[ES!! Era Year 2] Arcadian
- Fleeting Utopia
- Hunter of the Forest
- Compassionate Nurturing
- Actualized Utopia
- Guide of the Forest
- Himemiya Household Connections
- The Utopia of His Goals
- Patrol of the Forest
- False Charge Insistence
- Guiding Utopia
- Symbol of the Forest
- Avoiding Trauma
Chapter Index
Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6 - Translation Notes
Guardians of the Garden 1
Season: ES 2nd Year, Summer (June)
(It was sold out no matter which convenience store I went to, and I didn’t expect that I’d have to go through five whole stores to find it…)
(But since I’m the son of a greengrocer, I just have to try a dessert made with vegetables at least once.)
(I wasn’t really sure at first if a dessert collaboration with a trendy song could actually sell well… But when I looked it up on social media, it seemed to have pretty good reviews.)3
(I saw comments saying, “it’s tasty” or “I don’t like vegetables, but this is fine for me to eat”, so I feel like I can expect a lot out of this.)
(Most of all, having the spotlight on vegetables is an honor in itself…♪)
(I hope this boom makes more vegetable-based recipes gain popularity…)
(Ahh, but then again, it’ll get busy at the greengrocer if that happens, and then they’ll call me over to help… I feel like that’d be a pain…?)
(I want vegetables to sell well, but I’d hate to get involved with a busy season.)
But who would’ve known that song Morisawa-senpai and co. made in 4piece would get this popular… You really never know what could happen in this world.4
It frustrates me to know that song came to be not through a greengrocer, but through Morisawa-senpai and the others…
But, well, I guess that’s just how trends work.
If you could easily make something go viral just by aiming for it, people like Anzu-san and idols wouldn’t be struggling so much.
Well, whatever. More importantly, I need to hurry back home so I can take my time eating this panna cotta…♪
Sound of flapping wings
—Uhya!? T-That surprised me… What? Something like a black cloth suddenly flapped near my face…
—A crow?
Oh, what… Don’t startle me out of nowhere.
…? It’s still looking at me from the treetop…?
Ehh… Scary…
Actually, it feels like crows are increasing in number lately… I spot them around Seisoukan, too.
Crows are so big even though they’re birds, and they can be ferocious sometimes, so it’s scary…
It’d be fine if they were the cute ones in games or picture books, but real crows aren’t like that, so…
Not to mention, they’re a natural enemy to farmers, since they ruin crops. I’ve also seen videos of them stealing people’s food along with the package…
Ah—Don’t tell me it wants my panna cotta!?
I have to be careful… I struggled so hard to finally get it, so if a crow takes it from me now, I’ll fall into something worse than depression…
I have to get out of here quickly.
Location: Seisoukan Dorm Common Room
Hmm, what will I do… I was thinking of eating it in my room, but maybe I could just eat it here in the common room. I can watch TV while I eat, too.
Mm~…
…Mm? Is that Isara-senpai on the sofa?
Mm~… What to do now… I dunno what I could do with something like this…
I wonder what’s wrong… He seems troubled over something…?
Isara-senpai? You’ve been groaning for a while now, what’s wrong? Is there a problem?
Ahh, Takamine! You heard me?
Well, yeah, because you were mumbling so much—
Huh, wait… Is that a mini tomato seedling in your hands?
Ohh~ You got it! The tomatoes haven’t even grown yet, but you still figured it out through one look! That’s the son of a greengrocer for ya~
Not really, I just recognized it because I tried planting one for my research project back in elementary school.
So what’s up with that seedling?
Right, so~ The stylist assigned to me has been into kitchen gardens lately.
Ohh, yeah, small kitchen gardens are trending lately, it seems. Because of Potager Garden or something…5
Yep, yep. I got one from that stylist after they offered to share one with me.
Hah… Isn’t that good? What’s troubling you exactly?
Well, you have to properly look after plants, right?
So with that in mind, I’m not too sure if I’ll be able to consistently take good care of it~
I don’t even have any knowledge of how gardening works, either. So I’m worried it’ll just wither away.
Hah? Why would you get yourself a seedling with that sort of mindset… You shouldn’t have taken one then.
It stings to hear that…!
