BXBX NOVEL Chapter 33: The Peerless Tomato
Chapter 33: The Peerless Tomato
Ooph; Mina, wearing pants for once, stood up and stretched.
“It’s tiring isn’t it- field work.”
“That’s true-.”
Giving her an appropriate response, I, who was squatted next to her, pulled out weeds one after another and tossing them.
“When in the countryside, do as the countryfolk do.”
Mina said that as she faced the field we’re cultivating medicinal herbs in, wearing a straw hat and trousers.
She looks like a sturdy woman married into a farming family.
Fixing her hat, Mina squatted down again.
“Will Noela-san be alright, being the only one at the store?”
“It won’t be good for Noela’s sake either if I continue to spoil her, na-.”
Mina in the store and Noela in the field.
That arrangement is more natural, but Noela was vehemently avoiding it, so things turned out like this.
After pulling out the weeds, we scattered water that we had drawn over the medicinal herbs.
“Please become good medicines~.”
“You seem to be having fun, Mina.”
“Ahaha. Because I have practically no experiences of doing things outside. In life I had a weak constitution, and I was a child you couldn’t really call energetic.”
Splash; the water splashed from the ladle.
“I see.”
A sickly Mina.
I can’t imagine it at all.
Thanks to the Cultivation Ace Skill, the medicinal herbs I planted won’t whither if taken care of properly.
Near Mina, watering the plants, I was picking medicinal herbs.
The varieties have increased, and now I can harvest the ingredients for potion, energy potion, deodorizer, and dish detergent from this field.
I’m really grateful to be able to finish up without going into the forest.
For that, I’ll have to show my gratitude to Jiral for renting me the field for free.
When I had collected enough, a number of farmer ojisans had gathered, sighing.
“This guy, it could be bad…”
“It’s been weakened, na…”
“What happened?”
All of the ojisans are people I know.
Seeing me, they greeted me with, “Yaa.”
“Ah, well, we’ve been properly putting down fertilizer, but they aren’t coming up good. Something must have gone wrong…”
Where the ojiisan is looking is the same kind of field, where lush green vegetation is growing.
The fruit hasn’t come yet; it’s still in the state of flowers blooming.
They’ll become tomatoes if things go well.
“Sorry, but honestly, I can’t tell what’s bad about it at all…”
“You can tell after watching over them for many long years, but this time there might not be much fruit.”
If there isn’t much fruit, then the amount they can sell will also be reduced.
For the ojisans, this is literally a life or death situation.
For rearing vegetation, the weather plays a factor in poor crops, I suppose.
But I can’t say something like, “Looks like it can’t be helped.”
I know just how long and painstakingly the ojisans have been watching over it.
“Hmm-. Of course I can’t do anything about the weather… is it fine if there’s a lot of fruit…?”
“Pharmacist-san, are you going to do something?”
“… Just maybe, I might be able to do something!”
“ “ “Really!?” “ “
The ojisans jumped at it, saying things like they found god at the fields.
“Ah- … … haha, I’m still an amateur, so please teach me some of the things I don’t know.”
I was taught what to watch out for, the common ways of cultivation, and the states of plants by the ojisans.
– Un, just like I thought, I can do something about it.
I can also make do with what’s in the medicine room for ingredients.
“Reiji-san, are you going to make some kind of medicine again?”
“Eh? How did you know, Mina?”
Ufufu; Mina laughed with delight.
“I can tell by seeing the look on your face. You look like you’re having fun, after all.”
“Is that so? …. I’m going to return to the store for a bit and make it.”
“Okay. See you later.”
With Mina lightly waving her hand, I went back to town and returned to the store.
Noela, at the counter, looks bored.
“Master, what’s wrong? Field, done?”
“Good job watching the store. I don’t think we’re done yet? I came back for a bit to make medicine.
When I went to the medicine room, Noela also came with.
Well, the store seems free so, I guess it’s fine?
“What medicine?”
Ah. Come to think of it … Noela is ….
I smirked.
“A medicine to stabilize the harvest of tomatoes.”
“Ru-!? … M,master, no. Tomato, no!”
Swish swish; Noela shook her head.
Noela doesn’t like tomatoes, and even if Mina and I tell her to, she won’t eat them at all.
“Noela’s enemy…! Tomato, should be destroyed.”
“Hey there. Apologize to all the farmers.”
Smackl I hand-chopped her head.
She probably thinks I’m an evil scientist helping to cultivate tomatoes.
Noela watched me carefully, as if being cautious, as I did my medicine work.
Alright, done! With this, we should have delicious tomatoes.
[Tomatox: Stabilizes the production of fruit. An agrichemical that has the effect of accelerating cultivation, accelerating the maturation, and suppressing overgrowth. It is harmless to the human body.]
Seems like I can use it for more than just tomatoes.
This will help the farmer ojisans!
“Master-! That, no! If you have to, then defeat Noela first!”
Noela was standing, both arms outstretched, blocking off the door to the medicine room.
“… I see, Noela. … It’s such a shame.”
“Ruuu…! Noela, won’t lose to Master.”
“From now on, I won’t be continuing to make any excess potions. Buy them with your own pocket money. Noela’s pocket money is 300rin per week so … I calculate that you’ll be able to buy one bottle a month?”
“……..”
I swiftly arrived in front of Noela, who was sweating droplets.
The daily dose of potions >> an unsurpassable wall >> the distribution of tomatoes.
That’s probably where she’s at right now.
