The Seirei Gensouki Spirit Chronicles
Chapter 2: Passing Days at the Village

Two months passed since Rio started living in the village, and at that time, there was no one there who did not know his name, and the villagers generally looked at him well. This was partly thanks to the village chief, Yuba, who brought him in, and partly thanks to him bringing back a large amount of hunting loot every day. The supply of village meat has never been greater, and Rio is actively working in the area besides hunting as well. Using the knowledge he obtained in the Royal Academy and the spirit village, Rio had contributed to raising the standard of living in the village by an incredible amount.

For example, he built baths next to the village chief's house for the villagers to use, and distributed his homemade soap to every family in the village, with great approval from the women. In addition, by giving his advice on agricultural techniques and tools, he greatly improved the efficiency of agricultural work, which received strong approval from elderly villagers.

The rate at which the village was developing was a little fast, but Rio felt no need to refrain from sharing his knowledge and technology. The village also suffers from sanitation problems, which have left people sick, while famine victims can be blamed for poor harvests. Ruri's mother died at a young age from such problems, and her younger brother was only four years old when he died of starvation. Fortunately, Rio had the knowledge and technology to prevent such a death.

He only spent a short time there, but Yuba and Ruri considered him a beloved member of their family. Yuba, of course, already knew the circumstances, but even Ruri treated him like a good brother. Nevertheless, there was a reality that Rio had to face: his time here was limited, because one day he would leave the village. That was why, for their sake, he wanted to make the village where they lived as comfortable as possible.

Rio's feelings and actions were also recognized by the villagers, helping him gain their trust. More recently, women in the village have increasingly asked for her help to repair their furniture and homes, having deemed her carpentry skills worthy of praise. While there were other craftsmen in the village, they usually already had other jobs.

Today, Rio was helping a woman fix the cracks in her wall, which was breathing air. Sayo and Ruri take him to the house in question. After Rio finished the repairs, the fat lady who asked for his help spoke cheerfully.

“Oh, thank you – you saved me. The draft has been very cold lately .. I tried to hand it over to my husband, but he made it worse, so I was confused. The village craftsmen also continued to delay working on it. ”

“The night is getting cold. I'm glad I could help you, Mrs Ume. Please call me again if you need help.” Rio shook his head at Ume, indicating that it was not bothering him at all.

“Sure. Besides, you three are always glued to each other's side, huh? The younger men are all envious of seeing you walking around with two beautiful women in our village, Rio.” The woman grinned happily, looking at Ruri and Sayo who stood by each side as Rio laughed awkwardly, her smile forcing.

“Oh, stop it, Mrs Ume. Rio and I are not like that,” Ruri replied easily.

“Because you use single form, does that mean different for Sayo?” Ume asked, changing her target of attention.

“.... Uh? Ah, no, umm, it ..” Sayo instantly flushed.

“Ahahaha, Sayo is really cute,” Ume laughs softly. Similar conversations have been going on a lot lately, and Sayo will react this way almost every time. Those who started the conversation would bring it to him in anticipation of his reaction, clearly making fun of Sayo's innocence.

“Yes, I'm used to it, Sayo. At least you should laugh at him like Rio,” said Ruri, then giggle happily.

“Uhh .. A-It was just ..” Sayo glanced at Rio, but as their eyes met, she looked down in bewilderment.

“Sayo doesn't seem too comfortable with men, so try not to tease her too much. I'll thank you if you go a little easier on me too. I don't really like this kind of conversation,” Rio said in support of Sayo.

“Hmm ... In Sayo's case, it doesn't mean she's uncomfortable with men, really ..”

“Good..” Ruri and Ume looked at each other with a small sigh. The two of them stared back at Rio, who tilted his head asking.

“Well, after all, we are very happy to have a boy like you here in our village. I was a little worried at first when I heard there was an outsider in Madam Yuba's house, but from now on I will rely more on you!” Ume said cheerfully, changing the subject. He patted Rio's shoulder.

“By being happy to help wherever I can.” Rio nodded shyly.

After that, Ruri and Sayo continued to guide him to another house that had furniture that needed to be repaired. Similar exchanges happen wherever they go, but Sayo's flushed cheeks are a story for another day. Rio and the two girls were walking together as soon as they were on their way home.

“Really, although – Rio certainly has a lot of skills. You are smart, you can cook, you can hunt, and you are skilled with your hands. Not to mention spirit arts! Every village would want someone like you,” Ruri said, nodding as she spoke.

“I am only an expert in all trades but master nothing. None of my skills can be relied upon for a true master.” Rio shook his head while smiling bitterly.

“It's not true! Master Rio is amazing! The villagers are all directly open to you because you are so friendly!” Sayo interrupted from beside them.

“Sayo is right, you know. Having you here really helps us. We are very grateful to have someone who can do almost anything in this village. ”

“Thank you very much. I'm glad to be able to help in this village,”

rio replied in embarrassment, a somewhat happy smile pulling his lips. Then, at that moment, Rio and the girls found some youths from the village, walking on the street as well. Sayo's brother, Shin, was among them. When Shin and the other boys saw Rio, their faces wrinkled unhappily.

“Are you together again? Put Rio ... Ruri aside, Sayo. What happened to the job?” Asked Shin with a frown.

“We help Rio with his work. Do you have a problem with that? ” Answer Ruri.

“...He works? What are you doing, Sayo? ” Shin looks for answers on his brother.

“Erm .. Repairing furniture and houses. The village artisans were all busy with building new residences, so Mr. Rio helped fix the small things. ”

“Cih, you even do that now?” Shin clicked his tongue. Sayo looked at him with a pouting expression.

“If you don't have anything to say, then we'll leave now. I'm tired, and I want to rest. Let's go, you two.” Ruri urged Rio and Sayo to leave the others immediately. Shin called them to stop.

“Wait.you can do your best by sucking everyone, but we won't accept you!” he said he encouraged other boys around him to agree.

“Betul!”

“Ya!”

“...” Rio hesitated for a moment. He was aware of the fact that his existence had an impact on life

Shin and the other boys, make him question how he should react. Should he say something to them directly, ignore it, or ignore it completely?

There were people in the closed village community who believed in excluding outsiders from their society, and Rio did not consider such sentiments wrong. He knew that they could sometimes lead to stability and peace. In other words, he felt a sense of guilt when it came to Shin. Yet…

“Gosh, you impolite brat. Rio, don't think about them. You've been an amazing member of our village, okay?” Ruri asserted herself frankly and took a step forward to defend Rio.

“Ruri's right! You're terrible, Shin. Madam Yuba approved Mr. Rio to stay in this village, and he has been helping out with work this whole time!” Sayo agreed with Ruri.

However, seeing the two cute girls in the village defending Rio only made the boys even more unhappy, and their resistance towards Rio increased above all common sense. Shin was very familiar with Sayo's personality, so he knew she wasn't the type to defend someone so angrily and put herself in trouble. It made him feel very shaken.

“K-You shouldn't be interested in a weak person like him, Sayo!”

“A-I'm not interested in him!” Sayo hesitated for a moment, then quickly denied it.

Splice...