Let me say something first. It was a grassland. There were trees here and there but since we were not within a forest, it won’t be that easy to gather fallen branches.
I said that we were off to gather branches but it was just a means to have a talk with Haru and I didn’t really have the intention of gathering branches.
I can’t leave Carol and Stella alone for such an extended period of time so I had Haru return first and I transferred to My World with my Hikikomori skill.
It might be named Hikikomori but Goddesses had dropped by and I even got myself an assistant so despite it being a private space, it’s quite far off to call it Hikikomori. While having such thoughts, what greeted me was a forest that spread far and wide.
And when I turned around, I saw a log house under construction.
I call it a log house but it was somehow being constructed with cream-colored timber.
“Amazing … ”
“Welcome back, master.”
What’s amazing was firstly the shocking sight of Pionia’s right arm that was in a shape of a saw.
“Is that an attachment?”
“It’s Metamorphosis.”
Pionia said as her saw arm turned into the shape of a hammer then further transformed into the shape of a sword.
That’s amazing, it seemed possible to fight as the vanguard with something like that.
“Can you only transform your hand?”
“No, that’s not true.”
She said as Pionia’s whole body transformed.
And her appearance … was exactly like Haru.
“Just like this, I can freely alter any part. Unfortunately, I can’t transform the clothes that I wear.”
No way! She can even change her voice!?
Rather, I wonder how many people born in the Heisei period will get this joke. I also didn’t know about ‘Real-time’. (TL: It’s apparently a joke from a Japanese TV program called ‘Real-time’)
Leaving that aside … uwaa … even her breast grew larger.
“However, it worsens my balance so this form is the most comfortable.”
Pionia said and returned to her original appearance. Well, this suits Pionia better. Yup.
“That’s right, Pionia, since you’re building a house, do you have scrap wood?”
“If you want scrap wood, they are placed at the back of the house together with the fruits.”
“Fruits? Not tomatoes?”
“Yes. Among tree seedlings I received from Master Haurvatat and Master Carol, only the pine and oak could be used as timber. I will use the oak wood as flooring. The remaining seedlings were for grape vines, apple and breadfruit trees so I harvested and stored them. I can make wine from the grapes if master wishes for it?”
“Let’s see, I want to have a certain amount but it isn’t an amount that can be consumed finish right? Then, please make wine from the remaining grapes.”
“Understood, master. Then, may I have some MP please? Since I have used a considerable amount of MP.”
“Ah, of course.”
I said as I took off my shirt and faced my back to Pionia.
Then, I felt my MP escape from me as I received Pionia’s massage.
“By the way, I didn’t really give you much MP yesterday but it’s amazing how you can grow this many trees. Now that I look at it closely, isn’t that a river flowing through it?”
“Regarding MP, I had Master Marina’s assistance.”
“Eh?”
I looked at the direction where Pionia was pointing at and saw a familiar triangle hat.
Ah, Marina has collapsed.
It probably got to her head when she called her Master Marina.
After she finished consuming my MP, I wore my top, walked over to Marina and placed my hand on her neck.
It looked like she was sleeping. Her breathing was stable and there was a pulse too. (TL: Lol he only checks after he finishes getting his massage)
It was the typical symptoms of MP depletion.
“Pionia, next time, even if Marina say it’s alright, don’t suck her MP until she collapses.”
“Understood, master.”
I guess I’ll let Marina sleep here.
“Please tell Marina that I will come get her tomorrow morning.”
“Understood. By then, I would have completed the construction of master’s base.”
“Thank you.”
I replied as I carried the scrap woods and left My World.
Having returned to Otherworld, I walked back to where the others were and the four of us grilled fish to eat.
The fish that Stella grilled was quite delicious.
It’s quite sad knowing that among the female members that I travel with, the first to cook a proper meal was the Cat Sith Stella.
※※※
Haru, Carol, and Stella were sleeping in the carriage.
While on bonfire duty, I looked at the starry sky.
The time to switch duty has passed slightly but I don’t feel sleepy so I thought of staying up a little longer.
Just as I thought so … it happened.
My skill ― Presence Detection, detected multiple presences.
However, that number was not only one or two.
From the organized movements as if to surround us as they approached, I guessed they were probably enemies.
“Master!”
“Haru, you woke up huh.”
As expected. The opponents were approaching from downwind so I thought she wouldn’t be able to smell them and she shouldn’t have the Presence Detection skill either, maybe it was her feral intuition?
… Oops, Haru is not a wild animal. That was a slip of the tongue even if I only said it to myself.
“Haru, wake Carol and Stella! It’s bandits!”
I shouted, at that time,
“Oi oi, Hume. We’ll be troubled if you bundle us with bandits nya!”
“Obediently hand us Stella nya.”
“Oh, I smell fish too nya. Hand over the fish too nya!”
“Hand over the Silver Vine too nya!”
“We don’t need money so just hand us the food nya!”
“Ah, hand us Stella too nya!”
They announced as what appeared surrounding us in a fan-shape were six gray cats … no, Cat Siths.
All of them were armed with dagger-sized swords.
“Oi, Stella, are they your friends?”
“N … no way, for the Seven Gray Stars to come here … what happened to the King nya …”
Stella was saying something cool while taking a pose though.
Erm, seriously, what is this?
Even though it was supposed to be some special Silver Vine harvest job, as expected, I sensed that it would lead to us getting entangled in some troublesome event like this.
However, before that, I had something I had to ask.
“Why are there only six of you even though you’re called the Seven Stars?”