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Cooling Oneself With Summer Vegetables
This one is fine. This one is still green. This is red but the calyx is still spreading out. I continue to cut the tomatoes while determining their conditions and then put the ripe tomatoes into the floating basket.
This is fine. This is also.....hm? It’s quite red but the calyx’s edge is still green. And the curled up-condition of the tomato is halfway, what should I do with this? www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Hmーm」
「What’s wrong?」
As I groan over the tomato, Asmo asks me while putting the tomato he harvested into the basket.
「This tomato, I wonder if I should just leave it be? The calyx is only curled up a little, and the color is not completely red to the edge of the calyx」
「Hmーm, show me the other side of the tomato」
Since Asmo told me to show it to him, I turn the tomato around and show him the other side of the tomato.
「Aah, the back has also turned bright red so you can harvest it」
「Is it okay?」
「Not everything said can be applied to the condition of the vegetables as explained to you. If there are perfectly ripe ones, then there will also be half-ripe ones. In those sorts of situations, look at the other side and if it has also turned red then you can harvest it」
I see, that’s true I guess. What was explained before was in the end, only a standard of which is good to harvest. That’s cause not everything will perfectly grow and bear fruit once you start growing your own plants.
「Okay」
Convinced by Asmo’s explanation, I cut that tomato with the scissors.
After that, I return to the place where I harvest the tomatoes just in case and then check the backside of the tomatoes. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Immediately after that, I found two similar ones like the one before so I harvest those.
After doing that, I continue harvesting the tomatoes. It’s been a while since I changed the basket. I unconsciously stood up, feeling the accumulated fatigue on my legs and back.
「Aah, my back and legs hurts」
I stretch myself to loosen up the muscles in my back and legs while hitting my lower back.
I just wish that they grow a bit higher than they are - the tomatoes -, but unfortunately, they grow low and close to the ground. Moving while crouching gives quite a burden on the lower back and legs.
「It’s the fate of doing fieldwork. But, it’s pretty easy to do now since Al makes the basket floats. It’s even more tiring to crouch down and harvest the vegetables while carrying around the basket with you」
In my case, the basket is floating using Psychic and it is always in a position where it’s easier for me to put the tomatoes inside. Suppose that I put the basket down and then lift it up and do it repeatedly, that would be quite the labor I have to do.
「Hahaha, how pitiful of you, Al! Getting exhausted with this much work!」
Torr returned when I’m still groaning while doing some stretching.
The basket he’s holding in his arms is full of red tomatoes.
「Torr, are you done harvesting?」
「Yeah, it’s this wide. It’s enough to harvest one row, right」
Just as Torr says, the field here is wide. I also don’t think we can harvest them all.
I might be able to do it in a few minutes if I can cut them with Wind magic one after another and then toss the tomatoes into the basket with Psychic, but as expected that’s impossible since I can’t identify the tomatoes if I do that. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Then, we also have to finish it quickly」
「I’m done here」
「Eehh!?」
So I said as though to ask Asmo’s agreement, but then Asmo seems to have moved a long way ahead.
The place where Asmo was harvesting is a place with around 80% of the total row assigned to him, compared to that I’m still at 50%. I have to hurry now.
I made up my mind and continue to harvest the tomatoes, but I’m not as familiar as Asmo so my speed is slower.
Perhaps he saw me looking like that, Torr rolled up his sleeves and start crouching in my row.
「Can’t be helped then! I will lend you a hand! I won't be able to immediately eat the tomato if Al doesn’t finish soon」
「Ooh, Torr. Thanks」
「Idiotー. Don’t say something that will make me feel unpleasant. Look, over there, there, and there, you can harvest them, you left them behind」
Torr points at the tomatoes that can be harvested even while looking slightly embarrassed when I said my thanks.
The tomatoes Torr pointed to are really good enough they satisfy all the conditions required to harvest. And yet, he can also accurately judges which tomatoes are still not yet ready to be harvested.
He’s normally a hopeless and naughty brat, but he’s also someone who can do his job properly, huh?
I proceed with the harvest while being surprised and impressed seeing the side of Asmo I can’t see normally.
And, I proceed with the harvest together with Torr, and just like that the basket also becomes full, and now the row I’m in charge of harvesting was done.
「Yosh, with this it’s done」
「Alfried-sama, good work. There are chairs and a table over there, let’s take a break over there」
As I shout with a feeling of relief, Igma approached us as if he’s been waiting. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
I was overflowing with the feeling of wanting to rest immediately so I nodded without hesitation.
There are chairs and a table placed on an open field at the edge of the tomato field. Moreover, there are plates with tomatoes served on top of the table, and something that looks like an eggplant.
「Ah! Are those, tomatoes and eggplants?」
「Right, they are the tomatoes Alfried-sama harvested before, and the eggplants I harvested. Please have some」
Ooh, I thought he was going to also told me to harvest the eggplants, but honestly, I’m quite tired after harvesting the tomatoes so I was really glad for his thoughtfulness.
