127 - - Episode 125 Walking around the Base

Ugh, I think I drank a little too much, my head hurts. ...... I felt like drinking a little bit last night.

Yuta, good morning! Cue "good morning" and "coo-coo."

The usually heartwarming morning greetings of the Belles are echoing in my head only today. But it doesn't matter. When the belles greet me with a smile, it is my duty to greet them back with a smile.

"Good morning, Belle, Rain, Tulu, Tamamo."

Pretending not to notice the headache, I greet them back and pat each of them on the head.

"Yuta, are you okay?" Cue?""" Hen""Cu?""

I tried my best, but Bell and the others seemed to know that I was different from usual. I feel a mixture of apology and happiness at the worried expressions on the belles' faces.

I'm fine, I just had a little too much to drink, that's all. I'll be fine this afternoon.

With Sarah and the other guests concerned, we set the food on the table and begin breakfast. By the way, Sylphy and Dolly warn me not to drink too much, and Nomos scolds me for being miserable after all that drinking. It's not fair that these three drink several times more than I do.

Deanne told me that if I had a hangover, one more drink would cure it, a theory that some drunkard had developed, so I decided not to listen to her.

"Ah, Sylphy, take care of her, will you? Help her if she's in danger.

"Yes, I know. Okay, I'm off.

"Okay, well, good luck to you and Sarah. Sylphy will help you if you're in danger, but you can't rely on her all the time.

"Yes, I'll do my best.""Wow, okay."".................."

Sylphy's cocoon of wind flew around Sarah and the others. I told them that they could do most of the things now, and that all they had to do was to dive into the nest and gain experience, but they seemed very anxious about this training.

Sara and Marco looked really worried when I told them.　Kikka just stared at me silently. I hope she doesn't hate me. I explained to her that I didn't hate following her because I was hungover, and that I had planned to do so from the beginning.　I hope you believe me.

I've told them I won't go into a nest where there are more than generals, so it's not much different than before. If that's why I'm not here, I guess I've been pretty supportive.　　

"So, what are you going to do, Yuta?"

"Yeah, I'm going to sleep until I feel better. You can play with the belles all you want. Oh, and Deanne, check on the pond.

If it were true, I'd go check it out myself, but I've got a bad headache and I'm feeling a little tired. I'll check when I'm feeling better. I see Bell and the others off to play, and drag my heavy body back to the bedroom. I drink plenty of water before lying down to sleep. I hope I feel better when I wake up.

**

I wake up and check my physical condition. I still have a headache and feel a little tired, but I'm generally feeling better, thanks to drinking plenty of water.

I go out of the bedroom and look up at the sky. I called to them with a wave of my hand, and they jumped on me.

"Yuta, are you feeling better?"

Belle, snuggled in my arms, looks up at me and asks, "What do you want me to do with it?

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you.

Rain and the others came by and I told them I was feeling better and we had a lot of fun. I'll be careful how much I drink next time.

The belles have gathered, so we decide to have lunch. Hmm?　I think I forgot something. ...... I didn't give Sarah and her friends their lunch. Oh dear, I've been so sick I haven't been able to think about it.

It's not a good idea to summon Sylphy, so I'll let her eat her fill when she gets back today and bring her lunch box tomorrow. I finished my lunch with a sense of regret and went to check the pond.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be a problem from the looks of it, Dine, Dolly, what do you think?"

"So far, no problems. The water quality is stable.

"Yes, it is. I don't know about the organisms, but the plants are taking root well, and as long as nothing happens to them, I think we'll be fine.

You're sure that means everything is going well, right?　But about the organisms, ...... come to think of it, I wanted to sign up with a spirit of life that can heal. I forgot about it because I don't get hurt at all.

But, living creatures or ...... living creatures are necessary for the balance of nature, I'll ask Sylphy to introduce me to the spirit of life when she comes back.

Hmm?　If I say "spirit of life," there must be a lot of living creatures, right? Is it impossible with only the aquatic creatures and insects we captured yesterday?　Well, I'll ask Sylphy later.

"Thank you. Can I leave the pond to you two?"

I know I should be the one to take care of them since I'm the one who caught them, but I don't know anything about them, so it's best I ask you two to take care of them. They nodded their heads and said they would take care of everything.

Well, we've been away for more than ten days today, so let's take our time and look around the base. We didn't have time to look around because we went out as soon as we got back.

Let's first look around this forest along the waterway. The forest where Nomos mixed the soil and Dolly made it grow so fast. They planted all kinds of seeds, so there are all kinds of trees.

It's a small forest, but it's amazing to think of it as a forest on a dead land. It doesn't look like it's getting too hard to grow, but I wonder what's really going on.

