246-Episode 158 Understanding the Current Situation an...

After enjoying the hand-rolled sushi and devouring all of Momat's vegetable-filled chan-chan-yaki, I look around the riverbank.

I look around the riverbank and see a lot of familiar faces chatting here and there as they take a break from eating.

Ginette and Millie are laughing at each other, the ham kids are ganging up on Norma and Loretta is scolding her, but Norma doesn't seem too happy about it, Delia and Masha are discussing fish from the river vs. the sea, and Bertina is enjoying her after-dinner meal while looking at the kids in the church. ...... Is he still eating?

I'm not sure what to make of it. She loves kids. Is he sympathetic because they're so close in development?I'm sure he does, yeah.

On the other side, Oumarro and Moormat are taking a break from eating in a very old-fashioned atmosphere, and Oumarro's tension rises every time Magda passes by.

It looks like the usual scene.

However, many of the people here have lost sight of this 'normalcy'.

'Hey, Milly.

"What?

Millie comes running up to me. I just wanted to ask her something, so I could have done it right there.

Even Jeannette came in front of me with Millie.

'Are you happy today?I've been keeping you company since you said you were taking a break.'

'Yeah. I don't think I've been keeping you company. ...... You've been keeping me company more than I've been keeping you. I got a lot of energy from you.

It's good that you're feeling better.

But still, the flower guild must be busy taking care of the forest right now.

It would be a blow to lose young Millie in such a situation.

'A while ago, when I went to the forest with Jinetto's soup, I told her about Ladybug. 'You came because you were worried about me~'.

No, it was Jeannette, Estella and the others who were worried.

'Then, the guild leader told me to take it easy today,' he said.

'I'm sorry if I pushed you too hard.'

'Yeah. Everyone was happy. They said, 'The ladybug's on the move!

'Where am I on the side of justice?

Just because I make a move, doesn't mean the situation will get better.

'giggle...... too. I think I was happy that Ladybug, Jinetto, Estella and everyone at the Sunlit Pavilion ...... were worried about me. It's been a lonely battle so far.

A battle. .......

That's a disturbing expression for Millie.

.........'

Fidgeting, Millie says a long preamble.

I'm sure you're ready to say something hard to say,......, but a "big sister" is ............, in short, an old lady, right?

I'm not sure what you mean by that.I'm sure you'll understand.

I'm sure you'll agree.

I'm sure you'll be happy with the results. .............'

After saying it yourself, your neck will turn red.

I'm sure he'll be able to say it right down to the emphasis. I'm sure you've been told to emphasize the "a!

Millie is a serious person, so don't do that to her.

Well, I guess she's well taken care of. The work environment does not seem to be bad.

...... I don't like that type of meddlesome b*tc*, though.

You can't help it. Then I'll keep an eye on Millie to make sure she doesn't get any bad bugs.

'Hmm!...... hehehe. I'm kind of sorry, aren't I?

In the event that you have any questions regarding where and the best way to get in touch with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.

'It seems like the master of bad insects is saying something.

'Who's an arthropod polypod?'

'What, you mean 'bad bugs' aren't insects?

Polyploidy sounds worse than insects.

Like millipedes and centipedes.

Perhaps imagining such insects, Estella frowned for a moment and rubbed her own arms.

'Well, there's a saying that you can control poison with poison. You can't deny the possibility that bad bugs won't come close to you if you have your master by your side.

I'm not going to let that happen to you, Miri.

Miri chuckles and denies it.

I'd like you to deny that I'm not the master first, in my opinion.

'But ......'.

Millie's smile is suddenly shadowed.

'Tomorrow, I'll have to work as hard as I did today.

I make a fist with my small hand and squeeze it tightly.

I don't know how long it will last, but it's a dizzying task.

But now that you've made up, you can do it again. ...... That's about it.

Hmm. Tomorrow. ......

'Hey, Norma.

'What is it?'

Whenever the naughty boy on the side flails, his melting breasts plump and plump. ......

'How long have you been waiting for that attraction?

'It's not an attraction!

