Chapter 4

It was Chiharu who woke up first. The lingering headache was evidence of her excessive drinking.

"Even though we're not students anymore, I really went overboard... I feel bad for the alcohol."

As she muttered to herself, she thought she should feel bad for the person who supported her, not the alcohol.

"Right!"

Chiharu sat up abruptly.

"Ow, my head hurts."

Looking around slowly, she realized she was in a large bed in a room that could fit three of Chiharu's rooms. Beside her, Makoto was still asleep. Chiharu lay back down and started to think about the situation.

Unfortunately, Chiharu had never lost her memory from drinking. The temple, the holy maiden, the two of them, the beastman, the elf—this was too elaborate to be a prank.

"This must be a summoning to another world..."

What should they do now? Let's prioritize. However, Makoto still hasn't woken up. Irritated, Chiharu pinched Makoto's nose.

"Ah, my nose hurts, my head hurts a little too."

"Little? Good morning, Makoto."

"Good morning. Huh?"

Makoto's expression changed rapidly. Chiharu knew that Makoto, like her, never lost her memory from drinking. So she said,

"Rush."

"Ah, stop it, Chiharu! It's so embarrassing I could die."

"You won't die. The worst is after that."

"Ah, I wish I could lose my memory..."

Makoto sank back into the futon, covering her eyes and mumbling,

"Hey, Chiharu."

"Uh-huh."

"Do people not have ears and tails?"

"No."

"I think they were over two meters tall."

"Uh-huh. The other one had long ears."

"Really?"

Silence fell. They both looked up at the bed canopy.

"Chiharu."

"Uh-huh."

"Can we go back?"

"I don't know."

"Chiharu."

Makoto's voice trembled.

"Makoto."

"What?"

"Let's think about the hard stuff at night. During the day, let's think about what to do next."

"You're so cool, even in a situation like this."

Makoto sniffed a little and said that.

"It was a temple. The holy maiden. Two of us. The foreigner spoke beautiful Japanese. And Rush."

"No, they were beastmen."

"I think they had gentle eyes."

"Right now, the negative factors are weak. But..."

Chiharu suddenly sounded uncertain.

"We just realized we don't have good judgment."

"That's true."

They both looked up at the bed canopy again. Chiharu's boyfriend was a tutor. The office worker's senior colleague was in sales. He was very reliable, a bit heavy, but she liked him. She liked him, but...

The canopy blurred in her vision.

"Chiharu."

"Uh-huh."

"Let's think about the hard stuff at night."

Chiharu sniffed a little and said,

"Okay."

"Now, what should we do?"

"We can't decide without hearing the story."

"Let's listen to the story and think carefully before responding."

"Agreed."

"I don't want to fight the demon king."

"Right, right."

"I don't want to be forced into a political marriage either."

"Right, right."

"Since we're in another world, let's enjoy it."

"Since we're in another world!"

They looked at each other.

"Delicious food and alcohol."

"Beautiful scenery and culture."

"「Can't miss those, right?」"

They giggled.

Well, we know what to do.

"Then, we should look for a job first."

"Chiharu, you're a hard worker. But first, let's find out why we're here. We should listen to the story and gather information."

"Agreed."

Chiharu rang the bell by her pillow. The door opened a second later, and the two maids from yesterday came in. So fast. The maid smiled at Chiharu, who was still holding the bell,

"How are you feeling?"

"Ah, a little hungover, but I'm okay. Um,"

"Yes, I'm Sera."

"I'm Hanna."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Asou, and she is Aida."

"A, Sera-sama and Aida-sama, right?"

"Pretty much."

Chiharu had inadvertently replied with their last names in a Japanese style.

"We caused trouble yesterday."

Makoto poked her head out from beside Chiharu and said,

"It's fine. You seem to be feeling better this morning. How about breakfast first?"

"Please."

Normally, miso soup would be good the day after drinking, but let's not be picky. Well, it is miso soup!

"It was created thanks to the efforts of the previous holy maiden."

"Holy maiden..."

"Please ask His Majesty for more details."

With that, miso soup, onigiri, and tamagoyaki with pickles were served. The miso soup tasted nostalgic, like something from grandma's house. The broth was made with dried sardines and probably kelp, with a hint of dried shiitake mushrooms. Chiharu and Makoto ate heartily. After the meal, they were served tea.

"The previous holy maiden wanted green tea, but they didn't know how to make it. They knew how to make miso, though."

"Green tea?"

"Apparently, it's a light green, fragrant tea."

"Green tea, huh? It's steamed, not fermented."

"Steamed?"

"Yes, it's steamed for a short time, then kneaded, and dried by roasting, and kneaded again."

Makoto knew quite a bit.

"But, making black tea is more complicated because it's fermented."

Sera, however, said enthusiastically,

"Please! We must have this technology! The producers must try it!"

In the end, they were tasked with teaching the method. A job had already appeared.

In any case, after breakfast, they washed up and changed clothes. The water came out when they touched a button. The toilet wasn't flushable, but it was clean because it was immediately decomposed into fertilizer. This could work.

The clothes they wore yesterday were being washed and returned, and different clothes were prepared for today. They first put on a cream-colored dress with loose sleeves that reached their ankles. Over that, they wore a sleeveless, front-buttoned dress in a beautiful color, which reached their calves. They tied a belt to complete the look.

Their hair was left down and combed. Chiharu and Makoto looked at each other.

"Wow, wow."

"Uh-huh, wow."

They couldn't quite describe it.

"Ryuguu Castle! Flying sea bream and flounder!"

"No, it's Princess Otohime."

"That's it!"

Sera was wearing a typical maid uniform, but Chiharu thought, it's kind of Japanese. Hmm?

Looking closely, Sera and the others were also wearing layered clothes in calm colors. This was already a foreign culture. Chiharu was excited.

"These are based on the clothes from the previous holy maiden's country."

Ah, I see! The previous holy maiden must have worked hard. At least, they were well cared for. A good sign.

"Your preparations are complete. What would you like to do next?"

Sera asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You should want to know your situation. We can call His Majesty to come here, go to the office, or choose not to see anyone until you feel better."

"Can we not see anyone?"

"Apparently, a holy maiden from five generations ago said, 'Foreigners are scary' and had trouble adjusting."

"Foreigners, like the Meiji Restoration!"

"The previous holy maiden couldn't get used to the beastmen..."

"Rush! Are there many of them?"

"Yes, about 10% of the population."

Makoto was excited.

"Beastmen come in various forms."

"Makoto, let's talk about that later."

Makoto looked down. Sorry. But,

This place is not their territory. There's no advantageous position. So,

"We'll go see him."

By the way, I have an announcement. The novel I wrote last year on Narou, "This Hand, I Want to Protect," has been decided for publication. If you're interested in high fantasy and stories about children's growth, please check it out at

http://ncode.syosetu.com/n9786di/

or just visit my author page.

Please continue to enjoy "Bura-ri Tabi."