Chapter 25

It was the morning of the fourth day after planting the herb seeds.

In front of the mayor's house, Ichi stood wearing the same plain clothes as the villagers, arms crossed, contemplating the pots of peppermint and lemongrass.

The reason for this was that the growth of these herbs was quite different from what he had initially expected.

Incidentally, the clothes Ichi was wearing were sewn by Barretta the day before, and they fit perfectly, providing an excellent comfort level.

"Hmm, I thought they would grow much faster. Could it be that the fertilizer's properties have changed?"

The two types of herbs in front of Ichi had grown a bit larger compared to when he brought them, but this level of growth was no different from growing them in Japan.

The lemongrass, which had been left in the state it was bought from the home center without any fertilizer, was growing normally, and the peppermint, which had fertilizer mixed into its pot, was also growing similarly.

Moreover, of the seeds planted with Barretta four days ago, only the basil had sprouted in large quantities, while only a few rocket seeds had sprouted.

The seeds planted in the ground and in the pots had similar sprouting rates, and the number of days it took for them to sprout matched the information written on the paper received from the store where the seeds were bought.

As Ichi was pondering over the herbs, Barretta appeared at the entrance of the house.

When Barretta saw Ichi standing in the garden, deep in thought over the herbs, she came out to the garden and stood next to him.

"Unlike the village's crops, herbs don't grow rapidly... Ah, the rocket sprouts are out!"

Finding the small sprouts that weren't there the day before, Barretta squatted down and touched the tiny leaves with her fingertips, looking delighted.

Although the herbs didn't grow as rapidly as Ichi had initially expected, they were growing normally, so it seemed they would just have to keep an eye on them for a while.

At the place where the seeds were planted, wooden boards with the names of the herbs written in katakana were placed, one for each type.

Barretta had written them with an oil-based marker, and she did a pretty good job.

"Hmm, I thought they would grow a bit faster. Well, since they are growing normally, I guess that's fine."

"It's enough as long as they grow normally. Let's take good care of them."

Barretta smiled at Ichi, gently stroked the rocket leaves once more, and then stood up.

"Breakfast is ready, so let's go back and eat. After that, we have to start assembling the water wheel, so let's do our best!"

As Barretta said this, she made a fist in front of her chest, as if to muster her courage. Ichi couldn't help but smile at her.

It's a bit disappointing that the herbs didn't grow rapidly, but the vegetables planted in the village's fields are still growing at an incredible rate.

The potatoes have grown even larger, and the leafy vegetables, despite being planted only two weeks ago, are growing so well that they might be ready for the villagers' tables in a few days.

It's hard to believe that the village was on the brink of famine just about four weeks ago. The villagers' faces are full of vitality, and everyone is enthusiastically working in the fields and building the water wheel every day.

Considering this, the fact that the herbs didn't grow rapidly seems like a minor issue. Originally, the purpose of bringing herb seedlings to this world was to study the changes in the properties and effects of plants and fertilizers brought from Japan, not to mass-produce herbs.

While there was a hope that the herbs might also grow rapidly, from a research perspective, the objectives are being met smoothly.

"That's true. I hope it works properly... I'm excited but a bit nervous."

"If it doesn't work, we'll have a reflection meeting. I'll make hibiscus tea with plenty of honey to comfort you."

"Ah, that sounds tempting... but you just want to drink it yourself, don't you?"

"Hehe."

Since returning from Isteria, Ichi and Barretta have been spending their days together, from morning to night, observing herbs, weeding the fields, making water wheel parts, and studying after dinner. As a result, they have become even closer than before.

Barretta no longer shows the hesitant attitude she used to have towards Ichi, and in the past few days, she has been smiling naturally much more often.

The village's water and food shortages, which had been a source of great anxiety, have been completely resolved, and she is also able to study, which was her long-held wish, even though the subjects are quite different from those in her world.

With no more worries and her wishes fulfilled, Barretta's current life seems to be incredibly fulfilling.

"The villagers have made the parts very carefully, so it will definitely work. Besides, if it's something designed by Kazura, it will be fine!"

Although designing a water wheel was a first for Ichi, no matter how much he was told it would be fine, he still felt anxious. However, there was no point in worrying about it now.

He decided to be optimistic and think that they could fix a few parts if it didn't work properly after assembling and installing the water wheel.

"That's true. Since Barretta helped me review the design, it should be fine, right?"

"Umm, when you say that, I get a bit nervous..."