That’s ‘cause I was agreeing to their conversation up until that point, so I can’t just refuse them when they offer me a share, can I!?
So you just accepted it without properly thinking it through. I know I’m not one to talk, but that’s just too irresponsible.
I’ve learned my lesson…
With that said, could you take this seedling, Takamine?
Hah!? I don’t want it. I’m not consistent enough for it either…
C’mon, don’t say that! You have both the know-how and the experience of gardening, so I’m sure looking after the seedling would go better with you than with me.
It’s just not possible for me, no matter how much you flatter me.
Please~ Do it to help me out!
No. It’s a pain…
C’mon, just this once~!
Ehhh…?
Location: Seisoukan Dorm Courtyard
—Ahh, dammit…! In the end, Isara-senpai pushed on me this mini tomato seedling… So depressing…
I can’t allow myself to throw this away, so I figured I’d plant it in the courtyard for now, but…
Mm~… The flowerbeds are always kept nice and tidy, and things could go wrong if I plant the seedling here. Someone might pull it out thinking it’s just some random weed, which would be really sad for the seedling…
Ohh. I think this area is good, it wouldn’t stand out here. It’ll get good sun exposure, too.
Here we go… Dig a hole, then plant it in… and—
There we go. Let me also water it a little…
Come on, grow niiice and big…♪
Guardians of the Garden 2
Several days after he planted the mini tomato seedling…
Fufufu…♪ I wonder if the mini tomatoes are ripened enough to eat now~?
I’ve been growing them with minimal knowledge, so I don’t think they’ll turn out as tasty as how professionals do it, but…
Just the fact it’s a vegetable I grew from scratch, all on my own, makes it feel special.
It annoyed me at first when Isara-senpai pushed this on me, but taking care of it is starting to be fun now.
If these mini tomatoes grow nicely, maybe I could try growing other vegetables, too.
Like cucumbers or okra… And if I could make more space, sweet potatoes might be nice, too—
How about I end your life right this instant?
Eep~!?
I-I’m sorry! I won’t be careless and grow more vegetables, so please don’t kill me…!
Eh?
Eh? I said something that is actually completely impossible for me to do, so I thought you were threatening to end my life…?
Ahh. So you heard what I said just now. I let my anger get to me and blurted out some unsettling words.
I deeply apologize for soiling your ears. That was not intended toward you, so please rest at ease, Takamine-sama.
Well, I’m glad to hear that, at least…
Erm. Then what made you so angry to say something so unsettling?
The source of my headache is this piece of laundry.
Woah, what is this? The shirt’s so ragged and dirty…
It’s all muddy and torn apart everywhere. It doesn’t even look like laundry, it just looks like a piece of trash.
Precisely. It has now become one with the garbage.
Although it looks like this right now, it was a clean shirt when I first put it up to dry. But a crow came in and turned it into this.
Eh!? Crows again…?
I’ve been seeing them more often around the dorms lately… But they’ve been inside the premises, too?
Yes, they have.
However, since people frequently go in and out of here, it has kept them cautious, so they rarely show themselves.
But why would the crows want to dirty the laundry so badly? Is it to play around?
No, that isn’t the case.
It appears that during the breeding season, they steal hangers to build nests. As such, they purposely remove the laundry from the hanger.
And today was another day that a few pieces of laundry disappeared, and when I went searching for them, I found them fallen in the courtyard, tattered and dirty.
Hangers? Huh, crows are pretty nimble to be able to do that.
This is not the time to be impressed by them.
For several days now, pieces of laundry have become sacrificed over and over again, and I cannot withhold my anger any longer.
Ahh, so that’s why you said something terrifying.
Yes, it accidentally slipped from my mouth.
Well, that’d make anyone get angry. All the laundry you’re cleaning is getting tattered, dirtied, and the hangers stolen…
I turned a blind eye to it at first, as it was a rare occurrence.
However, if they intend to threaten our peace, then I have no choice but to go all out, as well.
I will make sure to teach them a lesson so severe, they never dare to set foot in these premises ever again.
Your smile makes it even more terrifying…!
Ermm… I understand how you feel, but please be gentle about it as much as possible…
By the way, why are you in the courtyard, Takamine-sama? The residents of this dormitory rarely ever come to this area.
