Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Grandma Was Washing Laundry in the River When Grandpa Comes Downstream with a ‘Donburako Donburako’

The Republic of Keros, situated in the northeastern part of the continent.
This area that is greatly blessed with large swathes of fertile land and water sources has been prospering through agriculture since long, long ago. There had been several incidents of neighboring countries invading Keros in target of its fields, but after every such incident the amount of harvest became greatly reduced, which led to a great famine throughout the entire continent.
Ever since then, all of Keros’ neighboring countries signed an agreement to forbid any invasions of the Republic of Keros, in exchange of which Keros promises to export foodstuffs to them and maintains a peaceful and neutral position.
In the eastern part of this Republic of Keros is a tiny village named Fito.
Aside from being located almost right on top of the country’s border, as well as the nearby Forest of the Lost, this village is just a normal, ordinary village. But as of late, attention has been silently gathering onto this place.
The reason is because of the unnaturally high harvest volume. Farming methods never seen before anywhere else. And the single teenage girl behind all these changes.
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“Haaah, it’s so cool and feels so good.”
The small river flowing beside the village. The person who’s taking a break with both feet in the water is the high school girl who was summoned from Japan, Akashi Asuka-san.
What with her having yet to meet the dark elves who summoned her, and her not being involved in any fighting whatsoever despite having received Athena’s blessing, she is currently the prime example of a Japanese person who is completely not fulfilling the role for which she was summoned to achieve.
Incidentally, though she really hasn’t done any fighting so far, Athena’s blessing has enabled her to cultivate new land at three times the speed and do various other tasks related to farming.
There really is no telling what would be useful for what in life.
“Oooi Asuka! You still here?”
“Ah, it’s Saros-kun.”
In the direction where Asuka-san looks towards is a single boy whose face still has a bit of baby fat. He is likely on his way back from farming, as he is carrying a hoe over one shoulder and holding a cage in the other hand.
“If your work is done, then go back already. Or else the grandmas are going to be worried again.”
“My legs are all tired out. I thought it would get better if I cooled them for a while.”
“Haah. That’s fine, I guess. But you know how the grandmas are prone to worrying, so just keep that in mind.”
So says Saros-kun even as his eyes are fixated on Asuka-san’s bare legs. It can’t be helped, he’s a boy after all.
In the first place, there are no children in this village that are similar in age to Saros-kun, so Asuka-san is the first girl near his age that he’s met.
It’s an impossible order to tell him to not fantasize. Rather, it’s already gotten to the point of ‘if Asuka remains in this village, then I’m her only viable marriage partner right?!’
On the other side, Asuka-san has already already seen through at least 80% of these fantasies, and is only heartwarmingly looking over him.
Despite her appearance, she is actually older than him, so there’s no way for Saros-kun’s fantasies to come true, at least for quite a while.
“Hey, isn’t there something floating from upstream……?”
“Where…… eh?”
The thing that is floating along the current from upstream causes the two of them to stop moving.
——donburako donburako.1
Floating along in a manner that brings to mind a certain line from a certain children’s story is a bowl with beautiful lacquering.
Now, the scene of a lacquered bowl floating down a stream in an otherworld is already worthy of tsukkomi, but what is even more worthy of tsukkomi is what’s riding in the bowl.
“Wait a, eh, the current is surprisingly fast!”
Yep, riding. A tiny person the size of a human’s palm.
The bowl is already unstable while flowing downstream, but the river is also jostling it, such that the person is desperately clinging to the edge.
“…… So this world has Tom Thumb too.”
“You accepted it?! No, wait, it’s the first time for me too, seeing someone so small!!”
“Someone please save me~”
There is Asuka-san accepting this scene because it’s an otherworld, there’s Saros-kun who is tsukkomi-ing because he’s an otherworlder, then there’s the Tom Thumb (temp) who’s desperately shouting for help.
What a chaotic scene all in all.
“Haah, I’m saved.”
Several minutes later.
The Tom Thumb (temp) who was successfully saved heaves a sigh of relief. On top of Asuka-san’s lap.
“Why are you sitting there?!”
“Ehh, I came in the first place because I have business with her. It’s easier to speak with her from this position.”
Saros-kun tsukkomis with his jealousy on full blast, but Tom Thumb (temp) calmly replies to him in a ‘what is this guy on about anyways’ manner. Just from appearance alone, Saros-kun is looking pretty pathetic.