"It's fine, it's fine."

In this way, Ichi cleverly shared some of the responsibility with Barretta and returned to the house for breakfast.

After breakfast, Ichi and Barretta, along with ten villagers who were involved in building the water wheel, loaded the parts of the second water wheel onto a cart and headed to the riverbank where the first water wheel from Japan was installed.

The water wheel, reinforced with wooden boards, was still turning, steadily sending water to the channel leading to Gricia Village.

Under the scorching summer sun, the water wheel was turning forcefully, splashing water, and one of the villagers said,

"It's beautiful."

"Then, let's start assembling the water wheel. Everyone, please do your best."

When Ichi addressed the villagers who were looking at the water wheel, they immediately started unloading the parts from the cart and began assembling them in a circle next to the cart.

Unlike the last time when they assembled the Japanese water wheel, which involved following the instructions to put together pre-made parts, this time the parts were handmade by Ichi and the villagers.

The villagers seemed to understand the role of each part through the process of making them, and the assembly work started off smoothly.

"Then, Barretta and I will prepare to replace the water wheel."

"Okay, I'll go stop the water in the channel."

Barretta took a thick wooden board about 10 cm thick from the cart, went to the upstream side of the channel connected to the river, and inserted the board into the channel to block the water flow.

As the water pushing the blades of the water wheel decreased, the water wheel gradually stopped moving.

While Barretta was stopping the water, Ichi took two towels embroidered with "Shino Seiko" from the cart, confirmed that the water in the channel had stopped, and then turned the water wheel by hand to empty the water from the wooden box used for lifting water.

"The sun is strong, so if we wipe it lightly, it should dry quickly."

When Barretta returned after stopping the water, she took one of the towels from Ichi and said, gently touching the dripping water wheel.

"That's true. But after a while, we should turn the water wheel to adjust the sun exposure. It would be dangerous if the moisture caused our hands to slip when we remove it."

When removing the currently installed water wheel, even with several people working together, it would be dangerous if their hands slipped due to the water from the river. To prevent this, they decided to dry the water wheel in the scorching sun. It seemed that the relentless sun, which had caused so much trouble for the village, would now be a helpful ally.

After wiping the water wheel with towels for a while, Barretta noticed the writing on the towel she was holding and stopped her work, spreading the towel and asking Ichi.

"Kazura, is 'Yugen Gaisha Shino Seiko' written on this cloth a store or something from your country?"

"Yes, that's the name of the company my father runs."

When Ichi answered while wiping the water wheel, Barretta's gaze shifted from the towel to Ichi, looking surprised.

"Kazura's father?"

"Yes, that's right. It's a small town factory run by my father and mother."

Ichi stopped his work to answer Barretta's question and traced the part of the towel embroidered with "Shino" with his finger.

"This 'Shino' is my last name. Come to think of it, I've only been using my first name since I came here... Is something wrong?"

Ichi tilted his head, looking at Barretta, who was staring at him with a slightly puzzled expression.

"No... Kazura, you are..."

Barretta started to say something but then looked back at the villagers who were assembling the parts next to the cart and let out a small sigh of relief.

"What about me?"

When Ichi asked, Barretta smiled a bit awkwardly and said,

"Um, let's continue this conversation later... By the way, I just noticed, the shaft of the new water wheel is made of wood, even the part that will touch the bearing. Is that okay?"

She changed the topic.

Ichi was curious about what Barretta had started to say, but there was no need to press the issue. He switched his focus to the new topic and resumed wiping the water wheel while answering Barretta's question.

"Yes, I think it's fine. We've reduced the number of parts and the amount of water lifted, so the load on the shaft shouldn't be too great. If it wears out from continuous use, we can buy copper or bronze from Isteria and make a new one."

If the shaft of the second water wheel were to wear out, which he doubted, they would need to disassemble it and make a new shaft. It would be a hassle, but they could go to Isteria again to buy copper or bronze and manufacture the bearing and shaft contact points in the village.

In any case, the shaft shouldn't become unusable so quickly, so it should be fine if it works when Isaac from Nelson's house comes.

If necessary, they could make a few extra shafts and keep them as spares next to the water wheel.

"Bronze... Will you melt it in the village and process it into a shaft?"

"It would be better to do it that way, but it might be faster to have a blacksmith in Isteria make it... Okay, I think this is enough wiping."

After wiping off the noticeable water, Ichi looked up at the water wheel and sighed.

