Volume 1 - CH 5

Episode 5: Long eggplant delivery operation

I let Seram live in my house as an employee, and she started working immediately. But for some reason, Seram carries her sword while helping in the fields.

Seeing her wearing a red jersey with a sword on her waist feels weird.

"What's wrong, Jin-dono?"

"Why do you bring your sword?"

"I feel uncomfortable without it... Is it not allowed?"

Seram tells me while she rubs the hilt of her sword.

If I say no, I believe she will leave me, but I also believe she will be sad.

She has accepted that she won't be able to return to her world anytime soon, but I am sure she is still sad.

"Well, it's fine as long as it doesn't affect your work."

"Thank you!"

"For your information, carrying a blade longer than 6 centimeter is prohibited in Japan unless for business or other legitimate reasons. It's a violation of Swords and Firearms Control Law."

"What? Isn't that dangerous if you are attacked by a monster?"

"I told you, there are no monsters in this world."

"Oh, that's right."

Seram seems not yet used to this world, as such a question comes out of reflex.

"By the way, how long is 6 cm?"

Maybe Seram's world has a different unit of length.

"About this long."

"Then doesn't that mean we can't have knives?"

"No, knives are necessary for cooking at home, so having them is fine. It's just that you can't carry them around without a reason."

When I explained it, Seram seemed confused.

She understands it as a rule but can't fully accept it.

"Anyway, this world is so peaceful. So if you carry a weapon like that, people will suspect you have bad intentions."

"So, we shouldn't carry them to avoid any trouble...?"

Seram understand the logic of my statement, but her face looks very sad.

"Well, no one has a real sword. They won't scold you even if you carry it, so it's okay.

"I see!"

When I said this, Seram looked happy.

As expected, she wants to carry her sword every day.

Seram is obviously not Japanese, but even if she carries a sword, no one would think it is real.

They would think it is just a toy and that she is a foreigner who loves Japanese culture and longs to be a samurai or a knight.

I won't tell her that because she'll be upset.

She let me touch it briefly, but a real sword has such heavy pressure that it makes it dangerous even for an amateur. She will violate the Swords and Firearms Control Law if she draws it recklessly.

"I know. I am also a knight. I would never draw my sword recklessly."

"But didn't you almost draw your sword when you first met me?"

"It was Jin-dono's fault! That was Jin-dono's fault for mocking me like that!"

The female knight looks flustered when she remembers what happened when we met. It would be very troublesome if she drew her sword at that time.

I must keep a close eye on Seram's behavior in the future.

"Forget about the sword. We've got work to do. We'll harvest the eggplants today."

"Eggplants are the ones we had for lunch yesterday, right?"

After explaining today's work, we go to the eggplant field.

"Jin-dono, what is this transparent house?"

“It is a plastic greenhouse. They grow eggplants in it.”

"What is this for?"

"By shielding them from the outside world with plastic, we can minimize the influences from the outside environment. It also allows us to control the temperature and soil temperature, making it easier to control the environment for growing the eggplants."

"Oh, I see. I only understood half of what Jin-dono was saying, but the agriculture in this world is very advanced."

From what I have heard, Seram's world has a level of civilization similar to medieval Europe. Its civilization is also advanced in magic. It is natural for her to wonder about agriculture that uses machines to grow crops.

After a brief explanation of the plastic greenhouse, we enter the greenhouse.

"Oh! Everything here is eggplants!"

Seram shouts in surprise when she sees the eggplants spread out inside the greenhouse.

It's a familiar sight to me, but it must be spectacular to someone with little farming experience.

"Yeah, they are all eggplants. By the way, the variety is called long eggplant. They are about 10 cm longer than ordinary eggplants. Some of them are 30 to 40 centimeters long. The flesh is soft and tastes especially delicious when grilled or boiled."

"............"

When I explain such things, I notice that Seram looks at me attentively.

"What's wrong?"

"No, I think Jin-dono is more talkative and gentle than usual when it comes to vegetables."

"… Really?"

I didn't realize it. Maybe she was right.

This was the first time I ever talked about farming outside of work; perhaps I was hungry for this kind of conversation.

"I think having such a gentle face more often is better."

Does that mean that I usually have a Buddha's face?

"Well, I'm aware that I'm not friendly, so I can't say anything."

"For now, harvest the eggplants with scissors and put them in the containers."

I push the cart and container from the back of the greenhouse.

"Oh, just push it, and it goes forward! That's convenient!"

Seram is excited to push and pull the cart like a rare toy. It is as if I have a big child.

"By the way, how long are the eggplants that we should harvest?"

"You have to harvest the ones about the same length as these scissors. When you harvest them, you can cut them from the end of the buds."

To set an example, I picked up an eggplant about the same size as the scissors and cut the base of the buds. Then I cut the unneeded side buds off the eggplant and put it in a container.

"Is it okay to cut from the base like that?"

"If you harvest only the fruit, the buds will grow back from there, and the plant will grow quickly. So feel free to cut them off."

If we don't cut them down, they will sprout endlessly and become like a jungle.

Furthermore, removing the overgrown leaves is also good for stimulating growth.

"I understand. I'll try it then."

Seram picks up a pair of scissors and compares the size to a big eggplant beside her with a serious expression.

You don't have to be that careful.......

Once she learned that it met the standard, Seram nodded and cut off the base of the buds.

At that moment, I purposely make a sad face and shout.

"Aah!?"

"Waa, what? Was this something that shouldn't be harvested! I'm sorry! I've never done this kind of thing before."

"No, it's all right. You're doing fine."

".... Jin-dono."

She looked convinced when I explained it was to relieve her stress, and her killing intent loosened. The pressure was so intense that I was astonished at how frighteningly she stared at me.

Seram chose the next eggplant and cut it off from the bud with less hesitancy than before as if she had regained her composure.

"Is this all right?"

"Yeah, keep going like that."

After I answered, Seram looked relieved and continued to pick the next eggplant.

I watched as she picked the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and so on, and when I was sure there was no problem, I moved to a different row to start harvesting.

As I pushed the cart, I searched for eggplants that met the harvest standard and cut them off at the base of the buds. After removing the unnecessary buds, I only put the long eggplants inside the container. I kept picking eggplants that met the standard. At the same time, I pruned off the unnecessary leaves.

"So fast!"

She must have seen me pushing the cart and harvesting the crops one by one. Seram looked at me in amazement.

"I've been doing this for years."

"Grrr, I'll get as fast as Jin-dono soon enough."

I grinned at her. She looked frustrated and went back to work. It seemed that she hated to lose.

However, I could not afford to lose to Seram on her first day of farming. As an experienced farmer and employer, I needed to show my skills to the newcomer. I worked on the harvest with more energy than usual.