I wake up in the morning. The fluffy futon got wet with tears. For me to sleep while crying, I'm a shame to all men. I'm so glad I'm living alone.
I use water to cool my swollen eyes. The water on the well was cold and felt good. There's the well and the bath & toilet cabin in the garden. There were also a tree that I don't know the name and a rock.
The rock is the same height as me when I squat down. This rock somehow smells. There are white grains of sand stuck in it and it's wet even though there's no rain, I'm really not sure. Since it's beside the well, I splash the rock with water as I wash my face. But it really stinks.
There's a tree growing in the garden. A similar tree grew next door.
The neighbor and the garden are separated by a tall fence. Everything in the trees surpassing that fence looked exactly the same. I wonder if there's only this tree? Should I try growing some flowers in the garden?
I'm going to the Reincarnators Association today. Granny Haru's family are farmers, they may have something like flower seeds.
[Flower seeds? Sure, I'll tell my husband. He'll probably let you choose some.]
Speaking of which, I wonder why granny's family is in the town. The farmer I bought the cotton from was far from the town.
[It's because we are farmers who grow vegetables. Farmers who grow vegetables have their houses inside the town. The fields aren’t individual but are possessed by a group. It’s different on the other side. I was also a farmer previously, but the field was in front of the house over there which was convenient. The fields were also owned individually.]
[There are about five farmers gathered here, we manage a wide plantation. That’s why there are disagreements.]
[True. There are disputes all the time. We argued so much that I just decided what to plant, we’re planting leafy greens.]
[Mine are radishes. Or rather, it looks like a radish but its official name is dakk(ダック). We grow white, blue, and red varieties of it.]
[ So, what are you arguing about? If you already decided what to plant, all that’s left to do is the usual, isn’t it?]
[Well, it’s mostly them slacking off or having just me working, something like that.]
[……… It’s the same everywhere, isn’t it~]
[Are the fields collectively owned? Are farms owned individually?]
When I asked my question, Granny Haru sketched on a paper.
[Here's the town, right? It's a grid. Each side is exactly the same length. Next are the farms, which surround the town. Each side of the town is three farm blocks long. The farms are also perfect squares. Farms continue outward for four rows. There are 112 farm blocks total. And five households oversee each block. There are 560 farming households. Each household has three to five members, so that means, out of the 5000 people in the town, 2000 of them—about half—are farmers.]
[And beyond the fields are the ranches. First came the sheep, next are the goats, last are the cattle.]
[Is it something that must be clearly separated?]
[They’re so distinctly separated that it’s shocking. Because this world is a regulated society.]
[Because farmers need to look after the ranches, the house of th in-charge(of the ranch) is also located there. But the farmer’s family’s house is in the town.]
[I think it’s more convenient near the ranch, though. Also, there was also a house on the other side of the fields.]
The ranch where I bought the cotton was pretty far from the town. It were the fields that were on the way, and I think it’s going to be hard to go there back and forth everyday.
[That’s not a house, it’s a worker’s cabin. This town wants to gather as much people as possible.]
[Why?]
[ Well, that’s because there are demons.]
As if it was only natural, they end up bringing up the demons.
Demons……
Even if I said that I don’t remember my previous life, that’s only in relation to myself, I remember other things.
Amnesia sure is a mysterious thing. I don’t forget things like proper noun and everyday life. What I don’t know are who I am, and when or where I lived. No, in this case it’s when, where, and how I died, huh.
Even though I’ve forgotten about myself, I know that there were no such things as monsters in my world.
Demons, huh.
What I imagined when was I told that was that horns probably grew out of its head. It has wings grown out behind its back, the one that’s kind of black.
I don’t really get it so I was scratching my head as I walk. Today will also be a stall-bought meal. I buy a take out food. I can just return the plates tomorrow. Since every store’s plates look the same, it doesn’t matter which store I return it to, it’s a nice system. It doesn’t have to become trash, very convenient,
There is chicken meat on top of the dry white rice. The sauce is salty-sweet so I like this. The usual grape juice is placed into the bottle. But lately, I started craving for tea. Let’s look for a store that sells tea leaves.
Holding the rope tied to the bottle and the plate containing the food with one hand, I open the door’s lock.
This house’s key was unusual, it was a small stone. I bury the small stone into the hole on the entrance, The hole and the stone are completely of the same mold and fit perfectly. When I push that stone, it made a clanking* sound and the lock opened.
There’s another hole below the one I pushed. The stone fell form that hole the same time the lock opened.
The locks differ in each house, ours are dog and cat. Faces are drawn even though there probably has no connection whatsoever. That’s quite cute.
The entrance is in the right hand site of the room. Inside, on my right hand is a wall and on my left, the room extends.
Because the sunlight doesn’t flow in much just by opening the door, I always put my baggage on the small desk immediately after getting in.
There’re also the flints on the desk. It’s going to be pitch dark once I close the door so I’ll be really troubled if I don’t have flints at hand.
I leave the food and juice on the small table and in exchange take the flints. Holding it with both hands, I proceed to the room while making clashing noises. Every time the flints clash, the area on my hands light up.
Just as granny said, the flints here are big. Even its sparks are able to illuminate feet.
I manage to enter the room without bumping into the table and chair and crouch in front of the fireplace.
I try to light a fire in the fireplace like usual, but I suddenly stop.
I feel like something strange just entered my field of vision. I turn around and knock the flints together.
*Kah, poh* (TN: SFX for the flints clashing and then spark, I guess.)
[DOWAAH!?]
A strange voice came out and I accidentally threw the precious flints away. In the darkness, a *koto koto* sound of stones falling can be heard.
[Oi.]
Within the darkness, a low voice resounds. Just as I was about to shout “hiih”, I stop myself with both hands.
Wha, what should I do? I want to escape but it’s too dark and I can’t see anything.
I move extremely slowly so I don’t make a noise. But before I make it to the door, a big hand grasps my throat.
[Where do you plan on going?]
The low voice which sounded like it came from hell can be heard in front of my face.
Within this darkness, can this guy see me? My body starts shivering. The man in front of me ridicules me who was enduring the seemingly leaking fear.
[Are you, scared of me?]
Only a groan came out from my restrained neck. I felt like my throat was going to get crushed.
[Guh!?]
The man grabs my crotch with his free hand. Just like that, he infused it with strength as if going to crush it, I ended up wetting myself due to fear.
However, ignoring my disgrace, the man added strength until the last moment. My balls and my penis still felt as if they’re about to get crushed. My eyes turn over from the pain.
Eventually, without any warning, power left the man’s hands.
Both hands let go from both my crotch and my neck.
[Until you give birth to my kid, I will not kill you. If you give birth to one, I’ll let you go…… To another man, that is.]
The man tapped my cheek with his wet hand and told me. I absentmindedly sit down without being able to say anything.
Within the darkness, footsteps echoed and light illuminated the room. A man was standing before my hazy field of vision.
Black eyes, black hair, and a sun-burnt skin. He has thick arms and legs. The name of the man who looks like the embodiment of muscles massively standing in front of me was Saine Ray.
He was my husband.
The man who saw me appear on the ceremony and left silently, came back for the first time after eight days.