One week later.

I am currently riding in a carriage, heading towards a certain place.

As I gazed at the peaceful scenery unfolding before me, the person sitting next to me struck up a conversation.

“By the way, I was surprised to see Lark-kun going to the procurement source himself.”

“Hahaha, I just really wanted to see where the ingredients I use are being produced.”

The person I am conversing with right now is a traveling merchant named Boras.

Boras is a member of the Dursley Trading Company and a veteran merchant who spends most of his life on a carriage. Together with Boras, I am traveling to the village of Mr. Kent, the source of rice procurement—’Nihori.’

I had been wanting to go on an adventure ever since meeting Forn, and when I heard through Roeck that Boras was going to Nihori to procure rice, I asked if I could accompany him.

The distance is said to be a four-day journey, but since I have been using holy attribute magic to heal the horses and body strengthening magic to make them faster, the carriage is advancing at twice the normal pace. It has only been two days since we departed, but according to him, we will arrive at the village soon at this pace.

By the way, I received permission from Father to take a week off from school. To be honest, I didn’t have much hope, but he kindly allowed me, saying it’s a good thing to investigate the procurement source with my own eyes.

Soon, a village surrounded by mountains came into view in the distance. Is that Nihori Village?

When we arrived at the village, Mr. Kent, the representative of the village, welcomed me at the entrance.

His eyes widened as he looked at me, but he greeted me with a smile, “Well, well, if it isn’t Lark-sama. Did you also come for this procurement?”

“Yes, I was interested in seeing where the rice is being produced. I apologize, but may I take a tour of the village?”

“Of course, please feel free to look around. It’s a rural area, so there might not be anything interesting.”

Great, I got permission from Kent-san. Let’s enter the village right away!

As I dashed forward, Boras called out to me from behind, “We’ll be leaving tomorrow before noon, so make sure to come to this place by then!”

“Understood!” I cheerfully replied and entered the village.

If I were to describe the scenery of Nihori in one word, it would be reminiscent of old Japan.

From a distance, it seemed like a small settlement, but quite a few people were walking around. There were also quite a few single-story buildings similar to traditional Japanese houses, and the population seemed surprisingly large.

Every time I passed by the villagers, I greeted them, and they returned the greetings with a smile.

As I walked wherever my mood took me, I soon arrived at what seemed to be a shopping district. As I was walking around, stopping to look around, an old lady peeked her face out from a shop that looked like a vegetable store and spoke to me, “Oh, you’re a new face. Are you from outside this village?”

“Yes, I just arrived a little while ago. I’m currently exploring the village.”

“I see, I see. Then how about buying some of our vegetables? They’re freshly harvested and very fresh. Look, the prices are written on that sign over there.”

“Let’s see… Wow! They’re cheap!”

When the old lady told me, I looked at the prices written on the sign, and they were so affordable that it made me worry. With the money I would spend on one vegetable in the capital, I could easily buy ten here. Is this really profitable for them…?

Using my “Appraising Eye,” I checked, and the quality was incredibly good. I can’t let this opportunity slip!

Following her recommendation, I bought a large amount of vegetables and put them in my “Useful Box.”

After bidding farewell to the old lady and leaving the shop, I was called out by someone from a store a few steps away. “Hey, youngster! You’re quite generous! Then, how about buying some of our river fish?”

“Huh? Oh wow! These are cheap too!”

Lured by the voice, I shifted my gaze and unintentionally recoiled when I saw the price of the river fish written on a sign at the storefront. Moreover, upon closer inspection, the fish here were also very fresh, just like the vegetables I bought earlier. What’s going on with the food and prices here?

Without hesitation, I also made a bulk purchase. However, it seems like my actions were observed, as I was called out from various places.

(Ah, they must think I’m a good customer… But all the products from these shops have such good quality that I can’t help but buy them…)

My senses became numb, and I ended up buying everything I was recommended without a second thought.

By the time I left the shopping district, I had spent more than a whole gold coin in total. I was only there for about an hour… Everyone here is skilled at business.

Regretting that I bought too much, I moved to a square I found during my stroll and took a break on a bench that was there.