Ahh, I thought of looking after some mini tomatoes, so I’m growing them at the edge of the courtyard.
Mini tomatoes…? So is it a kitchen garden of some sort?
Well, you could say that.
Fufu. So you have gardening as a hobby, as well? You truly are the son of a greengrocer.
No, it’s not really a hobby of mine or anything… Isara-senpai just forced this seedling on me, and now I’m looking after it from force of habit…
But I think it’s starting to get fun. It’s almost about time for it to ripen enough to eat, too.
How wonderful. I hope it ripened to be delicious.
Ah, right. It’s about time I go water the seedling.
If you ever end up drawing something, please show it to me first, Master Artist! Master Artist’s new drawings are the treasures of this world, after all!6
It’s a promise…☆ Alright, it’s time I go!
Sound of footsteps
Ermmm… Drawing is not necessarily my hobby either, though…
Well, no matter.
More importantly, I must think up a way to prevent any more damages from the crows.
(I have read in a book before that crows are intelligent, and avoid any places they sense danger from.)
(One method that has been used since the past is to hang up the remains of a crow to deter them.)
(I also read that they sell imitations of that in stores, but—)
Master Artist Fushimiiiiiiii~!
—!? Takamine-sama? Why on earth are you so panicked?
Please let me help you drive back the crows!
Eh…?
Guardians of the Garden 3
The following chapter contains brief mentions of intention of bird harm.
—Does that mean you’ve fallen victim to the crows too, Takamine-sama?
Exactly!
I was about to water my mini tomatoes, but the ones that were going to ripen today were nowhere to be found…!
The crows were totally behind it! There was a black feather nearby!
I was so excited to finally get a taste of them today after days of looking after them…!
Don’t you think it’s awful!? They’re birds, yet they try to steal people’s food…! We have to kill them instantly, right now!
I know I’m not one to speak, but… Please cease from saying anything disturbing. Someone may get the wrong idea if they hear.
Nevertheless, your strong will is crystal clear to me, Takamine-sama.
This makes both of us victims of the crows’ misconduct.
As of this moment, it has only been the two of us who were affected, but it’s only a matter of time until it spreads to others. We must do something immediately…
What do you have to do to make crows go away…?
I, too, was thinking up methods for that a moment ago.
Mm~…
Ah! Master Artist Fushimi’s… Or well, Himemiya-kun’s house is pretty big, and the plot is pretty wide too, right? So don’t crows appear often?
What do people do about crows over at Himemiya-kun’s house?
The Himemiya Household is extremely thorough in its supervision, down to the very corners, so crows do not appear in the first place.
There is always someone going in and out of the garden, like the gardeners.
Also, Young Master’s pet dog, King, often runs about in the garden throughout the day.
Dog… Makes sense, I bet a dog is like a natural enemy to crows.
In that case, there are plenty of people in the dorms with a pet dog, so maybe we could ask one of them to let their dog around the garden…?
King is quite a massive dog, though an old one as well.
However, the dogs I see in the dorms are mostly the small ones, and they would not be suitable for this sort of thing. In fact, there’s a possibility that the dog may get harmed by the crows.
Ahh, I see… Yeah, it’s probably dangerous for a small animal to be up against a crow…
Plus, now that I know it might be dangerous, it’d be hard to ask one of the dog owners for help.
…………
I believe I must do a thorough research on crows after all.
Huh? You won’t research about how to drive away crows, but on crows themselves?
Yes. As the saying goes, “know thy enemy, know thyself, and you will win a hundred wars”.
Ermm…?
In battle, do you know what is deemed the most crucial factor in turning the tides of the outcome? It’s ‘information’.
In other words, if you fight with the thorough knowledge of both your allies and your enemies, you will never lose any battle ahead.
Huh… Well, that’s true… When up against a boss in a game, I’d look at its stats and weaknesses, I guess…?
Hmm. So modern games also make use of Sun Tzu’s heihou.
Hey-Ho…?7
…In any case. In order to drive away the crows, we need to research more on crows themselves.
The library might be a good place, then. There’s books of all sorts of genres, so I’m sure we can find the book we need.
Location: Seisoukan Common Room
…Mm?
