The Mochizuki family’s temple is located in a town not far from grandpa’s place. I also have memories of going there a few times when I was little; it's quite a large temple. I think the sect is Soto Zen, maybe? I don’t really remember.
Both grandpa and mom can hardly be said to have properly visited the grave. We don’t even have a Buddhist altar at home.
I think it was a "go when you feel like it" kind of thing. Even so, when we did go to visit the grave, I remember seeing flowers or incense that someone had left, and that someone outside the family had come to visit.
It seems both grandpa and my great-grandfather, whom I’ve never met, had many connections. Anyway, it’s a blessing that someone would go out of their way to visit the grave of a deceased family member.
“By the way, I’m supposed to be in that grave, huh…”
While buying flowers at a flower shop to offer at the grave on the way to the temple, I absentmindedly thought about this.
I confirmed earlier that the fake bones of me that the World God switched were already collected, and they’re not in the grave anymore.
It was a relief that we didn’t have to retrieve them ourselves.
After getting off the bus and walking for a while, a large and dignified gate welcomed us.
The solemn atmosphere of the temple seemed to affect the children, and they didn’t act too lively.
After praying at the main hall, we headed to the cemetery. The Mochizuki family’s grave was located a little deeper in the temple cemetery.
I hadn’t seen it in a while, but it’s quite a magnificent grave. It’s about the size of a four-tatami mat, surrounded by stone slabs, with lanterns on both sides.
There’s also a gravestone beside it. …Eh, wait a minute, is this ‘Shingetsuin Isshū Fuyuren Koji’ my posthumous name?
How do you read this? Shingetsuin Itchō Tōren Koji?
The one next to it is grandpa’s, right? Kyūhakuin Saishin Entoku Koji… is it?
It feels strange to have been given a posthumous name without knowing it…
“Alright, let’s start with cleaning!”
At mom’s call, we began cleaning the grave. We picked up leaves and debris by hand and swept the area with a broom we borrowed from the temple. We also had to pull out some weeds.
While pouring water from a bucket with a ladle, I cleaned the gravestone with a soft sponge, trying not to scratch it. It’s pretty dirty.
After refilling the bucket with clean water, I splashed the gravestone, filled the flower vases with water, and placed the flowers and offerings I bought.
The offering was Nanbu senbei, grandpa’s favorite. He liked the ones with peanuts in them.
I lit the incense, waved it to extinguish it, and placed the burning end in the incense burner with the left side facing out.
Mom and dad clasped their hands in prayer, and we followed their lead.
“Grandpa, these are my wives and children. I really wanted to introduce them to you properly, but… well, this is how it is.”
A lot has happened since then… yeah, it’s too much to explain in one sentence. Well, we’re all doing fine. If you haven’t been reincarnated yet, you should come back for Obon.
“Do you think he got it?”
“I don’t know. Grandpa is pretty casual about everything…”
I answered like this to mom’s mutter. Even if he hasn’t passed on yet and is wandering around as a spirit, I don’t think he’s staying in one place. He’s probably in places like Las Vegas or Monte Carlo.
If he has reincarnated, he’s probably already enjoying his next life.
“Well, let’s head back.”
Since offerings like this can get disturbed by crows and such if left out, we decided to take them back. We’ll make it our snack for the day.
Since we’re out, mom suggested we stop somewhere before going home, and the wives agreed.
Well, with the [Gate], we can return quickly, so it’s no problem.
We decided to have lunch as well, and we headed to a shopping mall near the station.
It’s a different place from the shopping center we went to on our honeymoon. …I wonder, what’s the difference between a shopping mall and a shopping center? There must be some definition, but right now, I don’t care.
For lunch, the kids requested a major burger chain. Apparently, they saw a commercial on TV and got hungry.
I too felt nostalgic. I’ve been here a few times with friends.
Oh, they have the large hamburger that symbolizes this chain. It’s been a while. I can’t miss this. I’ll get the set with fries and a drink, and oh, I want chicken nuggets too.
Some of the kids must have ordered the kids' meal, which comes with a toy.
Since there were a lot of us, we sat at several different tables. I sat with mom, dad, and Fuyuka.
After a while, our number was called, and I went to pick up the food.
Huh, was the Big Burger always this big…? It seems I forgot I was a kid again.
For me now, the burger, fries, and nuggets are quite a lot. Yeah, I’ll let dad and the others have some of the fries and nuggets.
For now, my main enemy is this Big Burger. When I hold it with both hands, its size stands out even more.
