The next morning, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and headed downstairs to find the explorers deep in discussion.
It seemed they’d been brainstorming ideas for us even in the middle of the night.
Waking up like this left me feeling groggy and unfocused.
「Areh? Grandma, where’s Potato?」
「He went to check the fields with Grandpa.」
It seemed they’d gone to inspect the fields early in the morning to see if they’d been disturbed.
Even though we could monitor things with the panoramic camera, catching the culprit on-site was crucial.
「Chips, your husband’s been slacking off on parenting, huh? Isn’t this what they call solo parenting?」
『Kwunn…』
Chips looked troubled.
She was nursing the puppies, but taking care of three energetic pups alone must be exhausting.
Kitahime’s lower half was stretched out somewhere I couldn’t see, and May Queen was posing coolly while nursing, holding a nipple between her fingers like a cigarette.
Their personalities were just too strong.
「Baron needs attention too!」
Dori brought Baron back to Chips.
She’d been sitting properly in the living room, waiting to eat breakfast together.
「Also, isn’t Baron getting a bit big?」
『Huh?』
Baron looked at me with a confused expression.
Just yesterday, he still had that puppy vibe, but now he looked about three months old.
Maybe it’s because I don’t know much about dogs.
Still, for newborns, there’s just too much going on.
「Raising these pups is going to be tough. Potato needs to step up as a father—」
『Grrrrrr!』
A low growl echoed, and there stood Potato, looking like a fierce guardian.
Oh no, this isn’t good…
「Hey Potato, I’m not attacking or anything… Ouch, ouch, ouch!」
Potato bit my butt hard.
Definitely harder than his usual playful nips.
But someone wasn’t happy with Potato’s behavior.
『Grr! You can’t do that!』
Huh?
Did someone just talk?
Maybe I’m still half-asleep and hearing things.
『Kwuunn…』
Chips seemed to have immediately regretted hitting Potato and was now gently patting my sore butt.
But May Queen, jealous of the attention, started hitting me too, making the whole situation hard to describe.
The explorers had been discussing Potato’s situation earlier.
Most of their conversation revolved around who would patrol the fields and who would monitor the camera feed.
「I’ll take the afternoon shift!」
「When Haruki-san is around, I’ll go!」
「Aren’t you two just doing this for your own benefit?」
「No!」
「Not at all!」
It seemed that Sena and Lady mostly took over patrol duties when Dori and I were working in the fields.
We still didn’t know who the culprit was, but having someone patrol was a big help.
Once winter arrived, fieldwork would have to pause for a while.
I wanted to harvest as many vegetables as possible before then.
If all our hard work was ruined by someone spraying herbicide, Dori would be heartbroken.
「Everyone, let’s get ready for breakfast.」
「Yes!」
The explorers busied themselves carrying dishes prepared by Grandma and setting the table.
Every morning, the table was filled with an abundance of food.
This routine of preparing meals together and gathering around the table had become a normal part of our lives.
Grandma seemed to enjoy cooking so much every day.
「So, what’s the plan for the patrols?」
Grandpa, too, seemed concerned about the fields being disturbed and actively participated in the discussion.
「For now, we’ll handle the afternoon shifts. The real issue is the night patrols.」
「It’s dangerous for the women at night.」
「Yeah, it’s dark and risky.」
With a dungeon nearby, there were plenty of male explorers around.
If someone as alluring as Sena or Lady walked alone at night, they might get attacked.
「Guh!?」
「Cough, cough!」
Everyone except the Morita family started choking and coughing.
A grain of rice Samurai was eating even flew onto my face.
Lady, who instantly shielded herself with poison, truly lived up to her S-rank explorer status.
Well, this was a familiar scene, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.
「This is what makes Papa-san so endearing… Are you alright?」
「Call an ambulance right now…」
「Ara ara, should I go get some medicine?」
The women collapsing next to me was also a familiar sight.
Grandma went to fetch some medicine.
Ah, it looks like another peaceful day is about to begin.
「Papa-san looks spaced out—is he asleep?」
「Dori-chan, I think he’s definitely asleep!」
「Papa-meh!」
I was shaken awake by Dori.
Mornings are always tough when you’re sleepy.
So, who was supposed to handle the night patrols again?
I continued eating breakfast in a daze.
Leave a Reply