Ohh, Takamine and Yuzuru. Ossu~♪ (waves) It’s not that I’ve never seen you two in the same room, but this is still kind of an unusual combo, isn’t it? Why’re you guys looking so solemn?
Ah! It’s the main culprit of this whole incident…! Unforgivable…
Culprit!? The heck do you mean? I don’t recall doing anything…
All culprits say that.
Ehh!? Okay, to be clear, I seriously did not do anything…! Is someone trying to pin a crime on me without my knowledge!?
You see… (Explains the situation)
We are now on our way to research more about crows.
Mm~… I get why the two of you were together now, but…
Heeey, Takamine~? Based on that story, how did I become the main culprit of this? Isn’t it the crows?
If you never pushed on me that seedling you accepted without proper thought, I wouldn’t have fallen victim to the crows in the first place, that’s why.
I really am sorry about that!
Alright, let’s do it this way then! I’ll also research about crows with you guys! Let me off through that then. Will ya?
Well, that’s just obviously what you should be doing here in the first place.
Ahaha, you’re as strict as ever, Takamine~
However, your help is extremely wanted here, Isara-sama. It’s much better to have helping hands for this, after all.
Yep, you can count on me~ I have just the time right now, so of course I’ll help out.
Guardians of the Garden 4
The following chapter contains mentions of intention of bird harm.
Several hours later. Back at the Seisoukan Dorm’s Courtyard again…
Master Artist Fushimi~ I went around and asked a bunch of people and managed to collect some reflective items, like discs that were about to be thrown away.
Thank you very much.
By the way, Takamine-sama, if I may? I would like to request that you refrain from calling me “Master Artist”.
Eh? But to me, Master Artist is the greatest artist who creates the best drawings ever, and I can’t think of any other respectful title to call you by, so… Is it really not okay…?
Hah… Rather than not okay, how shall I put this…
I do not mind you calling me however you like, but the fact that you still continue to call me “Master Artist” feels embarrassing somehow.
It’s okay! Master Artist is always the absolute best. Please have more confidence in yourself!
Ermm, that is not the problem here, either…8
…?
Well, no matter. We will address that issue gradually. For now, let us focus on our task at hand.
Right then, Takamine-sama. Could you please hang up everything you’ve collected at a suitable height, while leaving a space in between each?
I’m currently preparing the eyeball balloons, so I will not be able to work on the task. Although, it might be quite heavy labor, as it needs to be hung up in a high area.
Ah, okay. It’s fine.
If anything, these sorts of moments are the only times I ever get to put my unnecessarily tall height to good use.9
Heeey~ I set up the balloons on the other side.
Though… you sure this is gonna work…?
I wouldn’t know that…
But from what we found out at the library, birds tend to be scared of the eyes of their natural enemy.
And we also learned that they get startled by light reflection and avoid getting closer, so we’re going to put that to the test right now.
And anyway… Having this many huge eyeballs around is scary in general, not just to birds.
I getcha, it is pretty creepy~ Feels like we could have a small test of courage here if it was nighttime.
Time passes…
—All right, we managed to set up everything in this area, I would say.
It is now time to find out if this truly has an effect on crows or not…
Ah, a crow’s come over already. Will it take the hint and fly away…?
…………
Ermm… It started to groom itself while looking at all the disks and balloons we’ve set up…
Ah! It looked at us and chirped loudly!
Dammit~ It annoys me for some reason~ Is it mocking us or something!?
I avoided this plan at first, as I worried it may negatively influence Young Master’s schooling, but…
Very well then. If we are being ridiculed, then I have a plan up my sleeve.
Let’s immediately capture that bird, tear it from limb to limb, and have it displayed for the rest of them to see.
It was written in the book that it is possible to bring fear and caution to crows by showing them a fellow crow’s corpse.
Could you not say something so disturbing with a smile outta nowhere!? I’d hate to see the courtyard have something like that hung up!
Me too, I’m absolutely certain I’d collapse if I saw that…
Is that so… I suppose I’ll drop this idea if that is how everyone feels. I do not wish to bring fear to the whole of the dormitory, either.
However, if our traps had no effect, then we must think up a new method…
Mm~ Let me think…
Ah! I kinda remember hearing that crows don’t like it when you line up bottles of water…?
Isn’t that mentioned for deterring cats, not crows? That’s just a myth, anyway. It wouldn’t work at all on cats.
