Episode 4: Living together with a female knight.
Good morning, Jin-dono."
The next morning. While I was preparing breakfast, Seram woke up.
"Oh. Good morning, Seram."
I was not used to having someone greet me at home, so I responded to her greeting a few seconds late.
"Thank you very much for the water."
"Oh, put it on the table over there."
Seram put the glasses and jug on the table and entered the kitchen.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
I was about to answer that I didn't need anything, but sitting and doing nothing didn't suit her nature.
"Well, could you take the food over there to the table?"
"Okay!"
When I give her some work, Seram's face breaks into a smile, and she takes the plates, rice, grilled salmon, pickles, seaweed, and salad to the table.
Meanwhile, I do a final check on the simmering miso soup.
"Yup, it's enough."
It may be a little thick for those who like it thinner, but I sweat a lot in the summer and prefer a stronger salty taste.
Seram's reaction when she had it yesterday was not bad either, so this will do.
After turning off the stove, I fill two bowls with miso soup and carry them out.
Seram was already sitting on the cushion and waiting for me with a restless look on her face.
"Then let's eat."
"Mm!"
"Itadakimasu."
Seram took the initiative to say the prayer before eating, which she had just learned yesterday.
Maybe she liked it, but I was surprised.
The breakfast menu is simple: rice, miso soup, salmon, pickles, seaweed, and salad.
Seram was from another world and unfamiliar with rice, so I considered having a Western-style meal. Unfortunately, I am a Japanese food lover and usually don't have bread in my house.
Therefore, we continued to eat Japanese food like yesterday.
"This salad is so fresh and sweet."
"It's just a collection of unsalable things I harvested from the fields."
"Yesterday, I also thought I had never tasted such fresh and sweet vegetables. Jin-dono has grown wonderful things."
Seram bites into a small tomato, and her face smiles.
I don't know what vegetables in Seram's world are like, but from her words, my vegetables taste more delicious.
This is the first time someone has praised my vegetables, but I feel good about it.
She cried in the bedroom last night but looked fine now.
Has she calmed down after one night, or is she a positive person? Honestly, I can't tell. But she doesn't seem to push herself too hard.
"Mwah! What a rich fatty fish! I've never had a fish without a strong smell like this! What kind of fish is this?"
"It's salmon. You've never had it before?"
"Yes, I have never eaten this kind of fish."
It seems there are some similar foods in the other world, but things like salmon don't exist there.
"By the way, what kind of fish did you eat there?"
"Where I come from, we eat a lot of fish called adonko. It is cheap and widely consumed but smells muddy and not so nice."
When I tried to converse more with her, she answered me casually.
It sounds ridiculous when I think of another world, but having a conversation like this is fun.
"Mmmm, it's hard to eat this neatly."
Seram was struggling to eat the salmon with a fork, her face wary.
"As expected, it is difficult to eat with a fork. Give it to me."
I took the plate of grilled salmon from Seram and used my new chopsticks to break it up to make it easier to eat.
I should have considered her and made the side dish easier for her to eat...
"Now you can eat it with a fork."
"Thank you. I also wondered yesterday how you can eat food skillfully using two sticks."
Seram mutters while staring at my hand.
I take it for granted, but she's right when I think about it calmly.
I noticed Seram staring at me jealously as I moved the chopsticks around.
"...... Do you want to try using the chopsticks too?"
"Yes, I want to try it!"
I handed her a new pair of chopsticks I had used to break the salmon. Seram observed my fingers and imitated the way I held the chopsticks.
Then she grabbed the salmon with the chopsticks.
But her grip quickly loosened, and it fell to the plate. Serum looks disappointed because she can't use chopsticks well.
"This is quite difficult."
"Well, this kind of thing takes time. You'll get used to it if you use it often enough."
"......... So I have to use it often."
Seram instantly looks a bit sad.
She was cheerful while we were eating, but my words reminded her of the future and made her feel depressed.
"What would you do from now on?"
"I don't know. I don't know how I can return to my original world or whether it's even possible to return to my world."
Well, no wonder.
She was previously in the Tweege region's forest. Still, when she regained consciousness, she was already in another world's rice field.
"Any clues as to how to return from the rice field where you collapsed?"
"I've already checked but couldn't find any magic remains, magic circles, or anything else."
Seems she had already checked it out.
If that's the only clue to the location, it's unclear what to do next.
"However, I can't cause any more trouble for Jin-dono. After breakfast, I'm leaving the house."
"Leaving, then what are you going to do?"
"Somehow, I will find a way to live on my own. I'm a skilled martial arts fighter. If I take on the task of exterminating monsters, I should be able to earn some money."
Seram replied confidently. She must be confident in her skills.
"Just to let you know, there are no monsters in this world."
"No, no monsters!? That, that's impossible!?"
"Not only here, but all over the world. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. There is no conflict between people, so you can't even act like a mercenary."
"Then how am I supposed to make a living!"
"That's why I'm asking you that."
Seram is shocked when she discovers that she has no way to make a living.
Seram looked so confident a while ago, but now she looks so pathetic.
"Even so, I'll manage to earn money! I'm confident in my ability to do physical work!"
Seram managed to regain her composure. She clenched her fists and exclaimed.
If she can run that fast, perhaps she is suited for that type of physical work.
But I doubt a person from another world who knows nothing about our world would successfully find such a job.
She has no family register and no fixed address, to begin with. She has no guarantor.
It would be impossible for her to work for a decent company. The only way to break through is to go underworld. A beautiful young girl like her would probably be preyed upon when she went to the city.
"Thanks for the food. Jin-dono, you've been very kind to me."
While thinking about all those things, we finished our breakfast, and Seram stood up.
She took the dishes to the sink and walked to the front door, where she put on her armor.
"Wait."
"What's wrong?"
"You can live here rent-free with three meals daily if you help me with my farm work. What do you think?"
"Is it okay?"
When I said this, Seram quickly approached me.
I can see that she is very happy and excited, but her face is too close.
"Yeah, yeah. But I can't pay you much in return, okay? I'm just starting to stabilize my income. I'm not making much money, so I can't pay you much."
"As long as I have a place to stay and food to eat, I'm fine with that! But is it really okay, Jin-dono?"
Seram looks up at me and asks worriedly.
As one can see, she is from another world and has no family register. She has no common sense about this world and will have a hard time even if I hire her.
Still, Seram is not a bad person. I don't socialize much anymore, but I can understand that much.
I don't want to build complicated relationships.
I got tired of that and decided to quit my job and do farming in my hometown.
Hiring and living with Seram here means building a relationship with her.
Although I feel it would be troublesome, it is far better than the bad feeling of neglecting people in need.
It's better to hire an acquainted female knight who seems good at physical work than a stranger. Besides, it wouldn't hurt my wallet.
"Thank you, Jin-dono! I will be in your care from now on!"
It was a calculated proposal, but Seram also seemed to be pleased with the offer.
When Seram reaches out her hand, I also reach out and hold it.
"I'm going to count on you from today on."
"It's my pleasure!"
"This is how I started living together with Seram, a female knight from another world."
