Chapter 83

After taking about an hour to leisurely finish his lunch, Ichirou, along with Ballerina, went out to the garden of the mansion after tidying up. In front of them, several types of herbs they had planted from seeds were growing in the ground. Next to them, there were also pots containing lemongrass and peppermint that Ichirou had bought as seedlings, as well as a few pots with different types of herbs that had been planted from seeds.

"These have grown to a decent size, but it seems their growth rate is still slower than what's described in the books."

Ballerina squatted down and gazed at the herbs. Ichirou also squatted down to observe the herbs, but they indeed didn't seem to have grown much. However, they didn't appear to be diseased; they were a bit spindly, but the leaves were green and looked healthy.

"I wonder why the growth rate is slow even though they're not diseased... The peppermint has grown a bit, though."

Compared to the other herbs planted in the ground and in pots, the peppermint in the pot had grown slightly faster. Since the pot-grown peppermint was given fertilizer, the difference in growth rate was likely due to the presence or absence of fertilizer. However, even with the fertilizer, the peppermint's growth rate was much slower than the typical growth rate of seedlings.

"I think it's probably a nutrition issue, but I don't understand why the growth rate is slow even with fertilizer... The herbs planted in pots with mixed fertilizer also have a slow growth rate."

"Have you noticed anything while observing the herbs every day?"

"noticed anything... hmm..."

In response to Ichirou's question, Ballerina placed her hand on her mouth and thought.

"Nothing in particular... I've been watering them regularly and pulling out any weeds that grow around them... I haven't noticed anything unusual."

"Hmm, I see... Wait a moment."

"Did you figure something out?"

Ballerina looked at Ichirou with hopeful eyes, sensing that he had realized something.

"Can you tell me how big the weeds in the peppermint pot were?"

"The weeds? I pulled them out as soon as they sprouted, so they weren't very big. At most, they were about a centimeter tall."

"Have they been that small recently too?"

"Yes, they've always been the same."

As Ballerina spoke, Ichirou continued to look at the pot-grown peppermint, folding his arms in thought. After a few seconds of silence, he turned to Ballerina again.

"Maybe... the pot has no nutrients left at all. If there were nutrients, the weeds would grow quickly, so it's possible that all the nutrients have been completely depleted."

"Wait, but how could that be..."

Ichirou's hypothesis suggested that all the nutrients from the fertilizer in the pot had been absorbed by the weeds, leaving the pot completely depleted of nutrients. Ballerina, who was initially surprised, soon reconsidered and spoke with a more composed expression.

"But that doesn't explain the rapid growth of the vegetables in the field. Weeds should grow abundantly every day, and it seems they would take all the nutrients before they could reach the leafy vegetables planted sporadically."

"That's true, but the villagers pulled out the weeds as soon as they appeared. Since the weeds were pulled out quickly, their roots were still short, so the nutrients from the fertilizer mixed deep in the soil remained untouched. The leafy vegetables, which continue to grow their roots, would reach the remaining fertilizer and absorb a large amount of nutrients, leading to rapid growth."

As far as Ichirou knew, the villagers would go to the fields every day to pull out the weeds by hand or with a hoe. Ichirou had often helped with this when he lived in the village, so he was well aware of how thoroughly the weeds were removed. The pulled weeds were left on the dry ground, where they withered and dried under the intense sunlight.

"But even if that's the case, it doesn't explain why the herbs planted from seeds have a slow growth rate, or why the peppermint seedlings are growing slowly. I've been pulling out the weeds every day, so the nutrients at the bottom of the pot should still be there."

"Yes, that's true since you've been back in the village. But what about the condition of the pots while you were away in Isteria? Only the villagers who took care of them would know."

"..."

Ballerina's expression turned blank at Ichirou's point.

"Also, if you've been watering them regularly, the soil has been consistently moist. If the soil is moist, when the short-rooted weeds absorb water, they would also absorb the nutrients from the bottom of the pot. It's possible that the remaining nutrients were completely absorbed by the weeds, leaving no nutrients in the pot. The vegetables in the field were also watered, but not as frequently, and the soil wasn't always moist due to the intense sun, so the vegetables, which were more carefully tended, outcompeted the weeds for nutrients."

"Wait, if that's true, then the plants in this world... that's just... that's ridiculous..."

"No, it's just a hypothesis. It's not certain..."

Ballerina looked at the weeds growing on the property as if they were something terrifying. If Ichirou's hypothesis were correct, the plants in this world would absorb all the nutrients within their root range and continue to grow without limit as long as nutrients were available. Of course, there would be growth limits depending on the type of plant, but based on the vegetables in the village, it was reasonable to assume they could grow even larger.

