Otherworld Nation Founding Chronicles Volume 1 Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Arithmetic

“Mumumu…….”

“How did you do ? Tetora?”

Tetora smelled my body for some reason.

Did I eat something bad-smelling, yesterday?

“You smells like woman.”

Are you serious?

That nose is too good.

“In fact, yesterday…….”

Tetora knits her face when I speak about last night to her.

“It’s suspicious.  The woman is absolutely dangerous. You shouldn’t get close.”

“Is that so? Though she indeed doubtful but it didn’t seem she is dangerous at all.”

She is rather a naïve young girl.

I seemed to be able to push it down by a margin. Though it doesn’t work.

“Women’s intuition.”

“What is that?”

In my experience, the women’s intuition has not proven right at least.

However, this world is the world with curse and divine protection.

Possibly, is it a premonition? Woman’s intuition is right…….maybe.

“Then i will be caution for the time being.”

“It is useless with only that. I’ll accompany you.”

“Tetore said it is dangerous. Only I am more agile, so you don’t need to come.”

Actually, I who walk the forest everyday has the geographical advantage.

My feet become considerably fast recently because physical ability rose.

It easy to run away when alone.

However, there is Tetora, when the worst happen, I need to carry Tetora on my back to run away.  

“U……then, there is no other way.”

Tetora withdrew easily.

“Since Tetora is good at distinguishing sounds, it really helps.” Pull it immediately if you think that what I say is right. On the contrary,She give advice if she think that it is not right.

When it is Ron and Roswald, they ask for the impossible and doesn’t know how to back down.

On the contrary, I begin to worry about Gram and Soyon as they don’t opposed at all.

I must have children acquire power to think for themselves, soon.

The important one is power to think logically.

To forge the power to think logically……

Is it teaching?

It is not necessary now, but it is useful by all mean from now on.

It shouldn’t be a waste of time.

Well then, how do you teach……..?

————————————————————————–

“First, please look at this.”

I write a number in all languages other than the local language Karisha, on the ground. Why did I write foreign language? This is because this area does not have original letter.

“Please read them in order. Ron.”

“Eto, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.”

“Correct answer.”

“As expected, it is readable like this.”

Ron said dissatisfied.

No, I don’t know that if I do not confirm it.

Well, it is easy to learn the number even if I say in foreign language.  

There is the excellent teacher Tetora, too.

I continue to write this way in the ground.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. (No matter where you look at it, it is otherworld language,) (TL:check)

0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

“What is that?”

“It is the written number of my hometown below. The top is the number in Karisha. I want you to learn the number below.”

“Why such a trouble something………”

The children who directly look dissatisfied.

Recently, though I have you tell Tetora and finally learn it, why must you do something like this? They seems dissatisfied. (TL:check)

“This is because the number of my hometown is more convenient. There are a lot of countries in my hometown and all countries has their own original number. But only this Arabic numeric number is used all over the world. In other words, it is in fact easy to use.”

The Arabic numeric is a very reasonable figure.

Though in present, the science and technology of Europe is more advanced than that of Middle East now, but when the world in Middle Ages, the scientific centers were the Middle East and Islam.

I thinks there are various things as reason, but it apparent that the numeral becomes a big factor.

Though it trivial, but the origin of Arabic numeral is in India.

“Huh.”

The children have a face of consent to which I said, but the meaning doesn’t come forth for the most part. In the first place, these children may not know a sense of different words depend on the country.

For them, their world is their own village and which city state that village belong to. Even if it mention a large prefecture in Japan, it still on a local degree. There are no chance to touch upon [Foreign language].

“What is the lower circle under this empty column?”

“It is the number call Zero.” It shows that there is nothing.”

“Though there is nothing, but you have that?”

I heard that Tetora.

I was waiting for the question here.

There are no “zero” years in Christian era. The beginning is year one.

Haven’t you thought it’s strange?

Because of this, there are a lot of people who think that 101-200 A.D. is the 1st century.  

Why is it so troublesome?

The reason is simple. It’s because there is no concept of zero in Europe when Christian era was made.

“There is nothing for nothing, but it is inconvenient when I do not define it. For example, here is a leaf. How many is it?”

“It’s one piece.”

“Then, how many is this?”

I cover the leaf.

“……Nothing.”

“This is call zero.”

On the face of the children float a [?].

“The beginning of number is one. I do not understand what would be the problem. There is nothing for nothing.”

“It is so…….then let’s assume this one leaf. How many piece is this.”

I tear off the leaf in half, throw away one side and show everybody the half.

(Pengu: starting with decimal on the first day…….)

“one piece.”

“It is different. Isn’t the complete form of the leaf a little while ago is one piece?If put half and this half together to be one piece. In other words, it is half of one piece. This is 1/2 or could be said 0.5. Do you understand?”

“????????????????”

Shit, it seems hard. Because the beginning of number is zero is common sense for modern Japanese, so there isn’t a sense of incongruity.

It is different for these children.

“Then let’s do it this way.”

I write the number line on the ground.

“Memories this start is zero. Next to this is one. Then, what is between zero and one?”

“In the first place, is it start with one?”

“The number in between?”

“I think one half to be one is different from one!!” 

“In short, it is two.”

“Does it increase when making it half?”

Sshhiiiiittttttt!!!!!

“Naa, Don’t you understand?”

After all, is my teaching bad?

I ask Tetora who head was best in this. (TL:check)

“Somehow, it can be understand, but also not understand…..In short, the figure is not thought by delimiting it one by one, is it the thing when I think of the flow such as one line?” (TL:check)

Oh…….probably so.

