Episode 22 — Magic Refrigerator Review and a Lazy Resolve

After finishing my look over the town of Felsen, I folded up the telescope.

The traffic jam at the city gate, the line at the well, the market’s broken flow, the fields’ messy irrigation—

all of it looked like it could be dramatically improved with just a few tweaks.

That gate congestion alone could be solved by shifting the gate slightly or assigning someone to direct traffic.

The well line would move faster with time‑slot usage.

The market flow… well, that one needs a bigger overhaul, but it’s doable.

(...Seeing that many improvement points makes me want to say something.

But I told them yesterday I’d “do nothing.”)

The moment I thought that, something itched in my chest.

Gustav’s face floated into my mind.

(...But I want points.

And to buy the high‑tier items, I need some achievements soon…)

The “Throne of Sloth” on Lumina Shopping was still far away.

I didn’t even know what it actually did, but it would definitely make my life even more comfortable.

(...But going outside is a pain.

Maybe I’ll just give them some advice when they show up again.)

In the end, laziness wins instantly.

(...Whatever. They’ll come again anyway.

I’ll just talk then.)

I sank into the sofa and stretched.

Tama flicked her tail beside me, staring up.

“Mrow. (They’re absolutely coming again.)”

“What I need to do now is test the magic refrigerator. Right, Tama.”

I stood in front of the brand‑new magic refrigerator and opened my notebook.

This wasn’t just a fridge.

According to the manual, it had a “time‑stop function.”

If that was true, it shouldn’t be affected by the house’s midnight reset.

(If I can master this thing, my lazy lifestyle will be even more optimized…)

I opened the fridge door and peeked inside.

The air inside felt strangely clear.

Not cold—more like time itself wasn’t moving.

“…The air feels different. Is this really a refrigerator?”

“Mrrp. (It literally says ‘magic refrigerator.’)”

“No, calling this a refrigerator is wrong.

They should’ve named it something like ‘Arcane Storage Ω.’”

“Mrow. (Your naming sense is catastrophic.)”

Experiment 1: frozen udon.

I’d left it inside last night.

The bag hadn’t changed at all—no wrinkles, no frost shift—completely “yesterday.”

“…Amazing. The house reset didn’t affect it.”

“Mew. (I told you from the start.)”

Next, Experiment 2: half‑eaten fish cake.

I’d put it in last night.

It came out exactly half‑eaten.

Normally, the house reset would revert it to a full one, but the fridge was completely independent.

“So the inside of the fridge is basically its own timeline…?

Isn’t this breaking the world’s tech level?”

“Prrr. (Your sense of ‘tech level’ is what’s broken.)”

I stared at the fish cake, thinking seriously.

(If this preserves food forever… then if I buy meat before it spoils and store it here, it stays fresh forever…?

In a world without refrigeration, this alone is a revolution.)

But laziness immediately pulled me back.

(...Well, I don’t need to start a revolution.

Too much work.)

Experiment 3: trash I’d put in right before midnight.

This morning, it was still trash.

“…Perfect. This isn’t a magic refrigerator.

It’s a magic storage vault. Five stars.”

I drew five stars in my notebook.

Then added: “Improvement point: capacity too small.”

“Mrow. (Why are you writing a review?)”

“Documentation is important. I might send improvement requests to Lumina later.”

“Mrrp? (You’re planning to file complaints with the divine realm?)”

“Of course. User feedback matters.”

I stuck my head into the fridge and continued inspecting.

Temperature: constant.

Humidity: constant.

Food degradation: zero.

It was a space where the concept of “time” didn’t exist.

(If I went inside… would my time stop too?

But could I breathe? What about oxygen?)

I thought about it for a moment, then gave up.

(...Yeah, I’ll just not go inside.)

Then—

—Ding‑dong.

The doorbell rang.

They’d completely mastered how to use it.

“‘Master of the sanctuary! We have come for a formal greeting today!’”

“…Great. They’re here.

Tama, what do we do? I’m not in the mood today.

Let’s pretend we’re not home.”

“Mrow. (Didn’t you say you wanted points?)”

“…Damn it.”

I gently closed the fridge door.

(...Sigh. Today was supposed to be magic refrigerator review day.

Whatever. I’ll continue later.)

When I stepped outside, Gustav and Bartos were waiting at the gate,

practically one step away from bowing to the ground.

(...Why does it always end up like this.)

I let out a deep sigh and opened the gate.