Volume 6 Chapter 69 Uncle Keisuke
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Sorry it’s so hot, Sab-Sab,” Uncle Keisuke said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his neck. “Putting air conditioning in this car goes against my policy.”
It was just past 10 a.m., and the heat inside the car was starting to get serious.
Driving wasn’t too bad yet. With the windows down, the wind felt good. But the moment we stopped at a red light, everything changed.
The air stopped moving. The summer sun roasted us, and in seconds, the inside of the car turned into a steam room.
I felt like I had some kind of skill to deal with heat… but I couldn’t remember how it worked. Probably never used it much. The other world I came from was cooler than Kanto. Maybe more like Tohoku? Not snowy, but calm.
The light turned green, and the car started rolling again. A cool breeze brushed away the sweat. That was nice, too.
Maybe that’s what it means to enjoy the good only after facing the bad. Ms. Nina once said something like that. She had more insight than I gave her credit for.
Huh. Now that I think about it, weren’t people in the other world pretty smart? Even background folks like butchers felt sharp…
Just remembering them made my stomach twist. What ever happened with the butcher?
Cars passed us one after another. Uncle Keisuke’s speed stayed steady. The needle on the speedometer looked about right for the limit.
But knowing Uncle, this wasn’t about following the rules. The car itself probably just wasn’t made to go fast.
Uncle Keisuke’s favorite ride—his “Caterpillar”—was famous worldwide. Built before the war, its engine had no power to speak of.
He often said he could swap in something stronger, but he was picky about keeping it original. So, he never did.
* * *
Last night, Uncle had suddenly shown up at our house in a rush. It turned out he heard something about the other world from Brother Jirou.
While chatting, we ended up deciding to drive out to Uncle Keisuke’s house. He said he wanted to give me some tools that might help over there.
His house was in Shiga Prefecture. I thought we’d take the highway, but instead, we were rolling along back roads.
Odd. He’d used the highway on the way here, so what changed?
”Listen close, Sab-Sab,” Uncle said, tapping the wheel. “Sometimes, you only see the truth when you leave out the engine.”
He said we were following the old path Tokugawa Ieyasu took to Sekigahara—a flat route with few hills.
Maybe the car couldn’t handle slopes. I wouldn’t mind getting out to help push it, just once, like in those old movies.
”Sounds fun, but… we’re not reaching your house today, right?”
”It’ll take some time, sure,” he said with a chuckle. “But that’s the real luxury.”
Thing is, I didn’t have that kind of time to spare.
”You sure this is okay for work?”
”I’ve got loads of paid leave left. It’s fine.”
Uncle Keisuke was an oddball of a relative. In our family, he was known as the fun older brother, but outside that circle… well, people saw him as a failure.
Honestly, I already had that sense.
He’d bounce from one job to the next, using connections from relatives. Every time, he’d get bored and quit not long after.
No wonder Aunt scolded him so much.
I used to hate seeing Auntie bully Uncle Keisuke, but now I understand it a bit.
He was kind. But he also relied too much on others and never stood on his own feet.
Lately, I’ve been learning to look at people from more than one angle. And seeing him now… maybe Uncle just wasn’t strong.
”I just wanted to talk slowly with you, Sab-Sab,” Uncle said, smiling gently. “You can’t really get into deep stuff on the bullet train, can you?”
”Well… I guess not,” I replied, fidgeting a little.
”It’s weird, though. Every time I bring gadgets into this car, they just break. Like, instantly. So this car’s probably safe from spies.”
”That’s not something to brag about,” I said, glancing at my watch. “You should’ve warned me. I just bought this thing.”
It cost 980 yen at the Hobby Center. Solar-powered. I planned to bring it to the other world.
”That cheap one’s no good,” Uncle said, tossing over a thick, clunky watch from the dashboard. “Here. This one’s from a submarine.”
”A diver’s watch?” I asked, catching it with both hands.
”Nah. It’s made for tracking duty shifts on subs or ships,” he said, puffing up a bit with pride.
