Chapter 60
As they were talking, the buzz of a chainsaw suddenly came from nearby.
The three of them turned toward the sound and saw Ibusaki Shun carefully cutting through a piece of wood with the tool in his hands.
Soma watched him work and asked curiously, "What’s Ibusaki doing?"
"He prepares all the firewood he needs for smoking food himself," Yuki explained.
After a brief pause, she added, "And it’s not just him. Ryoko specializes in cooking with koji, so Polar Star even has a separate fermentation room just for her."
While Yuki introduced the dorm’s facilities to Soma, Haruto walked over to Shun.
"Did you already run out of the wood you used for yesterday’s smoked meat? Need a hand?"
Some of the meat Haruto had brought still remained untreated, so Shun was presumably preparing for the next round of smoking.
Since Haruto had been the one to ask for his help, it would hardly be right to stand around doing nothing.
"No need," Shun answered calmly without pausing his work. "I only need a little more. I’ll be finished soon."
"All right."
Haruto nodded and left him to it, catching up with Soma and Yuki.
The three of them soon reached a chicken coop.
Looking at the flock wandering leisurely inside, Yuki’s expression immediately brightened with pride.
"These are the Polar Star chickens I raise!"
"I’ve always wanted to breed a famous variety like Bresse chickens, so I let them roam freely around here."
Her Polar Star chickens had already been selectively bred for several generations, and their meat was noticeably more flavorful than that of ordinary chickens.
They still had a long way to go before reaching the standard of true Bresse chickens, however.
Haruto looked at Yuki and offered a perfectly serious suggestion.
"In that case, why not breed Polar Star rabbits, Polar Star deer, and Polar Star ducks while you’re at it?"
"You could let them all roam around here together."
Every couple of days, the rabbits, young deer, and ducks Yuki kept inside the dorm would sneak out and wander through the building.
They certainly brought plenty of life to Polar Star, but they also had an unfortunate habit of leaving behind little "surprises" when no one was looking.
"That’s a great idea!" Soma agreed enthusiastically from the side. "Then we’d have an even wider variety of ingredients to cook with!"
"No way!"
Yuki immediately shook her head.
"Ducky, Bunny, and Shikanoshin are already used to living inside the dorm!"
"And if I woke up in the morning and couldn’t see them, I’d be miserable for the entire day!"
Making her precious animals move out of the dormitory was completely out of the question.
Haruto could only shrug.
This was all Fumio’s fault for spoiling her.
In any ordinary dorm, Yuki’s animals would probably have been thrown outside long ago.
Still, that accepting atmosphere was also one of the reasons Haruto enjoyed living at Polar Star.
As the three of them continued chatting, they arrived at a broad stretch of farmland.
Lush green cabbages grew in neat rows. Cucumber vines covered their supports, while tomatoes hung from the branches like tiny red lanterns.
Glossy purple eggplants and many other vegetables filled the field.
The fresh scents of soil and growing plants drifted through the morning air.
"This is Polar Star’s vegetable garden."
Yuki gestured proudly toward the field.
"Isshiki-senpai is the one who mainly manages it, and we grow more than a dozen kinds of vegetables here."
"Most of the produce we use for everyday cooking is picked directly from these fields."
The sight of the thriving garden immediately lifted Haruto’s mood.
Then he noticed the figure standing on the ridge between the rows, swinging a hoe while wearing nothing but a fundoshi.
His smile froze.
Actually seeing it in person was even more painful on the eyes than he had imagined.
Isshiki stood bare-chested beneath the morning sun, beads of sweat glistening across his skin.
He raised the hoe high and brought it down firmly into the soil again and again.
Polar Star was fortunate to be located in such a secluded area, surrounded by dense woodland.
Otherwise, someone probably would have called the police on him by now.
"It actually suits Isshiki-senpai," Soma muttered.
That uninhibited appearance matched the impression Isshiki had always given him.
Sensing their gazes, Isshiki stopped working, straightened up, and waved cheerfully.
"Good morning, Haruto-kun, Soma-kun, Yuki!"
"Nothing refreshes the mind and body like a little work first thing in the morning! Come and work up a good sweat with me!"
Haruto looked at Isshiki’s energetic smile, then at the single fundoshi covering his body.
Against his will, an image surfaced in Haruto’s mind of the two of them working side by side in the field dressed the same way.
He immediately shuddered.
The image was so disturbing that he refused to think about it any further.
...
Just then, a gentle voice came from behind them.
"Good morning, everyone."
Haruto turned around.
Tadokoro Megumi stood there dressed in simple farming clothes and a straw hat, holding a bamboo basket filled with freshly harvested vegetables.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed from working, and tiny beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Even so, a warm smile rested on her face.
Standing amid the fields, she looked like a daisy blooming in the countryside—fresh, gentle, and soothing.
"Look. These are the vegetables Isshiki-senpai grew."
Megumi proudly showed the three of them what she had collected.
Bright-red tomatoes, smooth white radishes, crisp green cabbages—every vegetable looked plump, fresh, and glossy.
"How should I put it..."
Soma rubbed his chin and considered the sight with complete seriousness.
"Megumi fits into this vegetable garden so perfectly that just looking at her makes you feel relaxed."
"That’s Megumi for you. I suddenly feel much more refreshed."
Haruto smiled as he looked at Megumi’s gentle expression.
The last of his early-morning drowsiness had already disappeared.
"Exactly!"
Yuki nodded repeatedly beside him.
"Megumi is Polar Star’s own little breath of fresh air."
Hearing the three of them praise her one after another, Megumi’s cheeks grew even redder.
She lowered her head shyly and twisted the edge of her clothes between her fingers.
"N-No, not at all... I was only doing what I was supposed to."
Isshiki approached with a smile, took two bright-red tomatoes from the basket, and handed one each to Haruto and Soma.
"Here. Try them. They were only just picked."
The tomato felt slightly cool in Haruto’s hand.
A rich, fresh fragrance immediately reached his nose.
He took a large bite.
The firm flesh burst between his teeth, releasing sweet-and-tangy juice that instantly filled his mouth.
The flavor was deep and wonderfully concentrated, lingering pleasantly long after he swallowed.
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