Chapter 9

The next day, I thought it would be another day of gathering medicinal herbs, but this time it was cultivation work.

At the plant facility adjacent to the training school—a place like a greenhouse—I was assigned to take care of the medicinal herbs.

I was taught everything from watering to pest control.

There were still so many medicinal herbs I didn’t know.

“Ah…”

While watering the medicinal herbs, I bumped into a female soldier.

I think she’s from my cohort.

Even though she was wearing a headscarf and a mask, I could tell she was a woman.

Judging from her height and eyes, she didn’t seem much different from me, right?

“S-Sorry.”

The female soldiers live in a dormitory next to the training school where we sleep and work.

We rarely interact unless there’s a plant facility or something.

The distinction between men and women is quite strict, I see.

“No, no, it’s my fault.”

“Hey! What are you staring at?”

Oh no! I got scolded!

I hurriedly returned to my work.

Medicinal herbs are used to make medicine, but they are also used in alchemy and magic.

I was taught the history of the country and the beginning of medicinal herb cultivation in the plant facility.

Looking around, more than half of the trainees seemed uninterested.

For me, the lessons about another world were interesting, but for them, it was probably just common knowledge, so they didn’t find it interesting, right?

It felt like being in a magic school movie, and it was fun.

The next lecture was on how to dissect monsters, and it was a mixed-gender class.

We were given a Sleep Rabbit to dissect, one per person.

The woman I bumped into earlier was assigned to the same group as us.

I greeted her and then gulped.

Dissection... yeah... right. It’s a necessary skill to survive.

“Aaaah…”

The woman was turning pale as she dissected with the provided knife.

I was doing it too, but I think I was failing.

Buru, on the other hand, was handling it with ease.

Incidentally, I learned that the meat from the dissected Sleep Rabbit would be our dinner.

The rest of the time was spent tending to the fields.

It seemed the policy was to encourage as much self-sufficiency as possible, so we were working in the fields with hoes in both hands.

I was given unreasonable orders by a senior soldier.

Just as everyone was about to go to sleep, we were made to do mysterious push-ups for an hour, cleaning duties... the toilets were traumatic. In terms of smell.

Buru and I were made to do it, and the smell lingered for a while.

I seriously considered learning cleaning skills.

There was a pile of garbage behind the training school.

Broken practice swords, rusted armor remnants... I found a large pot with a big hole in it.

It was quite rusty.

A memory from a story I read came back to me.

A story about using a large pot as a bathtub.

I was getting tired of just taking a quick rinse and wanted to take a proper bath.

Over the next few days, during my free time and before bed, I repaired the large pot.

First, I removed the rust from the pot, then I found some decent pieces of discarded armor, borrowed tools from a senior soldier, and used the adhesive from a captured Electric Jelly to patch the hole.

I had learned some repair techniques from maintaining weapons.

I did the major repairs before bed.

I hammered it multiple times.

How much could I achieve with emergency repairs without using fire?

“Buru… today, this way.”

“Buu?”

Next, I filled the repaired large pot with water and heated it.

Both Buru and I can handle fire, so I urged Buru to get in once it was at a good temperature.

“Buu…”

“What’s wrong?”

Buru seemed a bit hesitant.

He had done the hard work of chopping wood for firewood.

...There were some people pointing and laughing from the training school’s windows, but I ignored them.

“Don’t you like baths?”

“Bu”

He shook his head sideways, as if to say no.

“Don’t be shy, go ahead and get in.”

“Buu”

Buru is quite reserved for an orc.

In stories, orcs are often depicted as evil creatures, but in reality, they are quite different.

He has helped me in battles, and I wanted to thank him by letting him take a bath first.

Eventually, Buru gave in to my persuasion, took off his clothes, and got into the pot.

“Buu…”

Oh, he seems to be enjoying the good bath.

However, something strange happened.

Looking at Buru’s face emerging from the pot, the word “pork bone soup” came to mind.