'Mr. Yashiro. ...... Children don't look at you that way, so don't try to be one of them.'

Ginette puffs up her cheeks and stares at me.

Wow, that's cute. What kind of yurukyara are you?

...... and, no, it's not.

'What about the hardware guild?Are they struggling with the water shortage?'

'That's right. Whether it's sheet metal, casting, forging ...... or whatever, we use a lot of water. Also, you sweat a lot while working, so you drink a lot of water.

In the case of forging, you dip the hot iron in water to cool it down rapidly, right?

'Our young men come to the river every morning to fetch water.

'Where do you usually get your water from?

'There's a reservoir on the back street. You see the canal that runs through Momat's field?That's where the reservoir goes.'

So, if the waterway there is restored, it'll be all right. ......

Even though it's not as big as the farming guild or the flower arrangement guild, the labor of fetching water is still considerable. If it could be eliminated, it would be.

'What about Umaro?

'We use it quite a bit too. We use it to wash wood, to dissolve glue ...... and to knead mud.

Carpenters use water, too.

'Well, I have a river in the new town, so I'm not in trouble.

'Ah. Loretta's sister is bathing in the river that Umaro goes to.

'Those two events may be true, but there's no causal relationship between them!

'Sometimes Loretta comes out too.'

'No, she doesn't!

The carpenter didn't seem to be in any trouble.

Incidentally, what about the other three?

These guys are all working outside the gates. ......

'Imelda. What about the Lumberjack Guild?'

'The water we use in the branch is from the well, and we get the rest from the lake outside the gates.'

'Is there a lake?

'There is ....... Magda uses it occasionally.

The hunting guild also uses it.

But a lake. ......

'It would be nice if we could bring water from there.

'...... It's very difficult to transport water in a forest overrun by magical beasts.'

'That's true. It would be a different story if the head of the Medora hunting guild were here.

Outside the Forty-Twoth District is the deepest part of the forest. The level of magical beasts living there is high.

Carrying water there might be difficult, unless you're ...... Medora.

'What about Masha?

'Oh, I'm fine with seawater~☆'

'............ Ah, yes.'

Can mermaids live in seawater?

On the other hand, would they suffer if immersed in fresh water?

'Not to mention Mo-Mat and Milly... ......?

'Well, yeah.'

'Hmm. I use a lot of them.

I think we need to revive the waterways.

When I was thinking about it ......

'Marsha, Yashiro won't listen to me!

'Hmmm, Delia's place is at a level where you don't need to ask her.

No, no, no.

Delia needs water, but she can't start without it.

'Yashiro-san. Why don't you listen to her for now?

'Yes. ......'

Jeannette's ear tickles ...... my ear, and I turn to Delia with a slightly more forgiving heart.

'Delia's place, water, do you want some?'

'Yes!I use it a lot!I use it the most!

'......, of course.

'...... is useless.'

'Well, well, well, Yashiro. It's okay to indulge him a little today, isn't it?

You're right, Estella.

When people are pampered, they expect more of it the next time, you know?

Every time something happens, they'll look at you like you're appealing to them.

Just like Jeannette, who stares at me whenever she has a problem.

...... Maybe I need to give this guy a hard time, too.

'Jeannette. I'm not a good person with a volunteer spirit. So I don't always help people. Or rather, I don't always intend to. It just so happens that there are people out there who can help.'

So don't give me your expectations every time something happens.

'I'm only going to put my effort into what I truly care about. Don't forget that.'

I nailed him a little harder. I was going to ......, but for some reason Ginette chuckled.

'That's like saying you're going to help everyone.

'No, what's that?

'Because ......, Yashiro-san, cares about you all very much.

That's a terrible misunderstanding.

There are many people who are not important. Or rather, most of them are.

For example, ........................... For example, ... many of them don't even have names because they're not important. It's not that they didn't think of it. It's not that I didn't think of them.

There are plenty of people who aren't important. ...... but this time is special.

'I'm going to skip the Mo-Mat part and see if I can't get the channel back up.

'Take care of me too, Yasilo!

......, you annoying crocodile.

