Chapter 52

Late at night.

As I lay on the hammock, the achievement system I had just seen came to mind.

‘So, if I make food, I get rewards.’

The achievement system demanded food production from me.

Judging by the fact that my food production count was still at zero, simply frying eggs didn’t count at all.

It seemed that only making it in the form of actual ‘cooking’ would be recognized.

And, of course, cooking made money.

‘I guess I can set up another festival booth.’

Originally, I had only planned to run a booth selling equipment.

But the more I produced food, the more benefits I seemed to gain.

‘So I cook to complete the achievement, and then sell it to make money.’

For me, who already knew popular recipes from games, it was an enticing option.

I had already decided what kind of food I would cook at the festival booth.

‘But the problem is…….’

To make food, I needed ingredients.

And to buy ingredients, I needed money to use as seed capital.

‘I don’t have any money left.’

I turned my gaze toward the livestock shed.

‘I can get eggs and such, but…….’

I could maybe afford salt or sugar.

But to buy fruit or flour in bulk, I needed a large sum of money.

As I was wondering if there was another way, an idea struck me.

‘Let’s check, just in case.’

I opened the ✿Animal✿Farm✿ general store.

Perhaps because my experience had risen after the practical evaluation.

There were now two more items added to the list of goods for sale.

I checked the first one.

Goddess’s Fruit Accelerator Set – 20P

Make the fruits on your plant friend ripen quickly! Much sweeter and tangier than usual!

‘……Accelerator?’

It was exactly the item I wanted.

It seemed to be an item that sped up fruit growth.

And that wasn’t all.

‘It even affects the taste?’

There were no details about exactly how delicious it would be, or how fast it would grow.

I checked the next item.

Goddess’s Nutritious Cow Feed – 15P

Feed it to your cow friend, and with the Goddess’s blessing, it will grow healthy and strong!

※ You can obtain special products.

Feed for cows.

The unusual part was that it could yield special products.

Of course, there was only one product that could be consistently obtained from a cow.

‘Milk.’

Milk was an indispensable ingredient in the cooking menu I had in mind.

‘And this makes that milk special…….’

The mention of it being not ordinary milk, but special milk, naturally caught my attention.

‘If it’s called special, it must be better than regular milk.’

I stood up.

Thinking any further seemed meaningless.

Just like with the accelerator, I had to confirm it directly.

‘How many points do I have left?’

I checked my remaining points.

I had a little left over, even after using some for accessory crafting.

‘I can buy one of each and test them first.’

After pressing the purchase button for one of each, a small light flared before me.

Thud!

As the light faded, items dropped to the ground.

A small feed sack and a box.

I picked up the box first and opened it.

Inside were nutrient injectors, three in total.

‘……So I just stick this into a tree?’

I looked around.

There were several trees planted nearby.

But I hadn’t checked what kind of fruit they bore.

‘Might as well check now.’

I just hoped these trees weren’t gymnosperms like pines.

I walked around, checking each tree one by one.

It didn’t take long.

I confirmed that only three of the trees definitely bore fruit.

‘Lemon, grape, blueberry…….’

Fortunately, they were perfect for the recipes I had in mind.

The trees already had fruit on them.

‘Well, if you can call them fruit…… they’re tiny.’

They were about the size of my finger.

Naturally, they were too small to be of any use as ingredients.

‘So I just stick the injector in?’

The tree bark was too hard to pierce directly.

I found a gap and pushed it in there.

‘Alright. Now I just leave it for a while?’

As I looked at the tree, a pink hologram appeared.

Time remaining: 47:59:59

Seeing that, I let out a dry laugh.

‘It’s exactly the same as the game.’

I remembered seeing this scene in ✿Animal✿Farm✿ when I was younger.

The only issue was that it took a long time.

If it was 47 hours, that meant I had to wait a full two days.

‘……Is there no way to shorten it?’

To run a booth, I needed a lot of ingredients.

No matter how tasty it was, with this production speed, I would struggle with a shortage of ingredients and fail to make much profit.

I racked my brain.

‘I think there was a way to shorten production time when I was younger… what was it? I’m sure there was…….’

Just as the memory came back—

Ding!

With an alert sound, a hologram message appeared.

If you ask Animal Friend Boogie, he might help you!

Reading that, I recalled it.

‘Right, there was a method like this.’

Not all animals could help.

There was a way to get assistance depending on the animal’s traits and situation.

‘So Boogie must have an ability that helps plants or soil.’

I immediately summoned Boogie.

Squeak!

A green turtle appeared in the air. I held it in my arms.

“Been doing well?”

Squee!

Boogie answered, looking at me with bright eyes as if happy to see me.

I replied with a faint smile.

“It’s a bit sudden, but…… can you help me out?”

Squee!

Boogie nodded without hesitation.

I crouched down and placed him on the ground.

Squeak.

Even without being told, Boogie seemed to know exactly what to do.

As Boogie approached the base of the tree, a soft light spread across the soil around it.

‘……So I just leave it like this?’

After watching that sight, I checked the hologram timer again.

One second of time was flowing much faster than before.

‘It’s definitely speeding up.’

At the perceived speed, time was shrinking three times faster.

