[That evening, you returned home to find your mother folding clothes in the living room. You casually mentioned the camp trip.]
[She smiled and said that during the ten days you'd be away, she could go back home to help your dad with work.]
[Recently, they had been struggling to find help for the farm, and he was having a tough time.]
[Hearing this, you suddenly realized there was a perfect way to make Aki skip the trip on his own.]
[You knew Aki wasn't going to the camp just because he had enough money.]
[He felt that the experience of a ten-day camp was worth more than the money he could earn from part-time work.]
[But if you could convince your mother to offer him a very high wage, Aki would definitely choose the money.]
[After running the plan through your mind and confirming there were no flaws, you told your mother a story about a hardworking boy chasing his dreams.]
[Although your mother knew Aki from next door, she didn't realize how hard he worked.]
[She was surprised to learn that he was juggling multiple part-time jobs to fund his game-making dream. Just as she was about to compare you to him, you interrupted her.]
[You said you wanted to help him but didn't want to be too obvious about it, as he might refuse due to his strong pride.]
[You shared your idea with her, and she immediately agreed without hesitation.]
[You felt a bit guilty looking at your mother. It was the first time you had hidden something from her.]
[But soon, you consoled yourself, thinking that once you and Eriri were married and had a few kids to make her happy, everything would be fine.]
'Cunning, aren't you? You've even thought that far ahead.' Chisato in the real world praised his simulator self.
[A few days later, you invited Aki and Eriri to your house to discuss the game's development.] [During dinner, your mother's acting was flawless, like an Oscar-winning performance.]
[While pretending to talk on the phone, she raised her voice just enough for the others to overhear the farm's need for temporary workers.]
[After finishing the call, she returned to the table, displaying the typical chatter of a down-to-earth middle-aged woman.]
[She grumbled about how it's getting harder to find workers in rural areas because so many young people are moving away.]
[As dinner was going on, she casually remarked that even jobs paying 40,000 yen a day weren't attracting any takers. She couldn't understand what was wrong with Japan these days.]
Truly like a mother, like a son.
Chisato felt the situation was getting interesting, so he imagined it from a first-person perspective.
At home.
In the living room.
At the dinner table.
Chisato listened to his mother's chatter and replied somewhat helplessly,
"So, if you know it's hard to find workers in the countryside, why not try recruiting from the city?"
"Tell Dad to post a job ad on a relevant website. If he doesn't know how, I can help him."
"Don't think of your dad as some old fossil; he knows how to use the internet." Chisato's mother shot him a glance.
"Your dad not only posted job ads online but also uploaded recruitment videos on various major websites."
"It didn't help, though. He even raised the daily wage from 20,000 yen to 40,000 yen, and still, no one applied."
"Cough! Cough…"
The other three people at the table all turned to look at Aki, who had just coughed.
"Are you okay? Did you choke on a fish bone?" Chisato handed him a glass of water.
"I'm fine... I'm fine..."
Aki took the glass but didn't drink, saying instead, "I'm just surprised. Your family's farm offers 40,000 yen a day for work?"
Chisato's mother took over the conversation, explaining,
"That's because there's a lot of work piling up on the farm lately. If someone took the job, they'd probably be working from dawn to dusk."
"That's why the pay is so high. Normally, it's just around 20,000 yen."
Aki nodded, half understanding, "But even 20,000 yen is a lot."
"Yeah, tell me about it. But we still can't find anyone to help. What can you do?"
Chisato's mother said, getting increasingly frustrated.
"Since there's a ten-day break from school coming up, I thought I'd send Chisato back to help his dad, but he won't go. He just doesn't understand anything."
Chisato shifted in his seat, moving away from his mother. "I already told you, it's not a break; it's a camp trip. Of course, I'm going. I've hardly ever been on a trip before."
"You'll have plenty of chances to travel when you're older. What's the rush?"
"I've told you, it's not just a trip; it's a camp—"
"That's just a trip!"
"Uh..." The argument between mother and son was interrupted by Aki, who looked hopeful.
Eriri, sitting beside him, noticed the look on his face and slowly pursed her lips, gripping her chopsticks tightly.
But Aki didn't notice her expression and said, "I don't know if I can do it, but if I could help out..."
"No way!"
Chisato cut him off before he could finish, slamming his chopsticks down and shaking his head coldly.
"The countryside is full of mosquitoes, and the smell of animal waste on the farm is unbearable. You've never experienced it, so you don't know how tough farm work can be."
"Besides, didn't you already decide to go on the camp trip? Changing your mind now would be ridiculous."
Aki's face immediately turned awkward.
The next moment, Chisato's mom gave her son a light slap on the head.
"You little brat, is that how you talk to your friend? You're starting to act more like your dad, picking up all the bad habits..."
She grumbled, telling Chisato to focus on eating his meal, while she turned to Aki with a warm smile.
"Sorry about that, Aki. I understand you want to help, but your mom would probably feel bad if you went off to do such hard work, especially if it means giving up your trip."
Aki took a deep breath and slowly shook his head.
"It's not like that, Auntie. I'm not as noble as you think. Actually, I've been really short on money lately."
"The reasons are a bit complicated, but please believe me when I say I'm serious. If you really could give me this chance, I promise I'll do my best.
After saying this, he stood up from his chair, walked over to Chisato's mom, and bowed deeply.
Chisato remained silent, his brow furrowed.
Eriri's lips trembled slightly as she gently put down her chopsticks.
Chisato's mom, after watching Aki for a moment, reached out to help him up.
"If you're really that determined and can get your mom's approval, I see no reason to refuse. The daily pay will be as I mentioned."
"Th-Thank you so much!" Aki, filled with emotion, bowed again, this time even more deeply!
Eriri took a deep breath, doing her best to seem unfazed.
Chisato took a bite of fried chicken.
The golden crust cracked open in his mouth, releasing its juicy and delicious flavor.
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