I had just finished a brutal series of battles against Shiine, Loa, Fukaminari, and Senu. Basking in the happiness of victory, yet plagued by an immense sense of mental fatigue, I stepped outside.
There was something I needed to ask Shiko.
Mounting Fenrir’s Mashi-ro, I relayed my request to Shiko.
Upon hearing it, her face shifted as if she were recalling a memory.
“Oh, right. I totally forgot about that conversation.”
The truth was, during last night’s exploration of the Bonus Area, I had been moving alongside Shiko.
“Yeah. Before I choose my new summon beast, can you do me a favor?”
Shiko’s ‘Fluffy Summoning Ability’ didn’t have any restrictions on how many beasts she could call forth.
However, there seemed to be a limit based on their size.
Previously, aside from Mashi-ro, the absolute maximum was three sheep, but thanks to her ability’s growth, she had gained the capacity to summon the Micron.
And now that her power had leveled up again, it seemed she was looking for a third illusory beast.
Before I summoned my new companion, I wanted her to call forth a different animal.
“It’s a Cashmere goat, right? We looked at it in the book together. It was super fluffy, so this should work!”
She dismounted from Mashiro’s back and came to stand before me.
That’s right.
We had stopped by a bookstore in the bonus area, where we found a Cashmere goat in an animal encyclopedia and confirmed what it looked like.
Shouko’s ability is heavily influenced by her imagination, meaning she cannot summon things she doesn’t know about.
Furthermore, even if she knows about something, she can’t summon it unless she can feel its fluffiness.
And regarding the Cashmere goat, this is the breed of goat from which cashmere fibers—known as the jewel of fibers—are obtained.
“Sousuke, you really are kind. You remembered that Chiyuki wanted cashmere all along, didn’t you?”
Shouko said, smiling gently.
“Well, it’s not like it happened that long ago.”
“Hey, remembering a little conversation from just a week ago is actually pretty rare.”
“I don’t remember everything either.”
“Hoo? Well, anyway, I’ll go ahead and summon it.”
“Ah, please do.”
Sojo closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, four Cashmere Goats materialized before her.
They were pure white individuals, their bodies covered in long hair and crowned with horns that curved backward.
“I remember reading that you comb the hair out using a special card.”
“The books said it takes three or four goats’ worth of wool just to make one sweater. No wonder it’s so expensive.”
I generated a wooden comb and began drawing the fiber from their coats. Sojo made an “Hm” sound and reached out her hand.
“What is it?”
“Nah, I’m just gonna help out,” she said simply.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s your free time.”
I wanted her to be able to do whatever she pleased with it, though.
“Look, wouldn’t you absolutely help me out if I were in a bind? Same deal for us, right?”
Looking slightly displeased, Sojo made me smile wryly.
It seemed she was offended that I hadn’t asked her for help.
”…I see. Thanks, Sojo. In that case, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“That’s right, you should’ve just said so from the start.”
“Ahahaha, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Knowing the annoyance of having things demanded of you makes you feel guilty when you ask someone for a favor.
But there’s also a certain joy in being relied upon by others.
Maybe, if one understands that, they might be able to rely on someone they trust.
At the very least, Sōko doesn’t seem to mind being asked to help me.
Grateful for that, I hand her a rake as well.
“Yeah. Besides, if we work together, our efficiency doubles, right? Then maybe I can even gather my share of cashmere wool?”
“I see. Of course, I’ll help out with that too when the time comes.”
“I know. Sōsuke is just the kind of person who does things like that.”
Sōko flashed a bright smile.
That smile was natural and radiated her charm.
“Though my help may be slight, I shall assist you as well.”
Sōko and I were startled to find Roa standing there; she had appeared without us realizing it.
“Oh, I didn’t think I was making any footsteps…”
“Roa, when did you…”
“Suppressing one’s presence while moving is simply a maid’s etiquette.”
Whether or not that was truly standard maid conduct, Laoa’s physical capabilities were actually quite remarkable.
The speed at which she had harvested the soybeans had been equally abnormal.
“Then I’ll have to rely on you. Please use a carder to gently collect the wool from this Kashmir goat.”
