"Dad, it’s morning! Wake up!"
"Gu-ff!?"
I was jolted awake by Steph diving at me early in the morning. Though it was from the futon, the impact was quite strong. Ugh...!
"Hey, Steph! You can’t dive onto your father when he’s a child like that!"
"Ah, I forgot..."
As I was suffering under the covers, I couldn’t help but give a thumbs up at Frei’s scolding voice.
Maybe Steph’s lady education could be stricter...?
I endured the pain and sat up.
"Good morning..."
"Good morning. Steph, where’s your apology?"
"Ugh... Dad, I’m sorry."
Encouraged by Frei, Steph apologized with a bow. Well, it’s fine, but I’d prefer it if she showed some restraint when she’s in her child form.
Dad and Kuon were already awake, drinking tea while watching the morning news on TV. It looks like the soba tea Dad bought yesterday. It smells really good.
"Touya-kun, are you alright?"
"This body, it’s a bit tough for me..."
"Sorry, Father. Before I could stop her, she dived onto you as soon as she came..."
I think I remember being woken up like that when we were at the castle... Could it be that this is the default way of waking me up even in the future? I really don’t think I can handle being dived on every day...
"Come on, it’s time to go eat breakfast. Everyone’s already gone ahead."
Huh? Was I the last one to wake up? Was I that tired?
Anyway, I can’t make everyone wait. I quickly changed out of my disheveled yukata, slipped on my slippers, and hurried—though not too fast—to the dining hall where we had dinner yesterday.
On the way, I caught up with Elze, Linze, Elna, and Linne, and when we all arrived at the dining hall, everyone was already seated.
We quickly sat down, and just like yesterday, we began eating when Mom said "Itadakimasu" (Let’s eat).
Rice, miso soup, natto, seasoned seaweed, grilled salmon, ohitashi (blanched vegetables), simmered vegetables, pickles, tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), simmered beans, and hijiki (seaweed) salad... It was the kind of Japanese breakfast you’d expect, laid out on the table. It looks delicious.
The natto, pickles, and seaweed are available in Eashen too, so I can eat them in the other world as well, but the taste is slightly different... I wonder why? Is it because the ingredients grow in different lands?
While thinking about this, I added the sauce and mustard that come with the natto, and stirred it until it turned white.
I put a small amount of it on my rice and ate it all at once! ...Delicious! The plum-flavored sauce with a slight sourness adds a nice touch. I could eat endless bowls of rice with this.
The miso soup has deep-fried tofu and tofu in it. After drinking it, my mouth, which had gotten a bit sticky from the natto, feels refreshed. The simmered pumpkin is sweet and tasty.
In the other world, breakfast tends to be bread, but I really prefer this kind of breakfast.
Well, I don’t mind a breakfast of toast with bacon and eggs, salad, soup, and coffee either.
After finishing our luxurious breakfast, we drank tea and discussed today’s plans. We’re planning to stay here for one more night, so today we decided to visit the hot spring town we couldn’t go to yesterday and buy some souvenirs. We’ll have lunch there too.
"There’s a foot bath too, so please try soaking your feet."
"That sounds fun."
The young innkeeper, Iori-san, and Mom were talking about that. A foot bath, huh? That might be nice.
We returned to our room, grabbed our wallets and such, and met up in the lobby to head out to the hot spring town together.
It doesn’t take long to get there, so we decided to walk down the gentle slope.
Along the way, we passed the soba shop we ate at yesterday, and after a while, we arrived at the hot spring town, where retro wooden buildings lined the street.
There was a faint sulfur smell and some steam rising from certain areas. I wonder if that’s the foot bath?
"Let’s leave the foot bath for last."
"Yeah, it might feel better to go after we’ve walked around and gotten tired."
While Dad and Mom were having that conversation, I was holding Winter Flower’s hand and waiting. Winter Flower can already walk by herself, but I don’t want to leave her alone, since I don’t know where she might go.
"Ni-tan, wan-wa. Wan-wa iru."
"Yeah, that’s right, the doggy is cute."
Winter Flower got a little excited when she saw an older woman carrying a poodle. It seems like she really likes animals. Maybe because Blanca is always with her? By the way, Blanca stayed behind. I want her to get some rest during this time.
