The Bath Problem
After finishing breakfast, Shiraishi-san and I were tidying up.
“Phew~ all done.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey? Don’t you want to take a bath?”
“Eh?”
“I said—don’t you want to take a bath!”
“Wait, wait! This is another world, you know!”
“I know! But I still want one!”
“Don’t be unreasonable! First of all, there’s no shower, no bathtub either!”
“Then just make one.”
“You say that so easily…”
“But you can do it, right?”
“… Maybe I could, but it would take time.”
“How long do you think?”
“No idea.”
I was bewildered by Shiraishi-san’s request.
What the heck am I supposed to do in a village with no gas, no electricity?
Not to mention no running water.
The villagers fetch their water from a well or the river, you know?
Her request had me scratching my head.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Who could that be?”
“Go ahead and open it.”
“Alright.”
When I opened the door, there stood the village chief.
“Good morning. Do you need something?”
“Yes… I came because I had something to discuss with you. Do you mind?”
“What is it?”
“Well, you see. I’d like to bring hot spring water into this village.”
“Hot springs?”
“That’s right. More and more people have been moving into the village, you see.”
“I see.”
“So I was hoping… could I ask you for help with that? We’ll provide the manpower and building materials.”
“Uh… specifically, what would I need to do?”
“There’s a hot spring source, but would you perhaps have a way to draw it in?”
Listening to the chief, I started to think.
If there’s already a hot spring, then… couldn’t I build a public bathhouse?
“Could you give me a little time to think about it?”
“Of course. Since it’s a request from us villagers, we’ll wait patiently.”
After parting ways with the chief, I began pondering.
Then an idea came to me.
“Shiraishi-san.”
“What?”
“I’ve got an idea.”
“Tell me!”
“Well, actually…”
And so, I began explaining it to Shiraishi-san.
What do you think about this chapter?
