落とし穴１０６堀：今年も今日で終わり (Part1)
The 106th Pitfall: Today Marks the End of the Year
Today marks the end of the year.
Side: Yuki
"Hoo, hoo..."
I blew out a breath, trying to cool the hot tea even a little.
Well, I didn't expect it to cool down that much, but it's a matter of form, something I just had to do.
After blowing for a while and being satisfied, I brought the teacup to my lips and took a sip.
"Ah, it's hot..."
As expected, it didn't cool down easily. While sipping the tea and saying "haff, haff," I glanced at the clock.
The current time is 8:30 AM.
Normally, this is the time when everyone finishes breakfast and heads to work, but today is different. Everyone is still relaxing at the dining table.
The reason is...
Today's date is December 31st.
In other words, today is New Year's Eve, the last day of the year.
Shops are busy earning money, and the administration is swamped with managing festivals and events, but our household isn't as involved this year.
The administrative and commercial management of Weed is already handled by the next generation of representatives, and most of the former representatives, my wives, are taking it easy.
...Well, *most* of them.
"Ugh. Why do I still have work to do?"
"Now, now, Milly, you're the liaison with the Adventurer's Guild, after all."
"Gah! I just had a baby, and I'm stuck organizing all this paperwork!"
"There aren't many people who can do that job."
"Ratz, help me out!"
"I don't mind, but I can only help with calculations, you know? I don't understand any of the Adventurer's Guild-related documents."
"Even that would be a great help! Alright, let's finish this quickly, and in the afternoon, we can relax with Yuki-san."
"Yes, that sounds good. Then, big brother, everyone, I'm off."
"Yuki-san, everyone, we're off."
"Yes. Have a good day."
" " "Have a good day!" " "
We watched them go.
My wives, who are still working as representatives or diplomats, are busy like that.
Especially for diplomats, this time of year, the turning of the year, is the most crucial.
"Haa, shall we go too...?"
"Yes, we should..."
"...I'm slacking off."
"We can't do that. Agusto is quite unstable right now, and we've been asked to provide support from Zilba."
"Me too. There are all sorts of rumors reaching Rodey, so if Cleena slacks off, it'll just cause more trouble."
"...Damn it."
Just like that, Jessica and the others also left.
The If Continent, with whom formal exchanges between countries began this year, is busy like this.
Cleena, despite grumbling, is working hard with Jessica and Samantha to adjust things so that the rather turbulent Agusto doesn't cause any trouble.
"Well, since the members on the If Continent are working hard, let's get to it too. Shera."
"Yes. Rurua-san. Let's do our best, Labyris."
"This is such a hassle... But I have to do it. I'll be back quickly."
With that, the diplomatic members of the Rogari Continent also departed.
Well, this is something we're used to. It's busy, but probably less so than the If Continent members.
And the last to leave is...
"Being Queen is just a hassle. Why does the New Year's greeting recording have to be today? The New Year's greeting is scheduled for the first day anyway... Why is it like this? Last year it was the third day, wasn't it?"
"That's something the current representatives decided. We can't really say anything... According to them, they made quite a concession regarding the recording. They wanted her to speak live. And they wanted the New Year's greeting to be from the Lord's Manor or the church starting from midnight."
"Haa. Shouldn't there be a law that Queens and royalty also take it easy for the first three days of the year?"
"Perhaps. But please do your best today. I'll have a proper meal waiting for you."
"Yes, yes... Her Majesty the Queen is going to work!"
Convinced by Eris, Her Majesty the Queen of Weed, Seraria, heads to work.
Just last year, when the leadership and representatives of Weed were mostly family, there were New Year's holidays. But since the representatives have changed this year, they decided to have the Queen give her words of encouragement, leading to her working on New Year's.
Well, that's the fate of royalty.
However, I, and the members waiting at home, also have to attend the New Year's international party.
Even though I'm no longer a representative, my influence remains. And as the Queen's consort, I cannot possibly not accompany her.
I had hoped for at least the first three days of the New Year... but it seems Seraria can't even have that.
Good luck with your work!
"Well, it seems everyone going to work has departed. Shall we start cooking?"
" "Yes." "
The members remaining at home, in turn, prepare for the New Year, so it's not just a day off.
For those who are homemakers, New Year's is, in a way, a very busy time.
After all, there's *osechi* cuisine, *toshikoshi soba*, and tonight's dinner, among other things.
In addition to these special dishes, there are also *mochi* and other special sweets.
Of course, it varies from household to household.
The most demanding part is probably the gathering of relatives after the New Year.
We have to handle the international party while also preparing for our own family gathering.
Although I find it troublesome, I reconfirm the inventory of ingredients and check if anything is missing.
It would be a disaster if we ran out of alcohol or something at the last minute.
Next is preparing the venue for the gathering of relatives, which is essentially a drinking party and banquet.
Fortunately, our house is also an inn, so we can use the banquet hall we always use. However, we need to clean it thoroughly again, and since there will be many people, we need to check if we have enough zabuton cushions.
Doing these things makes me understand the hardships of the women who were busy with family gatherings.
I'm not pushing the work onto the women, but I couldn't really help out much either.
The kitchen is the women's domain, and men are in the way. That was the general sentiment. The most I did was carry heavy boxes of canned beer.
As I thought about such things, taking care of the children and preparing for the New Year, the sun quickly began to set, and the end of the year was finally approaching.
"Whew. We made it just in time."
"We did, didn't we?"
"We did!"
The three of us let out a sigh of relief, looking at the completed dinner and the parts of the *osechi* cuisine we had prepared earlier.
Our household is now a large family.
Preparing for it is quite a task.
"But that doesn't mean we should buy pre-made food from the supermarket."
"I don't want to."
"I don't want to either."
Yes. Due to the recent intense work, we haven't been able to eat meals together often.
That's precisely why we want to have homemade food for the New Year.