Another weird item…
”In a world like that, days might not be twenty-four hours. But this watch lets you adjust the time flow, kinda. It’s all mechanical—no batteries needed.”
Useful… but complicated. I’d need the manual to use it right.
”I’ve been preparing, you know,” Uncle said with a wink. “Ever since you were a baby, I thought, ‘One day I’ll get summoned too.’ But you beat me to it. That’s not fair.”
”Huh? The other world’s not that great.”
”But you get cheat skills, right?” he asked, eyes lighting up.
”Well… I wouldn’t say it’s anything crazy.”
Why did he know so much? I hadn’t even told my brothers the full story. Only mentioned the magic bag.
”If I wanted to, I could dig up everything. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” Uncle said, crossing his arms.
”It’s easier living here in Japan,” I muttered. “In that world, if you can’t cook, you don’t eat right.”
”That’s why I’m bringing mayonnaise. I’ve got all the recipes memorized.”
”You even made it yourself?”
”Tch. It’s just mixing stuff together, right? Anyone can do it.”
Uncle, who couldn’t even make curry properly, said that with full confidence.
”Why not give it a shot? Ingredients are easy to find in Japan.”
Since I didn’t usually buy eggs when living alone, I might try it during camping sometime.
Uncle really wasn’t a bad guy. But with thinking like that… even if he had cheat powers, I doubted he’d last long over there.
* * *
The slow drive turned out to be kind of nice.
Avoiding the highway let me see new parts of Japan I’d never known.
Still, the car’s engine sounded weird. It needed repairs, badly.
As the sun set, Uncle—completely lost—pulled out a paper map and compass.
He could’ve used GPS, but no. He was weirdly stubborn, just like his mom.
I could’ve used my Astronomy skill to find the way. But I let him handle it. Might as well.
We’d been cruising along a narrow road through rice fields for a while now. When fall came, there would be rice everywhere.
”Japanese primal scenery,” the phrase popped into my head.
For some reason, tears welled up.
Maybe these quiet sights were the last I’d see before leaving this world.
Night had fully fallen before I noticed.
The rural road stretched ahead, warm air blowing past the open windows.
Even in this old car, it was more comfortable than a horse cart. With this kind of suspension, maybe it was better than it looked.
And the road itself was smooth.
The asphalt gleamed under the headlights, glowing like a river of glass.
”Such a useless road. Total waste of tax money,” Uncle grumbled, frowning. “All thanks to idiot politicians.”
His words made me flinch.
”Isn’t building a good road a good thing?” I asked.
”Sab-Sab, you’re such a paradise-chaser,” Uncle replied, chuckling. “Guess politics is still too hard for you.”
Politics, huh… In the end, it’s about what matters most.
Once the basics are set up like they are in Japan, maybe other things come next.
”In democracies, politicians are just popularity players. People who vote for bad ones also hold some blame,” I said quietly.
”Wow, now you sound naive too,” Uncle said, raising an eyebrow. “But with all these family dynasties, the system’s broken beyond saving.”
”Hereditary rule isn’t always bad, right? What really matters is resolve. In the other world, if a noble messes up, their whole family is wiped out. They live or die by their choices.”
”That world sounds brutal,” Uncle muttered. “But… maybe that’s how the system fixes itself.”
After that, he said nothing.
Maybe it hit him. That the other world… wasn’t some dreamland after all.
* * *
”I’m getting tired now,” Uncle Keisuke said as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Maybe we should camp here tonight.”
He’s so carefree it’s almost funny. Still, he’s had great luck all day long, so I guess it makes sense he’s feeling worn out.
I stepped out of the car and stretched my arms wide. It was smoother than a wagon, but if I had to compare it to modern cars, the ride had been pretty rough.
From the rice fields around us, frogs croaked so loud it felt like the whole world was singing. The moment the engine stopped, their calls grew even stronger, almost like I’d drown in the sound. This kind of peaceful countryside was really something.
Far away, little lights blinked like stars—maybe houses. Beyond that, where the sky had a soft glow, I could barely make out the outline of a city.
