Chapter 12

Starting from the completion of the toilet for the retainer's residence on June 3, I began to formulate a plan for its dissemination throughout the village.

First, regarding the materials, based on the inventory in Craig the carpenter's workshop, it seemed we could manage about ten units.

Next was the ratio of how many to build.

I once worked on a project to replace a machine factory. According to what I heard then, one toilet was sufficient for thirty people. This was for a factory, so I had to consider how many would be needed for ordinary households.

(Actually, one per household would be ideal, but since it will be a communal toilet, it should be enough with one for every ten people...)

Since we couldn't spread it throughout the village all at once, I decided to concentrate all ten units in a model area.

I intended to propose that the model area be the district where Gordon, the village representative, lived, right in the middle of the four hills at the center of the village.

(If we can get the representative on board, it will be easier to spread, and since it's a gathering place, it will be more visible to the villagers. There's also a tavern, which will attract the villagers' interest. If we choose another location, there's a possibility that Gordon might get upset. If we build it first for him, it will be a face-saver for him. Starting from here would be the best way to get Gordon on board.)

I went to my father with this proposal.

My father agreed.

He called Gordon to explain the purpose and ordered Nicholas to conduct a site survey and build the toilets.

The next day, Gordon came to the mansion in response to my father's summons.

Unfortunately, as a child, I couldn't participate in the meeting.

According to my father, Gordon was a bit confused about the purpose of the toilets but said he would gratefully use them since they were being built by the lord himself. He also promised to fully cooperate in informing the residents about hygiene management.

I thought it would work out and decided to leave the matter to Nicholas while I considered other projects.

(The toilets seem to be going well. Next, I'll start developing the hand pump for the well and soap, and if there's time, I'll work on the drainage system. The village's environmental improvement should go smoothly. After that, it's time to produce specialty products. Or rather, it's time to realize my hobby, no, my dream. Hehehe...)

At that time, I naively thought so. I was already considering it a success.

The construction of the toilets began in early June without any particular problems, and Nicholas only reported that the construction was proceeding smoothly.

Moreover, the villagers helped out when they had time, and the ten toilets were completed more than ten days earlier than the originally planned one-month construction period.

I can't deny that I was complacent because things were going well.

As they say, good things often go wrong, and while the construction went smoothly, the subsequent "use" did not.

I was responsible for not following up, but until early July, about a month later, when Nicholas reported to me, I was completely convinced that it was a success.

"About ten days have passed, but it doesn't seem to be used much."

Nicholas told me this with a look of regret.

I couldn't believe it and asked, "Why?"

"I asked Gordon, but he doesn't seem to understand. He says he tells everyone to use it, but no one does."

(Why? Is the area around the smelly, dirty houses better?)

I racked my brain.

(Why don't they use it? Normally, they would, right? ... Normally? Is my "normal" different from the villagers' sense?)

"Give me your opinion, Nicholas. Anything is fine."

Nicholas looked a bit regretful and said,

"Probably because it's 'troublesome.' We also found it troublesome at first... but since it's an order from the lord..."

Then, noticing my gaze, he hastily added,

"N-no, it's comfortable now. There's no smell, and it's fine even when it rains... I'm telling the truth."

Hearing his words, I realized I had forgotten the basics.

(I didn't listen to the clients at all... In this case, everyone who uses it is a client. I was just pushing forward with my own ideas... I always told my juniors that a designer who doesn't listen to the client's opinion is the worst...)

I realized I was making a big mistake.

My sense was that of a Japanese person from the Heisei era, not of this world.

Even if there were significant benefits, people wouldn't easily change their established systems. People tend to be conservative. I should have thought about how to get them to use it, but I proceeded based on my assumptions.

(Well, what should I do? I need to identify the issues. Maybe I should conduct a survey.)

I ordered Nicholas to conduct a survey among the villagers.

"I want you to ask the villagers why they don't use it. Any opinion is fine, and there will be no punishment for speaking up..."

Then I reconsidered.

"No, give a small reward to those who give their opinions. I'll ask my father for this."

I went to my father with Nicholas and reported that the toilet dissemination wasn't going well. I then proposed to gather users' opinions to improve the situation.

"I want to hear frank opinions. To do that, I want to give a reward of 10e (100 yen) for any opinion. I need your permission and the cash."

"You don't need to give a reward. If Nicholas asks, they will answer."

My father didn't understand why I was making unnecessary expenses.

