Cheat Pharmicist's Slow Life ~Making a Drug Store in Another World~

Chapter 14: Friendship is Priceless (First Part)

“Noela, what do you think about this situation?”

“Not good.”

“Right...?”

We’re in the usual forest.

When I saw that the vegetation that could be used as ingredients for medicine have become rare, I gave a small sigh

Dangerous beasts and monsters don’t come out around here, so it was convenient as a harvesting point.

But it seems like I’ve been harvesting too much recently; compared to before, the medicinal herbs have been reduced.

Although I have some stock in the medicine room, so it’s not like I need them right now.

“Noela, what do you think I should do?”

“Don’t know.”

She gave an immediate, enthusiastic response.

If it’s been reduced, we just need to increase it, huh...

If I could do alchemy, I could do it in the blink of an eye, I bet.

But how can I increase them?

When I looked downwards as I was troubled, I saw something like a sesame seed at my toes.

[Toorigi grass seed: If raised, it will bloom yellow flowers, leaves, and stems to be used for medicine.]

Hm, hm.

Then, should I try raising it?

When I looked around the area, there were many of the same seeds lying around.

“Noela, can you collect the same thing as this?”

“Seed? Understood, Noela, gather.”

We spent an hour continuing to collect seeds, then returned to the store.

“Huh-? What has happened? Were you unable to harvest anything today?”

When we returned, Mina, who was watching the store, tilted her head in wonder.

“Yeah. It seems I’ve been harvesting a little too much recently, so the number of medicinal herbs have dwindled. And so, this time I thought I’d try cultivating them. These seeds.”

“Ah~ these ... But Reiji-san, you’re commendable. Among the brutes who only care about gathering, you properly think about things like this, and you’re even going to raise them yourself.”

“Don’t praise me so much. I was originally taking things for my own convenience, after all.”

“To even be concerned about the forest, how wonderful.”

“Master, wonderful. Commendable.”

Noela stood on her tiptoes and patted my head.

I’m usually on the stroking side, so this is a little embarrassing.

“This seed, are you going to raise it as a potted plant or something? I say, there are a lot of them, ne.”

“That’s true, but I was thinking I could borrow a field from someone. If I raise them a little bit at a time, I won’t be able to catch up with the demand at all.”

“I see. If that’s the case, Alonzo-san seems to have a large field, so it might be good to consult with him.”

Mina is the same as Noela, so she’s our poster girl.

Our two types are the cute beast girl and the cutely healing Mina.

I’m also aware that the neighborhood housewives often gossip with Mina within the store.

That’s why she’s very well-learned about the circumstances in town.

“Reiji-k-un! Hey, Reiji-kun! Help me out.”

This voice is...

Fed up, I turned to look.

Just as I thought, it was Jiral-san.

Ever since then, Jiral-san has been coming here whenever something happens with his girlfriend, Feris-san.

“Another fight? This isn’t a safehouse, though.”

“Don’t say that, Reiji-kun...”

“Ah, good timing, Reiji-san. Alonzo-san is here, you know?”

“Eh? Alonzo-san? Where?”

Even when I looked at the storefront, there wasn’t anyone there.

“Reiji-san, it’s this Jiral-san.”

“Eh... Jiral-san was Alonzo-san?”

“Eh? ... Yea, Jiral Alonzo. That’s me.”

The discussion went quickly.

When I explained about the medicinal herb harvesting and raising, Jiral-san readily agreed to it.

“Un, that’s fine! I’m usually being looked after by Reiji-kun, after all.”

“Is it fine for Jiral-san to decide yourself? If you don’t confirm it with the people in your house...”

“Ahahaha, you don’t have to worry. For the record, I’m the head of the Alonzo family.”

“Haa? The head?”

Jiral-san explained for me, who had no idea about the matter at all.

Jiral-san’s Alonzo family is the so-called landlord, and it seems they’re quite well off.

So that’s why he can be flirting with his girlfriend on a weekday...

Having a girlfriend, having money despite not working – -. What a textbook winner at life...

Even after coming to another world, reality is a bastard...

“H,huh...? Reiji-kun, why are you depressed?”

“No, it was just kinda...”

“? And so, we can lend one or two of the leftover fields out to you.”

“But it would be expensive, right? Landlords are people who work the peasants hard in order to suck up the profits, right?

Jiral-san also laughed at this.

“Ahaha, there are also people like that, but I won’t do something awful like that. And besides, I won’t take money from Reiji-kun. It’s fine to use it as you wish.”

