「That’s enough, right?」
With just those words, my arm was released without being torn off.
Well, of course.
Standing there was the rugged foreman, and behind him a group of young workers who looked a bit too hot-blooded, glaring at us with mallets and saws in hand.
「Can we start the work now? This is the last part」
「「Yes… sorry for the trouble…」」
Overwhelmed by the foreman’s aura of “Just hurry up and finish already!”, the two of them instantly let go of my arms at the same time.
「…Thanks. Sorry to keep you waiting, foreman」
「Nah, it’ll be over quick. More importantly, we’ll take care of tearing down this wall」
「Well… I don’t mind. Actually, that helps a lot…」
I could’ve asked Makoto to do the demolition, but since they’re offering, I’m grateful.
「Alright, you lot! Get to it!」
「「「UOOOORAAAAAA!!!」」」
The young workers roared, charged at the old brittle wall, and with all that momentum, or rather as if venting their frustrations, they began smashing it apart.
「OOOAAAAAHHHHHH!!!」
「Every last one of you is the same damn thing anyway!!」
「I’m jealous! I’m envious! It’s because of guys like that more and more men stay single!!!」
「Uuugh… Wendy-san…」
「Don’t cry! You knew this would happen!」
「But… but still!」
「If you’re a man of Amatsukuni, then wish for the happiness of the woman you love! Right now… smash this wall!!」
「…Yeah! Take this, wall!! Acting like you’re something important, standing there all proud, get out of the way!!」
Looks like they’ve been… bottling things up.
Uh… sorry?
But Wendy’s mine. Give it up.
「Well, let them have that much」
「Yeah… I guess it’s more like I should be apologizing. By the way, foreman, what are you drinking?」
「Strong tea. The landlady handed it out to us married folk. It hits the spot」
So it’s sweet, huh!
They’re pairing the sweetness of the mood with actual sweets and tea!
No wonder Hayato and Makoto look so uncomfortable, their eyes darting all over. Oh, and the moment their eyes met, they snapped their heads away in opposite directions.
「「「「Haaah… haaah… wall’s all down!」」」」
Panting heavily, the young workers had already smashed the wall to pieces and cleared away the debris in no time.
That just shows how much… they had stored up inside.
「Good work. Take a break」
「「「「Yes, boss!」」」」
The unmarried young workers shuffled off toward the landlady.
Maybe they’d let off enough steam, since their faces looked a little brighter.
This time, the burly middle-aged married men showed up carrying bamboo fences lashed together with sturdy rope.
They were probably going to replace the broken wall with these…
Wait, hold on. How do you even ‘make’ a bamboo fence?
「…It’s been a long time since they left their hometowns too…」
「Huh?」
「Shizuruuuuu! I love youuuuuu!」
‘Slash!’
「Mom! I’m sorry for going to those shady shops!」
‘Boom!’
「I was like that too when I’d just gotten married…」
‘Zakkuuuun!’
…They were ramming the bamboo fence into the ground.
With their bare hands.
And driving it in ‘deep’. Perfectly straight, each piece lining up in a flawless row. That had to be the skill born from years of experience.
「Guess I’ll go too」
「Foreman, you as well? …Wait, what’s that?」
What he picked up was something huge, both tall and wide… What the heck? It looked like a reinforced wooden field roller, the kind they use to flatten baseball grounds.
「This is an Amatsu-oak Dragonfly Mallet」
The foreman leveled the giant mallet at the freshly planted bamboo fence.
Wait, he’s gonna swing ‘that’ thing?
The way he’s posing, it’s more like a cheer squad captain waving a flag. Is his back even going to hold up?
Everyone’s eyes locked on his every move. He didn’t so much as twitch, holding the mallet steady, fully focused.
And then, the air shifted.
His eyes snapped open, blazing, and he leapt into the air.
「Too long-winded!!」
He shouted as he swung the mallet down.
S-sorry…!
The mallet struck the top of the fence dead-on, and it sank even deeper into the ground, the whole line settling lower.
「Alright. That should do it」
Checking the joints, making sure no gaps remained, the foreman turned back.
With the mallet resting on his shoulder, he wore a satisfied smile.
…Not because he’d vented his frustrations, right?
It was just because the job came out well… right?
「Sorry… for everything」
「Don’t worry about it. Laughing it off, both the sweetness and the foolishness, that’s the mark of an adult’s composure」
No, you were ‘really’ grumbling a lot back there…
「Come on, let’s finish the rest!」
「「「「「「Yeah!!」」」」」」
The rest… oh.
It suddenly hit me. That wall wasn’t just one side.
There were still two more.
And so, the foreman and his crew’s festival of envy, nostalgia, and frustration continued.
-0-
And then…
「That was over in no time…」
Thanks to the foreman and his crew’s hard work, along with Hayato, Makoto, and the others lending a hand, my hot spring was finally complete…
Ahh… it was wonderful.
The thought that ‘this’ hot spring belonged to me… just that alone made my cheeks loosen with a smile, not because of the mixed bathing.