「Ooh, you’re so thoughtful aren’t you」
「Good job」
「Shut it. They are not for you two」
I went for my seat while listening to the conversation between Igma, Torr, and Asmo.
On top of the table, there are drops of water on the tomatoes and eggplants, maybe they have just been lightly washed with water a short while ago. The bright red tomatoes are to be expected, but the pretty-looking, bluish-purple eggplants are also looking good.
「Then, can I eat it right away?」
「Go ahead」
After Igma said that, I reach out for the tomatoes I had harvested myself.
They have quite a weight to them, and a moderate amount of firmness. I stroked the smooth skin of the tomato and then took a bite out of it.
The tomato juice obtained from the blessings of nature spreads inside my mouth. It has a slight sourness and sweetness to it, it’s truly delicious, and feels good to taste. Whether the tomatoes raised here are the type that is particularly sweet or they have a secret method of raising the tomatoes is irrelevant, I just wonder why does it taste better than the one I usually eat? www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「It’s really sweet」
「Right?」
Igma happily said when I expressed my thought about it.
He looks kinda proud somehow, I can feel the pride and confidence in his short remark.
「And it tastes better than the one I usually eat」
「That is because you harvested it yourself」
I knew it, it’s because of that. Since I took the trouble to harvest them myself.
「Ooh, it’s sweet! I knew it, the tomatoes here are somewhat different from other tomatoes」
「It can’t be compared to the tomatoes from our place」
「That’s obvious. It takes my time and effort to raise them」
It tastes this good just by harvesting myself, I bet this will taste even better if I raise them from the beginning.
But, it’s just a matter of whether I have the determination to grow them myself or not though.
I bite into the tomato while thinking of such things.
Since the tomato juice starts to overflow each time I bit into it, I have to eat it while slurping on the juice else the juice will spill out.
「If it’s this sweet, then I think this tomato can be considered a fruit」
「Indeed」
Asmo’s impression completely resonates with me.
This sweetness, it’s already a fruit, isn’t it? I understand very well what he wants to say. However, it is still the common view that tomato is considered vegetables. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「There are even some villagers who think that tomato is a fruit」
「Certainly. I think this is a vegetable, but I also understand the feeling of those who insist it’s a fruit」
「Oh well, I know what you want to say, but from my perspective, it doesn’t matter even if it’s a vegetable as long as it’s delicious」
「Oi」
Igma unconsciously retorts with a serious look toward Torr, who eventually disregards the thought and doesn’t think it matters while shaking his head.
Well, guess that’s also true. Once you eat delicious things, such small things don’t matter.
We can’t stop moving our hands as we eat the tomatoes, guess it’s because we worked while under the hot sun.
But, eating too much might upset my stomach, so let’s stop at two tomatoes.
Though Torr and Asmo ate four of them without caring about it.
「Yosh, now that I’ve eaten the tomatoes, it’s time for the eggplant!」
「Eggplant!」
Honestly, it was the thing I look forward to the most today. I can’t go home without eating it first.
The eggplants on the plate have really lovely shapes. They’re fat at the stem, and the part of the calyx has sharp thorns that look painful if you got stabbed by them.  And most of all, this heavy weight from the eggplant. This would be filled with a lot of umami moisture inside.
「Ossha, let’s eat them!」
While I was still observing the eggplant, Torr and Asmo took a bite out of the eggplant in a hearty manner.
Perhaps it was filled with an overwhelming amount of moisture inside, and the juice from the eggplants spills out from the corner of their mouth. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Uohー! As expected, the eggplants from this place are the tastiest!」
「This may be my favorite summer vegetables」
Torr and Asmo raise their voices in delight as they eat the eggplants.
Looking at that, I also bring the eggplant into my mouth as though drawn by their action.
I bit on the somewhat firm skin, then bite the flesh.
Immediately after that, the eggplant flesh easily tore off, and the juice that was mixed with the umami taste started to ooze out.
Moreover, as I chew on the soft flesh, more umami taste came out and it continues to smoothly and easily pass through my throat. Even when you have no appetite to eat in summer, it will be easier to eat with this.
My mouth is filled with eggplant juice and just eating it alone makes me feel cool.
This is precisely the so-called natural coolness. Then,
「……so this is the greatness of summer vegetables」
「Using it to cook various dishes is nice and all, but it’s tastiest eating it like this in summer」
Igma - who is next to me - said when I quietly muttered like that.
Ahー, I understand that. I can think of various ways of using them, but in the end, it’s better to eat them in a simple way sometimes.
「When you eat them like this, it will naturally make your body feel cooler 」
「Then, that means Torr doesn’t the cold air from Ice magic, right?」
「No, that is that, this is this」
We eat the summer vegetables in a carefree manner and enjoy the cool air.