Third person view
"Welcome~" (Katie + Lorena)
Lorena was on duty today, but Katie was also here to deal with the guests.
Both of them were skilled maids, so they already knew how to say hello.
And of course, Mitsuha was there too.
The Sabi-Colé duo would never bring anyone else there without Mitsuha's consent in advance, and Mitsuha wouldn't miss their "Friend visits home for the first time" event.
"Welcome! It's small, but please take your time!" (Mitsuha)
Mitsuha said something that sounds like some kind of ASCII art, but it was not like they knew the original story.
Mitsuha said, "It's small, though," but that was because the other parties were Haruka-chan and Shinobu-chan.
Their house seemed to be a mansion….
This monthly apartment had 3-bedrooms, 73 square meters. The space was large enough for four people, including the maid (one maid was always stationed at each house). Also, it was only for 3 months and they didn't have to bring a lot of baggage….
Apparently, this place was built as an ordinary rental apartment but was used as a monthly apartment, so it was a very ordinary building.
(No matter how much money you have, you won't be able to rent such a large property if it's very close to the school for a short-term contract…)
(Sabine-chan and Colette-chan said that they decided to study abroad suddenly, so I guess the reason they were able to rent this property was because they had some strong connections…)
That's what the Haru-Shino duo were thinking about.
((…and after all, there are maids…))
There were two maids in a 3-bedrooms rental apartment.
This was clearly excessive force.
The reason why the caretaker was not an adult but a 15-16 year old girl was probably because Mitsuha deliberately chose someone around the same age as her sister so that the two of them could live together comfortably.
And the maid would provide daily support….
Haru-Shino duo were reminded of Sabine's behavior at the Ayanokouji house the other day, where they didn't even suspect that there were maids, and they came to understand that this was only natural.
"Both of them have only studied with private tutors and have never attended school. Therefore, they may say strange or rude things without common sense, but please don't get angry…. Please give them a scolding when the time comes. Otherwise, there is no point in sending them to study abroad on government funding." (Mitsuha)
""Y-Yes…"" (Haru-Shino duo)
National expenses, or taxes. (It was not a lie, as the King also gave some money.)
Two smart people… Haru-Shino duo understood exactly what that meant.
So, they realized exactly what was the best way to give the Sabi-Colé duo.
"Ah, sorry for keeping you standing. Please, have a seat." (Mitsuha)
Saying this, Mitsuha invited them to take a seat.
Entertainment was held in the living room.
The three rooms were used for Mitsuha, for Sabi-Colé duo, and for Lorena and Katie. And since they each had our own beds and desks, it was a bit small for guests, even if it was just us. Especially the Sabi-Colé duo room, which had two beds and two desks.
Therefore, it was natural to use the living room.
It's okay to talk about children, but I rarely get a chance to talk to my two classmates. they can talk anytime, so I guess I'll ask them to join us here…. (Mitsuha's mind)
Mitsuha thought so and sat down with her.
…five chairs were prepared from the beginning.
Usually, Mitsuha, Sabi-Colé duo, and both Lorena and Katie were there when there was a change, so there were five of them exchanging information and having meals during the change.
The servants' meals at the mansion, especially when Mitsuha was away, were never that luxurious. So, after they transferred here for the shift, and before they returned to the other world, they wanted to have a meal while talking about the handover.
…by the way, when it came to meals during shifts, the person in charge was supposed to cook their favorite dish.
At other times, they listened to the wishes of Mitsuha and the Sabi-Colé duo, but this was the only time they could prioritize their own wishes.
Meals that Lorena and Katie never talked about to the other maids.
It was obvious. If they were to tell the others that, it would be obvious that there would be a lot of people requesting business trips, and their current position would be threatened. There was no way they would do something stupid like that, strangling themself.
These two were excellent human resources who had been carefully selected within the territory….
Tea and sweets were served, and Haruka-chan began to speak.
"You're good at Japanese…" (Haruka)
"Ah, it’s not that I happen to be good at Japanese as I am their caretaker, but I was chosen to be their caretaker because I am good at Japanese. That's what I mean. No matter how small the country is, if you search the country, you'll probably find one or two people who are good at Japanese, right? It's just that I was chosen because I was the youngest among them. They thought both of them would be more comfortable that way. Also, I have to deal with various procedures and troubleshooting, so if I can't do those things in Japanese, I won't be able to do my job." (Mitsuha)
"…ah, I see…" (Haruka)
As usual, Mitsuha mislead them.
At first, she spoke politely, but she thought that it would be troublesome to talk to elementary school students that way, and that the other person probably wouldn't want her to do that either, so she changed his tone to a more casual one.
"Ah, just to be sure, I'm an adult. Everyone in my country is small and looks young…" (Mitsuha)
"Eeh!" (Haru-Shino)
One year and a few months had passed since Mitsuha was first transferred.
Due to their birthdays, Mitsuha and Beatrice had grown two years older since then, but the Sabi-Colé duo was still only one year older.
So Sabine-chan was currently 11 years old and Colette-chan is 9 years old.
…they both would celebrate their birthdays soon…
So, Colette-chan was transferred to the 6th grade to match Sabine-chan, but she was actually in the 4th grade. Therefore, along with Sabine-chan, who was a little smaller than average, there was some credibility to the story that "the people were generally small."
Furthermore, Mitsuha, who was seen as a 12-13 year old by Europeans and Americans, was seen as a 15-16 year old by Japanese people.
(Due to food shortages, the nobles took the initiative to settle for poor food, so their height was shortened due to lack of nutrition…)
Nobles also eat the same food as the people…)
Noblesse oblige… (Haru-Shino's mind)
And Haru-Shino duo were moved by some strange misunderstanding.
Also, the adult age in their countries is probably around 16 years old… (Haru-Shino's mind)
Even on modern Earth, there were countries where the adult age was 14 years old. So, it was not strange for the Haru-Shino duo to think that way.
They all talked about various things until Haruka-chan was picked up.
It seemed that the reason Haruka-chan was picked up late was because her mother was using the car for some errands earlier.
…no matter how many cars there were, they were used for different purposes, or as replacement cars during maintenance, and since there was only one driver on duty, only one car could be used at a time.
There are many chairs, but you can only sit on one at a time. No matter how rich or powerful you are… (Mitsuha's mind)
Mitsuha had previously heard from Sabine-chan that the Ayanokoji family had several cars, and was thinking about such things.
However, that analogy was a little strange.
That was true for chairs, but in the case of the Ayanokoji family, all they had to do was hire an extra driver.
…they probably wouldn't do that though….
It seemed that Shinobu-chan would be dropped off in the Ayanokoji family's car on the way home. Her house was on Haruka-chan's way home… or rather, it seemed to be near the Ayanokoji family. So they both had been friends since kindergarten….
In any case, this was how the members of "Zegreius Family Japanese Residence" got to know Haru-Shino duo.
Author's Note
I received a doujinshi related to "Roukin" as a dedication book.
"Monetary considerations for 'Saving 80,000 gold in another world for my retirement'"
(Circle name: Guinea, Sovereign, Shillings)
This is a study book about the coins that appear in "Roukin" written by someone who loves gold coins.
Other books written about gold coins, such as "Victorian Coin Age Compilation", have also been published.
Toranoana is available for purchase at Melon Books.
Melon Books seems to carry it at their first Akihabara store. (^^)/
This is the first doujinshi related to "Roukin"… (^^ゞ
Edit History
10 Oct 2023: improved readability.
21 Aug 2024: added dynamic naming