Chapter 2 – Who am I?
Inside the house, a rustling sound of something moving could be heard. Once the fire was extinguished, the surrounding became completely dark.
– So tired…
His body felt completely exhausted, but the days when Eiji braced himself in activities gave him lots of motivation. Just after finishing his meal and thinking that the day is over, Eiji’s body felt as heavy as a ship. In fact, even moving a single finger was a big ha.s.sle for him.
Such a situation made him understand that giving his best with the knowledge he possessed will not be an easy task. Usually, some light movements would be enough to wake up ones brain, however, because of the fatigue, his perception became dull, limiting his thoughts to simple activities. If there’s a need for some deep thinking, then he will probably have to finish it throughout the morning. While feeling the drowsiness which doesn’t seem to fade away, Eiji looked at the wall. From the dark view inside, one could see the outside here and there.
The old walls were bent and lots of holes could be seen. From there, a sky full of stars appeared. The moon was bright, but looking down from the holes, an overwhelming darkness stretched over. Not even a ray of light was to be seen. One could only depend on the light coming from the stars and the moon itself. The neighborhood which was covered in darkness, revealed its silhouette once the stars were interrupted. And yet one could stare at the walls absentmindedly. The ability to see in the darkness is what a human being was capable of.
Eiji used his hand in a searching manner, so as to find the wall holes. However, because the mud walls are granular, if not concentrated, it could be misleading. If there are small holes, then there are big ones as well. Now it’s still considerably warm, but once it becomes winter, the holes through which the wind blows will cause lots of problems. Therefore, Eiji decided to use the clay which he made at noon.
– Eiji?
– Aa, sorry, did I wake you up?
– No, it’s fine.
– I’m fixing the walls at the moment, so it will soon be done. please go back to sleep.
– Yes.
Tanya seemed to be weak at night. Once her body was thought to have fallen with a thud, the sound of regular breathing could be heard.
Even though Eiji felt sorry for waking up Tanya, he wouldn’t stop his job. His body felt tired, but for some reason, he couldn’t sleep despite feeling the drowsiness. Once it gets a little bit later, he will be able to fall asleep naturally. It felt as though his body was accustomed to sleeping in the later hours.
Who am I?
Tanya claimed to have never seen the Senbago, and the orthodox method of threshing was primitive and took a lot of time.
And that’s not all.
The field work was harsh. Not being used to doing this kind of work would make one’s joints and muscles scream with pain the next day. However, after seeing the villagers cultivating fields, one wouldn’t be able to complain about anything.
Furthermore, there was something strange about not feeling content with one’s meal. It was not because of the amount, but rather, because one could remember having a more delicious meal.
Then, after seeing the field, you could[1] feel the need of improvement in various areas, popping up naturally in one’s mind. Despite not having any memories from doing field work, who am I?
While repeating this question again inside his heart, Eiji washed his hands and lay down on his bedding. In addition to the straw he laid, he put down a woven mat made of straw. Because of the woven mat, the bed felt rather hard, making him unable to fall asleep. I want a frame bed – thought Eiji.
And the feeling of numbness and warmness slowly wrapped his body. That’s right, I wonder if Tanya also had a strange feeling about this way of sleeping. – he thought.
Inside the darkness, human shadows emerged.[2] It seems like Tanya fell into a sound sleep, for not even her breathing could be heard. While smiling bitterly, Eiji finally fell asleep.
A farmer’s morning usually comes early. As the sun began to rise, Eiji headed toward the stove in which the firewood had burnt completely, leaving only ashes behind. After putting them into a small vase, Eiji took out a basket and went quickly to the backyard field. Once the plants start photosynthesis, they will use the nutrition they gathered. While digging up beans and potatoes, Eiji puts them into a basket which would be enough for 4 people. In case there’s extra, it would be usually used for exchanging with neighboring villagers.
– Oh, so today it’s beans and potatoes?
– Good morning.
When Eiji turned toward the sound behind his back, there was a man. The muscular man appears to be in his early thirties, and his name is Mike. He’s a hunter in Shion Village[3] with good archery skills, therefore, he often catches lots of deer. In this village, he’s considered to be a man whose words carry weight.
– Hey look, I’ve some rapeseed and cuc.u.mbers
– And this is all that I have…
– Nice. You came here 2 weeks ago, didn’t you? Maybe Tanya is softhearted, but for me I’ve not accepted you yet.
