Multiple updates today.
Here is the second part.
“That’s it…!”
“I’m not letting you.”
Meko aims her chopsticks at a single point, launching them like a thrust.
Just before reaching the target, someone jumps in from the side, snatching the prize with their own chopsticks.
“W-Wha…!? Chi-yu-chan, is that you…!?”
“You’re still too naive, Shouko-chan.”
Chi-Yu looked down at the defeated Meko while munching on the food she had secured.
“Ugh, I won’t lose next time…”
“Feel free to challenge me anytime.”
By the way, this is about yakiniku (Japanese-style BBQ).
They set a small stove on the ground and placed a circular stone slab on top of it to grill the meat.
Yakiniku usually carries a strong impression of sauce, but since there was none available, they ate it with salt.
It was absolutely exquisite.
The meat and fat exploded in his mouth, driving the shockwave of umami straight into his brainstem.
As a male high school student, he really wanted some white rice to shovel down alongside it.
“Mmm, the stuffed meat is delicious too. Dukai-san, you’re quite good at cooking.”
“Thanks, Sorimune-san. Ah… would it be okay if I called you by your first name, Fukamitsu-chan?”
Shion said with a smile.
“I— Of course, that’s perfectly fine.”
“Great. Please call me Shion.”
“G-Got it. S-Shion-san.”
Sorimune seemed genuinely pleased.
“Mino’s all blushing~! You can use my first name too, by the way!”
“Mino-chan, you can call me Chiyu as well.”
“If we’re doing that, then you can just call me Sōsuke. Nice to meet you properly, Fukamitsu.”
By the way, we were using a campfire set in a stone basket on a wooden platform as our light source.
Perhaps due to the firelight, Sorimune’s face appeared flushed red.
“P-Please take care of me too. Shousi-n, Chiyu-san… a-a-and…
Kujino-kun” “Wait, is it just me who stayed with my formal name?”
“Fufu, it’s just girl heart, Sōsuke-kun.”
Shion grinned mischievously.
Well, I had been feeling self-conscious about using Shousi and Shion by their first names yesterday too.
I get that kind of hesitation when it’s with someone of the opposite sex.
“Haaah~! Shii-chan’s cooking is the best! The meat loaf is amazing with all the umami from the meat and the texture of the mushrooms, and the soup has such a gentle flavor.” “Mm. Our head chef.”
“Haha, I’m glad you’re happy. I’ll keep contributing to everyone through my cooking.”
Over a pleasant meal, we also talked about the new house.
Shinhou and I had already worked out the rough layout, so I let them know about it.
“The living room sounds great! Even if I get my own private room, I want to gather for meals and chats anyway.”
Typical of the chatty Mushiyo.
“It’s also nice that the kitchen will be indoors. It gets windy out there sometimes, and since it goes into our mouths, I’d rather keep sand and dust out.”
Shion, who had taken on the role of chef, requested two stoves in the kitchen, so that was the plan.
If it’s indoors, it probably made sense to install a vent for the smoke.
“We’ve got more people now, so maybe it’s time to get a new bath? Something hot-spring style with a larger tub.”
Hearing my childhood friend’s suggestion, I crossed my arms.
I did want a spacious bathroom for sure.
A barrel-style outdoor bath was nice too, but a place where you could fully stretch out your legs would be even better.
“Heating water in that kind of setup is a hassle, though. It’s not impossible… but…”
I spoke up, and Fukami raised a hand.
“In that regard, there’s something I’d like to try.” “Oh? What’s that?”
“Well, I once accidentally fired a fireball without aiming it properly, hitting a tree instead. At the time, the flames just flickered out after a moment, so the tree didn’t catch fire. But—there were scorch marks left behind.”
“What do you mean?”
Shuko tilted her head in confusion.
“So, while the flame itself vanished once the magic power ran out, the fact that the object had been ‘heated’ did not disappear?”
Fukami nodded at my words.
“Yes. It wouldn’t be much use if it were just me, but if I combined it with Takano-kun’s abilities…”
“That sounds great! How about this: first, fill the stone bath tub with water. Then have you fire a fireball into it to bring it to a boil instantly. We can adjust the water temperature by adding more cold water as needed. So basically, we could easily heat up the bath in even a large communal bathhouse.”
“Yes. In that case, since casting inside would be dangerous, I and Takano-kun would need to go outside.”
