Multiple updates today.
Here is Chapter 2.
Yotsume’s “attribute magic” is excellent as an offensive tool.
But whether it’s water or fire, the effects dissipate after a while, making them useless for campfires or drinking water.
Does that mean she can only use it in combat?
I don’t think so.
“Logging?”
Yotsume tilted her head in confusion.
“Yeah. Your magic isn’t strictly limited to hitting living things, right?”
“E-Eh… yes.”
“For me to store materials, they need to be separated from the ground. Seawater or sand would require a step of pouring them into a container, and trees need to be cut down.”
“I see, I understand. You can’t store them while they’re still rooted in the earth. If I use my magic to fell them, they can be acquired as timber, is that it?”
“Exactly.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t explained that part.
“Of course, I’ll help. It’s good that I can put my magic to practical use.”
She seemed really hung up on the fact that she couldn’t accurately hit the boar.
So, we each got to work.
At Chiyu and Shuko’s request, I created a large basket.
It was woven from processed vines.
We hooked it onto Mashiro’s body.
Since I can’t join you, the amount we can collect is limited. But if we borrow MASHIRO’s power, we can make a massive haul possible.
“Alright then, off I go.”
“Becoming the Empress of Materials.”
I watched the two of them leave the base with Mashiro.
“Shion, we’re coming with you. We’ll be right nearby, so if anything happens, shout as loud as you can.” “Okay. Have a good one.”
Shion, her hair tied back, waved and said.
She seemed to be planning today’s menu.
The main course was scheduled to be grilled meat.
“Just in case, would you like me to lend you a spear?”
As she accepted it, Shion smiled with a troubled look.
“I’ll manage to hold on until Sounosuke-kun and Yotsue-san can get here.”
“Just having one in your hands acts as a deterrent.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
The two of us, Yotsue and I, stepped out from the fence.
It was a pitiful fence, largely unused because Mashiro was so dependable.
“Oh, that’s right, Yotsue.”
“What is it?”
“That stick you were waving around when you used magic… Is there anything special about it?”
During the boar battle, she had been swinging something that looked like a branch.
“No, I just picked up a branch from the ground. At first, I couldn’t aim properly, but pointing the stick at my target helped a little.”
“I see. If you don’t have any particular attachment to it, how about something like this?”
I used my “Craft Ability” to conjure the image of a wand.
I generated a wooden staff, rich in hue and tapered toward the tip.
I placed it before me and handed it to Yonbō.
”―――”
“I figured if you were going to use one, something that looked the part might pump you up a bit. How does that sound?”
“Is it okay if I take it?”
“Of course. I made it out of wood thinking lighter would be easier to handle, but I can forge it in stone or whatever if you have a preference for materials.”
“No, no. It’s something Kuno-kun made just for me. Please let me use this one.”
“Oh… really?”
Hearing her voice sound so happy, I felt a bit flustered.
“Thank you. It’s, well, it probably doesn’t suit me, but I’ve always admired this kind of thing, so it’s a real thrill.”
“I get it. I think wizard robes are totally cool too.”
“Fufu, they really are. When I was a kid, I even wanted to try on a witch’s hat.”
Talking like this, she turns out to be just an ordinary girl.
No, but it goes without saying that serious students at school have all sorts of hobbies, too.
“Alright, is this spot good enough?”
After walking for a while, we came to a stop.
It was a distance where Shion’s shout would carry, yet far enough that the falling tree wouldn’t impact our base of operations.
“Which tree should I aim for?”
“Any of them will do. Ah, it’d be best if they don’t bounce or roll in a way that could hit us.”
“I see. Then, um, I’ll cast it.”
She assumed a stance with her freshly generated wand and took a deep breath.
“Wind Blade.”
Her hair flared out wildly, followed instantly by a whooshing sound as the air was sliced open.
Immediately after, a thunderous crash echoed from the direction of the tree.
Following her gaze, I saw the trunk shudder and begin to topple over with a grinding noise.
“Yeah! I hit it! Did you see that, Kunoo-kun?!”
Shion bounced on her feet in delight, behaving like a little girl.
Her skirt, slightly longer than the others’, flared out modestly as she moved. “I saw it, I saw it.
