Chapter 18 Coffee Milk and the Approaching Dragon God Festival
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”First, coffee milk.”
After stamping for the early morning practice, Kazumi said with determination.
”Wait, what is this? Did you make this?”
The stamp was a heart mark. The paper it was stamped on had the date written all the way through summer vacation and had a string to hang it around the neck.
”Morning practice is like radio exercises, right?”
”Radio exercises?”
Martina tilted her head at Kazumi’s word while holding the paper hanging around her neck.
”Every time you come to practice, you stamp this. When the stamp card is full, I’ll give you a present.”
””!””
Hearing “present,” Rena and Martina’s expressions changed.
”Rena, I’ll do my best!”
”I’ll do my best too!”
”Oh, I’ll try my best as well.”
* * *
Martina ran over to Liz, who was adjusting the crossbow she gave to Kazumi. It seemed like she was showing off the paper and saying something.
”Oh, that’s a good idea.”
Liz came over and handed the crossbow to Kazumi.
”I adjusted the winding handle. You’ll have to turn it more, but it should be lighter so Kazumi can wind it easily.”
”Thanks, Liz!”
”But that stamp idea is really good. My 2 idiots wake up late every morning. It might be nice to get them up early and make them sweat a little. Kazumi, could you make one for them too?”
”Leave it to me!”
Kazumi thumped her chest.
”Thanks! …Well, I’m going back to wake them up. See you!”
”Yeah! See you tomorrow morning!”
”Right! I’ll drag them here if I have to!”
We waved goodbye to Liz as she headed home with her backpack.
* * *
”So, Kazumi, are you making coffee milk?”
I brought the topic back.
”Yeah! It’s a must after a bath!”
Kazumi made a fist and emphasized her point.
”Well, that’s true, but…”
”Coffee beans aren’t that cheap in this village, Kazumi.”
According to Rena, they also had trouble sourcing materials for honey lemon products.
Honey is relatively cheap here because there’s beekeeping in the village. Still, it’s more expensive than sugar made from the ‘sugar beet’ that’s produced a lot in this village.
Lemons are even pricier. They rely completely on imports from the forest elf settlement.
They managed to increase the purchase amount in the village and get a slight price reduction through direct negotiations between the elves and my father.
Well, since both honey and lemon are just for “flavoring,” they don’t need to buy a lot, which helps keep the prices down. They use cheap sugar to add sweetness, and the village’s delicious underground water is also a factor.
”If we’re making coffee milk, we need coffee, milk, and sugar. Coffee is also dependent on imports, and it seems we can’t really increase the purchase amount.”
Rena continued talking.
”There is a ‘substitute coffee’ made from soybeans, but… I wonder how it tastes.”
Kazumi smiled confidently at Rena, who looked troubled.
”I have a special solution for the coffee situation.”
Kazumi struck a proud pose with her hands on her hips.
”Just wait a moment.”
* * *
It had been about 10 minutes waiting for Kazumi to come back inside the house.
”Sorry to keep you waiting~!”
Kazumi returned, along with her mom, who was carrying a tray with a glass of light brown liquid.
”It looks like you worked really hard on this, but what is it?”
Kazumi’s mom said that as she brought it over.
”It’s delicious, so you should try it too, Mom!”
Kazumi handed the glasses to everyone.
It looked like a diluted coffee milk.
I took a big sip of the light brown liquid with ice floating in it.
”Ah… it’s delicious. It’s coffee milk…”
”Right? But there’s no coffee in it at all!”
Kazumi said proudly.
Maybe believing my “delicious” comment, Rena, Martina, and Kazumi’s mom all took a sip at the same time.
”It’s true! It’s delicious! I like this flavor!”
”It’s tasty! I usually don’t like coffee, but I can drink this!”
”Oh my, it’s really sweet and tasty.”
With everyone’s praise, Kazumi became even prouder.
”So, no coffee… then what did you use instead, Kazumi?”
After clearing her throat with an “Ahem!”, she replied.
”It’s barley tea.”
”Huh?”
”I think it’s a ratio of 1 part barley tea to 2 parts milk. And sugar. How about that? It’s coffee milk, right?”
”I see. Since barley tea is made from barley, which is harvested in this village, it’s cheap. Good thinking, Kazumi!”
Rena said, sounding impressed.
”Well, I learned this online before, though.”
Kazumi whispered to me and Rena.
”Yeah, with this, I want to drink it after a bath.”
”Yeah, I love coffee milk too!”
”Alright! This feels good! I need to go talk to the shop at the hot spring right away.”
Kazumi was still really powerful when it came to things like this.
* * *
After that, we go to the hot spring. I surprised the old lady at the hot spring shop with her taste, and after talking about selling it starting tomorrow, she let me soak in the hot spring as a thank you for the recipe since it was still morning and there weren’t many people around. It felt really nice, especially after sweating from practice.
”Hiroya! Can you hear me?”
I heard Rena’s voice from the women’s bath.
”I can hear you! What’s up?”
”Well! In 2 weeks, there’s going to be the ‘Dragon God Festival’ in this village, and you’re going too, right?”
”I heard it’s like a summer festival! There will be stalls, and it sounds fun!”
Kazumi’s voice also seemed a bit excited after Rena.
”A festival, huh… that brings back memories…”
”So, what are you going to do, Hiroya? Kazumi, Martina, and I (Rena) are going!”
”Yeah. Of course, I’m going!”
I heard that a long time ago, when this village was suffering from drought, a water dragon appeared and blessed them with water.
