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Chapter 6, Part 7: Yuuji, Meeting with the long-awaited Kemomimi
Chapter 6, Part 7: Yuuji, Meeting with the long-awaited Kemomimi
Chapter 6, Part 7: Yuuji, Meeting with the long-awaited Kemomimi
Translator: Yukkuri Oniisan
Editor, Proofreader: So-Chintzy
?Finally, with this, the west side is OK, right? They wouldn’t be able to pass…….?(Yuuji)
?Yuuji-nii, does the outside still need to be dented??(Alice)
The season was late autumn.
Yuuji was constructing a fence around the cultivated fields.
Alice was “helping!” Yuuji with her magic and enthusiastically watching Yuuji working.
By the way, Kotarou was patrolling the surroundings.
He began constructing fences as a measure against harmful animals like deer and boars and to momentarily impede the monsters. The workload for this was relatively high.
This was reasonable. Since there were no corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) sheets1, he couldn’t make an CGI fence. The garage had a CGI wall, but he hesitated to peel it off for the fence. Since he didn’t have any wire netting, he also couldn’t make a simple chain-link fence. An electric fence was also out of question. Of course, there wasn’t any barbed wire, either.
In the end, he could only do this the primitive way: driving wooden stakes into the ground, which were tied to each other using rope. The stakes were pointing forward, but this might only be mere consolation for his peace of mind. To begin with, he realized that he didn’t have any wooden boards and only a few nails. The result was this wooden fence for preventing harmful animal and to momentarily stop intruders.
?Mr. Earth, get down for a bit!?(Alice)
On the land opening area, Alice’s magic took an active role in the tree roots removal.
Indenting the ground outside the wooden fence that Yuuji constructed, she also made a small dry moat, although a shallow one.
A tear-provoking effort from a small girl.
The autumn season had entered its last legs.
The beautiful red leaves on the trees had fallen, it wouldn’t be strange if the snow started falling any time soon.
The potatoes growing in the fields had also been harvested, so they were only waiting for Kevin’s arrival.
By the way, last year they had cultivated potatoes and this year they had done the same, too, but the harvest was unfavorable. It seems to be the hurdles of repeated cultivation. Yuuji felt how dire his need was of a person who possessed this world’s agricultural knowledge.
“Hmm, Kevin-san should soon come.”
In the forest of shedding leaves, Yuuji’s murmur could be heard.
?????????????????
Yuuji and Alice, who returned home, ate a light lunch.
Today’s lunch was kofuki imo(powdered potatoes)2 made from nothing but the harvested potatoes. It seems that today they settled on a simple-to-make-dish to fill their belly.
*munch*munch*mnch* Alice ate the potatoes with swollen cheeks. A few days ago, she turned eight, so her way of eating was still childish.
*fuh* Yuuji turned his line of sight outside the window.
The snowfall bugs were floating inside the forest. Before long, the snow will fall, the sign that winter will begin.
“Oh, so, it will be winter soon?” Yuuji leaked out his monologue. Even though this was a fairytale-like sight, this was his third time so he had been used to it.
?Yuuji-san! Sorry to make you wait!?(?)
There was someone calling Yuuji from outside.
“Woofwoof”, Kotarou also called out. Her bark was as if she was saying, “I met with them midway, so I led them here.”
Yuuji put down his chopsticks in a flash.
He stood up.
He rushed out from the dining room and put his sandals on at the entrance.
Opening the door with a clutter, he ran off to the outside.
Kevin the peddler made his visit.
Behind him were the usual adventurers trio and several other figures.
Yuuji ran towards the gate with a record breaking speed.
He approached them.
And in the next moment, he caught the sight of the beastkin that Kevin had brought with him.
Perhaps because this was typical of their3 species, there were large ears dangling besides the top of their head.
Gentle looking eyes that were looking a bit nervously at Yuuji.
A simple long sleeved tunic and trousers. Perhaps because of the cold, there was a shawl-like cloth twined around their upper body.
From between their legs there was a long furry tail that could reach the ground.
The back of the hands that came out from the sleeves, were furry.
The chest and neck that were peeking out from the tunic, too, were furry.
The face, also was furry.
Or rather, it was a dog.
A golden retriever.
There was a bipedal walking, cloth wearing golden retriever.
Yuuji’s sight traced the left hand of the bipedal walking golden retriever.
There was a small golden retriever holding hands with the bipedal walking golden retriever.
Of course the small golden retriever was also standing on two feet.
It was also wearing a cloth.
Of course it was furry.
Perhaps they were parent and child as their faces were the same.
The small golden retriever made a tense expression as if to hide its resolution.
Yuuji’s sight traced the left hand of the small golden retriever.
There was a bipedal walking black cat.
Its height was about 160 cm.
On the top of its head, there were erect pointed ears.
The very picture of kemomimi. Or rather, it was nekomimi (cat ears).
Of course, its face was that of a cat.
Its tail was moving left and right, sometimes slowly, other times greatly.
Perhaps it was a female, no… a woman, its chest was pushing the cloth a bit.
In Yuuji’s field of vision, at the left was the 180 cm tall big golden retriever.
At the center was the resolute faced small golden retriever.
And on the right was the restless, and curiously looking at the surroundings, black cat.
The three animals… no, the three people, were standing on two legs and wearing clothes.
Yuuji stood still, his expression collapsed and his body frozen.
While watching each other, the time slowly flowed forward..
“Woofwoof” Kotarou barked as she rushed to Yuuji’s side, as though she wanted to say, “Is something wrong? Get yourself together.”
Yuuji finally came to his senses.
