu… I can’t walk.”

“Meat… Gimme meat as a reward, numbingly good meat.”

“I’m sorry. They said they were going to help, but the children ended up just playing the whole time…”

“Well, children around their age mostly just play around. They’re not exactly farmers, right?”

Though, instead of just playing around, he felt like the children’s personalities were gradually getting worse. The orphans were apparently living quite the comfortable life.

“More importantly, I’m harvesting the rice plants (?), but could you help me carrying them?”

“I’ll take care of the threshing, Zeros-san, please carry the bundles with the help of the kids instead.”

“Sister, didn’t ya wanna play, too∼?”

“Sister, wanna play? It’s super fun!”

“Sister, let’s play.”

“Gonna do lewd[ero] things? Sister… keep your carnal desires in moderation, ‘kay?”

Probably because in the old town a lot of adults with questionable characters live, the children’s words and actions seemed to be heavily influenced by them. They most likely didn’t have a clue about what those things mean, but they kept using such vulgar language because it sounded funny.

From the point of view of their education, it was certainly not something acceptable. Luceris’ role as their educator is likely to be put into question.

“The people around the neighborhood aren’t bad by any means, but…umm, they might be a bit too foul-mouthed.”

“Well, there are a lot of people who’ve been living here since long ago as well as many vagrants, right? I can see how they could be influenced by them.”

“I’m trying to get them to fix their language, but for some reason they always end up learning more strange words every day… What can I do about it?”

Luceris was struggling with the children’s education.

“It’s better to reprimand them only when you should instead of forcing them to do things all the time.”

“Won’t they turn into juvenile delinquents? That’s what I’m worried about…”

“It depends on what you consider to be juvenile delinquent, right? It’s okay as long as they don’t do anything actually wrong, I think it’s our role as adults to respect our children’s freedom.”

Children often act according to their own unique outlook on the world. They do dangerous things because they lack awareness on such matters, acting only out of curiosity, that’s why it’s necessary that the adults possess the patience to properly guide them. If the adults try too hard to keep that curiosity under control, it will cause them in turn only to be even more curious, and for from restraining it, they will boldly jump into any situation just to satisfy it. And, on the other hand, if they don’t say anything to them, they won’t recognize what is dangerous and what is not. The young Luceris still lacked experience in looking after children.

“Anyway, wouldn’t it be faster to gather the Rice Weed in one place before threshing them? I don’t think it would take much time to separate the rice grains.”

“I see. Then, I’ll help to tie them into sheaves. Let’s have the children to help carry them as well.”

“Come on kids, stop messing around and help me carry these, alright? The sooner we move, the faster we’ll be done with this. Then I’ll treat you all to a meal, how does that sound?”

He casually calls out to the children.

“Yaa∼ayy♪”

“Let’s go! I’m all fired up!♪”

“Occhan, ya sure know how to sweet-talk∼”

“I’ll do it, but I wanna eat meat.”

The children were faithful to their appetites. Only orphans would truly understand how important it was to eat.

After that, the work went smoothly despite even taking a break in between. Like that, this world’s first rice threshing was successfully completed. The threshed rice grains are then put inside the desiccator, and all that was left was to build a winnowing machine to sort out the grains.

This middle-aged uncle successfully managed to get rice in his hands. It was now time to make the long-awaited sake.

At dusk, Zeros and the children were heading to one of the town’s diners. He had taken the role of being their guardian for the occasion and along with the four children, they were waiting for Luceris to arrive. The youngsters seemed to be having fun playing on top of the fountain’s outer wall.

“Thank you for waiting, Zeros-san.”

“No, no I didn’t wait… And that girl? I haven’t seen her around, I believe.”

“She’s Kaede, one of the children I’m looking after in the orphanage.”

Zeros was surprised for an instant. That is because this girl called Kaede had ‘long ears.’ She was the first elf he had seen in this world. Moreover, she was dressed in a kimono with red hakamas, and also carrying a long sword* longer than her own height on her back. Her hair was long and of a clear green color. According to the information he obtained from the books he read at the Duke’s villa, this was a trait often found in the higher species of elves.

(*T.N: the term 長刀, literally ‘long sword’ is also used to refer to chinese long swords, so I dunno if the author is talking about that, a western fantasy sword, or a japanese katana.)

“Could it be the reason why I haven’t seen her before… that she is a high-elf?”

“Yes, it is. There are many people who would want to kidnap an elf, that’s why I’ve never even let her come out of the orphanage; to protect her. I’ve brought her with me today because I can have peace of mind if you’re around, Zeros-san.”

“I see. In that case, it’s fine with me. Well, you can’t be holed up inside for the rest of your life, right? Going outside could be a valuable experience.”

“She seems to have atavism. Her parents are both mercenaries, and only come back home once a month.”

