Something Off About the Years

Author: Ryusui
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2121hw/28/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

But never seen or heard of, huh. Did Master never try after all. Or he tried but did it alone. I wonder which.

“For the room you’ll stay in, Master’s room…”
“Ah, no. I have a sleeping bag, so here is fine.”
“Eh?”
“Surely there are many memories? I cannot soil them.”

That’s true, but. Still, yeah. Yeah. That’s right. I can’t say I’ve sorted my feelings yet either, so let’s do that.

“Mm. Thank you. Then I’ll be in the room this way, so call me if anything happens.”
“I understand. Thank you, Rita.”
“Mm.”

I nod back and leave the living room. And the room I entered is not my own.
Master’s room.
I’d kept it clean thinking he’d come back someday, but in the end Master stopped coming back. I left his things as they were and waited, though.

‘Rita-chan…’
‘Cheer up’
‘Don’t cry’

“Mm… I’m fine. But I want to be alone a bit, so that’s it for today’s stream.”

Saying that, I cut the stream without waiting for a reply.
Master’s room is only a desk and chair, a bookshelf and a bed. On the bookshelf are Japanese books Master wrote from memory. There’s a rough map of Japan too.
I tried not to touch them much until Master came back, but it’s fine now, right.
I pull one book off the shelf. Some kind of novel, maybe. A fictional story. I didn’t even feel sleepy, so I sat on Master’s bed and started reading it.

I read book after book after book, careful only that overflowing tears wouldn’t fall on the books, and kept reading.
And then I found it.
The map of Japan Master wrote. On the one he wrote from what he remembered, various notes were added too.
And there it was.
Kokoro-zakura Island. An island under development. In Master’s notes it only said, scheduled for development.

“No, why…?”

I don’t know exactly when Master reincarnated, but he raised me, so it should be about twenty years ago. And Kokoro-zakura Island, according to the viewers, recently started being developed.
Master’s map has scheduled for development. Meaning from the plan being decided until it started took twenty years? That’s… I wonder. I still don’t know Japan well enough to know if that’s even possible.
It feels a little creepy. No point thinking about it… Tomorrow I’ll go ask the Great Spirit.

 

“All right, Mireille. I’ll send you to town with teleport magic.”
“You can even use teleport magic…”
“Eh? Yeah.”

Morning. After a simple breakfast of only preserved food, I told Mireille I have business so I’ll stay here. Mireille agreed, but of course that would mean going home alone.
From the forest to town, there aren’t even animal figures, let alone magic beasts. So I think it’s fine, but still, I’d hate if something happened, so I decided to send her with teleport magic.

When I said that she was really surprised. According to Mireille, teleport magic is already lost magic.
I was surprised, but I also think of course. If you miss the destination, apparently your body fuses with rock and it gets weird, and the mana consumption is huge. It can’t be helped that people who can use it disappear.

“As for the request, how much may I convey about you, Rita.”
“Mm… Well, even all of it is fine. Just, I don’t want it spread carelessly.”
“Of course. Then I shall tell only the guildmaster.”

A proper person, I think. A really good person. That’s why I can trust her.
I wave goodbye and activate teleport magic. Wrapped in light for an instant, Mireille’s figure vanishes.
Now then. Let’s go ask the Great Spirit. I’ll start the stream for now. I want to ask about Kokoro-zakura Island too.

“Morning. It’s a little early, but I have something I want to ask so I’m starting.”

‘Morning, Rita-chan!’
‘Seriously too early lol’
‘Something you want to ask? Ask us anything’

Fewer than at night, but there are still people who reply right away. Are they free from morning. I think that’s rude so I won’t say it.
Also, as always there are lots of sentences in letters I can’t read. I’ll keep those from being visible. I want them to talk in letters I can read, at least.

“What I want to ask about is Kokoro-zakura Island.”

‘Kind of late’
‘I don’t have that specialized knowledge, but if that’s okay’

“Mm… About when did development start there?”

When I ask that, every comment that flows by is puzzled. I think it’s late too. I never had any interest in how it came to be until now.

‘Development started in spring two years ago, I think’
‘The plan should have been around five years ago’

“Mm… I see. Thanks. I’m going to talk with the Great Spirit.”

‘Wait wait wait’
‘I’m curious what happened though’
‘Explanation pleeease!’

Once you hear my talk with the Great Spirit you should mostly get it.
Without answering the comments’ questions, I teleport to the World Tree. When I call the Great Spirit, she appears right away.

“Good morning, Rita. Is something the matter?”
“Mm. There’s something I want to ask.”
“Something you want to ask?”

To the Great Spirit tilting her head, I open the book I’d been holding under my arm. The book with the map Master drew. I open the page with Kokoro-zakura Island and show the Great Spirit.

“This. The note on Kokoro-zakura Island.”
“Scheduled for development, it says.”

‘What’s that. Isn’t that weird?’
‘Eh. What? What do you mean?’
‘Someone explain!’

Among the viewers too, apparently there are people who noticed and people who don’t get it. The Great Spirit still looks puzzled. It’s not that hard.

“Kokoro-zakura Island’s development started two years ago. The plan came out about five years ago, they said.”
“Eh…”

Wait. The Great Spirit is speechless. Apparently she didn’t know either. She’s staring at the map hungrily.

“I don’t know when Master reincarnated, but he raised me so it should be at least ten years ago. A baby couldn’t pick up a baby, so realistically I think it’s twenty years ago. Meaning there shouldn’t have been a plan for Kokoro-zakura Island.”
“That’s… true…”

‘Wait wait what is this what’s going on?’
‘That’s why Rita-chan is asking the Great Spirit, because she doesn’t know’
‘And even the Great Spirit didn’t know. Not even grass will grow lmao’
‘It’s growing though’

Hmm… I thought the Great Spirit would know, but this is unexpected.