Chapter 83
Chapter 83: Ma.s.s Consumer Kazura ate the lunch leisurely for about 1 hour and after putting the dishes away, he and Valetta went together towards the residence garden . In front of both of them, there were numerous herbs growing from the seed they planted before on the ground . Next to them, was the lemongra.s.s and peppermint that Kazura bought as seedlings and then numerous herbs that were planted in the pot . The agricultural tractor that Kazura had driven here was parked at the corner of the garden .
「They have become bigger, but as expected, their growth rate is slower than what is written in the book . 」(V) Valetta said so as she squatted down and looked at the herbs . Kazura also squatted down and try to take a look at the herb, but sure enough, it seemed to be not that big . However, they didn’t look to be diseased, it was indeed a bit frail, but the leaves were healthy green . 「Even when they didn’t get any disease, their growth rate is slow, wonder what does this mean…… The Peppermint seems to be a bit bigger though . 」(K) Comparing the herbs growing on the ground and the herbs planted in the pot, the peppermint that grew in the pot had faster growth rate, even if it was just a little bit . Since the pots with the peppermint were given fertilizer, this difference in growth rate was without a doubt came from the presence of fertilizer . However, the peppermint growth rate was relatively slower than the growth rate of a normal seedling . 「I thought that perhaps the problem lies in the fertilizer, but the growth rate is still slow even though it had been given fertilizer, so I don’t really know why…… The herbs that are planted in the pot and given fertilizer are also have a slow growth rate . 」(V) 「When you observe the herbs daily, did you noticed something?」(K) 「Something…… Hmm . 」(V) At Kazura’s question, Valetta put her hand over her mouth and start thinking . 「Nothing at all…… I watered them frequently, I pulled out the weed when I noticed them growing around…… I didn’t find anything particularly strange . 」(V) 「Hmm, is that so…… No, wait a minute . 」(K) 「Ah, do you realize something?」(V) Kazura made an expression as if he realized something, so Valetta turned her gaze, filled with expectation towards him . 「I want you to tell me, how big is the weed that grows in the peppermint pot?」(K) 「The weed? Since I pulled them out as soon as the sprout out, they weren’t that big . About 1 centimeter . 」(V) 「Did it always look like that recently?」(K) 「Yes, it never change . 」(V) At Valetta’s reply, Kazura focused at the peppermint inside the flower pot, crossing his arms as he thinking . After several seconds of silence, he turned back at Valetta as if he had settled his thoughts . 「…… Perhaps, there is almost no nutrient left inside this pot? If there are nutrients then the weed will become big quickly, so it seems that the nutrients have been completely exhausted . 」(K) 「Eh? But, it can’t be……」(V) The conjecture that Kazura thought up sounds crazy, the nutrient from the fertilizer put into the pot had been absorbed by weed, so the nutrient inside the pot had been completely exhausted . Valetta opened her eyes wide from surprise, but when she quickly fix her expression and thought about it before speaking . 「But that won’t explain the growth of the vegetables in the field . The weed should have been sprout out in great number every day, so before the nutrient went to the vegetables that were planted individually, it should have been taken by the weed that grows in its surrounding . 」(V) 「That might be true, but didn’t everyone in the village immediately pulled the weed out as soon as it sprouts? If you pulled it out immediately then the weed’s root will still be shallow so the deep soil that had been mixed with the fertilizer’s nutrient will still untouched . Since the vegetables still growing their roots, then just as they reached the untapped fertilizer and took up the large amount of nutrient, they grow immediately . Or so I thought . 」(K) As far as Kazura know, the villagers went to the field everyday and pulled absolutely every weed that grows around the vegetables with their hand and then stirs the ground with triangle weeding hoe . [1]Kazura often helped when living in the village, so he knew how thorough the weed removal is . The pulled out weed would be left on the ground surface, where it will dry up under the strong sunlight . 「B-but, that might be the reason why the herb planted from seed had slow growth rate, however, it won’t be the reason why the peppermint seedling had slow growth rate . Since I pulled out the weed every day, there should be nutrient left in the pot . 」(V) 「Yes . That might be true, ever since Valetta-san returned to the village . But, during your absence from the residence when you went to Isteria, only the villagers who were asked to take care of the herbs, knew about the pot situation, right?」(K) 「…… Ah . 」(V)
When Kazura pointed this out, Valetta made a surprised expression . 「Furthermore, you watering the pot everyday so the soil is always wet, right? If the soil is wet then when the shallow rooted weed absorbed the water, the nutrient at the bottom of the pot get absorbed too . That’s why, the small remaining nutrient left in the pot had been absorbed by the weed, so this pot doesn’t have nutrient anymore . The vegetable field also watered, but the watering frequency and the blazing sun prevented the field’s soil from being constantly wet . More importantly, the vegetables are growing fast and so defeated the weed in the compet.i.tion for nutrient . 」(K) 「Eh…… Then that means the plants of this world……This is, this is no matter how you put on it, it is absurd……」(V) 「Ah no, this is only a conjecture after all . It doesn’t mean that this is the truth……」(K) Valetta eyes were looking at the weed that was growing in the garden as if they were a frightening thing . If Kazura’s conjecture was correct, then the plant of this world would absorb absolutely every nutrient that its root could reach and it growth could continue without limit as long as the nutrient last . Of course, depending on the plant there might be a limit on the growth, but based on how the village’s vegetables looks like, it wouldn’t be strange to think that they could become even bigger . Furthermore, Kazura already confirmed that he couldn’t obtain any nutrient from eating the abnormally quick growing vegetable, so even when the vegetable became bigger, there was still little nutrient in it for some reason . The nutrient inside the j.a.panese fertilizer might be used up only for the vegetable huge growth, so it resulted in a strange situation where the nutritional value of the vegetable itself didn’t change at all . Perhaps, if these vegetables died and returned to the soil, those nutritions didn’t return into the soil at all . If this cycle repeats, then as the result, the soil of this world might end up with almost no nutrients . In that case, it was understandable why the concept of fertilizer was unknown in this world . Since it had hardly any nutrient from the beginning, the concept of fertilizer never arises . However, this was still no more than Kazura’s conjecture . Unless j.a.panese experts investigate this world’s plants, the truth might still be unknown . 