“If it heats up instantly, it’s no trouble at all. Besides, my ‘Inventory’ doesn’t account for the passage of time, so couldn’t we just make a large amount of hot water when we have some free time, store it away, and simply place only the hot water into the bath tub every day?”
“Oh, that’s right. Then we wouldn’t have to go outside every time, and even on rainy days, we wouldn’t need to get wet while trying to heat the water.”
Fukami offered a fleeting smile.
Besides, Fukami’s magic was amazing not just for combat, but for practical applications as well.
It was good news that getting into a bath every day would be no more of a hassle than it was during our time on Earth.
“That was a nice save, Sou-kun.”
“And also, ‘Nice save, Fukami-chan.’”
Chiiyu says her usual line, and Shiine goes along with it.
“A girls’ only bath? That sounds great!”
Tsumugi seems to have caught on to the joke, looking pleased.
Well, let’s continue discussing the floor plan.
Someone requests that we place chairs and tables in the changing room connected to the bathroom.
That’s the kind of spot you see at public baths or ryokans, even in the men’s section—a space to sit and dry your hair.
For the girls, they might want a spot to do their skin care too.
If that’s the case, I’d like to put in a mirror, but we couldn’t accommodate it just yet.
Various small requests come up, but the conversation proceeds without any major friction.
By the way, I had told them to feel free to voice their opinions openly.
The crew seems worried about putting a burden on me, but I don’t want to end up with a house where anyone feels resentful.
Then, the moment the topic turned to the second floor and everyone’s bedrooms—the air among the girls grew tense.
“I won’t give up the spot next to Sousuke.”
“I’d like to be next to Sousuke-kun too, if possible.”
“Uhh, what about me?”
「I’m not saying I mind… but it’s just more convenient to be near Kunoo’s room in case we need to keep an eye on things so they don’t get too lewd…」
Chiya stood up straight and said this:
“We’ll settle it in the bath.”
Hearing this, the other three nodded.
“Ah… well then, I suppose I should heat up the bath first. While you all get in, I’ll go ahead and generate the new dwelling.”
I was actually hoping to set it up as a surprise, arranging the furniture and curating the living space, so this timing works out perfectly.
Since we decided to settle for an outdoor bath today, I used my 『Craft』 ability to generate a large stone bathing tub.
“Wow—onsen size!”
Shouko was already amazed just by the sight of the tub itself.
I proceeded to place water inside it.
“The water might splash and it’s dangerous, so everyone stay back. Fukamori, please.”
“Yes, leave it to me—Fireball!”
Fukamori’s staff pointed at the bath tub, a fireball coalesced, and it slammed into the target location.
With a hissing sound of water evaporating, a massive cloud of steam rose up.
Once that cleared away, all that remained was the completed bath, gently releasing a thin veil of steam.
I dipped a finger in just to test it—hot!
I added some water from my 『Inventory』.
Just prepare a large barrel filled with water on a stand, so whoever goes in can adjust the water level as needed.
Surround these with screens, and you’re done.
“Eh!? The bath is already up? That was lightning fast!”
“You turned the image into reality instantly. ‘Just as expected of you, Sou-kun’”
“Magic that enriches our lives. ‘Just as expected of you, Fukumi-chan’”
Chia and Shion once again praised me and Fukumi.
“Well then, everyone have fun.”
“This is due to Oono-kun’s great power, so how about he takes the first soak?”
At Fukumi’s suggestion, everyone nodded in agreement.
“No, I actually want to build the house first.”
Hearing this, Fukumi seemed to accept his reasoning.
“Then I suppose I’ll take my turn with the hot water first.”
“Don’t worry, Mio-chan. The leftover bath water of four beauties is the true gratitude owed to Sou-kun.”
“Stop trying to fill serious Shinpou’s head with strange nonsense.”
After calling out my childhood friend, I headed toward the hut.
The women disappeared behind the futon enclosure, still in high spirits.
“It was only a one-night stay, but thank you.”
It was also a place full of memories where things had progressed between me and Chiyu, so I decided not to deconstruct it.
I stored it in my [Inventory], clearing up the land.
And so, I generated a new base—a house.
We managed to maintain first place until the end of today as well!!!!!!
The acquired points were increasing for some reason… Ah, it was a holiday.
I guess I was working on a holiday too…
Thank you all for your new support!!!!!
I think I’ll try to update one more chapter today.
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