Chapter 11

A few days later, after finishing the work with an approaching deadline, Zenshiro managed to return home on time for the first time since his new employee training. In front of his home computer, he let out a groan of anguish.

“Guh… Just three years, a mere three years for 1.5 million yen…”

What was causing Zenshiro’s distress were the reply emails from the companies selling hybrid generators and home hydroelectric generators.

The questions Zenshiro had asked were, in broad terms, “Can the generator you sell be installed by myself?”, “Is it possible to maintain it by myself?”, and “If so, how long can it operate with self-maintenance?”

The responses from the two companies were almost the same: “It is possible to install it yourself, but if you feel unsure, we would like you to entrust the installation to us,” “If you go through the materials provided at the time of purchase, you can perform surface-level self-maintenance, but we cannot guarantee it. Ideally, we would like you to entrust repairs to us,” and “The operational guarantee period is three years.” These responses were merciless, shattering Zenshiro’s hopes.

“Just three years…”

Zenshiro muttered with vacant eyes.

He had been somewhat prepared for this from the start. Even if there were dream generators that required no maintenance and could operate until his death, the household appliances themselves—air conditioners and refrigerators—had a lifespan.

The manufacturer’s warranty period for air conditioners and refrigerators was roughly ten years.

In any case, after about that much time, a life in a different world, cut off from the conveniences of civilization, was inevitable.

Therefore, Zenshiro considered the electrical appliances he would bring as a kind of “training wheels” to help him adapt to the new civilization.

“With ten years, my body should get somewhat used to the climate there, and depending on the situation, I might be able to ask Aura to build a room with water flowing from the walls, like the old Maharaja’s palace.”

Zenshiro took his hand off the mouse and stretched, raising both hands to the ceiling.

This was also knowledge he had researched online. In the past, when air conditioners and other such luxury items did not exist, some wealthy Indian Maharajas had elaborate and primitive systems where water flowed from the walls and drained through grooves in the floor to the outside, providing cooling.

In principle, this was similar to the “water sprinkling” done in old Japan, where the evaporation of water was used to cool the room.

This system seemed possible to manufacture with the technology of the other world, but even a layman like Zenshiro could predict that the construction costs would be exorbitant.

Aura had said that the country was in the midst of reconstruction after a long period of war.

Would Aura, as the queen, allow a mere stud, known as her consort, to waste so much wealth and labor?

At least, it would be impossible after three years. But if the country’s strength had recovered smoothly after ten years, perhaps some luxury would be permissible. That was what he had been thinking.

“Three years is impossible, no matter how you look at it. The real bottleneck is the battery, I guess.”

Zenshiro faced the computer and thought.

While hybrid generators use various precision parts, the problem with hydroelectric generators was limited to the bearings (the shafts of the propeller rotation) and the battery.

It was a matter of course that any generator, regardless of type, included a battery.

The battery’s lifespan was about three years. Fortunately, as it was originally a consumable item, the battery could be replaced by a layman following the instructions, but that didn’t mean “buying a lot of spare batteries would be okay.”

It wasn’t that the manufacturers wouldn’t sell them individually. Since hydroelectric generators cannot be installed in Japanese rivers or in the city center due to legal restrictions, most buyers lived in places where they couldn’t easily rely on the manufacturer for repairs.

Therefore, it wasn’t unnatural for buyers to purchase spare batteries to prepare for unexpected accidents, but the problem was that spares were, after all, just spares.

While a battery that wasn’t in use would degrade much less than one used continuously for 365 days a year, it would still degrade over three years, even in a layman’s storage conditions.

To put it bluntly, would a battery you stockpiled now still perform as advertised by the manufacturer five or ten years later? Thinking about it this way might make it easier to understand.

“But, if I bring about three spare batteries, it might last for a while? I want to make it last at least ten years. The bearings have a ten-year warranty, and they seem difficult to replace, so I probably don’t need them. But, even if most appliances will be at the end of their life after ten years, it might be worth trying to repair them myself.”

Even if the first few years were just for enjoyment, he didn’t want to give up on bringing electricity.

In his student days, Zenshiro often watched TV and rented DVDs, but since becoming an adult, he had accumulated them without time to watch, and the DVDs he had downloaded from his hard drive kept piling up.

He had only seen the results of the African World Cup on TV news, and the European Championship matches he had recorded, he had never watched.

He had recorded a few dramas that were well-received online each year, and the one-hour Sunday night show by a certain idol group that he had watched since he was a middle school student, he hadn’t seen once since becoming an adult.

A life without work, with food, clothing, and shelter provided, and just watching the accumulated TV shows.

It was an incredibly unproductive way to spend time, but to the exhausted Zenshiro, it seemed incredibly appealing.

Even if a part of his mind wondered, “Won’t I get tired of such a life and feel lost eventually?” it was irresistibly attractive right now.

“After all, I can only bring as much as a carpet, and Japanese yen won’t be of any use. I might as well spend it all!”

