Chapter 34

"Ah, the Gravelingos and Pink Cherries are almost ready for harvest."

Usually, it would take decades to grow these, but I realized they were almost ready for harvest before I knew it.

Thanks to the growth accelerator and the magic stone fertilizer, the time required has been drastically shortened, and now they bear large, firm fruits.

"Thinking back, these were the first things we planted when we came to this different world."

This thought made me feel quite nostalgic, giving me a sense of the passage of time.

Indeed, the first things planted always leave a deeper impression than the others.

As I checked the other crops, I noticed that the plants Claire had brought were growing well.

The tomatoes had already started to bear small fruits, the potatoes had lush leaves, and the onions had swollen roots, pushing up the soil.

It seemed that these were also gradually approaching the harvest stage.

Moreover, the Mochi Mochi fruits that Carmilla had planted had finally entered the harvest season.

The fruits had grown well without using any of my abilities.

Since she had been frequently checking on them, eager for the harvest, she would surely be delighted.

"Hey, Carmilla!"

"……"

I raised my voice to tell her that the harvest was ready, but there was no response.

Moreover, looking around, I noticed that not only Carmilla but also Claire and Leidia were nowhere to be found.

"Hmm? They were just here in the field, right?"

The three of them had been checking the health of the crops and watering them as usual, but they had suddenly disappeared.

The only ones around were Rento, Renshiro, who were patrolling, Rensaburo, who was tending to the mountain vegetable field, and Rensuke, who was watching over the smoking shed.

"Where did they go?"

While Claire and Leidia were one thing, I really wanted to tell Carmilla, who had been eagerly awaiting the harvest, as soon as possible.

After confirming that they weren't in the field, I decided to check the house.

"Ah! That tickles!"

As I approached, I heard Carmilla's voice coming from one of the private rooms to the left of the entrance.

"Hey, Carmilla. The Mochi Mochi fruits you grew are ready for harvest."

"Ah!"

"Miss! Please wait!"

"Please don't open the door right now—"

I heard Carmilla's footsteps approaching and Leidia's scream-like voice.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, the door opened with a bang.

In front of me stood Carmilla, wearing only her underwear, with an innocent look in her eyes. Strangely, an Itotsugari ant was perched on her shoulder.

In the back, Leidia and Claire, also in their underwear, stood with their faces flushed with embarrassment.

The room, which is usually separated by a sliding door, was open, creating a large common room for some reason.

This is why I ended up seeing Leidia and Claire in their underwear.

"Hashira! Is it really ready for harvest!?"

Despite her state, Carmilla was more concerned about the crops.

I wanted to see her happy face and reaction, but I couldn't bear it right now.

"Anyway, you've finished your business, right?"

Saying this, I closed the door for her since she didn't seem to be doing it herself.

"Miss! What are you doing in front of a man in such a state!?"

"Thanks to you, we've been seen in our underwear too!?"

"What? Was that bad?"

"Of course it was bad!"

The room suddenly became noisy with Claire and Leidia scolding Carmilla.

It felt wrong to listen to this, so I decided to leave the private room and head to the hearth room to calm down with some mugwort tea.

Leidia came in while I was drinking the tea.

I wished she had waited a bit longer to calm down, but since she was here, there was nothing I could do.

"Sorry about earlier."

"It's not like Hashira barged in without knocking, and it was Carmilla's fault, so I'm not angry. We were also at fault for not letting you know we were in the room."

Leidia didn't seem particularly angry and was trying to act as if nothing had happened.

However, her embarrassment was evident as her face and even her ears were red.

I'm not so foolish as to tease her, so I didn't.

"I appreciate that. But what were the three of you doing?"

"We were having the Itotsugari ants take our measurements. We can't have Hashira do it for our clothes."

I see, that's why the Itotsugari ant was on Carmilla's shoulder.

Indeed, I wouldn't understand women's clothing, and I couldn't ask for detailed measurements without it being considered harassment.

It made sense that they would secretly work on it without me around.

"I'm sorry for not being considerate."

"You don't need to apologize. We should have made sure you didn't notice."

"Still, if we leave it as it is, something like this might happen again, so we should take some measures."

I almost wanted to take advantage of Leidia's kindness, but that would just lead to the same situation again.

"What kind of measures?"

"I'm thinking of preparing a larger room with a lock."

This house is modeled after the rural home I had in my previous life, a typical Japanese house.

It's cool and well-ventilated, but the rooms are close together, and privacy is lacking. I had planned to live here alone, after all.

If I had difficult-to-handle high school girls, they would probably scream about the lack of privacy.

"Surely, it's too much to do all that just for us..."

"Normally, it would be a bit of a hassle, but I have the ability to do it easily, so it's not a problem. Besides, it's for the family living together, so I don't mind the trouble."

"…Well, if you say so, I'll take you up on your offer. Having such a room would be very helpful."

"Sure, leave it to me. How about preparing a room with a lock for each of you? The current rooms are quite close to each other, right?"

"I'll check with Carmilla and Claire, but I don't think we need to go that far. The closeness makes it lively and not bad. Of course, you don't have to force yourself to be separate just because you're a man."

"Got it. Let me know after you talk to them."

Indeed, the privacy is thin, but we can talk immediately when the door is opened, and it's comforting to hear unexpected voices.

It feels like a family, and it's very comfortable. It reminds me of my childhood in my previous life.

So, I was very happy to hear Leidia say that.

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