The Animals of This World Are Huge

On the way to the house, I was able to ride a wagon pulled by an animal called a MOOC. It looked a bit like an elephant. It had such long fur all over its body that I thought it would be hot in this weather, but I was told the fur actually protected it from the sun.

It was powerful and could walk great distances, so it was very popularly used to pull wagons more than horses. However, it was too big for personal use, so most farmers used horses.

It looked like the mammoth on display in museums, so I was pretty excited.

Even its cry was exactly like that of an elephant’s.

The road was wide enough for two MOOCs to walk through it side by side. Though there was a bit of shaking from the wagon, overall it was a pleasant ride.

I’d realized this when I first went outside but, the people of this world were all really tall. Or more like, their bodies were huge.

It seems it wasn’t a case of Norn-san just being abnormally tall.

In that case, of course, I was going to be mistaken as a kid. It was shocking and weird to see a snotty kid running around who was the same height as me.

Was this what culture shock was? I wondered if my babyface was gonna get in the way of me living my life.

I might be taken lightly so that when I try to sell my crops I wouldn’t get a fair price for them, or maybe I might directly be extorted.

It wasn’t only because of cowardice that I was scared. Look, our physiques were completely different! What if I get kicked by their long legs, or easily picked up and punched in the face? For someone like me who’d never gotten into a single fight in my entire life, I wouldn’t be able to take such abuse.

Well, that was what I’d thought at first. But it seems this world was kind to children, and all of Norn-san’s acquaintances who passed by all gave me candy.

In no time at all, my pockets were full of candy.

I tried one that had the same color as a tortoiseshell candy. Oh, this might be honey-flavored. The simple sweetness filled my mouth.

The people around me all looked like they were trying not to smile when they saw me with my right cheek bulging with candy. They probably had no idea that I was actually a full-grown man.

It seems that in this world, you were considered an adult at the age of 17. So I was already a full-fledged adult.

I heard Norn-san’s worked for a company for two years now. Compared to the full-fledged employee Norn-san, of course I’d be seen as childlike.

……Sorry. I was being pretentious. It wasn’t ‘childlike’, I was completely seen as a child.

I was like a certain detective who had the body of a child but the brains of an adult. Well, in my case it wasn’t so much brains, but my mind was that of an adult. My brains were only middle school-level.

It was fine. I was sure this height of mine was to my advantage. It was a bit sketchy that I’d be receiving kindness from people because they’d think I was a child, but it wasn’t like I was pretending to be one.

I didn’t think I was out of line if I used my appearance to my advantage to live a better life in this unfamiliar world.

I wasn’t a pure child, but a dirty adult, so I should use whatever I can to my advantage.

So please, Norn-san. Stop looking at me being patted on the head with pity!

Even if you voice encouragements, that expression puts all that effort into waste. It bursts all my illusions.

Another piece of candy was thrown into my wagon. At this rate, by the time I got to the house, this wagon was gonna be buried in candy.

“Hahahaha, the people of this world are too nice. They’re giving so much candy to an adult they don’t know. I might not have to worry about food for a while. Though if all I eat is candy I’ll get fat.” As I laughed without blinking, pupils dilating, Norn-san awkwardly averted his eyes. He looked panicked, as if trying to find words to comfort me.

It’d only been a short while since I met him, but I felt like I’d gotten to know Norn-san a little better. When he didn’t open his mouth, he looked like a cool guy who could do anything, but once he panicked, he couldn’t find the right words to say. He came up with something like ‘adorable height’ instead.

I was the one who was getting mental damage from this, so I wish he’d just keep quiet.

“P-please eat more and grow taller.”

“……Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

I heard that males could still grow until they were 24. Let’s believe that I was gonna get a third growth spurt.

I was sure that Norn-san’s thoughtless remark had a hidden wish of me growing taller.

It’s definitely not that he was dissing me. Probably.

An hour away from town, there was a house in the middle of a wide grassland. This was my new home in this world.

It was a two-storey wooden house with a red roof, big enough for a family of four. There was a crude-looking barn a ways away from the house. Beside it was a tool shed.

But I didn’t see the farm field. I thought a farm field was part of the package?

I looked around and only saw a land full of grass and weeds. I didn’t see any bare soil anywhere.

“Norn-san, where’s the field?”

“This whole area is Shinobu-sama’s field.”

What! So these green and lively weed-looking things were some kind of crop? The ones with long, thin leaves looked like the rice or wheat I saw on TV, so maybe they were some kind of grain crops.

“I see. I thought they were weeds.”

