Chapter 99

Yoshira took Rize back to his room and picked up the air conditioner remote control that was on the table.

Rize stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the refrigerator, laptop, and the mountain of cardboard boxes in the room.

Yoshira pointed the remote at the air conditioner and pressed the 'cooling' button.

The air conditioner, set in the corner of the room, emitted an electronic beep and slowly opened its vents.

"Go ahead and sit down. I'll show you a few tools."

"Ah, what is that box moving on its own over there?"

Without even realizing she had stopped using polite language, Rize asked, still staring at the air conditioner that had started moving on its own.

"That's called an air conditioner. It's a tool that heats or cools the room. Go ahead and take a look."

"O-Okay."

At his urging, Rize walked over to the air conditioner.

Yoshira adjusted the remote to increase the fan speed and set the temperature to 16 degrees.

"Ah, the wind... it's so cool!"

Rize exclaimed in surprise as the cool breeze from the air conditioner hit her face.

She couldn't help but relax and her expression softened.

"Did you like it?"

"It feels so good..."

Rize seemed to be enjoying it immensely, her face radiating pure bliss as she continued to bask in the cool air.

Her expression was completely relaxed.

"Would you like a cold drink?"

Yoshira took a pitcher of barley tea he had prepared from the refrigerator and poured it into a silver cup that had been chilled in the fridge, then handed it to Rize.

"Here, cold barley tea. It's delicious."

"Ah, thank you... it's cold!?"

Rize exclaimed in surprise as she took the ice-cold cup of barley tea.

"Here, let's add some ice, shall we?"

Yoshira took some ice from the freezer and added a few pieces to Rize's cup.

The ice clinked as it hit the cup and made a unique sound as it sank into the barley tea.

"Wh-What, ice!? It's summer, right!?"

"Yeah, it's summer."

"Why is there ice in the summer!?"

"This is a tool called a refrigerator. It's used to keep food cold and to make ice. Why don't you take a sip?"

"O-Okay, thank you... it's delicious! It's so cold!"

"Of course, of course."

Yoshira nodded at Rize, who was beaming with joy, and then sat down in a chair at the table, picking up a Boston bag that was in the corner of the room.

"I'll show you a few tools. Would you mind sitting over there?"

"Y-Yes!"

Rize sat down, and Yoshira began rummaging through the contents of the Boston bag.

Rize watched him, holding the cup of barley tea in both hands.

"Let's see, an LED lantern and a lighter..."

"Ah!"

As Yoshira started laying out the tools on the table, Rize noticed the lighter and spoke up.

"Is that the one I picked up when I met you in the commercial district with Kazura-sama?"

"Yep. I was just there for a casual visit, so I was a bit worried when you picked up the lighter."

"Yes, I was surprised too... Ah, I'm sorry! I forgot to use polite language!"

Rize realized she had been using polite language the whole time and looked embarrassed.

"It's okay, it's okay. It might take some time to get used to."

Yoshira picked up the lighter, checked that the flame setting was at the minimum, and handed it to Rize.

"Here you go. I've set it so it won't produce a large flame. Go ahead and press it."

"O-Okay."

Rize put down her cup and took the lighter.

She held it in her left hand and tentatively placed her right index finger on it.

When she pressed the button, it clicked and a small flame appeared.

"Wow!"

Rize repeatedly pressed the ignition button, watching the flame appear and disappear, and exclaimed in amazement.

"How does this work? It produces a flame just by pressing it..."

"There's flammable gas inside, and when you press the button, a spark ignites the gas. You can also adjust the size of the flame with this dial."

"Is that so..."

Rize, looking both understanding and confused, fiddled with the lighter.

She turned the flame setting to maximum and lit it again, exclaiming in surprise at the larger flame.

"This is an amazing tool. Starting a fire is so difficult, so if everyone could use something this convenient, it would be a great help..."

In this world, a method called the "kirimomi" fire-starting technique is used.

It involves digging a groove in a wooden board, placing a wooden stick vertically in it, and rotating the stick with both hands to create friction.

The sawdust produced by the friction becomes the kindling, and when you add wood shavings or cotton and blow on it, it ignites.

Skilled people can start a fire in a short time, but for those who are not used to it, it can take a long time to get a fire going.

Since it's not practical to go through this process every time a fire is needed, people usually keep the embers in the ashes.

At the Balin residence in Grisea Village, they would cover partially burned firewood with ashes in the hearth and use it as the next day's kindling.

The charred wood would continue to burn slowly overnight, and in the morning, they could remove the ashes and take out the red-hot charcoal.