"Dolly, you said that the rapid growth would be a little hard on the trees, are the trees in this forest ok?"

"Yes, I'm sure it will be fine. We have brought in soil rich in nutrients and the spirit trees are keeping the surrounding soil in good condition. I've been taking care of it, and it's doing well. But the trees that bear fruit will take a little more time.

Dolly answered me smiling. Perhaps because she is the spirit of the forest, Dolly seems to be in an exceptionally good mood when she is in the forest. I heard that the spirit trees have a positive effect on the surrounding area. It's been less than a month since the genie tree grew and it's already starting to have a positive effect. That's great.

"I know it's a lot of work, but please take care of the forest too."

Ponds and forests and fields, all I do is ask. I know I say I don't depend on you, but in times like this, I depend on you a lot.

"Hmph, Yuta-san, I am a great spirit of the forest. This is nothing but a hassle. If you are worried about what I said to Sylphy, it's only a matter of caution against using spirits easily for fighting or making money. There is no problem in relying on them when it comes to their attributes.

You easily read my mind. You're not saying you read my mind, are you?　I look at Dolly, but she is smiling so elegantly that I can't read her expression at all. Oh, wow, that sent shivers down my spine. Age-related things are untouchable.

"That's right. You can rely on your sister as much as you want!

Deanne also hugs me from behind and tells me I can count on her. It's nice to be able to ask for help with my attributes. But I'm afraid that if I rely on her too much, I'll run out of things to do.

"Ah, but Yuta-san said before that it is very good to let Belle and her friends gain experience. I think it would be a good idea to discuss this with them before asking us to do it.

"Yes, I will. I'll do that.

I told Bell and the others who were flying around me, and they all raised their hands. They are so cute. I guess we should consult with these girls first, and if not, we should consult with Sylphy and the other big spirits. Let's go next.

Yuta! What are you going to do with this vacant lot?　We've got good soil, should we turn it into a field?"

The fields. ......Even though we all eat well, we can't eat all the available land if we turn it into fields. There is a way to earn money by shipping crops, but it's hard work and the profit is ...... definitely more profitable by defeating demons.

"I'm not going to farm because there will be too many crops."

If they say that there are not enough animals to scout for the spirit of life, it might be a good idea to plant grass and make a farm. Or, you can plant more forests and catch wild animals and release them. Which would be better?

"Hey, Dolly. If we were to increase the size of the forest, how much more could we add?"

"You could easily turn the entire area you are currently cultivating into a forest."

He smiled and said it like it was nothing. I think it would be a problem to turn everything into a forest. But there are twenty-two unused blocks, so it would be a good idea to make some of them into a forest.

I'd like to plant cherry trees in the whole block, but I thought you have to graft them to make more trees.　Also, it's too hot here all year round to bloom.

"I don't want to do everything, but I'd like to add a little more forest, so please think about which block should be the next forest."

I understand. I'm looking forward to it.

You are happy to see more forests, aren't you? Well, it's only natural. After all, he is the great spirit of the forest. We walk through the block of dirt and arrive at the block of spirit trees.

"It's still a big tree, but it's really relaxing to look at it, isn't it?

When I see a spirit tree, I can't help looking up at it. Perhaps because it is a special tree, it seems to sparkle in the strong sunlight. It is full of a sacred atmosphere. I never get tired of seeing Bell and his friends playing around the tree.

"Hmm, I'm glad you like it."

"Yes, at first I thought it would be okay to have such a great tree, but now I really like it. Thank you."

You're welcome. Do you want me to grow another one?"

No, no, I don't think so.

Dolly's mischievous grin makes me think she's joking, but I have to deny it because if I nod, she's seriously going to grow another one.

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Ha-ha-ha, yes, I'd like to cover the area around the tree with grass.

It suddenly occurred to me that it was a big tree of a different kind in the strong sunlight. If we cover the ground with grass, it would be just like the mysterious-looking tree scene in the old commercials.

"A lawn?　There's nothing wrong with that."

"Great, I'll ask Tamamo to grow them, but I can't get the seeds, so can I ask Dolly?"

Yes, can I get it out to you right away?

"No, we'll all do it when everyone is here, so maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow. We'll add a block of woods then, for now. It's short notice, but please think of a place for it.

"Okay. What kind of forest do you want?

It's hard to say what kind of forest.

"Well, I'll leave most of it up to Dolly, but I'd like to release some small animals eventually, so I'd like it to be a forest with plenty of food."

I think it will be a nice forest if we release small animals like squirrels or momonga or something like that. Eventually, we'll have to release small predators, but that's something to look forward to.

I understand. I'll think it over.

"Yes, thank you."

It's just an idea, but it's a pretty good one. It would be nice to lie down on the grass under the shade of the spirit tree.