Chapter 226: The Human Team’s Temporary Hut Turned Out Pretty Good
The cat girls’ hut, without even needing to look, was in about the same miserable state as the capybara-girl team.
"Mī, Mū, Shiro. How’s it going?"
"Look nya!"
Mī extended her claws nyu from her fluffy hands and showed them to me.
The claws shone kiraan.
Yeah. From the boards lying around covered in scratches, I can tell these guys were sharpening their claws...
So, the hut?
"Hey, is it really okay? You’re making a hut to sleep in tonight, right? Want to join the Other team?"
"It’s fine nya. We’ve lived as strays for a long time, so we’re okay nya."
"That may be true, but..."
It’s true they lived by walking across the rooftops of Monvan, so a life without roofs and walls might be fine for them, but...
"If snow falls it’ll be tough, so I think you need a hut. Lately the northern sky is really dark sometimes, right? Isn’t that snow clouds? You three are wearing fur that looks like swimsuits with high exposure and erotic outfits so I want to see them more carefully, but isn’t it cold? If you’re cold will you cling to me and sleep? I welcome it."
"Nyaa. Humans’ words are difficult nyaa. Anyway, it’s fine nya, it’s fine nya. There’s still time until the sun sets nya. If we get serious from now there’s plenty of leeway nya."
"I see. Do your best. If it looks impossible tell me, okay?"
"Leave it to us nya! Mū, Shiro, get serious nya!"
"Nya."
"Nyaa."
Mū and Shiro gave half-hearted replies while still rolling around on the ground.
Mī and Mū’s fur is one-piece style, and Shiro’s is bikini-like—I wonder if they’re fine even when wet.
Do high-kemo-degree beastmen not care about proper living environments?
Well, it’ll work out somehow.
"Then let’s go, Elf-san."
"Un."
We headed toward our Other team.
Oh. Board flooring. They leveled the ground horizontally and lined up boards.
As expected of Rafilia-san. Because she’s lived in the city for a long time, board flooring is more calming than an earthen floor.
Considering it’s only Rafilia-san and Ranjou, it’s progressing smoothly.
Or rather, where the hell did the idiot Iferaski go...
"Rafilia-san. Good work. Ranjou, good work too. Where’s Iferaski?"
"She got excited by the wide land and ran off."
"That idiot... Even though there might be dangerous creatures..."
"Lucia-sama rode her, so I think she’s safe."
"Ah. Is that so?"
Come to think of it, the capybara is indeed gone.
Then even if some incomprehensible ferocious monster appears, Iferaski should be safe.
Or rather, a glans that has a god, a nine-tailed fox, a high elf, and a mecha girl is the safest place in the world...
"Hasn’t Esty-san come yet?"
"If it’s Esty-san, she went to look for stones for a stove. We’re thinking of making both an earthen-floor room and a board-floor room."
Ah. A stove. I had completely forgotten that too.
I thought it would be fine as long as we could block rain and wind, but we also need to cook.
"That’s nice. If there’s leeway, shall we make three board-floor rooms for a total of four rooms? Probably the capybara girls and cat girls won’t be able to make huts."
"Understood."
"Then I’ll also participate in house-building. Elf-san, rest."
"Un."
I sat Fullru on a board a little ways away. Even though she flew on the wind horse, it must have put a burden on her body, so I can’t let her overdo it.
"Our love nest, huh. I’m looking forward to it."
"No, it’s a temporary dwelling until we make a proper house."
At Rafilia-san’s request we built the hut so the entrance faces the direction of the morning sun.
Because I can easily lift the lumber, the work progressed briskly.
I’m the power role. I carry it to the indicated position, and Rafilia-san and Ranjou make fine adjustments from left and right so the boards fit into the concave parts of the pillars.
Dura-san having given instructions to Iria and Pipi in advance and processed the lumber so it’s easy to assemble is truly appreciated.
With the same sensation as making a DIY bookshelf, the house is being assembled.
Pillars and boards are fitted together, and there were also wooden nails cut from the hard parts of the lumber.
Esty-san brought larger stones and processed them, and a stove was also made on the earthen floor.
Note that because the stove also serves as heating it was placed in the corner of the earthen floor so it comes to the center of the house. Incidentally, if you place a stove or fireplace against the wall the same way in a warm region, cooking in summer becomes terribly hot. Therefore placing stoves or fireplaces against the wall is common in cold northern countries, while placing them in the center of the earthen floor is common in southern countries.
There’s also a simple stand made by combining wood. Furthermore we stuck wooden nails into the walls so luggage and ingredients can be hung.
The board-floor bedroom has nothing particular.
As a temporary hut it’s a splendid enough building. It could normally become a long-term base.