“Understood. Since Chinya is currently testing out the portable shower she acquired last night, it would be best to proceed with the work now if we wish to pull off a surprise.”
This maid read situations far too well.
“Chinya-chan, why are you taking a shower right now? Were you that eager to try it out?”
Moushi tilted her head in confusion.
It was because I had poured a large amount of white, turbid fluid over her after receiving the 『Vitality Enhancement』 buff, but… I wasn’t about to spell that out…
“Easy now. Anyway, let’s hurry.”
”…I’ll help too.”
Curious as to why everyone was heading outside, she manifested even within the Dream Realm.
“Seirei, long time no see~”
“That’s not it. I just want to pay back a bit of what I owe.” “Ara ara? You’re playing hard to get, but secretly all soft?”
“I don’t recall being affectionate, nor do I have any such plans in the future.”
“Nah, having your help is great, Dream Realm.”
And so, the four of us set to work, diligently harvesting the wool.
Once again, Loa stepped up and did most of the heavy lifting.
Her hands moved with a speed that blurred before the eyes, the buckets for collection filling up rapidly with fleece.
It wasn’t a rough or hasty job; the Cashmere was lying there in a limp, dazed state, its eyes half-closed.
It was the absolute epitome of swift and meticulous efficiency.
“Master. Excuse me for the trouble, but might I ask you to summon another Cashmere goat?”
“U-um… yes…”
While Loa’s efficiency was something else entirely, the rest of us three continued shearing away as hard as we could.
I’d done it with sheep before, but this turned out to be no easy task. It was genuinely heavy labor.
By the time I finished one goat, Loa had already collected the wool from seven of them.
“…From an efficiency standpoint, having you join us has been a huge help.”
“I’m deeply honored by your kind words.”
Loa bowed politely, and there wasn’t a single drop of sweat on her brow.
“Sōsuke~. We gave it our all, too, y’know~”
Mentioning that she was out of work, Mushi said this while swinging her arms loosely at her sides.
He didn’t say a word, but the Yumekai seemed tired as well.
“Ah, thank you both, Moushi and Yumekai. Let’s see… that makes ten of them.”
“Regarding the sorting of the fur and cleaning it, if our Master’s power can make that happen, then it is a truly magnificent thing.”
Once stored away, the dirt would vanish, and [Inventory] automatically sorted items for him.
“Let’s see… the sweater material was good for about four bodies’ worth, and the muffler for about one body’s worth, so… for ten people, it’d be roughly two sweaters and two mufflers, maybe?”
No, if he generated one sweater and turned the rest into six mufflers, the women would all have enough cashmere.
The area where they operated had a climate akin to autumn, but there were times when it felt a bit chilly on the skin.
When moving while riding the Phantom Beasts, the wind hit hard, so carrying mufflers might not be a bad idea.
“If I have Chiyu-chan’s ‘Basic Healing,’ we could push it a bit further, but then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise anymore.”
“This is for Ishiyama’s sake. No… Kujino-esque, more like…”
“Chiyu wanted it. Of course, if everyone wants some, we can go harvest more.”
“Of course, I will assist you as well.”
“Thanks, Roa. I’ll count on you then.”
With her around, she was worth a hundred men.
I paused the work for now and sent the Cashmere goat back to where it came from.
Soshiko gave a somewhat melancholic look, but since she had summoned the animal specifically for wool collection, there was nothing to be done about it.
“Hm? I can’t see you anymore. What are you doing out here? I think group play in the wild is still a bit too early.”
Chiya came out of the shower at exactly the same moment the Cashmere goat disappeared.
It seemed we had managed to avoid the situation of spoiling the gift before handing it over.
“It’s no big deal. More importantly, Sousuke says he has something he wants to tell Chiya-chan.”
“Love whispers? Welcome anytime, yeah-er-cum.”
“Ah… well, how about you come inside the house first?” ”……? Understood.”
While thanking everyone in my heart, I went back inside the house with Chiya.
It was in Chapter 15, on the first day, that Sennyu came to want cashmere.
In the story, a week has passed.
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