I lathered the provided soap and scrubbed Buru with a brush.

Orcs have tough skin, I guess... it felt soft and squishy when I touched it...

“Bu!”

Buru splashed me with a towel (it smelled like an old man) and then wiped himself clean and changed clothes.

He then refilled the pot and reheated the water for me.

“Then it’s my turn.”

So, it was my turn. It was a good bath.

As a thank you for washing my back, Buru did it for me.

In the end, Buru’s strength was so high that my back felt like it was peeling off.

It was a good feeling to be clean.

Also, the repair of the large pot went pretty well, which was nice.

This kind of daily routine went on for two weeks... there were days when my experience points or level didn’t increase, but time passed.

“Rejoice, trainees! Tomorrow is a day off! You’ll be allowed to go out, and you’ll be given a little money! Enjoy yourselves!”

Normally, there is one day off per week, but it’s a tradition not to allow outings or breaks during the first week.

I felt a sense of relief at this brief respite.

Spending the whole day relaxing would be nice, but going out to learn more about this world might also be good.

I don’t have any physical fatigue, but I want to eat something delicious.

It’s really a mystery how such tasteless and smelly food can be made.

So, on the day off, I went to the nearest town with some senior soldiers.

Oh... it’s like the towns I’ve seen in games, isn’t it?

It has a different charm from a castle town.

I felt a slight excitement from the real air and wind on my skin.

I thought about what to do with the small amount of money I had.

Hmm... from what I’ve heard from other trainees and senior soldiers, it’s good to go to a tavern, drink, and talk to senior adventurers.

What should I do?

I’ll take a walk and think about it.

“Hey, isn’t that Usagi?”

Turning at the sound of the voice, I saw Fujihira pointing at me with a confident look on his face, approaching.

He looks better dressed?

He’s wearing some kind of scale armor that looks easy to move in, with a sword at his waist and a bow on his back.

He doesn’t seem upset.

“Fujihira.”

“What are you doing here, you?”

“I’m just taking a break from my military service and came to town.”

Fujihira then gave me a look that seemed to mock me, trying to suppress a laugh, and pointed to a nearby café.

“Well, whatever. Since we’re here, let’s have some tea (and listen to my boasting).”

I heard something like “listen to my boasting” in the text.

Was it just my imagination?

Or did the language understanding skill activate?

Fujihira’s behavior is indeed at a different level, but...

“I’ll treat you, poor guy.”

Well, I only have a little money, so I might as well let him treat me.

I haven’t talked to anyone from my hometown for over two weeks, so even Fujihira will do.

So, I sat down with Fujihira at a café... Fujihira went to order tea from the receptionist.

I remember... it’s prepaid, right?

“So, Usagi, how are you? How’s the military service?”

“I’m fine... I guess. The military service is probably as you imagined. It’s tough, but I’m learning a lot.”

First, I need to get used to this world.

In fact, in the past two weeks, I’ve learned to identify the medicinal herbs growing in the area and can even make healing potions.

I’ve learned that taking skills can assist in these tasks, but I’ve learned that I can do them on my own without such skills.

If I learn more skills, I can become more efficient at these tasks.

Maybe a more experienced warrior in this world could teach me more one-on-one, but I’m living at my own pace.

Fujihira would understand that, right?

I’ve always said I want to live the way I want.

“Have you never heard the saying, ‘Seeing is believing’? You’re too soft.”

Understand me.

Well, it can’t be helped. It’s Fujihira, after all.

He probably thinks every way of doing things except his own is wrong.

You’re such a pain.

I wouldn’t even talk to you if you didn’t treat me.

It might be better to take a condescending attitude.

After all, learning things like alchemy is about seeing and doing.

Relying too much on skills might cause you to stumble when something unexpected happens.

But, what has he been up to while we haven’t seen each other?

I kind of want to see him, but when I actually talk to him, I start to regret it.

Why did I follow such an obvious person?