https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5562hc/38/
I love my Grandmas, and I hope I never do anything to disappoint them.
Compatibility
Together with Melia and Dahlia, we arrived at the home of the client who requested their shelf be repaired. They have the same newspaper girl who had accompanied me during the training period following me now, so there were four of us in total.
We aren’t far from Rose’s shop, so I’m used to the uneven road. This is a poor area of town, and the air kind of stinks. Living in that dorm is making me too used to living in a clean environment, and it’s going to cause problems for me in the future.
There was a hoarse reply shortly after I knocked on the client’s door. When it opened, I was greeted by a kindly-looking old lady with a bent back. Yeah, it’d definitely be impossible for her to repair a shelf by herself like this.
“We’re here in regards to your request. We are the hero candidates Dahlia, Melia, and Liffy.”
“My goodness. What beautiful young ladies…. come in, come in.”
At the speed of a turtle, the old woman walked us to the back of her house. As soon as you walked into the living room, you could see a tragically broken shelf board. Actually, rather than broken, I’d call it destroyed. The wood looked like it was pretty thick, and you would’ve needed a strong force to break through it.
It looks like there was also a vase on top of the shelf when it broke, and the scattered shards are still resting on the floor beneath it. The withered flowers seem to tell the story of this old woman’s life, and it is sad to see.
“Hey…who did….”
“Liffy. Our job is to repair the shelf. Let’s get it done quickly. We will need some lumber, so let’s head to the market after doing some measurements.”
Dahlia shot down my curiosity and insisted we should only do what needs to be done. It’s not like I don’t understand how she feels, but someone obviously broke that shelf, and there is no chance that this sweet old woman is physically capable of doing the job.
“Dahlia-san, it’s obvious someone broke it on purpose. Even if we were to repair it, it wouldn’t solve the basic problem right?”
“Liffy, can we talk outside?”
Clearly irritated, Dahlia made Melia wait with the client and took me out of the house.
As soon as we stepped outside, she shoved me against the wall right next to the door. I suddenly remembered being attacked by her and her comrades, and my whole body cringed. Her face, mixed with anger and annoyance, got close to mine.
“Don’t pretend to be a goody-two-shoes. The request is to repair the shelf. Anything else isn’t going to increase our points. Capiche?”
I can’t beat Dahlia in strength. And it’s not like I can just summon Lily or Olive to my side anytime I want. If I don’t do as Dahlia says at least somewhat, I am the one who is going to end up getting hurt.
“….Fine. Let’s head to the market.”
“It’s good you understand. Then let’s go.”
In the end, we left Melia on her own while we went to procure some materials.
♠
Dahlia went to the market to grab some lumber while I returned to the dorms to pick up some equipment. The toolbox, saw, and hammers were a lot heavier than I thought they’d be.
Despite not being a carpenter, Dahlia showed she was pretty good with her hands and started working the wood before hammering it onto the wall. The beating of the hammer made a pleasant beat inside the room.
Melia and I would’ve gotten bored just watching, so we started cleaning up the floor. That didn’t take long though, so the four of us–including the old lady and the reporter girl– just sat in some chairs and watched Dahlia work.
“You’re all so young and talented. Nothing at all like my grandson.”
The old woman sadly mumbled her thoughts aloud.
“Maybe it was your grandson who broke your shelf?”
“Yes, that’s right. He’s a hopeless ruffian. I’m not sure what he does during the day, but he’ll always return home drunk at night. He broke the shelf when he stumbled over and landed on it while he was drunk…..I know! Would you two be dears and try saying something to him?”
The word ruffian makes me think of some skinhead with a stern-looking face, ruffled brow, and big muscular body. If someone were to intimidate me or attack, I wouldn’t stand a chance. But when I checked with Melia, her eyes were burning with the flame of justice.
“Leave it to us! But your grandson comes home at night right? We have a lot of work to do today.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. It’s almost lunchtime isn’t it? That boy always comes home when he’s hungry. Would you like me to make you something too?”
My brain is having a hard time meshing the two images of a guy who would get drunk and thrash an old woman’s shelf and a guy who’d faithfully come home to eat his grandmother’s cooking during a lunch break. Maybe he’s actually a grandma’s boy. Now I’m picturing a guy with a stern face yet with round, cute eyes.
It’d probably be wrong of us to intrude on this old woman’s lunch though, so I was going to turn her down. But then there was a loud bang as the door was thrown open.
“Granny, I’m home! Hm? Who are these people?”
Apparently running away was never an option. The old woman’s grandson had come home just as we were talking about him. Contrary to my imagination, he didn’t look that tough, wasn’t that tall, still had his hair, and was decently handsome.
“Come, they’re, that. They’re holding the Hero Audition again this year right? These are some of the candidates.”
“Woah! Really!? But I don’t recognize them. There’s no chance they’ll beat Nerine-chan at least.”
