After receiving requests for new toys, I recalled a game called 3D Three-in-a-row and decided to build it.
It was simple enough to construct: I stuck rods into a board in a three-by-three grid and carved wooden balls with holes in them to slide onto the pegs.
A few rounds in, I realized that claiming the second level of the center rod gave an overwhelming advantage, so I tried making a 3D Four-in-a-row version instead.
This version was surprisingly profound. It got quite intense, as players would sometimes complete a row without even noticing it themselves.
We added a house rule: if you didn't declare your victory the moment you lined them up, the win didn't count. It was surprisingly easy to overlook a winning line, leading to some unexpected come-from-behind victories.
I got a bit carried away and tried making a 3D Five-in-a-row set, but that was a mistake. It took too long to finish a single game and wasn't something you could play casually.
“Reward Medals, huh? You certainly come up with unusual ideas,” Draim remarked, enjoying a conversation while playing 3D Four-in-a-row with Rusty.
I felt like Draim hadn’t been visiting as often since Hakuren settled in the village. Or perhaps it was because the Lamia Delivery service made it easier for him to get the things he wanted without traveling?
As if to test the waters, Hakuren went over to join them.
“Draim, dear. You aren't avoiding your big sister, are you?”
“Hahaha. Sister, you joke.”
“Right? In that case, you won't mind if I drop by your place to hang out, will you?”
“Eh? A-Ah, o-of course! I mean, naturally. It’s just… things are quite hectic at the moment. I’ll be sure to reach out when the timing is better.”
“It’s a joke. Don’t get so flustered.”
“A-Ahahaha…”
“By the way, Rusty. Can I have a say in how you use the Reward Medals you received as a Race Representative?”
“Sure. I haven't really thought of anything in particular. Is there something you want?”
“I was wondering if we could secure some humans and demons.”
“Sister? I must stop you if you’re planning on human sacrifices.”
“Hey now, Draim. Do you really think your big sister would ask for something like that? I’ll actually get angry, you know.”
“My apologies.”
“Actually, the Village Head, you see...”
“Gathering humans and demons?”
The proposal was brought up during a meeting with all the Race Representatives. Several Reward Medals had been submitted by the various races to put the idea forward. It turned out their intent was to solve two problems I had been mentioning for a long time.
First, there weren't enough men in the village.
Second, if I didn't train others to handle the farming, the village would fall apart if something ever happened to me.
The solution they proposed for both points was to bring in humans and demons. I see. I didn't think it was a bad idea, but…
“How many people are you planning to bring in?”
“I believe the more, the better,” one responded.
“I suppose so, but will the village be alright if the population suddenly spikes?”
Up until now, we had enough flexibility to handle new arrivals. However, a stable community had already formed here. A rapid influx of people would likely cause a lot of friction.
To be honest, I expected trouble when the ten Civil Official Girls arrived. Frau had led them well, so we avoided any major issues, but that didn't guarantee success for the next group. I didn't know what kind of backgrounds these new people would have, but if they came in large numbers, problems were inevitable.
“That is why I propose we build a new village in a different location,” Frau suggested.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. We will build a secondary village elsewhere and have the gathered humans and demons focus on agriculture there.”
“...I see.”
The friction came from forcing everyone into the same space, so we would keep them separate from the start. It wasn't a bad idea. In fact, I thought it was a great one.
“Understood.”
The discussion in the meeting was just a proposal, not a final decision. The ultimate authority rested with me as the Village Head. Of course, that meant the responsibility for that decision also rested on my shoulders.
I had no intention of running away from responsibility, but I’d always preferred the idea of being a carefree farmer rather than a leader. I once tried to suggest making decisions by a majority vote, but I was soundly defeated. I was the only person who voted in favor of it.
On top of that, everyone argued that a strong leader’s decision-making was absolutely necessary in such a harsh environment. Since Frau was among those doing the persuading, it seemed like I couldn't use her role as Magistrate as an excuse to hand over my authority.
So, I made the call.
“We shall proceed with building a new village and gathering new residents.”
I also returned the Reward Medals they had submitted. These medals weren't meant to be used for petitions. I told them they were welcome to just talk to me directly about things like this.
