151-Aim of return




 
 When I left Haru and Shuichi and returned to the inn with Rumba, the sound of bouncing corks and joyful voices could be heard.

 The members of the Chamber of Commerce and Silver Wind had already returned and were probably playing table tennis until dinner time.

'You're playing again today,'

Oh, we could do that too!

I'm just tired, I'm going to go to my room and take a break.

 As you can imagine, walking to the shrine in the morning and playing until the evening is unbearable for my little body. As much as I wanted to play ping-pong with everyone, I was more eager to take a break.

OK, I'll see you later! Well, I'll see you later!

 It seems that Rumba still has plenty of stamina to spare, and when she said that, she ran ahead of me and went into the inn.

 I walked slowly into the inn, feeling a little envious of her stamina.

''Alfried-sama! Do you have a minute?

 The landlady greeted me and I was about to take a break in my own room when Tory called out to me.

'What's up Tory? I just got back and I need to lay down...

'I have something to discuss with you for a moment. May I visit you in Master Alfried's room for a moment? Oh, of course, I don't mind lying down if I can discuss it with you!

 I tell him I'm tired of the idea and want him to come back later, but Tory doesn't back down.

 There's still time for dinner and a bath, and the fact that he's in such a hurry to get there means he wants to discuss something important with me as soon as possible.

 I don't know what Tory's business is, but he's willing to let me lie in my room. It's not that I don't want a little consultation.

All right. Well, why don't we go to my room?

Thank you.

 I agree, and Tory happily follows me.

 We go upstairs from the first floor and into the room assigned to me at the back.

 Then, as soon as I take off my slippers, I lay down on the fold with the spare futon in the corner of the room and collapse onto it.

 The cushioned futon made a bosu sound, spreading a tatami-like smell.

'....Fuu, my legs are tired.

 This is the sensation of resting your feet after a long day. It's like the blood flowing out of your feet after a long day of exertion. There is such a sense of freedom and comfort.

'So, Tory, what is it that you need help with? Oh, if you'd like, we can use the spare futon and Tory can lie down too?

No, no, thanks. I didn't think I'd actually lie down and talk to you.

'No, wasn't it Tory who said I could lie down?'

Normally, that's just a social call to be able to talk in an easy way. I didn't expect you to really start laying down, Alfried-sama is as oblique as ever.

 He said he didn't mind lying down, so he made time for it, even if he had to cut back on the pause in his break.

'Me and Tory have a carefree relationship, and don't put it down to values with such merchants and nobles.

Well, Master Alfried is a nobleman, isn't he?

It's just that I'm in an easygoing relationship!

 I said and pulled the cushions in the corner of the room with my psychic and set them down so that Tory could sit down easily. Then Tory says, "Thank you, sir. 'You're as dexterous as ever,' he said, and sat down on the cushions with his hips on the cushion.

'So what's going on?'

 I ask, and Tory clears his throat with a gophon and then says, "I have two things to discuss with you.

I have two things to discuss with you. The first is about ping-pong!

Table tennis? Don't tell me the landlady asked you to remove the ping-pong table?

 Was it still a bad idea to build a ping-pong table in a tasteful garden? We've added more cars, and now there are about six of them, and they might be in the way, as you'd expect.

No, we don't have that kind of request at the moment. The proprietress, Mr. Sanosuke and the other employees are having a great time with us. I think it's still going on right now.

 As he says this, Tory points to the window towards the garden.

 As expected, I'm curious when the proprietress is doing it proudly.

 Normally, once I roll over on the futon, I'd be trapped in the comfort of the futon and unable to stand up easily, but this time my curiosity got the better of me and I was able to get up easily.

 Then, just like Tory said, I opened the window and looked into the garden.

'Yes!'

'Whoa, whoa! The landlady's smash fast!

 Then, Irvine was just about to be beaten by the landlady with a smash.

 It's a great smash, a great smash to hit Irvine's ball, which floats halfway through the game, as if he's covered with a racket.

'I'm next! Irvine has lost, so get out of my way!

No, not yet! I can't go down without losing two in a row!

