After finishing their farm work and returning to the mansion, Kousuke and Silvia immediately told Floria, who was relaxing in the living room, about the slimes.
“Ho, ho. That’s an interesting story. …So, what did Kousuke do this time?”
“I didn’t do anything?! Why do you always blame me when something happens?”
Kousuke couldn’t help but retort to Floria’s words.
Looking at Floria’s face, he knew she was joking, but such a reaction was a reflex built up from past experiences.
It was understandable that such peculiar habits(?) would develop after going through the same exchange every time something happened.
Silvia, who had been watching Kousuke and Floria’s exchange while laughing, added as if to smooth things over.
“Whether Kousuke-san was involved or not, it’s certain that the slimes were doing something with the cultivated soil.”
“Do you know what that was?”
Kousuke, to whom Floria had easily brushed off his retort, didn’t particularly react as usual and just nodded.
“Yeah. I was busy with my own work too, so I mostly left the slimes alone. They didn’t seem to be doing anything bad.”
“I feel the same. However, from what I occasionally saw, including Sura, they seemed to be burrowing into the soil at times, so I believe they were doing something.”
Floria nodded in understanding at Silvia’s deduction.
Kousuke, who had been thinking about Sura doing something with the cultivated soil, suddenly muttered as if he remembered something.
“But how did the slimes distinguish between soil that was needed and soil that wasn’t?”
The slimes that were apparently “improving” the soil had gathered perfectly only in the places Kousuke and Silvia had tilled.
“It’s possible they were simply reacting to the places that had been dug up and softened, but it didn’t feel that way.”
Silvia, recalling the slimes’ behavior just like Kousuke, nodded in agreement.
Floria looked at Kousuke and Silvia, who were tilting their heads, with a nonchalant expression.
“Can’t you just assume they were following Sura’s instructions? Sura was with them, wasn’t she?”
In the direction of Floria’s gaze was Sura, floating around, drifting leisurely on a cumulus cloud.
Everyone knew that Sura possessed enough intelligence to understand Kousuke’s intent.
Floria’s idea was that Sura might have been instructing the other slimes to help Kousuke with his work.
The reason Kousuke and Silvia hadn’t thought of this was that they had seen Sura working with the other slimes.
To them, the slimes looked like they were just playing, and it didn’t seem like they were working with any unified intent.
Until they heard Floria’s words, they had believed that the soil was changing as part of their play.
At Floria’s words, Kousuke and Silvia exchanged glances simultaneously.
“Come to think of it, is that true?”
“No, I think it’s too hasty to conclude that.”
Saying this, Kousuke and Silvia turned their gazes toward Sura almost at the same time.
The reason Kousuke and the others didn’t deliberately call Sura over was that their current conversation was merely a topic of discussion.
If they had asked Sura directly, it wouldn’t have been impossible to communicate to some extent through gestures (?).
And if they had heard her story, their current doubts might have been resolved.
The reason they refrained from doing so was that Kousuke and the others weren’t truly trying to get answers about the slimes’ mystery (?).
None of the three of them disliked spending quiet, leisurely time without doing anything, simply at their leisure.
However, for them, becoming excited over an interesting topic that had suddenly emerged was like a tip for staying together for a long time.
***
The mansion prepared by Asura is equipped with proper baths.
While there’s a question of where the water is drawn from, since there are no visible water sources, including rivers, it’s possible the water is automatically supplied, similar to when establishing a base in the Tower’s floors.
However, it’s also conceivable that they are utilizing existing groundwater.
Kousuke doesn’t know the detailed specifications and has no intention of asking.
Since the mansion was graciously prepared, he will gratefully use it.
After bathing and thoroughly cleaning themselves, Kousuke and Silvia were talking with Floria.
Furthermore, after finishing dinner prepared by Mitsuki, the three of them fully transitioned into a relaxed mode.
“I feel like we’re spending an incredibly luxurious time.”
For Floria, spending time in pure, unadulterated relaxation without doing anything was an extremely luxurious way to spend her time.
Of course, she felt a similar sensation when she was engrossed in her hobbies, but this had a different meaning.
Kousuke, who was thinking along the same lines, nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. It feels a bit wasteful, but isn’t it good to have something like this once in a while? …I feel like I’ve said something similar before.”
“Isn’t that perfectly fine? We’re not causing any trouble for anyone,” Silvia replied to Kousuke’s soliloquy-like words.
While Kousuke might have been exempt, Silvia and Floria had both held positions of authority.
As a result, they naturally bore responsibilities, and their lives were such that their relaxation inevitably caused trouble for others.
Of course, this was after getting sufficient rest, as it made no sense to damage one’s health.
Now, with the children having become independent, they were in a position of complete freedom.
Thanks to this, they had more time to do as they pleased.
This was precisely why Kousuke had created a new base and was spending such a leisurely time here.
While having such aimless conversations, Nana and Wanri were, as a matter of course, by Kousuke’s side.
Kousuke was conversing with Silvia and Floria while affectionately petting their bodies.
“Putting aside whether it’s trouble or not, when we were in the Management Layer, someone was always there. Certainly, it’s been a while since I’ve spent such a leisurely time.”
Currently, Kousuke’s children could freely enter and exit the Management Layer.
In addition, various division heads and slaves, including Arisa and Cecil, also entered and exited as they pleased.
It wasn’t that he thought it was bothersome, but they always ended up having conversations.
Considering that, being able to spend free time without being disturbed by anyone was, as Kousuke said, a truly rare occurrence.
Silvia, sensing Kousuke’s thoughts, slowly said as if to reassure herself.
“There will likely be various things to deal with in the future, so I don’t think the gods will be angry if we occasionally relax like this.”
“Well, one of those gods is Kousuke.”
Floria immediately chimed in to Silvia’s words.
“Indeed. Then, I shall permit it. Spend today leisurely and relaxing.”
Kousuke said this in a deliberately unfitting tone, causing Silvia and Floria to let out small laughter.
This was a leisurely chapter.
The discussion about the slimes will continue a bit longer.
Rather than Kousuke’s farm work, this is the main focus, perhaps? lol