Somehow, before the sun touched the Glans-Neck Mountain Range the tofu house was completed.
Iria, who had become free, came over, so as a completion celebration we immediately boiled water on the stove and drank tea.
Note that the flint, pot, and cups are all Esty-san’s private travel belongings. In other words, we have no tableware.
I decided to have everyone make simple tableware, and for now I decided to go check on the other teams’ situations.
Well then. The capybara girls and cat girls are...
There was only despair...
Even without going close I could tell there was nothing...
Well, they’re free-spirited races, so of course it would turn out like that. I’m glad we made three rooms in the human hut... If we also use the dog girls’ hut, somehow everyone should be able to sleep under a roof.
"Nn?"
Iferaski returned.
With a capybara sitting on her shoulder and holding large fish in both hands. A rather surreal figure.
Lucia, who is fine without eating, wouldn’t think of catching fish, so is it Iferaski’s idea?
"Iferaski... Did you catch fish thinking about tonight’s meal... Sorry. I thought you just went to play..."
Iferaski held out the fish so I received them. When I grabbed the tails they’re quite heavy. Heavier than a 10-kilogram bag of rice, so impressive.
If the fish total 20 kilograms, even if 30 people eat it’s 600 grams per person, so it’s enough. The leftover can become tomorrow’s breakfast.
"How did you catch such big fish?"
When I caught fish in the river at the fairy village my cock became the bait, so they were fish of a size that could bite a cock, but the fish Iferaski caught are even bigger.
"Pi!"
"Eh? You used your tail as bait? I see, you worked hard without regard for danger. Thanks. But it’s dangerous so don’t do it again. There’s even a possibility a really big fish could drag you into the river."
I looked at Iferaski’s butt, but her tail isn’t wet and there are no bite marks.
『Did Lucia do something?』
『Nn. Fish approached the tail so I caught them.』
『Thanks.』
『Nn.』
『Is this the first time you rode Iferaski?』
『Un.』
『I see. Congratulations. You finally got to ride Iferaski.』
『Un. Next time I’ll ride in girl form.』
『That might still make her scared, but I hope you can ride someday.』
『Un.』
Baka got down from Iferaski and went somewhere. Maybe she went to help with the capybara girls’ hut.
For now, shall I grill the fish.
I returned to the hut and called out to Rafilia-san who was resting in the board-floor room.
"Rafilia-san. Iferaski caught fish."
"My, large fish. I wonder if they can be hung."
The stove in the corner of the earthen floor is a mechanism of hanging a pot from a rod hung from above (called a jizaikagi).
When Rafilia-san said "I wonder if they can be hung," she was probably worrying because the fish are too large and might slip out of the hook from the weight if hung.
Ah. If only we had an iron plate or a barbecue net...
Anyway, there’s a lack of metal.
The only metal currently on the glans is Iria’s sword, Esty-san’s knife, and a small pot. We don’t even have a large cooking pot or a kitchen knife.
Following Rafilia-san, Esty-san also came out from the inner room.
"We need pots and knives, don’t we. We should procure them somewhere."
"Yeah. We might need to go on a shopping trip to Monvan for various things."
The jizaikagi hanging from the ceiling is for hanging pots, so there isn’t even a needle for skewering fish. Casually, we’ve been left holding the fish...
What should we do. Even if I grill them with fire magic I’ll probably fail the power adjustment and burn them...
Without knowing my worries, Iferaski entered the inner room. She must be resting because she’s tired from running. In the inner room are Iria, Ranjou, and Fullru, so maybe she’ll chat.
Anyway I don’t want to keep holding raw fish forever.
"Esty-san. Can you produce a flame strong enough to grill fish?"
"Eeh... I wonder. I’ve only just awakened to the power so I can’t do fine adjustments. I can fly and produce wind, though."
"I see... Elf-san. Can you produce flame?"
I called out to Fullru in the inner room.
"It’s not that I can’t use it, but if I get friendly with the fire spirit I’ll become unfriendly with the wind and water spirits, so I won’t be able to create a forest."
"I see..."
Nn?
Come to think of it, both Ferris-san and Martha-san of the fairies were using wind magic.
My wind-pressure masturbation is of course a wind-attribute skill.
Esty-san, perhaps referencing me and Ferris-san, has so far only used the ability to produce wind blades.
Fullru seems able to use various attributes, but apparently wants to specialize in wind and water.
Aren’t we somehow biased toward the wind attribute?
Isn’t the wind attribute rather a supporting role in anime and manga?
If we’re attacked by an enemy strong against wind, are we surprisingly fragile?
When the time comes to think about national defense, we might need some countermeasures.
Well, more than future things, right now it’s what to do about the fish.