Episode 7: Long eggplant delivery.
After finishing lunch, we begin sorting and preparing the long eggplants.
The containers with the eggplants need to be moved. This is also hard work.
One container weighs more than 10 kg.
Carrying many containers with the body exhausted from the harvesting work is tough.
"Jin-dono, should I carry these?"
"Yes, we'll be working on the table over there. They are quite heavy, so don't force yourself too hard."
I tried to warn her, but Seram piled up six containers and lifted them all.
"...... Hah?"
Seram is slimmer than me, yet she lifted the containers so easily. I couldn't help but be stunned.
Each container weighs about 10 kilograms, so the total weight is approximately 60 kilograms.
An untrained person can't lift those containers.
"What's wrong, Jin-dono?"
"No, each of those containers weighs over 10 kg. How can you carry that much?"
"I am a knight. It's not too heavy for a knight. Still, this quite heavy, so I'm using magic to strengthen my body."
"Magic...?"
"I'm reinforcing my muscles with magic. Using it, you can demonstrate amazing physical abilities such as running fast and jumping high."
So that must have been why she could run as fast as a car when she left my house on her first day.
I understood after hearing Seram's words, but something bothered me more than that.
"In the first place, can you use magic in this world?"
"Yes, the magic in the air is thinner than in my world, but it's sufficient to use."
I used to think that magic and supernatural powers were just fantasy. Still, it seems that they do exist in modern Japan.
"So, does that mean I can use it too?"
"... I think it's impossible."
When I asked with some expectation, Seram shook her head.
"Why?"
"People in this world, including you, can't feel magic power in the first place. Perhaps they don't have magical organs that can sense and control magic power. Even if magic power exists, you can't use it without a magic power organ,"
Even if the energy exists, it is useless if you cannot use it.
It seems that for earthlings, magic power is useless.
"Even if Jin-dono has a magic power organ in your body, it would be difficult for you to master it at your age. Magic training takes a long time, starting at an early age."
That's right. Seram said she spent so much time practicing swords and magic that she never had time to cook for herself.
It would be difficult to master such specialized skills without any background. Even if I managed to learn it, I would become too old.
"I see. I thought using magic for growing vegetables would be useful."
"Your first thought about using magic is for farming, that's typical of you, Jin-dono, isn't it?"
Seram laughed when she heard my mutterings.
"Well, I can't think of any other way to use it."
"Hey, can't we use magic to grow vegetables?"
Maybe we can use magic power to boost vegetable growth.
"If I could do that, I would have offered it to you already. Unfortunately, magic is not as convenient as you think, Jin-dono."
Apparently, such convenient magic doesn't exist. If it did, the fun of farming would be halved, so it's okay.
But it would be great if we could control the growth rate with magic power. If we could do that, we wouldn't have to be pressured to harvest in such a short time.
With a farmer's whine in my heart, I brought the container to the workbench.
Usually, it would have taken me several round trips, but thanks to Seram, it only took two.
This would make the loading work easier.
"What does the sorting process mean?"
"We wipe off the dirt and sort them by size. While doing this, we check the long eggplants to see if any are damaged or misshapen."
"What do I do with the damaged or misshapen ones?"
"We can sell the ones that are misshapen at a slightly lower price, but we can't do anything about the ones that are badly damaged. We must remove the damaged parts, eat them at home, or throw them away. This long eggplant is no good."
"Is that much damage enough to make it unsaleable?"
It's pretty bad from my point of view, but I guess it's acceptable from Seram's point of view.
"We have to deliver good, safe food to our customers. We can't give them something that might threaten their safety."
"I see. The safety of our customers comes first! You are very strict, Jin-dono!"
Seram looks at me with respect.
Instead of my standard, it's the farmers' union standard. But let's leave it that way because it would take longer to explain it.
After showing Seram how to sort, we start to sort the long eggplants.
As we pick up the eggplant and wipe off the dirt with a cloth, we check all of them.
