Chapter 4

"Sorry, sorry, I was just relieved to hear Kazura's response."

"No, no, you must have been under a lot of stress, right? The tension you were holding has finally snapped."

After somehow calming down the crying Barretta, Ichiro said, "Well then," and stood up.

Knowing that many people were on the brink of death due to malnutrition and illness, he couldn't afford to relax.

"I'm going back to the country to get medicine now. I'll definitely be back here by tomorrow morning."

"Huh!?"

Barretta was surprised by Ichiro's words.

In her mind, walking on unfamiliar roads at night without any lighting equipment was suicidal.

She thought that Ichiro might have expensive lighting equipment, but a person who had arrived at this village after getting lost would surely get lost again and might be attacked by beasts or bandits.

"It's almost sunset. Night roads are dangerous, and even if you leave in the morning... Besides, it takes at least four days to reach the checkpoint leading to Barve, no matter how quickly you walk from here."

Shaking his head at Barretta's concern, Ichiro explained that he was not from Barve but from a place 15 minutes away by foot.

He had marked the trees in the woods with stones, and the distance wasn't that far.

"No, if someone dies because I delayed my departure, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Also, I'm not from Barve. I can return in half a day."

He then took out a penlight from his Boston bag and turned it on.

"Huh!?"

"Even if the night road is dark, I have this."

Seeing the strong light from the penlight, Barretta was stunned. Ichiro said, "Well then, see you tomorrow," and left the room.

"Let's see, is there a 24-hour supermarket near my house?"

In the dimly lit forest, Ichiro ran with his Boston bag in one hand, using the penlight to find the marks he had made earlier. He reached the stone-paved path in just two minutes.

"Alright, I'll go through this path."

He called out to the white skeleton lying at the corner of the path and crossed the threshold to the original world. Confirming that the surroundings had changed to a tatami-floored mansion, he went outside and got into his car.

"Hmm, the nearest supermarket is... 40 km away. I'm definitely a shopping weakling."

Sighing, Ichiro drove 40 km to the supermarket to buy Ripo D and food.

"There are 50 sick people, and all the villagers are malnourished. Also, the mothers can't produce breast milk... Rice, canned food, and powdered milk. How much should I buy?"

At the 24-hour supermarket, Ichiro pushed a shopping cart, realizing the amount of food needed was enormous.

"Wait, if I bring rice and there's no water, what will I do? I remember the village fields weren't dried out, right? There might be enough water to drink, but is there enough to wash and cook rice?"

He regretted not asking Barretta more about the village's situation before leaving. In the end, he decided to buy 100 kg of pre-washed rice, 20 kg of salt, 5 kg of pickled plums, 400 bottles of Ripo D (all the stock in the store), 10 cans of powdered milk and baby bottles, 10 liters of water (for the powdered milk in case the water was dirty), and 60 cans of peach (his grandmother said peach is good for the sick).

If there was almost no water, he would use Ripo D for temporary nutrition and bring water in a poly tank later.

At the checkout, a part-time girl asked, "Are you preparing for a food distribution?" He nodded honestly.

"Of course, the pharmacy section is closed at this hour. The medicine I brought from my apartment isn't enough..."

Driving the car, now weighing nearly 150 kg, Ichiro groaned. It was 9:30 PM.

He arrived at the supermarket at 8:00 PM, and the pharmacy section was already closed.

The antacids and painkillers he gave to the village chief had about 20 tablets left each, but they wouldn't be enough for 50 sick people.

However, the antacids protected the stomach lining, and the painkillers were analgesics, so the Ripo D, which provided nutrition, was the main factor in curing the illness.

If most people were weak due to malnutrition, Ripo D alone might be enough.

"I'll give the medicine only to those with high fever or severe pain. If they survive, that's good enough."

Deciding to compromise, Ichiro hurried through the night mountain road.

While driving past scattered farmhouses, he realized an important issue and exclaimed, "Oh, no!"

"How will I transport all this stuff to the village... I can't just drive the car into the mansion."

It was impossible to carry 150 kg of goods by hand to the village.

He could make multiple trips, but as a modern person, he didn't want to do that.

"Trouble... If I go to a home center now, it will be closed... I guess I'll have to carry it bit by bit..."

