'Hahaha!

The waterwheel rotates with a splash, creaking but powerfully.

'Take over!Hurry up!
'A little more!'Ha-ha-ha!
'Take over!
'Hurry up!

A bunch of kids are crowding around the waterwheel.
It's hard to tell if they're waiting for their turn or just playing with the splashing water.

'Hey, you guys!Don't peek too closely!What are you going to do if you fall into the river?
'''Swim!'''
''Mm, ............ is good!

Delia, while fishing, also serves as a chaperone for the kids.
...... is not 'good'. Keep an eye on her, keep an eye on her.

''Don't fall!
'''Yes!'''

At first I wondered what would happen, but I was relieved to see that Delia seemed to be getting along well with the kids.

Since the completion of the rowing water mill, this place has become a new playground for the kids.
From early in the morning when Delia starts fishing to late in the evening, water is pumped into the canal incessantly. The rate of operation is astonishing.
There is a rule that the water is only to be used when adults are watching, and the kids are obeying it.

The waterwheel was completed within a few days from the day when we made hand-rolled sushi on the riverbank, and from that day on, the children became absorbed in this new game and the waterway was revived.
The water level in the reservoir is steadily increasing.
So far, there is no sign that the river is running out of water.
Once again, I am impressed by the fact that this is a big river with a lot of water.

'Oh!Yashiro~!

Since that day, Delia has regained her old vigor, and Omero has regained his daily peace.
You really ...... looked like you were about to die, Omero.

I'm not sure what to say.It's very popular!

I'm not sure why you're so proud of yourself, Delia. ...... It's not even your fault. It's more like me.

'Are you getting along with the kids?
'Oh, yeah!I'm getting them to listen to me.'
'Whoa!
'I fell!
''Squeak, squeak, squeak!''
''Hey, you're falling, kid.''
''Oh, my God!Get a grip, you guys!

Even though the water level has dropped, the depth is still over a meter.
If adults don't keep a watchful eye on them, you never know what kind of accident might happen. You may think that you don't need to worry about it when you see those kids, but ...... accidents are scary because they are unpredictable. You have to keep an eye on them, even if they are like that.

'''' squeal squeal squeal squeal squeal! ''''

...... looks like a lot of fun.

If the water level of the river falls below one meter, the waterwheel will not reach the surface.
The water level of the river is not infinite, so when the water level drops to that level, the priority is to keep the river alive.

'Hey, this is fun. Do you want to try it too, Yashiro?
'No, I'm too lazy to do it. I mean, Delia, did you try ......?'
'Yes!I was able to spin it really fast!

It's not a speed contest,......, but don't break it, okay?

The foot-operated waterwheel seems to have become popular among children as a kind of athletic activity.
Athletic, ......, if you build it for them, they'll go crazy for it.
Well, I don't have any obligation to go that far, though.

'Ladybug~san, Derria~san.

I hear Milly's voice from afar.
I looked at her and saw her jumping up and down, trying to make her small body look as big as possible.

'Wow, she's so cute. I want to take it home with me.
'Oh, then I'll follow you!

No, no, no, no, no, no. ......

'Hello~'

Millie walks down to the riverbank, waving her hands in the air.
She has a large basket in her hand.

'Oh, you know, the guild leader and the big sisters are here for Derria and Ladybug.

Inside the basket was a pale orange drop-shaped fruit.

'Loquat, huh? I didn't know we could pick this kind of thing in that forest.
'Wow, you know your stuff, ladybug. This isn't very famous.'


'We had them in my hometown.'
'How do you eat them?Bite the whole thing?'
'Well, wait. I'll show you how it's done.

When I was a kid, an old woman who lived nearby grew loquat, and sometimes the landlady would give us some.
Pick the stalk and peel it off. The skin is so thin that it peels off easily without effort. As soon as the skin is peeled, the fresh juice overflows and drips onto your fingers.
Once the skin is removed, turn the fruit on its side and bite into it at once.

Yes!Sweet!

'Oh, that looks delicious!Me too!

Delia picks up the stems and bites into the whole fruit, following her example.

'Did you see my example?
'Biting, biting, biting!
'Seeds!Get the seeds out!
'............ sweet but ...... bitter.'
'Yeah!That's because you don't eat them properly!Here, I'll peel them off for you, so eat them properly!Be gentle and don't bite the seeds!

