Chapter "397"

Nice To Meet You

The creation of all-purpose recovery potions continues.

After all, given the sheer volume, if left unattended, there's a high chance they'd spoil right away. So even though we successfully conquered the dungeon and returned, it feels like the only time I could really relax and celebrate was while soaking in the hot spring.

And so, today is yet another day of busy work.

"Oveeer heeere, I'm done with my batch~"

<figcaptionattachment__caption"">Nina-san, who was holding a heated pot high and snipping snip-snip at the strings of syrup dripping from it, called out.

"Thank you. I'll bring the next one right away."

At her feet was a metal basin full of Regen Candy. The pieces of syrup, cut in mid-air, cool during their fall so that by the time they land in the basin, they don't stick together anymore.

"Pipii! Pipii!"

"Ughh, just wait a second~! I'm in the middle of it right now~!"

<figcaptionattachment__caption"">Serai-san, who was heating and stirring another pot, was being pestered by a watching Pixy for being too slow. Heh heh, it's a real state of pandemonium.

However, the fact that all three of us could work together like this since morning making all-purpose recovery potions was also thanks to the three Shimobe. That's because yesterday, I introduced the three of them—Sunny, Rainy, and Foggy—to Grandpa, saying, "They're my pets."

Well, I mean. All three of them really took a liking to this place and showed no intention of returning to their cards.

So, you know, to avoid a situation like bumping into Grandpa while they were wandering around and giving him a heart attack, I figured it was necessary to introduce them properly.

So, when Grandpa was introduced to the three of them, he froze up, just like he did when he saw Masaru. But after about 30 seconds, he rebooted and just said, "Mh, I see…"

Well, leaving the strange ape Sunny aside, Rainy and Foggy are clearly weird sizes.

But if you live in the countryside, chances to encounter creatures larger than you'd think are actually pretty common. I've seen way bigger earthworms and moths than I ever imagined since coming here, too. So I thought Rainy and Foggy would be fine.

I mean, even if they're monsters that are big and creepy-looking, they're essentially just an ape, a frog, and a slug. If you've lived as long as Grandpa, you're probably used to that much by now.

So, that's how it was, but the clever one here was actually Taro.

Perhaps because they are familiars I gave life energy to, they carry a similar scent to me, so he showed no hostility whatsoever upon seeing the three. He probably overlapped his own relationship with Grandpa and understood, "Ah, I see. So that's how that set works."

Hmm, so clever. As expected of Taro, he's smart.

And so, now officially recognized by the family, Sunny and the others are on patrol duty, keeping watch of the surroundings.

Rainy the frog hides in the rice paddies, exterminating crayfish and whatnot, while also weeding for good measure. Foggy the slug extends his periscope-like eyes from the shadow of the shed, swiveling them around to keep watch. And Sunny has gone a bit farther out, keeping an eye on things from the trees in the mountains.

Yes, this means I can finally be released from my half-asleep, half-awake vigilance mode and sleep soundly with my head on a high pillow.

Well, except.

Since I'd never introduced all three of them together before, worried about how they look, I got a bit of an earful from Nina-san and Serai-san again.