Chapter 39

Chapter 39: That time when I played around while calling it training

TL: kizen

ED: Kat

The next morning, I woke up and ate breakfast at my usual time .

Even though I prepared myself for the possibility of the village chief coming by, theres still no sign of him so I thought about exploring the village for a bit . I dont think a lot has changed in just a month though .

Hn? I was thinking of fixing the spot where I removed the traces of blood from yesterday, but it seems like somebody already did it for me . Was it father? Well, thats fine . Ill just tread on it for a bit as well .

Well then, I guess I should head over to Suzurans place .

Un . As expected, Suzuran still hasnt woken up . Theres nobody by the pond and birds are begging me for their food . Although I feel bad for the ducks and chickens, Id also feel bad for waking her up so I guess Ill just go to the distillery for now .

Good morning

Good morning

Hmm~ I like being greeted this way . Its like a true craftsmans greeting .

Yo, Caam . Whats up 1

Hn? Ah, I was just wondering how the change from coal to charcoal that we decided on last time went . Im also curious about the state of the charcoal production

Ah, we had some difficulties with the charcoal at first, but the workers are starting to get a hang of it somehow, so were gradually shifting to that . We were pretty devastated at first, though, since we just ended up with ashes

Well, of course, I mean, I may have told them to do it but I still think they would fail the first few times .

Well, its fine if theyre starting to get used to it . What about the distilled liquors?

Production has steadily increased . We just dont have a place to put them . Weve already expanded the warehouse but as a precaution, weve started discussing building another one in a different location

It seems like everything is going smoothly, so thats good . Ive even seen Beryl Sake in town you know? I didnt drink it though

Why not?

I just thought it would be good to try something else since I can drink it anytime I want whenever I come back . By the way, if you have time, I can give you pointers on how to construct the charcoal-making hut

We can do it right now since Im free all morning . Well start transferring the distilled liquor into the barrels once the sun gets a bit higher, so lets just do it now

Hm, then Ill leave it to you . Where did you decide to put it anyways?

Ah, its at the place you used as a training area . Or was it called a practice area? Were planning to expand it once we clear the area

Seriously?

Why? Do you have anything you dont want to be seen hidden there?

No, its not that . It just seems like theres a lot of things you need to consider nearby

That may be true, but we had to put it someplace discrete . Well, you could probably see the smoke though

We continued our conversation while changing our location . He confirmed that there wasnt a lot of things that have changed since my last visit .

Were here

Hmm I guess its okay . It wont get wet because of the rain and it doesnt seem like air would leak out . You made it just like how I told you right?

Well, yeah, but they were surprised when we told them to make the smoke vents at the bottom, but they seemed to understand why when we actually tried making it . All the fumes would just escape and the charcoal wouldnt be made after all . Actually, we made two at first, one for the people saying, Why is there no chimney on top! . The stuff made from those guys kiln ended up being useless, so we had to destroy them

Well, even if you do make a mistake, you can just learn from it after all . Theyll eventually come around once they inevitably fail, so you can just go ahead and let them do what they want

Also, cracks would seem to decrease after washing our hands and feet in a mixture of that liquid you said would come out after the fumes settle and hot water, so its becoming even more popular . The beastkin people say that it causes their noses to crinkle up though

Well, it smells terrible after all . Ah that reminds me . Are you planting saplings after you cut the trees?

Why should we do that?

Ah, I forgot to tell you this earlier . There may be a lot of trees in the forest right now but if you just keep on cutting them, you would eventually cut through all the trees . They need around 20 cycles of seasons to fully grow right? Thats why, if you dont replant the trees you cut, the forest would get destroyed .

Youre certainly right Ill pass this on to the village chief

I dont want to see treeless mountains and ruined forests after all . Even more so in my birthplace .

Ill leave it to you . By the way, the village chief didnt come to our house today . Whats up? If it was like usual then he would have been there first thing in the morning . Im not his parent, but is he finally going to stop depending on me?

