Chapter 43

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

Consider renting a house to make delicious meals.

“Well, let’s go now. We’ve been quite relaxed.”

After eating yakitori, bread, and the remaining Dindel as dessert, and taking a food break while talking about various things, we spent quite a bit of time.

If we arrive in Raphan by evening, there’s no need to rush, but our break has been a bit long.

“Yeah, that’s right. Oh, but before that, a little...”

Yuki, who stood up, said this and whispered something to Halka.

Halka nodded and called out to us.

“Toya, lend me the spade. Nao, do a thorough reconnaissance.”

“Halka!? Why are you saying that!?”

Yuki’s face showed shock as if she had been betrayed.

I see, that’s it.

“Ah, you don’t need the spade because you have earth magic? But using a spade to dig seems more convenient...”

“No, that’s not it! Can’t you understand without me saying it!?”

Yuki, with a slightly red face, pressed Halka, who nodded in understanding and placed both hands on Yuki’s shoulders as if to scold her.

“Yuki, if you’re embarrassed about the guys finding out or if you’re worried about the sound, you’ll die. You’re most vulnerable at that time.”

“But...”

“I understand how you feel. I really do. I’ve been there. But you’ll get used to it.”

Halka, who was hesitant at first, started to tell us firmly after once greeting a boar with "Hello."

Well, unlike guys, you can’t just pee standing up.

By the way, apparently the most dangerous time for women in disaster situations or refugee camps is when they go to the toilet.

If it’s dangerous with humans, it’s even more so with beasts and monsters.

“When you go, dig a hole with this spade, turn your back to us, and keep a good lookout. This side is safe. If you see anything, come running, even if you’re completely exposed.”

“Completely exposed!?”

“I’ll purify you if you get dirty, so don’t worry. Do you want to die completely exposed or live completely exposed? Which one do you choose?”

“Uuuu...”

Yuki glared at Halka with a half-crying face... but this is reality, no matter how pitiful.

For guys, exposing yourself might just be a funny story or get you arrested, but for girls, the damage is much greater.

Still, I think it’s better than dying.

“Well, if you die, you might end up completely exposed inside and out.”

“W, stop with the unfunny black jokes!”

“It’s best to have someone on guard, but if you do that, you might not even be able to go. We should be grateful that Nao can do reconnaissance.”

Hey, Yuki, glaring at me with teary eyes won’t change anything.

“By the way, reconnaissance can only detect life signs and hostility, so don’t worry too much about it.”

“Can you cover your ears?”

Yuki, with a red face, asked us this, but Halka immediately rejected it.

“Of course not. Hearing is important for reconnaissance. Stop saying silly things and hurry up! It’s more embarrassing to leak during a battle, right?”

Halka, don’t push it so hard.

It’s not like you overcame your own embarrassment to do this to Yuki, right?

No, it’s definitely for Yuki’s health.

“Oh, if Nao detects an enemy, Toya will go there immediately. Just give up then.”

That’s the final blow.

Yuki glared at Toya, who looked uncomfortable and averted his eyes.

But it can’t be helped. Toya is our front-liner.

If something happens, Toya has to stand in front of the exposed one and repel the enemy.

So, please stop glaring.

“Uuuu, Halka, you’re such a baka!”

Saying this, Yuki grabbed the spade and ran into the forest.

Well, it can’t be helped.

What goes in must come out. That’s human nature.

Gender and age don’t matter.

The special skill "No Need to Go to the Toilet" can only be obtained by former idols.

“Hey... Halka, can’t something be done?”

“Oh, Natsuki, do you want to go too?”

“No, I’m fine for now, but I don’t know about the future.”

“It’s a physiological phenomenon, so you should just accept it. Nao and Toya aren’t perverted enough to get sexually excited by the opposite sex’s excretory functions. Right?”

““Of course not!””

It’s a delicate topic, so we usually try not to bring it up, but suddenly asked, we naturally nodded immediately.

Apparently, there are people with such tastes, but I can’t really understand it.

There’s no difference in what comes out between men and women, right?

“I’m not so much worried about that... but it’s still embarrassing. The sound, and the... smell.”

“Sound effects like that are only in Japan. Why don’t you sing a song while you go?”

That’s a bit much.

If you sing a bad song, it’ll be obvious that you’re straining.

“Maybe it’s best to take care of it while you’re in town? If you hold it in, you might get sick. Well, I think it’s best to accept it. Once you start staying overnight for work, there’s no choice.”

