94-084 Rest (1)

As soon as we got back to town, we went to Aella's store to make an appointment, but fortunately the store was busy and we didn't get a reservation until three days later.

Aella apologized to us, but it's good to know that the shop is thriving. To be honest, it would have been painful if the restaurant had gone out of business after I had advised him.

We were told that the budget was negotiable, but we asked for 20 gold coins for five people. Ms. Aella was quite surprised, but we told her that it was a celebration and paid in advance.

From our point of view, 20 gold coins is not a bad price ......, but it is a good price for an occasional celebration. From now on, we can't be extravagant because there are no more orcs (gold vines).

Don't forget your original intention. You should always keep in mind the time when you had only 1,000 rares and could not even buy a change of clothes.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next morning, after my regular training, I was feeling a bit bored.

I don't have any plans, to be frank.

Hey, what are you and Natsuki doing today?

"Us?　We're going to buy some fabric.

We're going to buy some cloths.

She said that if she had time to spare, she would buy some cloth and make some clothes.

I'm still making simple things on my own, but the number is still small, and winter is coming. The idea seems to be that we should make clothes for the season as well.

"If you don't mind, Nao-kun, would you like to come too?

"Oh, I'm sorry, no thanks.

In Japan, I often went along with the women to avoid trouble, but to be honest, I don't really enjoy going along with the women choosing clothes. It's nice when they show me their cute clothes, but when it goes on for hours, it's really tiring.

It won't take that long just to go and look at the cloth, but you can't be too careful. It will probably take much longer than I'm expecting.

There's not much trouble in this town.

It's a safe town, and no one will get involved with a woman who is dressed as an adventurer.

"If I make your clothes, Nao, will you wear them?

"Of course. As long as it's not too outlandish, I'll be happy.

Thank you very much. I'll do my best!

If you're going to make it, I should be the one to thank you, but since Natsuki looks happy, I guess it doesn't matter.

Thanks to her sewing skills, the clothes that Natsuki and her friends make are well made, and although the designs are not so noticeable here, they are much more comfortable than the ready-made clothes that we buy here. There was no reason to refuse.

However, it is a little puzzling that they give me samue and yukata as loungewear, whether as a joke or something else. I don't have any problem with them for practical use, but whose hobby is it?

"Hmm, the ladies are shopping .......

I'd like to go shopping too, but I don't have what I need.

There are food stalls and such, which would normally be enjoyable, but there is no point if you know that almost 100% of the food will be bad.

If you just look at the ingredients at the morning market, it might help you a little. .......

What are your plans, Toya?

"I don't have any plans either. What do you have in mind?

I wouldn't be asking if I did.

You could train in magic, but that would defeat the purpose of relaxing.

No, there's no need to be picky, but it's something.

You want to go to Hatake's?

"Field ......?

I remember you saying you were going to make a vegetable garden.

We already have land. The house isn't built yet, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to start now.

A vegetable garden sounds like a hobby to me.

Right?　Fortunately, we have land, a hoe and a shovel!

"Hoe ......, the first one you bought. After we got the shovel, we didn't need it anymore.

Yeah, yeah. After all, you need it for plowing.

A shovel is handy for digging holes, but a hoe is better for field work.

You can use a shovel to dig holes, but a hoe is more useful for plowing.

No, if it's a vegetable garden, wouldn't it be better to have some blocks to divide it like a flower bed?

That's also true, isn't it?

My image of a vegetable garden is that it's a square enclosure with blocks and soil, and crops are planted there.

If you turn your garden into a field without any boundaries, it's not exactly what you think of as a vegetable garden.

"Blocks. They don't sell them, do they?

"Well, no. We'll just use rocks.

Okay.

No one would complain if you went out of town to pick it up.

Unless it is a quarry.

Normally it would be hard to carry, but we have magic bags. There is no problem.

Let's go pick it up then!

"Yeah!

We grinned and headed out of the city in high spirits.

We went out of town.

"...... Hey, Nao. I'm glad you're jumping out at me, but where do you think the stone is?

...... That's a tough question.

When you leave the east gate, you will see a meadow. If you walk along the road, you will see a forest, but I don't remember any rocky places.

It's not that there aren't rocks lying around in the grasslands, but they are few and far between and not as easy to gather as blocks.

In the forest, there were sometimes big rocks, but ......

We can't both go in there, can we?

Even if we make it back safely, we're sure to get pissed.

First of all, how are we going to break the rocks?　How are we going to break the rock? Will he just say, 'Nanchara Slash' and cut it off?

