Chapter 5

Does this world have calendars? Or is it just that they exist in places where I can't see them?

――For the time being I've been training a lot over the last few months (by standard of the other world). I've got my hands on a wooden sword instead of a training sword for swordsmanship...or rather practice-swings. Using that, I've been doing practice swings every day, and I've also become quite good at hand-to-hand fighting techniques such as Karate, Boxing, and Kempo. Then again it's only martial arts where you strike your opponent...but, I never learned Judo or Aikido, unfortunately.

The training of my magic arts ― I feel like I've become able to use them more or less by now...probably. The training of somehow sensing the fluffy something has entered the second stage, and now I'm practicing to fluffily gather the fluffy something around me.

Originally that wasn't written in the books about magic, but when I somehow tried it after feeling that I'd be somehow able to pull it close to me, I noticed that it worked, and thus I've been gathering it.

But if I were to be asked, "Okay so what about it?", I wouldn't have any smart answer since I don't know myself!

Learning magic arts through self-study is tough. The general concepts are recorded in the books, but they don't mention any training methods. Therefore I've got to teach myself every day through trial and error.

I've been doing my training of gathering Mr. Fluff while seated in Zen meditation, as if drawing in iron sand with a magnet...hmm, no, the pull isn't that powerful...as if sucking in dust with an air cleaner, but then I reconsidered, wondering whether I would be able to gather it without the Zen meditation part. Ever since then I changed my training regimen towards always gathering Mr. Fluff.

It's been crowned with success as I feel that lots of Mr. Fluff has gathered around me.

Now then, I think I've probably got to do something with Mr. Fluff, but...since I couldn't come up with anything good, I'm still stuck with merely amassing it around me.

The practical application of my otherworld knowledge made some progress after I got the cook to cooperate with me. After threatening her that I'd kill her...err, strictly forbade her to tell anyone else, I passed on a few of the recipes and cooking techniques I knew of.

This world has no fermented food despite knowing how to make wine!

A simple fermentation method is to put veggies into a boiled container, crush them, and let them ferment. Same works with fruits.

After using this as stock, marinating the meat with it, and heating it up in a covered pot, you slowly cook it over the residual heat of a flame (increase the intensity when it becomes lukewarm) to finally bring out a full and deep taste.

"Why do you have wine but no food that's made with the same procedure?"

When I asked the cook, she told me, "Very likely the commoners have this kind of cooking. However, normally you wouldn't come up with the idea to deliberately let food rot before cooking it."

No, there exist people who thought of this, right? The other world's food had far more variety and quality than that of nobility in this world, and yet people over there came up with fermented food, you know?

――Of course, the dishes based on my knowledge aren't served to that man and his ilk. I mean the cook would be beheaded with her head placed on a pike outside the mansion if she fed them something made out of rotten food! Thus only the cook, me...and the servants, who wanted to eat it, partook in it.

By the way, when I was asked whether you could brew wine in the same way, I answered that it should be possible to make fruit wine with a similar method. Since the cook looked like she wanted to try it out, I asked her whether she wants to have a go at it if you don't require a license for brewing alcohol. And since she deeply nodded her approval, we're currently in the middle of preparing everything to brew wine.

But, a high level of experience and temperature control is essential when it comes to brewing wine, so it's bound to fail, isn't it?

*

Because I've been paying attention to not run into that man, I never saw him ever since that one time, but one day I got careless and inadvertently came across him. Of course I totally ignored his existence, but once that abuse-loving man spotted me, he apparently felt an urge to mentally corner and bully me. He went out of his way to draw close to me, and started to run his flap, so I lightly clicked my tongue.

Seemingly having heard that, his expression changed. ...Even though he always clicked his tongue whenever I approached him before falling ill, I guess he's not okay with getting the same treatment from me.

"I" "expressly" "avoided" "you" "to" "not" "have" "to" "see" "your" "face," "so" "do" "me" "the" "favor" "of" "not" "speaking" "to" "me" "when" "you" "have" "no" "business" "with" "me."

I clearly, and slowly pronounced every word so that even an old man with bad hearing would catch it.

"...You really have a terrible character, don't you? It remains a mystery to me how someone like you could have been born."

His voice was trembling, and he had become unable to clearly articulate himself because of his advanced age...how pathetic.

"Didn't I simply turn out similar to those who are my biological parents?" Upon me replying this with a chilly voice, he froze. "Wouldn't it have been better if you hadn't copulated with the woman who gave birth to me, if you didn't want her to give birth to me? It's your own fault for having succumbed to your sexual desire, isn't it? Something like claiming no responsibility after doing what you want to do... Ah, is it possibly the syndrome where old people stop remembering past failures?" I unnaturally cocked my head to the side with a finger placed on my chin.

"...You...!"

As he apparently got pissed off by that gesture, he tried to slap me, but I dodged it.

...Ooh! It seems my physical ability has leveled up!

The man seemed startled about my evasion. Rather, I'm also surprised at myself for having been able to dodge it, even if I've been training for this very reason. I thought that he might try to punch me next, but...

"Master!?" The butler rushed over while looking shocked.

That man was panting with his shoulders heaving, and then he laughed scornfully while looking down at me.

"Don't make any mistakes. You think you're my daughter? ...Where do you have any proof for such a claim? You might have been born from that woman, but it's not said that I'm your father, right? Aren't you some bastard she made with some unknown man somewhere? After all, you don't resemble me in the slightest!"

"Master!! ...How could you...!?"

"Shut up!"

How unusual. The butler, who's always calm and collected, has raised his voice in anger. But well, I can relate. I don't know what kind of relationship they share, but if that woman's family heard this statement, it'd turn into a problem, wouldn't it?

"Hoh." The two looked at me. "In" "other" "words," "Earl" "Springcoat" "has" "not" "once" "copulated" "with" "the" "woman" "who" "gave" "birth" "to "me!" "...is" "what" "you" "are" "saying?"

Confronted with my direct question, that man averted his eyes.

"So you did."

"Shut up! Moreover, don't call it copulation!"

"No matter what I call it, it doesn't change what you've done." I calmly pointed out. "Well, you insisting that I don't resemble you despite that is very appreciated. It's a good piece of news that I still have a chance for a 『father overflowing with love, broadmindedness and kindness, who's going to come meet me someday, after he had to tearfully part with the woman who gave birth to me out of inability to live with her』."

The butler looked flabbergasted. No, not just him, the same could be said about that man as well. But then that man revealed a creepy smile.

"Do you really believe in such a fairy-tale?"

"You think I would? Isn't that something you'd be able to immediately tell without having to ask? ...For heaven's sake, that's why old people are such a pain to deal with." The man's face turned bright red as soon as he heard my frosty reply. "I just became delighted over the prospect that it's possible for me to be unrelated to abusive trash that loves to look down on others and finds joy in bullying, hurting, and scorning a girl who's merely five years old. I must say, today is truly a wonderful day. Please excuse me then." I bid my farewell with a bright smile.