132 - - Episode 130 Rice Mowing from Rice Planting

It turned out that Dolly could grow rice, so we hurriedly made a paddy field and prepared seedlings for her. Today is the day for planting rice. The weather is clear and sunny, and the heavens must be happy for the rice planting.

Oh, it never rains in the land of the dead. I couldn't help but think of something that made me want to add a smile at the end. It's called the land of the dead joke. I can't guarantee that it's funny.

"Yoota. "What can I do for you?" Cue ""I'll do my best, okay?"" Coo-coo."

While I was thinking about this nonsense, it seems that Bell and the others got tired of waiting.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but we're starting now. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but I'm going to start now.

After I said that, the belles gathered around and I began to explain about rice planting after petting them a lot. I can only give them a simple explanation. All we had to do was grab four or five seedlings that Dolly had prepared for us and plant them where the lines intersected.

After the brief explanation, we start planting. With a "kyafu", the belles grabbed the seedlings, took off, and planted them at the intersection of the lines. It looks like a dive bombing. Or maybe it's just a suicide mission since they plunged into the ground.

I think there must be an easier way to plant seedlings if we use magic, but I guess that way of planting has caught the attention of Belle and her friends, and they are enjoying planting rice very much.

Rain and Tamamo are holding the seedlings with their short fins and short paws, which makes the scene of them plunging into the ground with a sense of excitement and cuteness that I don't understand. Well, it doesn't matter because the Belles seem to be having a good time.

Sarah and the others are ...... "Haha, my feet are getting cold!""Onii-chan, my feet are getting wet!""Marco, Kikka, you'll fall down if you get carried away. Be careful."......Yeah, it looks like they're having fun too. Fukuchan, Uri, and Mame are cooperating too.

I'm going to try my hand at planting rice for the first time since elementary school. I put on my underwear and step into the rice paddy. My feet sink into the mud. Oh, yes, that's what it feels like. Since I am barefoot, the mud passes through between my toes. Surprisingly, I don't dislike this feeling.

Enjoying the subtle sensation, we planted the seedlings at the intersection of the lines. Each of these seedlings will become rice and fill my stomach. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm doing my best to plant seedlings, but I'm not quite up to the pace of the belles. I didn't think that being able to fly was such an advantage when planting rice.

Well, it's natural that it's an advantage since we don't have to go through the mud where our feet get caught, but I couldn't connect the act of planting rice and flying in my mind. I thought I had gotten used to the fantasy world by now, but it seems that fantasy is still very deep.

We finish planting all the seedlings, with Marco having the usual accidents, such as falling face first into the mud. With a "Aaahhhh", he leaves the paddy field and rubs his back while purifying his body.

I had planned to believe that my back would not be sore the next time I farmed, but I was so dazzled by the rice that I completely forgot. And of course, my back hurts. Next time I'll have to be more firm about it.

"That was fun!" "Coo-coo-coo!" "I love mud!" "Coo-coo-coo!"

Belle, Rain, Tulu and Tamamo jumped on me excitedly. They seemed to like planting rice. I remember they were smiling the whole time they were planting the seedlings.

They were incredibly cute, clinging to me and telling me how much fun they had. I thank them for their help and pet them as usual. For the second time today, the pace is fast.

"Sara, Marco, Kikka, how was planting rice?　Not too tight?"

"No, I'm not tired at all. It was a lot of fun, Master."

Wow, Sara's mood is different from usual. Her expression is childish, well, children are children, but she seems more childish than usual. Maybe the muddy play has awakened Sarah's childish spirit. Maybe we should make rice planting a regular event.

"I'm glad you had fun. How were Marco and Kikka?"

I kind of pat Sarah's head and talk to Marco and Kikka.

"That was fun!" It was interesting."

Well, if all the kids like it, there's nothing wrong with making it an event. We won't be able to eat it all, but the magic bag will hold it all. If we have enough rice, we can make it popular on this continent.

It was a fun time. You must be tired too. Let's take a short break before we ask Dolly to make the rice grow faster.

We set the table and get out drinks and sandwiches. We let Belle and Sara take a break, too, and leisurely look at the rice paddies that have been planted.

It's not like there were rice fields around us when we were in Japan, but it's a nostalgic sight. It seems that the information to feel this way is engraved in the DNA of Japanese people. ......It's nice that you seem to be smart enough to use such a difficult word like DNA.

"Dory, it's about time."

Let's focus on the rice now instead of thinking about stupid things.

"Yes, sir."

With a wave of Dolly's hand, the seedlings in the paddy field begin to grow. The stalks and leaves, which had been unreliable, grow thicker, and the paddies turn green as the stems sprout from the roots. What's that?　It stopped.

"What's wrong?"

I thought it would go all the way to golden ears of rice at once, but it stopped. Oh, the rice started to move in an unbelievable way.

"The flowers have bloomed and we have to pollinate them. Usually the wind pollinates them, but this time we are manipulating them directly."

......I see, I'm going through the steps anyway. I think we can skip it since we can make rice itself. I wonder if it's like fast-forwarding through the process.

And most importantly, I don't know where the flowers are. I went closer and observed a small, whitish flower on an ear of green rice?　was in full bloom. Rice blossoms are incredibly simple. Bell, Sarah, and the others seemed to have a hard time reacting.

