Fifty-One Years Old, Building a Family in the Forest ~A Craftsman's Life in Another World~
A craftsman through and through, fifty-one years old—Akio, the head of a small construction company, was caught in an earthquake while working on-site, and when he woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar forest.
His only possessions were his wisdom and experience honed through years on-site, and a mysterious ability to "harmonize" with people and nature.
By chance, he rescued five children fleeing from war.
"There's no way I can abandon these kids."
And so began his slow life from scratch in another world.
Building roofs with plants, making stoves with stone, firing pottery. Eventually, an elf apothecary, a beastkin girl, and even a former princess with a complicated past joined the group, and Akio's life expanded to the point where it could be called a "town."
A reliable father, a beloved husband, a man who acts for the sake of others—
Age doesn’t matter.
A fifty-something craftsman, together with his "family," carves out a future in this heartwarming, love-filled, communal fantasy life in another world!
A Fifty-One-Year-Old’s New Start and the Five Little Lives He Met in the Forest
"... Where am I?"
Akio Tanaka, fifty-one years old. Divorced, no children.
He ran a small construction company in the countryside, a self-made, hardworking craftsman who still worked on-site.
He had long passed the midpoint of life, thinking vaguely that it was about time to hand the business over to the young guys and retire.
That day, Akio was meticulously inspecting the foundation beneath a traditional old house deep in the mountains, scheduled for renovation.
The house, over a hundred years old, had its charm, but various parts were falling apart.
Japan’s humid climate was harsh on wooden structures, after all.
"Hmm, this pillar probably needs replacing..."
Just as he held his measuring tape to the pillar and shone his flashlight into the dark space beneath—
The ground shook violently.
"An earthquake!?"
Akio reflexively crouched down, but the shaking didn’t stop.
Instead, the whole house creaked ominously, and in the next moment, the ground beneath his feet gave way, and his consciousness blacked out.
When he came to, Akio was lying in the middle of a dense forest.
Above him wasn’t the familiar cedar forest, but enormous broad-leaved trees with sprawling branches that seemed to cover the entire sky.
The scent of earth, the overwhelming smell of greenery—it was familiar, yet somehow different from the forests he knew.
Did I get caught in a landslide or something? But for that, my clothes and body are oddly clean...
Despite what should’ve been a nasty fall, his body strangely didn’t hurt.
He couldn’t comprehend the situation at all.
But nature didn’t allow him the luxury of standing around in confusion.
"Kyahhh!"
A sharp child's scream.
And not just one voice.
A ferocious beast's growl rumbled through the air immediately after.
Akio's body moved on instinct.
He pushed through the undergrowth toward the direction of the voices.
In mere seconds, the view opened up—and there they were.
Wolves?
No, they were bigger, their fur glinting dully like obsidian, and their eyes shone blood red.
They were clearly creatures that didn’t exist on Earth.
One of these monstrous beasts was about to pounce on five children.
The eldest-looking girl stood protectively in front of the younger ones, spreading her arms wide.
Next to her, a boy about the same age or slightly younger held a stick, trembling but ready to defend them.
Behind them, a smaller boy and two little girls huddled together in fear.
"STOP!"
Akio shouted from the bottom of his lungs as he grabbed a fallen branch of decent thickness and jumped between the beast and the children.
What do I do!? I’m unarmed here!
The beast snorted mockingly, scraping its forelegs against the ground.
It was hopeless.
At that moment, Akio desperately prayed.
Perhaps the soul of a craftsman, who had spent years touching wood and tools, understanding their nature, made him do it.
Please, hold together! Don’t break! Get harder!
FLASH!
The branch in his hand glowed faintly for a moment.
It might’ve been his imagination, but it suddenly felt heavier, as if it had hardened like old oak.
The beast bared its fangs and leaped at Akio.
"Uooooh!"
Akio swung the branch sideways with all his might.
THUD!
A dull, solid impact.
It felt as though he had struck it with an iron rod.
The beast yelped in pain and stumbled back.
It’s working!
With newfound confidence, Akio struck the beast’s head and body several more times with all his strength.
Unable to withstand the blows, the monstrous beast turned tail and fled into the depths of the forest.
"... Hah, it’s gone..."
As the tension left him, sweat poured from his body.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest.
Panting, he turned around to see the children staring up at him in shock.
The eldest girl spoke in a trembling voice.
"Th-Thank you for saving us… who… are you?"
Her eyes were filled with fear, faint relief, and a complex mixture of wariness.
"I’m Akio. Akio Tanaka. As you can see, just an ordinary old man."
Akio forced a gentle smile.
"And you are?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.
"I’m Ayane. This is Alto, and that’s Kenta…"
She pointed to the boy who had held the stick earlier—Alto—and the boy standing behind him, still stiff with fear—Kenta.
"... I’m Miko."
A girl whispered her name softly.
"... Yume."
The smallest girl clutched Miko’s clothes and barely managed to say her name.
Akio took off his backpack.
Fortunately, the supplies he had brought to the site were still inside.
He pulled out a few emergency calorie bars and bottled water he always carried just in case.
"For now, eat a little of this. You’ve had a rough time."
The children, still hesitant, accepted the food and water he offered.
Alto looked to Ayane for approval, and after she nodded, small hands finally reached out.
It was clear they had been through harsh circumstances.
Akio looked up at the sky.
Three unfamiliar moons shone quietly above.
He had no idea what would happen from here on out.
But abandoning these small lives before him wasn’t an option his craftsman’s pride—or his humanity—would allow.
Well, it’ll work out somehow. No, I’ll MAKE it work.
And so, the turbulent survival tale of Akio, the fifty-something craftsman, in another world, began—entirely by accident.
What do you think about this chapter?