Hmph. Noela is not something to be feared.
I returned to the field carrying many bottles of the new medicine.
“Sorry, I’ve made you wait-.”
“No, I was actually thinking you’re way too fast…”
The ojisans all nodded in agreement.
With this medicine, you should be able to reliably harvest your usual amount of tomatoes!”
“Do we just spread this over it…?”
I told them that using it too much can have the opposite effect, so they should just put it out in small amounts.
But the ojisans seem to be doubting if just this would be enough, and their brows were furrowed.
“Of course, I’ll leave it to your judgment on whether you should use it or not.”
“… No, we’ll use it. Please let us use it, Pharmacist-san. Either way, we won’t be able to have a decent harvest if things continue on like this. Besides, Pharmacist-san made this especially for us.”
“Thank you very much. I’m looking forward to eating the tomatoes.”
“Ou.”
Joining hands with the ojisans as part of the tomato alliance, we quickly scattered the tomatox in small amounts.
Crops aren’t something you can see the growth of in a day.
Let’s wait patiently.
The next day, when I asked Mina to harvest medicinal herbs, Mina returned from the fields.
“Reiji0san, the fields are really bushy, you know?”
“… No way, it can’t have become a jungle in a day, right?”
Just in case, I left the store to Noela and Mina and headed to the fields to observe the situation.
As I approached the fields there were three adventurer-like men, having some sort of discussion.
“It’s a dungeon that suddenly appeared in the countryside. We don’t know what kind of dangers there will be. Be prepared.”
………
Well, it’s not like there’s absolutely no dungeons in the countryside, right?
And, well, of course there’d be adventurers coming to challenge it.
“It…. It can’t be, right…?”
My cold sweat won’t stop. … I mean, it’s always way too effective, so we used it in dilute, you know?
So, there’s no way there’d suddenly be a jungle in a day-.
“No way, no way.”
HAHAHA; while laughing loudly, I walked.
Where is this, a forest? But there’s a fence with repellent spread on it here…
That means, this is …?
“Th,the fields became a jungllllllle!? It’s overflowing with natuuuuure!?”
The adventurers from earlier stepped into the fields.
“Let’s go—”
“ “Ou!” “
They’re embarking on a survey investigatiiooon!?
“Um-! This, this is a field! A field, so! There aren’t any treasures or rare monsters!”
After that, even though I waited 30 minutes, the adventurers aren’t coming out.
“… Okay, I’ll go too. This here’s the fields. Monsters and the like won’t appear after all, right? I,I mean, my repellant is the mightiest… … M,monsters won’t come, and even if they come, they’ll be down and out in on go…”
Muttering, I timidly went forward.
When I did.
Bazun, bazun; I heard that sound.
Wh,what’s that….!?
Bazun, bazun.
Whatever’s making the sound approached nearer, and then there was the farmer ojisans and their wives.
“Hello-. It’s become something amazing, hasn’t it…”
“Aa, Pharmacist-san. Really, I’m surprised it was this effective.
Hahaha; the ojisan laughed loudly.
Everyone had large scissors and were cutting the scraggly green objects.
“What is everyone doing…?”
“Aah, if you don’t cut the stalks like this, the other vegetables won’t get any light, no?”
“So that means, those are tomato stalks… Aah, I’m sorry…! Even though it should have been diluted!”
As I apologized in a fluster, they patted my shoulder.
“Pharmacist-san, this.”
In front of his pointing finger was a bright red pumpkin sitting on top of the soil.
“? This is…”
“It’s a tomato.”
“ – Tomayto!?”
With my surprise, my pronunciation became native.
“Eh, this, it’s a pumpkin right…?”
“You’ll understand if you eat it, here.”
One of the wives cut a bigmato and handed it to me.
It went in my mouth.
“Ah. It’s a tomato… or like, how sweet-! Delicious!”
Amazing. It’s as sweet as a fruit.
“Pharmacist-san, this is amazing! Sweet tomato. And it’s even an enormous size I’ve never seen before. This will sell for a good price, it will!”
All of the farmer ojisans and obasans happily nodded in agreement.
It seems everyone has debts while renting the fields from Jiral.
So they’re overjoyed to be able to repay the loan and have the leftover income.
I also helped with cutting the unnecessary stalks, returning the jungle fields back to their former state.
I wonder if the adventurers will be able to return safely?
Taking home a big tomato I’d received, I immediately had Mina taste it.
“So sweeee~t, it’s delicious~. -Ah, if it’s this then…”
“Un, I also have the same opinion.”
Mina and I nodded together.
When we served it for dinner, when Noela saw it, she became expressionless.
“Noela, just one bite, try eating it? … Because it tastes delicious.”
“Tastes delicious…?”
When I said, “tastes delicious,” it seems like she thought of the potions, and Noela closed her eyes and took a bite.
“Ru? Tomato?”
“It’s a tomato, a tomato.”
“This, not tomato.”
Chompchomp; Noela began to eat without concern.
Opposite her, Mina sat while smiling warmly.
“Noela-san, I’m happy that you can eat tomatoes-. Impressive, Noela-san.”
I also patted Noela on the head.
After that.
The big tomatoes of Carta became the hot topic of the surrounding towns due to their size, and coupled with their sweet taste, they sold like they were flying off the shelves.
Improving the new medicine, a suitably diluted one was turned into a product.
As the agrochemical that made the big tomato, the new product’s popularity also rose and were very popular here as well among the farmers.