Chapter 9: Daily Life?
Returning to the house, Shen saw that the food had already been served. He said nothing, simply picked up the wooden bowl and began eating. To his surprise, Yokota Kiyomi's cooking actually tasted quite good. Nodding, he looked at Yokota Kiyomi, who had not yet served herself, and said, "You should serve yourself and eat too. You made this breakfast yourself—there's no reason you shouldn't be allowed to eat it."
"Yes, thank you for Lord Shen's generosity!" When she heard that she was allowed to eat as well, Yokota Kiyomi was honestly a little surprised. She had placed herself in the role of a servant. Back in her clan, when the master ate, servants were not allowed to eat with them. But to Shen, who had only been in this world a few days, that was no issue at all. Back at school, eating together in the cafeteria had always been normal. If only he ate while someone else stood by and watched, he would feel even more uncomfortable.
The two of them ate quietly. Shen had never liked talking while eating, and if Shen didn't speak, how could Yokota Kiyomi dare to speak rashly? At last, when the meal was over, Yokota Kiyomi sat there with a conflicted expression on her face. Looking at her, Shen said, "If you have something to say, then say it. As long as it's not too outrageous, I'll consider it."
"Ah!" Realizing her expression had betrayed her thoughts, Yokota Kiyomi gave a startled cry. By now, Shen was already somewhat numb to this girl who jumped in fright and cried out at the slightest thing.
"Go on."
"Yes… um… would you be willing to guide me in cultivating that power of yours called chakra?" Yokota Kiyomi looked at the cold-faced Shen with hopeful eyes.
"Not right now. Not if your Yokota clan wants to live."
"Ah, sorry. If you're unwilling, then forget it." Afraid of making Shen angry, Yokota Kiyomi hurriedly waved her hands.
"It's not that I'm unwilling. I can teach you the method of cultivating chakra—in fact, I'd be happy to see such a result. But what I need to tell you is this: I am the enemy of your so-called Rabbit Goddess, Princess Kaguya. Though we are of the same clan, she violated an important clan law. I am one of those sent here to capture her."
"Whether I can capture her or not doesn't particularly matter to me. But what I can tell you now is that I am not her opponent. And aside from me, the others, though not yet dead, are not far from it."
"In fact, I only managed to come to this planet by faking my own death. And I still carry injuries that cannot be healed. The reason I need to find Shikkotsu Forest is to seek out the Great Slug Sage who lives there, so she can heal my wounds and give me a chance to become even stronger."
"If a clan that could cultivate chakra suddenly appeared on this planet, what do you think Kaguya would think? By then, your entire clan would be slaughtered by her. Don't worry. In the future, someone will teach your people how to cultivate chakra. Though that person won't appear for several more decades, you will eventually obtain chakra."
The person Shen meant, the one who would teach them chakra cultivation, was none other than the future Sage of Six Paths—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
"So there's no way for us to learn chakra cultivation right now?" Yokota Kiyomi had no time to wait decades. By then, the Yokota clan might already have been wiped out.
"There is."
"What way?" Yokota Kiyomi asked excitedly.
"Withdraw from the world. If you insist on learning chakra now, then your clan must cut itself off from the world. At the very least, I cannot let myself be exposed right now. Whether it's the current Ōtsutsuki Kaguya or her two children in the future, I want nothing to do with them."
"What I seek is to heal my injuries and become stronger—not to recklessly appear before enemies I can't afford to provoke while I'm still weak."
Shen did not hide anything, explaining his current situation and constraints to Yokota Kiyomi. At present, he was not afraid that she would expose his existence to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. He already knew the general location of Shikkotsu Forest, and he was confident he could find the Great Slug Sage and seek her protection before Kaguya found him. Besides, if Yokota Kiyomi tried to run off and report him to Kaguya while still within his sight, she likely wouldn't even make it a hundred meters before he killed her.
"I understand. I'll discuss it with my father. If he agrees to lead the entire clan into seclusion with you, would you be willing to become our guardian deity?" Once Yokota Kiyomi understood the situation, she thought it over. The Yokota clan had already lost many of its members to the Fūma clan. If they could withdraw, recover, and at the same time learn such a powerful ability, then with her father's wisdom, she believed he would know what choice to make.
"Hm. We'll talk about that when the time comes. Anything else?" Shen asked again, watching the tension ease from her face.
"Ah, no. My deepest apologies for disturbing you, Lord." Yokota Kiyomi hurriedly answered. Then she gathered the bowls and chopsticks and went off to the river to wash them. Watching her busy herself again, Shen also stepped outside and continued laying down the wooden floorboards.
Since there wasn't much floor left to cover, Shen quickly finished. Then he brought in several stone slabs from outside and arranged them into fire pits. He took embers from the temporary house and lit fires inside the new house. This served two purposes: drying out the wood and driving out insects hiding in cracks and corners.
Looking at the vigorous flames burning inside the new house, Shen felt that he would be able to move in that very night. After lighting fires in each of the rooms he had divided out, he began using chakra to enhance the flames and spread the heat evenly. He controlled the fire so that the heat seeped into the wooden structure of the house itself, and he could clearly feel the moisture in the wood evaporating rapidly.