“Hey, hey, you’re not from this village, are you?”

As I was spacing out for a while, I suddenly heard a voice from behind. When I turned around, there was a girl who seemed a bit younger than me. She had distinctive blue hair and eyes, and she was an adorable little girl.

“Yeah, I just arrived in the village. I’m taking a break because I’m tired.”

“I see!” The girl smiled and sat down next to me. “…Hey, what’s your name? I’m Rin.”

“I’m Lark.”

“Lark, if you’ve just arrived in the village, I can show you around.”

“Really? Then… can you take me to a place where I can catch fish?”

“Sure, let’s go!” The girl who introduced herself as Rin grabbed my hand and stood up, then energetically started running. I followed along as Rin pulled me along.

Eventually, we arrived at a gently flowing stream.

“This is the river where I often catch fish. There are only small fish here. In the lake further up the mountains, there are big fish like the ones sold in stores, but children are not allowed to go there,” Rin said cheerfully.

“Oh, there’s a lake above this river…” I thought. Maybe I should go check it out.

As I was contemplating, Rin gave me a sidelong glance. “Lark-kun, since you’re a newcomer, we can’t force you, but it’s a rule of the village that children shouldn’t go there.”

I was cautioned… Well, I guess I’ll just behave myself then.

Together with Rin, I approached the water’s edge and observed the river. The water was very clear, and I could see the swimming fish vividly.

Hmm, I wonder if I can catch them with magic?

I reached my hand into the river and activated a water attribute magic. I manipulated the water flow, attracting a school of small fish that were swimming nearby, and scooped them up all at once with a leather bag I took out from my “Useful Box.”

“Wow, Lark-kun, you can use magic!” Rin exclaimed, witnessing the whole scene.

“Well, yeah. More importantly, Rin, as a thank you for guiding me, I’ll give you these fish.”

“Huh? Is that okay? Thank you!” Rin received the leather bag with great joy.

After that, she continued to show me around the village.

We saw various things, and before we knew it, it was getting dusky. It’s about time we go back…

…Where am I going back to?

“I didn’t think about where to stay…” I murmured to myself, and Rin reacted to my words.

“If you don’t have a place to stay, how about coming to my house?”

“Huh? Um, but going to a girl’s house…”

“Well, we’re already friends, right? Besides, I want to introduce you to my mom and dad, so I want you to come,” Rin said, clasping her hands together as if pleading.

After a little thought, I decided to take her up on her offer. Mr. Kent would probably let me stay if I went to his place, but it would be a bother to ask him at this point.

“Okay, I’ll come in.”

“Sure! Then follow me!”

With a bright smile, Rin took my hand and started walking. We walked for several tens of minutes. Rin’s house was located a little away from the village, standing alone. There were no other houses around.

“We’re home~”

“Sorry for intruding~”

We greeted, but there was no response. Actually, it felt like the entire house was silent. Could her parents be out?

While still holding my hand, Rin led me to the back room.

“Rin, where are your parents…?”

“They’re on their way here~”

On their way…?

Rin opened the sliding door of the room furthest in, pulling me along since I couldn’t grasp the situation. Inside, there was a simple small room with no furniture placed. The only thing there was a pedestal-like altar installed against the wall. On the pedestal, there were two wooden plaques resembling memorial tablets.

Rin sat in seiza[1] in front of the pedestal, closed her eyes, and put her hands together.

“Mom, Dad. This is Lark, the new friend I made today.”

…Could it be that Rin’s mom and dad are…

Perhaps sensing my agitation, Rin opened her eyes, turned to me, and smiled awkwardly. “…I’m sorry, Lark. It surprised you, didn’t it?”

“…Yeah, honestly, I was surprised.”

“My parents were caught in a landslide three years ago and died.”

“I see… So, Rin, you’re living alone in this house?”

Rin nodded and explained in detail, “Yeah. The village orphanage suggested that I should live there, but my dad taught me how to hunt and gather, so I never have trouble finding food. I’m not struggling to make a living, so I’ve been thinking if I should rely on the orphanage…”

It was unimaginable from the first time we met that Rin was in such a difficult situation.

