Looking at the number of people, it would be better to move to a bigger place, but even if I try to move my room now, finding a ‘bigger place’ isn’t easy.
In the first place, how expensive can a one-room lease really be?
Besides, this place was relatively cheap due to its old construction and slightly inconvenient transportation.
It was a bit far from the subway station, and there’s no elevator. I usually took the bus more often than the subway, so I didn’t feel too inconvenienced. If it hadn’t been a place found just for commuting, I would have found it much more bothersome.
At least the kids I live with are friendly, and they like to walk a bit, so they don’t complain about walking for dozens of minutes to the subway.
“……It’s delicious.”
“Right?”
Claire beamed at Charlotte’s assessment.
“……It’s Eberia-style food, though.”
Charlotte added that comment, perhaps feeling a bit awkward praising a person from the Empire for their cooking skills.
“Well, it feels a bit strange to say it’s something we cooked ourselves, though.”
Alice said this while showing Charlotte the paper wrap that had been around the meal kit.
“What’s this?”
Charlotte’s eyes widened as she took the paper wrap.
“This is a kit that gathers all the necessary ingredients for this dish and lists the cooking method—”
“No, not that! Is that a photo of the dish drawn here?”
“…….”
Alice’s enthusiasm for explaining faded as she shrugged her shoulders.
“Yep, it’s a photo! Isn’t it amazing?”
Claire excitedly pulled out her smartphone and showed the photos she had taken so far.
Charlotte, still holding the fork she had been eating with, took the smartphone as if entranced.
“This is…… amazing. Are you saying this isn’t magic?”
After examining the smartphone closely, Charlotte lifted her gaze and looked around my room once again.
Seeing something that was ‘completely different from her original world’ made all the other machines in the room appear new to her. Among them, her gaze was fixed for a long time on the monitor, which could be said to be ‘similar’ to a smartphone.
Although Charlotte was a member of a family in the most important position in her country, her gaze toward new technology seemed somewhat different.
Even Alice, the Crown Princess of an Empire that already possessed world-class technology, thought about integrating new technologies into her country while seeing them, but Charlotte, the princess of a kingdom with less technology than the Empire, seemed to feel those emotions even more strongly.
……If she could apply such technology directly to her kingdom, it would certainly achieve remarkable development beyond the Empire.
“I can’t answer if you ask me about it.”
“Well, that’s true. If such technology could be realized, it’s natural that everyone with that technology would want to monopolize it.”
Uh… in a way, that was a solid point.
“Rather than that, it’s because the technology itself is too complex for a mere craftsman to create.”
“I see.”
Charlotte nodded.
By the way, Mia, who was eagerly slurping up cream pasta next to them, seemed to be seriously contemplating whether to develop interest in the smartphone or maintain her interest in the food entering her mouth, but it seems she ultimately decided to refocus on her meal.
Well, that makes sense. If it looked magical but wasn’t, it wasn’t of much use to Mia.
On the contrary, from Mia’s perspective, it could end up being a rival she would need to compete against.
……And, well, if you leave pasta alone, it just becomes leftovers, but as for the smartphone, it won’t change much except that the battery might drain over time.
Ah, I wonder if Mia doesn’t realize that.
“……Anyway, let’s take a good rest after the meal. You two just went through a fierce battle not long ago.”
I told the two of them.
“I’ll let you know about the facilities you absolutely need to know in this house as much as possible. For now, let’s wash up, get a good sleep, and talk again tomorrow.”
“Got it. Claire, thank you.”
Charlotte said as she handed the smartphone back to Claire. It seems she thinks it’s a very precious item.
Well, if you look at the price, it really is quite expensive, though…
……
Speaking of which, it seems there’s quite a bit to think about, not just about the size of this house.
I should also get smartphones for these two. I have to pay the bills too.
I need to adjust the food budget…
Hmm.
Should I go out and buy a lottery ticket tomorrow?
*
The next morning.
