「What’s the status on the cameras?」
「Construction starts tomorrow.」
After the whole Shanshan incident, I checked in to see how far things had progressed, and Lady informed me that work was set to begin immediately.
I was honestly shocked at how fast they moved.
Apparently, the Fertilizers had discussed it among themselves that very day and settled the details.
Sakura, who was well-versed in cameras, had chosen a high-resolution model packed with various features.
As expected from someone highly capable—their efficiency was on another level.
The very next morning, the installation crew arrived bright and early.
「Whoa! The real Dori-chan!」
「And there’s Potato too!」
The lead technician turned out to be a member of the fan club. The moment I opened the door, he eagerly reached out for a handshake.
Since these guys weren’t explorers, it made sense that they’d be fascinated by Dori, Potato, and other monsters.
Dori and Potato, basking in the attention, proudly puffed out their chests.
Meanwhile, Karaage, feeling left out, sulked between my legs, pressing his face against me.
Well, he was just a chicken, after all.
Even I sometimes forgot that Potato was actually a Mitsume Wolf.
「We’d like to inspect the area before setting up. Is it alright if we check around the fields?」
「Go ahead. Let me know if you need anything.」
With eyes sparkling with excitement, the technician hurried off towards the fields.
Explorers who followed the channel often dropped by before dungeon dives, but regular people rarely had the chance to visit.
I figured this was why Sakura had suggested holding a fan meetup before the area surrounding the dungeon became more developed—for people like them.
Considering the cameras were essentially a gift from the viewers, setting up an opportunity to meet in person might be worth looking into.
Since installation was underway, I planned to take the day off from farm work and relax at home.
After finishing breakfast, everyone was lounging around when a sudden scream rang out.
The only ones outside should have been the workers installing the cameras.
A bad feeling crept up my spine as I rushed outside.
There, standing in a tense standoff with the workers—was a bear.
「Is that Shanshan?」
「Mmm-mmm.」
Dori shook her head.
I couldn’t tell the difference between this bear and the one from before, but Dori clearly could.
No, more importantly—if this was just an ordinary bear, then the workers were in danger.
I grabbed the nearest object and shouted as loud as I could.
「Uwooooh!」
I smacked the ground to make some noise.
But instead of a loud bang, all I got was a pathetic pesh pesh sound.
Ah… why did I grab a shoehorn of all things?
No matter how much I tried, the soft earth absorbed the sound completely.
「Kukuku, that’s quite the sight.」
『Haaa…』
I turned toward the voices and saw Grandpa and Potato watching the scene unfold like it was some kind of spectacle.
「Grandpa, Potato, get inside the house!」
If the bear got inside, we’d be completely defenseless.
And there was no way my grandparents could outrun it.
「It’s fine, Naoki.」
「Huh?」
「Neenee!」
Dori suddenly bolted toward the bear at full speed.
She didn’t hesitate for a second.
As if she already knew this bear.
But just moments ago, she’d said it wasn’t Shanshan.
「Dori, stop—!」
「Kyaaa! Dori-chan!」
The bear reared up on its hind legs and caught Dori in its arms.
「Eh… did that bear just talk?」
I could’ve sworn I heard it call out to Dori.
And then there was that word—”Neenee”.
That was what Dori called Sena.
She never used it for anyone else.
「Neenee Shanshan!」
「Correct!」
The bear lowered Dori to the ground and grabbed its own face.
It pulled at its head, struggling to remove something.
Dori quickly joined in to help.
「Hnnn!」
「Heave-ho!」
With one big yank, Dori sent the bear’s head soaring into the sky.
Yeah, if any normal kid saw this, they’d probably be traumatized for life.
I just watched in stunned silence as the headless bear stood there.
「Sena-san!?」
「Yes, the bear was me all along.」
Inside the bear costume was Sena.
The workers turned to me, grinning from ear to ear.
I still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Haruki holding up his phone.
「It was a prank!」
Ah.
I’d been had.
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