But there was one problem: materials expand when heated and contract when cooled. In some places, once the wood heated up, it began to swell and press against itself. Shen hurriedly reduced the heat in those areas. Thankfully, he reacted in time, and the wood did not crack from the pressure.
While Shen busied himself inside the house, Yokota Kiyomi stood outside and watched as large amounts of steam began rising from the roof of the larger house. Seeing the steam, almost like immortal mist, Yokota Kiyomi stared with her mouth open. She truly could not imagine how Shen had done it. She knew about using indoor fires to dry out the moisture in wood, but she had never seen anything like this.
Once Shen felt the moisture had been mostly baked out of the house, he extinguished the fire. After cleaning the interior, he stepped out of the larger house.
"Um, Lord Shen, what was that just now?" Yokota Kiyomi asked, pointing at the steam that still had not fully dissipated from the roof.
"Oh, that? I lit a fire inside and steamed the moisture out of the wood. When the water vapor came out, it turned into that." Shen glanced at it and casually explained.
"…" Though that wasn't really the answer she wanted, Yokota Kiyomi wisely chose not to say anything more.
"Come here and help me move everything inside. We can move in today," Shen said as he headed toward the house.
"Yes!"
The two of them entered the temporary house and began moving things. Cabinets, boxes, and various odds and ends were carried one by one into the big house. Watching the larger house become more and more furnished, Shen smiled faintly in satisfaction.
"Um, Lord, should we move that bed in too?" Yokota Kiyomi asked, looking at the simple wooden bed in the corner.
"Forget that one. I'll make a new one later. It was only temporary to begin with, so just leave it there. From now on, this place will be used as a storage room." Shen glanced at the crude wooden bed and had no intention of moving the thing he had slept on for the past two nights into his new house.
Shen went back into the forest and returned carrying two huge logs. Although this was not the first time she had seen it, Yokota Kiyomi still opened her mouth wide in shock every time she saw Shen casually carrying such massive timber.
After spending an hour crafting a large bed and a smaller bed, and also making three tables and five chairs, Shen spent a bit more time drying the moisture out of them before carrying them into the big house and arranging them in place. Only then did he sit down in a chair and begin to rest.
He looked around and felt the place was still a little empty, but some things could only be added gradually over time. The kitchen, however, definitely needed a proper stove. And he would also need an iron pot.
But did iron pots even exist in this era?
Shen was doubtful. If not, he would have to make one himself. If he went to places where people gathered and searched some bandits, mountain thieves, or clan settlements, he ought to be able to find some iron tools.
After making the beds, Yokota Kiyomi looked over at Shen and saw that he had started busying himself again. Watching him begin to build a stove in the kitchen, she asked, "Lord, are you building a stove? But I don't see an iron pot."
"Hm? True enough. Do you know where to get one? When I went to that mountain village before to trade for supplies, I asked them, and they didn't have one."
"Mm, that makes sense. Common villagers would never have an iron pot. Don't worry, Lord. Once we return from the clan, everything will be taken care of," Yokota Kiyomi said. She knew very well that commoners rarely had the means to obtain iron pots. In this era, iron was a strategic material.
"It seems that's the only way. I'll just build the stove first and let it dry naturally," Shen said after thinking it over. He had only just arrived in this world. He couldn't very well go around taking whatever he lacked from other people's homes. If it was this easy to get what he needed, then waiting a little was acceptable.
"Also, Lord, this residence of yours still needs a surrounding wall," Yokota Kiyomi added as she looked around.
"That won't be necessary. I'll set up a barrier around the place."
After thinking about it, Shen decided against building walls. The Ōtsutsuki clan had inherited barrier techniques. They were basically meant for members who traveled outside, though that didn't stop others from learning them as well. The Ōtsutsuki clan placed no real restriction on learning barriers. As long as the God Tree remained under the control of the main family, they were not worried that branch families like his would rebel.
Although she had no idea what a barrier was, Yokota Kiyomi wisely kept her mouth shut. Presumably, it was some special defensive method used by Shen's clan.
After working for quite some time, Ōtsutsuki Shen finally finished. But when he looked down and saw his white clothes covered in mud, he still frowned. He went to the river and carefully washed himself clean, then returned home.
Seeing that the time was about right, Yokota Kiyomi began making lunch. Though she had only arrived here last night, she already seemed to have gotten used to cooking for Ōtsutsuki Shen. She skillfully washed the ingredients and prepared the meal. Shen sat in a chair and slowly poured himself a cup of water, sipping as he watched her busying herself with lunch. His expression turned a little strange.
Why the hell does this keep feeling like a married couple living together? What kind of nonsense is this? I'm only sixteen, damn it. I'm not planning on getting married this early. And this Yokota Kiyomi isn't even my type.
Quietly waiting for lunch, Shen closed his eyes to rest. After some time, Yokota Kiyomi came out carrying dishes.
"My lord, it's ready."
Shen opened his eyes. Although the meal wasn't particularly lavish, the way Yokota Kiyomi had prepared it made it look appetizing enough. He picked up his bowl and began eating. Once again, the meal passed in silence, with both Ōtsutsuki Shen and Yokota Kiyomi quietly eating their food.
"After we finish eating, rest for an hour. Then we'll set out for your Yokota clan."