Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 168: Numbers and Gadgets

After dinner, Damien moved to Theo’s study.

Although they’d agreed working in the same room might be distracting, today was an exception to see if Damien could handle the tasks. If successful, Damien will work from his own room starting tomorrow.

Since some documents in the study weren’t suitable for Zima to see, Zima was tasked with caring for the Dragonewts in Damien’s room.

Damien hadn’t entered Theo’s study in a while due to Theo’s busy schedule, and the sight shocked him—papers covered every inch of the space, leaving no room to walk.

Theo led Damien to a slightly cleared sofa and gestured for him to sit.

"You’ll be working here today."

Theo then placed a towering stack of papers on the table in front of Damien.

"Add up all the numbers on these. It’s straightforward, but it might get tedious, so take breaks as needed."

Damien picked up a sheet. Though it contained a mix of writing, the numbers were easy to spot—they were circled for clarity. Thanks to Elyon’s tutoring, Damien was confident in his ability to read them.

"This looks manageable," Damien said.

"Great. Sebas will stay here to assist if you have any questions, so don’t hesitate to ask him."

Theo leaned in, giving Damien a quick kiss, then returned to his desk.

Fueled by the kiss, Damien’s motivation surged.

He settled into the sofa and grabbed another sheet. While the handwriting was a bit messy, Damien had grown adept at deciphering it from his market experiences.

"Once you’ve completed calculations for ten sheets, please let me know," Sebas, seated across from Damien, instructed.

It was odd seeing Sebas seated instead of standing guard. Damien figured the ten-sheet checkpoint was to ensure he was calculating correctly—a reassurance he appreciated. He nodded, and Sebas picked up an abacus-like tool.

"Would you like to use the counting beads?" Sebas asked.

It seemed to be this world’s version of an abacus.

"No, I’m fine," Damien replied, unfamiliar with even the abacus on Earth.

Instead, Damien pulled out his trump cards from his bag: a notebook, mechanical pencil, and his smartphone.

Recalling spreadsheet software he’d learned in middle school, he decided this was the perfect time to use his phone’s remaining battery. Though the phone was nearly drained, his large-capacity power bank—fully charged—would sustain it.

Regretting not buying the solar-powered version, Damien opened a pre-prepared calculation sheet and began inputting numbers.

Sebas, watching Damien operate his smartphone, maintained his usual stoic expression but seemed faintly curious.

"I’m done," Damien announced.

Finishing ten sheets didn’t take Damien long at all.

After double-checking for input errors, he found everything was correct. Using Excel, which relied on Arabic numerals, Damien transcribed the calculations back into the local numerical script in his notebook.

Across from him, Sebas verified Damien’s work with the counting beads.

"Everything is accurate. Next, please notify me when you’ve completed 100 sheets."

A jump to 100 sheets? It was a lot, but Damien chose to see it as a sign of trust.

"Got it!" Damien replied enthusiastically, determined to tackle the task.

...

The 100 sheets were done, though Damien found himself longing for a keyboard. Using his smartphone for calculations made sense for its battery use, but maybe a tablet would’ve been easier. Once the phone’s battery was drained, he resolved to switch devices.

After verifying there were no errors, Damien confidently called out to Sebas.

"I’ve finished 100 sheets."

Sebas looked up, seeming slightly surprised.

"Then, please proceed with verification as well."

"Oh, I’ve already double-checked everything," Damien said. It wasn’t a full recalculation but a review for input errors—enough for basic addition.

"...I see. Allow me to confirm," Sebas said, taking Damien’s sheets. He appeared ready to personally verify the calculations.

"Thank you. While you do that, may I continue with the next batch?"

"Of course. Please proceed," Sebas replied.

Determined to keep going, Damien aimed to clear at least one stack of papers.

...

"I’ve finished verifying. There are no issues," Sebas eventually reported.

By then, Damien had worked through half the stack. He realized he’d been deeply absorbed in the task—surprisingly, it wasn’t as monotonous as he’d feared.

Once he got into a rhythm, the simple, repetitive work flowed smoothly.

"You’ve already completed this much?" Sebas asked, sounding impressed.

"Yes."

"Oh, I haven’t double-checked the input yet," Damien said as Sebas studied the pile of completed sheets.

Sebas glanced at the device in Damien’s hand. "Is that an Earth version of a counting tool?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Damien held up his smartphone. "Not quite, but I’m using it to calculate."

"May I take a closer look?" Sebas asked.

"Of course."

Damien demonstrated by inputting numbers into the app. "When I enter numbers like this, it calculates the total automatically." He then copied the results onto his notebook while Sebas compared the outputs with the source sheets.

"How do you verify the calculations?" Sebas asked.

"I just check for input errors," Damien replied.

"Can this tool make calculation mistakes?"

"Not with something as simple as this," Damien explained. Spreadsheet apps don’t miscalculate basic formulas like summations—it’s usually input or formula errors that cause problems.

"I see... How long does the written data last?"

"It’s not written down; it’s saved digitally. But it stays as long as the battery lasts," Damien admitted.

"And what is this ’battery’?" Sebas inquired.

"It’s the energy source for the smartphone," Damien explained.

"A type of magic, perhaps?" Sebas asked.

"Probably not," Damien replied with a chuckle. If only his magic could recharge batteries, it would save a lot of trouble.

"Is there a way to restore this ’battery’?"

"Not in this world, as far as I know," Damien admitted. He’d thought about it before but had no clue how to replicate electricity or recharge technology here. Though generating electricity might be possible, things like voltage, current, and AC/DC adjustments were beyond him.

"I see. How much battery life remains in the device?"

"With this portable battery, a few more days, I think," Damien said, pulling out his mobile power bank. He handed it to Sebas, who examined it closely, flipping it over as if trying to understand its purpose.