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Chapter 9: Homecoming
After joining the Dawnmoon Brigade, I found myself constantly being stopped by people whenever he walked through the streets of Erakton. Fed up with all the attention, I escaped to Akane Village.
“...Phew. This really is relaxing.”
Unlike my previous visit, summer had now fully arrived in Japan. The moment I passed through the Moon Gate, a deafening chorus of cicadas assaulted my ears from every direction. The blazing sunlight was dazzling, but what struck me even more was the humid, sticky heat unique to Japan—a sensation I had never experienced in Asphial.
“Oh? Aren’t you Allen?”
“Grandpa Genji, long time no see.”
Ë n̆ um̃ ӑ. īd
After emerging from the grove where the Moon Gate was hidden and reaching a steep narrow path, I encountered Grandpa Genji resting in the shade. Lately, I had been spending most of my time helping Taeko, so it had been about a week since I'd last seen the old man.
“What were you doing coming out of that grove?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“I was just looking into something...”
Of course, I couldn't exactly say that I just came through a portal connected to another world.
So I laughed awkwardly and tried to brush it off. Honestly, it would have been understandable if the old man found him suspicious. Considering he was technically trespassing on private property, there wasn't much else he could do.
“I see. Well, that grove belongs to me, so that's fine. Just be careful not to wander onto other people's land.”
Ӗ n u.mа̊
“Yes, sorry.”
“As long as you're exploring my mountain, I don't mind. Just watch out for insects and wild animals.”
After receiving the warning, I apologized sincerely. Still, there was a benefit to this conversation: I now effectively had permission to enter and leave the grove where the Moon Gate was located.
Amazing... He really is a major landowner around here.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
There were three small mountains around Akane Village, and apparently two of them belonged to Grandpa Genji.
His mountains remained lush and full of nature. During autumn, the forests turned beautiful shades of red and gold, and in the past he frequently went mushroom hunting there.
Е̂ ñū m̊а
Nowadays, he was too old to venture deep into the mountains alone, but he told me that if I was interested in mushroom gathering, I was free to go.
“But I can't tell which mushrooms are safe.”
“That won't be a problem. My wife and I can identify mushrooms and wild vegetables. If we get a good harvest, maybe we can even hold an autumn harvest festival for the village.”
Whether it would actually happen or not remained to be seen, but I made a mental note to gather mushrooms there if I had spare time in the fall.
Though Akane Village felt isolated and run-down, it was still located in Japan, so basic public services existed. There was no real hospital, but there was a small clinic, a post office, and a police box. The reason I had come to the village post office today was to mail a letter he had promised to send for Saioji the previous day.
“Minami-Azabu in Minato Ward... That's one seriously upscale neighborhood.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
According to Saioji, her parents were extremely wealthy and owned a company. Evidently, it was such a massive corporation that any other transmigrants or reincarnates who heard the family name would recognize it immediately.
In her letter, she planned to reassure her parents that she was safe and also ask for their help in making things easier for Allen in this world. The paper she used resembled light-green Japanese washi paper with a rough texture. In Asphial, it was considered the highest-quality paper available. Even a single sheet cost enough to make an ordinary person hesitate, yet Saioji had used the luxurious paper without a second thought to write to her parents.
My role was simple: Write the address she had specified, buy a stamp and envelope, and drop the letter into the mailbox.
“It's rare to see you around here, Allen-kun. Sending a love letter?” a local man asked.
“No, no. A friend just asked me to mail something.”
At Akane Village's tiny post office, which handled only letters and small parcels, Ken—the village's sole postal employee—struck up a conversation after selling Allen the stamp and envelope.
Е nu m̄а́
“At this time of year, some people can't make the trip home, so they settle for sending a letter instead.”
“Well, this is deep in the mountains of Gifu.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“That's true. Though the only family that seems to come back every year is Genji's.”
Every summer, former residents of Akane Village returned during the Obon holiday to visit their hometown. However, getting to the village required considerable time and effort. While travelers could use the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway to get nearby, the final stretch involved narrow roads and even mountain paths. The trip was far more exhausting than most people expected. As a result, many families chose to send letters instead of coming in person.
“...Is it because of inheritance issues?” Allen asked.
“Probably. Genji owns a huge amount of land around here, so there's likely no shortage of relatives interested in his estate. Pretty unpleasant, isn't it?”
Ẅ ӗ b n о̌v́ el̀ Е̌ ṅ ùm à_
It was indeed an unpleasant thought. If the relatives who faithfully returned to Akane Village every year were actually motivated by the inheritance they hoped to receive someday, it would be hard to genuinely welcome them no matter how far they traveled.
Faced with such a bleak reality of family reunions, I couldn't help but make a bitter expression.
