Chapter 6

As the hands of Ichirou's wristwatch pointed to 1 PM, the distribution of food finally came to an end. The gathered villagers split into those who helped clean up and those who sorted rice and salt, each moving on to their respective tasks.

Amid the harmonious work of the villagers, Ichirou was making a proposal to the village chief and Valletta.

"Praying for rain, you say?"

"Yes, I'm thinking of making it rain. I want to create a water supply system, a path to bring water from the river, but if we do that, we won't have enough time to tend to the fields. Even if we carry water from the river in buckets, the fields are too vast to manage. So, I thought we should make it rain."

Ichirou's proposal left Valletta and the village chief with slightly perplexed expressions.

"Well, we've offered sacrifices to Lord Sweepsio several times to pray for rain, but Lord Sweepsio never granted us rain. Even so, is it... all right to try again?"

"Huh? It's fine, really. It's an old method, but I know how to perform the rain prayer."

When Ichirou said this, he interpreted Valletta's "Is it all right?" as "Even though we've tried and failed, are you still going to do it?" In reality, the gap between his interpretation and what Valletta was thinking was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.

"Is that so... then, please do it. Is there anything we can help with?"

"Yes, the method I know requires a large amount of firewood. We need at least as much wood as two or three houses. Can you prepare that much?"

After a moment of thought, Valletta and the village chief nodded at each other.

"There are a few houses that have been abandoned for some time. If we dismantle them and use the wood as firewood, it should be enough."

"Is that so... I understand. I'll ask the villagers to help with the dismantling."

The abandoned houses were likely due to the previous war or the current famine, where the residents had all left. It was a bit painful to dismantle them, but it was for the village's sake.

"Is there a place where we can build a large fire without the sparks spreading to the surroundings?"

"There is a field in the center of the village. I haven't been able to tend to it recently, and all the crops have failed, so it's fine to build a fire there."

With that, the plan was set, and they decided to perform the rain prayer. Of course, it wasn't just a matter of praying to the gods; Ichirou had a scientific basis. By burning a large amount of material, the rising air currents would carry dust, destabilizing the atmosphere and causing rain. This was the basis for why it often rains after a large fire. Ichirou had heard that the Japanese army had done the same thing during World War II to make it rain, so he believed it was possible here. The sky was not completely clear, with several thin clouds floating, so it should be possible.

Four hours later, the villagers had dismantled the abandoned houses, and a large amount of wood and straw equivalent to three houses was gathered in the village chief's field at the edge of the village. There were no trees or buildings around the field, so there was no risk of the fire spreading.

"Alright, we're going to perform the rain prayer. It's just a matter of lighting the fire and waiting for the rain. A few people can keep watch, but the rest can go back home if they want."

Ichirou said this, took out a lighter from his pocket, and lit the straw. There was a small murmur when he lit the fire, but he heard voices like "As expected of Lord Kazura" from various directions. He wondered why they were calling him "Lord," but he pretended not to hear.

The straw and wood quickly caught fire, burning brightly like a giant ball of flame. The intense heat made the people around the field move back about the length of a field, sitting down wherever they pleased to watch the fire. Ichirou also moved away from the fire and sat down in a random spot.

"…I said I'd make it rain, but will it really happen? I've only heard stories about it working, so it's not guaranteed."

Ichirou was now regretting why he had been so confident in saying he would "make it rain." Perhaps he had become a bit overconfident after seeing the miraculous effects of Lipod and the villagers' joy during the food distribution. He needed to be more careful to avoid embarrassing himself. It might already be too late.

"Kazura-san."

As Ichirou was sweating nervously, Valletta approached from behind.

"Can I sit next to you?"

When Valletta asked, Ichirou gestured for her to sit down.

"Thank you."

Valletta sat down next to Ichirou and stared at the crackling flames in silence. Her calm expression suggested she had no doubt that it would rain. Kazura, glancing at her, felt even more

"Damn, I shouldn't have said something so baseless."

He regretted it intensely while looking up at the sky, following the rising smoke, and praying in his heart, "Please, let it rain, really, please."

"Kazura-san."

"Hmm?"

As Ichirou was praying with all his heart, Valletta spoke to him while still staring at the flames.

"Why did you come to our village, Kazura-san?"

"Why? Just because it was near my house, I guess."

Ichirou, preoccupied with the rain, answered without much thought. Valletta looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Is that so? But even by chance, your coming to our village has saved many people. Thank you very much."

"Eh? Ah, no, no, I'm glad I could help... Oh, no, I shouldn't have said that."

Ichirou realized he had made a serious slip of the tongue about how he came to the village. After all, he had initially told the villagers he had gotten lost and ended up in the village, but his story to Valletta had been inconsistent. Mentioning that his house was nearby was a thin lie that had long since fallen apart, so he didn't really care anymore.

He expected Valletta to ask, "Where is your house?" but she simply stared at the flames without asking anything. Ichirou, glancing at her, felt the urge to ask, "Why aren't you asking?" but decided not to push his luck. Instead, he decided to talk to her about the rain prayer.

"Um, Valletta-san."

"Yes?"

When Ichirou called her, Valletta turned to him. Thanks to the Lipod she had taken in the morning and the congee she had eaten for lunch, the fatigue on her face had disappeared, and she looked full of vitality. Her face, illuminated by the red flames, appeared quite attractive to Ichirou. As he admired her, thinking, "She really is beautiful," Valletta tilted her head, and he hurriedly began his explanation.

"I should have told you this before we started the rain prayer, but this method does increase the chances of rain, but it's not guaranteed. So, it might not rain... I'm sorry to say this now."

Ichirou said this apologetically, and Valletta showed a slightly surprised expression but smiled.

"I've heard that Lord Sweepsio is whimsical, so it's fine. The villagers will understand."

"Lord Sweepsio? ...Ah, the water god, right?"

"Yes. But if even you can't make it rain, Lord Sweepsio must be quite whimsical."

Valletta chuckled, and Ichirou tilted his head in confusion. He had heard the name Sweepsio when discussing the rain prayer with Valletta and the village chief, and it seemed to be the name of the water god. But what did she mean by "even you"?

"Um, what do you mean... Huh?"

As Ichirou was about to ask, something hit his cheek. He stood up in surprise and looked up at the sky, where a large, dark rain cloud had appeared. A few seconds later, large raindrops began to pour down.

"Ah, it's raining! The rain is coming!"

"Amazing! As expected of Lord Kazura!"

The villagers, seeing the sudden downpour, cheered and praised Ichirou. In the pouring rain, Ichirou muttered,

"It really is raining..."

and stared up at the sky in disbelief. Next to him, Valletta said,

"Really, quite whimsical."

and looked up at the sky with him.

Epilogue

After experiencing the rain caused by the fire, Ichirou, while reporting the state of the mansion (except for the threshold to the other world) to his father, mentioned the rain after the fire,

"There was a fire near my house the other day, and it started raining right away. It's true that it rains after a fire."

He slightly embellished the story on his mobile phone, and his father responded,

"That's just a coincidence. Even in large forest fires in America, it often doesn't rain for days, and the fires get bigger. If it wasn't a coincidence, the atmosphere must have been very unstable, or rain clouds were already forming."

Ichirou was so shocked by this that he dropped his phone.