Reiwa-chan and Heisei-kun: We Will Create a New Era - Episode 3 [Creative Awards 2024, Manga Original Story Category Entry]

“...I found it.”
Paleolithic whispers, gesturing with his chin. A Naumann elephant stands ahead.
“It’s huge...”
“Its shoulder height is just under 3 meters, so it’s actually small compared to modern Asian elephants.”
“Your comparison is weird...”
Heisei is dumbfounded by the calm Reiwa. Paleolithic calls out to them.
“I’ll give you weapons. Use whichever you like.”
Paleolithic holds out three spears. Heisei tilts his head.
“...They look the same to me...”
“They’re completely different. Look at the tips.”
Paleolithic points to the tip of each spear.
“Eh...?”
“Hmm, you are using chipped stone tools...”
“Calling them ‘chipped’ is rude, Reiwa-chan. Paleolithic-san thinks they’re cool.”
“...Your intonation is wrong. These are stone tools made by striking and breaking stones.”
Reiwa gives Heisei a look of exasperation. Paleolithic ignores Heisei and asks Reiwa.
“So, which one will you take?”
“...I suppose this one.”
Reiwa picks up one of the spears. Paleolithic is impressed.
“You have a good eye, choosing a microblade.”
“A microblade?”
“It’s made by fitting several small stone blades into grooves carved into a wooden or bone handle. It has high penetration power and also makes the spear lighter.”
Reiwa explains to Heisei. Paleolithic nods.
“Because it’s light, it can also be used as a javelin. It’s the newest of these three.”
“Eh~ that’s cheating! A new model!”
“Keep your voice down! You’ll alert the prey...!”
Paleolithic warns Heisei while keeping his voice low.
“Just because it’s a tutorial, you’re playing favorites by giving Reiwa-chan the good weapon.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but here, pick whichever you like.”
Paleolithic holds out the remaining two spears.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Hmm... a stone spear then.”
“A-a stone spear? T-that’s not very twisty.”
“The stone is processed into a leaf shape and attached to a spear. This stone is called obsidian and it’s quite rare, you know?”
“So it’s a rare weapon then, I’ll take it!”
Heisei takes the stone spear. Paleolithic picks up the remaining spear. Reiwa asks.
“Is that a point?”
“In Japan, it’s a bit different. It’s a knife-shaped stone tool with the sharp edge of an obsidian flake left intact, attached to a spear.”
Heisei opens his mouth as if it’s hard to say.
“Paleolithic-san... I hate to say this after you already took it...”
“Yeah?”
“Is that equipment okay?”
“It’s fine, no problem.”
“Reiwa-chan, when Paleolithic-san comes back, give him that microblade...”
“Please stop talking about games. There are no continues.”
Reiwa coldly pushes Heisei away.
“...Alright, let’s go.”
Paleolithic calls out to Heisei and the others. Heisei panics.
“W-wait a second, Reiwa-chan...”
“What is it?”
“Are you seriously planning to challenge a Naumann elephant with that spear?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Yes, there is. Isn’t it hard to take it down with that thin spear?”
“Then what should we do?”
“How about summoning a truck like we did before...”
“Rejected. Please put yourself in the shoes of the person from another world who suddenly had a Naumann elephant fly at them.”
“No good, huh...”
Heisei hangs his head. Paleolithic calls out again.
“Alright, let’s go. If we follow the plan, it’ll be fine.”
“Follow the plan? I haven’t heard anything...”
“Alright, scatter!”
Paleolithic and Reiwa take positions to flank the Naumann elephant. Heisei, having been slow to react, finds himself exposed right in front of the elephant.
“Heisei-san! Ah!”
The spear Reiwa threw pierces the Naumann elephant’s left hindquarters. The elephant rears back in pain. To Heisei, looking at it from the front, it looks like a massive object.
“It’s... huge...”
“Don’t space out, Heisei!”
Paleolithic quickly stabs the right flank several times. The elephant almost loses its balance but holds its ground and starts running forward. Heisei panics.
“I-it’s coming this way!”
“Heisei, aim for the eyes! That will sap its momentum!”
“If I could do that, I wouldn’t be struggling! Paleolithic-san!”
“What is it!?”
Heisei turns toward Paleolithic with a beaming smile.
“I’m logging off here! Thanks for everything!”
“Huh!? Logging off? What are you talking about!?”
“Heisei-san! Get a grip! This isn’t an online game! I repeat! This is not a game!”
“!?”
Heisei comes to his senses at Reiwa’s call, but the elephant is already right there. Paleolithic also shouts.
“Heisei! Do something to dodge it!”
“Ugh! The process of human devolution!”
““!?””
Both Reiwa and Paleolithic are surprised. Heisei backs away, gradually bending his waist until he is almost on all fours. It’s like the process of human evolution played in reverse. He even goes beyond that and performs a dogeza.
“I’ll go with a Managing Director Owada-style dogeza here!”
“That won’t work here! !?”
The Naumann elephant, which was about to trample the cowering Heisei, falls into a pit trap dug nearby and loses its balance. Heisei stands up and stabs it with his spear.
