After considering the food and alcohol supply for Village Five, I decided to expand the fields in the Village of the Great Tree by a small margin.
Since we were starting a bit later than usual, we’d likely only get one harvest this year, but it was still better than doing nothing at all.
When I told Donovan about the extra fields for alcohol production, he gave me a laundry list of specific varieties he wanted planted. I didn't mind, of course.
Before starting the work, I checked in with Kuro's Children, who would be standing guard, as well as Zabuton's Children and the Beastman girls, who would be helping with the harvest. Since these were dedicated fields, it would be no laughing matter if we failed to actually produce anything.
Kuro's Children indicated there were no problems.
Zabuton's Children waved their legs enthusiastically to show they would do their best.
The Beastman girls also said it would be fine, but they pointed out a different issue: we didn't have enough storehouses to hold the extra crops.
...I was certainly glad I checked.
In between the field work, I spent some time with the children. I had thought about playing outside, but I was quickly stopped.
To be honest, for a little while now, there had been concerns that the girls—Urza, Gral, Nart, and Tiselle—were being raised a bit too roughly. Personally, I thought being energetic was a good thing, but Nart’s mother, Naci, had told me in a roundabout way that it was becoming a problem.
So, I decided we should play in a more "ladylike" manner.
The thing is, I'm a man, so I didn't really know what qualified as a ladylike game. Playing house, maybe? No, I shouldn't just make assumptions. I should ask the children themselves.
I knew better than to ask Urza or Gral, though.
"Nart, what do you want to play indoors?"
"A siege battle."
...Yeah, I could finally see exactly what Naci was worried about.
"Let’s just go with playing house. I’ll prepare the props and everything."
But wait—who was it that taught Nart the term "siege battle" in the first place? I’d like to have a little word with that person.
Wait, was it me? Back when we were in the treehouse...?
Ah... I see. I remember now. I hung my head in reflection.
"Now, Nart. Let’s relearn this right now. A siege battle isn't an indoor game. That’s a literal war."
And so, playing house began.
The game consisted of soldiers laying siege to a room where a rebel and a hostage were barricaded.
...It wasn't that I was dissatisfied with being cast as the hostage; I just thought there might be a more "ladylike" way to play house. Seriously, they were conducting negotiations that were far too intense for children.
Alfred and the Beastman Boys were watching Urza and the others from a distance.
"Do you guys want to join in?"
They tried to decline, but I wasn't having it. "No, no. Sorry, but this is mandatory. Come on, join me as the new hostages."
The next day, Naci told me flat out that what we did was a problem. I apologized profusely. I really needed to reflect on my choices.
Yesterday, I was on "away" ground playing house. Today, I was pulling them onto my "home" turf.
"Today, we’re going to do some handicrafts!"
The children let out a thunderous round of boos.
"Don’t panic! This isn't work. It's a hobby, so it counts as play. I’m not tricking you!"
I showed them the materials. "Look, you just take these strings and pass them through these wooden beads I've prepared. That's all there is to it."
I showed them a finished example: a Wooden Bead Noren.
"See? It forms a picture. Since I’ve prepared various types of wooden beads, you can create a specific image if you're clever with the order. Even if you don't make a picture, a pattern is fine too. Alright, give it a try."
I had to keep an eye on Urza to make sure she didn't get too interested in the carving knife, but once they got started, I told them to focus on the task.
Leaving it to the children turned out to be the right choice. They had a creative sense that I lacked, and their personalities really started to shine through in their work.
Nart’s curtain was turning out quite cute.
"You want to hang it in your room? Sure, I don't mind. But show it to Naci first. And if you can, tell her you made it under my guidance."
"Why?"
"Don't worry about why. I'm just trying to score some points with her."
Alfred’s work was looking pretty good, too. He wanted to give his as a present to Lu.
Tiselle was... well, she was struggling, but I encouraged her to keep going until it was finished. It didn't have to be big; the important thing was not giving up.
Urza finished hers first. It had a remarkably aggressive feel to it.
"Don't use this as a trap, okay? And it’s not a weapon you can attach to a stick and swing around. It’s just a noren."
Gral had some help from one of Zabuton's Children, but I didn't mind. I told her that if she gave it to Giral as a present, he'd probably be thrilled.
For a short while after that, Wooden Bead Noren became a trend throughout the village. A big part of it was that the parents started making their own after seeing what their children had produced.
"I heard that in the old days, people used these to convey information," someone mentioned.
"Huh, is that so?"
In the end, the biggest challenge was stopping the kittens from pouncing on the swinging beads.