“Business with me? Umm……”
“Indeed. Which reminds me, I have yet to name myself. My name is Sukunabikona. It’s been a while since I last appeared to humans so I thought to make my entrance scene more interesting, but it got completely out of control. I seriously thought I was going to die back there.”
“Sukunabikona-sama…… If I remember correctly, you helped Ookuninushi-sama with country building?”
“Ohh, you sure know your mythologies. Then again, it seems that you also knew about Sarutahiko, so perhaps it’s to be expected.”
Indeed, he is Sukunabikona.2
Coming into the service of Ookuninushi-sama after he became the ruler of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni3, he is the god who helped with country building by providing various knowledge.
“Eh, a god? This thing?”
“Did you just call me a ‘thing’ you brat? You want me to send you flying?”
“Who’s a brat you chibi!?”
Saros-kun is making no effort to hide his distrust of Sukunabikona-sama’s claim of being a god, while Sukunabikona-sama himself is puffing up his tiny chest in a show of intimidation.
Both of them are being immature.
“Um, please calm down, Sukunabikona-sama. What is this business that you have with me?”
“Ohh, that’s right. It isn’t anything big. Just had to deliver something to you. Here you go.”
So saying, Sukunabikona-sama pats his own chest, taking something out.
Then he makes a throwing motion, after which a small mountain of heavy-looking bags appear on the riverbank.
“Where did you pull all that out from?!”
“Ah? Don’t mind the small details.”
“Waahh, so amazing!”
In the face of such a physically impossible spectacle, Saros-kun’s reaction is to tsukkomi, whereas Asuka-san just accepts it as is.
Knowing when to just let things slide is a very useful skill no matter the world, so let’s all learn from her.
“What’s inside? They look like sacks of rice.”
“You’re correct that it’s rice, but it’s seed rice. Apparently there’s been an overwhelming number of ‘please let me eat rice’ prayers from the Japanese who have been sent to this world. But as the saying goes, ‘Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach the man to fish, and that’ll feed him for a lifetime.’ So that’s why I’ve been sent to deliver these to you, as you’re the one most suited for growing them. Incidentally, even we don’t know which ones suits the soil here best, so I’ve brought several kinds.”
Just like his partner Ookuninushi-sama, Sukunabikona-sama also possesses dispositions towards various things, among which is grains.
That’s why the job this time, which actually also includes the selection of the rice species, was tasked to him. But the person himself is quite sloppy, so all the consideration behind this personnel choice is pretty much wasted.
“I also was pining for rice so I’m glad about this, but is it fine to bring rice to another world?”
“Amaterasu is handling that so I don’t know the full details, but apparently it’s fine.”
Incidentally, the gods that people in this world believe in are the gods of the Greek pantheon, as I’m sure most readers have already realized. Just as expected, Zeus’ reply to this request was ‘then strip!’ as if in vindication of last time’s loss in strip rock-paper-and-scissors, at which Ame-no-Uzume-sama jumped in with “With pleasure!” and stripped before anyone could say anything.
Of course, it needs not be said that he was beaten black and blue by his wife afterwards.
“But I’ve never grown rice before. Is it going to be alright?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be helping.”
“Eh?”
Saros-kun’s discontent at Sukunabikona-sama’s words is made clear in his response. But Asuka-san seems to have not heard it as she ignores it.
“Wah, that’s very reassuring. Sukunabikona-sama knows a great many things, right?”
“You bet! Leave it to me, it’ll be a cinch when you and I work together.”
“……”
Asuka-san looks delighted, and Sukunabikona-sama looks raring to go. Then there’s Saros-kun, who looks resentful and bitter.
“I, I won’t lose to you!”
“Hah.”
The young man burns with competitiveness against the palm-sized god, while the god laughs at said young man in contempt.
Today, too, this otherworld is at peace.
1 This is the onomatopoeia from the story of Momotaro when he was in a peach that was floating down the river. And he was picked up by a grandma who happened to be washing clothes at the riverbank, thus this chapter’s title.
2 Also called Sukunahikona. Apparently Wikipedia doesn’t have a page on him, so here’s Britannica and Encyclopedia of Shinto.
3 Ashihara no Nakatsukuni is the name of Japan, or the entire mortal world situated between heaven (Takamagahara) and hell (Yomi). Depending on the telling, Ookuninushi might be the ruler only over the Izumo region of Japan.