Chapter 107 - Interesting, But On the Back Burner
The [Fairy] snatched the [Greenberry Fruit] I offered in my palm, and unceremoniously bit into it.
"~~~!!"
It dramatically scrunched its face at the sourness, then relaxed its cheeks at the sweetness that followed.
I meant it as a little prank, but oh well.
"~~~"
I thought it would leave after eating, but it kept flying back and forth in front of me...
"Huh, what?"
"Isn't it asking for more?"
"Ah~."
I took out another [Greenberry Fruit]... a [Papu Fruit] from my inventory and placed it on my palm, but,
"~~~!!"
The [Fairy] formed a big X with both hands and held it up in front of itself.
Does it know [Papu Fruit] is astringent? Can't be helped.
"~~~♪"
It snatched the [Greenberry Fruit] I took out again, then sat on my shoulder, munching on it.
This freedom, or rather, this stubbornness, I remember seeing it up close. Yeah...
"Um... what should I do?"
"For now, how about we search the direction the [Fairy]-san came from?"
"Oh, right. It must have a place where it lives."
"Woof."
I followed [Lupi] as she led the way, but is it okay to keep this [Fairy] on my shoulder?
I glanced over and it mashed its fist into my cheek...
"..."
"Hmm?"
"No, it's nothing."
As we proceeded through the unremarkable forest, similar to the island's southeast, we found a small clearing with a flower field, and in its center, a large tree distinctly different from its surroundings.
"~~~♪"
Just as my shoulder felt light, the [Fairy] swiftly flew away and vanished behind the tree.
"Is that its home?"
"I think so."
It's so mysterious that I'm at a loss for how to react.
A quest? A story? Or just a flavor event?
That tree feels different, so I want to appraise it thoroughly, but doing so would mean stepping on the flowers to get close, which makes me hesitate.
"Well, I guess I'll just leave it for now."
"Shou-kun, how about we keep this a secret for a while?"
"Hmm? If [Mion] wants to, that's fine, but... why?"
"We haven't properly talked about the [Red Armor Bear] yet, and if another new discovery comes out now, things will get complicated..."
"Ah, true..."
I know the [Uninhabited Island] is special, but there's just too much happening.
I don't think it's even been a month yet, but we've had [Lupi], [Ancient Ruins], an [Area Boss], and now an abandoned [Mountain Cabin], and a [Fairy] on top of that...
"Until there's a bit more concrete progress, let's keep it from [Bell-san] too."
"Is that okay?"
"Right now, all I can do is show videos, so wouldn't it be better to talk about it once something more happens?"
"That's certainly true."
After renovating the [Mountain Cabin] and taking a breather, asking "So what's up with that [Fairy]?" would be enough, right?
"Woof."
"Oh, sorry. Let's continue."
"Yes."
I continued southwest along the cliff, then walked through the forest all the way to the southeast.
There were no signs of large creatures like [Greydeer] or [Ranziboa].
I didn't see any small ones like [Bicobit] or [Forebit] either; only the chirping of birds from the treetops could be heard.
I saw vegetables like [Lexon], [Kitopukusa], [Rudish], and [Coputi], so the vegetation seems normal?
"Is this area structurally isolated, with only birds around?"
"That's what it feels like."
We ended up returning to the entrance stairs.
In other words, there's nothing particularly special about this forest. Well, there was a beautiful spring and a [Fairy], though.
"Alright. Let's go to the [Mountain Cabin]."
"Woof."
"Are we renovating right away?"
"Ah, no, I'll explain how I plan to proceed. [Mion], if you think something's strange or wonder about anything, will you ask questions?"
"Yes!"
We returned to a spot slightly away from the [Mountain Cabin]'s entrance and re-examined its surroundings.
Both sides were overgrown with weeds, but those should clear up nicely with some weeding.
"Um, first, I'm planning to build a storage shed to the right of the [Mountain Cabin], on the east side."
"Huh? Oh, yes. May I ask why?"
"It's probably to temporarily move things from the upper floor. Also, to store renovation materials and anything else I don't want to get wet."
A size that can store a whole log is tough, but I want to finish it all during the long weekend while the weather is good.
"Will that storage shed be made of wood?"
"No, I think it'll be stone. [Bell-san] and the others were enclosing the town with stone walls, so I plan to stack them like that."
Just stacking them might cause them to shift in an earthquake, so I'll put [White Clay], used in [Pottery], between them.
When I spoke with the master during a [Silver Manor] meeting before, he told me that [White Clay] contains lime components and can be used as mortar.
I saw it in the live stream just now, so I'm sure it's true.
"And after that, dismantling?"
"Yeah. First I'll remove the roof planks, then the walls, and finally the floor. But removing the floor might expose the first floor completely, and it would be bad if it rained then, so I plan to remove and immediately replace it with a new one."
Even if it rains halfway through, if I lay down some roof planks, I think I can at least prevent the worst of it.
"I see. I hope we have a stretch of good weather."
"Right? Oh, and I need to check what happens if water gets into that stone-walled first floor."
Just in case, it's best to check how drainage works if there's a leak on the first floor.
I asked the light spirits for illumination and opened the temporarily closed entrance.
It's still terribly dusty, but I'll clear it all out when I dismantle it anyway, so I can just leave it for now.
...Can I go ahead and dismantle the desk, chair, and what used to be a bed that I thought about moving to the [Storage]?
"Woof."
"Hmm, let's go."
The floor still creaks, so it definitely needs replacing.
Descending the steep stone stairs, the first floor was illuminated. The luxury cabinet, the chest box of magic tools, and the [Transfer Magic Circle] were, of course, as before.
"Are we going to take out the cabinets and such for a while?"
"Hmm, maybe if it looks like rain once the floor is removed? Even then, laying new floorboards might be faster."
"I'm worried about the books getting wet. How about moving the books to the chest box?"
"Oh, right. This way is safer. While I'm at it, I'll move them while checking what kind of books there are."
"Yes."
At times like this, having an inventory in a game really makes things easy. Just check each cover one by one and toss it into the inventory.
Oh, is this the [Basic Magicology] book [Bell-san] mentioned? Ugh, I want to check inside, but I'll have to wait until the renovation and move are finished...
"It seems there are many books on [Elemental Magic], encyclopedias, and geology."
"I guess it's because this is a [Volcanic Island]? If they were researching the possibility of an eruption, that's a bit frightening..."
If it erupts after all this renovation... I'd cry...