I'm kidding. I'm kidding. It's more trouble than it's worth to think of a waterway that doesn't go through you.

But what are you going to do?We've been denied any effective means.

What Estella means by 'effective means' is probably damming the river, digging a deeper entrance, or something like that.

'We still have water, we can pump it up from the river into the canal.

'Ah, but, Yashiro. I was thinking the same thing, but Omero's not as useful as Yashiro thinks he is.'

'...... I'm not going to use Omero.'

I'm not going to use Omero.

''Ham kids, kids.''

'''Yes!'''

'''Yes!'''

The ham kids raise their hands and cheerfully reply, and the kids reply even more cheerfully.

''These guys will be our labor force.

''Yashiro!Are you trying to abuse these young children?

'In that case, I'll take care of it. If you'd rather force the children to work hard, ...... as long as you can provide them with three proper meals while they work!

'No, Bertina, ...... that's probably more expensive than hiring someone. ......'

I don't even want to imagine how much food the Bertina who does the physical labor would really eat.......

'The idea is the opposite.

'The opposite ......?'

Jeannette looked at the kids and cocked her head.

'Don't make the kids do the hard stuff. Pump the water in a way that's easy enough for a kid to do.'

It's a method I'd never want to do, though. ...... I hate that kind of hassle.

'Even children can do it. ............ Ah!I understand!

'If all the children go into the river together, the water level will rise!Children love to play in the water, so the more they play, the more water will flow into the channel, right?

'Not exactly, no.'

'Huh?

How many days are you going to leave the kid in the river?

The waterway will dry up again when the flow stops.

Well, I guess we can stop the flow at night and pump up the water only during the day.

Still, it will be a little easier if the reservoir is filled with water.

'So, Umaro. There's something I want you to make.

'Yes, sir!The forty-second district is in great trouble. I'll help you whether I can or not!

Umaro responds without hesitation, just as he should.

This guy must be paralyzed by some kind of sensory deprivation.Well, it's convenient for me.

Oh, I guess this is it too.

Maybe it's the result of being consumed by the sycophantic aura of Jeannette that pervades the sunlit pavilion.

'Ginette, you're scary~......'

'Eh!Why, why?Did I do something wrong?

'Umaro has become the 'do-everything-for-free man'.'

'That's not my fault, is it!

'Oh, um, Yashiro-san!It's not free, you know.I'm getting the construction cost from Estella-san, right?

What the hell?

'Looks like you're still lacking in the sycophantic aura!Magda, Loretta!Pour Ginette's sycophantic aura on Umaro!

'...... Copy that.'

'I'll leave it to you!

Magda and Loretta send a breeze through Jeannette, holding the fan used for hand-rolled sushi.

'Um, both of you, please stop!It's not going to change anything!

Ginette appealed to Magda and the others, showing an embarrassed impatience.

No, no, no. Your aura should turn most people into sycophants.

'If it makes you a softy, shouldn't that wind be directed at Yashiro?

'...... So be it.'

'You have a point.'

Estella says something I don't want to hear, and Magda and Loretta turn their bodies to send me a ginette of wind.

'Yeah, stop it!You're making me sore!

'I'm not going to get sick!

Ginette's cheeks puff out, her face even redder than before.

It's more like .......

'There's a sour smell in here. ......'

'Hmph!It's the smell of sushi!It's not that I'm sour.It's not that I'm sour, you know!

Jeannette appealed to me with an even more desperate look.

You're desperate because it's a matter of honor.

There's a guy who's looking at us with a kind of unhappy look in his eyes.

It's not us, it's ...... Umaro, I guess.

'Imelda.

What is it?I'm not sour.

'I'm not sour either!

Jeannette is desperate.

But now is not the time. Back to the topic at hand.

'Can you help me?

'What ......?'

Imelda froze for a moment, her eyes wide.

Then--

'......Does your sourness help you in any way, manager?'

'It's not sour!It's not sour!

Jeannette's eyes are tearing up.

Well, that's a rare sight. ...... But that's not it.

'I need your help, Imelda.

'...... Watashi's?