"Probably, only safe opinions will come out. For example, 'I just forgot' or something like that... If we give a reward, they will try to say what sounds good to us, but if we say we'll pay for bad opinions too, they will try to give as many opinions as possible. That's where the clues for improvement lie."

I argued with a small fist, and my father, perhaps overwhelmed by my enthusiasm, approved a budget of 50C (50,000 yen).

"If it gets too expensive in the future, we'll have to reconsider this, understand? Nicholas, I'm sorry, but please take care of it."

My father suddenly put on his lord's face, warned me, and handed a bag of money to Nicholas, who was standing behind him.

After leaving my father's office, I explained the points to note when asking questions to Nicholas.

"I want you and Kate—Nicholas's wife—to divide the work. Nicholas will talk to the men, and Kate will talk to the women. The points to note are: listen to all opinions, even if they seem useless, until the end. Give money for every opinion. And report the opinions as they are. I trust you, but please don't wave the lord's authority around."

He didn't seem entirely convinced but promised to follow my instructions and headed to the village.

(Well, I hope we can get some proper "voices" this way...)

Two days later, in the evening, Nicholas and Kate came to me with a stack of papers.

"Many opinions were given. The results are written here. I've grouped similar opinions together."

I flipped through the written content.

The main opinions were three:

1. They couldn't use it often in the morning.

2. It was troublesome to carry the waste, so they tried to avoid using it.

3. It was troublesome to go to the toilet in the first place.

These three accounted for more than half of the opinions.

There were also opinions from women, such as being afraid of the door being opened (or almost opened) and not making it in time with children.

The first issue was a matter of numbers.

With ten units for twenty households, it was about one unit for twelve or thirteen people. This was too few. We needed to increase the number and find the optimal value.

For the women's concern about the door being opened, we could add a simple lock, and for the children, we could increase the number of units and provide potties.

The problem was the second and third issues: the trouble of carrying waste and the trouble of going to the toilet.

We needed to find a solution to these issues to promote usage.

If composting was successful, the incentive of not wasting valuable fertilizer would help, but we couldn't be sure if it would work, and the effects of composting wouldn't be seen until the harvest after spreading it in the fields.

(Should we enforce it? Or provide another incentive? Maybe we could form groups of a few households and give a prize to the group that makes the best compost... No, that would be too costly in the long run.)

As I thought, I gradually had an idea.

(We need to strengthen guidance initially. We can have Gordon take charge. But to avoid his dissatisfaction, we can give him a position, like a district chief or a community leader. Until now, he was just a representative, but with the lord's approval, we can appeal to his vanity and get him to take our requests seriously.)

I continued to think.

(We could divide the village into several districts for administrative purposes. Since the houses are clustered in suitable living areas, we could make about twenty households a unit, forming four districts. Appointing a district chief for each would make management easier. I'll consult with my father.)

When I consulted with my father, he looked skeptical.

"Do we really need to divide this small village? Won't it create factions?"

I felt I had been caught off guard.

"Indeed, that's a concern, but originally, the villagers only interact with their neighbors, right? So, it shouldn't be a big problem."

My father put the appointment of district chiefs on hold and asked me to think of another name.

"District chief... Is there a better name?"

"How about a 'community officer'? Someone who oversees the villagers' lives?"

"Community officer... What about the reward?"

"How about making it an honorary position? We could gather the community officers at the mansion once or twice a year for a feast?"

"Interesting. That wouldn't cost much, and only those with leisure would be interested. On the contrary, those who want the honor might be interested... Alright. I'll talk to Gordon about it. But make sure to define the duties of the community officers clearly."

The community officer is a simplified version of the community commissioner in Japan.

I'm not an expert on community commissioners, so it has to be a simplified version, but if we define their role as overseeing and helping improve the villagers' living conditions, it will naturally include improving the toilets.

I made a simple memo and decided to give it to my father.

It will take a few more months to see the toilet dissemination through.

I still need to check the situation frequently, but if I follow up properly, I think it will work out.

I thanked Nicholas and Kate and started thinking about the next project.

By the way, the special training from my grandfather continued during the toilet improvement.

Every day, I did about twenty minutes of practice swings before breakfast and participated in training with my brothers in the morning. In the evening, I did another twenty minutes of practice swings before dinner.

Even after more than half a month of training, I was only allowed to practice one form.

Dan, who started with me, seemed frustrated at being left behind by me and Mel and started practicing seriously.

On June 20, the twenty-fifth day of training, I became a "Swordsmanship Specialist."

I used two chapters for the toilet story. I'm a bit regretful.

(It might not be over yet?)