“Jiral-san, you’re a little unreliable, but you’re a good person.”

“What are you saying, we’re friends, so it’s a matter of course, right?”

“...”

Friends ... . It was the first time it had been said outright to me since I was born.

When I think about it, it isn’t something that’s said a lot.

I’m a bit bewildered, but just a tiny bit happy.

Clapclapclapclap–!

Mina applauds with all her might.

“Thank goodness~! Reiji-san made a friend... Reiji-san only makes medicine, tends the store, or goes to the forest, so I was worried.”

“Master, thank goodness.”

“Today’s a celebration! I will return to make delicious things, so wait for it!”

“Stop, don’t congratulate me! It’s embarrassing! I’m begging you, stop celebrating, please...”

Is that so? – Mina seems like she feels it’s a pity.

Ku ku; stifling his laughter, Jiral-san slapped my shoulder with a serious look.

“In exchange, if anything happens from now on, I’ll be counting on you for things like consultations or becoming my shield...”

“Being a shield is impossible, but, well, if it’s consultation, then.”

Our negotiations were finished, and we shook hands.

Bringing Noela along, I headed towards a field outside of the town.

When I walked in the exact opposite direction from the forest, where I don’t really go, there were wheat fields and fields cultivating vegetables.

It was larger than I thought, so I was a little surprised.

At the edge, it seems that there are fields open that were being used just a little while ago, and those are the ones I’m to use.

“Alright, in that case, let’s hurry and plant the seeds.”

“Planting, planting.”

Jiral is going around to look at the other fields, so he step step, walked away.

[Fertile soil: the most suitable soil for cultivation and agriculture.]

It’s like that when I looked with the Appraisal Skill, so I guess it’s fine to plant them as is.

When I planted a seed, Ping! I heard an electronic sound that I was familiar with.

Hm? That’s not a sound you’d expect to hear in this other world...

Don’t tell me...

[Skill: Appraisal * Drug Discovery

Cultivation Ace <NEW> (A skill that makes it difficult for planted crops to die.)

Oh-!?

I learned a new skill!

And it’s even a really useful sounding one!

Since that’s the case, let’s continue to plant them.

It doesn’t say that I’ll definitely be able to harvest them, so it’s probably better to think of it as a support skill.

When we had planted all the seeds, Jiral returned.

“Reiji-kun, are you done?”

“Yeah, I’ll come tomorrow to check on things. ... You’re not making a very happy face, though?”

“Actually, it’s happened a lot lately, that the crops are destroyed ... although I don’t know if it’s a stray dog or a wolf.”

Wolf?

“Master, why look at Noela?”

‘If that’s the case, then the herbs I planted could also be destroyed, huh...”

“Noela, won’t just eat it. Master, Noela won’t eat.”

Shakeshake; Noela shook her head.

Even though we don’t know if the culprit who destroyed the crops was eating it.

The fields are surrounded by a thin log fence around them, but even so, it looks like it can get in somehow.

“- -Ah. That’s right, I’ll make a medicine that can be used for THAT.”

“Are you going to make something?”

“Yeah. I’ll come tomorrow, bringing what I made.”

With those parting words to Jiral, I quickly returned to the store.

“Master, what are you making, what are you making?”

“... Noela, I think it would be better for you to leave the medicine room, you know?”

“Really?”

I opened the bottle with the petal of the utsubo flower we picked previously from the forest.

“Ru-!?”

Noela’s hair stood on end and with a Gyan she forcefully left the medicine room.

Yup, its effect is as outstanding as ever.

I can hear her voice from the other side of the door.

“Master, that’s no good. Stinky, no good.”

“That’s why it’s good.”

The scent of the utsubo flower, which is odorless to humans, stinks for beasts and monsters.

As I was engrossed in my work, I heard a voice from outside.

“Oh my. Noela-san, what’s wrong?” ƒ𝗿e𝘦𝚠𝗲𝚋n𝚘ν𝙚𝗹.𝑐o𝙢

“Ruu... Master. Stinky, no good.”

“Eeh~. ... Reiji-san! It’s not good if you don’t take baths, you know-? Noela-san’s nose is all wrinkled, after all~.”

“Noela, give more of an explanation-!”

It ended up looking like I was stinky.

Let’s go sort out the misunderstanding with Mina later.

When I shook the bottle to add the finishing touches, the medicine was completed.

[Repellant: it emits a scent that beasts and monsters dislike.]