"Well, I'll keep going."

"Yes, please."

The rice has begun to grow again, and the ears of rice have grown heavier and heavier.

"Yuta, please ask Dine to drain the water and dry the soil.

"Drain the water?"

"Yes."

......I'm not sure, but I'll do as Dolly says.

"Deanne, you got a minute?"

"Hey, Yuta. You wanted to see my sister?"

Calls Dine, who was playing with Belle and her friends.

"Yeah, I want you to drain the water from the paddy. It would be great if you could dry the ground as well.

"Uh-huh. It's my sister's turn. Okay, I'll take care of it.

Dine, in a good mood, waves her hand over the paddy field, and the water shoots up like a fountain and flows into the spring at the final destination.

If you think about it, creating rice paddies will help create a rich ecosystem!　I was thinking something like that, but if we do everything from planting to harvesting in a single day, we will not have time to create a rich ecosystem.

When the water that had been washed up subsided, water began to rise up from the mud of the paddy field like a mist. The bells, watching the water, seem to be overcome with curiosity and fly over the ears of rice.

It is quite a fantastic sight. A little girl, a boy, a dolphin, a fox, a cucumber, and an owl fly over the ears of rice. A fusion of harmony and fantasy. It's a wonderful sight.

"Yuta, why are you nodding your head?"

Sylphy asked me curiously. It's hard to say that he was indulging in self-satisfaction by giving off a somewhat artist-like vibe.

"I'm looking at the rice I've been longing for. I was nodding my head in admiration.

Are you in pain?

"Is that so?　Well, okay."

...... I don't know, but I wonder if that's true?　He was convinced.

As the water drains away, Dolly once again speeds up the growth of the rice plants. Soon the rice paddies turned golden, and it was time to harvest the rice.

I think the video of rice growing that I saw in class when I was in elementary school was much easier to understand. It feels strange to be watching the actual growth process of rice plants in person.

"Mr. Yuta, we're done!"

"Oh, yeah. Thank you, Dory. Can I go harvest now?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Finally harvesting. ...... I'm glad to have rice in hand, but it doesn't feel like finally since it happened so fast after rice planting. Let's see, the next step is to ...... harvest the rice and hang it on the bales to dry for more than two weeks, right?

It's sad to endure for two weeks when the rice is right in front of you. It's a tremendous conundrum whether to ask Dine to drain the water out of the rice, or to ask Sylphy to dry it with hot air, or to be patient and wait for more than two weeks.

When I asked Sylphy what to do, she said, "Why don't you try all of them? I agreed with her. Then let's get ready.

First, we took out the wood that we had collected in the forest before and had Dine drain the water out of it, and with the help of Sarah and the others, we assembled it so that we could dry the rice and tied it up with ropes.

For now, we don't know how much rice we'll have, so we're going to assemble as much as we can and then harvest it, the best part of farming, I guess. Since we have done very little work, we are not as excited as we were when we first got the oilleaf, but it doesn't matter, since rice alone is enough to get us excited.

"Okay!　Okay, everybody, let's harvest. First, I'll show you how it's done, so watch carefully."

He approaches the rice plant, grabs it by the base, and separates it with a magic saw. Bind it with straw and ...... bind it ...... hard. Quickly ask Dory to grow a vine plant to use as a rope. Then, uh, tie it to the colander.

"That's the sequence of events. Do you guys understand?"

"Master. It looks like it would be hard to cut with a knife, what should I do?"

Sara's still a little naive. Sweet. Not applied enough. Well, it doesn't help that I sawed it right in front of her.

"Sara, Sara's a necromancer. What do you think I should do if I can't cut it myself?"

"......Have the help of Huku-chan, is it?"

"Correct!　Sara, Marco and Kikka, with the help of Fukuchan and the others, do your best not to get hurt."

Yes!""""""

Sarah and her family run to the rice plants and begin harvesting immediately. Sarah grabs a piece of ...... rice and Fukuchan cuts it in half. They tie the rice with a rope of vines and hang it up. Yeah, no problem.

Marco is ...... tying up the rice first, and Uri is moving the soil and pulling out the roots. Very smart. But is it okay if the roots are still attached to the rope?　...... Well, it shouldn't make much difference if you cut it off or pull it out, so it should be fine.

Kikka seems to be ...... struggling a bit. He has no problem cutting the rice with Mame, but he has trouble tying it up. He's slow, but he's doing a good job and he's finishing the work.

The kids are doing okay, and I'm ready to start harvesting again. I crouch down and grab a bunch of rice, and for some reason, Bell and the others are standing in a line beside me.

"The first bells are coming!"

The wind quickly separated the rice I was holding. I see, they think it's their job to watch Sara and the others and cut the rice. ...... magic saw is out of action, but I can't let that dampen the smiles on Belle and the others' faces.

"Thank you, Belle."

I thanked him and tied up the rice, and Bell held out his hands. Apparently, she would also dry the rice for me. As Belle flew to the hazard with the rice, Rain came out with a "squeaky" sound. Behind him, Tulu and Tamamo were waiting for their turn.

Well, they help me in turn. This is going to be a fun harvest. Enjoy harvesting the rice while loving the cute spirits. It's a good feeling.