Chapter 1
Episode 28: Female Knight and Kids
The day after using the grass cutter to clear the weeds near our house, we were weeding again, but this time in the farm area.
The weeds on the farm are not as thick as the ones around the house and are shorter in height. We couldn't use the grass cutter to eliminate them all at once.
So we had to resort to manually pulling out the weeds. We carefully searched for each weed and diligently removed them one by one.
We continued the repetitive task of pulling out weeds, a simple yet necessary job.
The work involved bending and stretching our backs, unlike harvesting other crops.
Though I don't consider myself old, working in such an extreme posture is hard on my back.
I gathered the pulled-out weeds in front of me and stacked them at the edge of the farm, taking a moment to rest my hands on my hips.
Seram silently worked in another section, diligently pulling out weeds.
Seram seemed skilled in this kind of physically demanding work, perhaps due to her intense training as a knight. With her strong body and determined attitude, she quickly pulled out weeds and gathered them together. Her speed was more than twice as fast as an average adult, making her incredibly dependable.
As I watched Seram's focused expression, I ready myself to continue my work.That’s when I noticed the silhouettes of people in my field of vision. When I looked up, I spotted the group of kids at Kaito's house before, hiding behind the cucumber plants and observing us.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We're bored, so we came to play!"
A girl with brown hair answered cheerfully.
"I see. You've had enough of killing time. Go home now."
"Jin, you're so cold."
The smallest child sighed as I shooed them away.
"That's right, that's right. You are treating us so badly! We're cute kids. You should be nicer to us!"
"A really cute child wouldn't behave like that."
"Ahaha. Jin-san is working, so we shouldn't bother him too much."
"You see, the oldest one here gets it."
"No, Kotorin is younger than me..."
"Eeh? Even though she's this big?"
I thought she was the oldest because she speaks proper Japanese and is the tallest, but I was wrong.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm big, after all. Sorry, I'm so big for nothing..."
It seems she's conscious of her height, despite being very young.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. People often make that mistake."
"Anyway, I prefer if you call us by our name instead of 'you' or 'this girl.'"
While apologizing for my mistake, the boyish girl interrupts me from the side.
"Even if you say so, I don't know your names."
"Hah! How many years do you think we've known each other here? Are you serious?"
The boyish girl is stunned and outraged when I tell her the blunt truth.
They've grown quite a bit, but I've known them since they were little.
That said, I only wave my hand lightly from a distance and have trivial conversations with them.
"Don't know means don't know."
"Hah! I can't believe it!"
"Honestly, I'm shocked."
But the children's reaction is unaccepting.
One after another, they express their protests and disappointment.
I've never been criticized this much since I quit my job as a salaryman.
"What's wrong, Jin-dono?"
Seram, who had been weeding the grass, comes over after hearing the commotion.
"I'm caught up in a small quarrel with the neighborhood kids."
"It's Seram-san! Hello!"
"Oh, isn't that Meguru-dono, Kotori-dono, and Alice-dono?"
I was surprised by Seram's casual words.
"... Wait, Seram. Do you know their names?"
No way. I've been seeing them for years but don't know their names. How does Seram know their names when she just met them?
"What are you talking about, Jin-dono? Didn't we meet them at Kaito-dono's candy store?"
"Only once. We were only together for an hour, right?"
"Even if it was just for an hour, isn't it natural to remember someone's name when you meet them for the first time?"
"You see! Jin is the strange one!"
After hearing Seram's words, the children became lively and started making a lot of noise. Their high-pitched voices filled the air.
"... I think it's Jin-dono's fault."
After hearing the situation from the children, Seram looks at me disappointedly.
"That's right! Seram-san understands! Jin has always been like this!"
I understand her words, but they can be easily misinterpreted when a young child says something like that. As an adult, showing excessive interest in elementary or middle school students can be seen as inappropriate.
"That's not the case here. It's simply that I haven't had the opportunity to learn your names."
"We'll introduce ourselves now, so please remember us! I'll start. I'm Meguru Ichinose, a 13-year-old second-year middle school student. I love salmon roe and grilled meat---"
"Too long, next."
I learned that the boyish girl with healthy tanned skin is Ichinose.
No further information is needed.
I cut off the introduction because it would be too long and asked for the next self-introduction.
Ichinose protested, but I ignored her.
"Eh, eeto... My name is Kotori Koiwai. I am 12 years old and in the first year of middle school."
The tall girl with black hair and mature language is named Kotori Koiwai. I mistakenly assumed she was in high school, but she is younger than Ichinose.
"I'm Alice Houjou. I'm 10 years old and in the 5th grade of elementary school."
Alice, the small girl with silver hair, appears half-Japanese based on her appearance and name. Despite being a fifth grader, she looks much younger due to her baby face and petite stature.
"Ichinose, Koiwai, and Houjou. For now, I've memorized the names. ...... Maybe."
"I'd prefer you call me by my first name instead of my last name."
"I'd be happy if you could call me by my first name too... Alice."
"Alright, got it. Meguru, Kotori, and Alice, right?"
All three are so noisy, so I call them by their names for now, and they laugh in satisfaction.
It's been a while since I've talked to kids. As expected, it's tiring.
From the bottom of my heart, I respected Kaito for dealing with these kids daily.
"Hey, Seram-san! Come play with us!"
"Thanks for inviting me, but I still have work to do. Sorry."
Meguru extends an invitation to Seram, but she apologetically declines.
Considering her good nature, I had expected her to accept without hesitation. Seram appears to prioritize her work and has a strong sense of responsibility.
"Eeh, Jin. Can't you do something?"
As I was impressed, Meguru pulled my sleeve and asked.
Lately, we have been focused on work, and it would be nice for Seram to have more friends around her.
I want to help her as much as possible.
"Yeah, You can play once we clear the weeds."
"Are you sure? Shouldn't we keep working during the day?"
"We're not in a rush. With Seram's help, we cleared the weeds quickly, so we have plenty of time to play for half a day."
In fact, Seram has been a great help with tasks like harvesting, weeding, and mowing the fields.
Although it may seem like we're rushing through the work, things are progressing much smoother compared to previous years.
We're working ahead of schedule and have plenty of time left.
"I see! In that case, I'll try to finish as quickly as possible. If you can wait for me, that would be wonderful!"
When I mentioned this, Seram went back to her work with a happy smile on her face.
As I thought she wanted to play with the kids.
She started pulling weeds in the field even faster than before.
"Then I'll help you too! That way, we can play together sooner!"
"Kotori, that's a good idea."
"It's troublesome, but I'll help you..."
Alice and Meguru joined in to help when Kotori said she would help and started pulling weeds.
The noise level increased, but I welcomed the additional help and the increased pace of work.
I moved to another field and sat down, resuming my own work.
***New
I found a Female knight in a rice field in the countryside, they think she's my wife
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