After finishing the preparations, I decided to head to the fields with everyone.
Someone was already there when we arrived.
「Yo, I brought Yuri with me.」
「Aren’t you coming, Haruki?」
「Ah, I’m still busy preparing for the store.」
Haruki was bustling around, getting ready for the store he planned to open near the poultry farm.
The building was finally complete, and now he was working on the interior.
「Papa!」
「Look, look!」
Dori and Yuri spun around in front of us.
「New ones made!」
「Ah, so that’s why Grandma’s been so busy lately.」
Dori and Yuri were wearing matching floral-patterned overalls.
Until now, they’d been adding patches to their clothes, but creating floral patterns required a lot of fabric.
Grandma had been sewing these overalls from floral-patterned cloth for Dori.
「Yuri got one too, but I feel bad for asking Grandma to do so much.」
「Hahaha, she doesn’t mind. She said one or two more outfits don’t make a difference. Look, I even got one made from the leftover fabric!」
He turned around, grinning, and showed off his buttocks.
The floral pattern was stitched only on the seat of his pants.
I guess she made the seat thicker so it’d hold up better during fieldwork.
Sitting and sliding around while working would wear out the fabric on the seat over time.
Dori sometimes mentioned how Grandpa’s hair and the seat of his pants matched.
Grandpa never noticed, but Grandma must’ve been considerate to avoid hurting his feelings.
「What do you think? Jealous, Naoki?」
「Ah, yeah, I guess. The thicker fabric on the seat would make it less painful when Potato bites me.」
「……」
Areh?
Did I say something wrong?
Sure, the floral pattern is stylish, but it probably wouldn’t suit me.
I was just envious of the thicker fabric on the seat.
Wait, did Grandpa figure it out? But he just looked exasperated.
Seems like Grandpa wasn’t hurt by it after all.
Potato, watching me, smirked.
「Don’t give me that look like you’re planning to bite harder just because the fabric’s thicker.」
If anything, the thicker fabric might make him bite even harder than his usual playful nips.
「By the way, why are those two so far apart?」
「Ah, starting today, the explorers are taking turns patrolling.」
In the distance, Sena and Lady were patrolling with smartphones and binoculars.
Carrying both the panoramic camera and binoculars was probably to ensure thorough surveillance.
Still, I was surprised they already had binoculars.
「Ah, it seems like there’s more to the patrols than meets the eye…」
「Really?」
「Well, if Naoki doesn’t mind, it’s fine. Anyway, take care of Yuri. I’ll come pick her up with Sakura tonight.」
「You’re staying for dinner, right? I’ll let Grandma know.」
「Yeah, that’d be great.」
With that, Haruki headed back to the poultry farm.
「Papa!」
「Hm? What’s up?」
「Falling.」
I thought something had fallen, but there was nothing at my feet.
「Did something fall?」
「Nuh-uh, no!」
Dori shook her head vigorously.
「Dori-chan, she’s feeling down.」
「No no! Falling!」
Yuri tried to correct Dori, but Dori couldn’t quite get the words right.
Following Yuri’s pointing finger, I saw that Lady was indeed half-melted.
「You two have sharp eyes.」
「Even if I couldn’t see, I’d know. Papa and Haruki get along so well!」
「Ah, true. Whenever Haruki’s around, Lady is always watching.」
She must be worried about whether Haruki and I are getting along.
When Lady first came to our house, Haruki had just returned, and we often argued.
Now, Haruki and I get along fine.
The only time we argue is over who’s cuter, Dori or Yuri.
But in the end, they’re both adorable, so it settles quickly.
I think Lady mentioned her children are around our age.
She probably sees us as similar to her own children.
「Anyway, let’s get started!」
「Yeah!」
Dori and Yuri’s voices overlapped.
I quickly set up my phone and greeted everyone.
「Hello, everyone!」
「Hiya!」
「Hello!」
We all waved at the screen.
「We’re about to start the first Harvest Festival!」
「Har-fest?」
「Dori-chan, it’s the Harvest Festival!」
「Har-fest!」
We decided to harvest early before the herbicide could ruin everything.
That’s what this first Harvest Festival is all about.
「This time, we’re having a sweet potato digging contest!」
「Yay!」
『Grrrrr!』
Hearing about the sweet potato digging, Potato growled.
He was already targeting my butt, his teeth gleaming.
He must’ve misunderstood and thought we were harvesting his potato field.
「Hey, Potato! We’re not digging up your potato field, okay?」
『Huh!?』
Potato looked surprised.
「When you say sweet potato digging, there’s only one thing it can be, right?」
「Yeah, only one thing.」
We shifted positions slightly so the field was visible.
「Ta-da! It’s the autumn delicacy—sweet potato digging!」
The field was overgrown with long vines and leaves.
We hadn’t dug up any sweet potatoes until today.
It might be a bit early for harvesting, but it’s fine.
If someone’s going to spray herbicide, it’s better to harvest now.
「Alright, let me explain the rules!」
I quickly started explaining the rules.
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