107
Chapter 107
Hop, hop.
Promising to take me to her secret spot, Tosuni led the way without hesitation, her steps light and bouncy.
The Butler Fake Dolls and I trailed closely behind her, pushing through the thick bushes.
After traveling like that for a few dozen minutes.
"Woong!"
Tosuni stopped in her tracks.
I also halted right behind her.
Then, I looked around.
We were still in the middle of the bushes.
Why did she stop here?
Is this the destination and the location for today's date?
I wondered what could possibly be here.
Just as that question crossed my mind.
"Woong, woong!"
Tosuni pointed straight ahead.
Following the direction of her fingertip, a massive hole came into view.
Oh my.
What is that hole?
To think there was a trap like that in a place like this.
Whether it was an artificial trap or a naturally formed pit, if I hadn't been watching the ground, I would have fallen straight in.
"Woooong, woong."
I'll go in first, so follow me.
After saying that.
Hop! She dove into the hole.
What, she didn't stop to warn me about the trap.
I never imagined the destination would be down that hole.
Tosuni disappeared into the pit.
I immediately threw myself down the hole after her.
Hop! No, bear-bound!
Let's go! To the secret spot only Tosuni knows!
***
The underground area I reached through the hole.
A vast field spread out before me down here.
It was an expansive space, so large that the end of the field was nowhere in sight.
To think a place like this existed underground....
Even though it's underground, it isn't dark at all.
There was clearly no Sun, yet a glaring light warmly embraced the earth.
This isn't a Dungeon, is it?
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
Not long after I arrived, the Butler Fake Dolls also fell one by one from the hole in the high ceiling, dropping to the floor.
Even if they weren't as sturdy as us, they wouldn't get hurt.
Unlike the surrounding dirt, the ground directly beneath the hole was incredibly soft and fluffy.
"Woohoo-hoong. Woong, woooong."
This is the location for today's date.
Saying that, Tosuni crossed her arms and began to explain this place.
First of all, she said she found this underground area by chance.
She explained that she had been hopping around in the past and accidentally fell down the hole, which was how she discovered it.
"Woooong, woong."
Tosuni pointed at the field spreading out in all directions.
To be precise, she singled out one of the green leaves growing neatly above the ground at regular intervals.
"Wooooong, woooong. Wooooong, woooong."
You can't just pull out that green Stem.
However, if you simply infuse a small amount of Mana into it, it can be plucked out easily.
I'll show you a demonstration.
I'll pluck one first, so watch closely.
Tosuni walked over confidently and tightly gripped the Stem with both hands.
Holding it like that, she leaned her upper body back and pulled with all her might.
Plop-!
Tosuni effortlessly pulled the Stem out.
Along with the green Stem, the orange root buried in the ground came out with it.
It was a very fresh and plump Carrot.
"Woong? Woooong!"
See?
This is how you do it!
With a proud expression, Tosuni munched on the freshly picked Carrot.
You should brush off the dirt before eating it....
Anyway.
It seemed this place was a Carrot Field.
I had been wondering where she kept getting Carrots, and today I finally discovered her source.
More importantly, a Carrot Field.......
From the perspective of Tosuni, who loves Carrots, this place must be no different from Heaven or paradise.
There was a reason she chose this place for our first date.
Honestly, it wasn't a great place for me.
I don't hate Carrots, but I don't love them as much as Tosuni does either.
Because of that, I didn't feel particularly excited about this location.
However, I repeatedly pretended to like it and act happy.
If I showed a lukewarm reaction, Tosuni might sulk.
Since she went out of her way to show me her secret spot, I had to show a reaction that would satisfy her out of courtesy.
"Woooong!"
You try pulling one too, honey!
Nod, nod.
I nodded my head and grabbed a Stem.
Just as Tosuni said, it didn't come out easily.
No matter how much force I applied, it wouldn't budge.
It didn't even show any signs of snapping.
I definitely needed to infuse Mana into it.
Swoosh-
I channeled a small amount of Mana.
Then, the buried root came out incredibly easily.
What I pulled out was also a Carrot.
It was even plumper than Tosuni's.
"Woohoohoong."
"Gom-gom."
Afterward.
We began to amicably pull out Carrots together.
Tosuni pulled one, and I pulled one.
I pulled one, and Tosuni pulled one.
...But is this really a date?
It just feels like doing manual labor.
Well, as long as Tosuni likes it, it doesn't really matter.
Like that, Carrots of various shapes were pulled out one after another.
Doing this continuously, it feels like playing a plucking game, so it's secretly fun.
Will anything besides Carrots come out?
***
I didn't think something else would actually come out.
Something other than a Carrot really did emerge.
What I pulled out this time wasn't a Carrot, but a Natural Mana Stone.
Wait, why did this come out?
Wasn't this a Carrot Field?
It wasn't a Top-grade Natural Mana Stone like a White Mana Stone.
Nor was it a Pink Mana Stone made of Reinforcement Mana.
Just by looking at it, it seemed to be a Low-grade Natural Mana Stone.
I could feel the energy of Consumption Mana very faintly from it.