“It fell for it! Eat this!”
“It was originally a pit trap for wild boars and deer, but it fell in nicely...”
“That was lucky...”
Paleolithic and Reiwa breathe a sigh of relief.
“...”
Paleolithic uses an obsidian tool to cut the meat. Heisei mutters.
“You’re using obsidian.”
“Yeah, it can’t be found around here. I have to go to one of the few production sites to get it. In some places, people even cross the sea by boat to get it.”
Reiwa puts a hand to her chin and mutters.
“People coming from all over in search of obsidian... it gives us a glimpse into the trade range and transportation conditions of the time...”
“Trade, huh... that brings back memories. I used to use dragon scales, phoenix claws, and unicorn horns...”
“...That’s why please come back to reality already”
Reiwa gives Heisei a cold look. Meanwhile, Paleolithic places meat wrapped in grass and leaves onto a heated stone. Heisei mutters.
“Steaming it?”
“...It’s done... now, eat.”
“What kind of meat is this?”
“It’s deer meat caught elsewhere. The thigh area is delicious.”
“Itadakimasu... oh, it’s incredibly juicy...”
Heisei has a happy face. Reiwa asks.
“Paleolithic-san, what meat is this?”
“That’s also wild boar caught elsewhere. It’s delicious, it’s belly meat with plenty of fat.”
“Itadakimasu... mmm, delicious. It tastes similar to pork.”
Reiwa also has a happy face.
“Yeah, this is also delicious, Reiwa-chan! Try it.”
Heisei points to some meat. Reiwa asks.
“...What kind of meat is it?”
“Well, just try it.”
“Experience is everything, itadakimasu... mmm, it’s moist and has a sweet flavor.”
“Yeah, that’s wild rabbit.”
“!?”
At Paleolithic’s words, Reiwa gets a sad look in her eyes.
“It’s the law of nature.”
“Muu...”
“I-if it’s not rude to ask for a palate cleanser, is there anything other than meat?”
Heisei asks Paleolithic, trying to change Reiwa’s mood.
“Well, it is true that just meat can be a bit much... wait a moment.”
Paleolithic brings a flat stone tool. Heisei asks.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a stone plate.”
“T-that’s literal...”
“There’s no other way to say it.”
“That’s true... how do you use it?”
“Like this...!”
“!”
Paleolithic places some pine cones on the stone plate and slowly smashes them with another stone tool.
“This stone is called a hammerstone. I usually use a round, handy stone. I also use it when making stone tools. I use this thing called a grinding stone to... grind up what I’ve smashed.”
Paleolithic uses a circular stone tool to grind the pine cones into a powder. Reiwa asks.
“Do you all use similar grinding stones?”
“No, some are nearly spherical, and there are various other shapes. Here, eat.”
Heisei mutters as he receives the plate.
“Hmm, so besides meat, nuts are the staple food?”
“And fruit, like grapes and strawberries. What we eat varies slightly depending on the region, though.”
“Is that so?”
Reiwa tilts her head while holding a strawberry in her mouth.
“Yeah, eastern Japan had many coniferous trees, while western Japan had many deciduous trees.”
“I see, so the types of nuts change as well.”
“It’s like how udon broth and dashi differ between Kanto and Kansai.”
“I think that’s slightly different.”
Reiwa continues eating while dismissing Heisei’s comment. Paleolithic laughs.
“Now, let’s have a feast.”
“A feast?”
Paleolithic grills a large piece of meat and hands it to Heisei and the others.
“Naumann elephant.”
“A-are you sure we can have this much?”
“Don’t worry about it. One Naumann elephant can feed the group for several months.”
“That’s a big help.”
Heisei mutters while rubbing his chin. Reiwa is confused.
“A-are you really sure we can have this?”
“It’s fine, is something wrong?”
“I have some resistance to eating an elephant, so to speak...”
“We already hunted it. Eating it is the least we can do to make amends.”
“I-I suppose that might be true, but...”
“If you keep thinking about it, you’ll starve to death... mmm, delicious.”
Paleolithic eats the elephant meat heartily. Reiwa also takes a bite tentatively.
“Oh, Reiwa-chan! How is it?”
“...Mmm, it’s hard to describe. Heisei-san, you have some too.”
“...How should I put it, it’s a bit bland.”
“What, you didn’t like it?”
“It was a good experience.”
Heisei answers safely to Paleolithic’s question. Paleolithic tilts his head.
“I went through the trouble of sharing a delicious part with you...”
“O-oh, are there delicious parts?”
“That’s right, what Reiwa ate was the hindquarters where you stabbed it with your spear.”
“!? I-is that so...”
“A-and what am I eating?”
“The trunk.”
“T-the trunk!? Can you eat that!?”
“You’re eating it right now, aren’t you? By the way, the feet are also delicious, guaranteed by the ancient Romans.”
“I-if the ancient Romans say so, then it must be true!”
“You’re so easily swayed by Westerners...”
Reiwa watches coldly as Heisei bites into the Naumann elephant’s trunk.