If I were my old self, I’d bite into it with a big mouth, but now, I can only nibble on the bun… I can’t enjoy the burger with the meat, vegetables, and bun all at once.
Well, I’ll have to eat it slowly. Or… maybe if I squish it, I can manage… will that work? Yeah, it’s good.
“Ah, it’s delicious.”
“Is it tasty? I’m glad.”
Fuyuka is happily eating the mini pancakes that came with the kids’ meal. It seems she also likes the stuffed animal that came with it. Is it a bear? Though it doesn’t look very wild; it’s a lazy-looking bear. Well, I guess it’s fine since it’s a kids’ toy.
But still, I think the Big Burger was a mistake… I’ve eaten about half, but I’m already pretty full.
I glanced at the table next to me, and it looked like Yaé was about to start on the third one, the same as mine. …If I really can’t finish it, I’ll ask Yaé for help.
It would be a waste to not eat what we bought, so I ate a bit of the nuggets and fries. I pushed the rest onto dad. Alright, now I can fight the Big Burger without any worries.
“You! Eat more neatly. Your mouth is all covered in sauce.”
“Huh? Mmm…”
Since I was devouring the Big Burger, I had my mouth wiped with a paper napkin by mom, who was scolding me. Damn it, I’m being treated like a kid again…
The wives were smirking, but I pretended not to notice.
Since being wiped again is humiliating, I ate carefully while chewing and finally finished it. That was a tough one… but it was delicious.
“That was good, I must say.”
“I’ve memorized the taste, so I can make it when we go back to the other world.”
“Oh, that’s helpful.”
I listened to Yaé and Lu’s conversation as we left the restaurant. So, they memorized it… Should we open a fast-food place in Brunhild?
But I’d need a food factory or something for that, right? Maybe I could make it in the “workshop…”
The problem is the ingredients and staff… Maybe I should make a [Gate] for importing ingredients? If we make a deal with the Horn Kingdom, an agricultural country, we might be able to import wheat and vegetables.
Also, more and more settlers are coming, so I might have to create a new town or village soon.
Maybe I should negotiate with Belfast and Regulus and see if they can give us a bit more territory. The area near there is full of magical beasts, so both countries seem to have left it untouched.
If we can secure a space the size of Tokyo…
As I was deep in thought, I realized I had been pulled into a boutique by the women.
The wives immediately started picking out clothes for the kids. Wait, is it only children’s clothes here? A child boutique… it’s a specialty store for kids’ clothes.
I suggested that if we just had the fabric, Linze could make them, but apparently, “that’s that, and this is this.”
I guess they want to buy real Earth-made stuff.
The daughters got caught by their mothers, and dad and I secretly slipped out and sat on a street bench in front of the store to wait. Kuon also tried to slip out but got caught by Yumina and was dragged in. Good luck my boy.
At this point, both dad and I knew it would take a while. We decided to wait patiently. Mom was still picking out clothes for Fuyuka at the baby clothing section.
“Don’t they have clothes like that in the other world?”
“It’s not that they don’t, but the materials are different. There aren’t any synthetic fibers like polyester or nylon. Over there, they make clothes using materials from magical beasts and monsters.”
“Magical beasts and monsters…”
“Like huge caterpillars or spider silk?”
“Ugh…”
Dad looked repulsed, but even silk is made from insect threads, right?
As a reference, I took out the rainbow silkworm silk fabric and an Arcobaleno handkerchief from the [Storage] to show them.
Normally, this fabric would change color when magic is flowed through it, but here on Earth, magic disperses, and even if the color changes for a moment, it quickly returns to its original state.
Right now, it’s just a nice-feeling fabric, but I think it’s quite an expensive handkerchief.
While Dad and I were talking about the clothing situation in the other world, Kuon, who looked a little tired, came out of the store.
“Are you done?”
“I am. Mother is currently choosing Alice’s clothes.”
After creating some space between Dad and me on the bench, Kuon sat down with a sigh. I get it. Being a guy, it’s tough, huh?
“Do you think it’ll take much longer?”
“There aren’t many fitting rooms, so it’ll probably take a little longer.”
Ah… I see. It seems that the fitting rooms here are spacious enough for the kids to go in with their parents. As a result, there aren’t many of them.
Kuon pulled out the handheld gaming device that Yumina had won for him at the shooting game yesterday.
“Huh? You already downloaded the software?”
“Yes. Grandfather helped me with it last night.”
I peeked at Kuon’s game screen. It was showing a famous sandbox game. He was considerate enough to mute the sound.