The village chief isnt here right now, you know? He went together with the others who are in charge of making charcoal to the dragonkins village . They say that its for when they run out of coal to dig out

Well, they certainly would run out eventually, so I guess they went there to teach them

Thats right . I dont think they know about that thing about planting seedlings so they would still have to go back, wouldnt they?

I feel bad about it since its my fault

Its fine, isnt it? They said they have to go back to the dragonkins village a lot anyways

I guess its all good if it doesnt cause any trouble

Right . I have to go back soon but, what are you going to do Caam?

Ill try going to my training area since I havent been there in a while, so Ill be there till noon . It might be in bad shape right now, but thats fine since its going to be cleared out anyways . And besides, I didnt have a lot of opportunities to use that place

Is that so? Well then, Ill be going now

Ou . Do your best at work

Now then, what am I going to do about this mess? Theres barely anything even left The chairs have rotten and the color of the stone I used to grind the poisonous plants faded over time . Well, I may feel sentimental, but its just the chair and stone going back to nature so to speak . I just used them when I came here to practice my throwing or a new technique after all .

Was it like this?

I thought that as I stepped 30 meters away from the usual tree and started throwing my obsidian knives and axe at full strength in turns .

*twok!* *thud!* *thunk*

Such sounds can be heard as the stuff I threw at full strength hit the spot where I aimed it . It doesnt seem like my skill has grown dull .

Lets try applying the image I use when I use my Waterball to it next .

Imagean obsidian kunai without the handlecreated above my headand maintained thereshot forward at the speed of 150kph fired at will

As I did that, the diamond-shaped object appeared and is floating on top of my head . After thinking shoot in my head, the kunai started flying towards the tree in front of me .

*Thunk!*

Together with that sound, it pierced the tree . That thing hit the exact place I aimed at . Who would have thought I would get it the first try . Its like when you use a special technique in a fighting game where you dont have to press any buttons to aim it .

Ten seconds later after that, the kunai naturally vanished as usual . I repeated that magic multiple times, but it would always vanish 10 seconds later . I guess the time for it to disappear would depend on how much magic power I put into it or how strongly it hits, but, well, there wouldnt be any problems as long as it hits .

I guess I should try to increase the number next . This time, I produced three knives above my head and then shot them .

*th-th-thunk!*

Hmm, its within a 5cm radius of each other . I guess thats good enough . Lets try lining them up vertically this time .

*th-th-thunk!*

It deviated a bit but it pretty much still hit the middle . It went askew by more or less 5cm but it still lined up . Im sure it would be a bit cleaner once I get used to it .

After that, I tried shooting while walking and running but, surprisingly, it still went to the place where I looked .

Ah, the next one would have to be that, wouldnt it? Like the less severe kind of FPS syndrome where you always see a dot from those reticle sights . Or at least something close to that .

I guess its worth trying it .

Imagea small red dot of light at the center of my gazeActivate

Oo, it came out! Cool . Its like looking through a dotted sight

While thinking that, I once again tried shooting the kunai but this time, I was doing it like a character inside a game in my previous life .

While activating my mock red dot sight, I produced a kunai on top of my head at the same time . While focusing my gaze on a spot of the tree that I wanted to hit, I shot it .

*Thunk!*

After hearing that sound, I went closer to confirm the hit . The kunai got stuck at the place where I was looking at so, even though I was by myself, I shouted for joy .

Oh yeah!

Getting carried away, I continued firing around ten more kunais .

Go! F*nnel!

I activated it while saying a certain hikikomori young man who just received a sandwich from his childhood friend . Its not going to let out beams though! 2

All of the kunais hit a spot within 10 cm radius of where I aimed it . This is pretty useful, isnt it?

Ive already done Ka M* H* M* Ha and M*ns beam before, but it was just something along the lines of those flashlights that you use to see when theres fog . Lets try mixing that up .

Imageobsidian kunaishooting out after a powerful beam of light from the tipactivate

Light stretched out from the tip of the kunai thats floating on top of my head but as expected, it neither burned or punched a hole through anything . Still, its kinda surprising to see a light come out from the tip of the kunai .