With the moon high above, not many stars were showing. Still, one bright red star—Antares—stood out, fighting the moonlight as if it didn’t want to be forgotten. Scorpius… I haven’t seen it in a long time.
”The moon on Earth is really big, huh,” I murmured, gazing up at the sky.
”Is the one in your other world smaller?” Uncle asked, leaning on the hood of the car.
”Yeah, way smaller,” I answered. “There were two of them, but so tiny, you could barely tell their shapes.”
There had been lots of tiny moons too, scattered across the sky like dust. I wonder if it’s the same here on Earth. But now that I think about it, I can spot a lot of artificial satellites. Do I only see them when I focus? Maybe this is because of my Astronomy skill again.
”Having two moons makes it sound like some science fiction thing,” Uncle said with a grin. “Ah, I remember that game Avalon Island had that kind of setting.”
He always remembers small stuff like that. Now that I think of it, Uncle’s always been a big fan of games.
* * *
The gas lantern Uncle lit swayed gently, glowing in a way that didn’t smell anything like acetylene lamps. That alone made me feel thankful.
We still had a few spare gas canisters, so I flipped one over to check the label. Just your usual camping design. Back in that world, finding firewood was tough. This little can made things so much easier. The person who made this was a genius.
Still, doesn’t camping lose its point if everything’s too easy? I guess the real fun of being outside is in the small troubles.
Dinner was just cup noodles, boiled using a small gas burner. It was so tiny and neat, I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling.
”Simple camping, but ramen outside hits different, huh, Sab-Sab,” Uncle said with a happy smile.
He was right. It was the kind of flavor you randomly start craving. Cup noodles were handy, but honestly kind of bulky. If you really wanted to be efficient, you’d go with ration bars. I heard military rations were so hard, they could stop bullets. Probably a joke, but still—that’s how tough they were. I want to get my hands on a bunch as samples.
And a warm cup of instant coffee after a meal like this wasn’t bad either. I liked cocoa more, but I’d happily stock a ton of both. I’d also like to collect some tea seeds and seedlings. Back in the other world, one country had a monopoly on tea plants. I made a quick note in my notebook to remember it later.
”Folding tents is annoying,” Uncle muttered. “I’ll just sleep in my sleeping bag tonight. It’s summer anyway, and the weather looks good.”
The sleeping bag he lent me was way better than the ones I’d used before. Light, warm, and no sticky sweat. If I told people it was made by elves and sold it as a magic item, it’d probably sell out fast.
Of course, I’d never do something shady like that.
I laid down a thin insulating mat and stretched out on top of the sleeping bag. The mat was high quality too.
”If there were no bugs, camping would be heaven,” Uncle grumbled.
He lit several mosquito coils and even rubbed insect repellent on his face before crawling into his sleeping bag.
If there’s light, bugs will come. Summer bugs love anything bright. There were way more insects here than in the other world. It’s kind of surprising. Though, over there, sometimes even scarier things showed up.
The scent of the mosquito coil smoke felt nostalgic, soft with a citrus hint. I wondered if this kind still existed. I liked the old kind better. It used to be made from dried chrysanthemum flowers, right? Maybe I could find seeds somewhere.
I remembered trying a bug-repelling barrier using my Editor skill before, so I gave it a go again. It was just a small version of a monster-repelling barrier, tuned down to maybe one in ten-thousandth of its usual power.
Even with magic I shouldn’t be able to use, sometimes it worked if I weakened it enough. Usually not useful, but it made for good practice.
Surprisingly, even this weak version was just right for dealing with bugs. The needlepoint glow sparkled in the air, zapping mosquitoes out of the sky with tiny crackles.
It didn’t work as well on bigger bugs. A moth hit the barrier, flapped weakly, and started crawling instead. Maybe it only activates once something enters the barrier. Makes sense, since the spell doesn’t even check if the target’s still alive.
Uncle was already sound asleep. In a way, that’s a talent too.
