"I'll go buy a machine that can be powered by this. Wait here for about an hour, and I'll show you something amazing!"
With that, I stored the generator in my item box and transferred back to Japan. The new destination was near the electronics store in the neighboring town.
I quickly entered an electronics store and bought a Blu-ray player and a 32-inch television. I declined delivery, awkwardly managing to carry both boxes through the store until the staff was out of sight, where I promptly hid them away. Someone might have seen me, but I assured myself it was just a trick of the light.
Next was finding some software. It didn't have to be new, so renting was an option—but returning them would be a hassle. Used discs would be better. I recalled that the video rental store nearby had a section for new and used Blu-rays and DVDs, even though I hadn't been inside before.
I transferred to the store without hesitation, remembered its location, and entered, grabbing a basket by the entrance. I headed straight to the sales area. It didn't take much thought to realize that the kids and Lisa wouldn't understand Japanese, so I needed to find something they could enjoy by the pictures. That meant looking for anime—specifically, children's anime. I casually selected about ten titles from the kids' section, tossed them into the basket, and paid at the counter by the exit before leaving the store.
As soon as I transferred back to the living room of the mansion, I unpacked the television and Blu-ray player and set them up. The kids returned while I was busy with the equipment. "Just a little longer, okay?" I reassured them. With the setup complete, I moved on to the power cord extension.
I placed the generator back in the backyard, started the engine, and plugged in the extension cord from the generator's outlet, then brought the cord into the house. The generator I bought can output either 100 or 200 volts at 5.5 kVA. I learned that in single-phase AC, kVA and kilowatts are essentially equivalent. This unit has quite a bit of capacity.
Unfortunately, a single extension cord was not long enough to reach the living room, so I coiled it up and made a second one. Connecting both extension cords together, I easily reached close to the living room equipment.
Next, I plugged the cable from the television into the outlet of the extension cord, but ended up with the BD player's cable hanging loose. "Oh no! I needed a power strip!" I quickly dashed back to the electronics store where I had just bought the TV and picked up a power strip with multiple outlets.
Returning to the living room, I connected the newly purchased power strip and plugged in both the TV and BD player. Finally, I was all set. I turned on the TV, and after a moment, the screen lit up, but of course, there was no signal, and a warning flashed on the screen. There was nothing I could do about that.
Next, I powered on the BD player. When I pressed the player button on the TV remote, the player's menu appeared. It seemed all I needed to do was insert a disc.
What should I watch? I bought this used game thinking it would entertain me, but I should have picked something I could enjoy too. With no particular choice in mind, I grabbed a random title from the item box and slipped it into the Blu-ray player. The lid closed on its own, and playback started.
"Hey, everyone! If you're free, gather in the living room!" The four kids came running, but Lisa said she couldn't join because she was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.
As the disc spun in the player, I called out, "Look, this flat black plate shows pictures and plays sounds. It's called anime!" The children watched eagerly as the distributor's logo appeared on the screen, followed by the production company's logo. The simple moving text buzzed with excitement among them.
Once the theme music for the anime's opening began, the kids' chatter grew louder. Then, the title flashed prominently on the screen: *Cinderella and the Seven Big Friends.*
What the...? Taking a closer look at the case, I noticed the suggestive anime art along with a warning for ages 18 and up.
Quickly, I turned off the player and pulled out the disc—thankfully just in time. I decided I'd quietly watch it after the kids were asleep. I stashed the disc back in the item box.
"That's a mistake. Next time, you'll see something proper."
After checking for any 18+ labels on the remaining games, I discovered two more that had been marked. It seemed I'd unknowingly added them to my basket. I carefully stored those two in my item box. Out of ten games, three were ones I had unwittingly bought. Good job!
I decided to set those aside for later enjoyment and loaded the player with a harmless anime title. The case for the disc read, "Anime Japanese Folktales: Momo Taro and the Boar, Deer, and Butterfly." It had a slightly odd title, but it lacked an 18+ label and seemed free of any risqué scenes. The animation likely replaced the monkey, bird, and pheasant with a boar, deer, and butterfly to add originality. Whether Japanese children are familiar with the tale of the boar, deer, and butterfly is questionable, but it was clearly aimed at a young audience based on its art style.
As I watched the anime, I began explaining the story to the children who didn't understand Japanese. It was like a moving picture book.
The scene where the old woman picks up a large peach flowing down the river was perfectly ordinary, as was the moment when the old man returned from gathering firewood in the mountains and sliced open the peach with a knife.
From the peach emerged a lively boy who was named Momo Taro, completely in line with the classic tale of Momotaro.
Momo Tarou thrived wonderfully at first, but then the story took a strange turn. After defeating a bear in a sumo match during a chance encounter in the mountains, Momo Tarou decided to make the bear his servant and started practicing horseback riding while sitting on the bear's back. It felt like a completely different tale—was this truly the right direction?
