It’s a hobby, hmm?
Come to think of it, I might not have had any hobbies.
“…”
“No, is this really something to think about so seriously?”
“Thinking about it calmly, I didn’t have any hobbies that I was passionate about. I did enjoy fighting, and I didn’t have any aversion to training itself. If I had to say, was weight training my hobby?”
When people talk about hobbies, I think the first things that come to mind are reading or tennis.
But did I have any hobbies of that kind?
When I was working myself to the bone at my previous job, I sometimes went to the kendo dojo to relieve my lack of exercise.
As for popular manga and games, I bought them, stacked them up, and left them untouched.
Since joining this company, I became so engrossed in training my body that before I knew it, I had been promoted this far.
Even when I was on dates with Suella and the others, I felt like I was adjusting to them, and I never fully indulged in my own hobbies.
“No, that’s work too, isn’t it?”
“A hobby that doubles as work?”
“They’ll call you a workaholic!”
It’s a hobby that combines work and pleasure, like training, but if I boldly declared it a hobby, Kaido would be right in saying I’m a person whose only passion in life is work.
“For reference, does Kaido have any hobbies?”
“Me? Lately, I’ve been using my free time to build golems with Amili-chan and the others. Sometimes I build practical things, but lately, I prioritize fun. It’s surprisingly fun, and I’m really getting into it.”
“Is it like building plastic models?”
“It’s close to that, but the freedom is considerably high. It’s also good that it’s surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it.”
Kaido also used to be the type of person who only went home to sleep after work and then went back to work in the morning, a schedule like that.
Like me, I thought he didn’t have hobbies, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“I also build motorcycles and cars, and then the three of us go on touring trips and drives.”
“Where should I even start with this? I understand that it’s a hobby related to crafting things, but what you’re doing goes beyond the scope of a hobby.”
“Hobbies are things that grow the more you get into them. I started out just enjoying it casually, but once I got hooked, I kept progressing.”
Building golems and cars, Kaido’s crafting hobbies seem quite serious.
“We get to use Amili-chan’s private land to store the things we make, so for the next house, it would be nice if it could be a place where we can put those too.”
“OK, I understand you enjoy your hobbies. But a hobby, huh? It’s fine to do something in between work, but if I have that free time, I’d rather increase the time I spend with my daughter.”
“It’s no fun if you force it. The premise of a hobby is to enjoy it.”
However, for me, who is so busy and doesn’t have much free time, starting something new is a step I can’t easily take.
If I had the time, I’d rather spend it interacting with my family.
You might think I’m neglecting myself, but that’s the most important thing to me, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Enjoyment, that’s certainly important.”
And as Kaido says, there’s no need to force yourself to start a hobby you can’t enjoy.
“Kitamiya-chan says she enjoys looking at the latest fashion. Min-chan enjoys games. Katsu-kun enjoys cooking, and Amelia-chan enjoys dancing.”
“Hearing that, everyone has hobbies, doesn’t it?”
I think starting something might be good, but when I consider actually starting, I can’t immediately think of what to start.
I fold my arms and ponder, but it’s not easy to come up with a hobby that suits me.
“How about sports? Senpai, you like to exercise, right?”
“I do, but…”
I reconsider doing sports, as Kaido asked.
If it’s sports, I can invite Suella and the others to join, so isn’t it not a bad idea?
Tennis, basketball, volleyball – all ball sports.
Athletics, and even slightly less common sports like Kabaddi.
After considering various options.
“Whatever I do, it seems like it would turn into a hyper-dimensional sport like in manga.”
“That’s unavoidable, isn’t it? I think it would be difficult for us to play sports normally right now.”
“That’s true.”
I could easily imagine it turning into something other than the sports you see on TV broadcasts.
That, in itself, seems like it could be rewarding.
I think playing tennis with Evia might be quite interesting, but that’s just at the level of doing it for a change of pace.
If I were to seriously pursue it as a hobby, it feels different.
“Having too high physical abilities is also a problem. How about you try making golems with me? It’s good to have high stats for crafting, but it’s not just about that.”
“Golem making, huh?”
Movement-related activities are generally interesting, but I don’t have the time to do them continuously.
So, I was a little hesitant, but what about crafting?
Before, I made a cottage with Suella, and I found that doing things steadily suited me quite well.
Golem making is also an unknown territory for me, so I’m interested.
“If we wanted to, we could even build a giant golem that we could ride!”
“Whoa, that’s romantic.”
Hearing that we can build golems like giant robots fulfills a dream I’ve had as a man.
“The problem is that building dedicated facilities from scratch would cost quite a bit.”
“By any chance, how much would that cost?”
“Who knows? I use Amili-chan’s facilities, so I don’t know the exact price, but it seems like it would cost at least ten million to build a facility where you can make small golems.”