Even if there were no monsters here in Japan, someone should stay on watch, right? I kept my eyes open, listening to the frogs while the moon drifted across the sky.
It’s my job as a stargazer, after all.
Before long, Orion’s three stars would rise in the early morning sky. It was the first constellation I ever learned. Usually seen high in winter. By that time, I probably wouldn’t be on Earth anymore.
Goodbye, Orion. Goodbye to the winter I remember. Sitting by a kotatsu, eating mandarins. Roasted sweet potatoes. Hot oden. Fried oysters.
I’ll bring some sweet potato seeds with me. But still, Japan’s winter has something you can only feel here.
* * *
An old farmer showed up early in the morning and scolded us for camping by the roadside. I guess we did look suspicious.
I woke up Uncle Keisuke and dragged him into the scolding too.
He’s strangely good at getting scolded. Like it’s a skill he practiced. He didn’t even look sorry. Maybe that’s also a kind of talent.
Somehow, we managed to pack up and leave without more trouble.
”I’m already worn out, and it’s just morning,” Uncle grumbled. “Old folks talk too much. I’m no good at that stuff.”
Even after being yelled at, he didn’t look the slightest bit ashamed.
”We’re the ones who slept on someone else’s land without asking,” I pointed out.
”Sab-Sab, you’re too serious,” Uncle said with a sigh. “Earth isn’t everyone’s backyard. Geez, for someone who loves freedom, this planet sure feels small.”
He was just running away from the truth.
”You’re an adult but still a kid,” I muttered.
”You’ll understand one day,” Uncle said, then added with a tune, “All men are forever boys~~”
I couldn’t help but laugh. There’s no stopping him. Still, he’s not a bad guy.
”Other worlds aren’t so nice,” I said. “You’d probably die right away.”
”I’ve got high stamina, and I studied tons of tricks to survive even with a bad cheat,” he said proudly.
”People just get cheats, huh?”
”If you get a good one, no need to worry. But the main characters usually get bad ones. Actually, that’s a hidden win.”
He was barely paying attention to what I was saying. That’s the hard part about talking with Uncle. He doesn’t really listen.
Sometimes you don’t even get a cheat at all.
Uncle liked light novels and anime too, so maybe he was caught in the Hero Management Bureau’s net.
He probably wanted to go to another world more than I thought. Maybe he wasn’t summoned because his stats were just too low.
I don’t think low stats make someone useless, but if you’re fighting the Demon King, then yeah—stats matter.
* * *
Since I’d left the house without breakfast, I stopped at a small roadside shop filled with an old, Showa-era feeling.
It looked like a candy shop from a movie. An old house with shelves full at the entrance.
Not many sweets though—mostly rice crackers, yokan, manjū, and dorayaki. The shelves weren’t too full either. If three high school guys came, they’d clear it out in an hour.
The freezer held vacuum-packed seafood. No ice cream in sight.
There were some sweet breads that might work as breakfast. But dorayaki didn’t sound bad either.
An old woman with deep wrinkles came from the back and sat behind the counter.
Uncle bought red bean bread and a bottle of milk, looking oddly happy. I bought one jam bread and one cream bread. That left the shelves completely empty.
The old woman said there were only three families in the area, so if she stocked too much, it wouldn’t sell. I asked if it was okay that we bought it all, and she smiled and said not to worry.
”Rural places are shrinking everywhere,” Uncle said out loud as we left the shop.
This guy really has no filter.
”But that old woman didn’t seem unhappy,” I replied softly.
Next to the clean parking space, there was a small jizo statue. Someone had placed a fresh strawflower in a milk bottle beside it.
The soft orange petals warmed something in my chest.
What is happiness, really?
Notes:
• Keisuke – Saburou’s Mother’s younger brother. Saburou’s uncle.
• Ms. Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Jirou – Male. Saburou’s other older brother. He is a shady businessman with a villainous look. He is more understanding of Saburou’s experiences in another world due to his exposure to light novels and anime. He is also tight-lipped, which makes him a good confidant for Saburou’s secrets.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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