“I’m home!”
“Oh, welcome back.”
“Oh, you’re finally back.”
“Of course. So?”
“Ah, this way, this way.”
I returned to Sunrakka Village and went home. Dad and Aniki were working in the yard. They seemed to be maintaining hunting tools.
I left those to Dad, and Aniki stood up to wash his hands.
“Hey, you wash your hands too.”
“Yes, yes.”
I washed my hands as Aniki told me, brushed off the dust from my body, and entered the house.
When I entered the living room, my sister was holding a new little life. It was the child my pregnant sister had given birth to. I thought it would be around this time, so I came back, but it seemed she had already given birth.
“Wow, so cute…”
“Hehe, right?”
“Yeah, really.”
It seemed the two of them had already become doting parents.
“Is it a girl? What’s her name?”
“Willow. Hold her.”
“Okay.”
I took her as she was handed to me. Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve held a baby.
“Oh? You seem alright.”
“Well, I was babysitting in the village until recently.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
I’ve been busy running around lately, but it’s only been two years since I’ve been able to go outside the village.
Until then, I was working in the village. Taking care of children was one of those jobs.
“She’s cute, so, so cute.”
“Right?”
“Of course.”
It’s great that she’s sleeping soundly without crying after being handed over, showing she’s got guts.
“Oh, right. I got these, just in case.”
Since I can’t use my hands while holding Willow, I dropped a bunch of items from my Spatial Storage onto the ground with a thud.
“Wow, that’s a lot of cloth. And it feels so nice. There are swaddling clothes, gloves, and socks too?”
“Is this a toy? Isn’t it too early for that?”
“Did you buy all this?”
“I pilfered it from the house of a noble who was dispossessed.”
” “I see.” “
When we switched over from the Nielson Territory, the houses of nobles who were complicit in crimes were completely confiscated. All the nobles’ houses, furniture, household goods, and even slaves that were confiscated became mine.
Basically, I didn’t need them, so I distributed them to other nobles or put them up for sale. But there was a noble family that made a living from childcare-related items, so I checked it out and got a lot of these things.
“Should we get rid of the old cloths?”
“Ah, we’re borrowing some from the village.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
The towels I used when I was taking care of small children in the village were also from the village.
“I’ll wash all the old ones, so use the new ones.”
“These are so white, it’s a waste.”
“It’s more of a waste not to use them. Some people throw them away if they get even a little dirty, which is even more wasteful.”
Each household is devising their own detergents and washboards, but there are limits to hand washing. I’ll collect all the old ones and throw them all into the washing machine here.
But they are quite old. I should dry them by hanging them up. I’ll leave it to the Support Drones.
“If your milk production gets bad, or if this child doesn’t want to drink your milk, use this. It’s milk that dissolves in hot water. Make sure it’s about skin temperature when you give it to her. There’s a special container for it too.”
I was surprised that they had baby bottles. The part that goes in the mouth is newly made, though.
“Nobles have all sorts of things.”
“And I stole a lot of Heating Stones too.”
“Ah, that’s good.”
Heating Stones are stones that are naturally generated and are said to be a type of Magic Stone. When Magical Power is put into them, they generate heat, which lasts for a certain amount of time. They’re like natural disposable hand warmers.
They can’t accumulate Magical Power after being used a few times, so they’re almost disposable, but they’re useful for warming the inside of futons during the winter.
“So much, I feel bad.”
“It’s okay. In return, you stay put, okay? If you leave her too early, she’ll get sulky.”
“I, I know that.”
“Really?”
I think it’s understandable that children who are left too early complain. But if they do that before they can even speak properly, they’ll show it with their attitude instead of words, which makes it hard to deal with them.
“You’re staying overnight, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll be here for a few days, so let me help my sister.”
“That’s a big help. Mom’s not here on some days because of her shift.”
There are a lot of disposable diapers and baby wipes in my Spatial Storage, but unfortunately, they won’t be used. I can see them trying to reuse them even though they’re disposable.
People accept what they’re used to more than unfamiliar, convenient things.