Cutting Bamboo

We had come to a bamboo grove owned by Shigeru-san to collect some bamboo.

“Whoa, so this is a bamboo grove! There’s bamboo growing everywhere!”

Seram looked overwhelmed as she gazed at the bamboo stretching as far as the eye could see.

“It’s certainly cooler here with all this shade.”

I had been sweating so much on the way here that I felt like I was drying out, but once we entered the bamboo grove, the sunlight was blocked out, and the surroundings became pleasantly cool.

Looking up, I could see the beautiful blue sky peeking through the gaps between the bamboo stalks.

In the countryside, you could see the contrast between green and blue almost anywhere, but there was something particularly charming about this little glimpse of the sky through the bamboo.

Whenever the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, producing a sound reminiscent of waves washing against the shore.

“All right, let’s get started cutting some bamboo.”

After all, we had come here to collect bamboo, not to stroll through the grove.

It was so cool and comfortable that I wanted to relax, but we didn’t have time to waste.

The longer we spent here, the longer it would take before we could enjoy our flowing somen noodles.

“Which bamboo should we cut?”

For flowing somen noodles, we needed bamboo that was neither too thin nor too thick.

“Something about this thick should do.”

“Yeah, that thickness looks about right.”

It was about twenty centimeters in diameter. That should have been just right for making a flowing somen noodle channel.

“Well, I’ll head over there and cut some.”

“Got it. Seram and I will cut the bamboo around here.”

Since bamboo stalks were long and could be dangerous if people were standing nearby, we decided to keep our distance from one another while cutting them down.

“All right, you’ve got your rubber gloves and safety goggles on, right?”

“Indeed, everything is in order!”

“First, I’ll show you how to cut bamboo.”

I approached a nearby bamboo stalk.

“First, you need to check which direction the bamboo naturally leans to determine its center of gravity. In this case, most of the weight is toward the back, so you should insert the saw from the front, where the cut will open as you work. If you cut from the opposite side, the bamboo’s weight will pinch the saw blade, so you have to be careful.”

“I see.”

As I moved the saw while explaining, Seram nodded in understanding.

“Another thing to watch out for is the fibers. Bamboo splits easily, so splinters can fly everywhere. That’s why wearing safety goggles to protect your eyes is essential.”

That was also why we were wearing rubber gloves.

“Those are the main things to watch out for. Think you can handle it?”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

Pleased with Seram’s enthusiastic response, I handed her a saw designed for cutting bamboo.

She then found a bamboo stalk a short distance away from me and placed the saw against it.

With practiced movements, she worked the saw and cut through the bamboo in no time.

The bamboo slowly toppled over with a series of cracking sounds.

“Like that?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

Her movements were just as practiced as when she had helped repair the roof tiles.

Apparently, she had received training as a combat engineer, so she was probably accustomed to using saws for this sort of work.

After confirming that Seram could cut down bamboo without any problems, I started working my own saw.

Thin bamboo could be cut down quickly, but once it reached around twenty centimeters in diameter, it became much harder and couldn’t be cut through nearly as easily.

Its unusual flexibility also made it difficult to cut because it kept moving around.

After struggling with it for about five minutes, I finally managed to cut down a single stalk.

“…This is taking longer than I expected. Maybe I should’ve borrowed a chainsaw.”

Still, it was too late for regrets now.

It would be faster to keep using the saw than to go all the way back and borrow one.

As I dragged the fallen bamboo over to collect it, Seram returned carrying about three stalks of her own.

She had managed to cut down three stalks in such a short time. Her physical abilities never ceased to amaze me.

“Say, Jin-dono, I have a suggestion. May I?”

“What is it?”

Seram set the bamboo on the ground and spoke while placing a hand on the weapon hanging from her waist.

“Would it be all right if I used my sword?”

“You mean you want to cut the bamboo with your sword?”

“Precisely. I believe it would be considerably easier and save much more time than using a saw.”

“Can you even cut bamboo with a sword?”

I had seen masters cutting bamboo with Japanese swords on television, but as a complete amateur, I had no idea whether it was actually possible.

Besides, Seram carried a Western-style sword, not a Japanese sword. Could she really cut through bamboo cleanly with that?

“Jin-dono, are you doubting my skills!? I was a knight in service to the kingdom, you know! Something as trivial as bamboo is no different from tofu to me! I’ll slice right through it!”

