The Village Chief’s Grand Declaration! The Gears of the Future Begin to Turn
After Akio and Sylvia’s “sweet week” came to an end and the two returned to their daily roles as village chief and lady of the house, a new liveliness filled the village. Wasting no time, Akio gathered the key members—Sylvia, Ayane, Alto, Kina, Celestina, Leonora, and Dolgan—into the Central Hall’s assembly room. There, he announced an ambitious plan for the village’s future and assigned responsibility for each project, holding the very first “Akio’s Town Development Planning Meeting.”
“Thank you all for coming. Our village has been growing day by day thanks to everyone’s efforts. But to make it an even safer, richer place, where everyone can truly live with smiles on their faces, I want us to tackle some major projects in earnest.”
At Akio’s words, everyone nodded with serious eyes.
First, Akio named the top-priority tasks as “the full operation of the hot spring facility” and “the construction of the Forest’s Blessing Purification System.”
- Hot Spring Facility Operation & Management
General Manager (like the inn’s landlady): Ayane.
Responsible for setting rules of use, managing cleaning and supplies, and offering kind guidance to villagers.
Facility Management & Heavy Work: Kina.
Handles hot water management (temperature adjustments, cleaning, etc.), firewood transport, and offers beastfolk insights.
Healing & Atmosphere: Celestina.
Prepares herbal teas in the rest area after bathing, and provides attentive care so children and elders can use the baths safely.
Leonora assists Celestina and doubles as security around the facility.
- Forest’s Blessing Purification System Construction
Design & Expertise: Sylvia.
Using her knowledge of the forest and herbalism, she designs a purification system in harmony with nature and oversees construction guidance.
Technical Guidance & Site Supervision: Akio.
Applies Earth knowledge, leading the civil works and structural construction.
Special Structures & Material Processing: Dolgan.
Handles durable stonework and creates or improves necessary tools.
On-site Work Leader: Alto.
Organizes the younger villagers under Akio and Dolgan’s direction, driving forward the physical construction.
Akio then continued, assigning responsibilities for other projects to run in parallel.
- Ironworking Project
Dolgan (chief), Akio (technical support), Alto and Kenta (apprentices/assistants).
- Lifestyle Improvement Project (showers, swimsuits, cleansing tools, etc.):
Akio (ideas & technical guidance), Ayane (fabric development & testing), Sylvia (material knowledge), Kina (beastfolk practicality testing).
“These jobs won’t be easy, but I believe if we pool our strength, we’ll succeed. If you run into trouble, don’t hesitate to come to me or Sylvia.”
At Akio’s strong words, those appointed answered in turn: “Yes!” “Got it!” “Leave it to me, Hubby!”—renewing their determination.
Once the meeting ended, the village instantly came alive with energy.
Ayane, Kina, and Celestina immediately went to the bathhouse to prepare for public use. They wrote out the bathing hours, men’s and women’s alternating times, the hot spring’s benefits (supervised by Sylvia), and notices for children on wooden boards. In the rest area, they set up handmade benches and prepared herbal teas.
Meanwhile, Sylvia, Akio, Dolgan, and Alto headed to the purification system’s planned site. There, they carried out detailed surveying, listed necessary materials (such as certain stones, gravel, herbs, and moss with purifying effects), and discussed the schedule for the first excavation work.
Everyone could feel it—thanks to the chief’s clear direction and the way roles were divided to suit each person’s strengths, the great gears of progress had begun to turn powerfully toward the future. Beyond the rising steam, and beneath the earth itself, their new challenges were about to begin.
What do you think about this chapter?
