落とし穴８６堀：正月すぎてのんびりと (Part1)
**Pitfall 86: Relaxing After the New Year**
**Side: Yuki**
"Phew..."
I am currently experiencing a moment of pure bliss.
The date is January 4th.
The three-day New Year's period, generally recognized by society, has passed, and the world is now in the midst of what is commonly called the "return home rush."
It is a hellish march.
People spend their time in traffic jams—a moment that feels like an eternity—and then complain about the exhaustion upon arriving home.
Returning from far away costs a fortune, too. It’s not like travel expenses are zero.
In the midst of all this, the ones who can truly relax are the locals—the "home team," so to speak.
Yes, I am one of those winners who lives right here.
Well, I’m in Weed because I can’t exactly go "home," but you get the point.
Now, a question arises: does this "return home rush" exist in this other world? Yes, it does.
Or rather, one could say it’s because of the dungeon gates.
Returning home has always been a thing, but there wasn't much room for New Year's festivities before. It used to be a solemn affair. However, since Weed was established and people could enjoy entertainment on day trips, the number of visitors coming from various countries for sightseeing has increased.
As a result, by this January 4th, the street stalls in Weed have closed, and the lucky bags at the shops are sold out. With no reason to stay, people are now busy heading home.
Naturally, Weed’s Immigration Department is crying, but since that’s not under my jurisdiction, I’m enjoying the luxury of sipping hot tea while tucked into the kotatsu in my own home.
"You're really relaxing, aren't you? Oh, I'll take a mandarin orange."
"Sure."
Milly says this as she picks up a mandarin and starts eating.
The kotatsu and mandarin oranges are one of the greatest combos of winter.
By the way, I’m relaxing not just with Milly, but also with Tori, Riel, and Kaya.
These are the members who are currently pregnant.
The other wives are busy checking on work that piled up over the three-day holiday or taking care of the children.
Aslin and the others, of course, are out playing.
"Still, I knew about Milly, but finding out about Tori and the others after capturing Nogosh... I was worried you all might have been pushing yourselves too hard."
During the victory party, Riel was even feeling sick from the morning sickness.
"We're fine. Lilishe-sama said there were no issues."
"I was fine too, but lately, I’ve found I can’t eat certain things anymore."
"Riel, your body must be changing due to the pregnancy. The pregnant women in my village used to talk about that too."
It’s a common story that a pregnant woman’s food preferences change.
But since I’m a man, I can only understand what Milly and the others go through based on what I’m told.
It’s a difficult thing, isn't it?
All I can really do is keep an eye on them, make sure they don't overexert themselves, and sit here in the kotatsu eating oranges with them.
"Come to think of it, you three are members of the police, right? Is it really okay for all of you to be away? Kaya’s agriculture work seems fine, but..."
"It’s fine. Poni is working very hard."
"That’s true. It’s a huge help that the paperwork has decreased. Poni is a great chief."
"Like Milly said, there’s basically nothing to do in the fields during winter, just some work in the greenhouses. As for the police station, we reinforced the security-related staff beforehand, so there’s no problem at all."
"Ah, right, the additional emergency budget was approved, wasn't it?"
At the end of last year, based on information from various countries, we anticipated an even greater increase in tourists to Weed, so we rushed to put together an emergency budget and increased personnel in each department.
Thanks to that, the end of the year and the New Year passed without any major issues.
Though I’m sure the staff on the front lines were in a frenzy.
"Tefa was working really hard, wasn't she?"
"...Yeah, she was."
Milly and Tori have distant looks in their eyes.
Ah, so the two of them went to the accounting department to consult—or rather, to lobby—for more budget for their respective sections.
Wait, the Guild is a separate organization, so did they just ask for more staff?
Well, either way, the fact that work increased at the end of the year remains the same.
It must have been tough for Eris in accounting and Tefa, the current representative.
After all, representatives from every other department were clamoring for more budget.
"Hm? Wait? Were we talking about work?"
"...No, wasn't it about the pregnancy?"
"Wait a second, I feel like there was something before that...?"
Riel, realizing the conversation had drifted, voiced her confusion. Tori tried to return to the previous topic, and Kaya felt there was something even before that.
"Was it the mandarin oranges?"
Milly held up the orange she was halfway through eating.
That reminded me, too.
"Ah, right. Didn't it start from me saying, 'I'm finally relaxing'?"
"That's right. Yuki-san was worried about us..."
"And then it became a conversation about whether it was okay for Milly and the others to be away from their posts..."
"And then it turned into a talk about the budget."
That was how it went.
"Well, in any case, the point is that while everyone else is busy, we’re happy because we can relax."
"That’s true."
"It’s so warm and cozy in the kotatsu."
"And the oranges are delicious."
"This is invincible."
As Kaya says, the kotatsu, mandarin oranges, and a *hanten* jacket are said to be the three sacred treasures of winter.
"I mean, we were busy until the 3rd, after all. Securing those New Year's lucky bags was literally an all-nighter."
"Ah, that happened. We were left to watch the house, though."
"It couldn't be helped. We couldn't put any strain on the babies."
The pregnant members didn't participate in the lucky bag acquisition operation.
Seraria and the others had at least that much conscience.
But because our numbers were reduced, we ended up having to fight through numerous battlefields.
By the way, the lucky bag Milly wanted contained premium sake, and Tori’s was from a famous shop for cute winter cold-weather gear.
Both bags were targeted by the main force of our strongest members.
Calling in Steve and his group as reinforcements was definitely the right move.
"And after that, Luna showed up with bottles of booze."
"That sake was delicious, wasn't it?"
"It was very delicious."
Just when we secured the lucky bags and thought we could finally rest, Luna showed up.
Well, since it was divine sake, it didn't cause any issues for the pregnant women, and it was highly praised by Milly, Narjia-san, Riel, and Kaya.
It truly lived up to the name of "divine sake."
However, in the end, I was the one stuck with the cooking and cleaning up, so it was exhausting.
"And on the 2nd and 3rd, the bigwigs from other countries came to pay their respects."
Just when Luna was done, the VIPs from other countries started arriving on the 2nd for New Year's greetings. I had to handle them, and there was preparation involved, so it was incredibly busy.
Honestly, I thought about whether it might be better to just seal the gates during the New Year.
Well, fortunately, they didn't stay for a week or anything; they just used Weed’s gates for a bit of international exchange and then headed back, so I’m grateful for that.
"And so, this is the peace I’ve finally obtained. *Nom.*"
I peeled a mandarin and popped it into my mouth.
Yes, this is the relaxing time I finally earned.
The incredibly busy period is finally over.
Lying around at home is my current mission. ...Well, not really.
I actually had plans today.
"I forgot. Well, it’s not that much of a hassle, so it’s fine."
"Is there something going on?"
Milly tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"I told you, it’s not a hassle. It’s just a hobby of mine. Sort of like Seraria and the others' lucky bags."
"Are you going shopping? If so, I’ll..."
"Ah, it’s not fair if only Tori goes. I’m going too."
"I’m staying here in the kotatsu eating oranges."
Tori and Riel lifted their hips, preparing to go, apparently intending to tag along.
Kaya, however, had no intention of going out into the cold and seemed determined to stay home in her "invincible" setup.