Winter Flower calls me "Ni-tan," but I wonder if she properly recognizes me as her older brother. I’d rather not be treated like the neighborhood older brother. If "Ni-tan" meant "older brother" like "Onii-san," that would be fine, but if it’s "Onii-chan," the meaning is a little different.
"Touya-kun, do you want some candy?"
"Tabeyu." (I want to eat.)
When I took a small caramel out of my pocket and handed it to her, Touya-kun put it in her mouth and chewed, smiling innocently with a carefree grin.
What is this cute little creature! My little sister is just too adorable!
I don’t know, but she’s cute in a different way from a daughter, and I’m starting to melt.
So this is what it’s like to have a little sister... They’re this cute, huh?
"You're all lovey-dovey..."
"Whoa... This is something..."
"Is this what they call sis-con?"
The wives behind us were saying something, but I decided to ignore it.
"Anyway, should we go to that souvenir shop?"
The shop Mom pointed to had the typical appearance of a souvenir shop. The white cloth sign with the words "Omiyage-dokoro" (souvenir shop) on it emphasized this even more.
When we went inside, there were all kinds of souvenirs packed into the space. Sweets like onsen manju (hot spring buns), bath products like soap and towels, wooden figurines and accessories, and for some reason, tiny lanterns, which are often found in hot spring towns.
I remember hearing from Grandpa that those lanterns used to be considered one of the three sacred treasures of the souvenir world...
The other two, I think, were long triangular pennants and keychains in the shape of the local prefecture (there are several versions of this story).
Should I buy one? Well, if I could use it as a lantern, that might be okay, but it feels like it would be weird as interior decor...
I’m pretty sure it would be a mismatch in the living room of the castle...
"Wow, this is cute."
"Mom, this one is cute too!"
Elze and Elna were excitedly looking at character-themed handkerchiefs and towels. The character was a duck with a towel on its head, soaking in a hot spring. A hot spring duck? It just looks like a duck being stewed, though... Is it cute...?
Everyone scattered around the store, carefully examining their preferred souvenirs.
When I glanced to the side, I noticed Kuon was focused on a wooden puzzle toy.
The puzzle Kuon was looking at was a type of wooden puzzle, and what he was holding was a small piece of wood with two boards, each with a small indentation, crossing in the shape of a cross.
If you follow the correct steps, it easily comes apart, but Kuon was struggling, shaking it and peering into the gaps.
"Should I take it apart for you?"
"Alice would probably just force it apart, which won’t work. I think something inside is getting stuck..."
"Let me try."
I took the small cross puzzle from Kuon and placed it on a flat surface, flicking it gently with my finger.
With a little spin, the puzzle turned and stopped. I carefully lifted the part on top, and easily, the two pieces separated.
"Wow! It came off!"
"I see, there’s a stopper inside, huh?"
Right. This puzzle has stoppers on both sides of the indentations, so even if one part comes off, the other side acts as a stopper to prevent it from coming loose.
If you shake it to the right, the left stopper pops out; if you shake it to the left, the right stopper pops out. One of them always prevents the pieces from coming apart.
"I see, so you rotated it and used centrifugal force to retract both stoppers."
"Your Majesty, you figured it out!"
"Well, I’m glad you’re impressed, but actually, I had this puzzle when I was younger. So, I knew the solution from the start."
It was a capsule toy that Grandpa bought for me. I couldn’t solve it at all, but I remember Grandpa solving it with a smug face. That’s why I wanted to try doing the same thing.
"That’s why I don’t know how to solve the other puzzles. If something catches your interest, you can buy it."
In addition to the cross puzzle, there were other wooden puzzles on the shelves, such as spherical ones, barrel-shaped ones, and even candy-shaped ones. They looked much more difficult than the cross one. I definitely couldn’t solve them.
I wonder if they come with instructions? I feel like I could find them online...
Kuon seemed to really like the wooden puzzles and started examining them carefully. These souvenirs are for him, but it’s still a souvenir. Well, it’s not a bad idea to keep a memento of today.
When I looked around at everyone else, Lu and Arcia were, as expected, focused on the sweets. Not only the usual onsen manju (hot spring buns) but also onsen pudding, onsen senbei (rice crackers), and onsen cider were available.