“They are.”

Huh?

“Didn’t you say this was a field?”

“Yes, this was a proper field about a year ago.”

Well now. I smell trouble.

So they meant, ‘this land is suitable for crops, so go ahead and till to your heart’s content’?

And it was huge, too. I’d been imagining a plot of land just enough to grow some vegetables; I didn’t think it was a proper farm field.

This was a big job. There was no way I could till this whole field all by myself.

“I’ll show you all the livestock you’re going to live with. Over here.”

Perhaps noticing my feelings of dissatisfaction, Norn-san led me to the barn with a nice smile.

I thought it was a huge barn even from afar. The catalogue said ‘various livestock’ so I understood that they would need a big space, but the livestock I saw were even bigger than what I’d imagined.

First, there were six chickens. They were as big as the peacocks I once saw in a zoo with my family back in elementary school. Their beaks and claws were sharp, and when I got closer their eyes looked scary. I felt like they were glaring at me.

Next, a horse and two cows. The cows didn’t have a white and black pattern, but were brown all over. Unlike the chickens, their black eyes looked gentle and it looked like I could get along with them, but they were huge too.

I had to stretch my arms up to the limit before I was able to touch their backs. And the horse was even larger than them. I’d have to take care not to be trampled by it.

There were three sheeps. They looked different than the sheep I knew, all round like a furball. They were covered in hair all around, I couldn’t even see where the eyes were. Norn-san said that half of their size were all just wool.

And that the wool would just fall off when the time came so there was no need to shear them. How convenient.

The rabbit…was it a pet? That twitching nose was cute, but it was the size of a dog.

Lastly, there was a dog. It was a guard dog, but it greeted me with an enthusiastically wagging tail, all friendly. I wondered if it could actually fulfill its purpose.

Its size was about that of a lion or a tiger.

Aside from the dog, all the other animals could eat the grass and insects outside so there was no need for feed, Norn-san said.

Of course the dog couldn’t eat grass, but it could eat vegetables. So if I fed it vegetables I grew myself, then there was no need to buy dog food either.

The important point was to clean the barn every day. True enough, I wouldn’t want pests and diseases to break out.

All of these explanations by Norn-san, I listened to from behind him.

That’s because I was scared!!

All the animals were looking at me like, ‘Who the hell is this?’

“You don’t have to be so scared. Once they recognize you as their owner, they won’t bite or kick you. Feed them by hand. That way, they’ll recognize you by scent.” Norn-san skillfully pulled up some grass and gave it to me. As if recognizing food, all the animals came closer.

“Eek! Don’t bite me, okay?”

I heard Norn-san burst into laughter at my weak-kneed posture of feeding them, but I didn’t have any attention to spare him.

“Haah, I’m exhausted…”

After Norn-san explained the interior of the barn and the house, he left. He said he was going to drop by in a few days to check up on me.

He wanted to ask me how I felt about this world once I got used to life here.

He said it would be good reference for enticing tourists from the other world.

Fortunately, the house had all the usual furniture. Thanks to that, I could sleep on a bed on the first night.

The bed was harder than the one I used to have, but the sheets were soft and comfortable.

All the furniture were big. Even the bed was king-size. But well, all the people here were so huge they were like a different race altogether, so that was understandable.

I’ll just conveniently forget that I was small in my previous world too.

“I’m starving.”

I’d brought some ready-made meals, but I wanted to set them aside for emergencies, so I ate the mountain of candy I was given.

There was a small pond behind the house. I drew some water from it and chewed on a hard biscuit.

The water was unlike tap water, and had a faint taste of sweetness. It was really delicious.

I only ate some candy and biscuits on the way here. All the food I’d been eating had been sweet, and now I wanted to eat something sour.

If the chickens laid some eggs, maybe I could eat some tamagoyaki or fried eggs.

The ever-capable Norn had given me some seasonings and cookware. He was really good. I guess that was how he was able to get so many tourists to come again and again.

Since he’d helped me so much and even gave me a lot of info on this world, I’ll fully cooperate with him.

Once I’ve gotten everything on track, maybe we’d go eat some food that Norn recommended, and participate in a festival or something. Since we’ve become buddies now.

We’d been calling each other ‘Shinobu-sama’ and ‘Norn-san’ but since we were the same age, I suggested we drop the honorifics to get along better. Now I’ve made my first friend in this world!

The growling of my stomach finally settled down, and I dropped down on the bed, satisfied. I covered myself with a thin comforter and soon my eyelids grew heavier.

It’s only been a day, but I think I can do this.