I quickly peeled the loquat and handed it to Delia.

'...... gently ............ mmm'.

With the gentleness of a small bear's sweet bite, Delia ate the loquat and ...... bristled all over.

'Oh ............ oh my goodness!
'Right?When eaten properly, loquat is delicious.
'Mi, mm!Can I have all of this?
'Hey!Half of it is mine!
'I'll bring you some more, and you and Ladybug can have half today, okay?
'Really?Millie is a good guy!
'Nya!

Delia hugged Millie and lifted the little girl up.

'And, Derria-san, you're scaring me!I'm scared!

Millie's eyes are black and white as she's twirled around.
And the kids are staring at the new attraction with envious eyes. ...... Delia, you'll definitely be begging for it later. Be prepared for that.

'Then I'll take some home and feed it to Magda and the others.
I'll take it back and feed it to Magda and the others.

Millie, who had returned to the surface, looked unsteady and unsteady on her feet.
Was she that scared?

'What's the matter, Milly?What's wrong with you?You're not straining yourself again, are you?
'No, no, no, no!

You don't even know it!
I'm not sure if you're aware of what you just did to Miri, or if you even remember!

'No, Miri is a small girl, don't push yourself!
'Huh?I'm not small!
'Tell me if you need help!I'll be there to help you!
'Yeah, ............. I'm counting on you, Derya-san.'
'Yeah!I'll leave it to you!

After the argument over the water, the two of them rapidly became close.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea.

......The danger that just struck Millie was caused by Delia, though.

I've just been wanting to give Magda some kind of reward, so I'll use it.
'Hmm. You did a great job, Magda.''
'Hmm?Did Magda do something to you?I don't know.'

Magda went out to the lake in the forest the other day and brought back some water.
Thanks to this, he was able to ask Regina to do a water quality survey.
The results showed that the water was clean enough to be used for almost all domestic purposes.
It can be used for drinking water, and no microorganisms were detected that would have an adverse effect even if taken in large quantities.

Well, lumberjacks and hunters use it on a regular basis, so I thought there would be no problem. ...... You see, their bodies are built differently from "normal" people. ......

But now you have my seal of approval.

In the worst case scenario, Estella and the other lords will jointly request the hunting guild to bring water to them. Forty districts and forty-one districts are both suffering from the same shortage of water.



Magda voluntarily took the first step toward that end.
He said, 'I took it while hunting for ......,' but I guess that was his main goal with the water.
Ginette and the others were breaking down, and many others were worrying, so he did what he could.

That's Magda's way of caring.

So I was thinking that I should reward him with something.
This loquat should do the trick.

'Oh, that's right. Doria-san. Tell Masha-san thank you. He said the sea animal skins are very useful.

The sheet that covers the reservoir is made of a giant sea beast skin that Marsha provided.
This was the perfect skin: waterproof, light, soft, and strong.
I thought it was a whale or something, but it was a hexenbiest. A creature I didn't know.

'Oh, I should thank Masha properly, too.
'Hmm?'

When I turned to look at her, Delia scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed.

'When I was troubled, you told me many times to consult with Yashiro, right?

That day. Masha had come to District 42 to worry about Delia.

'But I was afraid that Yashiro might get angry if I met him, so I couldn't listen to him.
'Well, I think you knew that, that's why you came all the way to the sunlit pavilion.

On the morning of the day we visited Delia, Masha visited the sunny pavilion and brought us some sea fish.
That's why I decided to make hand-rolled sushi.

She took the trouble to bring the sea fish and told me that she came to check on Delia because she was worried about her, and then she went to Norma's to order anchor.
When you think about it, it's a very inconsistent action.

In hindsight, that was probably a sign from Masha.
"I want you to notice her.

I'm sorry I didn't see it then. Well, it was resolved that day, and Masha seemed satisfied.
Maybe the kaiju skin was just a thank you.

'Then use this bag, Biwa, and share half of it with me.

Millie held out a slightly larger bag.
That's very thoughtful.

I take it and put the loquat into the bag.
I'll give a little more to Magda, but if we divide it among the four of us, we'll eat it up in no time.

'Isn't loquat in the market?
'Hmm. There aren't many people who eat them.
'They're so delicious.'
'That's true. Everyone in the flower arrangement guild likes it, but it's not very well known, so it's a hidden treat.

