Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita:Volume 3 Chapter 1
The Fairies’ Homecoming
Homo sapiens are an existence whose time has passed.
The numerous cities that once covered the landscape have been swallowed by nature.
The severe decay has made most structures unliveable.
Due to the gradual but relentless population decline, we’ve all but forgotten about politics, war, even crime and discrimination.
Another species, the fairies, have taken over from us.
So much so that nowadays the term ’humanity’ refers to them instead of us.
As a UN Mediator, my job is to maintain the relationship between fairies and us old-humanity, still commonly called simply ‘humans’ in a lot of contexts.
Although they possess scientific know-how far surpassing our own, they tend to get carried away.
In order to try and keep us safe from their enthusiastic personalities, the Mediator is one of the very few professions that has managed to survive to the modern era.
In our village, Camphorwood’s Mediation Office currently employs three staff:
The narrator, myself.
My grandfather, who is also the Office Head.
And the assistant.
A little while ago we had a little incident involving the assistant and the fairies.
It was a confusing afternoon, but thankfully everything worked out okay.
At the moment, he’s quietly doing some writing at the desk he’s been assigned.
It’s been a peaceful day.
The doll handing from the upper window-frame swayed side to side gracefully in the gentle breeze, while also looking a bit like a hanged corpse.
“Let’s make some tea!”
In our office, we have tea-time five times a day. There’s really nothing to do, otherwise.
It’s June, the season of that sublime fruit, the strawberry.
An expressive power that steals hearts. That sharp, noble colouring. That form that brings to mind the great artists of old times.
This virtuoso had more than enough allure to consume by itself, but when used as a baking ingredient, it brings out a kaleidoscope of new flavours.
And so today’s desert is full of strawberries.
Grandpa slipped a bookmark into the thick old volume he’d been reading and looked up.
“What’re we having for snacks?”
“A cheesecake with a lot of strawberries in it.”
“Looks tasty.”
The moist cheesecake base was topped with numerous strawberries, and overflowed with a strawberry-and-cream sauce. It was one of the best desserts I’d ever baked.
And what’s more…
While I started slicing the cake, Grandad brought the teapot and Assistant-san brought the milk jug to the circular table we use for tea-time.[]
“Assistant-kun, pour the milk for us, please. Same amounts as always.”
“…” the assistant nodded.
He brought over the milk jug, which was being cooled by tap water, over to the table. It had a doll hugging the handle integrated into the design.
He poured cold milk into elegant, fine teacups that looked as if they could easily break if filled with hot water.
The amount of milk was different for everyone. For me just a normal amount, a little more for the assistant, and only a tiny bit for Grandad.
He then filled each cup with hot tea, and a fresh aroma filled the room, giving everyone a moment of ecstasy.
“Okay, let’s make a start!” I said.
“Yep.” Grandad replied gruffly.
The three of us surrounded the table, enjoying the ample dessert.
“You’re not going to ring it?” grandpa said, jerking his chin to the side.
He was signalling to a bell placed on one side of the table. It’s design made it look like a fairy was dangling the bell under it.
“You’re right, I forgot,” I said, tapping the bell and filling the room with a sound like a gently tumbling lapis lazuli.
And at that…
“Yess!”
The doll hanging in the window frame suddenly spread its arms and legs out, and slipped out of the rope around its neck.
“Thanks very much!”
The book Grandad had been reading snapped open, and a fairy stood with his hands spread in the air.
“Gracias!”
The fairy that was the milk pot’s decoration sprung across the table.
“I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Merci!”
“Fevah!”
The fairy that’d been stuck to a cork-board with a pin.
The fairy holding a cylinder so that they could fulfil their role as a pen stand.
The pair of fairies that had formed the two sides of a book-stand.
And finally, the fairy who had become the table-bell angel for us.
“You’re all pretty lively today,” I said.
These human-loving fairies had recently taken to, without us asking or anything, spending all their time working as everyday goods for us.
“Caake! Cake!” they nagged.
“Yes, don’t worry, I have some for you all”
Just our usual, rowdy tea-time.
“Assistant-kun, how’s your picture book coming along?”
“Picture book?” I asked, looking across at Grandad.
“I know it’s a bit late, but I’m trying to foster his character a bit. I told him to have a go with a book or two.”
The assistant brought a sketchbook over from his desk.
“Wait, you’ve been ‘’’’’making them?”’’’”
“…”
The assistant passed the book over to me.
“You’re letting me read it?” I asked as I looked at the cover.
The title was “The Forest Pals” was written in giant letters.
The assistant nodded once.
I placed the book on the table so everyone could see it, and opened it to the first page.
The light pastel illustrations and test jumped out at me.
“Wow, your pictures really are amazing.”
A landscape had been drawn without perspective. Trees and shrubbery were spread across the page as if on a map.
Stones and trees were given as much emphasis as the drawings of the characters
A style that doesn’t emphasise characters, or that reflects a distance between the artist and the work. Something like that.
The main characters were a pair of small yellow baby birds:
‘’’”Tenderloin and Wing were two chicks. They were great pals.”’’’
[Picture here]
The picture book started like this.
“This is a very peaceful story!”
The detailed illustrations had caught the attention of the fairies, who had gathered around, their cheeks stuffed full of cake.
Is it some scribbles” - “I think it’s a manga” - “This looks fun”
“We can’t think of any stories” - “We can, it’s just that the plot will be awful”
“But if we do that, the experts will get angry” - “We aren’t suited to it”
“Only the humans can do it.”
Is that so?
An ultra-scientific race which can’t do baking or sweets or make up any stories… very puzzling indeed.
Page 2
”Tenderloin and Wing were very hungry. They went to the forest to look for food.”
“Getting by day by day!” -“Are they scavenging buffs?”
“They’re a little bit pathetic”
