「Good morning.」
「Ah, Naoki・・san, I’m so sorry to call this early!」
I was jolted awake by an unexpected phone call. Judging by the voice, it was the receptionist from the Explorer’s Guild.
Working this early in the morning—was the Explorer’s Guild some kind of black company?
Then again, not long ago, I used to work through the night myself…
「Is something wrong?」
「I’m calling to let you know that your request has been completed.」
Apparently, the request I’d put in just yesterday was already fulfilled. They’d mentioned that updates would be sent via email, so why the call?
「Well, there’s been… a bit of a problem regarding the matter.」
「A problem?」
「Yes. A large number of explorers suddenly brought in magic stones all at once. Among them are A-rank and B-rank stones, even C-rank and above.」
「I can’t afford to pay for those, so C-rank ones will suffice.」
Hearing this, I shot up from bed. There was no way I could afford magic stones worth over a million yen.
I mean, I couldn’t exactly blow all my savings on magic stones.
「That’s the thing… Many of them don’t want money. They’re saying that a bouquet of flowers or just having tea with you, Naoki-san, would be enough.」
「Whaaat!?」
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing over the phone. People were willing to trade magic stones, worth a fortune, for something as simple as flowers or a chance to have tea with me?
Sure, a bouquet has some value, but there’s no way I was worth that much.
「I just wanted to give you a heads-up, but I apologize for calling so early.」
「Let me confirm something real quick.」
Feeling a hunch, I opened the video streaming platform. What I saw left me stunned.
「What…!? Over 100,000 views? And these comments… What is this!?」
The comments had exploded, increasing by dozens of times compared to before. Clearly, one of my videos had gone viral.
A hundred thousand views? That’s the kind of number you’d expect from a famous dungeon exploration streamer.
「I’ll bring a bouquet over right away, so please stop the request for now.」
「Understood!」
I hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh. Just dealing with the receptionist’s call had drained me first thing in the morning.
「Papa?」
Dori seemed worried about me. I had started streaming just to earn a bit of pocket money, but now it felt like my peaceful daily life was being slightly disrupted.
I never imagined that streaming would turn into something like this.
When I headed to the living room for breakfast, my grandparents were already waiting.
「You’re making quite a commotion this morning. Isn’t today harvest day? Were you that excited for it?」
That’s right. I had planned to harvest tomatoes and lettuce with Grandpa today.
「No, there’s some trouble at the place I went to yesterday, so I have to go back there.」
「I see. Then I’ll handle the harvest—」
「No way, Grandpa. I can’t just leave it all to you. I’ll help with the harvest first, then head to the Explorer’s Guild.」
「Explorer’s Guild?」
Grandpa reacted subtly to the mention of the guild. I’d never talked about the guild before, so maybe it brought back memories of when Mom became an explorer.
It was a topic I had been avoiding, but perhaps it was time to bring it up someday.
After quickly finishing breakfast, we headed out to harvest the vegetables.
♢
I set up my phone and began live-streaming the harvest.
「Good morning, everyone.」
As soon as the stream started, a large number of viewers tuned in. Comments flooded in with greetings of “Good morning” one after another.
The sheer number of viewers was surprising, especially considering it was still early morning before work hours.
「Could it be that most of you are explorers?」
The chat was filled with unfamiliar names, and most of them seemed to be explorers.
「I have a request for all of you. I received a call earlier from the Explorer’s Guild about the request. I’d like to take a moment to explain the situation.」
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**Nameless Ordinary Person** ・ A moment ago
What happened?
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**Solitary Samurai** ・ A moment ago
Were my magic stones insufficient?
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**Lady of Decay** ・ A moment ago
I delivered about ten B-rank magic stones myself.
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「I don’t have the money to pay for high-rank magic stones. I think that’s why many of you suggested alternatives.」
Suggestions quickly poured into the comments, each proposing various ideas.
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**Dog Bumps Into Utility Poles** ・ A moment ago
Don’t worry about the money!
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**Watcher of Little Girls** ・ A moment ago
Forget the money! All I want is a bouquet from Dori-chan!
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**Watcher of Papa** ・ A moment ago
I’d love to try the vegetables Papa-san grows.
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It made sense that people wanted bouquets or vegetables, but some of the suggestions were downright baffling—like holding a photo session with Dori or going on a date with me.
Honestly, the bouquets were only meant as a small gesture, something Dori suggested on a whim.
「I’m just a guy from the countryside. I’ve never gone out for tea or been on a date, so I wouldn’t know how to make it enjoyable.」
That’s why I felt at a loss when people said they wanted to have tea with me or go on a date.
The only thing I could offer was working the fields together. If that’s what they wanted, they could join me anytime.
「So to everyone who accepted the request, I’ll send you flowers as a thank-you. But please, deliver the magic stones to the guild. I apologize for the trouble.」
With that said, I headed off to the field where Grandpa and Dori were waiting.
Meanwhile, among the viewers, my words had sparked some chaos in certain corners of the fandom.
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**Friendly Ally** ・ A moment ago
Wait, how can someone that handsome never have been on a date!?
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**Unmarried Mother** ・ A moment ago
This is a rare gem of a man!
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**Watcher of Papa** ・ A moment ago
This is our chance to shine!
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Comments reacting to my lack of dating experience flooded the chat.
Apparently, a full-on battle had broken out among the viewers in my absence.
By the time I realized, the sheer volume of comments made me give up on reading through them later.
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