?Hello, nice to meet you, I am Yuuji. Umm, hmm, huh? Kemomimi? Yes, well, certainly this is kemomimi, yeah. Umm, first, Kevin-san, why three people??(Yuuji)
For now Yuuji was playing ignorance of the feeling that this was a bit different from the kemomimi he had hoped for.
Although he was frozen at the start, he unexpectedly asked a valid question.
?Good morning Yuuji-san. I am sorry for being late. That’s right, first let me explain about that matter.?(Kevin)
“These three people are a family”, Kevin the peddler began his explanation. The big dogfolk and the catfolk were a husband and wife, the small dogfolk was their child.
There are cases where paired beastfolk of different races could produce offspring and the offspring would be born with the characteristics belonged to one of their parent’ races. Of course, there were also cases of races that couldn’t produce offspring when paired.
The village where they resided in was assaulted by monsters. They could repulse the monsters without any casualties, but their fields were ruined. Of course, they received compensation to some degree from the village, but it wasn’t an affluent village in the first place and neither was the family. They couldn’t pay the tax, so it became a situation where they couldn’t resolve it without selling themselves.
However, the dogfolks, especially fathers, were a race that cherished their relationships with their family. They couldn’t endure being separated by selling their children, but on the other hand, selling themselves would also end up with them being separated, too. Even if they sold their house and fields, it would be only amount to a very small sum of money, which wouldn’t be enough to cover the tax. Kevin happened to hear the story of this problem.
Kevin proposed that the father become a slave, which the money will be used to cover the remaining unpaid sum of tax, and, while still keeping the mother and child as freemen, to move to a new land as a family.
Although they would be separated from the land that they had lived on until now, since they could stay together as a family, they accepted it.
?Hence, I brought this family with me. Since this was outside Yuuji-san’s expectations, I also brought additional food for two people. I wouldn’t charge for the cost for this food, so please be at ease. Of course, since only the father is a slave, I will charge for one person. Then, the greetings-?(Kevin)
When Kevin was about to end his talks, there was a pitter patter sound approaching. It was Alice.
It seems that she was coming after eating the lunch in the kitchen. What an admirable girl. We couldn’t deny the possibility that it was only to satisfy her gluttony, though…
?Ah, it’s the beastfolks! There is a child! Alice is Alice! Recently became eight years old! Let’s get along from now on!?(Alice)
Alice was running, but at the same time she made an energetic greeting. Her opened right hand was put under the collar bone of her left chest. It was the greeting gesture of this world.
?I am Marcel. It is my pleasure to meet you. I will work hard as Yuuji-sama’s4 slave from hereafter. I have been working in the fields for a long time. Also, I can do simple carpentry.?(Marcel)
The dogfolk father, Marcel, made this world’s greeting gesture similar to the one that Alice made. He added “-sama” to Yuuji’s name, but it was a correct manner, considering their position as slave and master.
?Ninya, Marcel’s partner. I can do hunting, I can do housework. Cooking is my strong point. It’s good to meet you.?(Ninya)
Ninya made a bow. Her tone sounded blunt, but her curiosity was shining. It seems that her blunt tone wasn’t because of a hostile attitude, but because it was her default one. Since she wasn’t Yuuji’s slave, Kevin also didn’t rebuke her.
?Mother, you accidentally said your name as Ninya. Mother’s name is Nina. I am Mark. Twelve years old. Ah, even though I am not a slave, I will also work with all of my might. Y-you can touch my ears and tail, s-so please don’t touch father’s ears and tail.?(Mark)
It seems that the catfolk mother’s name was not Ninya but Nina. It seems that catfolk had trouble when speaking “Na”.5
Mark stepped forward and showed a resolute expression on his face. He was trembling slightly, his tail was curled between his legs and his eyes were teary. For the beastfolk, to be able to touch their prided ears and tail was a serious matter. What kind of things had he heard from Kevin the peddler?
?O-oh, n-nice to meet you…… No, it’s alright, I won’t touch you against your will…… Umm, I am Yuuji. I hope we will get along well.?(Yuuji)
Yuuji also made this world’s greeting gesture. He had been taught by Alice.
With this, everyone finished the first meeting’s greetings. The young Mark heard Yuuji’s words and then breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Woof”, Kotarou made a bark, as if saying, “Don’t forget about me.”
Then, “woofwoof”, she barked to the beastfolk family, as if to greet them.
After they heard Kotarou’s voice, the three beastfolks kneeled on their knees and raised their hands up to show their bellies. Of course since they were wearing clothes, their bellies were not naked.
To show their bellies to the other party.
This was the beastfolks’ act of respect towards their superiors.
The master of the slave, who was considered as a ‘pervert’ due to the misinformation in the first meeting, Yuuji.
The little girl who gave her greeting without any problems, Alice.
The dog who was given respect as the superior, Kotarou.
It was chaos.
No, if we look at it in a calm manner, this order might be the correct one.6
Note:
[1]Indonesian reader might know it as : “Seng” (which actually refers to Zincalluminium alloy) Kofuki imo: boiled potatoes which are then lightly stirred/fried with sugar/butter/shoyu glaze which then become half-mashed, giving a powdery outer appearance. It’s super simple, even Yuuji can make it! English doesn’t have a generally accepted singular neutral third person pronoun, but “singular they” will suffice. (E/N: I’ve heard of “Ze/Hir/Zir” used before, but it’s not the official one, just popular online.) Master Yuuji for those that don’t like honorifics. A typical Japanese fiction trope. Catfolk or any cat for that matter will pronounce Na as Nya. Nya is Japanese onomatopeia for cat meow. Yuuji << Alice << Kotarou. Know your place Servant A.