Volume 1 - CH 6.2

“Eh? Ah… that’s not true! Ringo-chan!”

“…”

Ringo raises her chin and turns her back towards me. Stupid stupid I’m stupid! Isn’t this the same as how the welcome party went?

On the other hand, Minori with a now relaxed expression says, “Kukuku… If you’re embarrassed, you can stop any time. Ok Kinoshita-san?”

“…Are you stupid?”

The two give each other glares that create sparks. It’s an atmosphere that looks like it’s going to start a battle. It’s hard to believe that battle will be farm work.

I let out a sigh and give up on things. I ask Minori, “…by the way, where did you get these costumes from?”

“I borrowed them from Becky.”

“Our homeroom teacher?! What kind of cloths are you wearing!?”

“Fight cloths?”

“What are you fighting in these…?”

I’m horrified to learn this fact. That’s awful. What are you going to fight when buying these types of cloths? Monster parents?

“You’re right.”

“!?”

I suddenly hear a voice behind me so I turn around and see what looks like a crusader era soldier wearing a bucket-shaped helmet and apron. Along with a female warrior and magician, we now have a holy knight! NO!

This isn’t a helmet, it’s a welding mask. (Like the iron mask welders use) That means this guy has to be…

“Kei!? What happened to your look…? The workshop is…”

“I was curious so I left class a little early… well well. They’re both in terrible shape.”

I thought that too but I didn’t say anything.

“That’s why I’m wearing a welding mask…”

“Ah, I’ll be with you for a while.”

Kei decides to observe the training as he is. It appears he became a little uneasy when he saw the appearance of the two of them. The number of weird looking people increased by one…

“Ooops! Actually we need to get started working at the vegetable greenhouse!”

For some reason Minori in high-leg armor, Ringo in bikini armor, Kei in a bucket helm, and myself in a training uniform marched in a single line to the green house. The group, who looked like an RPG party with 1 person who failed to create a character, finally arrived in front of the vinyl house while being stared at by everyone around.

*******

“This is the ‘cucumber’ house”, standing in front of the entrance Minori turns around and explains to Ringo. “This work is easy. Can you check the leaves for any signs of diseases? Also check for any bugs that are stuck on them. Just check the leaves ok?”

“I got it.”

Ko-kun and Ringo nodded. Let’s go inside the house. It feels like the female warrior entering the jungle. How brave…

Still… a cucumber in that outfit…

“…that Minori has a bad personality.”, Kei said in a muffled voice, as he is still wearing the welding mask. “Cucumbers are certainly easy to grow and are considered a crop for beginners. However, the surface of its leaves and stems is densely covered with needle-like hairs, and every time you touch them it stings.”

“Yeah. Besides, cucumbers can spread disease very easily. Examining this amount of leaves is hard work, and you can’t miss even one leaf…”

Cucumber’s attack power is insignificant when equipped with work gloves and training cloths. But bikini armor, which exposes a large amount of skin, cannot prevent this damage. Minori was thinking this far ahead when she picked bikini armor for Ringo to wear.

But Ringo won’t be defeated.

“Mfff…!”

Even though she was damaged by the prickly hairs, she carefully checked the leaves one by one.

The other students who were working nearby were shocked to see her. This reaction when encountering a beautiful girl equipped with bikini armor at a cucumber’s green house is probably normal.

While admiring the majestic appearance of Ringo’s work, “Well Minori? Do you still doubt Ringo’s determination?”

“Hmph. For now…”

Minori looked calm. It’s true that the terrifying monster lurking in this green house has yet to appear. When encountering that monster, will Ringo really be able to stand up to it?

…it will be difficult. She grew up in the city and was so naïve that she had never even washed her cloths. Her experience is sorely lacking. With that being the case I just hope we don’t meet that monster. But my wishes were quickly betrayed.

“…huh!?”

Ringo stopped moving. Something was gathering and wriggling behind the leaf that she was picking up to check. That would be… AN INSECT!

“Insect… It’s the number 1 hurdle in agriculture”, says Minori as she smiles.

“Dammit! Did it finally come out…?”

I felt bad for Ringo’s misfortune. That is the horrible monster that lurks in this green house. The formidable enemy that those who work in the field face: ‘Pests’! The pests that infest crops all have a very scary appearance. Girls of course, and even boys in the beginning, would scream. There was even a girl that cried because an insect fell onto her back.

“Kukuku… Go ahead and cry at the cucumber pest-chan. You should quit this school. Hurry back to Tokyo, you doroboneko…!”

Minori licks her lips and waits for Ringo to give up. However, immediately right after that I couldn’t believe my eyes because of the outrageous sight. As we watched on anxiously, Ringo caught the insect with her bare hands!

“No way! She’s taking care of cucumber pests without work gloves!!”

The students’ excited voices rise one after another. It’s like Ringo is in a fantasy game. Is this the true power of the bikini armor…?

In contrast, there is no change in the expression on the face of Ringo. Actually she seems to be confused by the reactions of those around her. As if to say ‘what are you surprised about? I just used my fingers to pick up a mature larvae…’

“…”

Ringo tilted her head slightly, regained her composer, and started catching more and more insects. In no time at all she grabbed a heap of insect pests in the palm of her hand and just said one word. “Bag.”

After that Minori muttered, “Th…that’s enough. The cucumber house test is over!”

Minori’s frustrated voice echoed in the green house.

******

“Next it’s time to clean the poultry house!”

Minori was frustrated from the first test, but she’s not the type to give up just because of that. Next we walked to a chicken coop for raising egg-laying hens. It’s a breeding facility in the shape of an apartment block, and it’s basically supposed to be managed by first-year students on duty training. The main work here is feeding the chickens, collecting their eggs, and cleaning the floor.

The two major aspects of first-year training are the management of the poultry house and rice farming. However the hardest rice farming is basically just planting and harvesting. So the most difficult thing is managing the poultry house.

So what exactly is so difficult about it…?

“Ooof…!”

The moment I opened the poultry house door even Ringo’s normally expressionless face moved. The reason was because of the awful strong stench!

The chicken cook in the summer is hell.

Chickens are more calm in the dark, so if you keep them for egg laying they should be confined in a closed dark place. It’s called a ‘Windless Chicken Coop”. Of course with the high temperature it means the humidity also rises steadily, and the smell of the droppings from 200 chickens just fills that air. There is a ventilation fan, but it’s hot and watery still. The rainy season is approaching and the humidity is increasing. This is why chickens are actually the stinkyest livestock. Even more than cows or pigs.

Minori stands at the entrance holding a broom like a witch and says, “The mission this time is to clean the floor with a broom! I won’t let you go to the ball until you’ve collected all the droppings, feathers, and food scraps!”

What are you, Cinderella’s stepmother?

“…”

In contrast to Minori, who was getting mean, Ringo starts cleaning indifferently. At first she seemed a little surprised at the foul air, but now she doesn’t seem to care at all anymore. On the contrary, she was staring at the chickens in the cage, interested in them.