Volume 4: The Streamer’s Love Story
「Alright, are we ready to go?」
「All set!」
As usual, we changed into our coveralls and headed for the entrance.
The weather was getting colder, and even midday temperatures had dropped, making it much more comfortable.
『Naoki!』
Since then, Potato and Chips had started talking normally.
Occasionally, they still barked in a way I couldn’t understand, which made it feel a little like talking to foreigners.
Before long, the little pups would probably start talking too.
Actually, they were hardly “little” anymore—Baron, in particular, was growing at an alarming rate.
「Did something happen?」
Just as I was putting on my shoes, Potato came over carrying a styrofoam box.
Oh, right.
I had left him in charge of making a hotbed to grow seedlings from the golden sweet potatoes.
Something must have gone wrong with them.
『What do I do…?』
Potato looked slightly troubled as he opened the lid.
『Yo, yo! You guys yo! Close it up right now, yo!』
I promptly shut the lid again.
Inside, the seedlings had grown nicely, with healthy leaves sprouting.
However…
Why was that thing in there?
Nestled among the seedlings was a talking matsutake mushroom—the very one we had harvested during our matsutake hunt earlier in the fall.
「Potato, did you put it in there?」
『Nope! Dori did.』
「Fweh!?」
Dori, who had been trying to feign innocence, was promptly betrayed by Potato.
I had noticed she was avoiding eye contact—but of course, she had been up to something.
「Potato put it in too!」
Dori lunged at Potato, trying to catch him.
But Potato was quick on his feet, easily dodging her.
Round and round they ran, circling around me.
At this rate, there was no way I’d be able to head to the fields.
「Haa… haa…」
『You’re pretty good…』
After a while, both of them were out of breath and had to stop.
They flopped onto the floor, taking a break.
「I’ll hold onto this for now, but are you guys even going to be able to make it to the fields?」
Neither of them responded—they were too winded to talk.
It looked like I’d be working alone today.
Not that there was much to do—most of today’s work involved fixing up the fields after Gomi had messed with them.
Last time, when I tilled the soil, sweet potatoes popped up.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if they were safe to eat, but everyone warned me that they could be poisoned.
So, in the end, I had to throw them away.
I felt bad for whoever had grown them, but since nobody knew exactly what that guy had done, it wasn’t worth the risk.
「Alright, I’m heading out—」
『I’m coming too!』
Just as I opened the front door, something jumped at me.
I turned around to find Chips holding a rag in her mouth.
Lately, I have been spending more time with her.
Now, she was grinning as she looked over at Dori and Potato.
「Aren’t you worried about the pups?」
『They’re playing with Karaage.』
Chips pointed with his paw, and sure enough, the little pups were busy playing with Karaage.
I guess he was keeping an eye on them.
『Kueeeee!』
…Wait.
Wasn’t he actually getting crushed?
Karaage let out a shriek as the little pups piled on top of him.
「Hey, don’t overdo it.」
At my words, the little pups all raised their paws in acknowledgment.
They could probably hold back at least a little.
Potato was still resting at home, so as their father, he could step in if needed.
『Okay!』
「This isn’t a walk, you sure you still want to come?」
『Yeah!』
Chips handed me her leash, and we set off toward the former sweet potato field.
The drop in temperature seemed to have driven away many of the explorers.
Back in the summer, when the dungeon was first discovered, people had flocked here.
But with only prefab huts available, many decided to return to their original dungeons.
And, well, the dungeon near my home was supposedly one of the hardest out there.
No one wanted to dive into a death trap every single day.
「Alright, time to get to work—wait, where are you going, Chips?」
『This way!』
Instead of stopping at the sweet potato field, Chips kept walking.
I followed along, and soon, a familiar voice called out.
「Oh my, Naokyun! You came today!」
「Ah… uh…」
I instinctively took a step back.
But someone was pressing their hands against my back, stopping me.
「Chips, you traitor!」
『Grandma asked me to.』
So that’s why she tagged along today.
I thought she was just coming to help with farm work, but it was all a setup to drag me to the clinic.
Lately, I have been putting off my appointments, using farm work as an excuse.
I had gone a few times, but I never liked hospitals to begin with.
「Come on, time for your counseling session!」
「There’s nothing left to talk about.」
「Even if you don’t have anything, I do! A maiden is always ready to talk about love!」
Whenever I came here, Doctor’s stories were ridiculously long.
It was supposed to be my counseling session, but he spent most of the time talking.
Lately, he had even started preparing snacks and drinks, saying, “Let’s talk about love!”
I’ve never even had a girlfriend—what am I supposed to contribute to a love talk?
Honestly, I’d have an easier time discussing koi fish and bananas.
I tried to make a run for it, but he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me inside the clinic.
Ugh, any doctor who treats patients like this is definitely a quack!
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