Chapter 111 - Chapter 99: A Secret Just Between Us
"…And then that happened, you know."
Your mother-in-law was quite an amazing person, wasn't she?
"Well, that's beside the point."
It was the first day of the long weekend, and I was eager to finish my homework.
Mion and I were trying to get it done in the virtual club room.
Bell-buchou and Seth (Miki) seemed to be playing IRO.
"Assuming Seth is right and the [Civil Engineering] skill is uncommon or rare, how do you think we get it?"
Seth-chan mentioned something about an Earth Spirit, perhaps? Though I'm not sure how to befriend one.
"Yeah, that's probably the first step."
We already know that a Light Spirit will reside in a [Magic Crystal Stone] nearby if you cultivate [Luminous Moss].
Apparently, that's the result of proper verification after I happened to grow some [Luminous Moss] and a [Spirit Stone] just happened to be nearby, allowing the spirit to reside there.
"Hello there~"
"Hey."
Hello.
Yata-sensei appeared and peered at our work before even taking a seat.
"Looking good. It's best to finish your homework early, you know. Don't want to be scrambling at the last minute~"
His gaze then shifted to Bell-buchou's seat…
Well, it was the first long weekend since starting high school, so the homework load was light.
If we kept at it tomorrow and the day after, it'd be done, and then we could immerse ourselves in the world of IRO without a care. Assuming Mashiro-nee came home, that is.
"I think this is enough for today."
Yes. Oh, Sensei, I have a question…
I thought she might have a question about the homework, but then Mion asked about the [Civil Engineering] skill from earlier.
He's our advisor, so it's probably not a bad idea.
"Hmm, I see~. Well…"
He stroked his chin with his index finger.
"Do you have any other conditions in mind?"
"Other than the Earth Spirit theory, how about simply requiring prerequisites?"
Prerequisites, huh? Like the [Basic Magicology] Bell-buchou found.
Come to think of it, those books in the [Mountain Cabin] included some about geology. There might be a hint there…
Shou-kun.
"Ah, right, the books in the [Mountain Cabin]."
Yes.
"I'm curious, but first, the renovation. Once that's settled, I think I'll have time to read them properly, and there's a lot of other stuff too."
He left out the part about "that mysterious fairy."
Mion seemed to get it and nodded.
That's true.
"Alright, off to IRO then."
Yes.
"I'll be observing, so have fun~"
It's nice that he sends us off with a smile and all, but…
"By the way, Yata-sensei, why are you in the club room?"
"To make sure Bell-san isn't playing around without doing her homework~"
Ah, right, got it…
*
"Alright, first, I guess I'll start with weeding. Lupi, you can go play."
"Woof!"
Lupi barked in response and energetically bounded off towards the spring.
There are no monsters around, so it's a good place for a walk.
Shou-kun, before you start weeding, why don't you acquire the [Gardening] or [Farming] skills?
"Oh, yeah, you're right. Both sound interesting, so maybe I'll get both. I've got SP to spare."
The 3 SP I received from the bug report came in handy.
Both only require 1 SP, and with the reward from the [Solo Area Boss Defeat], I still had 20 SP left.
"Okay, then I'll clean this place up before dinner."
………
……
…
It's become quite clean.
"I think I'm pretty tired, though…"
Just weeding would likely result in them growing back quickly, so I diligently used a hoe to remove the roots.
Since I planned to lay [Stone Pavement] over this anyway, I flattened the slightly sloped area as much as possible.
It was lucky, I guess, that both my [Farming] and [Gardening] skills leveled up by 1 just from that? Well, weed removal is important, too.
So, you're going to lay the stone walls first?
"That's the idea, but first, a little something."
You could argue whether it's even necessary, but I still hammered stakes into all four corners and strung ropes between them.
I wanted the ropes to be precisely the same length, making a perfect rectangle. The corners had to be right angles. Purely a matter of personal preference, of course.
You're very precise.
"If I made it shoddily, Seth (Miki) would probably say something…"
Something like, "Are you mocking my mother's work?"
Surveying, that's those guys you sometimes see measuring with a tripod-mounted machine on the road, right?
When I was a kid, it looked a bit cool and I admired it, but I haven't really thought about taking up such a profession in the future.
"Alright. Now, I'll start laying the stone walls, taking breaks as needed."
Yes. Please be careful with your MP.
I was going to lay [Stone Pavement] over an area about the same size as the [Mountain Cabin], and of course, I'd be using [Stone Wall] magic to do it, which consumes a lot of MP.
Create a 50cm square stone wall, place it, step on it, create, place, step, repeat.
It really takes a lot of MP…
"Okay, break time. This might take a while."
But you're already 1/3 of the way done!
"I know, but I also have to keep up with the walls at this pace. I don't know how Bell-buchou managed to build that defensive wall, honestly…"
That thing goes all the way around the city.
There are probably gates, but they're likely planning to make the entire perimeter that same height.
"Woof!"
"Oh, Lupi, welcome back."
She nestled between my legs as I sat on the ground.
As a mental break, I petted Lupi, and then…
"Huh?"
Lupi-chan is glowing.
Could this be it? I checked my status, and…
"Whoa, my MP recovered by about half…"
Is that the [Mana Aid] art you learned recently?
"Yeah, probably."
I told her to use her arts as she pleased, but this is truly a lifesaver.
"Thanks, Lupi."
"Woof-un!"
She responded with a sniff… Does she want a treat?
I pulled out some roasted rabbit meat from my inventory, but she shook her head.
Hmm? What could it be…
Could it be [Greenberry Fruit]? You know, those…
"Ah…"
Mion's hesitant way of speaking was because Yata-sensei was watching.
Whether Lupi wanted to take it to that fairy, or if the fairy asked for it, I couldn't tell, but it was probably something like that.
"This?"
"Woof-un!"
She looked like she was saying "That's it!", so it seemed correct.
Giving it to her was fine, but how to carry it… Ah!
"Wait a moment."
I pulled a [Papu Leaf Tea] pouch from my belt and put about five [Greenberry Fruit] into it.
Then, I hung it around Lupi's neck with a leather cord…
She's so cute.
"I thought we didn't need a collar or anything, but something like this might be okay."
"Alright, go on."
"Woof!"
Lupi happily trotted off, heading straight for where that fairy had been.
"I knew it."
I think so.
I really don't think a teacher should be saying things like that…