「……Then, so that no weed seed could enter the peppermint pot next time, let’s try to put it inside the house . If Kazura-san’s conjecture is correct then if we give it new fertilizer then this peppermint should grow just like what written in the book . 」(V) 「Yes, there is no other way to confirm it but this, right?」(K) Kazura nodded to Valetta’s proposal, then he stood up and stretched his back . 「Now then, I will return to j.a.pan once more . Since I will buy a lot of books, please look forward to it . 」(K) Kazura said while smiling, so Valetta also stood up and smiled . 「Fufu, then I will look forward to it . Will you return at dinner time?」(V)
「Yes, I will return around that time . Then, if it possible, I want to eat Valetta-san’s omelette again……」(K) Kazura spoke embarra.s.sedly . Valetta blinked her eyes in surprise for a moment but then she immediately made an honest delighted smile towards Kazura . 「Yes! Just wait, I’ll make one which is extremely delicious, so come back quickly, okay?」(V) 「Roger that . Then I will finish this quickly and return . 」(K) After Kazura said this, he boarded the agricultural tractor in the corner of the garden and started the engine . As the engine was started, a roaring loud noise filled the surrounding . At the sudden noise, the Rootcut Birds inside the fence at the back of the residence was raising a cry and flapping their wing out of surprise . Then, the tractor in the residence grounds began moving . 「Then, I’m off…… Perhaps I ought to park this somewhere else next time . 」(K) Kazura said his farewell and then drove the tractor towards the stone-paved corridor that leads to j.a.pan . Valetta saw Kazura off, turned around to enter the residence and then she stopped . Then, she looked at the weed growing near her feet and then at the herbs that were growing in the garden . 「……」(V) Perhaps there was something on her mind, but Valetta kept looking at the herbs . On her eyes, just for a while, there was a sadness floating by . ✦✧✦✧✦ One hour later . Kazura, who returned to j.a.pan, arrived at a large bookstore in the city . Inside the shop there were several hundred thousand books lined up on the shelves, the genre collection was also very plentiful . For someone who buys a lot of books, the shop had prepared shopping carts . So accordingly, Kazura was strolling in the shop right now while pushing one .
The location that Kazura headed first was the history book corner, mainly the shelves that cover European history book . At its left were the shelves for j.a.panese history book and they had regional history too . Behind Kazura was the flat stand that displayed a large amount of stacked light novels, there was a board where 『This Month New Release!』 written on it beside the stand . The board also pasted with poster promoting the light novel, with an ill.u.s.tration of a kind-hearted looking young man and a blond beautiful girlbishoujo, sat back to back . [2] 「Hmm, I wonder what kind of history book that I should buy? …… Perhaps Europe BC Era? Or Ancient Rome?」(K) He reached out to the history shelf related to Ancient Rome that he saw by chance and then try to skim the pages . That book depicted the daily life of Ancient Romans, the technologies they employed and mundane tools that they use in an easy to understand manner . 「Oh, so the Ancient Romans lead such kind of life . 」(K) After reading while standing for a moment, he put the book into the cart . Afterward, he skimmed several books about Ancient Rome and then put them into the cart one after another . The technology and tools that were used in Ancient Rome seemed to be relatively more advanced than the ones used in the other world, but the variety of the books related to Ancient Rome history was so much and complete . Since only Valetta who will read this book, he didn’t pay any special attention to matter like it might advance the technology of that world, et cetera . About people daily life and clothes, since it had considerable similarity to the other world, it might satisfy Valetta’s thirst for knowledge to some degree . For the military related book, he purchased the military strategy history that centered around Ancient Rome . Historical important war and battle, how the battle progressed or why the battle happened and its background were described using an easy to understand ill.u.s.tration . Also, on the j.a.panese regional history at the nearby shelf, he put several books that explain the history of the region nearby his home in Saitama into the cart . After that, Kazura walked around the shelves for technical books and put technical books related to metal smelting, agriculture, surgery, nursing, and others into the cart . Several of the books inside the cart have second copies, since it was for his own use in case it was needed at Isteria Since only technical books might not be that enjoyable, at the hobbies corner, he put cooking magazines, room design magazine and various other magazines that have lots of photos into the cart . Some time ago, Valetta seemed to enjoy reading the book with photos,「How to start a popular Café」, so she will surely be pleased with these magazines . 「…… How should I say this, it ended up as an amazingly chaotic selection of books . I wonder how much these will be?」(K) The content of the books that he had put into the cart one after another, had become a chaotic mess with zero uniformity . To see a military strategy history placed atop a book t.i.tled, 「How to make a delicious herb-tea」 was truly surreal . To pay for the cost, Kazura pushed the heavy cart towards the register .