I had authorized the expansion, but there wasn't much for me to do personally yet.
The High Elves and Kuro’s pack were currently scouting locations for the new settlement. I suggested somewhere near the river, but they pointed out that being too close would be dangerous if it flooded, and that we needed to avoid needlessly provoking the monsters deeper in the forest. I decided to leave the site selection to the experts.
As for the recruitment, Frau, Rusty, and Hakuren were handling the negotiations with Draim, Beezel, and Michael-san. Moving people apparently involved a lot of red tape, including administrative procedures and negotiating with the leaders of their home territories. Again, I had to leave it to them.
It was for the best, but I felt a little lonely being left out of the loop.
To keep myself busy, I focused my efforts on the Sports Day I had been planning as an event where residents could earn Reward Medals. The Sports Day Executive Committee consisted of myself and the Civil Official Girls. Since Lu, Tia, and the High Ogres were busy with childcare, they only served as advisors.
Flora was technically a member too, but she was so focused on improving the quality of our soy sauce and miso that I didn't want to pull her away. A Sports Day was important, but soy sauce and miso were essential.
I did some research to figure out what events to include, but I quickly re-confirmed the massive gap between the races.
In terms of raw running speed on flat ground, the High Ogre race was overwhelming. The Dwarves, on the other hand, were so slow I genuinely wondered if they were even trying. In an Obstacle Race, the High Elves were incredibly agile, with the Mountain Elves and Beastmen close behind. The Dwarves weren't technically slow in that category, but only because they simply pulverized every obstacle in their path rather than going around them.
While there were individual variations, the racial differences were so vast that fair competition seemed impossible. I had originally planned to have teams based on race, but that was clearly a bad idea. Besides, racial teams would make it hard for Kuro’s pack or Zabuton’s children to participate in certain events, and having Rusty or Hakuren on a team would make things completely one-sided. There was also the fact that the Beastman girls were physically much younger than the others.
I had to rethink everything. It would probably be best to just split the entire village into two groups—a Red Team and a White Team. I’d have to ensure each team had an equal distribution of every race.
While this world didn't have anything called a "Sports Day," there were apparently events with a similar vibe. My concept was a standard school sports day from my previous world: Footraces, Obstacle Races, Ball-toss, Ball-rolling, Pole-toppling, and Mock Cavalry Battles, with maybe a Cheering Competition mixed in.
However, when I listened to the Civil Official Girls describe the events they knew, a very different picture emerged. Terms like Martial Arts Tournament, Magic Tournament, Hunting Tournament, Ultra-long-distance Relay, and Mock Battle dominated the conversation.
A Martial Arts Tournament was exactly what it sounded like.
“There are tournaments with fixed weapons and others where any weapon is allowed. The free-weapon ones are much more popular,” they explained.
A Magic Tournament was essentially a martial arts match where magic was permitted.
“Even simple, plain magic can be unexpectedly effective. They’re quite educational.”
A Hunting Tournament apparently involved competing over the size and type of prey caught in a forest.
“People don't usually compete that seriously; it’s more of a social gathering. Though, you do get the occasional person who can't read the room.”
An Ultra-long-distance Relay was a race to deliver cargo from one city to another far away. Any method of transport was allowed; the first person to deliver the goods won.
“They’re held quite often to help establish new trade routes. Technically, interfering with other runners is prohibited, but since there’s no way to monitor the whole route, it usually turns into a free-for-all.”
And a Mock Battle was, quite literally, a war game.
“It’s practice for real warfare. A lot of people get injured, and deaths aren't all that uncommon.”
...
After hearing all that, I decided to put the Sports Day on hold and look for a different approach. The Civil Official Girls were interested in the events I proposed, but the racial disparity was a massive hurdle. Diversity was a strength, but I didn't want to create a situation where a hierarchy formed and caused friction.
The whole point of the Sports Day was supposed to be recreation.
As I thought about it, a memory from my previous world surfaced—an idol program I used to watch in my hospital room. Specifically, I remembered the show that aired right after it. It was a program about discovering different things across the globe.
One of the segments focused on world festivals.
I realized then that I shouldn't be aiming for a school sports day. I should be aiming for a festival.