After removing the dirt, the eggplant shines more beautifully.
The cleaned eggplants are so beautiful. They look like jewels.
"Jin-dono looks so peaceful."
As I work silently, Seram looks at me as if she has seen something unusual.
I wonder if my face looks that peaceful now.
"I find it calming when polishing my harvests."
"Well, I agree with you about that. It's nice to work without thinking about anything."
"Hey, think about sorting. That's not the right size container."
"Sorry."
When I point this out, Seram hurriedly corrects her sorting mistake.
I can rely on her to do the heavy work, but I can't take my eyes off her when she's doing this kind of detailed work.
However, she works hard enough for a novice farmer, so I must forgive her for making a few mistakes.
After the long eggplants are sorted, the next step is to pack them in bags.
"Seram, please put a sticker on the bags."
"Sticker?"
I demonstrated the sticking process to Seram, who knew nothing about stickers.
It was a simple matter of peeling it off with fingers and sticking it on the bag, so she quickly learned it.
"Is this okay?"
"Yeah, that's good. Stretch it out!"
"It's kind of fun!"
Seram looks like she's having fun sticking the stickers.
It's as if a child is discovering the joy of stickers for the first time.
While watching Seram's excitement from her side, I fill the bags with eggplants.
"Hmmm? There are no more stickers."
"We're done putting the stickers. Help me to pack them."
"Okay."
The stickering process stops, and Seram helps me with the packing.
"Is it 500 grams?"
"Uh, it's about 50 grams short."
"Hahaha, then try another eggplant."
"Jin-dono, you haven't weighed anything in a while. Have you reached the stipulated weight?"
I laugh as I say that, and Seram gives me a skeptical look.
"Don't underestimate an experienced person. When you're as experienced as me, you can tell the approximate weight by holding it in your hand."
"Then show me how you weigh it."
When I put the bagged items on the scale, as Seram asked, the weight was exactly as required.
"The weight is correct... As expected of an experienced person."
"Of course."
I can't tell her I was nervous when I saw the numbers were too precise. I would have been embarrassed if it had been a few grams lower. It was so close.
After the bags are packed, I insert them into the sealing machine.
Once I hear a clanking sound, the bagged eggplants are neatly sealed.
"Jin-dono! What is that?"
"It's a packaging tool called a bag sealer. You want to try it?"
"Yes!"
When I asked Seram, her eyes sparkled, and she nodded with a smile.
She is very curious.
"Twist the tip of the bag to make it thinner and then insert it into the gap here."
"Like this?"
Seram pushed the tip of the bag into the bag sealer, there was a clanking sound, and the bag tip was sealed.
"Oh, whoa! Jin-dono, this is also fun!"
"If you like it, go ahead and do it."
For Seram, the tools in this world are unusual, so the packaging work seems fun to her.
I leave the bagging to Seram and put the finished products into the cardboard boxes.
As we proceeded this way, the work was over in no time.
"Can you put these boxes on my light truck?"
"Oh, on a white iron wagon! Okay!"
When I asked her to do so, Seram carried the cardboard boxes again.
Meanwhile, I put away my tools, put a sheet over the boxes on the back of the light truck, and tied them tightly with a rope so they wouldn't fall off during transport.
"All that was left was to deliver them."
"Shall I go with you?"
As I enter the light truck, Seram approaches the driver's seat and asks.
That being said, there was nothing Seram could help me with from this point forward.
Seram worked harder than I had expected. I feel bad if I make her go out with me until late for nothing.
"No, I can handle it alone from now on. Go home and rest."
"Really?......"
"Could it be that you are lonely being alone at home?"
"No, of course not! I am not a child! Then you can go!"
When I teased her, Seram walked back to the house.
She still acts like a child when she gets upset like that.
Still, I am worried about leaving her alone for a long time. So I decided to come home early.
With this in mind, I started to drive my light truck.
