14 - Episode XII Rain

A great water spirit and a low-level water spirit have arrived. They are kind, laid-back and beautiful spirits, and we hope they will stay with us.

"Sylphie. I'd like you to look at the water place soon, okay?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Yuta, move the rocks out of the way.

Sylphy's instructions to store the large rocks that were blocking the well.

"Deene. This is the well we were talking about. Check it out."

"Oh, dear. That's a big well. And deep. I can definitely feel water coming from the bottom of the hole. Yuta, you did a great job.

For some reason, he patted me on the head and said I was doing great. I'm not surprised.

"Look, Yuta. Don't be so flirtatious, let's go."

He was getting all worked up because of the praise. Sylphy is complaining in a mumbling whisper, which scares me. I sometimes hear her whispering. I can hear her whispering about her big tits and how she is being compared not only to a spirit but also to a human. It seems that talking about her breasts is a minefield for Shilfi. I'll keep that in mind.

"Okay..."

He descends the stairs, emitting a ball of light. I look at the deep hole. It's too big to have been dug by me. Belle is happily flying around with a dolphin-shaped spirit. They seem to be good friends now.

**

It was long. It's unfashionable if it takes this long to get to the water every time. I have a vague idea of how a hand pump works, but I can't handle it when it's this deep.

"Deanne. How about this water?"

"Hold on a second. I'll check it out."

Deene puts her hand in the water and meditates. I wonder what that tells us. After a night, the murkiness has settled and the water is much cleaner. It would be nice if the water was clear, but I doubt it.

"Hmm. "Hmm. It's a great watering hole. Plenty of water and no pollution. The water comes from the living earth and flows through clean strata. It's safe to drink it straight from the ground."

Living earth is a distance you'd have to walk for a hundred days to reach. ...... Nature is amazing. It's even better that it's safe to drink. Even if Dine doesn't live here, we'll still have drinking water. It would definitely be better if she did, though.

"Deanne. Can you live here?"

I ask, a little nervous.

"Hmm. I'm sorry. It's difficult as it is. But if you can make things right, I'm sure we'll be fine.

"What do you mean by 'environment'?"

"Sylphy told me that Yuta has some great tools, right?　I want you to reinforce this well with rocks, widen the entrance/exit area to a large mortar shape, and reinforce it with rocks to prevent soil from flowing in there as well. Then I will lead the water up to the top and make a spring. It's a lot of work, but can you do it?

Huh?　Sure, it's a lot of work, but it's good for me, right?　The fountain is overkill, but it's enough to eliminate all the walking up and down the stairs.

"Sylphy told me that you can't use your powers directly without a contract. A fountain would be a big help. ......"

"Oh, my. Oh, it's okay. We're building a watering hole in a dead land. That's the job of the water nymphs. You'll be praised, not scolded."

Is that so?　The lines are so blurred I'm not sure. I look at Sylphy and she nods, so I guess she's okay.

"Okay. I may have great tools, but I'm an amateur, so as long as you don't expect me to make it as good as a professional, I can make it. Is that okay with you?　I also want to go to the sea first to get some food, so the maintenance will not start until tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll stay here and block the entrances and exits with rocks. I don't want any zombies falling in. And if you're going to the beach, you should make a deal with her. She'll get you some fish."

Fish!　Seriously. I don't have a fishing line or hook, so I was thinking mainly of diving into the sea and getting shellfish, crabs, seaweed, etc. But if you can get me fish, I'll be able to have a richer table.

"But, are they going to leave the water and move to the dead land?　Where there is an imbalance in nature, it takes away the power, doesn't it?"

"That's what the contract is for. As long as I get Yuta's magic power, there's no problem."

I'd like to do you a favor, too, then.

He beckons a dolphin-shaped spirit.

"Hey, will you make a contract with me?"

When I asked him, the dolphin-shaped spirit nodded his head and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He was very cute.

"Hmmm... She seems to be nice too. Well then, Yuta. Please give him a name.

Oh, right. We'll have to pick a name. I'm gonna screw up. ...... No. He's gonna get us some fish. We gotta come up with the best name.

Dolphin's fin is too easy. We'll have to come up with a better name. Well, it's a water spirit, so it should be named after water. Water ...... water ...... water sea. Lake. Not bad. Rain for rain. That's a good sounding name too. Water sounds more like a name than Wind.

"Okay, I've decided. Your name is Rain. It means rain. I thought it would be nice if it rained on the land of the dead, so I named you Rain.