I don’t quite get the connection between hot springs and pudding or senbei, but if I think about it, the manju is the same way. They’re probably using the hot spring water or steam in their creation. If they’re made using the hot spring, it wouldn’t be wrong to name it after it.
While looking at the shelf, my eyes caught a large jar filled with semi-transparent sweets that seemed to be coated in sugar. The label hanging from the jar had the word "Kohaku" (amber) written on it.
I casually picked up the jar.
"Ah, this is amber sugar. It’s a candy made with agar-agar. Are you going to buy it?"
As I was looking at the candy, Dad, who had peeked over my head, explained.
I see, so it’s transparent because it’s made with agar-agar.
The candy inside the jar, looking like jewels, was colored in red, blue, yellow, orange, green, and purple, a colorful array.
Amber sugar, huh? I definitely can't pass this up.
I thought about the white tiger, who was probably lying on the sofa in the castle, sprawled out despite being a tiger, and took the jar in my hand.
Not only amber, but I should get something for Luli, Kougyoku, Sango, and Kokuyou too.
Since I'm not buying all the souvenirs here, I could save it for later, but just in case, I’ll buy five... Actually, since I want some too, I’ll buy about ten extra. If I put it in [Storage], it doesn’t matter about the expiration date.
It looked like everyone else also bought souvenirs in their baskets.
After paying, we went outside and pretended to rest for a bit. In a place where no one could see, we had everyone act as a wall so I could store the souvenirs I had bought into [Storage].
"Really, such a convenient magic. I could smuggle as much as I want."
That sounds bad. It’s true, though.
With [Storage], I could easily bypass customs without any problems.
Of course, I can’t get a passport anymore, so I can’t travel abroad. Well, I could just use teleportation magic, though.
"M-mom, there are dumplings cooking!"
"Oh, dumplings? Wait, are those really dumplings? They look like they’re being boiled...?"
When I turned to look at Steph and Sue’s conversation, I saw a shop employee putting something that looked like dumplings into a pot that was bubbling away.
Looking to the side, I noticed the sign hanging that read "Tama Konnyaku" (dumpling-like konnyaku).
"Those aren’t dumplings, they’re konnyaku."
"Konnyaku!"
"Konnyaku? Is that like the squishy, slime-like thing?"
Slime...? Well, the texture might be similar.
When I heard the word "slime," I noticed that Yumina, Elze, Linze, and Yaé all made faces like they were disgusted. I didn’t miss that.
Well, those four have a bit of a trauma related to it...
That said, I’m actually interested in trying the tama konnyaku. I’ll give it a go.
I paid the shop attendant and got three tama konnyaku on a styrofoam plate. The three pieces came with mustard on the side. Steff doesn’t need the mustard.
"Here you go. Be careful, they’re hot."
"Thank you, Dad!"
I handed Steff the tama konnyaku without mustard, and I added the mustard to my own. Sue seemed a little hesitant but decided to put just a little mustard on hers.
"Hot hot!"
The tama konnyaku, simmered with soy sauce and dashi, was well-seasoned and delicious. The mustard gave a sharp kick, making a nice contrast. But it was so hot, I had to blow on it to cool it down as I ate.
Steph and Sue were also blowing on theirs, eating slowly.
As they saw us eating, as expected, Lu and Arcia ordered the same tama konnyaku. And perhaps influenced by them, the others also started ordering it one by one.
Well, Yumina and the others didn’t want to remember slimes, so they politely declined.
While eating the tama konnyaku, we looked at the hot spring town map to discuss where to go next. It’s a little rude, but it’s still fun.
After finishing the tama konnyaku, Mom pointed at one of the spots on the hot spring town map.
"It looks like there’s a shrine nearby. Should we stop by and pray?"
A shrine, huh. I guess we should pray for the safety of our trip.
The shrine wasn’t too far, but it was located on a high hill, so we had to climb a decent set of stone steps.
While I, my wife, and the kids were fine, Dad and Mom, who were more indoors, seemed to struggle a bit, breathing a little heavily. Dad was particularly bad. It was clear he hasn’t been exercising much.
After finishing the stairs, I snuck behind Dad and used [Refresh] while cloaking it with divine energy.