Next, they would need to remove the currently installed water wheel and dig up the posts used for the bearing.

It would be heavy work, but with the villagers' enhanced strength from the food Ichi brought, it should be manageable.

"Shall we join the water wheel assembly?"

"Yes... but it looks like they're almost done."

When Ichi looked at the villagers, as Barretta said, the water wheel was almost assembled.

It was indeed faster because they were assembling parts they had made themselves.

"Wow, it's really true. Then, let's take a break until the water wheel dries."

"That's right."

Even if the water wheel was assembled, it would take time to dry. Since there was no urgent need to install it, they decided to take a short break.

After that, they took a 30-minute break with the villagers, drinking water from the river, and then started removing the water wheel.

Ichi was about to help remove the water wheel, but the villagers said,

"We can handle this. Please rest, Kazura-sama."

So, Ichi, along with a few villagers who couldn't help with the removal due to the size of the water wheel, and Barretta, watched the work.

Thanks to the scorching sun, the water wheel was thoroughly dry, and they were able to remove it from the bearing without any slips.

The posts fixed in the ground were also quickly dug up by the strong villagers, and the new all-wooden bearing was securely installed.

Like the sample water wheel, the bearing was designed to be constantly wetted by the water lifted by the water wheel to cool down the heat generated by friction.

"Then, let's install the new water wheel."

The villagers, after getting Ichi's permission, lifted the assembled water wheel lying on the ground with a cheer.

"Finally, the water wheel we made will turn... I'll go remove the board blocking the channel."

"Please do... I wonder if it will work properly."

Despite Ichi's concerns, the installation of the second water wheel was quickly completed, and all that was left was to divert the river water into the channel.

Barretta, after confirming the installation of the water wheel, announced to everyone,

"I'm removing the board."

She then removed the wooden board separating the river and the channel.

The newly installed second water wheel, pushed by the flowing river water, began to rotate slowly.

"Wow, it's turning. The rotation speed is..."

While the villagers were clapping and patting each other on the back, Ichi checked the water wheel seriously from the side.

Barretta, holding the board she had removed from the channel, returned to Ichi.

"Kazura, how is it?"

"Hmm... Yes, this should be fine."

Barretta, hearing Ichi's answer, smiled in relief and looked at the channel leading to Gricia Village.

Compared to the previously installed water wheel, the water flow was less than half, but the second water wheel was steadily sending water to the village.

"Since the water wheel has been successfully replaced, let's dismantle the old one and return to the village."

"Kazura-sama, can we transport it without dismantling it?"

When Ichi suggested this, one of the villagers standing next to the removed water wheel proposed.

"It would be better if we could, but it's heavy and it's quite a distance to the village, right?"

The water wheel, while not particularly heavy when disassembled, weighed nearly 400 kg when assembled.

If it had handles, they could take turns carrying it, but without handles, it would be quite a challenge to transport it to the village.

"It's fine. We can take turns carrying it. What do you think?"

"Yeah, we can carry it as it is."

The villagers said this and, with six people, lifted the water wheel lying on its side, with two in front, two on the sides, and two at the back, and started walking towards the village.

The two on the sides were responsible for maintaining balance, so essentially, four people were lifting the water wheel.

The other villagers followed the water wheel being carried, walking slowly.

"Wow... They're definitely carrying about 100 kg each, yet they all look so calm..."

"Kazura, let's go too."

Ichi, who was standing there in shock, turned to Barretta, who had called out to him, and felt a cold sweat on his back as he looked at her cute face.

"Um, is something wrong?"

When Ichi asked, Barretta, who had blushed and was looking down, quickly dispelled the image of "Barretta crushing an apple with one hand" and followed the villagers back to the village.

That night.

After finishing dinner, as usual, Ichi and Barretta sat in front of the fireplace and were studying.

Today's study topic was human physiology, and they were learning about the body's structure and functions using a reference book.

Ichi was also a layman in this field, so they were studying together, but Barretta was clearly absorbing the information faster, which made Ichi a bit discouraged.

They were changing the study content daily, learning a little each day. From purely academic subjects like mathematics and physics to practical skills like making tea and processing preserved foods, they were teaching various topics using reference books and materials. Barretta was very interested in everything and was absorbing the information like a dry sponge.

She was also taking notes, but the writing was in Japanese, indicating that she had already mastered the language.

While Ichi was frantically taking notes as Barretta read from the reference book,