Chapter 2 New Home
My brother's letter said this.
'To Tsukumo,
It's been a while.
I heard you got sick and left the army, but it seems you don't plan to come back home.
Do you remember the general store our grandfather ran?
The small shop in the back alley of the lower town.
If you don't have a new job yet, I want you to take care of that place.
I'm not asking you to reopen the shop, just live there and keep it up.
It saves rent, and it's not a bad idea.
Just go when you feel like it and check on things.
If it's difficult, you can return the keys.
My mother would be happy if you also reported how things are going.
Senri Kreis'
I haven't gone back to my family home since I left the army.
Just talking with Luka again tired me out, and if I saw my brother's steady, reliable face ── who works at the office unlike me ── without any mental preparation, I might have run away or fainted.
"So, did he leave it with Luka..."
Even if it's an important letter, sending it by mail means he might ignore it. But if he comes to deliver it in person, I'd feel awkward.
Probably Luka was told by the army to check in on me and went to my family home, then heard from my brother where I was now.
"Mr. Tsukumo, your brother came? He sent you a letter? You two are close."
"...It's not bad. Unlike me, he's a capable brother who cares."
The letter says that if I go see how the shop is, I can get a place of my own. Even if I return the keys, it's hard to visit the family home because it's uncomfortable, and over time I've stopped going. It's a reason to visit.
He doesn't touch on things I don't want to talk about and keeps it simple, fitting my shy personality.
As I absentmindedly fiddled with the key in my hand, Ms. Kanae gently peeked over.
"Pretty key."
Even though several years have passed since my grandfather Momota died, the shiny gold key never dulled or lost its shine.
It looked as if someone was taking care of it regularly, hoping the door will open again someday.
"The keychain... What shape is it?"
"I don't know..."
Indeed, the keyholder was shaped quite oddly.
It had grooves cut into a thin plate, like bits of an Arcane Art circuit, which might have been a hobby of my grandfather's.
"You mentioned a general store, is it nearby?"
"It's a small shop called Kreis General Store. It's a bit far from here."
"Ah, I've heard about it from my mom. It's not very noticeable, but it has a good selection and is quite convenient."
"Hm..."
It was a place I visited many times in my childhood, but after more than a decade, my memories are vague, and I didn't know it had such a reputation.
"Guess I'll go check it out..."
Since I retired, I haven't gone for many walks, and maybe I want my brother to get out a bit too.
Hoping for a change of pace, I took the key and headed towards the lower town.
* * *
Relying on my memories, I made my way to the edge of the industrial area, but the surroundings had changed so much that I got a bit lost.
"Was it like this?"
The two-story wooden building standing in the residential area had a design that seemed out of date, smaller than I remembered.
Before I knew it, tall apartment buildings had been constructed on both sides, making it look rather pitiful, with no sunlight in sight.
I inserted the larger of the two keys into the keyhole at the entrance, and even though it had been almost 5 years since my grandfather passed, it opened smoothly without any resistance.
Clang-clang, the light sound of the doorbell was just as I remembered, but as soon as I stepped in, the dust smell hit my nose and I sneezed involuntarily.
"...First, let's air this place out."
Perhaps the shop seemed extra spacious because the cluttered goods had been removed from the shelves.
I started by opening the front door, of course, and then all the windows in the house to let in the breeze.
I took out a scarf from my bag and covered my nose with it as I moved towards the back of the store that had been turned into a residence, and I remembered my grandfather's smiling face and voice saying, 'Oh, you've come, Tsukumo.'
The air change made it a bit easier to breathe, but the room was still dim because the buildings on either side blocked the sunlight from the windows.
Next, the lights, I thought, as I opened a thin box mounted on the kitchen wall.
"What a beautiful Arcane Art circuit."
To move the Arcane Machinery like lights and kitchen tools, you need magical power.
But it is annoying to fill each machine every time, so we collect all the magic storage in one place and refill it every few days.
It's a small house, so it's not as complicated as military equipment, but I can see now that it takes great skill.
I never asked him, but my grandfather was probably a very talented Arcane Art engineer.
"I hope it works."
When I placed my hand on the flat panel in the center of the circuit board, I felt a tingling sensation unique to draining magic power.
It seems I have more magic power than most people.
Because of that, I was highly valued in the army as a magic supply officer, but I think calling people storage is a bit strange.
While I was having these unwanted flashbacks, the meter lit up to the maximum, and the red Arcane Art circuit turned green.
That means it filled up without any problem.
Looking around the bright room, I saw various household Arcane Machinery neatly arranged, reminding me of my grandfather's neatness.
It was a quiet space with no one around, yet it felt somehow warm and calming.
Since it is a standalone building, I don't have to worry about noises from neighboring apartments, which is nice.
If I just know where the nearby stores are, I can live here without any problem.
"Moving again is annoying, but the conditions are good..."
I felt like I was being led by my brother's wishes, and after hesitating for a while, my chronically sleepy brain couldn't think of any downsides, so I decided to take over the management of this former general store.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)