By the time Momo Tarou turned ten, he had been playing with the forest animals when his grandfather got involved in flower card gambling and ended up badly burned. In the aftermath, his grandmother was forced to sell herself to pay off the debt. Surprisingly, she fetched quite a high price. This is the kind of convenient twist you'd find in a cartoon. In today's world, an old woman would be worth little—if anything at all; it's more likely you'd have to pay someone to take her. Am I exaggerating?
I might get scolded for such opinions, but these are just my personal thoughts. I hold no grudges against older women, just to clarify.
Determined to rescue his adoptive grandmother, Momo Tarou stormed into the infamous gambling den known as "Oni no Shima." With a spectacular win in a game of Oichō-Kabu, he faced off against the house dealer in a tense showdown. In a dramatic turn of events, he pulled a butterfly card at the last moment, scoring a stunning victory with "Inoshikachou"!
Just as the intimidating men at the gambling den tried to challenge Momo Tarou and reclaim their winnings, Momo's entourage—including the bear—burst in, overpowering the tough guys and taking control of the den.
Momo Taro completely forgot about the old woman and rose to power through managing the gambling den "Demon Island." In the end, he faced off against the lord of the castle in a high-stakes hanafuda game. Once again, Momo Taro won with a draw of Inoshikacho, leaving the lord in despair as he couldn't pay the large sum. Instead, the lord begged Momo Taro to take the princess as compensation. Reluctant to be tied to a gambler, the princess initially protested, but upon seeing Momo Taro's gallant figure, she changed her mind and agreed to marry him. And so, they lived happily ever after.
"Momo Taro and Inoshikacho" turned out to be an unexpected tale of success! As the ending theme played, the final subtitle read, "What happened to the old man and woman? Everyone can imagine for themselves!"
The kids who had just watched the anime were all wide-eyed, seemingly lost in thought. Perhaps it had been an intense experience in a different way for them.
"One episode a day. You four, go help Lisa," I said.
"Yes!"
The children, momentarily dazed, perked up and rushed to the kitchen in response.
Even though the used game was cheap, some strange titles stood out.
What should I show the kids tomorrow?
Scanning the six remaining game titles, one caught my eye: "Little Red Riding Hood, Hood! Hood!" It didn't have a sticker, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be rated 18+.
"The Dancing Dog." A dog dressed in a hula skirt stands on its hind legs and dances. It seems to be an animal movie. This could definitely appeal to children.
"Anime Folktale: The Bamboo Shoot Harvest." I imagine it's a story about a family going to dig up bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove behind their house. I don't know of any folktales that fit this description, so it must be an original story.
"Aesop's Fables: The Naked Emperor." I admit, I'm a bit curious about the naked queen. Is this really suitable for all ages? Oh! Upon closer inspection, I found signs of a sticker being removed.
"Andersen's Tale: The Mermaid with a Human Face." Isn't this just a princess version of the infamous "Seaman"? I don't see the demand, yet here I am, having bought it.
"Anime Folktale: The Earthworm's Wedding." The wording isn't too far off, but can't we just use a mouse? I definitely don't want to see earthworms!
Not a single decent title! Is that rental video store even reliable? The only child-friendly animations I found were "The Dancing Dog" and "Anime Folktale: The Bamboo Shoot Harvest," so I'll go back to the rental store tomorrow and pick up a more suitable disk.
There turned out to be some unexpected pitfalls with the disks, but the kids seemed satisfied. It's a shame Lisa hasn't seen anything yet, but I'll be buying new disks tomorrow anyway, so it's not a problem.
The disk is fine, but I'm more concerned about the generator. Currently, due to the gas tank's capacity, it can only run continuously for about ten hours. I'd like to extend that to at least twenty-four hours, ideally thirty. To achieve this, the gas tank needs to be tripled in size, bringing it to around fifty liters.
In addition to capacity, the installation location is an issue. Being exposed to the rain is quite unpleasant. Should I call a contractor to build a shed?
Ideally, I'd love to run an electrical cord from Japan to this world, but that seems impossible. If I connected it to a socket in my apartment back home, it would just cut off once stored in the item box.
Speaking of contractors, what if I manage to invite an electrician to this world and have them install outlets in the mansion? I already boldly stored a vehicle in public today, so bringing in an electrician or two shouldn't be a problem. The idea is similar to summoning someone in the temple, but since I'd definitely return any humans I bring, it's a world apart, or so I would argue.
That said, since this mansion is a rental, I can't make many alterations. I should probably visit the commercial guild to find out what changes I can make. Alternatively, it may be worth inquiring about the price if I were to buy the mansion outright.