What I called training before has now completely turned into play time .

I created an obsidian sword and covered it in a red light . While making *vvvuum! vvvuum!* sounds as I swing it around, I lifted my left hand with the palm facing forward like I was using the force . It seems like Ive fallen to the dark side .

I am your father3

What the hell am I doing?

After that, I came across 3 rabbits by chance so I used my kunais to kill them . Its going to be noon soon, so I have to go back to the village .

By the way, Im able to turn my dot sight on and off at will . It would have been unpleasant if I just left it on all the time after all .

Before going home, I passed by Suzurans place since I thought Id share the rabbit with them but, when I got there, she was in the middle of strangling a chicken . I saw the chickens head fly off as it cried out in agony while I was presenting her the rabbit .

Thanks

The smile she had on her bloodstained face made me feel nervous .

What are you going to do for lunch? Want to eat at one of the vacant rent houses? Were going to use it tonight anyways

She cutely tilted her head as she said that . I didnt have a reason to refuse so, while she was wiping the blood off her face, I agreed .

Then Ill leave this rabbit at home first before I head there

Got it . Until then, Ill strangle the ones well eat todaykoke! *thud!*

Because the chicken struggled, she pushed it down . Then, like a hatchet, she hit its neck with the knife .

I let out a conflicted smile as I saw the chickens head fly off while I was placing the rabbit at home . That one is probably for dinner .

While carrying the utensils and the chicken who was still dripping with blood, the two of us headed to the rent houses .

Caam, youre bad at plucking the feathers

Sorry

Try not to tear the skin off

Okay

Make sure no feathers are left on the pores

Yes

I thought that it would be good enough if I just simply pluck it out, but that doesnt seem to be the case . You have to skillfully pull it out towards the direction where the feather grows while making sure it doesnt break under the skin . Itll be troublesome if those get left behind after all . Because of that, you need to carefully pluck the feathers and take your time if you arent used to it . It looks like Suzurans already used to it though since she looks really skillful with her hands .

With that over, she burned the remaining hairs away from its skin and then cut its stomach open to deal with the entrails .

After that, she placed the rose-colored meat into a bowl, seasoned it, covered it in wheat flour, then turned it into karaage .

She really is only good at meat dishes . It would have been perfect if only she ate her vegetables with this

Lets eat

As usual, Suzuran is eating nothing but the karaage . Even though I bought vegetables and made them look pretty, shes completely ignoring them . Should I just give up?

Hey

Un? What is it?

Did anything happen after I went home?

Ah, one of the residents who I havent met before came back . That person was from the human race you know?

Hmmm

She doesnt seem that interested in it . Or rather, dont just end the conversation like that .

Yesterday, father asked me to have a serious fight with him because of that

He went to our house to drink with my father so I know about it . Caam has become pretty strong

He kept saying things likeIf youre going to take those two as your wives, you need to be able to protect them . Thats why, show me your strength as he faced against me in front of our house . I nearly lost my left arm because of that you know?

But you won right?

Well yeah . I really wanted to just talk it out but it seemed like that was impossible once he got into that state

Father was surprised too you know? He was like He won against Hail!?

It makes me somewhat happy that Ichii-san said that . I mean, that person is a symbol of fear and power for me after all

Hes really scary with that face and those thick arms after all .

Hes still pretty much my father so dont say such sad things

Sorry sorry

Well, hell certainly be my father-in-law after all of this .

Our meal ended after we consumed that karaage mountain .

Thanks for the meal

Youre welcome

Well then, what are we going to do next? Should we just laze around?

How about a light work out on the bed?

She blushed a little while saying that . Thats bad for my heart you know?

Thats a really attractive proposal, but lets just leave that for this evening

Its not like I dont want to do it, but it would be pretty awkward if somebody walked in on us while were doing it since its still broad daylight . Or rather, Suzuran, whats this all of a sudden? Didnt you tell me you dont want your body to be seen when its bright?