Such a thing, I have not thought difficult!!

However, some children’s face cleared up thanks to the remark of the remark of Tetora. As expected of Tetora.

“I don’t understand it at all.”

“As expected.”

Roswald and Ron look more puzzled. They seem to have confused by Tetora explanation even more.

Today class has been finished after all just to have all members understand the zero concepts.

I feel uneasy about what happens in the future……….

————————————————————————–

One month passed after I taught arithmetic.

Children learned it like a sponge absorbed water, and even the slowest child came able to master the subtraction of one figure.

By the way, it is Tetora that acquisition the earliest, which is addition, subtraction (in brief, I calculate on paper) of three figures are done already.

Originally, there seem to be some that able to calculate.

Because a big difference has begun to appear slowly in the proficiency, teaching by myself has become difficult.

So, I decided to make the child who can’t do go with the child who can do.

It is not possible to teach when you not really understand.  There isn’t effective review as tell a person.  

However, Tetora seemed to be dissatisfied. She have a look that she do not want to study the addition of two figure now.

Even if I say so, there is only me.

Ten good human brains are more helpful to some extent than one human being who extremely bright.

A dissatisfied thing will be dissatisfied thing, though……..

“It’s done. Please check it.”

“Ok. Let me see……”

I decided to teach Tetora mathematics overtime, the time that I had free for class.

If you said don’t be unfair, “Rather then let you work only as a teacher, and not able to tell at all is unfair and I am in trouble when I do not have you lend it this because I teaches you words.” which she said.

Because you thought to the extent which becomes this way, it is the case that it is taught. 

“Is all question’s answer correct? First of all,if addition and subtraction of three digits is perfect.Let’s move on to the next one.”

“Is the four digit next?”

“No, neither three digits or tour figure changes. Next is multiplication.”

However, multiplication is done in abnormal speed in one month. 

Although, the field of length unit is reach, it is considerable acquisition.  

After all, is it the difference between motivation and ability of the person?

“For now, memorize this.”

“What is this?”

“Memory card.”

I hand the cards which was written with multiplication table to Tetora.

Even though I say card, it’s made of wooden board, so it’s quite large.  I was hard to make it.

“It is troublesome…….I can calculate by addition commonly.”

“It would take time. You can learn it more easily.”

To be frank, most of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division operation between one digit is almost memorized.

I think small number were being done strenuously using both hands, now it is answered instantaneously.

Well, continued solving a similar problem several hundred times also contributed to that fact.

“however, it is virtually almost over if the multiplication table is learned. Because division calculation is easy and similar to multiplication, too. You can learn it immediately.”

If this is over, the arithmetic operation will end.

When you are possible to do arithmetic operation, then everyday life will not be a problem.

Following arithmetic is calculation lengths, area, volume, then it will be likely become speed and distance.

Honestly, it is more troublesome to teach than arithmetic. I don’t know the unit of length and weight of this world.

If I recall, the people had defined the Earth’s diameter somehow or another, and in the first place, whether this world is a globe or not  is still unknown. Possibly mysterious power may exist as replacement for gravity.

“Hey, Almis.”

“Huh? What is it?”

There is still a little incongruous to be call Almis. This is because I usually called by Nii-san or leader. Only Tetora and Julia called me Almis.  

“Was everyone able to do it in your hometown?”

“Well, it is so…..all the children the same age of Tetora. Well, though I think that Tetora is more excellent because they all begin at 7 years old, and normally takes two years to remember until multiplication.

“Does everyone learn it?”

“Ah. My country has compulsory education and is considered to be human’s right.”

By the way, the one of a child is the right to get education, without obligation. It is the parents duty to make them receive education.

(TL: basically you can get education without doing anything.)

“Why do they do such a thing? You should monopolize the knowledge for rich people.”

“It may surely be good for the privileged class. But there are many countries in my world including my country. Each countries are competing with each other. When knowledge is monopolized, wouldn’t excellent human resources not gathered? So when it does, you will lose the competition.”

Especially, for the capitalistic society, education is the lifeline.

When democracy is performed, the nation with fools doesn’t become the talk. (TL:check)

“It’s sure is trouble some.”

“It is so…..”

Certainly, it’s possible to see so for certain.

In this world the competition is not extreme like there. No matter how hard i tried, it will often point gradually from nature to agriculture. (TL:check) The return can be obtained with little effort.

Do you think this is poor? It depends on the person whether you think it calmly.

According to a Japanese, the people of this world seem to take it too easy. According to the person of this world might think that Japanese is hurry too much.

………The Japanese vigor dispatch is getting recognized as superior in the world.

Although it work well, it is inefficient.

In a hurry is not to live, it seems that people who has lived in order to hurry is too much………

The story just got tangent.  It has become just complaints.

“By the way, Almis.”

“What?”

“When am I able to master your words?”

“….Though you may not know it, it is extremely difficult to learn a different language.”

I’m opposite of the children, I wasn’t able to readily lean it.

Still it is quite fast compared with the speed of English acquisition. (TL: I never have this problem though or is it just Japanese people?”

“How should I live if divine protection of language is cut off?”(Pengu:　「いっそ言語の加護を切って生活したらどう？」)

“Yeah, however, will arithmetic not be taught in that case?”

“After all, without one for now.” (TL:check)

“Haha”

Unconsciously, I have stroked Tetora’s hair.

When I thought whether she hated it and were going to withdraw my hand, in an instant, she snuggled up.  

This is good.

It feels good that I did quickly.

How come this hair becomes this soap even though there is no soap.

“Haa……..I must do my best.”

I sighed.

Chapter end