I think there are too many delicious foods like salmon and loquat that are only known by those in the know.
If you look hard enough, you can find anything in this city.

Apples, cherries, and loquat are all picked in the forest by the flower guild, so there may not be any orchards.
There was a place that was growing lemons,.......

'If I had a little more, I'd make a tart out of it,......, but this is a bit sad.

If you want to make a tart, you need a lot of fruit.
I guess I'll give up this time.

...... I thought...

'......Tart?'

Delia's eyes glittered.

'You're making a tart out of loquat?
'Oh, yes. But there aren't enough this time, so we'll have to do it next time. ......'
'Is it good?

That's a lot of bite. ............ I don't think they'll bite you. ......

'You can make a compote of loquat and make it into a tart, it's pretty good.
'If I give this away, will you let me eat it!

In short, he wants to eat it.

'I haven't been able to leave the river lately, so I haven't eaten any of those elaborate sweet things. I like popcorn and nectar candy because they're delicious, but cake is something else, isn't it?

The passionate speech began.
No, why don't you make some time to come and eat?

'Omero can't swim, so he can't save the kids when they fall into the river, and the others don't have any positions, so they don't seem reliable or trustworthy, or like they're guardians or in charge. ...... Omero is more likely to drown. '

Heh.
He's also quite overprotective.
It's easy to forget that he's the guild leader of a guild.
He's got a great sense of responsibility, doesn't he?

'But the kids are probably used to it by now, if you'll make tarts, we'll go eat them!
'Hey, sense of responsibility!

I didn't expect you to flip me off the moment you saw me again!

'I want to eat a lot of these, but I'm going to ...... give them all to Yashiro!I'm not sure what to do.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.
It's a good idea to take a look at your own personal life and the way you live it.

'I want to eat...... eat...... but!I want to eat more tarts............!
'Oh, um, Derria-san. I'll bring you more loquat, okay?Don't look like you're about to cry. ......, okay?


'Are you sure!Are you sure!
'Hmm. I've been taking good care of the forest, so we'll have a good harvest this year.'
'Yay!Okay, Yashiro. Here you go!Take care!

As soon as he found out that he could get ......, he easily pushed the basket at me.
I'd like to share your toughness with you. ......

But how could you take care of them properly in this water shortage?
Isn't a good harvest a great thing? Even though the situation is more severe than usual.

'Well, I'm going to go make some food, so please come to the sunny pavilion in about two hours.
'Alright!Don't let the kids get tired and leave before then!

'No, I'm fine with that, as long as you put someone else in charge of watching them.

'Omero and someone who can swim well should be fine, right?
'Right!I'll just have the two of them work together!I'm sure Yashiro is very smart!

I should have thought of something like that.
Well, Delia is the type of person who always does her best in everything. That's the type of person she is.

'Yes!Cake! Cake!I'll eat it with all my might!

...... Don't show your 'I'm all in' there. Don't show it. You'll get into a fight.

'Why don't you join us, Millie?
'Oh, you don't mind?
'Of course not. Millie's done a lot of work.'
'Hmm!Then I'll go with Derria-san.'
'Okay.

If we go back to the sunlit pavilion and start cooking now, it will be ready by midday.
I'll let you use a corner of the kitchen.

After talking to Delia, Milly, and the kids, I went back to the restaurant.




'It's delicious.
'...... delicious'.
'I've never had it before!

The people at the Sunda-mari-tei were enjoying the fresh loquat with expressions of happiness on their faces.
I gave them to them one by one so that they could get a taste of the ingredients before the cake.

If you like them, you may get them from Milly periodically in the future.
You can also buy them from Assunto if you want.

'Are you going to make this into a tart?
'Oh. I'm going to make a compote of loquat and put it on top.

It's delicious when eaten raw, but the sweetness is more convincing and powerful when made into a compote.

'Then I'll start preparing it now. ......, Ginette, please help me.
'Yes, sir.
'And Magda and Loretta.
'...... what?
'Anything you want, sir!

'I have a very important mission for you two.
Pointing to the audience--

'Yashiro!Is it ready yet, cake?Is it ready yet?Is it ready?
'Uh-huh. I'm looking forward to it, the new tart. Ufufufu............ juruuri'
'Keep an eye on Delia and Bertina.

Delia is coming right after that, and for some reason Bertina is following behind her. ...... If we give them the loquat, they'll eat it up in an instant. We have to hold them off at all costs!

