More and More Like a Home

"Phew! That should do it!"

Chiba gently nudged the slightly crooked cup into place, let out a breath, then turned to look over the transformed kitchen and wiped away a bead of sweat.

"Finished?"

At that moment, Hirohiko pulled aside the gray cloth curtain and poked his head out. A bead of sweat slid down his cheek to his chin before dripping softly to the floor.

"Yeah, finished. We managed to get it done before dinner."

Looking at Hirohiko, Chiba nodded. He swept his gaze over the kitchen, now half again as large, the dining table and chairs that had been moved inside, and the wooden cabinet on the wall beside him, then silently nodded again.

This little cabin was really starting to look the part.

And a thought quietly rose in his heart.

It was becoming more and more like a home.

"Mm."

Hirohiko looked over the kitchen and silently nodded as well.

Three hours earlier, after he and Nao had finished sorting their things and come over, they had followed Chiba's suggestion and expanded the originally crude kitchen. Chiba had even made a new wall cabinet—the one now mounted on the wooden wall.

At this moment, in their eyes, the kitchen was centered around the dining table. From the perspective of facing the kitchen, at the innermost end, directly ahead, was the newly built stove. To the left was something like a sink meant specifically for washing, sloping slightly downward and extending all the way outside so that the wastewater drained directly out of the kitchen. To the right stood the three-tiered wall cabinet, along with a long counter extending from the wooden wall for pots, bowls, and utensils.

The first tier of the cabinet held seasonings and other cooking supplies. The second held their toiletries, with four