This festival has been held for generations during the summer when it rains less, to show gratitude to the water dragon.
Maybe thinking about the ‘Dragon God Festival’ triggered some memories, as a scene from my past life suddenly came back to me vividly.
Two years ago, I forced a shy Kazumi to join me for the Dragon God Festival after we moved to this village. Even though we moved around the same time, Rena was the opposite of Kazumi and actively made friends with us, so the 3 of us had fun together.
My parents were strict, so I couldn’t buy food from the stalls, but just looking at all the stands was enjoyable.
”I never thought I would get to experience a summer festival in this world…”
And I get to do it with Kazumi, who reincarnated with me.
I soaked in the hot spring up to my neck, thanking Rena (the goddess) and slowly exhaled.
* * *
After dropping off Martina, who was going to help at the clinic, we wandered around the village’s central square.
”‘Dragon God Festival’ makes me remember. Rena, you invited me 2 years ago, right? With Hiroya. That was such a fun memory.”
”Oh, I remembered that too while I was in the hot spring.”
Kazumi leans over from my right side to look at Rena.
”Thank you so much for being nice to me while my memories were gone, Rena.”
”I want to thank you too. Rena, thank you.”
As Kazumi and I express our gratitude, Rena suddenly turns red and looks down.
”W-well, it’s not like I deserve thanks… I just really wanted to have fun, and I thought it would be better to enjoy it with Kazumi and Hiroya…”
”Yeah. So, thank you. I’m really happy about how you feel, Rena.”
Kazumi says thank you again.
”Y-yeah…”
Rena, still blushing and looking down, mutters softly. Her hand, which is holding my left hand, feels a bit warm and sweaty.
”By the way, Martina works really hard.”
Since Rena fell silent and looked down, I tried to change the topic. Well, even though Rena is looking down, she still has a smile on her face.
”Well, my dad and mom said it’s okay for everyone to play together during summer break. But Martina said, ‘I want to help since you always take care of me.’ She’s such a good girl, isn’t she?”
Finally lifting her face, Rena replies.
”Still, I wonder what will happen when her memories come back? Of course, I mean besides ‘that thing,’ right?”
Kazumi responds quietly at side.
”Well, when the real ’15-year-old Martina’ comes back… I guess. But I think Isaac and Roana will come to pick her up before that.”
”I see… I thought she would be with us forever.”
Kazumi said with a lonely look on her face.
”Hey, should we go to that place?”
Rena said and pulled our hands.
”‘Guardian Hill,’ right, Rena? Let’s go, let’s go!”
After Kazumi said so, I was pulled by Rena and Kazumi, and we ran toward the mountain path.
* * *
This was the hill where I first came with Kazumi after my past life memories returned.
A white flower field around a stone monument shaped like a sword. And the place where I heard about Rena’s reincarnation.
”The white flowers here are called ‘Eternal White,’ and they never wither. Oh, by the way, the honey from this village mainly comes from these flowers.”
Rena said this as she sat down on a bench.
”Also, I got a letter from Isaac and Roana. They said they will definitely come to pick up Martina, so please take care of her for a little longer.”
As she started talking, Kazumi and I were encouraged to sit down too.
”Apparently, the 3 of them, including Martina, grew up in the orphanage in their hometown. They were supposed to repay the orphanage that sent them to the training center in the royal capital by becoming adventurers, but…”
”…this incident has made that impossible, huh?”
Rena nodded at my words.
”Of course, none of the 3 have any relatives, and to welcome Martina, they (Isaac and the others) need to prepare a place for all 3 of them to live in the village. They also have to repay the orphanage… It seems like both of them are taking on some pretty tough requests at the guild in the royal capital.”
”…to earn money, right?”
Kazumi said with a worried look.
”Yeah. Apparently, Papa replied, ‘You can leave Martina to me. You don’t have to worry’.”
”…Still, I hope they can make it so that Martina can live here with the 3 of them. If it’s just sending money to the orphanage, it seems like they could do that while gaining experience at the guild in this village.”
I also tried to think hard about it.
”…Hmm. How about this?”
Kazumi seemed to have an idea.
”The lord should welcome an increase in the village’s population, right?”
”…Probably. It would lead to the village’s development.”
I answered Kazumi’s question.
”If the newcomers are a young couple, I think the village should support them.”
I started to understand what Kazumi was getting at.
It’s that thing, you know? A common strategy in depopulated villages.
’Families that move here as young couples will receive a house at a low price or even for free.’
”But they aren’t a couple, are they?”
Rena said.
”Oh? I heard from Martina that they (Isaac and Roana) both love each other. Why not have a wedding in this village?”
”Well, we need to ask them first…”
I put a little stop to Kazumi’s enthusiasm.
”But, it’s true that Martina feels responsible for what happened and wants to take care of them quickly. I think that’s why she’s pushing herself. …We need to help them while they’re still alive.”
Rena seemed mostly in favor of Kazumi’s idea.
”Maybe they should see Martina living happily and working hard here. Then they can think about things.”
I suggested.
”Yeah… let’s start from there.”
Kazumi agreed.
”Alright. Then let’s Rena ask to Papa about inviting those 2 to the village.”
’Foolhardy adventurers can never become top-tier. …Because they will lose their lives halfway through their ambitions.’
That thought suddenly came to me.
If Isaac and Roana keep taking such risks, they will likely lose their lives soon…
I really hope that doesn’t happen. For their sake. And for Martina’s sake.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.