Incidentally, any burned wood not used as kindling is placed in a pot, covered, and stored as charcoal.

Charcoal ignites easily and burns for a while like firewood, making it a high-quality fuel.

"True, but such tools are quite noticeable, so I can't just distribute them everywhere. It would definitely lead to questions about their origin, and if it causes too much of a stir, it could interfere with my work."

"I see... Yeah, you're right. If it were revealed that you're Kazura and Grisiole-sama appeared, it would cause a big commotion."

Rize corrected her speech, trying to sound as natural as possible.

She was still struggling to adjust her mindset, but she was trying her best to match Yoshira's tone.

"That's why I'd like you to keep the tools I have a secret. Now, for the next tool..."

"Ah, um..."

As Yoshira picked up the LED lantern, Rize timidly interjected.

"Hmm? Is there something else you're curious about?"

"Ah, no, it's not that. I have a question."

"A question?"

"Yes."

Yoshira tilted his head, and Rize nodded seriously.

"Recently, I've noticed that your mother's hair and skin look suddenly very beautiful. Did Kazura do something about that?"

"Ah, that. Yes, I did."

"What did you do!?"

Rize leaned forward, clearly very interested.

"I brought her some skincare products, shampoo, and bath salts. I also gave her some bath salts."

"Skincare products... Are they really that effective?"

"Yes, they're a bit special. I think you'll see that they're much more effective than anything used in this world, as you can see from Zirconia."

"Is that so..."

"Would you like to try them?"

Rize's eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly.

"Really!?"

"Sure. In return, I'd appreciate it if you could work even harder."

"Okay! Leave it to me!"

The awkwardness from earlier was gone, and Rize nodded with enthusiasm and determination.

Rize, who always pays extra attention to her hair and skin, must have been very interested in the highly effective skincare products.

Yoshira took out moisturizing gel, shampoo, conditioner, and bath salts from the Boston bag and laid them out on the table.

Rize's eyes sparkled as she looked at the containers.

"So beautiful... I've never seen such beautiful containers before."

Rize gazed at the plastic container of moisturizing gel and sighed in admiration.

The glossy plastic container was very beautiful and exuded a sense of luxury.

These were things that could never be obtained in this world.

"Skincare containers are always beautiful. I don't know how many types there are, but there are probably over a hundred. I only brought these today."

"Over a hundred...?"

"Next time, I can bring you a few more."

"Really!?"

"Yes. I'll bring you a few that I think will suit you."

Although it might seem like he was bribing her with gifts, Rize seemed very enthusiastic.

She had been tense and anxious earlier, but talking about her favorite skincare products seemed to have relaxed her.

She picked up the moisturizing gel container and exclaimed happily, looking very cute.

("I see, the people who give Rize gifts must be charmed by this smile.")

Rize's current smile seemed genuine, but those who frequently gave her gifts were probably captivated by this smile.

If she blushed and said "Thank you!" with this smile, no man would be able to resist.

In fact, when Yoshira gave Rize a pendant before, he was internally moved by the cuteness of her smile.

"Anyway, let me explain how to use them. I'll also give you the shampoo and bath salts, so you can start using them today."

"Okay! Thank you!"

Yoshira opened the moisturizing gel container and began explaining how to use it to Rize, who was eagerly waiting with sparkling eyes.

---

About an hour later, in one of the rooms of the mansion, Yoshira and the Istele family were having dinner.

Yoshira and Nelson were discussing the progress of their work and future plans, interspersed with casual conversation.

Zirconia occasionally joined in the conversation but had been glancing at Rize, who was sitting diagonally across from her.

"Hehehe..."

("What... What is this...")

Zirconia was puzzled by Rize's unusually cheerful and relaxed demeanor as she happily ate her food.

She had expected the dinner to be somber after the incident earlier, but Yoshira didn't seem particularly upset, and Rize was smiling nonstop.

She was completely confused.

Eira, who was standing by the wall, was also staring in surprise.

"Rize, you seem to be in a very good mood. Did something good happen?"

Nelson, noticing Rize's state, asked her.

"Yes, something very good happened. ...Hehe."

"Hmm, what happened? Can you tell me?"

Nelson's eyes softened at the sight of his daughter's happy expression.

Rize was usually cheerful and friendly, but it was quite rare to see her this cheerful.

"A while ago, Kazura-sama gave me skincare products and shampoo, and I'm looking forward to using them..."

Rize answered with a slightly smug smile, her face radiating pure joy.

"From Kazura-sama?"

Nelson turned to Yoshira, who smiled back at him.

