My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon

Chapter 432

Silent As a Forest

Previously... Egetsu Nakihito fell into the clutches of the evil secret society, Barfoon, and lost his life. However, with the power of the spirits, he revived as the warrior of justice, Poop-man.

"Knight of Smooth Movements! Poop-MAN!!"

...or something like that. Anyway, putting that aside, several days have passed since then.

But, apparently, me dying was the real deal. I died, and I came back to life. And I was saved thanks to Shiotarou and Pixie Queen. Furthermore, when I returned to my body, which had sustained damage, it was also thanks to the Red Slime who promptly nursed me.

Thus, I have returned from the brink of death and am living energetically.

Yep, that's right. Very energetic. So much so you'd never think I just died the other day. Both body and mind feel refreshingly light, and my bowel movements are smooth too.

So anyway, there are no problems whatsoever.

(Hmm... Well, Okuninushi-no-kami also became stronger each time he died and came back to life, so maybe it's good for humans to die and come back to life at least once too.)

I try to think positively like that.At any rate, it feels like something reset because I died, and my heart feels light. The scenery before my eyes is vivid with color, and no matter what I look at, the world feels fresh and dewy.

(Could it be... this is the world that Shiotarou and Pixie Queen see...?)

Well, even if I asked those two, they'd probably just tilt their heads in confusion.

By the way, Ohoanamuchi-no-kami is what Okuninushi-no-mikoto was called before he came to be known by that name. The characters are a bit hard to decipher as to what they mean, but Ohoana means big brother(s). In other words, it refers to the many elder brothers, the Yasogami.

To add a further aside, it's not that there were exactly eighty deities, hence the name Yasogami (Eighty Deities); it's more of a rough "there were about that many~" kind of feeling.

Well, it's the same interpretation as Yaoyorozu (eight million), so it's thought that in ancient Japan, the number eight was often used to indicate a large quantity.

That's why Yamata no Orochi (Eight-Branched Giant Serpent) is also approximate, and it's possible the actual number of heads was different.

Anyway, for ancient Japanese people, eight might have represented the maximum numerical value in their perception. But it doesn't seem to be a base-8 system either, so indeed, the Japanese sensibility is unique.

Well, putting that aside too, the following Muchi is an honorific title denoting a noble deity. So, Ohoanamuchi-no-kami means "The Noble Deity with Many Elder Brothers." Yeah, that makes perfect sense.

...

So, despite having died and all that, I'm able to live carefreely like this. On the other hand, however, Serai-san seems to be quite troubled. Local friends frequently visit her, and they go out somewhere together.

But when she comes back like that, she keeps sighing incessantly.

Yet, when I worry and ask about it, she replies that she's fine and not to worry. She also asks me to wait a little longer before returning to Tokyo.

We've taken care of the mountain monsters, so Gramps can rest easy too.

For protection, there are the tamed Mandragora and Apple Spirits, though still growing, and the recovered Cockatrice.

Most importantly, the loyal and clever dungeon ability dog, Taro, is here. This has made the defense of her family home very robust, and on the mountain, there's Masaru, the savior of the deer, so if there are any monsters we missed, he'll probably take care of them.

But, if Serai-san asks me to wait, then I'll wait.

There are always things a person must accomplish by their own power. And I feel that's what Serai-san is striving to do right now.

If so, then what I must do is watch over her back from a distance. And if the time comes, firmly support her.

Hence, here it is Furinkazan.

Quiet like a forest. Like an elder sister watching over her younger brother being sternly disciplined by their father from the shade of a tree, I will gently watch over Serai-san. Though here, using the conjunction 'as' like "fast as the wind. silent as a forest" would probably be better, but, well, feeling.

And, while thinking such things and chopping firewood, Shark came to get me.

"Jung, you're going waterfall training today too, right? Shouldn't we get going soon?"

"Oh, is it that time already? Yeah, let's head out soon."

"Alright, then I'll go call Yuzuki."

"Yeah, please do."

While waiting for Serai-san, I'm spending time with Shark and Yuzuki-chan like this.

Letting them experience farming, taking them to the river and mountains, helping them make summer memories. Of course, we're also continuing the meditation training Yuzuki-chan requested. Being with Yuzuki-chan, Shark is also taking it more seriously than before, showing good signs.

Really. If they train properly from such a young age like this, just how strong can they become? These two are both somewhat frightening for the future and incredibly promising.