Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 177: Generation Gap
It had already been a week since the completion of the magic tools.
During that week, I spent NP to expand the fields and increase the growth speed of the crops.
The skill-generated fields had become even larger, and with the accelerated growth rate, the efficiency of NP acquisition had also improved.
With the goblin squad, the dragonkin, and the increase in manpower, even with the expansion, there was still room to spare.
At this point, there were enough people to support yet another stage of expansion.
Financially, I couldn’t expand right away due to the NP cost, but as soon as I saved enough, I might as well go ahead and expand again.
As I looked over the enlarged fields and continued my farm work, lunchtime came.
While eating, I noticed a familiar carriage approaching.
Its design set it apart from the others, and unlike the extravagant royal carriages, this one was a unique custom-made piece.
That was Ren and the others’ carriage.
I quickly set aside my lunch and hurried over to meet them.
Although we had just seen each other at the mock battle tournament, it had been quite a while since they had come outside of an event.
Since it was hard to sit down and talk properly during events, even though we met recently, it still felt like a long time had passed.
“Yaho~! We came to visit!”
“Ren-san, Mika-san, Yui-san, Shoji-san. What brings you here so suddenly?”
“Donnie-san had some work with the royal knights, and we suddenly got three days off. So we thought—why not go visit Sato-san?”
“Wait, we didn’t inconvenience you by showing up unannounced, did we?”
“Not at all. We didn’t really get to talk much during the mock battle tournament, so I’m glad you came.”
“Phew, that’s good to hear. In Japan, we could’ve just sent a message by phone, LINE, or DM, but in this world, that’s not possible. We always worry—what if we show up and it’s a bother?”
I completely understood.
Having lived in a networked society, I too felt uneasy about not being able to give prior notice.
Even with events, I’d like to announce things early, but since communication methods are so limited, notices often go out at the very last moment.
In many ways, it feels inconvenient here. The convenience of the internet really was incredible.
“This place is always open to you, so please come by anytime. Even if I’m not here, someone will welcome you.”
“We know you’d say that, Sato, but… it’s still scary, you know!”
“Yeah, we grew up with smartphones since we were kids. This analog lifestyle still feels weird!”
Ah, so Ren and the others had smartphones since childhood.
Then it must feel several times more inconvenient to them than to me.
When I was a kid, the internet hadn’t spread yet.
If I wanted to invite a friend to play, I either had to go directly to their house or call their home phone.
And since their parents would usually pick up, I always felt nervous before dialing.
“There really is a generation gap. I didn’t own a smartphone until I started working. So maybe I don’t find the analog lifestyle quite as inconvenient as you all do.”
“Eh, really!? So smartphones only came out recently?”
“Because of this whole otherworld transfer thing, we didn’t really think about it, but yeah, the generation difference between us and Sato-san is pretty big.”
“Definitely. Sometimes I don’t even understand what you’re talking about.”
“Whoa, really? I didn’t notice at all!”
Even with small things like game references, sometimes I don’t get them.
On the flip side, sometimes they don’t get mine. Small as it is, you can feel the generational divide.
While chatting like that, Ren and the others also helped out with farm work.
With four extra pairs of hands, the leftover tasks were cleared quickly, and we headed back to the living room to continue talking.
“Thanks for helping out. Thanks to you, everything was wrapped up quickly.”
“Don’t mention it! We barged in suddenly, so the least we could do was help with the farm. And honestly, it was fun!”
“Yeah, exactly. Oh, and here’s a little gift—mana crystals.”
Ren handed me a large bundle of magic crystals.
They had given me some during the mock tournament too, but with the growing number of monsters, there could never be too many. It was a huge help.
“Thank you again! Magic crystals are a lifesaver.”
“Not much use for us, but they’re essential for monster evolution, right?”
“Yeah, just look at Lime—she keeps getting stronger and stronger! Evolution is exciting, and honestly, we love giving them too.”
“Why is it that evolution feels so thrilling, I wonder? Is it because of the games we grew up with?”
Yui-san said this with a thoughtful expression.
She had a point—games probably had a huge influence.
When I was a kid, I played the very first Pokémon.
Back then, the internet wasn’t widespread, so the only way to hear about evolutions was through word of mouth from friends.
There were tons of fake rumors mixed in, so raising your own and seeing it evolve firsthand was an incredibly exciting experience.
I think that’s where the romance of evolution comes from.
“I’d say it’s because of games. Though I’m not sure if it’s the same for your generation.”
“Yeah, same for us! Trying to figure out how to evolve things was half the fun.”
“Ahh, so nostalgic! Now I really want to play Pokémon again. Actually… we can play it here too, right?”
“If we buy the software, yes. But it’s single-player, so I don’t plan to buy it for now. Unless I can afford enough Switch consoles for everyone, of course.”
I really did want to play Pokémon with everyone.
Since I hadn’t kept up with the latest generations, it would all feel fresh and new to me.