# Chapter 12
“Arden, are you trying to become a carpenter now too?”
“I guess so.”
“It might suit you better than being a sculptor.”
No sooner had Pini finished speaking than Rite approached from the side. The reason for keeping it a secret was nothing special. It was just meant to be a surprise gift.
The cabin only had one room that could be called a bedroom—mine. I had been thinking that someday I should make at least one small room. While I was just thinking about it, lately Rite seemed to be getting more clingy, so I finally started the house repairs I had been putting off.
I knew well how meaningful it was for a child that age to have their own space. Making a room right away had been difficult to do, so I had postponed it, but it seemed like if I kept delaying like this, it would never happen.
That’s why I thought I’d first practice by making a tree house, which seemed easier, and afterward make Rite’s room.
“Rite. I’ll look after Pini, so could you go to the storage and bring some wooden planks? There are some piled up at the entrance, so they should be easy to find.”
“Okay.”
Rite nodded and headed toward the back of the cabin almost at a run. I cleared the blueprint from the box and had Pini sit on it. I began inspecting Pini by opening its back with the tools placed nearby.
No matter how perfectly designed and built a robot Plin had created, machines don’t last forever. Even with the highest performance magical device implanted in its head and the best aether heart in the world inserted, if regular inspections aren’t done and parts aren’t replaced, Pini would stop working.
To prevent this, I was periodically asking Pini to run errands. I was the only one who could check Pini’s condition, but since I couldn’t go to Pini directly, we found a method that would benefit us both.
“Rite is really growing fast.”
“That’s what worries me.”
“If it’s too much for you, I could take care of him.”
“You?”
I could see Pini nodding with its back still turned to me.
“I could look after him at Plin’s house. There are spare rooms there too.”
“It would be harder to stay hidden there, wouldn’t it? There are more people too.”
“Even so, Kamalon is just a slightly larger village than Winterishe. When he grows even more and there’s no more excuses to give, I could take him in.”
Pini’s suggestion wasn’t bad. It was worth considering. Since Pini had experience raising me with Plin, it wouldn’t be difficult. Nevertheless, I wasn’t completely comfortable with it.
Is it that I still don’t feel at ease with Pini? Since nothing else came to mind, I had to conclude that for now.
“I appreciate the offer, but still…”
“It doesn’t matter to me either way.”
When I hesitated, Pini ended the conversation first. I closed my mouth, feeling awkward. Of course, Pini being a robot wouldn’t feel awkwardness from this conversation. Still, it bothered me.
“Arden!”
At that moment, Rite came running from a distance, carrying an armful of wooden planks. “He’s gotten strong too,” Pini muttered quietly.
“Isn’t it heavy? You can put it down anywhere here.”
“No, it’s not heavy. Is there anything else I can do?”
“I’ll let you know if something comes up.”
After finishing a simple inspection and closing the lid, Pini stood up.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“You’re leaving already? Stay and watch Arden make the tree house.”
“I’ll see it when it’s finished.”
Despite Rite’s words, Pini slung the emptied bag on its back and headed back out of the forest. Pini usually didn’t stay long and would return right away. Rite seemed somewhat disappointed by this and followed a few steps to see Pini off.
I watched them and then started making the ladder first. I cut the planks with a saw and fitted them together to form the frame of the ladder. After saying goodbye, Rite sat next to me and watched me work.
I was planning to make a small house that could fit just one person, supported by a single tree, not a large tree house supported by multiple trees.
I thought it wouldn’t take more than a few days, but it wasn’t as easy as I’d expected. Even making just one ladder required checking the blueprint several times.
“Is there still nothing I can do?”
“Yeah. If you’re bored, you can go inside and read a book.”
Despite my words, Rite shook his head. His expression clearly showed he was dying of boredom, which made me feel rushed. Once I finished the ladder, there would be a few errands Rite could help with.
As I hurriedly tried to fit wood into notches, I felt a sharp pain in my hand. I seemed to have been pricked by a protruding piece of wood. I had taken off my gloves briefly to check the blueprint and forgot to put them back on.
“Are you hurt?”
“Huh? No. I’m fine.”
I had only slightly frowned without making any noise, but somehow Rite noticed and jumped up from his seat.
“Let me see your hand.”
“I said I’m fine. Could you go get my gloves…”
Regardless of what I said, Rite snatched the wood from my hand, threw it on the ground, and forcefully pulled my hand.
“Hey, don’t throw that… No, more importantly, if you touch things with bare hands…”
“You’re bleeding.”
Had Rite always been this strong? I blankly looked down at the top of Rite’s head as he easily pulled the hand of an adult man like me.
“Arden, you’re bleeding.”
“Bleeding?”