Then, how about I teach you another simple way to prepare chicken

Hm, thats fine I guess

Suzuran washed the tableware while I was out buying the necessary ingredients so I was able to immediately start cooking once I got back

Okay . Good afternoon everyone~eh!?

For today, well be making something that I think anyone can make . A simple roasted chicken . Here are the ingredients

Hn?

One whole processed chicken, butter, onions, carrots, and potatoes . The vegetables here are just the ones that I wanted to eat . You can add other vegetables you like as well . You can also pick seasonings of your choice to mask the smell as well aside from salt and pepper

Hey Caam?

First, lightly pierce the chicken with a fork . Next, rub salt and pepper on the outside as well as inside the stomach then place it into a bowl with some fruit wine and fragrant herbs . Let it sit in there for a while to soak in the flavors . You can now start preparing the vegetables you want to eat at this time

Hey

To give it a uniform taste, you should turn it over from time to time . And heres one that we let sit for a while

*thud!*

!?

After that, well now put the vegetables inside the stomach but first, you should spread the butter all over it to prevent it from sticking to the pan, as well as making the vegetables inside taste even better . Once you start roasting it, you should take it out at times and use a spoon to scoop out the juices that came out and pour it over the top of the chicken . Then, by the time you think It should be completely baked soon I guess, it should be done

I just ignored Suzuran whos giving me some weird looks .

Well, something like that

There were times where I felt like the time just flew by . What was that?

I dont know as well

Magic?

Hmm, close, but its not really magic . Probably

Its movie magic (editing) I guess .

got it

Un, it might be a bit early for dinner but it will no longer be delicious once it gets cold so lets just eat it now . Look, the sun is already hidden behind that mountain you know?

un

Suzuran had a look like she didnt understand anything I said as she glanced at me .

I cut the bird in half . I also divided the vegetables evenly between us as I arranged our food on the plates .

Lets eat

With that said, while ignoring the fork, knife, and vegetables, Suzuran immediately went for the meat, grabbing it with her bare hands and sinking her teeth on it . Are you a pirate or bandit or something?

A-ah, geez Your hands and mouth are already dirty . You wont make such a mess if you just ate it a bit more carefully .

Hey Suzuran, cant you be a bit more refined when you eat?

Its easier to pick up using my hands and its easier to eat if I can directly nibble it

That may be true but youre going to be hated if you dont eat a bit more elegantly you know?

Its okay as long as Caam doesnt dislike me

Okay then, if you dont eat more elegantly, Im going to dislike you, you know?

*clank!*

Hearing me say that, she dropped the meat she was eating on top of her plate . Shes about to cry and has a look on her face that makes it seem like the world is about to end .

This is pretty cute in and of itself .

Fine fine . I wont hate you but if there are other people around or were eating with somebody else, dont eat like that okay?

After saying that, I gave her a towel to wipe her mouth and face .

I wont tell you to use a fork and knife but cant you at least eat it like this?

After saying that, without using a fork and knife and while making sure that I dont make a mess with my hands and mouth, I ate it like how you would eat chicken from Sanders-sans to show her .

Like this . And also, nobodys going to take it away, so you should calm down when eating

Im sorry

Yes yes, Im not angry and I dont hate you so eat it slowly okay?

Un

What am I, your mother?

Hey, couldnt you eat it if its just something like a potato? The juices from the chicken and the butter have absorbed in it so couldnt you at least try it?

I picked up the potato with a fork and was trying to get Suzuran to try it .

Is it tasty?

Why are you so doubtful?

Well, its pretty bland by itself but you can easily change the flavor since it absorbs the water or oil around it . Its really tasty now because of the salt and melted butter you know?

Its cute how she looks like a squirrel or a hamster while shes nibbling it in silence .

Then, could you try the carrots next?

Please stop showing me that disgusted look .

It also absorbed the same taste as the potatoes so I think its easier to eat right now you know?

She tried nibbling on the carrots a bit but she immediately stuck her tongue out and spit it out on the plate . How slovenly . And also, the look on your face is kinda erotic so stop it . I mean, if you hate it so much you dont want to eat it, then just dont .