It's not an exaggeration to say that it depends on your hard work. It might be a bit of work, but will you take on ...... it?'

'Yashiro-san needs you .............'

Unconsciously, he covers his mouth with his hand and presses his chest with the other hand.

Don't be so upset.

Imelda once said that she envied Umaro.

She wanted to be the kind of person that Umaro could count on every time he needed something.

This time, too, you will need the help of Umaro,......, but before that, you will need the help of Imelda.

In some cases, you may be asked to do something quite absurd. In some cases, yes.

'I'll do it. Please do whatever you want.

Now that you've given me a reliable answer, I'll tell you the whole story of this project.

In order: ......

'Okay. Okay, Imelda. I need you to get me some cypress lumber.'

'Hiba: ......?If so, we have some of that already dried.

'If possible, I'd like a piece with as many annual rings as possible to prevent warping.

I don't want it to get deformed in the process.

Besides, the tighter the rings, the more resistant to water.

'All the wood we deal in is of high quality. You don't need to tell me that.

Imelda turns away, feigning a grimace. But her nose twitches with pleasure.

'Do you mind if I go and have a look now?It's urgent, after all.'

'No problem, sir. If you don't find anything you like, we can ask your father to lend us some of his wood.

The Lumberjack Guild is cooperating fully. Then materials should be no problem.

'Umaro. Have you ever made a waterwheel before?'

'Yes, I have. I was once commissioned by a nobleman in the 29th district to make a large waterwheel for pounding flour.''

Umaro proudly talks about his past achievements.

If you have experience with waterwheels, it's easy to talk about.

'I want to build a waterwheel in District 42, too. I want to build a waterwheel in the 42nd district, too, a rowing waterwheel.

'A rowing ...... waterwheel, huh?

'What's that?

It seemed to be unfamiliar to him, and it seemed to have caught Jeannette's interest.

'As the name implies, it's a waterwheel that is operated by rowing with your feet.

'Is it a waterwheel?

Well, sure.

A waterwheel is something that's powered by water.

'Hmmm~......, to explain it simply, it's a waterwheel that's installed at the entrance of a waterway to pump up water by rowing it with your feet.

A box-shaped part is attached to the side of the waterwheel, which is used to pump water out of the river. When the waterwheel rotates, the box sinks into the water, pumping up water as it rotates, and dropping all the water near the top. The water is then drawn into the canal.

'By reversing the direction of the blades of the waterwheel, the current of the river will not cause the waterwheel to turn by itself, and the water can be pumped up only when necessary.

This will prevent unnecessary water from being drawn into the waterway when the volume of water increases.

'If you have the technology for a waterwheel, you can make it work with a few improvements.

'That sounds interesting!I'd like to see it built!

'So it's cypress because it's used for water wheels. It's a wood that's resistant to decay.

The two men in charge of the wood seemed to agree with each other.

So, now we need this.

'Are you going to let the kids do that rowing waterwheel?

Estella, on Bertina's behalf, expressed her concerns.

Don't worry about it.

It's just a springboard, and I'll tell Umaro to make sure everything is in place to prevent us from falling. Best of all, ......'

So I smile provocatively at the kids.

'You guys like it, don't you?Running as fast as you can?'

I like '''''! '''''

In Japan, foot-operated waterwheels are sometimes placed in tourist spots.

At such places, kids used to crowd around and row the waterwheel.

It would be a fun toy for the kids.

I don't like it, though, because the resistance of the water is hard on my legs and feet.

'It'll be fun. ...... Put them on duty and play with them all day long.

'''''' Yeah! ''''''

This will keep the canals supplied with water only during the day.

'It's nothing but hard work to pump water with two arms, but it's much easier if you just paddle with your legs. Besides, with the power of these guys, it could even be fun.

Once the water is pumped up and stored in the reservoir, it's all over.

'Also, I want you to prepare a large sheet of ...... cloth that can cover the whole reservoir, but not a water-impermeable one like animal skin.

'Are you going to cover the reservoir?

'Oh. Water is evaporating every second. If we seal it up, the water vapor will stay in it and be returned to the reservoir as water droplets.