Resigned, Zenshiro began researching the electrical appliances he would bring.

“Hmm, I can probably install the air conditioner myself if I try hard. Wait, but where do I run the outdoor unit’s pipes? The palace walls are made of thick marble, right? Besides, can a regular air conditioner cool such a huge, high-ceilinged room? Will a 20-tatami air conditioner be enough…?”

When he calmed down, it seemed there were numerous obstacles to a life with electrical appliances in the other world.

Still, to prolong a better future by even a second, Zenshiro’s not-so-great brain worked at full capacity.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

The one-month preparation period passed in the blink of an eye.

Zenshiro, who had made as many preparations as possible in this month, was standing in the middle of a six-tatami room packed with items, trying to calm his racing heart with deep breaths.

“Is it about time? No, not yet… Wait, what if it was all a dream? No, that can’t be. I have the carpet and the ring. …But, what if something unexpected happens and my re-summoning is canceled?”

Holding a box cutter in his right hand, Zenshiro periodically dug into the wound on his left pinky finger, letting the blood drip onto the carpet, feeling the greatest anxiety at this moment.

He had already made all the preparations to go to the other world.

He had quit his job without any lingering issues, and all the contracts for gas, electricity, water, telephone, and mobile phone had been canceled. He had informed the apartment manager that he would be moving out at the end of the month.

His bank and post office accounts were left as they were, so his final salary would be deposited on the 10th of next month, but Zenshiro would not be the one to collect it. He shouldn’t be. It would be a problem if it were.

If, after all these preparations, he was not summoned, Zenshiro would be left with a useless home hydroelectric generator and an absurdly long extension cord, wandering aimlessly.

“Dangerous, my head is spinning. Did I bleed too much?”

Zenshiro muttered, feeling as if the world was darkening before his eyes, but that couldn’t be. The amount of blood he had been letting out was far less than what is drawn for an annual blood test at the hospital.

The dizziness and narrowing of his vision were all due to psychological factors.

“Did I forget anything? The generator and extension cord are on the dolly. The air conditioner, refrigerator, computer, and the alcohol as a gift. I also have various glasses, plates, and dishes, and the ring is in my pocket.”

Zenshiro was wearing his most expensive suit. After all, he was going to propose marriage. Even if it was to a bride from a different culture and world, there was a certain way to dress.

At first, he had considered a white suit like a groom would wear at a wedding, but the absurdly high price immediately made him give up. It was far beyond what a commoner should spend on a suit worn only once.

“In the end, the only thing I’m bringing for Aura, besides the ring, is alcohol. But that’s okay, right? Aura seemed to like alcohol.”

In a corner of the carpet, bottles of brandy, whiskey, sake, and wine were neatly arranged.

For Zenshiro, who usually drank only low-alcohol beverages and occasionally a 1,500 yen bottle of whiskey, the idea of a 10,000 or 20,000 yen bottle of alcohol seemed insane, but as a gift for a queen, it was necessary to splurge.

He suddenly remembered that the only alcohol served in the other world was low-alcohol fruit wine, and in a hurry, he had bought a home distiller, but he hadn’t yet tried to make distilled spirits with it.

Well, if it works, it’s a bonus.

Zenshiro suddenly became calm and noticed that the straps of the backpack on his shoulder were creasing his expensive suit.

“Whoa, dangerous. Can I even iron out the wrinkles in the suit over there? But I don’t have the courage to put this down. I should just accept it, I guess.”

The contents of the backpack on his back included a set of clothes for changing, spare shoes, a canceled mobile phone and solar charger, dry bread, chocolate, a bottle of water, a dozen lighters, a multitool, a hand-cranked LED light, and a thermal blanket—essentially, the contents of a typical “emergency bag.”

If, by some chance, the summoning location or time was off, or if the carpet’s magic circle failed and he could only bring what he was wearing, he didn’t want to risk putting the backpack down and creating wrinkles in his suit.

Of course, the most important item, the pair of rings for Aura, was securely stored in the inner pocket of his suit.

Zenshiro suddenly felt the urge to check the ring in his pocket again, but unfortunately, he was holding the box cutter in his right hand, and his left hand was dripping blood from his pinky finger.

He considered putting the box cutter down and checking his inner pocket, but just as he was thinking this, it happened.

“Guh…!?”

A familiar light-headedness overcame Zenshiro, who was squatting on the carpet.

In a panic, he threw the box cutter away and put both hands on the carpet. Just as he heard a ‘clank’ from the right corner, a powerful female voice he hadn’t heard in a month descended from above.

“Welcome, my husband. It seems the second summoning was successful. I am relieved. This time, I can truly welcome you to this world, to my country. Welcome, my lifelong companion.”

“Aura…”

Zenshiro, who had successfully transferred with the carpet, remained on his hands and knees, gazing up at the queen who was opening her arms in welcome, in a daze.