Woah, Arashi!? What the heck are you doing here?
That’s my line. I got curious when I saw the three of you scampering about, so I came to see what’s going on.
We were working together to drive away the crows that keep coming to our dormitory.
Oh yeah, I’ve been spotting crows here and there lately.
But it’s not just that they’ve been here and there, they’ve also been ruining stuff in the dorms, like laundry and vegetables on the soil.
I see… So that’s why you’ve been trying to do something about it, huh?
But like I said earlier, bottled water wouldn’t work at all on crows. Neither would they on cats, of course.
Then why’s misinfo like that spread around so much… It’s just a bother to everyone.
It works for one little kitty at first, but then it just gets used to it almost immediately, you know?
Cat…
If we show the crows Narukami-senpai’s cat, is there a chance the crow’ll be on guard and not get close?
In the manga I’ve been reading lately, crows and cats are shown to be like rivals…10
No, no. Crows are scary to cats too, you know? There’s been little kitties who got injured by crows before.
But, well, they are equal in a way, so I suppose you could call them rivals. But I could never let my cat do something so dangerous.
Perhaps there really is no other choice but to hang up the corpse of a crow—
No thank you.
Good grief, Yuzuru-chan, please don’t. That would just be traumatizing…
And anyway, you can just make the crows think it’s a corpse from their pack, no?
I think even a drawing will do for that. Fortunately, we have Yuzuru-chan here, so~
Pardon…?
Guardians of the Garden 5
Good grief. Takamine-sama, Isara-sama, Narukami-sama… All three of you are being so troublesome.
Asking me to draw a picture of a crow… I simply cannot imagine this having any sort of effect on all these intelligent crows.
—All right. It’s done.
Oh? Lemme see~
Woah—! This is one heck of a drawing~ It feels intensely eerie the same way a ghost in a horror manga would… As if the dead crow suffered a miserable fate.
Dead crow…? I believe I drew an alive crow, actually.
Eh!? Even though it looks so tragic…!?
Of course I would draw an alive one. There aren’t really any references for a dead one, after all. I simply drew this based on the image from a manual.
Mm~ I did happen to hear that Yuzuru-chan’s drawings are dreadful, but my, it truly is… It feels like this could appear in my dreams tonight.
Well, while we feel dread, there’s someone here who’s cheering in joy…
Uwaaah~… I never knew something could embody the very epitome of anxiety in this world so perfectly… Even I find myself hesitating to get close to it…♪
Huh? Is it just me, or is Takamine seconds away from worshipping this thing?
For the time being, let’s try showing this to the crows in the courtyard.
Sigh… Though I doubt it will have any effect. It isn’t even a drawing of a dead crow…
Heeey, you crows~! Look at this! If you keep coming here, we’ll make you go through the same fate as this guy~!
Wah~! I expect nothing less from Master Artist Fushimi’s drawings! The crows are flying away in panic! Incredible as always…!
I simply cannot make sense of this…
Ah, but they’ve already figured out that it’s a fake after all! They came back immediately to survey the place.
Of course they would. This is nothing but a drawing in the end. We are underestimating crows far too much.
Ehh? Even though it’s giving off a super threatening aura… Crows really have some nerve. If it were me, I’d never want to come back here ever again.
But what are we gonna do, then? We did everything we could, and none of it worked. It frustrates me to say this, but we’re losing miserably to these guys~
I guess we really do have to find some way to directly intimidate the crows.
If only there was a natural enemy here that isn’t of equal strength to the crows… Something that’s super terrifying in their eyes.
From a crow’s perspective, I’d say they find even human beings scary, though.
Do they really? I mean, I guess they are scared, but…
It’s like they know we won’t actually harm them for real, or like… it feels like they’re making light of us.
After all, if a crow flies away, we don’t have the wings to chase after it~
Something crows are genuinely terrified of…
This reminds me, there was a time before when—
Huh? Master Artist Fushimi, is something wrong?
I may have an idea of what could be a natural enemy to crows.
One week later. In Seisoukan Dorm’s Courtyard…
Woah, amazing! The crows keep flying away the more the hawk chases after them…!
It’s really well-trained, it flies back as soon as it hears the falconer’s order~ Oh! It’s flying out again!
