Next day, the old man came again and introduced himself.
His name is Gill.
He ran several stores in this town, such as general stores, second-hand bookstores, ect.
But he didn't run an inn.
We told our parents about him.
And it seemed Gill was a wealthy man and well known in the neighborhood.
If we were going to be in his care for a while, mom said she would meet him to say hello next time.
Today, as usual, I practiced magic while continuing to make the field.
I thought producing the sand and digging soil using magic could be a great practice.
Nicola was also with me today as an advisor…. No, she just wanted a snack from Gill.
「Nicola, why don't you practice too?」
Responding to my question, Nicola made a face like "Huhh?"
「Why should I do that? First of all, my goal is to leech on onii-chan. Well, if onii-chan becomes a good-for-nothing who can't earn money to provide for me, I just have to help parents' work a little and be a good girl, so I can leech on papa and mama instead」
「What a dreamless life plan for a five-year-old child…. So what's with "Nicola wants to be a princess!" you said to mom then!?…. But, I wonder if I have to inherit the inn. It's not that I don't want to, but since I came to a different world, I wanna do various things」
「Well, papa and mama are still young. So, why don't you become an adventurer for a while and take over the inn after you receive an arrow on your knee or something」
「After I retire, huh? I don't wanna receive an arrow on my knee tho. Well, dad and mom are still young enough to give us a new younger brother or sister, so I don't have to think about it now」
By the way, Nicola and I had been sleeping with our parents until they gave us the children room when we were five.
Well, they didn't bother at all because they saw us as children, but it was awkward for us.
I was begging for a room while Nicola kept crying until our parents gave up and we managed to win a children room.
While we were talking about that, Gill came.
「Hooー Boy, looks like you're always working hard, eh? And here's a treat for young lady～」
「Waai～ Gill oji-chan, thank you!」
Nicola smiled with her usual angelic smile as she received a snack from Gill.
Gill smiled as well and looked a little bashful.
At first glance, Gill seemed to be feeding Nicola, but in truth, Nicola had won Gill's heart.
「It seems the field was almost done. I have to think about what to plant… hmm... Ah, by the way, your mother came to greet me yesterday. I didn't know you're the children of "Peace on Journey Inn". I've never stayed there, but sometimes I heard from my customers that your inn has good meals and the rooms were also clean」
I never knew our inn was quite well known.
Well, because of its location, we got quite a lot of guests so our parents could run the inn until now, but it wasn't just that, huh.
If our inn was really a well known inn, it would be a pity if it closed in dad's generation.
But, let's not think about that for now.
「I don't know, but there are quite a lot of guests indeed. So Gill oji-san, what are you going to plant?」
「Hmm, let's see….. It's a field you make, so why don't we plant something like vegetables that can be used for your inn… hmm… Alright, I'll plant tomatoes and share it with you」
「Gehhー! Tomatoesー!?」
I hate tomatoes…
That grassy smell.
That gross feeling when you bite and the contents stick out from the inside.
And that health TV programs that persistently appealing that with "lycopene～ lycopene～ good for your body～" bullshit.
I hate that devil vegetable.
「Ga, ha, ha! Well, a lot of children hate tomatoes! But boy, what if we plant it in the field you cultivated? I bet it will taste different!」
「Tomatoes at home are terrible tho」
「That's because they are normal tomatoes. But tomatoes harvested from a field cultivated by magic are expensive, you know? Because it takes more time and effort than the normal one」
「Is that so? Really?」
To be honest, I still couldn't believe it.
But we were talking about the power of magic, so it might be true.
Perhaps I should try it first before judging.
「It's true. Alright then, tomorrow I'll bring seeds and tools from my store. For now, the size of the field is wide enough, so boy, you should go home after you are done with your practice」
「Okay. So, how long does it take to grow tomatoes?」
「In this field, maybe about a week?」
That fast?
Well, as expected from the power of magic.
After that, Gill went home.
Fuhh… Alright, I'll take a break for now and eat the snack he gave us.
...…. Eh?
Nicola….san? Where's my share?