In fact, when the U.S. experienced a major water shortage, a measure was taken to cover the entire surface of a huge lake with plastic balls. Because they are balls, they only float, and if a ship passes by, they will avoid the ship.

Since the balls do not block the sunlight, they do not have any adverse effect on the creatures in the lake. There was no danger of accidental ingestion, and they were easy to collect, so there was no environmental problem.

Such a drastic measure succeeded in saving several tens of tons of water per day.

This is a reservoir, not inhabited by living creatures, and not as large as the surface of a lake, so it can be covered with a sheet. Naturally, no boats would pass by.

Even if it is small, water evaporates rapidly from the surface. We can save a lot of water just by preventing that.

'All that's left is for each guild and neighborhood to try to conserve water.

We need to encourage people to reduce the number of times they wash their clothes, and to use water that can be reused. It may be inconvenient, but it's only until the water shortage is resolved, so let's make it bearable.

'So, we don't have to dam up the river?

'Well, there's a lot we don't know until we try, but it'll be better than the current situation.

'Well, we don't know what the waterwheel will do yet.

'Mr. Yashiro. I'm going to go back now and prepare the hiba. So, Yashiro-san, please finish talking with Umaro-san about the blueprints.

It seems that he is planning to prepare the wood while we are talking here.

It's less wasteful that way.

'Then, we'll start the design assuming that you can prepare the best wood.

'Of course. As long as I'm involved, there's no need to worry about materials. So, ......'.

Pointing at Umaro, Imelda said in a tone of voice that sounded like a declaration of war.

'Make the best of it!If you use our wood and your work is of less than mediocre quality, I will not accept it.

You can't look directly at Imelda's face.

Although he can't look Imelda directly in the face, Umaro, as a professional carpenter, says it back.

Yeah. It looks like it's starting to work.

Imelda turns on her heel and walks with dignity and pride.

Her back was as dependable as the guild leader, Javier.

'Imelda. I'm counting on you!

When I called out to her, Imelda's shoulders shook with fear and she paused.

Then she slowly looked back at me, her slightly vermilion cheeks puffed up with joy, and said with her usual arrogance.

'Of course.

With that said, Imelda walked away gracefully,......, or perhaps a little bit faster,......, occasionally jumping up and down with a 'whoosh' as she went.

A fun guy.

'Well, Umaro. Can you give me a minute?

'Yes, sir!I want you to tell me more about it back at the Sunken Pavilion!

'Then I'll come with you. I want to understand what this is all about.

'Then leave the cleanup to us, and go back first.

'...... Magda will protect the children.'

'Come on, come on, you guys can help clean up too!

Each of them was assigned a role.

'Millie.

'What is it, ladybug?

'Tell those meddling 'big sisters'. Just a little more patience.'

'Hmm!I'll tell them. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that.'

We thought we should just go home and tell them, but Millie said she was going to help Jeannette and the others before she left.

So we decided to leave the riverbank first.

'Yashiro'.

Before going up the embankment, Delia called out to me.

She seems to have calmed down a bit after eating a good meal and talking with her good friends, and her expression is back to the Delia look I know so well.

'Thanks a lot!

'I haven't done anything yet. You'll have to wait until things go well.

'All right!Then I'll tell you then!

Such a clear and graceful character.

'Yashiro-kun. Thank you for solving Delia-chan's problems.

'No, that's why I haven't done anything yet ......'

'You know what? Delia seems to be having a great time right now. It's very different from this morning. That's why I'm saying thank you right now.

To Masha, the water shortage in the 42nd district was probably not so important.

What is important to Masha is the fact that her friend was having a hard time.

'Hey, Yashiro.

And Norma, who is pushing Masha's tank, looks at me as if she's trying to tell me something.

'......Ata, is there anything I can help you with?I feel like ...... I'm completely out of breath this time. ...... Is there anything you want me to make for you?You can tell me anything you want, right?

'No, well, ......, make him some good anchovies.'

Don't get lonely, you know.

Get on with your work.

Thus, we each took a step toward what we should do.