Falconry is pretty impressive, isn’t it? But my, I’m surprised Yuzuru-chan thought up this idea.
The Himemiya Household had once exchanged contact with a certain household, and was then invited to one of their banquets. The performance for that banquet was a falconry.
I remembered that during the banquet, the falconer mentioned that they were recently taking on various jobs, from performances to prevention of harmful birds.
And so, through the Himemiya Household, I inquired if they could take on this task for us.
So the crows won’t come here anymore?
Yes. Based on what they have informed me, falconry is extremely effective against harmful birds.
This method also avoids altering the atmosphere of the area.
I bet~ I wouldn’t want the courtyard filled with eyeball balloons and Yuzuru’s drawings.
I am also reluctant to show such things to the Young Master and everyone else in the dormitory.
In any case, I can now freely hang up laundry to dry. Takamine-sama, please feel free to devote yourself to your gardening without restraint, as well.
Guardians of the Garden 6
Location: Seisoukan Dorm Courtyard
Hmhmhmm~ Crispy lettuce and bright red tomatoes~♪1
The falconry yesterday was so cool… People who use hawks are called falconers, I think? I never knew there was a profession like that.
I was stressed out by the crows for the past few days, but thanks to the falconer, I can finally grow vegetables with peace of mind.
I worked really hard to grow them all on my own, so it’s pretty depressing that I never got to try a single one.
There were some that should have ripened by today, so I hope I get to have a bite today…♪
Ah, here it is. It really was a good idea to plant it here. It’s right at the corner, so it won’t be competing with the other plants for nutrients, and the sun exposure is good.
Let’s see… Which one is the reddest right now…?
…………
Mm!? Huh!? But why…!?
Time passes…
Heeey, Takamine~ What’s the matter? You suddenly told us to come to the courtyard… Did something happen?
Ah, Isara-senpai, Master Artist Fushimi, Narukami-senpai… Hello, thank you for your hard work.
Um, so… Bad news! The crows are still causing harm…!
The crows are still causing harm…?
What do you mean by that, Takamine-sama? Please explain to us in a way we can understand first.
Ah, ermm… I always come to water my mini tomatoes at a specific time, and so I came here to do just that today…
The crows are now gone, so I was really excited to finally get to try one of them… But please look here.
Oh my, there isn’t a single ripened red one. There’s plenty on their way there, though.
Yeah, exactly.
After the falconry was over yesterday, I definitely spotted about two to three mini tomatoes that’d be ready to eat by the next day.
But there isn’t a single one of them here today…
That’s why I figured the crows must’ve taken them again.
…………
What about you, Yuzuru? Did your laundry… Or more like, did your hangers get taken again?
No, the laundry remained clean and dry. I have not seen any crows since yesterday, either.
Yeah, I also haven’t seen any today. I don’t get the sense they’re around anymore, even if we checked the area.
Was the hawk so scary that they took just the ripened ones and flew away?
No. To crows, an area that has hawks would be a matter of life or death.
I think it’s unlikely that it would come for food in a place that it wouldn’t want to be in for even a moment.
This is an urban area, not somewhere near the mountains, so I believe there would be plenty of other places for them to find food.
Then, does that mean the one behind my mini tomatoes disappearing isn’t a crow…?
I believe that might be the case.
It wasn’t a crow!? Then who the heck was behind it?
You know as much as I do… I haven’t got a clue, either…
However, there might be a way to pin down the culprit. Fortunately, there seems to be a few tomatoes ready to ripen by tomorrow.
Everyone, please listen to what I have planned.
The next morning, in Seisoukan Dorm’s Courtyard once more…
Yawns, morning~… How’s it looking? Are the mini tomatoes still there?
Yes. They were still there when I checked in the early morning.
Up until now, the culprit has been eating only the ripened ones every time. That means they should come to eat it today, too.
If we stay hidden here, the culprit should show themselves soon enough.
But who could be behind it? A cat wouldn’t eat tomatoes.
Could it be a dog, then?
If a wild dog slipped in here, that’s a much bigger problem than crows in my opinion. That, or it’s very likely a different kind of bird.
Mm~ I feel like no bird would try to come near here now that a hawk flew around the area~
I mean, the hawk feels like the king of birds, and wouldn’t any bird be scared of it?