Rin had a gloomy expression for a while, but she suddenly clapped her hands as if changing the atmosphere. “Enough of the gloomy talk! I’ll make dinner, so wait for me.”

As Rin was about to leave the room, I asked if there was anything I could help with.

However, Rin shook her head in response to my offer. “Lark-kun is a guest, so please relax.”

“But I can’t do that. Oh, how about preparing the bath?”

“Lark-kun, were you a noble? We don’t have a bath here. I’m sorry.”

Ah, I see. While living with Father, I had become numb to certain things, but normal houses don’t have baths, do they?

No, wait a minute. When I entered the house earlier from the entrance, I saw a garden. If I use earth magic, I could create a makeshift bath in that spot, similar to what I did before at the ‘Bear’s inn.’’

I immediately sought permission from Rin. “I want to make something, can I borrow the garden for a bit?”

“It’s fine, but what are you going to make?”

“It’s a surprise for when it’s finished.” Deliberately being vague, I moved to the garden.

Now then, during my time at the in, I only made a bathtub, but since Rin is a girl, she would be embarrassed with just that.

With that in mind, I first activated earth magic and created a cube with one side measuring about three meters. Of course, the inside is hollow. The bathing area will be inside this cube. I made a gap in one part of the wall and created a door. Since it was stuffy inside, I also made ventilation holes in the ceiling. Finally, I made the bathtub and filled it with hot water created through a combination of water and fire magic.

“I’ll also create a changing area next to the bath…”

I prepared a simple changing room, and the custom-made bath was complete. For something improvised, it turned out quite well, and I couldn’t help but praise myself.

It had already become dark around.

At that moment, Rin arrived in the garden.

“Lark-kun, dinner is ready~”

“Yeah, thank you. But before we eat, there’s something I want you to see.”

Since it was hard to see, I activated fire magic to illuminate the area.

Rin looked at the earth cube and gasped in surprise, “Oh! Huh, did you make this, Lark-kun!?”

“Yeah. It looks weird, but technically, this is a bathhouse. It’s a magically created structure, so if you want to destroy it, you can do so easily. After dinner, feel free to use it.”

“Huh, is that okay!?”

Rin seemed very happy.

After that, we immediately entered the house and ate the dinner Rin had prepared for me. It was a delicious meal abundant with natural blessings such as mountain vegetables and fish, but Rin seemed eager to take a bath and ate quickly.

“Thank you for the meal! Lark-kun, you shouldn’t come and peek, okay~?” Rin jokingly said and headed towards the bathroom.

Left alone, I muttered to myself while eating dinner. “…However, I never expected that I would end up staying overnight alone with a girl in her house in a situation like this.”

While I had been living in the castle with Lia before, it wasn’t just the two of us, and besides, that place was too spacious to feel like a girl’s house at all.

Come to think of it, even in my previous life, there was never an event where I stayed overnight at a girl’s house…

As I pondered over such things in my mind, Rin, who had finished bathing, returned. “Lark-kun, I’m done. Thanks, I feel refreshed~”

“Oh, then I’ll go in too.”

I followed Rin into the bathroom, taking turns.

Somehow, it felt wrong to soak in the same hot water, so I drained and refilled the bath before getting in. After getting out of the bath, Rin guided me to the bedroom.

The room I was brought to was like a traditional Japanese tatami room. There was a futon laid out in the center of the room. It felt somewhat nostalgic.

As I was about to enter the room, Rin tugged at my sleeve, “Hey, Lark-kun, when are you leaving the village?”

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow around noon.”

“I see…” Rin replied with a sad tone, then quickly let go of my sleeve. “Well then, goodnight,” she said briefly and quickly left. I couldn’t tell if she heard me when I responded with “goodnight” as she left.

“…Time to sleep.”

Perhaps due to walking around the village, exhaustion accumulated, and as soon as I was alone, a strong drowsiness overwhelmed me. I changed into my sleepwear, got into the futon, and within a few minutes, I fell fast asleep.

Footnote(s)