Additionally, the fact that Ichirou didn't gain nutrients from eating the abnormally grown vegetables suggested that, despite their size, their nutritional value remained low. The nutrients from the Japanese fertilizer were used solely for the plants' massive growth, leaving the nutritional value of the vegetables unchanged. It was likely that when these plants withered and returned to the soil, not all the nutrients would return to the soil. This cycle might have led to the depletion of nutrients in the soil of this world. If that were the case, it would explain why the concept of fertilizer was not known in this world, as the soil was already lacking in nutrients.

However, these were just Ichirou's speculations. Without having experts from Japan investigate the plants in this world, the truth would remain unknown.

"Then, from now on, I'll isolate the peppermint pot inside the house to prevent weed seeds from getting in. If your hypothesis is correct, the peppermint should grow as described in the books once we provide new fertilizer."

"Yes, that's the only way to confirm it."

Ballerina's suggestion was met with a nod from Ichirou, who then stood up and stretched.

"Well, I'm going back to Japan again. I'll buy a lot of books, so look forward to it."

Ichirou smiled, and Ballerina also stood up and smiled back.

"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it. Will you be back in time for dinner?"

"Yes, I'll be back by then. And if possible, I'd like to have your tamagoyaki again..."

Ichirou said this with a slight blush, and Ballerina, who was initially surprised, soon smiled genuinely at him.

"Sure! I'll make the best one and wait for you to come back!"

"Got it. I'll hurry back."

Ichirou then walked to the agricultural vehicle parked in the corner of the garden and started the engine. As soon as the engine roared to life, a loud noise echoed around. The sudden noise startled the root-cutting birds in the enclosure behind the mansion, causing them to squawk and flutter their wings. It seemed best not to park the agricultural vehicle on the property in the future.

"Then, I'm off... I'll park a bit further away next time."

Ichirou said this and drove the agricultural vehicle toward the stone-paved path leading to Japan.

Ballerina watched Ichirou drive away, then stopped as she turned to go back into the mansion. She looked down at the weeds growing at her feet, then shifted her gaze to the herbs planted in the garden.

"..."

Ballerina stared at the herbs, her eyes slightly sad.

---

An hour later.

Ichirou had returned to Japan and was now at a large bookstore in the city. The store had shelves filled with hundreds of thousands of books, covering a wide range of genres. For those buying a large number of books, the store even provided shopping carts. This was perfect for Ichirou, who immediately began pushing a cart around the store.

The first section Ichirou visited was the history books, primarily focusing on European history. Next to it were shelves of Japanese history books, including those on ethnic history.

Behind Ichirou, a large display of light novels was set up, with a sign reading "This Month's New Releases!" featuring an illustration of a young, friendly-looking man and a blonde beauty sitting back-to-back.

"Hmm, what kind of history books should I get... Maybe something about prehistoric Europe or ancient Rome?"

Ichirou pulled a book on ancient Rome from the shelf and flipped through it. The book detailed the daily life of ancient Romans, the technology they used, and the tools they commonly employed.

"Wow, this is how ancient Romans lived."

He read a bit, then closed the book and placed it in the cart. He continued to browse and added several more books on ancient Rome to the cart. The technology and tools used in ancient Rome seemed more advanced than those in the other world, but the variety and depth of the books on ancient Rome were impressive. Since Ballerina would be the only one reading these books, Ichirou didn't pay much attention to the technological aspects. The information on daily life and clothing would likely satisfy her intellectual curiosity.

For military-related topics, Ichirou decided to buy a book on the history of combat techniques, focusing on ancient Rome. It included clear diagrams and explanations of historically significant battles and the background leading up to them. He also added a few books on Japanese ethnic history, particularly those covering regions near his home in Saitama.

Next, Ichirou browsed the professional books section, adding books on metal refining, agriculture, surgery, and nursing to the cart. He even added a couple of copies of some books, intending to use them himself if needed in Isteria.

Thinking that only professional books might be a bit dull, Ichirou also added some magazines from the hobby section, including cookbooks with many photos and interior design magazines. He remembered that Ballerina had enjoyed a book with photos on "How to Start a Popular Cafe," so these magazines would likely please her as well.

"Wow, this is quite a chaotic selection. I wonder how much it will cost."

The cart was filled with a hodgepodge of books, with a cookbook titled "Enjoying Delicious Herbal Teas" sitting atop a book on the history of combat techniques, creating a rather surreal image.

Ichirou pushed the heavy cart toward the checkout, ready to pay. The cover illustration of one of the books is now available in the activity report!