– ……….
As Mike raised his thick eyebrows, he stared at Eiji without even hiding his thirst for blood, the thirst for blood of a warrior who has killed numerous wild animals. Eiji felt gooseb.u.mps.
For someone to have this sort of att.i.tude toward an outsider would be the right reaction, nevertheless, it was troublesome. What’s the matter? – As Eiji was at loss of words, the presence of a girl sneaking behind Mike could be felt. And once that girl clenched her fist…
– You moron!
– Awwie! Aww! Please stop! Honey, I’m sorry!
– Even though Tanya already gave her permission, you just keep saying unnecessary things. Where does a bird-brain like you come from? Do you intend to badmouth him?
-S-sorry, I’m really sorry, forgive me, aw! That was my fault.
Bang, bang – every time the sound of the fist could be heard, Mike’s face bent in pain. From the corners of his eyes tears started to flow, as his head was in a downward position. The silhouette of somebody bowing down towards Eiji could be noticed. However, It wasn’t a matter of dignity. The fact that Eiji doesn’t hold any grudge toward Mike is because he’s used to dealing with troublesome situations like this.
– I apologize for that blockhead. If you could, please forgive us.
– N-no, I don’t mind at all.
– I-I…
– Didn’t I tell you to be silent? Once you open that mouth of yours, you cause nothing but problems. Hey, go and prepare the fire.
Once he got kicked hard in back, Mike breaks into a run as if running away. Because preparing a fire is a tough job, in this case, dividing the labor would be considered normal. The girl’s name is Jane. While she has a rather big body, her arms would be a match for those of a man’s. She has a lively personality and is good at looking after others. On top of that, she’s a manager of girls in this village. Jane is a cute girl who has a pleasant smiling face, suitable for her age. Even in times like this, she’s gently smiling at Eiji.
– So you are an engineer? It seems like Tanya’s labor has become much more pleasant, she’s more cheerful too.
– It isn’t something to be praised for.
– I wonder where had you been working, before you lost your memory.
– I don’t quite get it, but I have a dim feeling like I was creating something.
– You don’t have to remember it straight away, just take it easy. Whoever you are, I don’t really mind.
– Thank you.
For someone like Jane to openly accept a total stranger, she’s indeed a person of great magnitude. Eiji felt at ease in his heart thanks to these words.
– So how is your disposition, after having spent here 2 weeks already? If you can move, then after finishing your meal, you may go meet the tribal chief and have a talk.
– Apart from my muscle pain, I feel good. What kind of talk?
– If you plan to stay here, then you ought to find some sort of activity, don’t cha think? That’s what the talk would concern. Well, but it seems that the residents of your house have no need to worry about that.
fufufu – a smile of profound meaning appeared on Jane’s face whose intention was still strange to Eiji.
– To think that a virtuous person like Tanya would shelter a total stranger. So, how far have you both gone?
– How far…you mean?
Jane’s face became sternly awesome as Eiji was trying to answer the question.
– Ugh, you mean to say that you haven’t laid a finger on her? Even though that girl was sending ok signs with her body?
– I wouldn’t dare to l-lay a finger…
– You gotta pay more attention. I’ll be waiting till then.
Seeing how puzzled Eiji’s face became, Jane smiled cheekily and waved with her hand as if to shoo him away.
– Ok, so now go quickly back. You will recognize the tribe chief’s house, because, it’s the biggest here. Sorry for taking you so long.
Eiji went back as if being shooed away. Because he was way too confused, he even forgot to spread the ash.
– Welcome back.
– W-welcome back. This will be for our dinner today. Please use it.
-…? I’ll do it right away, so please wait.
After throwing some firewood on the fire in the stove, the pot which was set on top started to warm up. Slowly simmering the wheat gluten, the oatmeal became ready.
– Sorry to make you wait.
– Bon appét.i.t.[4] By the way, once I finish this meal, I plan to go to visit the tribe chief. I haven’t managed to finish the threshing machine from yesterday yet, but once I come back, I’ll complete it.
– Thank you. I am looking forward to it.
Despite being shown a smiling face by Tanya, Eiji couldn’t face her directly.
Translator and reference notes:
[1]: I decided to switch to “you” instead of repeating “one”, sometimes, for a change. D:
[2]: It was written like this, but I a.s.sume it was their shadows
[3]: the name of Eiji’s village
[4]: Or itadakimasu.