Curious, I leaned in from the side to see. I couldn’t see the character Kuon was controlling, and it seemed like the screen was showing from the character’s perspective. I could occasionally see hands and such from the side.
It looked like Kuon was flattening the ground by digging up dirt. He was doing it quietly and diligently… But he’s been doing that the whole time. Is this what the game is about…?
“…Is it fun?”
“Yes, very.”
Kuon didn’t take his eyes off the screen and answered with a slight smile. He’s just flattening the ground, though…? Well, if he’s having fun, that’s good enough.
I pulled out my smartphone and started reading some news online to pass the time.
Smartphones of the mass-produced variety have been spreading quite a bit in the other world, and it’s becoming normal for those in important positions in the country to have one.
I’d asked the doctor about it before, and they’re starting to think about supplying them to the general public as well.
It’s impossible to let anyone get one right away, so at first, it’ll probably be limited to wealthy merchants and public officials.
I plan on making sure it’s not misused, but there are still things like wire fraud and black-market jobs in modern times, so there’ll be issues.
If people register with magic, only they can use the device, and if they commit a crime, we could make sure that their device never works again.
Even so, there will always be people who try to find loopholes and misuse things.
The great thief Ishikawa Goemon apparently said, “Even if the sands on the beach run out, there will never be a shortage of thieves in the world,” and it’s true that bad people can arise from anywhere…
From what I’ve heard from Kuon and the others, in the future, ordinary people will also be able to buy smartphones (though they seem to be quite expensive). So, I’m sure they’ve implemented some countermeasures.
I never expected the country to get into the communication service business, though. I might have to think about developing various apps… Well, I guess I’ll leave it all to the development department for now.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Finally, Yumina and the others came out of the boutique, each holding a mountain of paper bags. I wonder how much they bought…?
As I stood up from the bench, I caught a glimpse of Kuon’s screen as he tried to save his game. It looked like an entire mountain had disappeared. He’s really been digging away at it, huh…? Is it really necessary to flatten the ground that much…?
As usual, I stored the clothes they bought in [Storage]. I did it little by little while walking, hiding behind the wives to make sure no one noticed.
By the time we arrived at the bookstore, I was nearly empty-handed.
As soon as we arrived at the bookstore, everyone scattered to the section where their desired books were located.
The little kids went to the picture books and manga section, Leen went to history and biography, Quun went to the engineering, bike, and car section, and Linze probably went to the romance novel section.
It seems Kuon was interested in a guidebook for the game he had just bought. It was a little reassuring to see him doing something childlike.
I suddenly noticed Suu picking up a medical book. Huh? Is she really going to read that?
“Healing magic can cure wounds, but it can’t cure diseases, right? And not everyone in the country can receive healing magic. Knowledge like this is necessary. There are differences between the other world and Earth, but there’s also a lot of overlap. It won’t be a waste.”
Sue said this as she picked up several specialized medical books and general health books, checking the contents before stacking them to the side.
I knew Sue could use healing magic, and I knew she occasionally volunteered at the town’s clinic, but I didn’t expect her to be thinking this much about it.
I also knew that Sue’s mother, Ellen, had gone blind and struggled a lot. Maybe that’s why she understands the importance of life and health more than anyone else.
In a way… she’s grown a lot since the first time I met her… Maybe becoming a mother helped her grow. Well, she hasn’t given birth yet, though.
Yaé and Frei were reading books on food. Probably food travel books? Lu and Arcia were looking at recipe books. Yakumo… was reading historical fiction. That’s pretty serious…
Sakura and Yoshino were in the music section, and Elze, who isn’t too interested in books, was reading a fashion magazine. It’s clear that everyone has different tastes.
Dad, because of his job, was in the manga section, recommending books to Linne and Alice. Mom was in the picture book section, probably looking for something for Fuyuka. It seems Elna and Steph are also interested in picture books.
Hilda and Yumina were in the education section… They’re so dedicated… I wonder if I should read those books too…?
Hmm?
I suddenly noticed three high school-aged boys in the manga section. Maybe a bit younger than me? I think that uniform is from a pretty good high school around here.
They weren’t looking for books, just glancing at the bookstore staff with shifty eyes. …That’s suspicious. I didn’t want to assume anything, but I took my smartphone out of my pocket just in case.
I kept my gaze away from them and watched as the two of them created a blind spot for the staff, allowing the third one to slip a book into his bag. …Ah, so it was true.