Realizing that Mana Stones came out instead of just Carrots, I started pulling the Stems even more diligently.
I worked much harder than even Tosuni.
Could something else come out besides Mana Stones?
They did.
Occasionally, things like Apples and Bananas were pulled out too.
I have no idea why things that grow on trees were coming out of the ground.
Well, I just have to accept it.
After all, this isn't Earth, but another world.
Anyway, this wasn't a Carrot Field.
Although there was a high proportion of Carrots, it was a mysterious field where all sorts of things were buried in the ground.
I also didn't really know why there were so many Carrots in particular.
"Woooong...."
Tosuni pulled out a Mana Stone.
I didn't congratulate her.
Because Tosuni treats anything other than a Carrot as a dud.
She considered only Carrots to be the winning prize.
I also pulled out another Mana Stone.
The next one I pulled was a Mana Stone, and the one after that was also a Mana Stone.
Why are Mana Stones coming out so easily all of a sudden?
Ah, is it thanks to the Luck Domain?
Unlike at first, I grew to like this place.
It was because of the expectation that maybe an incredible item would get pulled out.
I haven't pulled anything amazing yet, but you never know.
If the Assimilation Rate goes up, I might hit the jackpot with every pull.
Alright.
I've made up my mind.
From now on, this is our lottery spot.
I should come play here occasionally with the kids whenever I'm bored.
Of course, that's only if Tosuni allows me to reveal this place.
"Woong, woong...."
Droop.
Tosuni's ears suddenly drooped.
In her hand, she held a dried-up, withered Carrot.
Oh dear, it seems she pulled a dud this time.
I decided to refill her Luck Buff.
Because seeing Tosuni look so disappointed made my heart ache too.
I immediately transformed one of my hands into a Dragon head doll and shot a Luck Breath at Tosuni several times.
I didn't have to worry about running low on Mana.
Because I always carried my Portable Mana Charger with me.
I'm talking about the Scale that the Master of the Lake gave me as a gift.
Thanks to it, I could not only shoot the Luck Breath but also talk without any burden.
If the Mana contained in the Scale noticeably decreased, I could simply cut back on talking then.
***
Time for a short break.
Although I had a body that didn't need rest, I stopped the manual labor and sat down in a suitable spot just to get into the mood of a date.
As if eating a packed lunch brought to a picnic, Tosuni delightfully munched on the Carrots we dug up today.
She chewed on them without leaving even the Stems behind.
The Stems had been very tough before being pulled, but they became tender afterward.
"Woong-munch, woong-munch-munch, woong-munch-woong-munch."
Goodness, even the way she eats is cute.
I feel like I'm completely falling for her.
"Woong?"
As I was looking at her adorably, Tosuni noticed my gaze.
Soon, Tosuni looked at me and sent a peculiar glance.
Why are you suddenly acting like that? It's scary.
"Woohoohoong."
Creep, creep.
Dragging her bottom, Tosuni slowly approached.
"Wooooong."
Pressing herself tightly against me.
She tore open her own stomach, pulled out some stuffing from inside, and offered it to me.
"Woong."
"Gom?"
"Wooooong."
She was telling me to take it and put it inside my body.
Why do such a thing?
I didn't know the reason, but I nodded my head.
I also carefully tore open my stomach.
Then, I took out some of the stuffing from inside my body and handed it to Tosuni.
I couldn't just take without giving... actually no, Tosuni had requested my stuffing as well.
Tosuni received my stuffing with a satisfied expression.
And she carefully pushed it into her own body.
Swoosh-
Just as it always had, Tosuni's body was sealed up in an instant.
I didn't have the Super Regeneration ability, but it wasn't a problem.
Because Tosuni's stuffing had a Healing effect.
After putting almost all the stuffing I received from Tosuni into my body, leaving only a little bit, I thickly applied the remaining stuffing to the torn area, and it regenerated cleanly.
"Woohoohoong."
I didn't know why.
Tosuni was extremely delighted, shyly twisting her body.
The Butler Fake Dolls standing nearby had their heads slightly turned and faces flushed, sneaking glances at us.
What's wrong with them?
"W-woong? Woooong! Woooong-woong!"
N-no!
You shouldn't be looking!
From now on, turn around when this happens!
Tosuni shouted at the Butler Fake Dolls.
Why is she overreacting like this?
What's the big deal if the Butler Fake Dolls see us?
Anyone watching would think we did something embarrassing.
Anyway.
That marks the end of our break!
I suddenly jumped up from my seat.
Then, shall we slowly begin the plucking game again?
Looking around, I firmly grabbed the closest Stem.
Then, I infused Mana and pulled.
Heave-ho.
Plop-!
[Mandragora lv.10]
└ Pw.30
└ Rnk.Superior
[Domain: Earth]
└ Grade - Superior
"Mandrake!!!"
Geez, that startled me!
Startled, I shoved it right back into the ground.
.......
Wiggle, wiggle.
.......
Wiggle, wiggle.
Pow-!!
"Mandrake!!!"
With dirt shooting up, the guy I just put back in popped out of the ground on its own.
I guess returns aren't accepted.