'Well, nice to meet you.
'Mmmm ......, this is a very difficult mission. If we're not careful, our lives could be in danger.
'......In the worst case, I'll let you know with my fist.'

That's loud, man.

I handed Loretta some freshly popped popcorn, pushed her back and presented it to the ...... hungry beasts (Delia and Bertina).

I'm not sure what to do.I'm not sure what you're talking about.The beast, the hungry beast, it's attacking me!
''Sweet!'' ''Sweet!

As I watched Loretta being mauled by the hungry beast, I gently handed Magda a loquat.

''...... What's this?''
''You worked hard, so here's an extra one.''
'............ Special treatment.'


'Oh . I did my best.'
'I'll try again at .......'

Magda's tail wrapped around my leg and slithered away.
'I'm glad you're pleased.

'Well, shall we hurry up and make it?
'Yes, sir. I'm looking forward to it too.

I took the loquat and went into the kitchen.
Ginette has already mastered the tart, so I leave the dough and custard cream to her.
In the meantime, I make the loquat compote.
Cut the loquat in half and peel off the skin from the swollen side, and it will come off easily. Then remove the seeds and the surrounding astringent skin. Using a spoon, the astringent skin can be easily removed.

'That sounds fun.
'Do you want to try it?
'Yes!

I show her how to do it and a few tricks, and hand the loquat to Ginette.
The loquat oxidizes and changes color quickly, so we start with the peeled loquat and add it to the lemon water.
Ginette quickly got the hang of it and was able to peel all the loquat in no time.

From here on, it's division of labor.
We'd better hurry, there's a beast out there.

Make a loquat compote with water, sugar and a little white wine.

'Water. I'm glad you can manage that.'

Ginette mutters to herself as she works.

'You can't make compote without water.
'You're right, there's no time to make compote when there's no water.

If we start making compote when we don't have enough water to drink, we'll have a riot on our hands.
No, if Delia and Bertina were here, the compote group might win.

While imagining such trivial things, the work progressed and the ...... tart was baked.
The loquat tart was a feast for the eyes, with its beautiful, glossy loquat fruit arranged in an orderly fashion.

I cut it into pieces and brought it to him.

'Haha...... haha...... you're pretty good, Loretta......'
'De ...... Delia, you're the one who ...... was tough as nails. ......'

Delia and Loretta were slumped on the floor.
'......What the hell were you guys doing?

'Hello~'
'Welcome, Millie.

Millie arrived at the right time, and a tea party was held to taste the loquat tart.
The loquat tart was so sweet that it was eaten up in no time, as if to express gratitude for the hardships and sufferings of the past few days. It's only a matter of time before they're lined up in the sunny pavilion.

'Yashiro, another one!
'No, I don't.'
'Do something about that!
'Don't be absurd!
'Yashiro-san ......, nothing is impossible for humans.'
'Even if you say something plausible, nothing is impossible!
I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

When Millie appeased Delia and Bertina, Magda and Loretta began to clean up the empty dishes, and Ginette brought more tea,......, there was a tapping on the window.
It was a small, popping sound.

'Ah ......'.

With the teapot in her hand, Ginette walked to the window.

'It's starting to rain.

Her voice sounded a little happy.
And the smile on her face was happy.

Somehow, I felt things were coming to a head.
As long as it rained, the 42nd district would return to its normal state.
I was thinking about this as I listened to the sound of the rain gradually intensifying.




The rain continued to fall for two days after that.
The amount of rainfall was quite heavy, and for the first time in a long time, the sunny pavilion was bored.
The world was soaking wet as the rain poured down in torrents.

The sky was raging as if to make up for all the time that had gone by, but the smile on my face was probably due to the thought that the water shortage would be resolved.
This is still not enough. But it's better than no rain at all.
The sound of the pounding rain is noisy, but it envelops the world quietly. It makes me feel that way.
We were spending a leisurely time in the sunny pavilion, where there were few people.




We were unaware of the commotion that was to come the next day.




Early in the morning of the day, when the torrential rains had passed and the sun was shining in the sky for the first time in a long time, Delia came running into the sunny pavilion.

'Oh my God, Yashiro!The river is ......'
'What's wrong?Did the heavy rains cause it to overflow this time?'
'No!No, it's not!

I didn't immediately understand the words that followed.

'The river is not flowing at all!


What about ............?