Seram protested indignantly, clearly offended by my doubts.

Apparently, my question had wounded her pride as a knight.

Well, if she was that confident, I supposed there was no harm in letting her try.

This bamboo grove belonged to Shigeru-san, and no one besides us, who had received permission, would be coming inside.

My only concern was Kaito, but he was cutting bamboo some distance away, so there was no chance of him seeing her.

“All right, then. Go ahead and give it a try.”

“Very well. Jin-dono, please stand back a little.”

I stepped away from Seram as instructed.

Seram slowly drew the sword from its sheath.

A clear metallic ring sounded as the blade slid free, revealing its silvery-white surface.

Normally, with the sword hanging at her waist, she looked like someone carrying a replica weapon, but seeing her draw it was an entirely different experience.

Come to think of it, this was my first time seeing Seram properly holding her sword in a fighting stance.

Last time, she had collapsed into the rice paddy almost immediately after drawing it.

As I watched with bated breath, Seram, who had been holding her sword in a middle guard stance, suddenly moved.

By the time I registered her movement, she had already completed her swing.

One flash, then another, then a third streaked through the air. A moment later, three bamboo stalks fell, their tops severed diagonally.

“Holy crap! You sliced through the bamboo in an instant!”

When I examined the cut surfaces, I found that they were far cleaner than those made with the saw.

The smooth surfaces were proof of genuine skill, not merely the result of swinging a sharp blade.

“Hmph. Any knight worth their salt should be capable of this much.”

Seram was trying to appear composed, but the corners of her mouth had curled upward slightly.

Apparently, she was delighted that I had praised her swordsmanship. She was so easy to read.

“Still, it feels wonderful to swing my sword again after so long.”

Seram gazed at her sword with a refreshed expression.

“You know, saving time was just an excuse, wasn’t it? You simply wanted to swing your sword around.”

Seram’s shoulders twitched in surprise, confirming that my suspicion had been correct.

I had thought something was strange when she made such an unusually logical suggestion.

“Ugh! Can you blame me!? Before I came here, I practiced with my sword every single day! But in this world, I can barely swing it at all because of that Firearms and Swords Control Law or whatever it’s called! Try putting yourself in my position!”

Perhaps it was similar to how someone who practiced archery or kendo every day would feel if they suddenly couldn’t train anymore.

I had never undergone that kind of training myself, so I couldn’t claim to understand exactly how she felt. Still, it was only natural to become frustrated if something that had been part of your daily routine was suddenly forbidden.

If someone suddenly told me I couldn’t work in my fields starting tomorrow, I would probably be at a complete loss too.

Perhaps I should think of some way for Seram to let off steam.

“Hey, I heard some pretty loud noises. Everything okay over here?”

While I was thinking about that, Kaito approached us carrying some bamboo.

“Put your sword away.”

“Ah! R-right!”

When I spoke to the absentminded Seram, she hurriedly returned her sword to its sheath.

I really wished she would be a little more mindful of the danger.

“Several bamboo stalks just fell at the same time. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, I see. Whoa, you guys have cut down quite a lot!”

“How many did you get?”

“Three.”

“With this much, we should have plenty to give Shigeru-san too. Shall we start heading back?”

“Sounds good!”

Two bamboo stalks would have been more than enough for flowing somen noodles, including a spare.

We had only cut extra because Shigeru-san wanted to share some with others, so this should have been plenty.

“Then all we need to do is carry these to the truck, correct?”

“Ahaha, Seram-san. Bamboo is pretty heavy, so don’t push yourself. Just leave it to us and—WHAT!?”

Kaito had been chuckling casually, but his expression instantly turned serious when Seram hoisted three bamboo stalks onto her shoulder at once.

“I may not look it, but I’m quite confident in my strength. I appreciate your concern, but there’s no need to worry so much about me.”

Meanwhile, Seram didn’t even notice Kaito’s astonishment. She simply smiled and walked away.

Kaito stood there dumbfounded, watching Seram stride off with the bamboo.

“So, as you can see, Seram’s pretty strong. You don’t need to worry about her.”

“…No, I feel like ‘pretty strong’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Apparently unconvinced by my explanation, Kaito tried to lift three bamboo stalks onto his shoulder at once.

His face turned bright red as he strained to lift them, but the bamboo didn’t budge.

“…”

Rather than overexert ourselves, we each carried one bamboo stalk at a time on our shoulders and loaded them into the truck.