Leaving the hut behind me, I got straight to business.
I used my [Crafting] ability—generating a stone wall.
It was a wall built by stacking stones together.
The wonderful thing about [Crafting] is that it handles the stone assembly for you.
You set the scale during generation, and the amount of [Stone Material] consumed changes accordingly.
I didn’t just surround the hut; I enclosed the entire area where we could move around with some freedom.
The back of the hut was unnecessary since it faced a cliff, and I left one section open for us to enter and exit.
For that gap, I placed a [Wooden Fence] generated separately.
It was a single-hinged gate that could be locked by sliding a wooden board into the fasteners between the fence and the post.
The posts required embedding, but since I could now generate a [Stone Shovel], the work wasn’t too difficult.
The handle was made of wood, while the spoon-shaped part extending from it was stone.
“This looks about right.”
As soon as the job was done, Chiyu clapped and cheered, “Oh wow!”
“You’re amazing, Sous-kun. With this, we should be able to stop any intruders.”
“Besides, both the hut and the stone wall fit in my [Inventory], so moving around won’t waste our efforts.”
Because the fence posts were now buried and connected to the earth, I would have to pull them out if I wanted to store it.
Depending on the situation, though, leaving a bit of this behind wouldn’t be a problem.
By the way, when you store a generated item in your [Inventory], it doesn’t immediately disassemble; it simply appears labeled as [Hut] or [Stone Wall].
If you want to disassemble it, that’s also possible. It’s a wonderful system where the materials used are returned without becoming scraps or garbage.
However, there is an exception: if the generated item itself was damaged, that portion would not be reverted back into raw materials.
For example, if a generated item made from [Standard Wood x100] had three pieces rotted or scorched…
Only [Standard Wood x97] would be refunded, and the remaining three would be lost.
During these experiments, I also discovered some grateful uses for the [Inventory]…
“You’re amazing, Sous-kun. Or should I say, ‘Sasusou’?”
“Don’t shorten it.”
“With that said, First-Tier Healing.”
I wasn’t particularly tired, but thanks to the white light, the fatigue drained away smoothly.
“You’re amazing, Chiyu. Or should I say, ‘Sasuchiyu’?”
Chiyu paused for a few seconds before speaking up.
“I feel like it’d make me happier if you didn’t shorten it.”
“Fair point.”
I suppose that as long as the feeling of gratitude is there, even ‘Thank you’ turning into ‘Azas’ would be fine.
Still, deep down, being spoken to politely just makes me happy.
“By the way, Chiyu, does using your ability tire you out? Is there a usage limit?”
In cases like this, it’s standard to worry about MP depletion or usage count limits in the early stages.
“I’m fine so far. Thanks for worrying.”
“No, no. If you’re okay, that’s what matters. It’s great to have my childhood friend here with cheat-level abilities.”
“I’ll just return the same line as-is, then. Are you doing okay, Sous-kun?”
“The thing is, I’m completely fine.”
I’ve been using it to the point of anxiety, yet there’s no sense of fatigue in actually using the ability.
In hindsight, I’d be scared shitless if it turned out that using this power was essentially borrowing against my life expectancy.
But there was no point in overthinking it.
“If so, there’s one thing I absolutely need you to create.”
“What is it?”
My childhood friend looked me straight in the eyes, her tone solemn as she delivered the request.
“A bath.”
“Oh… right.”
I had completely forgotten about it.
If I were alone, I could just wash off with some available water, wipe myself down with a damp cloth, or maybe just endure it for a day.
But making Chiyu go through that was unbearable.
Well, if this was all we had, one thing would be different: I had a skill now.
“Is it difficult?”
“No. I can’t make a bath like the one at home, but something like a drum-tank tub should do.”
“Oh my…!”
She seemed so happy that her eyes actually looked like they were sparkling.
I didn’t have a metal drum on hand, but I had stone materials and the [Crafting] skill.
I built a base and placed a stone cylinder on top.
I didn’t forget to install a circular wooden plank inside, either.
Without that, my feet would burn off and I’d die.
Using the placement function, I filled the inside with water; all that was left was starting a fire.
I summoned the massive flagstone and fire starter again, stole a quick glance at Chiyu’s imposing ass cheeks while grabbing some kindling, and began boiling the water.
“Chiyu, could you keep an eye on things until the water gets hot?”
I positioned some firewood near the bath and called out to her.
“Leave it to me.”
My childhood friend gave a firm thumbs-up, so I left the bath in her care. Since we were at it, I borrowed some sparks to start a bonfire for dinner as well.
I placed a log chair I had just generated nearby and sat down, focusing on my [Crafting] skill.
The number of recipes had increased quite a bit.
Considering they only came from my imagination, that was a lot.
Guess the exploration had been worth it.
But there was only one item I was after right now.
What I wanted to make this time was soap.
Among all the various plants I had gathered, surprisingly, a recipe for “Oil” had been unlocked.
Probably vegetable oil.
However, due to an issue with the specific plants harvested, it was marked as “Not suitable for consumption.”
I suppose you can’t just eat all kinds of oil anyway, so I had no choice but to accept that.
The road to frying tempura is still a long one.
But even if it’s only a small amount, having some oil on hand would be helpful.
On top of that, by adding “Ash,” “Water,” and “Lime” to the mix, the recipe for “Soap” was complete.
The “Lime” had been generated from “Seashells.”
Come to think of it, this [Crafting] skill can easily generate things that require heating, including earthenware and such.
But on the other hand, it doesn’t automatically turn mushrooms into grilled mushrooms, nor does it heat water into hot water.
Perhaps that’s because grilling mushrooms falls under “cooking,” whereas boiling water isn’t considered “crafting.”
Where exactly is the line drawn between what counts as crafting and what doesn’t?
That’s something I want to explore in the future.
In any case, the soap was finished.
There was one more thing. I took off my school uniform jacket and shirt, then stashed my underwear into my Inventory.
I shaped it like a face towel and placed it in front of me.
Its absorbency might be inferior to a proper towel’s, but it should still be good enough to wipe down my body.
I also stashed my school uniform jacket and shirt into the Inventory for now, deploying them in their original state.
“Behold.”
Even though I’d broken a heavy sweat and explored the forest all day, they were as clean as if they’d just been washed.
Yes.
The dirt was registered into the Inventory as a small amount of “dirt” material, and the sweat was removed as “excess matter,” resulting in—clothes that came out without a single thing sticking to them.
Is it the same phenomenon where only “salt” and “water” are generated from seawater, with no “brine” produced?
It seems there are things that the Crafting ability doesn’t recognize, even though they can be absorbed or generated.
You could say this is a laundry method that turns that trait to our advantage.
“Sousuke, it’s getting warm.”
I heard my childhood friend’s voice coming from the bathhouse.
“Oh, I’m coming.”
Wondering how she would react to the soap and this new laundry method, I stood up.
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