The biggest worry at the new base is the lack of regular food for the familiars.
On the floors of the Tower, there are summoning circles set up by the Maid Golems, so familiars don’t die of starvation.
However, on the Central Continent, it’s not possible to place summoning circles regularly.
Therefore, the familiars must hunt for their own food, and Kousuke has no idea how much effort that will require.
Kousuke was agonizing over this while rolling around on the sofa in the mansion’s living room when Floria, with a exasperated look, said, “Nana and Wanri say they’re fine, so why don’t you trust them a little?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t trust them, exactly,” Kousuke replied, his face contorting.
For Kousuke, this was his first time keeping familiars outside the Tower, and he was anxious, unsure of what might happen.
On top of that, he could clearly see the negative element of a potential food shortage, so he couldn’t help but worry.
Furthermore, there was another reason Kousuke was thinking about this.
“Since you seem to have too much free time since coming here, aren’t you overthinking things?”
Silvia’s observation made Kousuke suddenly stop and his expression became one of understanding.
“…Now that you mention it, maybe you’re right?”
When Kousuke was in the management layer, he was always busy with various things.
Of course, there were times he relaxed in the Lounge Space, but that was only to kill time between tasks.
However, since coming to the new base, Kousuke had been doing almost nothing, perhaps due to the severance of various connections.
Realizing that he was in a state that could be better described as a shut-in rather than just having nothing to do, Kousuke’s face took on a different kind of grimace.
“I see. So I just need to find something to do to pass the time.”
“What? So, in the end, it’ll be the same as when you were in the management layer? …Well, I don’t necessarily mean that’s a bad thing.”
Floria cast a look of exasperation at Kousuke, who had entered work mode within just a few days.
Kousuke was, in a way, a workaholic.
He didn’t know how to pass the time when he had too much free time.
Silvia had pointed this out, but Kousuke had chosen to work perfectly.
Although to Kousuke it was nothing more than a hobby rather than work, it didn’t appear that way to those around him.
Unaware of Silvia and Floria’s gazes, Kousuke immediately began to think about what he should do.
“Hmm. Even so. I don’t have any games, and there’s no point in studying Magic Circles here…”
Kousuke muttered to himself, his thoughts a mixture of play and work(?).
However, Kousuke’s thoughts had completely crossed into the realm of play, so even Silvia and Floria, who were watching quietly, could not stop him.
They knew well that if they were to stop him here, it would lead to the same situation as before.
Under the watchful eyes of Silvia and Floria, Kousuke pondered for a while about what to do at this new base.
Then, suddenly, his expression changed as if he had thought of something.
“…Maybe I’ll try some gardening?”
It was remarkable that he didn’t say something reckless like trying agriculture out of the blue.
Even as a god, Kousuke, with only general knowledge, couldn’t possibly delve into a specialized field like agriculture.
That’s why it was just gardening, a playful experiment on a small scale.
Besides, it was purely a way to kill time, so it was enough for Kousuke.
Kousuke had merely uttered what came to mind, but the idea grew on him, and he became enthusiastic.
Seeing Kousuke’s face, Floria tilted her head and asked, “Gardening? Does that mean you’re going to do some small-scale farming based on the meaning of the word?”
Kousuke nodded slightly at Floria, who had guessed correctly.
“That’s right. It’s just within the scope of a hobby. If I said I was going to do it seriously, the professionals would get angry.”
“You say the scale will be small, but where will you do it?”
“Of course, around this mansion?” Kousuke replied to Silvia’s question as if it were obvious.
However, there was a major problem with doing agriculture, or rather gardening, around the mansion.
“Will it fit within the range of the Barrier?”
“No, I’m not going to make such a big field. I wouldn’t be able to manage it even if I did.”
The barrier surrounding the mansion was quite large.
However, it wasn’t large enough to create a big field.
In addition, Kousuke had other things he wanted to do, so he couldn’t spend all his time on agriculture.
There was no way he could manage such a large field.
At Kousuke’s answer, Silvia and Floria nodded with a look of relief.
Seeing this, Kousuke’s expression became somewhat hurt.
“Even if it’s just an idea, I wouldn’t do anything that planless.”
“No. It’s not that…”
“Knowing Kousuke, we thought you might bring about some major change even when venturing into a new field,” Floria said clearly, cutting in for Silvia, who had trailed off.
Considering what Kousuke had done until now, Floria’s words were not wrong.
However, for Kousuke, behind the success(?), there had been many failures, so he couldn’t honestly agree.
“N-no. Agriculture is completely outside my expertise. I don’t think I could easily unleash my god-like powers just like that.”
Kousuke’s true forte was the creation of Magic Tools, and at their core, Magic Circles.
Thinking this, Kousuke answered with a strained expression.
However, Silvia and Floria deliberately sighed at Kousuke.
“…If Mr. Kousuke thinks so, then that’s fine, but…”
“Ideally, I’d like you to look at the results you’ve achieved so far.”
“Guh!?”
Kousuke was speechless at Silvia and Floria’s words.
It was true that he had made many failures, but it was also true that he had achieved significant results among them.
Moreover, he had become an Avatar through these achievements, so it was impossible to deny them.
Or rather, it was Kousuke himself who, despite having repeated this process many times, deliberately tried not to self-reflect or be aware of it.
However, the women, who let it slide because it was typical of Kousuke, could perhaps be considered the same type, or comrades.
Feeling vaguely reprimanded by the two, Kousuke looked at Silvia and Floria cautiously.
“Sh-should I stop?”
Seeing Kousuke, who had rarely(?) become timid, Silvia and Floria exchanged glances.
“Whether you stop or not is up to you, but I think you should be a little more self-aware.”
“That’s right. Even if you stop, knowing Kousuke’s personality, once you’ve decided, you’ll push through, won’t you?”
Neither of them gave the warning thinking that their words would actually make Kousuke stop.
Rather, if he were to stop because of what they said, it would mean it wasn’t that significant.
That’s why they both spoke their minds with words that, depending on how they were interpreted, lacked restraint.
Kousuke found a strange sense of agreement in Silvia and Floria’s words, and a slight anxiety began to bud.
…It feels like there are a lot of flags being set up, but that’s probably just my imagination.
It’s just gardening, after all.