“Are you okay after sleeping on a hard floor?”
The two of them had slept on a bed all their lives. I asked just in case, and they answered,
“We should be grateful for being able to sleep in this house. Falling into another world and not being homeless is truly fortunate, isn’t it?”
“The floor was warm, and the blanket was quite fluffy.”
As the weather was getting chilly, I had turned on the boiler a bit, which seemed to be the right choice.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
I nodded and looked around.
Claire, Alice, Charlotte, Mia……and including me, there were five people.
The room that felt spacious with three people seemed cramped with just two more added.
Moreover, Claire, Alice, and I were bound by blood or relationships, but these two were, technically speaking, from different homes.
They were close friends and could put their lives on the line to help each other if necessary, but…… could we spend time together in a place where individual space isn’t properly separated without clashing?
“……By the way, I have no idea how Charlotte and Mia usually get along.”
Desperate, Charlotte blinked her wide eyes, while Mia was still rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“When Claire and Alice came, I was the only person who knew about this world, so I was a bit cautious, but now three out of five of us have gotten pretty accustomed to this world. So, I think it wouldn’t be a big problem to go out together today, what do you think?”
“I’m in!”
Claire said with a smile, as if she was happy just imagining it.
Is she excited about being able to teach these two new things? It seems like something Claire would feel.
“I agree too. If there are many people to teach, it wouldn’t be bad to start adapting right away.”
Alice replied seriously, nodding her head.
“……Do we really need to hold a meeting about this so seriously?”
Charlotte asked, slightly frowning. Perhaps her pride made her feel like it was something that belittled her.
“This world is completely different from the one we lived in. Just looking outside the window is proof, right?”
“I haven’t properly looked down, but all I can see are strangely shaped buildings and ugly black lines connecting them.”
Now that was quite an evaluation from the princess from the kingdom of Velbur.
“Is… is it dangerous?”
Mia asked timidly.
Even though she had become more confident recently, being thrown into a completely different world unexpectedly seemed to make her a bit anxious.
“If it’s dangerous… then yes, it is. But that danger isn’t about public safety. In terms of public safety, you could say that there’s no country in Aetherna that has better order than ours.”
This isn’t a mere patriotic claim that South Korea has good public safety; considering the level of technological development during the industrial revolution, it wouldn’t make sense for it to surpass the average safety of developed countries in this world.
“Rather, there are things you need to be cautious about.”
“…….”
Charlotte and Mia exchanged glances and then looked back at the three of us.
“Alright then.”
Charlotte spoke, still with a somewhat confused expression.
“Then, just let us know when you’re ready. We’ll follow what the host says.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that too.”
Claire and Alice exchanged a slightly awkward look at Charlotte and Mia’s responses, but I pretended not to notice.
Well, I’ll make sure Charlotte and Mia can adapt as well. At least until I suddenly get money and can move.
*
When we first stepped outside, both Charlotte and Mia looked surprised, but it seemed they didn’t clearly understand the seriousness of the situation.
There were many curious things all around, and although there was a lot to be curious about, there didn’t seem to be anything that looked openly dangerous, to be honest.
Well, electricity poles aren’t dangerous as long as people don’t try to climb them.
Moreover, since it was still a late weekday morning, the cars on the road were mostly parked with almost none moving around.
“……”
However, as soon as we stepped onto the main road, the two of them seemed to understand why we said what we did.
“Indeed, it seems like we wouldn’t be able to do just fine over there. Is that a car?”
“Yes.”
As I was answering Charlotte’s question, Mia, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, asked,
“Is it a steam engine?”
“It’s an internal combustion engine.”
“Internal combustion engine? What’s that?”
Unlike Mia, who was purely curious, Charlotte’s expression was very serious.
Did she think she could learn some technical hints from what I said?
“……”
Hmm.
Teaching these two seems like it will be different from when I did with Claire and Alice.
Well, I guess I’ll have to try my best either way.
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