Nice shot.”
Since she was celebrating so enthusiastically, I jokingly raised my hand for a high five.
Usually, with her cool demeanor, she’d hesitate to do something like this.
But then—“Yeah!”
Four-staff actually bonked my hand.
Apparently, she was just thrilled to bits.
“If we practice with stationary targets, our accuracy should improve.”
“Good idea! Can I cut another one?!”
“I hope it doesn’t turn into deforestation.”
“Next, let’s make that one!”
The four wands pointed at a nearby tree.
…a nearby tree?
“Yoshitsugu, wait—this is too close—”
“Gale Blade!”
The magic was unleashed.
Sure, it severed the tree just fine, but the angle was off.
It tilted toward us and started to fall.
And because it had grown at a short distance from where we stood, we risked getting crushed beneath it.
If we’re talking about the city, this is probably what it’d look like if a utility pole fell over.
“Ah—”
“Four Sticks!”
I stepped forward to shield her, instinctively activating [Itemize].
Just as the tree was about to make contact with us—it was stored into the [Inventory].
The leaves that had detached from the branches at the moment of storage rained down around us.
As for me, my heart was pounding out of my chest.
“A-aah, I’m s-so sorry—” “Phew. Tetsubo, are you okay? Any injuries?”
I turned around to check on her.
“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. Are you okay, Kunou-kun?”
“I’m fine.”
Though my heart was still racing, I forced a smile so as not to worry Tetsubo.
Tetsubo’s face turned pale as she bowed her head.
“I’m truly sorry. Getting carried away like that and causing such trouble… I’m the worst. You explicitly told me at the start to be mindful of distance, and I completely forgot.”
“Well, you came out safe and sound, so let’s just drop it. Besides, we’ve got a few more trees to chop.”
”…Yeah, understood. I’ll make sure to never make such a mistake again.”
Ugh, the atmosphere just got heavy.
“I’ll be relying on your magic for what’s left of this, so don’t let this shake your confidence or make you anxious.”
She seemed quite rattled by the whole wild boar incident, so I tried to keep things light to prevent it from becoming a trauma.
“Mm-hmm.”
There are those who need to be sharply scolded to behave, but then there are those who hold themselves accountable, reprimanding their own mistakes and correcting them without needing anyone else to point them out.
Shirou is clearly one of the latter.
As expected, he handled his magic with cold precision and accuracy in the moments that followed.
At this rate, we could probably build a small house.
“Alright, let’s head back.”
“Understood.”
The two turned their feet toward their base camp.
“Hey, Kano-kun.”
“Hm?”
“I almost forgot to say it, but thank you for saving me earlier.”
He assumed she was referring to his reflexive storage of the wood moments ago.
“Ahaha, don’t mention it.”
“Kano-kun, you jumped out there to shield me, didn’t you?”
He wondered if he imagined it, or if there really was a hint of heat in Shirou’s voice.
“It didn’t mean much in the end, though.”
“No, that’s not true. It’s not like… that.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
They returned to base camp enveloped in an oddly warm atmosphere.
“Welcome back. I could hear a lot of trees falling from here.”
Shiomi greeted them with a smile.
“Oh yeah, we brought down quite a lot.”
“Aha, if that’s the case, sleeping together as a group was probably last night, wasn’t it?”
Shirou froze at Shiomi’s words.
“Wh-What did you just…?”
“No, of course I’m at the very end, and Chiyu is next to me, so nothing strange happened or anything…”
“Sharing a bed with three girls is jus-, incredibly indecent…!”
Ah, back to normal Shirou.
「Fufu. That’s right, I haven’t had a word with Yotsue yet. Once the two of them get back, we should hold a girls’ secret meeting about it.”
Shiina is muttering to herself.
It definitely has to be something about the harem situation, but will Yotsue actually accept it?
“So, for now, let’s build the house. The trees Yotsue chopped down will become our new base of operations.”
”…Y-yeah. Make sure we have separate rooms for the guys and the girls, okay?”
“Of course.”
Maa, even if I made my own room, Chigyu or someone would probably just casually drop in anyway.
I immediately started crafting.
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