Nerine’s popularity sure is amazing. But being written off like that is awfully annoying. Melia is still smiling, but since I can see her knees shaking, she probably feels the same way. His Grandma called him a ruffian, but he seems friendly enough at least.
Meanwhile Dahlia, who had been single-mindedly fixing the shelf on her own, turned towards us while wiping the sweat off her brow.
“I’m finished…. Andy!? So this is where you holed yourself up!”
Dahlia’s eyes flew open in surprise. I guess the grandson’s name is Andy, and the two of them know each other. As soon as he noticed Dahlia, Andy tried awkwardly backing away as she closed in on him.
“Dahlia-san, you know each other?”
“An acquaintance….I guess. And a former lover.”
“Oi oi oi. You joking with that former lover crap? You make men run away from you because you always make thing heavy like that.”
“And what kind of feelings should the mother of your child have for you!? You’re the one who ran off as soon as you found out I was pregnant!”
My simple question served as the spark for a heated argument. Melia and I shared a look. She had a wry smile on her face, but she definitely didn’t seem like she wanted to get in the middle of this.
As I continued listening to their argument, I started to understand their relationship.
I don’t know what you’d actually call what they have between them, lovers or whatever, but they have a kid. Dahlia is raising that kid on her own though because Andy cut all ties with them as soon as he found out she was pregnant. He’s been on the run ever since.
Judging from Dahlia’s reaction when we first got here, she didn’t know this house belonged to Andy’s grandmother.
“Besides, what are you even doing in the Hero Audition? I’ve never heard of a hero having a kid before. And they’ve got you fixing up shelves? You’re already done, so how about hurrying it up and….”
Andy started yelling at Dahlia and hit the shelf she just fixed. The shelf board fell off the pegs and clattered to the ground. It’s an amateur repair job, so it makes sense.
The wood didn’t break, so everything will be fine if we just put the board back up there. But Dahlia, oh man she’s pissed.
Using magic to strengthen herself, Dahlia wrestled Andy to the ground. The way Andy was talking honestly annoyed me a little bit too with the way he was going, so while I did try saying a word or two to get Dahlia to stop punching him in the face, I wasn’t motivated enough to actually make an effort for it.
“Fix the shelf. And if you break it again, fix it yourself again. Also, you’re only allowed to drink three times a week. If you can’t promise to behave, I’ll bring your daughter around and make sure you start. If you don’t want that to happen, shape up.”
“But….I’m working for Don now. What are the people around me going to say if I don’t drink with them after work!?”
“You….You really did fall as far as you could go.”
Dahlia took a deep breath and then started punching Andy in the face again. Spitting out “Fuck” and “Dumbass” over and over again as she did it too. The old woman seemed to have guessed who was at fault immediately and was just watching it happen without saying anything.
When Andy finally gave up, Dahlia stood to her feet and turned towards us. Her eyes were focused on the old woman though.
“Grandmother. Excuse me. We’ve fixed the shelf, so please let this guy handle the rest. Can I come again and bring your granddaughter with me?”
“Of course. That sounds lovely dear. And please, keep up the good work.”
Dahlia gave a huge nod before signalling us with her eyes. It was time to go. Melia and the reporter girl got up the same time I did, and we were out the door.
We started towards the venue in order to accept our next request.
“Dahlia-san, I didn’t know you had a child. You look great, and I never would’ve guessed you had a baby before.”
I guess then it was more for her daughter than herself that she got involved with that merchant and desperately did what she could. This doesn’t justify her attacking me even a little bit, but it does change how I see her. At least a little.
“Well…it’s an old story. A transgression of youth as they say. You two should watch out. This world is full of trash men.”
Dahlia answered while looking a little lonely.
“Are you, still in love with Andy?”
“I don’t know. He drinks nothing but alcohol, doesn’t do any work, constantly cheats, and is a lousy piece of shit who ran as soon as he found out I was pregnant. But my daughter looks just like him, so it’s hard to move on.”
Dahlia tilted her head to the side and made a face that looked almost regretful. Personally, I can’t understand why she can’t move on despite all the negatives she just listed. It’s Dahlia who is going to end up unhappy from those feelings, so I didn’t feel motivated to stop her though.
“Things get complicated when love is involved eh?”
Melia started poking fun at Dahlia while wearing a large grin. I often admire her ability to constantly dive into these kinds of sensitive topics. Even though this’d be a major sore spot for just about anyone, Melia is jabbing it with her finger out of curiosity.
“There are just some people who are completely compatible with each other, both physically and mentally. It is hard to move past someone like that, no matter how trashy they are.”
Dahlia made an excuse to justify herself. But after hearing her talk, for some reason Lily’s face suddenly popped into my mind.
I can’t say if the physical chemistry between me and Lily is that great, but there is definitely something that keeps me going back to her. I can’t help but hope that somehow, it won’t end as badly.
Experimental Translations 