“I see, so you’re looking after her temporarily. Must be hard. Just tell me if there’s anything I can do, I will properly drive away all the punks that come.”

Elves were a commodity that slavers would gladly shed blood for, and when it comes to high-elves, their monetary value would be absurdly high. If they sell one for the right price, they would obtain enough money to play around for the rest of their lives. It was a reasonable measure to take considering the possibility of her being relentlessly pursued no matter how healthy she was. The problem was, however, that this high-elf girl didn’t give off the impression of being ordinary.

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Zeros-dono. This one’s name is Kaede Hafen. I am young and inexperienced, but I hope you will continue to be familiar with me in the future…”

“H-How polite, this incompetent magician’s name is Zeros. I live next door, so feel free to talk to me whenever you please.”

“Such humility, I am extremely grateful and blessed to make the acquaintance of such a high-ranking magician. I beg of you, please grant me your honorable guidance.”

“Guidance? Do you mean in the sword, or in magic?”

“The sword, naturally! From your appearance, I can sense you possess befitting skill, not only in magic but also in the way of the sword, from which I can see that you are already a master swordsman.”

She was very particular when it came to training. Even though she was an elf, she nonetheless walked in the path of fighting.

“I’m really sorry about it, Zeros-san. This girl wants to be a swordsman[or swordswoman], and she’s so strong that no ordinary adult can beat her, so she’s always looking for strong people to fight against.”

“You’re an elf, right?”

“Yes, I am an elf…”

“Do you really need protection?”

“My opponent might unintentionally die if they make the wrong move… being beaten at their own game, so to speak…”

Racially speaking, the elves were intellectual and had artistic aptitudes, so most of them had no wish to engage in a fight. Given that, most would think that wielding a sword was already a barbaric act, moreover, they were almost exclusively magicians.

However, Kaede was someone that could be called an heretic that walked the opposite path. Besides, taking into account that she was strong enough to defeat most adults, those who attempt to kidnap her will definitely be cut down first. In other words, Zeros would be the breakwater that prevented Kaede from killing other people.

“My family are refugees that came from a war-torn country in the East, where they had to use a sword to survive. That’s why, we won’t hesitate to wield our swords.”

“Well, it’s clear with the kimono and the hakamas that the elves around here have different racial characteristics, still, you’re quite the interesting child.”

“I used to say that I had a weak constitution so I wouldn’t stand out, but in reality I’m perfectly healthy and I even train every day, but—”

“You are a high-elf though. Being careful isn’t a mistake. It’s perfectly acceptable to lie in order to protect your own life, you know?”

From what Zeros could observe, Kaede didn’t seem to be a child close to the age of adulthood. Yet, even just by standing, he could see that she didn’t present any openings, so he understood how an average adult wouldn’t even stand a chance against her. No, it seemed like she was deliberately provoking Zeros by directing her fighting spirit towards him.

“You are quite hot-headed, huh?”

“‘Always think you are in a battlefield,’ that is what my father taught me.”

“Just how hot-headed is your father? Is he a samurai?”

“That is correct. My father is a samurai.”

The elf in front of him was going well above his expectations. Elves usually were either magicians or spirit users, but definitely not the kind of race that would choose to cut down their enemies with a sword. Furthermore, even the few elven swordsmen would only use thin swords like rapiers and would mostly focus on technical skills. It was the first time he saw an elf pursuing the three essential qualities of a warrior: heart, technique, and physique.

“Occhan, let’s go to the shop quickly, it’s gonna get crowded.”

“Occhan, I’m hungry.”

“Let me eat, Occhan. I’m super hungry.”

“Let’s eat∼ Wanna eat meat∼”

“Calm down, guys.”

The orphans were hungry, so for the time being, Zeros and the others decided to head to the diner immediately. The shop was an inn located on one of the town’s avenues that served as a diner until midnight.

As they entered, they could instantly hear the bustle of the many merchants and mercenaries waiting for an early supper echoing throughout the diner. Luckily for them, it wasn’t yet crowded, so they took a sit by the wall and opened the menu.

“I want the lunch set A!”

“I want rye bread and mogaro soup… with deep-fried garoba.”

“You gonna eat fish? Then, I want the set B.”

“Wild buffalo steak for three?”

“I’ll have the set C…”

The children ordered whatever they fancied. Zeros also opened the menu, but he honestly didn’t know what anything was, so he decided on one of the easy-to-understand lunch sets. Luceris ordered the cheaper set C just like Kaede. Unlike the rest of the children, she seemed to be reserved in her own way.

A few moments later, when the food they ordered was brought, they immediately jumped on it and bit in like beasts. Needless to say, Luceris was looking down in shame beside him. With the exception of Kaede, the word ‘Restraint’ didn’t exist for the children. The orphans seemed to truly have a healthy appetite today.