“…Considering building a giant golem.”
“It would probably cost at least hundreds of millions. Even then, it’s considered on the cheaper side.”
“…Honestly, though.”
However, romance comes with the drawback of cost money.
The initial investment for facilities would be tens of millions at minimum, and while I have the financial power to pay for it, I don’t have the drive to spend that much on a hobby I’m just trying out.
“Golem building has a huge initial investment, that’s what they say. But if you master it, you can do things like Amili-chan.”
“Still, I really can’t afford that amount.”
Even though I thought it was quite appealing, I think it’s a bit regrettable. I feel like it would be easier to continue with a more modest hobby.
I’m not coming up with any good hobbies.
I sip my alcohol, listen to music, and think. Did the lack of hobbies and my immersion in work catch up with me?
I want to do things that involve work and family time. While those are good things, I’ve become a slightly lonely man at this point.
When I think about it, the instructors also have clear hobbies.
Instructor Kio enjoys alcohol, and Instructor Fushio is into magic development.
The former genuinely likes banquets, while the latter combines hobby and practical use.
“Master, do you have any hobbies that would be just right for Senpai to start?”
Kaido asks the Master, who is silently polishing glasses, a question about a hobby that’s quite a high hurdle to meet with the word “just right.” The Master shows a gesture of thinking without any sign of annoyance.
“Well, I don’t know if it will be helpful, but I’ve always loved alcohol. Before I opened my own shop, I traveled the world seeking out various drinks. I even became an adventurer just to drink. In those days, my main job was as an adventurer, and half of the money I earned went towards equipment, and the other half towards alcohol. In that sense, as the Human Kings said, doing what you love is probably important. It’s good to look for new things to do, but I think it’s best to base your choices on what you love, as it leads to good encounters.”
And then, the Master’s words, which were safe but resonated deeply within me, made me nod in agreement.
“Thank you, Master. While you’re at it, could I get another recommendation?”
“Certainly.”
He replies with a smile to the order that also serves as a thank you and begins to prepare the drinks.
“What I love, huh?”
“That’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it? If you’re not interested, you won’t stick with it.”
What do I love? I think about it.
“Being with my family, I guess.”
“You’ve been saying that, but is there something specific?”
“My parents were quite free spirits, weren’t they? I definitely felt their love, but I always sensed something different from a typical family, so I guess I aspire to have a normal family to be with.”
At that point, the time I spend with Suella and the others naturally comes to mind.
There, I find genuine enjoyment, solace, and peace.
I couldn’t imagine neglecting that to become immersed in a hobby.
“Ah, if that’s the case, a hobby that you do alone won’t work.”
“Yeah… That’s how it would be.”
I thought that a hobby I could immerse myself in alone would lead to me being unable to concentrate because I’d be worried about Suella and my other wives, Yukiera and Sachiera, and the child Evia would soon have.
“Hmm, in that case, it has to be a hobby that can be enjoyed with family.”
“I suppose so.”
I thought to myself that the conditions were getting more complicated as I started to think that there was no need to force myself to start something. Just then, the Master, who had quietly prepared another drink, spoke to me with a look of sudden inspiration.
“In that case, I have a personal dream. Would you mind hearing it?”
“Master’s dream?”
“Yes, it might be helpful.”
I wonder what kind of story he’s about to tell.
“I love alcohol so much that I opened a pub, and as I’ve savored various drinks, I’ve come to think that I want the ideal drink. Since you, Human King, drink a lot, how about pursuing your own ideal drink?”
“My own sake? You mean making sake myself?”
“No, from what I’ve heard, you, Human King, are very busy, so I don’t think you have much time to do anything yourself. Sake brewing requires considerable patience and time, so that would be impossible. Therefore, I propose investing in brewers and having them make sake for you. From their perspective, they receive support for their sake brewing, and you, Human King, get sake that evolves daily and approaches your ideal taste, creating a cycle. Then you can enjoy that sake with your family, and in the future, you can enjoy it with your children. It might be a little late to start now, but wouldn’t it be enjoyable to age homemade sake from the year your child was born and drink it together when they become of age?”
It was a proposal more convincing and appealing than I had imagined.
No offense, but many people around me, including my family, drink alcohol.
Sharing sake that aligns with my ideal taste with those people, even in the form of investment, would be quite good, wouldn’t it?
Last time, with the golems, I hesitated to spend that much money, but with this story, I’m already half-decided that I’m willing to move a considerable amount of money.
“Master, I’d like to hear more about that. If possible, it would be helpful if you had any connections to skilled craftsmen.”
At the moment I said these words, my hobby was decided.
Today’s word:
Looking back, you can see yourself.
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