Kuroichi’s partner was Alice.
Kuroni’s partner was Iris.
Kurosan’s partner was Uno.
And Kuroyon’s partner was Elis.
Their names were finally set.
To ensure I wouldn't mix them up, I followed the vowel order of A-I-U-E-O.
The reason Kurosan’s partner was named Uno rather than something like "Uris" was simply because he was a male.
Incidentally, among the new arrivals, Uno was the one who took to me the most.
However, whenever we were playing together, Kurosan would inevitably show up, grab Uno by the scruff of his neck, and drag him away.
The look of pure resignation in Uno’s eyes whenever that happened was truly something else.
Hang in there, buddy.
Within a few days, the new members had settled into a routine similar to Kuro and the original pack.
However, they seemed hesitant to enter the doghouse where Kuro and Yuki lived now that they had formed their own pairs. Kuroichi and the others, along with their partners, had taken to sleeping outside.
Seeing that, my first order of business was to build huts for them.
I also took future expansion of the fields into account...
On the side opposite the river, I cleared a massive space—roughly the size of sixteen field plots arranged in a four-by-four grid—and enclosed it with a log fence and a ditch.
Given that the number of pups would likely increase in the future, I figured a space of this size would be necessary.
While I left the log fence standing between the old area and the new one, I filled in the ditch.
Leaving the ditch there made it feel like I was isolating them, which I didn't like.
Whether digging or filling, the Universal Farming Tool made the work easy, so I put my back into it.
Next, I set about building huts where each couple could live.
The place where Kuro and Yuki lived was originally intended to be a storehouse, so it was quite large. If I was building specifically for a pair and their future offspring, they wouldn't need quite that much space.
That said, Kuro’s breed was fairly large.
I estimated they would need about the size of a four-and-a-half tatami mat room.
And considering I would need to go inside them occasionally... the height had to be reasonable as well.
I built one first to see how they liked it. Kuroichi and the others immediately scrambled to see who could get inside first, so I figured the design was a success.
I didn't want them fighting over housing, so I made building the rest of the huts my top priority.
...I wondered if I would just keep adding more huts from here on out.
Well, I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
At the same time, I dug a well in the new area to provide drinking water for Kuroichi’s group.
Work on the waterway was progressing, but completion was still a long way off, and hauling water all the way from the first well was a hassle.
I dug the hole with a gentle slope toward the bottom so the dogs could drink from it easily on their own.
Just like the first well, I hit water at a depth of about ten meters, which was a relief.
For their outhouse, I prepared a shallow pit and a privacy screen.
Once the pit reached a certain point, I would fill it in and dig a new one elsewhere.
I had started making the privacy screens because I once accidentally walked in on Kuro doing his business; the atmosphere between us had been incredibly awkward for a while after that.
To be fair, unless it was night or mid-winter, Kuro and the others usually handled their business out in the forest, so the area didn't get dirty very quickly...
But I figured it would be good to have for the puppies once they were born.
I decided to call this new section for the dogs the "Dog Area."
I asked Kuro and Yuki if they wanted to move there too, but they refused.
Personally, I was happy about that. It would be lonely without them nearby.
Oh, and don't worry—I haven't forgotten about Zabuton and her young ones.
Alice, Iris, Uno, and Elis also seemed to have a taste for tomatoes.
Perhaps it was a trait of their species.
At one point, I panicked when Elis accidentally ate an onion I was holding, but she didn't seem to suffer any ill effects.
I had always heard that onions were toxic to dogs, but perhaps they were safe in another world?
Still, I couldn't afford to be careless.
I resolved to make sure they didn't eat any more.
Of course, as soon as I decided that, Elis took an immense liking to onions, which was a bit of a headache.
The new pack members also fell in love with the flying discs and played with them obsessively.
My arms were exhausted.
I took a break to drink some tea.
The tea trees grew so quickly that I’d been caught off guard, but I remembered that tea is made from the young shoots.
Furthermore, I’d forgotten that the leaves needed to be roasted.
My first attempt at tea tasted like nothing more than hot water with a plain leaf floating in it.
Since the trees grew so fast, I was able to harvest new shoots regularly.
As for the roasting... I had no idea what the proper technique was, so it was a process of trial and error.
In the end, I managed to produce something that was at least drinkable on a daily basis.
That is, provided I didn't compare it to the tea from my previous world.
I drank it anyway.
It certainly tasted better than plain hot water.
The only downside was the lack of tools like a tea strainer. I had to put the leaves directly into the cup, which meant I couldn't drink the very last bit.
I decided that making tea utensils would be my project for the coming winter.
One character represents an area of approximately 50x50 meters.
Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field ○ ○ ○ ○ ━Under Construction━ Pond Pond □ Field ◇ ◇ Field ○ Dog ○ ○ ━Drainage System━ Pond Pond □ Field House ◇ Field ○ ○ ○ ○ Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field ○ ○ ○ ○ ← River is about five kilometers in this direction.
Layout of the living quarters:
Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ Field Field Field Field ◇ ◇ ◇ Outhouse ◇ Field Field Field Field ◇ ◇ Tree ◇ ◇ Field Field Field Field ◇ House ◇ Doghouse ◇ Field Field Field Field ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field Field
Tree: The tree at the original campsite; now serves as a storehouse. The north side is the lumber yard. A shrine is located here. Doghouse: Originally built as a storehouse, but became the home for Kuro and Yuki. House: Originally built as a storehouse, but became my home. Outhouse: Toilet facilities.