Chapter 155 - Reconfirming Piled-Up Tasks
Sunday
Sunday.
After finishing breakfast, I saw my older sister, Mashiro-nee, off to the station as she returned to her dorm.
"Alright, take care of yourself. And don't be too picky about food."
"I know, I know! More importantly...!"
She grabbed me in a headlock.
"You understand what'll happen if you make Mio-chan cry, right?"
"I wouldn't do that! Ow, ow, ow!"
Along with her menacing voice, the pressure of her headlock increased... It really hurt!
"Now, now, Ane-ue. I shall watch over him, so worry not."
"Miki. Make sure you watch him, okay?"
"I understand. Come, it is almost time for your train."
At those words, Mashiro-nee finally released her headlock.
She picked up her luggage from the floor and said,
"Alright, see you in summer then!"
With that, she ran off, passing through the ticket gate without looking back.
She's really like a typhoon, my sister...
"So, Mashiro-nee, are you going to keep playing [IRO] even after you return to university and your dorm?"
"Indeed, she enjoyed it, and it will likely continue for some time."
On the way home.
Curious about how Mashiro-nee played the game, I asked Miki.
Apparently, after her [PvP] with [Leona-sama], she went all over the place, fighting various monsters, saying, "It's time for real combat!"
Season-san from the same dorm, and also,
"Season-dono and Polly (Iincho)-dono happened to be close in character level, which was quite helpful."
It seems [Iincho] accompanied her. I'm really grateful.
The party consisted of Seth (Miki) as the main shield, Marie (Mashiro-nee) as the attacker, Polly ([Iincho]) with [Bow] and [Spirit Magic], and Season-san as the healer.
"Season-san is a [Sewing] player, right?"
"Indeed. But she could not abandon Ane-ue, who was prone to injury..."
Miki said with a wry smile.
Somehow, I'm really sorry.
They don't know that Seth (Miki) and Marie (Mashiro-nee) are my siblings, so I decided to apologize in my heart.
"I hope she doesn't get bored quickly, like with other sports."
"Surely not in a day or two. At least not until she defeats [Leona-dono]."
"Ah, that's true."
Mashiro-nee is extremely competitive, so she wouldn't quit after a loss...
*
"Alright, what should I do today? Um, I have a lot of unfinished business, don't I?"
Yes. I've made a note of them, but... would you like me to read them out?
"That would be helpful. Just give me the gist."
After getting the gist, I guess I'll postpone anything that can be done during the shortened game time of test week.
Um...
・Path from the southeast cave to the [Sandy Beach] (unnecessary?)
・Door at the entrance of the southeast cave ([Safe Zone] confirmation)
・Make wooden boxes and chests?
・Make and place a mini-chest
・Read unread books (encyclopedias, etc.)
・Railings on the stairs to the 1st floor to prevent falling (no rush)
・Drainage maintenance from the earthen floor
・Create a field
・Small shield? ([Shield Skill])
・About skills ([Civil Engineering], [Animal Husbandry])
・Open the [Unlock Code] door
The last one is definitely for after the test, but besides that, I have a lot of other things piled up...
"Then, I'll start with the cave door. I planned to reuse the door that was originally on the [Mountain Cabin]."
I see.
What will take time is the back-and-forth between here and there.
Transporting the door itself will be tough, but I also need to erect pillars to install it, so I'll have to make two or three round trips...
.........
......
...
"Finished. That took quite a while..."
Good work. It's almost 3 o'clock, so about two hours, give or take.
"I feel like the back-and-forth took the most time..."
Transporting the door, checking for suitable installation spots, then transporting pillars that matched the height of those spots... that was the hard part.
Once the materials were transported, it was just a matter of firmly setting up the pillars and installing the door.
Does the lock seem to work well?
"Yeah. It's not really much of a lock though."
Before installation, I attached a U-shaped wooden frame that passed through the door.
If that rotates and fits into the latch receiver on the pillar, that should be enough, I thought.
"Like this."
Amazing.
"Well, this only works around here."
I feel like goblins with a certain level of intelligence could open it. But there shouldn't be any intelligent ones around here anymore.
What will you do next?
"It's also about the field, but I was thinking of planting the [Papu Tree] near the [Mountain Cabin] or the spring."
So you're increasing the [Dried Papu Fruit] for the [Fairies], Mion said.
Huh, where did Lupi go?
"Woof!"
"Oh, there she is. Did you already bring her?"
"~ ~ ~ ♪"
Sweee flew off Lupi's back and hovered in front of me, chest puffed out proudly.
Yeah, you can be proud, but still...
"I want to plant the [Papu Tree] nearby to make those delicious [Papu Fruit] desserts."
"~ ~ ~ ♪"
She seemed to understand and settled haughtily on my shoulder.
She looks quite heavy for her size, but I don't feel it at all. Is that because she's a [Fairy]?
You'll have them choose, like with the [Greenberry Fruit].
"Yeah. They seem good at that kind of thing. This haughty one, that is."
Shou-kun... Shouldn't you at least give that [Fairy] a name?
Ah, a name...
The first thing that comes to mind is 'Seth,' but the real Seth (Miki) would definitely get angry about that.
"Hmm, my naming sense is... Mion, do you have any ideas? Lupi was a great name too."
"Woof-woo!"
Lupi was happy too.
Let's see. She loves sweets, so how about "Sweee"?
"Good idea! Um, can I call you 'Sweee'?"
"~ ~ ~ ♪"
Oh, a thumbs-up. Does that mean it's okay?
"As expected of Mion. Looks like it's a go."
That's good!
Still, "Sweee" for someone who loves sweets. She has good taste.
.........
......
...
"Phew, I'm tired..."
Was it heavy after all?
"Yeah. The tree itself wasn't much, but the roots were clinging to the soil, and that was heavy."
I think I have pretty good [STR], but moving a tree slightly taller than me while carrying it was tough.
"Is the spot near my house? Or near the spring?"
"~ ~ ~ ♪"
Sweee flew over and pointed to a slope a little distance from the earthen floor.
It was right next to a ditch where rainwater flowed, so maybe it was just right for moisture?
"Woof."
Lupi went ahead to the spot and started digging up the dirt with her front paws.
It feels like 'dig here, dig here', but no treasure will come out, right?