"Yes, Rize has been a great help to me, so I wanted to thank her. I gave her the same things I gave to Zirconia before."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for your consideration. But regarding those items..."

"That's fine. I actually talked to Zirconia earlier today and decided to tell Rize about me. I've already explained everything to her, so she understands about the items."

Nelson looked slightly surprised at this.

He had been considering whether to reveal Yoshira's true identity to Rize, as she had been helping a lot recently.

Hearing that Yoshira had proposed revealing his identity himself, Rize felt happy, thinking she had been recognized by Yoshira.

"Is that so? Rize, that's great. I'll be counting on you from now on."

"Yes, I'll do my best. ...Hehe."

("She's being bribed...!")

While feeling a bit uneasy about the cozy exchange between Yoshira and Rize, Zirconia was relieved that their relationship hadn't become hostile.

Rize seemed to be easily manipulated with gifts, but their surface relationship appeared to be good.

Thinking about how to turn the situation to her advantage gave her a headache, but for now, it was best to be satisfied with the current state.

"By the way, I want to start looking for a location to build a reservoir for ice-making in the northwest mountainous area. I need to return to Grisea Village in about 10 days, so I'd like to go before then."

"Then I'll organize the schedule and make sure we can go soon. Would you like Rize to come along?"

"Of course. I'll need the craftsmen to come as well, so it would be helpful to have Rize there. Is that okay with you, Rize?"

"Sure, no problem. Eira, adjust my schedule later. It's fine to cancel any meetings that can be postponed."

"Y-Yes, understood."

"..."

Nelson and Zirconia were taken aback by the casual conversation between Yoshira and Rize.

Zirconia's mouth was slightly open in surprise.

"On the day, I think we should bring carpenters. We'll also need to prepare materials for making mortar, such as lime, sand, and a few other things. I'll write down the list of materials and give it to you later."

"U-Understood. I'll have them prepared immediately."

"Before we go to the mountainous area, let's do a test run. We'll need a lot of mortar in the future, so please prepare a large amount of materials."

Currently, the only planned use for mortar is the reservoir, but in the future, they will need to address river engineering and the collapse of buildings in the slums.

A large amount of mortar will be required, so it's necessary to stockpile the materials in advance.

"Kazura-sama, how is mortar different from plaster?"

"It's used similarly to plaster, but it's stronger and more water-resistant. Using mortar for the reservoir will prevent water from seeping into the ground, making it suitable for ice-making."

Nelson exclaimed in surprise at this.

"It's stronger than plaster, more water-resistant, and the materials are lime and sand. It seems very practical. It should also be cheaper."

"It's cheap and can be produced in large quantities, so I think it will be very useful in the future. We'll need to establish a specialized industry to produce it."

"Perhaps we can have the plaster craftsmen take on the role. Since the work is similar, they should be able to adapt to using mortar quickly."

"That's a good idea. We could also have the pottery craftsmen take on the role. They can use discarded pottery shards as materials, which would be convenient."

"Interesting. There's a place in the outskirts where old pottery is discarded. We can have it collected later."

"Ah, if there's such a place, we could build a storage facility for mortar materials nearby to save on transportation costs."

"Good point... Rize, do you have any connections with plaster or pottery craftsmen?"

Nelson turned to Rize, who nodded with a smile.

"I've visited the pottery workshops many times. I haven't spoken to the plaster craftsmen, but I can ask someone in a related field to put in a good word. I'll try to get some skilled people to help."

Rize had been ordering containers for cosmetics and accessories directly from pottery craftsmen since she was young.

She had visited the workshops and communicated with the craftsmen, so she could probably get some favors done if she asked.

"Very well. We'll discuss the details later."

"Understood. I'll take care of it."

"You're always so reliable, Rize. I'll be counting on you."

"Okay! ...Hehe."

("She's being manipulated...!")

The dinner passed in a slightly different atmosphere than usual.

---

That night, Yoshira was drinking tea with Eira in the dimly lit kitchen, as they did every night.

Eira always waited for Yoshira in the kitchen, and their late-night tea sessions had become a daily routine.

"Kazura-sama, Rize-sama seemed different from usual. What happened?"

Eira looked puzzled, recalling Rize's behavior during dinner.

Rize had been extremely depressed earlier in the day, but a few hours later, she was acting so affectionately that it was understandable to be confused.

"I told her about my true identity and the tools I have. She believed that I'm Grisiole. During our conversation, I gave her the skincare products and bath salts I had, and she seemed to really like them."

"Is that so... Are you no longer angry with Rize-sama?"

"I'm not angry. We had a talk, and Rize apologized. I'm not holding it against her anymore."

"That's good... I