Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 113 Mid-Autumn, Full Moon

September. I’m not sure if there’s something like an old calendar in this world.

For now, let’s call the day with a full moon in September “Jugoya” (Fifteenth Night).

By the way, at least in this country, the year has twelve months, and it follows a solar calendar.

It’s not a lunar calendar, so the moon’s age doesn’t match the date.

And so, it’s the mid-autumn harvest moon.

“You see, the next full moon is called Jugoya. The moon becomes full on the fifteenth day after the new moon. Especially during autumn, the moon is large, and with the clear air, it’s said to be a beautiful sight.”

“Wow.”

I believe today is likely the full moon since I’ve been observing the moon every day. Before it gets dark, let’s prepare various things.

First, I’ll gather some Susuki (pampas grass) growing around here. It’ll be used as decorations.

Then, I’ll knead wheat and water together and shape them into rice cakes. Since using the magical cooking stove is a bit tricky, I’ll use a portable charcoal grill and emergency charcoal to cook them.

The magical cooking stove powered by magic stones doesn’t need fire, but it stops working if it breaks down. Moreover, when the price of magic stones spikes, it becomes troublesome. That’s why the mansion has charcoal and portable grills in storage, just in case.

Besides charcoal, other scraps and materials can be used too.

“Odango♪ Odango♪ So delicious, meow♪”

“That’s right.”

Minya happily sang the odango song. Meanwhile, I listened and continued shaping the wheat dumplings and placing them into the boiling water. I recall making mugwort dumplings with wheat before.

These dumplings symbolize the moon, so they’re called Tsukimi dango. If you want them to be yellow, you can use millet dumplings, but since obtaining millet is quite troublesome here, plain white wheat dumplings will do.

I took out peaches from the item box and offered them on the left and right sides. I should have brought more apples and grapes as well. I turned them all into gold coins by making jam.

Now, the dumplings are finished boiling. I arrange them into a pyramid shape and place the offering in the center.

Next, I set up a small mirror specially made by Begidalil-san, the dwarf, in advance. It’s a silver mirror, and it’s quite expensive.

Alright, the setup looks complete and fitting for the occasion.

“Ed-kun, you’re doing quite a refined thing here. Even elves have a custom of moon gazing.”

“Oh, really? Does the same go for your place, Gid-san?”

“Well, yes. We offer various kinds of harvested grains, fruits, and such as offerings. It’s a remnant of the time when elves were a gathering tribe in the forest.”

“I see, that’s interesting.”

Now, the preparations for moon viewing are complete. However, the hungry fairy folk are more about ‘eating than aesthetics,’ so let’s prepare something for them to eat.

With the leftover wheat dumpling dough, I made some peach jam earlier by simmering the leftover peaches with sugar. I wrap the peach jam with the dumpling dough, shaping it into an oval form, then use scissors to make ears, and add sesame seeds as eyes.

“――They’re rabbit mochi!”

“Wow, they’re so cute!”

“Truly, you’re skilled.”

“I love these kinds of cute things, meow.”

Cute and delicious are always popular with the girls. Though there’s no social media here, they surely appreciate things that are ‘photo-worthy.’

Now, night has fallen. Around the Lord’s residence, there are fruit orchards, medicinal herb gardens, and fields. There seem to be quite a few insects around, and their buzzing and chirping can be heard.

“boo, boo, boo”

“What is that sound?”

“That’s the sound of a bullfrog.”

It seems there are also large frogs in this world. The tadpoles in the pond before were small, so they must belong to a different species. Bullfrogs can also be used for food.

The moon has risen somewhat, appearing diagonally. By the way, this place seems to be in the northern hemisphere. The moon rises from the east and moves west, which is common in both the northern and southern hemispheres. However, it passes through the southern side here.

The weather isn’t perfectly clear, but there are scattered clouds. On the southern side, there’s a large, yellow full moon floating in the sky. The clouds are illuminated by its light, which makes them visible.

Even the ground is bright enough to walk without any additional lighting, thanks to the moonlight.

“It’s bright.”

“Yeah, the moon is shining brightly.”

“It’s so beautiful.”

“Myauu.”

Mammals, including humans, have traces of their rodent ancestors and are believed to have excellent night vision in addition to normal vision. Humans have color-detecting cells for red, blue, and green, but they also have separate cells for sensing low-light, which is used for night vision. These night vision cells cannot distinguish colors, so everything appears in shades of bluish grayscale at night.

The visual abilities of the humans and beastkin in this world remain a mystery. Especially the elves, who generally have exceptional vision. On the other hand, beastkin have excellent night vision. There are even rumors about bird beastkin having bird-like eyesight.

The moon is truly beautiful. It’s not a bad idea to peacefully gaze at the moon like this and enjoy the elegance once a year. The slightly cooler breeze occasionally brushes by. Ah, it’s autumn.

Today, even Gid and Melun are raising their glasses for a toast with wine.

“Cheers to the autumn full moon!”

“Meow.”

“Here’s to it.”

“Myauu.”

The children are full of energy today as well.