Volume 2 Chapter 4 Interlude - The Pumpkin Harvest Festival
The land just before Fetoru Forest in the south district of Arsubania is mostly a round pasture for sheep, along with fields growing vegetables and rice.
There are also apple trees, grapevines, orange trees, and berry bushes planted, and right now, before winter, they are all full of fruit.
I walk under a pomegranate tree with bursting fruits, heading to the pumpkin harvest festival venue.
When I write my name on the participation form with Sir Ciel, the receptionist looks at us with a worried face and asks, "Are you two going to pick pumpkins together?"
"The mushroom picking event is about searching for mushrooms in Fetoru Forest, but the pumpkin harvest festival seems to be just about picking pumpkins from the pumpkin field and bringing them back. But... there are a lot of big people here..."
Sir Ciel and I look around at the other participants.
Many of them, both women and men, have bulging arm and chest muscles.
Among the women, I am the smallest, and among the men, Sir Ciel is the thinnest.
"Sister Lydia and Sir Ciel!"
Customers watching the harvest festival are being given pumpkin soup.
Since the soup is free, there are quite a few spectators.
Among them, a girl runs towards us, flapping her arms.
"Olive!"
Olive, who had the White Moon disease, seems to be completely better now. She comes running to us, her 2 braided white hair swaying, and tightly grips my hand.
"Big sister, it's been a while! Thanks to you, I can run like this now!"
"Olivia, how many times do I have to tell you not to run too much since you're still recovering... Ah, Ciel, Ms. Lydia, hello."
Doctor Michael arrives a little later, too.
He is the doctor from the clinic and Olive's father. When I last saw him, he was wearing a white coat, but today he is in a black coat, wrapped in bandages all over his body.
Olive is wearing a child-sized white coat, which has blood splatters on it.
It looks like she dyed it with some kind of coloring agent, but it's quite an elaborate costume.
It's cute, but I would definitely scream if I met her on a dark street.
"Olive, you look great!"
"Yeah! I'm a bloody nurse. Dad is a Mummy Count."
"I'm a Mummy Count... It's my first time walking around town like this, so I'm a bit shy."
The Mummy Count looks shy.
"Sir Ciel is a Vampire Count! A friend of the Mummy Count. And this big fluffy one, what is it? A stuffed animal?"
"This is Eir-Eir. It's alive, a little bird."
"It doesn't look like a bird... a mochi monster...?"
"Uh, it's a new type of little bird..."
"I see."
Olive doesn't ask any more about Eir-Eir.
Even though she is young, she acts like an adult.
"Hey, big sister, you're going on a date with Sir Ciel, right? You two look great together! Sir Ciel is the second most wonderful man after Dad, so he will definitely make you happy."
"Olivia, don't tease me..."
"Dad is the most wonderful man in the Holy City, so if things don't go well with Sir Ciel, you could always marry Dad... but that's not good. Dad is Olivia's dad, after all... I'd be happy if you became Mom, but it might be a bit weird."
Olivia clings tightly to Doctor Michael, who looks embarrassed.
"That would be a problem for me too, so I'll do my best to get along with Ms. Lydia."
Sir Ciel says this with a serious look.
Olivia clenches her hands and nods vigorously.
"Yeah! Sir Ciel, do your best! You have to win the pumpkin harvest festival and show big sister your manly side!"
"Ciel and the others are participating too. I thought you weren't interested in events like this, but life is short. It's better to enjoy it. However, Ciel and Ms. Lydia don't look very strong, so I'm a bit worried."
"Strong?"
When I ask, Doctor Michael nods seriously.
"I see, so it's Ms. Lydia's first time at the Festival of the Dead. The pumpkin harvest festival is a competition to see who can bring the biggest pumpkin from the pumpkin patch here. Pumpkins are heavy, so it's also called the strength competition."
"Is that so? No wonder there are so many big participants."
"Well, as long as you can carry it, you can do whatever you want. Most participants roll the pumpkins here since lifting them is impossible. Good luck to both of you. I'm cheering for you."
"Big sister, Sir Ciel, do your best! If you win this competition, you'll get a pumpkin and a travel voucher to the tourist city of Elviana. It's like a honeymoon!"
"Speaking of Elviana, it's a famous volcanic area with hot springs. It's a nice place."
Hearing this from Olivia and Doctor Michael, I can't help but look up at Sir Ciel's face.
"S-Sir Ciel, I didn't even check what the prize is... but I'll give the travel voucher to you."
"If we win, is it not okay to go together?"
"It's not that it's not okay... but, um, Sir Ciel is a friend, but it feels a bit wrong to go on a trip together."
"I'm sure I'd end up not using the travel voucher by myself. I'll give the voucher to Ms. Lydia. Please use it with someone."
"Th-That's not good... If Sir Ciel and I win and get the travel voucher, I want to use it with Sir Ciel..."
"Let's do our best, Ms. Lydia."
"Y-Yes...!"
We haven't even won yet, but I've already made a promise about the trip.
Sir Ciel is a friend, but I wonder if it's okay to go on a trip together.
That means we would stay in the same room, right? Just the two of us.
"Sister, do your best! For the honeymoon!"
"Ciel, I hope you do well. It kind of... reminds me of the past. There was a time when I was desperate for my wife too..."
While I was talking with Olive and the others, the signal for the start of the tournament echoed through the venue.
We said goodbye to Olive and the others and headed towards the pumpkin patch.
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