Tensei Shite Inaka de Slowlife wo Okuritai

Chapter 25 Let’s go on a picnic

As usual, I washed my face at the well after sword practice. The way the cold water washed away the sweat on my face felt good. However, it feels deathly cold in winter that I hesitate even touching. It’s a frightening change.

After I finished washing, I realised that I forgot to bring a cloth to wipe my face with. I turned my head, but there was no way there would be one.

“Here, a cloth to wipe your face with.”

The person that held out a cloth was Sarah, a maid. She was the maid that took care of me since I was a baby. When I was just born, she was sixteen and now, six years later, she’s twenty-two years old. She lost her baby fat, so she now had an elegant beauty. Her long, shining black hair must make passersby people look at her.

For a Japanese person like me who was used to seeing black hair every day, it was a nostalgic scene so I sometimes ended up staring at her. It seems like that was seen by other people many times, since Elna-kaasan once asked me, “Do you like Sarah?” Well, a little boy getting attracted by a beautiful older woman is a common occurrence.

Well, Sarah indeed is beautiful. However, for me whose mental age is thirty, she feels at least ten years early to be seen as a romantic interest. Though I don’t know if it’s because of my six-year-old body or if my old man mind is being rational.

To Elna-kaasan, this is how I replied.

[I just like black hair.]

People might think it strange if a six-year-old suddenly said that he likes black hair, but I don’t mind. I also don’t mind that Elna-kaasan opened her eyes wide, or that Eleanora-neesan was behind her and touching her forelocks.

Black hair is best after all—. Yup yup.

There are many men who like women with an elegant image. Maybe it’s because there’s the beauty that can be felt only from Japanese people, that I’m instinctively drawn to it?

Maybe I especially like long straight hair because of the gloss.

I heard that men like specular reflection (such as straight hair and the gloss on cars), while women like diffuse reflection such as glitters and perms in contrast.

But brown hair isn’t bad either. It can give off a cheerful image and it goes well with clothes too. The girl friends I knew also said that black hair is hard to match with clothes.

However, I feel disappointed that Japan became a place full of brown hair.

I’m not saying that brown hair is bad or looks like it’s for people that play a lot, you know? That’s just probably because the image of delinquents wasn’t erased completely.

Maybe the school rules on hair colour was strict in middle school or high school to find out who’s rebellious against the school or society by seeing who would go as far to dye their hair.

.

“Thank you, Sarah.”

“It’s nothing.”

Today too, Sarah’s black hair is beautiful.

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I told Bartholo that I don’t need lunch today and teleported to my home from my room. Today the weather is nice, so I’m planning on going on a picnic. For that, I’m making a packed lunch.

Recently, thanks to the iron pot Logan made, I can cook rice.

Because of that, the kitchen changed to something like that of an old building. This feels antique so it’s fine though. I fine-tuned the detailed parts with earth magic.

Since it wasn’t cooked with the flip of a switch, it was quite a lot of work.

Adding firewood to the furnace and getting a fire was hard. Most of all, controlling the fire was hard. I practiced many days with Bartholo to control the fire, burning lots of wood. I learned how great the gas stove is.

I learned to control the fire, but I didn’t know the important detail of the right heat strength for cooking rice, so I had a lot of trouble.

After great amount of trial-and-error, I found out the right heat for cooking rice.

First, begin with low heat, then boil with high heat, then weaken the fire a bit, then return to high heat, and finally the fire is put and out and the lid is shut.

Doing this creates delicious rice. I don’t know how much rice I undercooked or burned for this.

While enduring my hunger, I cooked rice with practiced movements.

“Yup, the rice is ready.”

I nodded while feeling the warmth of rice.

I made many salted rice balls and wrapped them in leaves. Then I stored them using space magic.

Now I can have this warm anytime.

“I’m a step closer to the prosperous life I want.”

Today, I’m going to bring some rice balls to Logan and go on a picnic.

I have to show him gratitude for making the pot. If it’s Logan who liked the egg rolls instantly, he’ll probably see how they go well with rice too. It’s a pity that there’s no miso soup. Maybe I should look for it or make it myself…

While thinking of future plans, I headed to Logan-san’s house.

At the grounds used for militia training a little away from the village, Eleanora-neesan was vigorously facing the militia captain with a wooden sword.

Voices cheering the captian and the shrill voices cheering Eleanora-neesan echoed all the way over here. I glanced at that and went my way.

.

“Lo—ga—n-sa—n, time for food—!”

I pounded Logan’s hut. Nobody else lives around this area so I won’t be a nuisance to anyone even if I yell in a loud voice. I can’t hear him working either, so it should be alright.

“Stop that! What if someone hears that.”

“Eh? There’s no one else.”

“This village is small. Someone might hear and misunderstand.”

“Are you a self-conscious high school girl or something?”

“What? Highs, koolgirl?”

Hearing something for the first time, Logan made the break at a weird place. It was a bit funny.

“Ah—, here, there’s rice too.”

“Oh, this. Did you come here for this?”

“No, I’m planning on going on a picnic.”

“I see. I’ll have this later.”

Idiotic! Not having warm rice balls right away?! Having it later, how absurd. That is a foolish action. Logan can eat a lot, so it’s probably not that he can’t eat because he’s full. Then that means……

“That means, Logan is coming with me on the picnic?!”

“Not going, how did you reach that conclusion? I have work.”

“Eh—, boring.”

“See you then, thanks. I’ll give you my impressions next time……”

Logan shut the door with a thud.

I immediately put my ear to the door. Not having warm rice balls, that doesn’t make sense. Logan is a tsundere, so he should definitely say, “Hmph, maybe I’ll try one,” and have some.

“……I’m a bit hungry, why don’t I have one.”

He really said something similar.

While smiling bitterly at his predictable action, I got away from the door.

“Wait a bit.”

Having come out some time, Logan grabbed me from behind.

“Mn? What?”

“Is this at Celia’s restaurant?”

“Eh—? What? Did you already have a rice ball?”

Logan darted his eyes and whispered.

“I’m asking if there are.”

Really—, he could just ask, “It was delicious. Can I have this at Celia’s restaurant?” honestly—.

I imagined Logan asking honestly. I felt something sour climb up from my stomach.

“There’s only a bit at the mansion, so there won’t be any at the store.”

“I see…… it would go well with egg rolls…… please make it so that I can have a lot soon.”

That’s Logan, he knows well.

With one final sentence that it was delicious, Logan returned into the hut.

……I wonder if there’s a demand for tsundere men?