 Aleusha is trying to kick Irvine, who is not retreating forever, out of the way.

'Anyone can take it and stand.

 The landlady was watching them with a smile on her face.

 The proprietress and her employees seem to have been blown away by the sight of me playing ping-pong, or perhaps they have come to play ping-pong with impunity.

 Since she is a serious landlady, she seems to be enjoying herself, making excuses such as this is a customer's hospitality.

Then, I'll be next!

Yeah, go ahead.

 I look away as Irvine is kicked out and Aleusha gets into position.

''Well you're doing well, mistress.

I guess so. I could understand what was going on without looking at it, just from the voice.

 I lay back down on the covers again, looking at Tory, who was smiling bitterly.

'So if that's not removing the ping-pong, what's the consultation?'



Simply put, you're a nobleman in a kingdom, right?

 Then I've already been briefly told about it by Kaede.

'Oh, I see you already know about it. I sold the ping-pong to that big guy and he seemed to like it! That's why I'm going to make and spread table tennis in this country?

Okay.

You're as light as ever, aren't you?

Because, from my point of view, you get a regular income just from selling ideas.

But Mr. Alfried, I think you'd make a lot of money if you spread the word yourself, wouldn't you?

Then you'll be just as busy as Tory.

 I just want to live as little work as possible and live a loose, lukewarm life. I don't have any ambitions to be a millionaire or a powerful man, as long as I can afford it.

 It would be the end of the world if I had to work as hard as Tory in order to have a rich and slow life.

Alfried-sama is as unflappable as ever.

Well, but in the end, the decision is up to Dad Nord.

 The current me is a seven year old boy and the second son of the lord. I'm not allowed to proceed with such an important business meeting on my own.......that's just a tatemae, and I'll leave the troublesome part to Nord-Dad.

You're right. I've been thinking about it, and I wanted to get Alfried-san's permission first.

 For what it's worth, I like that kind of honesty on Tory's part.

 I'm relieved to see that even though the business association has grown, it doesn't seem to be behaving arrogantly.

''But what's the other thing?''

Another thing, it's the date of our return. Today is the fourth day I've been in Kagura. I'll be back in the afternoon of the seventh day, since most of our business talks are finished tomorrow.

'I see, I can't stay here forever. I'll have to calculate the date it will take me to get home.

 I had forgotten all about it until I was told I was going back to Tory. Because life in Kagura was that relaxed and fun.

 After all, it's a sad thing to return home from a trip.

 Tory is now one of the most prominent trade associations in the kingdom. If Torrie, the chairman of the trade association, were to stay in a foreign country for any length of time, there would be many things that would stagnate.
Nah.

 As long as Tory wants to go home, I can't trumpet the fact that I'm in a position to force her to follow me.

All right. Then we'll do what Torrie says and come back the day after tomorrow at noon on the seventh day.

I'm glad you understand. Well, I'll let everyone know that at the dinner table.

 I responded, and Tory bowed lightly.

 Then Tory left my room, perhaps to start adjusting his schedule for his return.

''You're going back to Colliat Village soon...''

 I turn over in a heap and mutter to myself on my back.

 I'm the only one who can go there at any time in transition, but it's going to be difficult to head there with a large group of people like this one. It's partly a matter of everyone's schedule matching up, but whether I'm willing to spend two weeks each way to go to a place that can be reached in an instant in transition is going to be a serious question.

 Ostensibly, I can't come here at any time, so I'll have to spend a day shopping for rice, soy sauce, miso, and all sorts of souvenirs, which is the goal.

 We'll be ready to go home in the morning of the seventh day, so we only have the fifth and sixth days left to do that. I'm going to spend that sixth day shopping, so tomorrow is the last day I can relax here.

 I'll have to tell Haru and Shuichi that tomorrow is the last day to say goodbye to them.

 But if it's just me, I can sneak in a transition and come here, so it's just a quick goodbye.

 If possible, I'd like to see Kojiro, who has said he's quitting his job to become an eel shop, but I wonder where he is.

 I rolled around in a daze, thinking about that, until dinner was ready.