"Of course not. The sword will bend. If you can do something like a magic sword as an extension of strengthening your body, it might not be a possibility. ......

"It might be possible if the laws of physics are distorted. Realistically, it would be a chisel, a wedge and a hammer.

I'll have to go to Mr. Gantz's next time.

Yeah, sure. Let's just pick up what we have.

Yeah.

Toya and I split up and walked around the meadow picking up rocks.

There were so few of them that we had to run around a large area, but after an hour or so, we had found less than two handfuls of rocks.

Moreover, many of them looked like they would shatter if you hit them, and only half of them would be suitable for our purpose.

I was getting tired, and when I looked up, I could see a mountain range in the distance. At the foot of the mountain, there is a forest, but there are no large trees above a certain level, which I guess is the forest limit.

I wonder if that's the limit of the forest. "There must be a lot of rocks lying around up there. ......

I can't go near it because it's too dangerous. Unfortunately.

As I was taking a break, Toya, who was looking for a rock a little further away, came running up to me.

"Taking a break?

"Yeah. But honestly, we can't do this, can we?　Can we change the method?

What do you mean, the way to ...... that mountain?　No, it's too dangerous.

Toya shakes his head, as if he can see where I'm looking.

I know, I know. We'll go somewhere else. --By the way, there's no trees growing on that mountain, right?　Is that the forest line?

Hmm?　That's true, but it's not ...... the same thing, is it?　It doesn't get that cold around here, does it?　If I'm right, the difference in elevation between here and there is not that much.

I'm not sure. Then it's another factor?

I think I heard that the forest limit is determined by temperature and wind. In other words, the forest limit is high in warm regions and low in cold regions.

It is said that it is not so cold in this area, so if the nature of trees does not change so much, it may be strange that there is a forest limit in a mountain of that size.

Other ...... volcanic ...... hot springs?

It is conceivable that gas and geological factors could prevent trees from growing.

I can't deny the possibility, but ...... wouldn't that leave a little more of a trail?

You can't see steam or anything like that.

It may be my prejudice that volcanic activity equals steam, but I would like to see a hot spring if possible.

Since there's not much entertainment in this world, we can dream of having our own open-air bath. --Well, I guess it's hard to get the strength to go there and soak in the hot spring without any clothes on.

What do we do now?　Should we keep picking up rocks?

Nao, how many did you get?

Eight. How about you?

I got 10. ...... is not so easy.

Yeah. Let's get moving.

It's too inefficient to run around the grasslands like this.

If we dig in the ground, we might find something, but that's not efficient either.

Should we go into the forest and break up the rocks?

We'll have to call Haruka and the others then. Can we interrupt them while they're picking out fabric and making clothes?

No.

Toya answered immediately. I don't want to get in their way either.

I don't want to interfere with them either. If you forget to be a little considerate, it can lead to a rift in the relationship.

As a man and a woman, there will inevitably be small differences in thinking and interests, and the key to getting along well is to give each other half a step. A relationship that requires one person to take a step back will not last long.

Well, in our case, we have known each other for a long time in Japan, so we know to some extent what we can and cannot compromise, and fortunately, we don't have to be so careful.

"Shall we just go to Mr. Gantz's place and get the tools and see how it goes?

"Yeah, sure. I'm just passing the time. I'm not in a hurry.

So, Mr. Gantz, give me the tools I need for stone cutting.

What do you mean? I'll sell it to you if you pay me. Well, you'll need a chisel, a wedge, a hammer, and a hammer for chipping. You'll need several wedges, depending on the size of the stone you want to split.

Hammer?

A hammer that looks like this.

What Mr. Ganz showed me was a hammer with one side pointed like a flathead screwdriver. He said he would use it to cut the roughly broken stone into the desired shape.

So, that's it.

I'll sell it to you if you want, but I think you'd be better off hiring a mason.　It's not going to turn out good if you're an amateur.

Ha-ha-ha, it's okay. It's just for fun. I know it's cheaper to hire a professional.

The amount of time it takes us to gather, break, and arrange the stones neatly to make a frame for our vegetable garden. If we thought about it, it would take less time for us to go to a professional with the money from killing and selling demons.

But that's no fun. It's a hobby. You have to do it yourself even if you suck at it.

If you know what you're doing, fine. --Well, here's your set. Come back for more if you need more.

Okay, thank you.

We took the tools that Gantz-san had collected, paid for them, and headed back to the inn.

We nodded to each other and spent the day quietly in our room, as we could hear the happy voices of Haruka and the others from the next room.