Only then did I check my finger to find a wound smaller than a finger joint. A small wound that was almost embarrassing to call a wound.
“It’s barely bleeding. It’s fine. Could you bring my gloves over there?”
“It needs treatment.”
“No, I said it’s fine, how many times…”
“You’re bleeding.”
Rite looked up and met my eyes. The gaze felt somehow unfamiliar. The height seemed higher than usual. He must have grown taller again in the meantime.
“It must hurt.”
“It doesn’t hurt much.”
I suddenly wondered how old Rite was now. Something neither Rite himself nor I knew.
“Let’s go home and put medicine on it.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
I had no choice but to surrender. Only then did Rite look at me with a relieved expression.
They say a child is a mirror of their caretaker. Had I been overreacting to Rite’s small wounds? Books said that guardians should always be composed. Whenever I looked at Rite, endless self-reflection followed. I didn’t want to make Rite anxious.
I put down what I was holding and returned home with Rite. Until right before washing my hands at home, Rite stubbornly refused to let go of my hand. At this rate, I had no idea when I would be able to make Rite’s room.
* * *
The completed tree house didn’t look very good externally, as I had focused only on safety, making it quite rugged. It almost looked like a squirrel’s bunker. Nevertheless, Rite seemed to like it, spending most of his days up in the tree like a squirrel.
When I was making something, he would peek out with just his head showing, watching, and then scurry down offering to help. On days like today when I had to go down to the village alone, he would spend time up in the tree.
The work that initially didn’t progress well somehow became manageable as my hands got used to it. Just when I thought I was getting more skilled, the house repairs were finally coming to an end. It had been a much larger project than planned.
While making a new room, I ended up overhauling the entire cabin. I fixed the creaking floor and covered gaps in the walls with wooden planks.
To improve insulation, I covered the plywood with solid tree bark and then applied mud mixed with grass. The trees in the Winter Forest didn’t freeze to death thanks to their solid bark. With bark and mud applied, it would be much warmer than before.
By now, it seemed like I could work as a carpenter rather than an engineer. If Plin had seen me doing this kind of work, he would have laughed and said it was impressive.
As I moved the goods I had bought from the village into the house, I looked up at the wooden house in the tree. I wondered what he did up there all day.
If I climbed the ladder, I would immediately see the child, but I refrained. I had read in a book that respecting privacy was most important at this age.
Would it be okay to ask what he’s doing?
With these thoughts, I entered the newly created room. The room was a modest size but looked empty with nothing in it. I planned to start with the most urgent item—a bed. I arranged the bedding I had bought from the village on the frame I had made yesterday, but it still looked sparse.
I also displayed the toys (which had now become purely decorative as they were no longer used) that were scattered around the house in the room. Somehow, the row of wooden carvings made the room look even stranger.
“Pini would have something to say about this if he saw it.”
Finally, I hung the most crudely made mobile on one wall. The mobile and toys made it look much more like a young child’s room, but this was the best I could do.
I could fill it in slowly. With that thought, I closed the door. I was looking forward to seeing Rite’s reaction when he opened the door.
When the tree house was completed, he had been so excited, climbing up like a squirrel in an instant. Even with black horns on his head, he was still cute as a squirrel.
Suppressing my excitement, I went outside and saw the small tree house. I stood under the tree and called for Rite.
“Rite. Come down for a moment.”
Then a small face popped out from the tree above. Just like a real squirrel. This time there were no horns on his head.
“Do you need me to do something?”
“Yes. Come down.”
Rite nodded and quickly slid down the ladder. “Be careful.” To my small nagging, Rite nodded half-listening.
“What is it?”
“The luggage is too heavy. Help me carry it.”
“Okay.”
Rite nodded willingly. Rite usually cheerfully complied when asked to run errands or when something was requested of him. Finding this admirable, I stroked his head once, and Rite smiled with his eyes curved.
“Where to?”
“The newly made room. It’s in there.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Rite excitedly entered the house. He had been curious about what room I was making, so it was natural to be excited. I also followed Rite into the house. As Rite passed through the entrance and the living room, he turned his head and asked me:
“Arden, what will this room be used for?”
“Open the door and you’ll see.”
Rite was excited as if exploring an unknown world. Quickly heading to the front of the room, he grasped the doorknob with his small hand.
With a nervous feeling, I stood beside Rite. The door opened smoothly without any creaking sound. I was secretly proud of this point. It was thanks to completely re-oiling the door frame.
“Um… why is all this here…”
“Ta-da! What do you think?”
Rite murmured softly, looking at his toys arranged in the room. I quickly cut off Rite’s words and looked at him with an encouraging sound. Rite still seemed confused, unable to grasp the situation.
