TNZKMA 22

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I hate sleeping in the dark. Even if it’s just a little, I want to have a light. I wonder if Saine has another lantern. Is it dangerous if I just leave the candle on?

It’s 1 ale for 10 candles. How much does a lantern cost, I wonder? Although Saine told me something about that, my head is always calculating gold.

Can Reincarnators work, too?

 

 

[Work? That’s impossible. Such a thing.]

 

Granny Haru dismissed in an instant.

 

[Why?]

[What do you mean ‘Why?’……. In the first place, there isn’t a workplace for women anywhere.]

[But I’m a man.]

[Even if you’re a man, you know? I’m not so sure about that.]

 

The grannies all together tilt their heads in contemplation.

 

[Male Reincarnators are rare so I wonder how it actually is? There might be some who are working and we just don’t know about it…]

 

 

[Work? That should be impossible.]

 

The grannies were troubled about it so went to the Men’s Club. Kent snorted at my question and dismissed it. 

 

[Why?]

[Why…… It’s because Reincarnators are forbidden to work.]

[It’s forbidden?]

[That’s right. If Reincarnators gain economic strength, won’t they be able to live without being dependent on the men in this world?]

[Right, right. After all, we wag our tails to the men in order to get our meal.]

 

Kent and Allec both furrowed their brows at Duke’s words.

 

[His choice of words are bad, but well, that’s how it is. I also need to stick to my husband or I can’t even move.]

[Me, too. I can go even to the forest if I’m with my husband, but I probably won’t even be allowed to pick tree branches if I’m alone.]

 

Kent and Duke often managed to stick with their husbands to work, maybe because their husbands allowed them to. And because their husbands are by their sides, nobody says anything even if male Reincarnators mingle in the working area.

 

[…… The women aside, how can they tell if we’re Reincarnators? Isn’t it fine if they just don’t find out?]

 

Haruka laughed at my question.

 

[You can’t~. You’ll get caught right away. Well, in our case, we’ll get exposed in a glance. There are no people in this world who look like lanky Asians like us. There are only large people like Kent and Duke here.]

[Even we get exposed, too. I wonder why? Our scent is different apparently.]

[Scent?]

[That’s right, it’s the scent. Even if I pretended to be a person from this world, I got exposed really quickly. That time, I was told that I smell different.]

 

Kent and Saine have similar physiques. Their stature is about the same. To me, the men in this world and the reincarnated Kent look the same. To say nothing of the so-called scent. It’s probably something that the nose can’t pick up. Is it instinct?

 

[So I guess it’s impossible? Getting a job.]

[Why do you want to work that badly?]

[That’s because I’ll be able to earn some gold if I work, right?]

[Money, huh…… Isn’t your husband a Hero? I can’t imagine him running out of money but…… Mine is pretty hopeless though.]

 

Haruka’s husband is a stall owner. The earning is average but it seems everything disappears into alcohol expenses. I have also caught a glimpse at him at the market. He was a bulky uncle. Not muscular, but fat. He was a fat old man with a drink-reddened face. That was Haruka’s husband.

 

[Didn’t they say that a ceremony costs 1 000 000 ales? I have already wasted some of it already. I want to be useful even just a little.]

[…… You’re so industrious.]

 

Kent said as if impressed. But I shook my head and corrected him.

 

[You’re wrong. If he finds me useful, he might put more consideration towards my next husband. I’m not being industrious, I’m planning ahead.]

 

I want to do well in where I currently am, and I also want to guarantee that the next place where I belong will be the same. In order to do that, I will do anything, be it cooking and even saving gold. I am appealing to him that I am always useful. I still haven’t conveyed that to Saine, though.

 

[I also understand your intention. Your intention is a bit different, but it’s supply and demand so to speak. If you want something then you’ll buy it even if it’s expensive and if you don’t want it then you’ll ignore it even if it’s cheap . That’s just how things are. After all, if you get your husband to recognise your usefulness, it will make your life more comfortable even if by just a little bit.]

[Yes! He’s right!]

 

He’s my best friend after all. He manages to say the words I want to say without mistake.

 

[But you see. The people in this world have high self-respect or should I say, they have a high spirit of self-reliance. They leave their house and begin living independently from the age of approximately ten to fifteen years old, you know. From there, they will start to live however they please. They eat what they want to eat, drink as much alcohol as they can take, and work as much as they want. Such behavior is ingrained in their body so they don’t like to be told all kinds of things by other people.]

[Oh really, so that’s why Saine also got mad.] 

[Maybe, I think that’s why. That’s even if you found a place to work, you must never work, got it?]

[Why?]

[Please try to think about it. Feeding a Reincarnator is the husband’s resourcefulness. But if you worked, won’t that make your husband lose face?]

[Ah, so that’s why. So I shouldn’t work after all.]

[I think that it’s great to save up. Without talking about money much, you can just secretly save it. And then at the critical moment, *pon* you take it out.] (TN: Pon is a sfx for something appearing magically.)

[Ooh! That’s so cool!]

 

 

Somehow, it’s super cool. Without showing the usual savings, *pon* and I take out the gold. Hmm, it sounds nice. Yosh, let’s go with this!

When Saine’s next ceremony comes and he doesn’t have enough money, I will take out what I have saved. Saine should be delighted with that. And then, he will probably give more thought to who my next husband will be. Even if he’s trying to sell me to a weird person, he might have second thoughts and change my husband to someone else.

Haruka sure is great, isn’t he? I’m simple and can only think of something I can see and hear. Once I’d thought about things in a certain way, it’d be hard for me to come up with a different one.

I think it’s great to have someone to talk to about one’s troubles and worries. I really feel that it’s great.