It looked like the boy took the anti-theft tag off the book and hid something small in the gap between the bookshelves.
Since he was making the same movements as when we store things in [Storage], I suspected as much.
Hmm, I can’t just ignore it.
I walked up to the boys in front of them.
“Hey, you guys. I think you should take that book you put in your bag to the register.”
“Huh? What’s with this kid…?”
“Stop making accusations.”
“Get out of the way.”
The boys looked startled for a moment, but when they realized it was a kid talking, they became aggressive.
“You’re pretty good at this, huh? A habitual thief? You got cocky because you haven’t been caught yet? Or maybe you just want to feel the thrill, huh? What’s your excuse?”
“You little brat…!”
“Hey, stop. Let’s just leave.”
One of the boys tried to reach for me, but another stopped him. At least they had enough sense to not cause a scene in a place like this.
They quickly began walking toward the exit of the bookstore.
“What about the book? Are you not going to return it?”
“Shut up! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Ah, I see. Well, it can’t be helped. Sigh… I didn’t want to do this…
“Hey, staff! These guys are trying to leave with a book in their bag!”
“What!?”
When I suddenly yelled, the three boys froze in surprise. Naturally, the customers and staff turned to look.
I could see some surprised looks from the wives, but I decided to ignore them. This is why I didn’t want to do it…
The staff, noticing us, quickly came over from the counter.
“Damn it!”
The three boys dashed out of the exit, running at full speed. Are they trying to escape? They’ve already been caught by the security cameras, and now their actions are only making things worse. Well, I can’t let them go, though.
“[Slip]”
“Ugh!?”
“Wha—You idiot…!”
“Damn it!?”
I activated [Slip] on the boy who was leading the group. It was amusing to watch as one boy tripped and the others stumbled over him, falling to the floor as well.
The impact caused the bag to be thrown, spilling its contents all over the floor.
The contents were a few comic books with their shrink wrap only halfway peeled off. They looked like new releases. It seems like they didn’t steal the books to read them. It was probably for resale or some other purpose.
A man in his forties, the bookstore staff, walked over to the fallen boys, his eyes filled with a stern look.
“What’s going on here?”
“I-I don’t know those books! We don’t have anything to do with this!”
“Oh, really? But I clearly saw you put them in your bag.”
I showed the video I had recorded to the staff, revealing the boys clearly putting books into their bags.
“No way, when did…?”
The boys turned pale, their shoulders slumping as they seemed to give in.
I could have secretly [Teleport]ed the stolen books back to the bookshelf, but the shrink wrap was already torn, and these boys probably wouldn’t learn unless they experienced some consequences.
Eventually, the mall security came, and the boys were taken away.
I was asked a few questions, but I just told them I had “happened to be filming for fun” and “thought it was strange when they put a book in their bag without paying, so I yelled.” I kept it vague. “I don’t understand all the details!” …The wives gave me a disappointed look, but I pretended not to notice.
Afterward, the staff was left wide-eyed as the wives bought dozens of books.
I secretly pulled out the cart from [Storage] and loaded all the books we bought before leaving the bookstore.
“At Asakusa, there were similar thefts, but it looks like there are quite a few here too…”
“Stealing for play money, huh? If it were to avoid starving to death, that’d be different… In a way, it’s peaceful. In Eashen, you’d get a criminal tattoo as soon as you’re caught, and your life would become miserable after that.”
Hilda and Yaé were talking about something grim as they walked in front. Tattoos, huh? The ones from the Edo period where they carved “dog” on criminals' foreheads…
I think the first time it was just a horizontal line, the second time a mark on the left, the third on the right, and the fourth time you’d be sentenced to death.
Depending on the region, it was sometimes marked with an “X” or “又” instead. The number of marks until death varied.
It seems like it would be convenient to easily tell that someone is a criminal, but for the person, it’d be a lifelong scar.
In Brunhild, they don’t go that far, but for minor crimes, if repeated, you get sent to the mines.
At worst, you’d spend your entire life digging for ore in a hole. That sounds even harsher than execution.
Well, Brunhild doesn’t have any mines, so they’d have to send them to another country.
We’re still better off. Some countries even say, “You can cut off the hands of thieves.”
There still aren’t proper prisons… though there are exile-type punishments like being sent to an island.
I glanced at the cart. There was a book titled something like “Criminal Law Explained.” I guess it’s either Yumina or Hilda. They’re mainly in charge of our security and law enforcement, so it makes sense.
Maybe I should read it too. It’s important for the leader to know, and even as an adult, learning never stops.
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