Dad, who had recovered from his fatigue, looked at me in surprise.
"Is this magic too? Thank you very much."
"You're welcome."
I decided to heal Mom as well. She doesn’t seem that tired, though.
In the shrine’s precincts, I saw a few travelers scattered about. It seemed like there weren’t many, but it’s a weekday, so maybe this is normal.
First, we’ll pray. Everyone took some small change and I taught them the proper way to pray—two bows, two claps, and one bow.
Before passing through the torii gate, I bowed deeply and walked along the edge of the path. The center is the god's path.
...Huh? Then, is it okay for me to pass through...? No, no, even though I’m a god, I’m a newbie god, and I should show respect to my seniors. Yeah.
We purified our hands and mouth at the temizuya (purification fountain), and then went to pray.
Mom rang the bell as the representative and threw the offering coin, and everyone followed, throwing their own coins.
A deep bow twice, then two claps. And then the prayer...
Please let us finish our trip safely and happily.
‘Ho ho ho. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.’
...!? The World God!?
I instinctively looked up at the sky. So, you’ve been watching from the divine realm above!?
‘Ah, you figured it out. I did say that in such a sacred area, our voices might reach, didn’t I?’
‘Sorry, I accidentally...’
‘Well, well. I’m sorry for the interruption, Touya-kun. Please enjoy your time with your family.’
I could also hear the voices of Sister Karen and Grandma Tokie. What are they up to in the divine realm...?
After another deep bow, we finished our prayer.
"I think we can draw omikuji (fortune slips) over there."
"It looks like they have amulets too."
Looking where Leen and Yaé were pointing, I saw a miko (shrine maiden) at a place that looked like a shrine office.
Omikuji, huh. Should we try to see what the fortunes are for the trip?
A few kids who wanted to try the omikuji joined me, and I decided to give it a try too, just to see.
"Small fortune... Well, that’s ordinary, I guess?"
I think omikuji are ranked in this order: daikichi (great luck), kichi (good luck), chukichi (middle luck), shokichi (small luck), suekichi (last luck), and kyou (bad luck), right? But I’ve also heard there’s an order like daikichi, chukichi, shokichi, kichi, suekichi, and kyou.
In any case, small fortune seems to be neither good nor bad.
"Travel: It’s good if you’re with someone..."
I have plenty of people with me. So, I guess that’s a good sign?
Fortunately, it seems no one got "bad luck."
Basically, you can keep your omikuji, but since it’s meant to form a connection with the gods, I decided to tie it to the omikuji rack. The kids also followed my lead and started tying theirs.
"Huh?"
When I turned around, I saw the wives gathered in front of the shrine office, buying something.
Maybe they’re getting protection charms or ema (wooden prayer plaques)?
No, they must be buying amulets. What could it be... I hope it’s not a love charm or a marriage tie...?
"Did you buy something?"
"Huh? Ah, yes, um, a few amulets..."
Linne responded with a somewhat awkward tone. What’s going on? There’s nothing to hide, is there?
I stood on tiptoe to see where the amulets were in the shrine office, and there really were so many different kinds of them.
Wealth, business prosperity, traffic safety, family safety, academic success, warding off evil... Oh, there’s also one for marital harmony.
Maybe the ones they bought were these? I felt a little happy but also embarrassed.
However, next to those, there were two amulets that were clearly less in number.
For childbearing success and safe childbirth...
When I slowly turned around, the wives were all blushing and quickly looked away. I probably turned red as well.
"Well, um, someday! I thought we might need them someday!"
"Y-yeah, these kinds of things are hard to get in the other world!? So it’s a good opportunity! Yes, a good opportunity!"
Elze and Yumina hurriedly spoke up. The others also mumbled excuses like "Yeah, yeah," or "We bought other things too."
Well, I wasn’t saying it was bad...
"What are you doing? Let’s go!"
"Yes! We’re coming now!"
At Mom’s voice, the wives hurriedly ran off as if relieved. Um...
"Excuse me, I’ll have these and these as well..."
"Huh...?"
The miko at the shrine office gave me a slightly awkward look when I bought the same childbearing and safe childbirth amulets as the wives. It felt so uncomfortable.
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