"Cue!　Cue!!!!"

I'm just going to assume you like it because it squealed and nuzzled me on the cheek.

We have a deal. Take good care of him."

Yeah. The second contract was easy. Thank God it's this easy. .......

"Yuta. What's wrong?

"No. I just didn't think you'd realize how easy it was to close the deal."

"Oh, I see. Then look forward to your contract with me. It's a contract with the Great Spirit, so it's going to be as real as you want it to be.

"What? What's that? Is it great?　What kind of performance?"

"Hmm. Don't tell anyone. If you want to know, you'll have to work hard to get to the next level."

Hmm. When it's hidden, you want to know. It's rolling around in my hands, but I'll try to get to the next level.

"You have to get to B for magic. I'll keep my chin up."

I stroke Rain, who is playing with me, to calm her down, and get some water in a plastic bottle, then leave Dine and go up the stairs to the well.

**

We climb the long staircase and seal the well again with a large rock. Make the bagged ramen noodles miso flavor on the stove you have prepared. Put the noodles and hot water in a bowl and mix in the powdered soup. In Japan, chopped green onions and eggs would be added, but unfortunately, they are not available here.

...... Thank you for the meal. I had to chew the ramen, but my hunger and the aroma of the ramen made me eat it all in one go.

"You must have been really hungry."

"Ha-ha-ha. I guess so."

It's a little embarrassing. I gulp down a bottle of water. It's nice not to have to worry about how much water is left. Next time, we will get a lot of food at sea so that we can eat a full meal every time. Let's head out to the sea.

**　

"Sylphie. Thanks."

What's going on all of a sudden?

No, I just wanted to thank you... but it's a little awkward when people look at you like you're a little girl. I wonder where I stand in her mind.

"No. I just wanted to say thank you for taking me to the ocean and for helping me meet Dine and Rain thanks to Sylphy."

"Oh, I see. I was surprised to see you out of the blue. Well, I'm having fun, so don't worry about it. But if you really want to thank me, you can do so at ....... I hope you have an interesting life."

"If by ...... interesting life you mean a ...... happening, uncomfortable life, I refuse to accept it."

"That sounds fun, too. Well, you can live your life however you want. You're from another world and you can see spirits, you're bound to get involved in some way. I'm counting on it.

"I don't need those expectations."

I don't long for a life of peace and quiet, but I don't want a life of hardship. Just surviving in the land of the dead is happening enough. When I get through this predicament, I'll live for my hobbies.

"Oh, by the way, Sylphie. Belle and Rain got along right away. Are spirits compatible with each other?　For example, fire spirits and water spirits don't get along well."

Belle is flying around astride Rain. A little girl on a dolphin or ...... okay?　You're pretty much poisoned by the other world when you accept that dolphins are flying in the first place.

"Hmm, I don't think so. The balance of nature will be upset even without any spirit. There are people who simply don't get along with each other because they don't have the same personality.

"I see. Do you have someone you don't get along with?

"Yes, I do."

The moment I heard this, the look in his eyes suddenly sharpened. Could it be a land mine?　While I was wondering how I could divert the topic of conversation, a helping hand was extended to me by a trustworthy contracted spirit.

"Umi!"

"Cue."

Belle, Rain. You're a very nice girl.

"Oh! I think I see the ocean. Let's hurry a little. We need to get a lot of food and work on the well."

"Yes. Oh, before we go back to the well, why don't we get a lot of rocks from the rocky mountains around here?

"Hmm?　Yeah, right. There were not many rocks around the wells, and we will need a lot of stones to maintain the wells.

"Yes, and why don't we take a large space from where the spring will be and enclose it with a large rock. It won't stop ghosts and wraiths, but it would be useful to have a large space where other demons can't get in.

"That's a good idea. Now that we have water, it would be easy to live around that well.

"Yes. Besides, it would be a bad feeling if demons ravage our new watering hole.

If you surround it with rocks, it's hard to breathe if it's too small. If it is as big as a large gymnasium, it could be rich and easy to live in. If there is a lot of water, maybe we can cultivate some fields.

The soil is dead, so plowing and watering it is not enough. If we can get to the living land, we can go into the forest and get a lot of humus and soil, but I don't think we need to make a field if we go to the town.

Well, stones can be easily quarried, and if you have a magic bag, it won't take much time to set it up. We could set aside a larger space.

"Yes, that's right. Let's get a lot of food and stones and go back.

"I think that's a good idea."

Good. First we need to get a lot of seafood. Let's go for it.