Impossible

Yeah yeah, just leave it there together with your onions . Ill eat them myself

I wonder if she would eat glazed carrots .

Thanks for the meal

Sure, youre welcome

While the two of us were washing the dishes, I tried asking .

Would you eat the carrots if theyre sweet?

Do you mean like candy?

Im just going to boil them in sugar water

I cant imagine the taste

It still has the taste and smell of a carrot but its sweeter, I guess

Ill try it next time so make it

Yeah yeah, but you have to finish it all okay? I wont do ecchi things with you for a while

*Gofuu!*

As I said that, she retorted by sending a sharp elbow to my side . Because of that, I swore in my heart to never do that kind of joke again . Ill also try to avoid standing at Suzurans right side as much as possible . Well, its going to be the same either way I guess .

While we were lazing around after dinner, Suzuran said .

Caam, prepare the bath

Sure

After giving that replying, I immediately went to the bathroom .

Which one do you prefer, hot or warm?

I can just add water if its too hot right?

I guess shes right . Because of that, I started filling the tub with water thats probably a bit hotter than usual . I didnt check the temperature though since I thought we could just adjust it after we get in .

You can go in now

So fast

Well, magic is just that convenient

Only Caam can do something like that . Caam is amazing as expected

Yeah yeah . Well then, should we go in together?

un

I wonder, why is it that she can act aggressive at times, but still get a bit shy when Im the one inviting her? Well, I havent really been that proactive about it I guess .

*

Our fingers and toes are now wrinkled and puffy .

I continued regulating the heat as we soaked our bodies after we finished washing it, but I wasnt expecting that we would stay there for that long .

Aaah, bath too long, body feels heavy

Here you go, fruit water

Ah, thanks~

(She might be wearing a shirt now but its loose so I can still see her breasts and the nape of her neck . At this rate, Im going to want to push her into the bed even more)

She seems to have noticed me looking at her breasts . Is this the part where I tease her?

Forming her hands into an X, she hid her breasts by covering it with her knees .

Iya Suzuran, ecchi~

Ugh!

ouch

Her face was completely flushed as she hit me in the stomach . Be a bit more gentle when hiding your embarrassment, please .

After that, while her face was still completely flushed, I grabbed her hand and forcibly dragged her to the bed . The date already changed by the time we went to sleep .

Entering the bed after getting into the mood is nice, but forcing Suzuran to the bed doesnt feel half bad .

~Idle Talk~

This is during the time Caam rolled into the thicket to hide from Schinkens arrows .

There was a male cat-eared beastkin with a medium build and without any distinctive characteristics who visited Caams workplace .

Excuse me . I heard that theres a person named Caam whos working here

Ou, thats right but hes not here right now . Hes going to be away for 3 or 4 days

Is that so? Do you know a way I can get in touch with him even faster?

Lets see I guess I can tell you where he lives . Is that fine?

Please!

Its a place called Clinochlore

Ge! Is that true?

Yeah, its true . If I remember correctly, a slightly taciturn cat-eared woman runs the place . You can just tell that person to tell him once he gets back

I I understand . Thank you very much

Clinochlore huh That place was called Den of Weirdoes wasnt it? This is terrible . Would a letter be okay I wonder?

(Is that black-haired cat-eared person the landlady? Shes pretty . This is starting to make me nervous . )

Uhm, excuse me . Are you the landlady of Clinochlore?

Yes . Were full right now . Youre better off finding someplace else

No, I just have something to give to a person named Caam

After saying that, I handed over the letter and was going to leave but the landlady just stared at it .

A relationship between men wont be productive you know? Of course, thats the same for women as well

Haa!? No, youre wrong . This letter is about a designated quest from the guild desu . I heard he was away after all

What a terrible misunderstanding this woman is making!

really? Then Ill certainly hand it over

If you would please

Yeah

(Geez, if just the landladys like that, then what about the other residents here Good grief . Shes still pretty though)

With that, the cat-eared man will just have to wait until his message reaches Caam .