Chapter 109 - House Cleaning Complete
Volume 6 of 'I Want to Live a Slow Life in the Countryside After Being Reincarnated' will be released the day after tomorrow. I would be happy if you could pick that up as well!
"""It's finished!"""
Although there were some happenings like Flora's mood turning sour halfway through, we were able to successfully clean Kurune's house. Because the house was large, the sense of fatigue from each task was incredible. I don't get that tired when cleaning my own house. No wonder a noble's mansion needs so many servants.
"Everyone, thank you for helping! I've already made preparations with magic, so the bath is ready whenever you are!"
"Alright, Aldo. Let's get in the bath."
"Wait a minute. Why are you trying to get in first so casually?"
Aisha quickly grabbed Toak's shoulder as he was about to head to the bath and stopped him.
"...Tch."
Once the cleaning was over, naturally, I wanted to wash away this dust and sweat-covered body and soak in hot water. However, we were men and women. Even if the bath was large, we couldn't go in together, so inevitably one side had to go in first while the other waited while still dirty.
"Ahaha, I'm the one treating you, so I can go later, but Aisha and Flora want to go in quickly too, don't they?"
Even so, Aisha and Flora probably wouldn't want to give in. Especially for women who liked cleanliness, it was natural to want to go in first.
"...Rock-paper-scissors."
"Fine, I'm in."
Toak replied with a provocative smile to Aisha, who spoke as if glaring at him. Well, that was the best way to decide without leaving any hard feelings.
Having decided on Toak and Aisha as representatives, Flora and I stepped back slightly and watched.
"It's a one-match deal, okay? Don't go whining about it later."
"Hmph, I'm not as unmanly as you."
Toak's expression twisted at Aisha's provocation, but he somehow endured it. He probably thought it was better to settle it with rock-paper-scissors than to talk.
"Then, here we go."
"Yeah."
""Rock, paper, scissors—""
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"Aldo, hold that side for me."
"Got it."
Toak and I held the measuring tool and measured the dimensions of Kurune's room. The reason we were doing this was simple. Toak had lost to Aisha in the rock-paper-scissors match to decide who would go in the bath first. As a result, the women's group had earned the right to go in first, and I, who would be going in later, was helping measure the dimensions of Toak's room.
"...Sorry for losing."
After helping with the measurements in silence for a while, Toak said, looking awkward.
"It's fine. I wanted Flora to go in first anyway, and it'll be easier later if we finish this task now, right?"
It would be a hassle to still have measurement work left after getting out of the bath and feeling refreshed. It's best to finish what needs to be done quickly.
"Well, that's true. ...Alright, the measurements for this room are finished."
"Ah, you're already measuring."
As I was about to move to the next room with Toak, Kurune entered the room.
"Eh? Had you not taken a bath yet, Kurune?"
"I've already finished. I prepared the bath as a thank-you for the cleaning, so it would be apologetic for the one who asked to be the one leisurely soaking first."
Ah, I might understand that feeling if I were in the opposite position. If you prepared it as a reward, you'd feel guilty if you went in first.
"Even so, isn't your hair drying fast? It usually takes women quite a while to dry their hair, doesn't it?"
"Ah, that's because I dried it with [Skill: Wind Magic]."
Kurune brushed her ponytail, which was tied up to show off her own hair. Her brown hair fluttered, and a floral scent of soap drifted, making my heart skip a beat for a moment.
"Magic is as convenient as ever."
"I wish I could do something dexterous like that too."
I can use wind magic too, but at most I can wrap it around myself or release it as an attack; I can't control it freely like Kurune.
"Fufu, that's because Aldo is bad at this kind of delicate magic."
When I muttered enviously, Kurune spoke proudly, puffing out her chest. Ugh, how frustrating. Should I start practicing even now? Humans become desperate when forced by necessity, after all.
"Even so, Aisha will probably take a long bath now that she has the chance."
"Ahaha, Flora looked like she was about to get out, but Aisha might still be in."
I could easily imagine Flora, who was considerate of Toak and me, and Aisha, who was going at her own pace. Since Toak was here, she might be taking a long bath as a form of harassment.
"Well, we still have measurements left, so there's no need to rush."
"True."
"But this house is really large. Is Toak going to handle all the furniture here?"
"I can't do all of it. Orders for furniture are increasing before the Harvest Festival, so it's only a part of it."
"Yes, I've asked Toak for the furniture for the classroom and my own room, and I'm asking different craftsmen for the furniture in the other rooms," Kurune explained.
"But weren't there a lot of tables and chairs in the warehouse at Toak's house?"
When I went to Toak's house, I had seen many pieces of furniture in the warehouse many times.
"There are some, but there aren't many that would suit this house."
That made sense. Unlike a normal villager's house, the interior of this house was luxurious. If the furniture didn't match the room, it would look out of place. Since she would be holding a magic classroom in the large room, she would probably put a lot of effort into the classroom equipment.
"Now, I'm heading to measure the next room, so Aldo, help me. Kurune, listen to the requests in the meantime."
"Can't be helped."
"Got it!"
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"I'm sorry, I ended up taking a bit of a long bath."
After helping with the room measurements and while Toak and Kurune were discussing what kind of furniture to make, Flora and Aisha returned just as I was becoming idle. Unlike Kurune, the two of them hadn't dried their hair with wind magic, so their hair was damp, and their cheeks were somehow flushed red.
"Haa, I wanted to soak a bit longer, though."
"It would be pitiful since Aldo-san and Toak-san are waiting. Let's soak slowly when we come to play again, okay?"
"I guess so."
Aisha said as she walked toward us. Her long hair was damp, and water droplets were dripping onto the floor.
"Aisha, water is dripping from your hair! Please wipe it properly with a towel!"
"It's fine. Kurune will dry it with wind magic."
Even though Flora said that, Aisha didn't care, and Flora, unable to watch, wiped the moisture with a towel instead.
It seemed she had been taken care of by Kurune quite a bit while Kurune was staying with her. I'm sure she had her hair dried after the bath and then combed as well.
"Good grief, I guess it can't be helped. Aisha, Flora, I'll dry yours too, so come here."
"Eh, is that okay?"
"This much is an easy task. Flora has an aptitude for the wind attribute, so you might be able to use it eventually. Watch and feel it carefully for the future."
"Thank you very much!"
Indeed, since Flora had an aptitude for the wind attribute, it was entirely possible that she would master it in the future. Flora and Aisha moved in front of Kurune and lined up together.
"Alright, alright, you men, go on, go on. It's boorish to watch women getting their hair dried. Your towels are in the changing room."
I was interested in how a woman's hair was dried with wind magic and tried to observe, but Kurune shooed me away with her hand.
"Then, shall we enjoy the bath to our heart's content?"
"Yeah. It's not like anyone is waiting after us, so let's soak slowly."
After this, we washed away our fatigue and dirt in the large bathtub and ate Flora's sandwiches for lunch.
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I will update again the day after tomorrow.