Takumi barely slept.
The rain didn't stop, not for a minute, not for hours.
It hammered against the broken hut like the sky was personally offended by its existence.
Water dripped from every gap in the pathetic excuse of a roof. The cold seeped into his bones, and the wind felt like knives slicing right through his thin clothes.
He had no blankets, no fire, nothing but his own body heat.
So he did the only thing he could.
He wrapped himself around the small girl trembling in his arms, using himself as a shield.
Mio's little nose was icy. Her fingers were practically frozen. Her tiny body pressed against him, seeking warmth.
"Papa… cold…" she sniffled, half-asleep.
"I know, kiddo. Papa's got you.." Takumi whispered, though his own teeth were chattering so hard he wondered if they'd crack.
If he let go even for a second, she'd freeze.
And if she got sick in a world like this?
Where there we're no hospitals.
No medicine.
Maybe not even basic herbs.
It was basically calling death.
He tightened his hold around her, burying her face into his chest to block the wind.
The night dragged on, each minute feeling like an hour. His muscles ached from staying curled around her, but he didn't dare move.
When the sky finally lightened, morning had arrived, the storm petering out into a drizzle, Takumi felt like he had aged twenty years.
Mio lifted her head slowly, blinking.
Her ears drooped like sad little wet towels.
"Papa…"
"Yeah… I know…" He sighed, rubbing her back. "We're never spending another night like that again."
That hellish storm told him everything he needed to know about this place.
This was not a fantasy world with nice inns and magical heaters.
This was a primitive death-trap where a single cold night could kill.
Well.
Not on his watch.
Takumi stood up carefully, stretching his stiff legs.
The hut creaked ominously above him, ready to collapse at any moment.
Right.
New rule: never trust huts built by idiots.
He glanced at the little settlement around them, muddy ground, wet footprints, flimsy structures, and smoke still rising from last night's fire.
Everything smelled like damp straw and desperation.
Takumi cracked his knuckles.
"Alright.." he muttered, "if I'm stuck here, then I'm doing this my way."
His itinerary formed instantly. He needed to use his 24 hours in the most efficient way possible.
First: Find something that could be used as a weapon
Or at least something sharp enough to cut through wood.
A stone with an edge, a shard of metal, anything. It should be easy finding a flint.
Second: Find sturdy trees.
Not weak branches like the crap these people used for their huts.
He needed solid beams, straight, thick, load-bearing.
Preferably resistant to rot. Preferably not full of bugs.
Termites and Architects have always been enemies and Takumi dreaded to see a perfectly good wood getting destroyed by termites.
Third: Build a hut before nightfall.
Even a partial structure was enough.
Four posts, a raised platform, a roof.
He could reinforce it later. They couldn't afford another night in the storm or in the cold.
Fourth: Food.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Because unlike anime protagonists, he couldn't run on vibes alone. He needed to catch fish, find edible mushrooms, and also find some spices.
Five: A Water system.
There was a small stream at the far end of the settlement, he'd caught a glimpse of it last night while dragging himself under the hut.
If he carved a shallow canal or made a bamboo chute system, he could redirect water directly to his home.
Last was a tree-based hut, which he had just thought about.
Being off the ground meant safety from wild beasts, flash floods, and random idiots starting fires again.
His architect mind was already sketching the design,vertical reinforcement beams, diagonal bracing, thick platform panels, and a waterproof thatched roof with angled drainage.
Mio blinked sleepily up at him as he carried her out from under the collapsed hut.
"Papa… where are we going…?"
Takumi smiled tiredly.
"To build our home."
"Home?" her ears perked, hope shining in her tired little eyes.
He ruffled her hair.
"Yeah. A real one this time. One that won't fall apart if a Mio sneezes."
She giggled softly.
Takumi looked around one more time, jaw tightening with resolve.
People here lacked proper food, tools, medicine, houses.
He was sure, it ran on a system of brute force.
This wasn't just a primitive world.
This was a place built to kill the unprepared.
"Well…" Takumi muttered under his breath as he stepped forward, Mio resting on his hip.
"…good thing the greatest architect in Japan is on the job."
As they walked, Takumi wondered if they were a place he could keep Mio while he worked, he couldn't carry her into the forest to find wood.
"Riku mama.."
Riku mama??
Takumi followed Mio's excited pointing, too see what looked like a deer and elephant heading their way.
Takumi mouth fell open, we're those muscles and boobs he was seeing?
The elephant woman was huge, if he guessed she was at least over six foot, she made the deer woman next to her look like an ant.
Deer woman? Didn't quite fit right, they look human and same time looked like animal. Like a beastman.
Takumi nodded, this name fit the species of human he was seeing.
"Riku mama! Auntie Kiko.."
Mio urged Takumi to put her down as she ran to meet the two women.
"Mio Mio, energetic this morning aren't we? Did you sleep well?"
Ayame, the deer beast woman with the gentlest of touches, patted Mio.
"Yes, Papa protect Mio from the rain.."
That earned a sigh from Kiko. "Did your father keep you in the rain again? He's getting more and more irresponsible by the day Ayame.."
Ayame shook her head "You know it's not easy taking care of a child alone, Kiko. Takumi is going is best.."
Kiko shook her head "If doing is best, is not having a place to stay when it rains then he's not doing enough.."
Mio frowned, as she waved her finger at Kiko.
"Auntie Kiko, Mio will stop being your friend if you talk bad about Mio's papa. Papa is the best.."
Takumi smiled as he got to where they were.
He was glad to have Mio on his side.
"I do plan on building my hut today.."