pillar man 2.0

Chapter 43: A Chakai

I woke up in the morning, the sun was already rising, and I could feel the warmth of the day. I got up, wondering what I would do that day.

After a few minutes, I grabbed my crutches and left my house.

"Good morning, Taro. How's the forge business?" A kind old man greeted me on the street. He was a farmer, wearing a straw hat on his head.

"I'm getting used to it, Mr. Renji," I replied, a small smile forming on my face.

"Good, very good. You know, young man, you're still so young, so strong, but that tragedy took a bright future away from you. I want you to know you can't give up on everything because of it. There are still many things you can do. Don't let sadness overwhelm you."

"It's fine, I adapt easily to the work. Oh, before I forget, how's Aiko?"

"That troublesome kid? Always running away from the Jinja shrine. I suspect he's meeting the village chief's future daughter-in-law. Sigh... You're his friend; could you talk some sense into him? I'm afraid he'll have a huge heartbreak if he keeps going down this path."

"I'll try. Anyway, I should get going now; I won't take up more of your time." I bid farewell and headed to the forge to work as an assistant.

The forge was a job that required a lot of arm strength and placed little pressure on the legs, allowing me to work like a normal person.

The same repetitive tasks as always: collect iron powder, toss it into the forge, add some charcoal, and finally remove the melted impurities.

That was how I spent the entire day at the forge, and as a result of our work, we produced a block of steel weighing about a ton. *(Author's note: For those wondering, this was indeed the process used to make the steel used for katanas. Japan doesn't have many iron mines, so they collected iron sand deposited along riverbanks. This process produced many impurities, which melt at a lower temperature than iron. That's why there's a hole at the bottom of the forge to expel these impurities. One thing I didn't mention in the story is that there are eight people at the forge responsible for manually blowing the fire. Four work at a time, and they rotate shifts. I'm not sure if it was applied back then, but modern companies keep the fire running 24/7 to maintain the necessary temperature. Let's just assume they did it back then too.)*

After working all day, I went to rest.

On my way home, Yami showed up.

"Good evening, Taro. Another tough day at work?" Yami was carefree about work since he was the village chief's son and would eventually succeed him.

As we walked and talked:

"Sigh, exhausting as always. But I've got two days off before returning to the forge," I said with a tired smile.

"Really? Sometimes I wonder if the work is really that hard. I only ever see you resting," Yami joked.

"Rest is the most important part of my job. If my performance isn't great, it's because I'm not well-rested."

"Yeah, that's what all the lazy people say," Yami laughed and turned to Aiko, who was nearby, extending his hand.

"Yami, how's Emiko?" Aiko asked anxiously.

"Hey, hey, calm down. First, good evening, right? Second, yes, she liked the gift," Yami replied calmly.

'It's strange,' I thought. 'Emiko is Yami's fiancée, but he doesn't care. In fact, he's helping Aiko secretly date her. I guess it's this eccentricity that made us friends.'

"Ah, sorry. I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet. Mr. Tachibana has her practicing the kokyu non-stop," Aiko said.

"Alright, alright, you lovesick fool," Yami said, covering his ears to block Aiko's chatter.

I laughed at the situation, and that's how I spent my morning.

When I reached my doorstep, I said goodbye to them and laid down on my futon to sleep.

I woke up in the afternoon, starving. I ate a basic meal without much seasoning.

After eating, I left the house and wandered aimlessly around the village.

As I walked, I started thinking:

'It's been about a month since the accident. I can walk without crutches, but... I'm scared—scared of pushing my body too far again. At first, it was so hard. I didn't know what was worse: the shame of walking with crutches or the fear of overexertion. In the end, fear won. Now I parade around with this trophy of shame.'

I looked up at the sky, clear and bright. The wind brushed against my face, bringing a sense of freshness.

At that moment, a boy appeared, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hey, Taro, are you alright? You seem a bit distracted," the boy asked, concern evident in his eyes.

"Hi, Jiro. I'm fine, just lost in thought. But tell me, how are Uncle Daiki and your brother Kaito?" I asked, feeling a pang of guilt, thinking I owed a lot to Uncle Daiki.

"They're doing great, though Dad still refuses to use the money you send. He says," Jiro coughed, mimicking his father's voice, "'When that boy needs this money, it'll all be saved right here.'"

"Hmph, that old man. I already gave him the gift. Doesn't he know it's rude to refuse a present?"

"Anyway, I've got to go. It was nice seeing you, Taro." Jiro waved goodbye and ran off, leaving me standing there, watching him go.

'Jiro's a good person, just like his brother, though he's much shyer than Kaito,' I thought as I continued wandering aimlessly.

[Time Skip: One Year Later]

After another day at the forge, it was time for my break.

'It's been a while since I visited Uncle Daiki. I think I'll stop by.'

I was happy to look down and see no crutches; I'd finally overcome the need for them, though I still limped a little.

On my way home, I glanced at Aiko's house. He was sitting near the door, gazing at the small garden Mr. Renji used to tend, deep melancholy in his eyes.

I slowly approached and sat beside him.

"How are things going for you?"

Aiko looked at the garden one last time, then turned his gaze to the sky and sighed deeply.

"Trying to adjust, I guess... The house feels so quiet without him here."

I tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "The whole village is quiet without him. Mr. Renji was the biggest chatterbox I've ever known. I'm sure if he saw you like this, he wouldn't stop talking until nightfall, telling you how beautiful life is and how you can't give up over a small setback."

"Hahaha, true. I think if we counted how many words he said, there wouldn't be a numerical expression for it," Aiko laughed, and I laughed too.

We spent most of the morning like that, forgetting about everything else.

*(Author's note: If you don't know what 'fever of the chest' is, that's how they referred to pneumonia back then.)*

As I rested at home, someone knocked on my door—it was Yami.

"Hey, Taro. Got a minute to talk?"

"Of course, come in."

Yami entered, glanced around, and said, "Taro, you've probably noticed Aiko hasn't been doing well lately. To sum up, I thought of a way to cheer him up. How about a chakai?"

"A chakai? Do you think he's in the mood for a tea gathering? And just the three of us?" I asked, giving Yami a skeptical look.

"Of course he will! Emiko will be there, and Jiro and Kaito too," Yami replied confidently.

I paused to think and, after a few seconds, answered, "Alright, I'm in."

End of Chapter