“What do the people in this world do?”

“It seems that men and women rarely team up because of this, but if they do, they don’t worry about it much. Otherwise, they can’t function.”

“Is there no magical item for this? This world has all sorts of magical items, right?”

“A toilet magical item? There might be something for home use, but something for camping? The ○hime from earlier?”

“That doesn’t seem very useful... The problem is the danger... A sturdy barrier to repel monsters?”

“That would be useful for camping in many ways, but it’s probably impossible. Well, there might be barrier magical items, but they’re probably too expensive for ordinary people to buy.”

Indeed.

Otherwise, such a convenient item would be more widespread.

“Do you guys have any suggestions?”

“Eh, are you asking us?”

It’s a bit hard to give an opinion.

Well, let’s think about it seriously.

“Hmm, first, ‘What’s the problem?’ Isn’t it? Not wanting others to know you’re going to the toilet is inevitable, right?”

“That’s true. Disappearing quietly during a break is too dangerous and worrying.”

“Then, the sound and smell, and a barrier to buy time to tidy up if something happens?”

“A barrier is one thing, but some kind of partition might be necessary. It wasn’t a problem in the forest, but it would be in open areas, right? For Nao and Toya too.”

“Yeah, I’d be uncomfortable being completely exposed too.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

While we were talking, Yuki, who had finished picking flowers, came back.

She seemed to have gotten over it, carrying the spade with a bright face.

“We were discussing how to handle the toilet situation in the future.”

“I wish you had considered this earlier! So, what?”

“Ways to deal with the sound and smell, and something to use as a screen, and if possible, a sturdy barrier.”

“If we could do that, I’d feel more secure... By the way, Halka, don’t you have alchemy? Is there a good magical item?”

“Not so conveniently... Wait, I bought an alchemy encyclopedia.”

Halka said this and took out a thick book from her luggage and opened it.

“Right... Ah, there’s a soundproof barrier. It’s used for secret talks. And the smell could be handled by modifying something that adjusts air flow. There are various barriers, but the sturdier ones are more difficult and expensive.”

“So, there are some options?”

“Well, they seem to be useful, so they’ve been studied. Physical barriers are still difficult, though.”

For camping, they can be used for safety and security, but even small ones are apparently too expensive for ordinary adventurers to buy.

“What about a screen? Even a portable screen would take up a lot of space.”

There’s no synthetic fiber or carbon fiber in this world, so there’s no compact, easy-to-set-up tent.

So, it would be a wooden or metal frame and cloth.

It would be hard to carry without a cart.

“That’s true. You’d need at least three to hide... A fog generator wouldn’t work. Maybe an illusion or an opaque barrier?”

“But, soundproofing, deodorizing, and screening would require at least three magical items. Is it worth investing so much just for the toilet?”

Oh, Toya, that’s a bit of a slip, isn’t it?

“What are you saying, Toya! Quality of Life is super important!?”

“Mental satisfaction affects physical performance.”

“That’s true. I think it’s hard to hold it in if the environment is bad, and it’s not good for your health.”

“Oh, right. I see. You’re right.”

He’s getting a full scolding.

Toya, who shrank his neck, moved away from the women and sat next to me.

“Hey, are you interested in it?”

“I am. I think it would be better to have it.”

“Hmm, it’s a bit concerning for the bigger one.”

“Think about it. If you were taking a break and drinking tea, and I was doing my business right next to you, wouldn’t you be bothered?”

“I would. I’d be extremely bothered!”

“Right? But for safety, it’s dangerous to be so far away that you can’t hear anything.”

“Fortunately, we’ve only had the smaller one so far... but it’s necessary.”

The women seemed to have reached an agreement, nodding at each other.

“So, what we need is to level up Halka’s [Alchemy] skill, gather the materials needed to make the items, and raise the funds to buy them.”

“We need to earn money.”

“It’s hard to buy the magical items themselves, so are you two okay with this?”

When Halka asked, Toya immediately nodded, and I did the same.

“Of course!”

“Yeah. As long as it’s within reason. We need to raise funds anyway, and leveling up alchemy is beneficial.”

If we can make potions in the process, the investment will be worthwhile.

Moreover, making potions is more important in the short term.

Even with Halka’s magic, injuries and illnesses are scary in this world.

“Alright, with the plan decided, let’s head to the city!”

In response to Yuki’s energetic voice, we ended our long break and stood up together.