Huh? Someone’s come over…
That’s… Hiiro-sama, isn’t it?
Oh yeah, Hiiro-chan’s mentioned before that he usually works out in the morning, so that must be what he’s doing today.
—Ahh!? He just ate one of the tomatoes!?
Woah!? That surprised me…!
Midori-kun, everyone, good morning. What are you all doing behind the bushes? You let out a loud yell all of a sudden, so it startled me.
I can’t believe Amagi-kun was the tomato thief all along…! That’s so awful of you!
Eh? Thief…? What on earth do you mean? I swear to God that I didn’t do any misdeed like that! Please believe me!
Ermm… That’s gonna be hard to do when you were caught red-handed, y’know?
We are talking about the mini tomato you just ate, Hiiro-sama. Those tomatoes were being looked after by Takamine-sama.
Ehhh!? These weren’t wild plants!? I’m sorry! I genuinely thought they grew on their own!
Ahh… So Hiiro-chan thought these grew naturally.
Well, I can see how you’d think they’re wild plants, since they were growing in the corner of the courtyard. There isn’t a name plate on them either or anything.
Which means… Amagi was accidentally stealing them ‘cause he got the wrong idea?
Mhm. I’m of course aware that I shouldn’t steal anything from someone’s vegetable field.
But I thought these mini tomatoes were wild plants… I didn’t think they’d be Midori-kun’s.
I’m sorry, Midori-kun.
Ah, no… I know now that it’s just a misunderstanding, and I’m the one who didn’t plant it in a way that makes it clear that it belongs to me. I’m sorry for the confusion.
Uuu… This was such an unexpected conclusion that I just feel exhausted now…
Fufu. It took twists and turns until we reached the truth, but it seems the case is now closed.
Yes… I’m sorry. I caused such a big fuss…
There’s the saying that “all’s well that ends well”, and both Takamine-sama and Hiiro-sama got to clear up misunderstandings between each other, so I would say this is a good conclusion to end on.
Ah, speaking of ending… Could I have that crow picture you drew, Master Artist Fushimi?
Eh? …Well, I was only going to dispose of it, so I suppose I don’t mind.
Yaaay! ♪ I got off to a really bad start, but if I get to have Master Artist’s latest drawing, then this really might just be an “all’s well that ends well” ending after all…♪
Translation Notes
- ↑ Midori is singing the ‘Vegetable Dance’ song. The full song can be found in VS★GOURMET; Flood of Customers, Chapter 3, sung by Chiaki, Mayoi, and Raika. Ryuseitai (especially Midori) react to the song in the following chapter.
- ↑ Panna cotta is an Italian dessert. Image and information can be found here.
- ↑ Midori often looks up topics on social media, usually in relation to Chiaki. One example is shown in VS★GOURMET; Flood of Customers, Chapter 4.
- ↑ In 4piece, the ‘Vegetable Dance’ song went viral on social media after Chiaki, Mayoi, and Raika’s singing got broadcasted. Chiaki was also surprised that the song became a hit, since it was made on the spot to overcome his hatred toward eggplants. (See: VS★GOURMET; Flood of Customers, Chapter 3 & 4)
- ↑ This might be referencing the specialist shop for kitchen gardens called Potager Garden.
- ↑ Midori often asks for Yuzuru’s art; some recent examples in ES 2nd year are in the cross scout unsafe and in Midori’s WILDLAND mini talk.
- ↑ Yuzuru says 兵法 for “art of war” (referring to Sun Tzu’s military text), but Midori misunderstood it as ヘイホー. This is possibly a reference to Shy Guy from Mario, as it’s the same name they’re called in Japanese.
- ↑ As an extra note; Midori calls Yuzuru gahaku, a respectful title used for artists. On the other hand, Yuzuru typically speaks in humble language, known as kenjougo, and it involves the speaker putting themselves down while respecting others.
- ↑ Midori has expressed this sort of sentiment about his height before; one notable moment is in Hero Show, Chapter 2.
- ↑ I’m not fully certain if this is referencing a real manga, but if it is, one possible reference could be Haikyuu. The volleyball teams Karasuno (crow) and Nekoma (cat) are rivals.