At this rate, it wouldn’t even take a day.

“Thanks.”

I spoke to Boogie as I looked around.

But there was no reply.

“Boogie?”

When I turned to him, he was sound asleep, breathing softly.

‘I thought I might be forcing him to overwork, but seeing him resting well is a relief.’

Feeling at ease, I went back to the hammock and fell asleep.

……And the next day.

Wearing my uniform, I stood before the tree.

‘It really does work.’

A frightening growth that completely broke scientific concepts like proper temperature and photosynthesis.

I saw that the fruits had grown a little larger.

The lemon, once green, now carried a faint yellow tint.

The blueberries and grapes had grown slightly and had a purple glow.

29:17:33

That was the remaining time.

During the hours of night, about 20 hours had passed.

‘I’ll have to refill the rest when I return after today’s lectures.’

I approached Boogie, who was quietly waiting, to send him back into ✿Animal✿Farm✿.

“Boogie, let’s go now.”

I held out my hand to him.

Squee.

Boogie shook his head.

It seemed like he didn’t want to return to the farm……

No way.

“You can keep going?”

Squeak.

A sound of affirmation.

It felt like he was confidently saying, ‘I can handle this myself!’

“You’ll be here alone, aren’t you scared?”

Squeak!

A voice telling me not to worry.

I was a little moved.

He was so admirable.

‘He used to always be a coward that only wanted to hide behind me.’

But now, for some reason, he seemed to have grown.

Even if his appearance was still the same.

Either way.

For Boogie, who needed encouragement, and for me, who needed fruit, it was the best choice.

“Alright.”

I nodded and took the first step forward.

“Don’t go anywhere, stay here quietly.”

Squee!

Boogie lifted his head high and cried louder, as if to say not to worry.

Leaving him under the tree, I headed to the academy.

I sat in a corner seat for the first lecture.

Normally, the seat next to me was always empty.

But now I felt someone’s presence.

The student sitting beside me had a golden badge shining on their chest.

“Good morning.”

Elined brushed her long violet hair behind her ear as she spoke.

Seeing her gaze directed my way, she was clearly addressing me.

I replied in a flat voice.

“……Yeah.”

I felt her strong gaze, but I ignored it and focused on class.

There was silence for a while, until Elined spoke first.

“The exam is less than a month away now.”

“Right.”

“I heard from my aide that understanding basic magic is quite difficult. Professor Belzrover is known for being strict.”

“Mm.”

“I managed to obtain Professor Belzrover’s test materials, but if you’d like, I can give them to you.”

“I’m fine. Don’t talk to me during class.”

A complete iron wall mode.

I had no intention of continuing the conversation.

‘Not because I’m worried about changing the storyline.’

Elined was a supporting character with far less importance compared to the main cast.

Talking to her didn’t pose much danger to the future.

But the reason I avoided conversation was different.

‘The fact that she spoke to me first means she wants something from me.’

She was a character with an obsessive nature, always taking what she wanted.

Knowing that, I had no interest in getting involved with her.

‘What exactly is she trying to get from me?’

I didn’t know what kind of offer she had in mind.

That was something I could listen to later, if the chance arose.

For now, all I cared about was preparing for the festival.

When the lecture ended and I stepped outside the building, I heard Elined’s voice.

“If you have a moment……”

I walked away silently, pretending not to hear.

“Wait a moment!”

Elined approached quickly.

I looked down at her.

“I’m busy managing the livestock shed.”

“If it’s that, don’t worry. I can hire someone.”

“Sorry, maybe another time.”

“…….”

Elined fell silent, unable to continue.

Leaving her behind, I walked toward the livestock shed.

My pace had quickened without me realizing.

And I had a reason.

‘What happened with Boogie?’

I had left him unattended for hours.

Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t help but worry.

Even if he was no ordinary animal but a spirit beast, he was still only an infant.

When I reached the tree, Boogie was faithfully guarding his place.

And……

“Hello.”

Lapin greeted me softly there.

I looked at her and the tree.

The tree was now covered with ripe, luscious fruit.

00:00:00

Harvest the fruit!

And the timer was fully completed.

After checking the hologram, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Boogie.

I wanted to hug him proudly, but…… Lapin caught my attention.

I asked her bluntly.

“……Did you eat this?”

“No.”

Lapin slowly shook her head and spoke.

“He said I shouldn’t eat it yet.”

“……What?”

Lapin pointed her finger at Boogie.

Could it be that she could understand him too?

‘Boogie isn’t just an animal, but a spirit beast… and she can understand him?’

Was Lapin’s setting always like this?

Even if she was a chimera, wasn’t this animal communication ability a bit too broad?

……Either way.

“These are fruits I’ve just grown. Try one.”

I picked a blueberry and handed it to Lapin.

The fruit accelerator’s effect stated the flavor would improve.

I wanted to test that result with her.

“Thanks.”

Lapin popped the blueberry into her mouth and chewed.

“Mmm.”

Her expression didn’t change much, but unlike usual, her eyebrows twitched.

“……It’s delicious.”

Her eyes were sparkling brightly.

“It’s really delicious.”

Those eyes were shining with a radiance I had never seen before.

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