「Yeah… but it was fun」
The craftsmen, led by the foreman, were all smiling brightly.
Yeah, it really was fun. And more than that, I could honestly say something truly good had been made.
「Oh? So it’s finally finished…?」
「Not yet. Without hot water, it doesn’t mean anything. You’ve already drawn it in, haven’t you?」
「Yeah, I have… then…」
I walked toward the water outlet, pretending to do some work, and from the source I diverted the water into my magic space, adjusted the temperature, and then released it back out.
「「「「Oooohhh!」」」」
Cheers rose as the hot water slowly seeped in, gathering bit by bit, but I kept my eyes fixed, carefully checking for leaks.
「…Looks good」
「Yeah. Congratulations」
The foreman held out his hand. I quickly wiped my sweaty palm on my clothes before gripping his firmly.
「Once again, good work」
「Same to you, Foreman. Thanks for the fine craftsmanship」
「Heh, that’s my job. I wrote down the building’s details for you. As for the celebration, do it with your own people」
「Oi, you’re not joining us?」
It was such a good day. Even if I went all out with the feast, Wendy and the others wouldn’t call it wasteful.
Besides, now we had a hot spring. It might be tough to fit everyone in at once, but if we split into two groups, everyone could enjoy it.
「We’ll have our own. Our clothes are filthy, and it’s not like the builders bathe in the bath of the house they just finished」
Well… that’s true, but…
Somehow, it still felt lonely.
「Boss! We had a blast!」
「It’s a shame we won’t get to eat Wendy-san’s cooking, but if we got drunk and rowdy and ended up wrecking the house, it’d ruin everything!」
「That’s the way of Amatsukuni men, fast eating, heavy drinking, quick to brawl!」
「Exactly. Tonight, we’re drinking till morning! We’ll rent out the best place in town and drink the night away! And thanks to you, we saved a bundle!」
He smoothly handed me a bill.
Ah, the materials statement.
I’d asked them to keep it around one hundred million…
Let’s see… exactly one hundred million…
Not a coin under, not a coin over.
Talk about skillful management.
「Alright. I’ll take care of the bill, so go enjoy yourselves to the fullest」
「You bet! We can’t take the reward anyway. All that’s left for us is to head back to Amatsukuni. We’ve got to make sure we spend every last bit of the envoy’s funds!」
They would probably really spend every last bit down to the coin…
「Ah, right, I almost forgot. Here, take this」
「Hm… a comb?」
「Yeah. We had some leftover materials. This one’s for hair, and this one’s for beastmen tails and ears. There are several kinds, so pick whichever you like」
Whichever I like, he says… but wow.
From finely toothed to coarse, there was an impressive variety.
It was obvious at a glance that these were far beyond something made from mere scraps.
「The foreman’s combs are so popular you can’t even get them right now! And these are not from his apprentices, but made by his own hands! Even the officials want them!」
「Is that so… Thank you, Foreman. I’ll treasure them」
「Good. Take care of the girls」
「Of course」
「Hmph, maybe that was unnecessary advice. Well then, see you around」
With that, the foreman and his crew left.
-0-
The younger ones waved energetically until the very end, while the others departed chatting happily about the details they had worked so hard on in this house.
「Well then, it looks like my contract is finished too」
「Eh, you’re coming along, right, Guide-san?」
「Uh… is it really okay if I do?」
「Of course. You helped us a lot, so join in」
「…It’s free, right?」
「Of course…」
「Then I’ll come!」
So straightforward. But that’s just like her, and honestly, I think it’s fine.
Now that I think about it, I should pay her extra. She did far more than her contract required.
「Hmm, I’ve got some questions for the Guide」
「Me too. Like what happened while we were gone」
「Eh? Eh? What is this!? What are you planning to ask!? A-ah, maybe I won’t, Aahh!」
Shiro and Sorte seized her shoulders firmly, and she had no chance of escape.
It looked like there would be a girls’ talk before the banquet.
…Good luck!
「Alright then, let’s get ready. We can leave the hot water running… next is food. I’ll cook, and Chris, Wendy, and Mika-chan, you’re all good with cooking too, right?」
「Ah, yes! I even have the skill, so it’s no problem」
「Good. Then the four of us will head to the kitchen. We’ve got a big crowd, so let’s do our best」
「「「Yes! We’ll do our best!」」」
「The rest of you can relax, but come get food when it’s ready. And no sneaking bites」
「「「「「Okaaay!」」」」」
Alright, then, time for one last big celebration.
With Hayato’s group, Makoto’s group, and so many people gathered, I had to cook with all my strength, to thank Shiro, Aina, and the others.
…And besides, I still had ‘that’ which I bought with my ‘pocket money’.
Since so many drifters were here together, I should bring it out without holding back, even if it wasn’t much.
But for the soup I wanted to make, I didn’t have enough ingredients for the stock…
Hmm… would this town have what I needed for sale?
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