While driving, he saw a wheelbarrow in a shed by the roadside.

He got out of the car and examined the wheelbarrow.

"Hmm, what a coincidence... But taking it without permission is stealing..."

It was an old iron wheelbarrow, quite heavy but sturdy and with non-puncture tires.

"Can't help it... It's an emergency, I'll have to ask for forgiveness."

He pulled the wheelbarrow out of the shed, tied the handles to the back of the car with a rope, and left 30 10,000 yen bills in a plastic bag with a note saying "Sorry" where the wheelbarrow was.

A few days later, when Ichiro passed by the shed, he saw a new folding wheelbarrow and a note on the handle saying, "Thank you. Feel free to take any vegetables."

"Finally arrived... Good thing the rope didn't break."

He removed the rope from the back of the car, brought the wheelbarrow into the mansion, and loaded the rice and other goods from the back seat onto the wheelbarrow.

It took a long time to return because he drove slowly, and it was now midnight.

However, he would reach Barretta's village in about an hour.

It had been only about 6 hours since he left the village.

"I'd like to rest, but I can't. I'll drink Ripo D and eat a pickled plum, then go."

Since he had only eaten a mysterious leaf and a soup with Arcadian bugs since noon, he was slightly hungry but managed with 2 bottles of Ripo D and a pickled plum.

The combination of Ripo D and citric acid would do the trick.

"I'll have to clean the tatami later... Alright, let's go!"

He shouted to boost his morale and pulled the wheelbarrow, loaded with 150 kg of goods, across the threshold to the other world.

"Wow, the wheelbarrow is great. It's so light."

He pulled the wheelbarrow along the stone-paved path, illuminating the ground with the penlight. He had some trouble with the tree roots in the woods, but the wheelbarrow, with a maximum load capacity of several hundred kilograms, handled it well.

After about 5 minutes, he saw someone running from the direction of the mansion.

"Barretta, you're still awake?"

"Kazura! I didn't expect you to return so soon... And with all this stuff!?"

Barretta's eyes widened at the sight of the wheelbarrow loaded with goods.

"I brought medicine and food from the country. Um... I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask for details."

He considered explaining how he came to this world but thought it would be unbelievable.

Moreover, it was strange that the villagers hadn't noticed a place where they could travel to Japan, just 5 minutes away from the village.

If the stone-paved path was a taboo area, it could cause trouble if discovered.

"Kazura... Could you be... Gray..."

"Huh?"

"Oh, no, nothing! Thank you so much for bringing so much medicine and food!"

Barretta suddenly panicked, thanked Ichiro, and started helping him pull the wheelbarrow.

Although he was curious about what she was about to say, he was grateful that she didn't pursue it.

They pulled the wheelbarrow to Barretta's mansion, but she seemed deep in thought and didn't say a word.

"My back hurts... I need to build some muscle."

After unloading the goods into Barretta's mansion, Ichiro stretched, holding his waist.

Barretta, who was malnourished, couldn't carry heavy things, so Ichiro carried all 100 kg of rice and Ripo D.

"I'm sorry, I don't have the strength..."

Barretta apologized to Ichiro, who replied, "No, no, it's fine. Rather, it's midnight. What should we do? Should we go to each house with the medicine right away?"

"Yes, they must be suffering. We should take the medicine to them as soon as possible."

Agreeing, Ichiro put his Boston bag, which he had prepared with Ripo D, powdered milk, and baby bottles, on his shoulder.

"Alright, let's go."

"Yes."

They walked quickly through the night village, illuminating their path with the penlight.

"Here, please drink this. It's a magic medicine that will cure your illness quickly."

"Is that true... Thank you..."

"What? No, it's not that great..."

They arrived at a sick villager's house and gave Ripo D to the bedridden villager.

Barretta confidently gave Ripo D to the villagers, but Ichiro was still unsure and a bit anxious.

"What are you saying? It's the truth. Let's hurry to the next house."

They rushed to the next house, knowing there were 50 sick villagers in total, which would take a lot of time.

"Oh, right, I also brought a substitute for breast milk for those who can't produce it. We need to hurry with that too."

"Really!? Then, even though it's bad for the sick people, let's prioritize the babies!"

In the end, they finished visiting all the houses just as the sun rose over the mountains.