The lodge-style restaurant attached to the petting farm had a beautifully detailed interior, clearly designed to reflect the atmosphere of a farm.
The ceiling was high, and the chairs and tables had a rustic wooden look.
The back of the restaurant had a balcony-like area, and from there, we could see the grazing area where we had just interacted with the animals. It was truly a pastoral-feeling restaurant.
There were two large tables on the balcony, so we decided to sit there. I quickly grabbed the menu that was on the table.
Hmm, there’s Wagyu beef stew, beef curry, beef donburi, pork donburi, lamb steak, and roast venison with a set meal… As expected, there’s a lot of meat.
Well, there are also regular options like ramen and rice balls, but ordering those here would feel like a waste.
Maybe I’ll go with the lamb steak... Lamb means baby sheep, right?
It feels a bit awkward eating the sheep I just admired, but I’ll eat it with gratitude, so please forgive me.
Everyone placed their orders, and while waiting, we discussed where to go next while looking at the brochure we got at the farm entrance.
“I want to try the athletic square over there!”
“Looks like you can make cheese and butter here.”
“Don’t forget to buy souvenirs at the shop.”
It looks like we’re going to buy a lot of souvenirs here too. Oh, I personally want to try the butter candy.
While we were chatting, our food started arriving.
My lamb steak came to me. Oh, it looks like nice lean meat, slightly rare, and it smells delicious.
I immediately cut into it with my knife and took a bite, with some sauce.
“Mmm, it’s good.”
I thought it might have a stronger taste, but it wasn’t as intense as I expected. There’s definitely a unique flavor, but it’s mild, with a sweet and juicy taste that makes it very easy to eat. This goes perfectly with rice. Not bad, lamb.
Everyone else also seemed satisfied with their dishes. Fuyuka was happily eating the kids' plate she ordered, which had an omelette shaped like a chick. They really put a lot of detail into it.
Dad’s roast beef bowl also looks delicious. …They’re not using the animals from here for this meat, right? There’s such a thing as scrap beef, but they probably source it normally instead of using those.
I ate the rest of my lamb steak, feeling a bit conflicted, but soon dessert arrived.
“Wait, you’re still eating?”
“Well, we can’t miss the soft-serve ice cream made with fresh milk, right?”
Sure enough, I agreed with what Linne said, and ended up ordering the soft-serve ice cream as well.
After a short wait, my soft-serve ice cream arrived at the cone stand.
Everyone else seemed to have chosen flavors like chocolate, matcha, or even soda-flavored ones, but I chose simple milk soft-serve. I figured this would let me enjoy the flavor of the milk better.
“Delicious…! It’s so rich…”
Just from the first bite, the milk flavor spread all over my mouth. It’s thick and creamy, yet the aftertaste is refreshing, with the natural sweetness of the milk coming through.
Using fresh raw milk makes such a big difference. This is nothing like the soft-serve you’d buy at a convenience store.
As Linne said, this is definitely something not to miss. I almost missed it.
The kids were also enjoying their soft-serve ice cream, saying how delicious it was.
“This makes me want to have a farm in Brunhild…”
“That’s a great idea, Yumina! There’s so much potential for various dishes made from fresh milk!”
Yumina and Lu seemed to be really excited about the idea.
I think it’s possible, but it would be difficult in the other world. If you’re raising animals for food in a herd, there’s no doubt they’d become targets for magical beasts and monsters.
There aren’t many strong magical beasts around Brunhild, but wolves and goblins do appear from time to time.
We can’t exactly have adventurers constantly guarding the cows, either.
Well, there’s the trick of setting it up next to the Adventurers’ Guild, but there would still be issues, like the smell of having a farm in the middle of the town…
It would cost money too. We can’t just use up precious taxes for the sake of fresh milk. It might work for an individual, but...
A royal farm managed directly by the Brunhild royal family… Would we even need it? But it’s hard to resist this taste...
Maybe it could work on Dungeon Island, though.
In the end, I finished my soft-serve ice cream without coming to any conclusion. It was delicious, but I couldn’t focus on the taste towards the end.
Full, we left the restaurant, and though we weren’t really looking to work off our meal, we decided to head to the athletic square that the kids had mentioned earlier.
I thought it would be just a small athletic facility like you’d find in parks, but it turned out to be much more substantial.
There was a rope bridge, a log tunnel, a slide, a Tarzan rope, monkey bars, and swings—lots of playground equipment.
There was even a dog run and a go-kart area next to it. It felt like a mini amusement park...
“Alright, we’ll meet back here in an hour. Be sure not to drop your phones and don’t bother the other kids around you. Got it?”
“Yes!”
The kids answered all together in unison. They sure are good at responding...
“Don’t worry. We’ll keep an eye on them.”
“We’ll make sure they’re safe.”
“You all can rest here.”
With that, Elze, Yaé, and Hilda, the three sporty types, took the kids and headed toward the athletic square. I wonder if they’ll be okay? I’m a little worried they might end up playing too, instead of just watching...
As expected from an athletic square, there were benches and tables made from logs around the area where people could relax.
The kids were off to exercise, but we decided to rest.
Some dogs were running around in the adjacent dog run. I wonder if they’re the dogs from here? Can people bring their own dogs? If so, I should’ve secretly brought Blanca using [Gate].
But, she is a god, so bringing her could make the other dogs scared and uneasy. It’s probably best not to.
Fuyuka also went to the athletic area. She was happily riding the simple slide and the swing-like bench, enjoying herself. She’s really warmed up to the other kids.
“…When they leave, Fuyuka will get lonely.”
While watching Fuyuka having fun with the kids, Dad muttered this quietly.
“Well, there’s not much we can do about that… But I’m sure future me will bring the current kids over, so it’s not like they’ll never see each other.”
The moment when Dad and Mom first meet the kids in this timeline has already been decided.
Which means, when Yakumo and Frei are born, it’s not possible to bring them to Earth, as it would change history.
If I had help from Grandma Tokie, I could probably manage, but it would be considered favoritism, and the other gods would criticize me for it.
It’s one thing if it’s just me, but I can’t cause trouble for Grandma Tokie or the World God. It’s a shame that Dad and Mom won’t meet the kids when they’re babies…
I’ll have to make sure I take videos of their growth and show it to them when I can.
“How many more days are we staying here?”
“Well… Four days, I think.”
Time flies when you’re having fun. I wanted to visit more places, but...
“We’ve enjoyed Japan, so I think we’ll head overseas next.”
“I envy you. If I didn’t have work, I’d go with you. But I really need to finish my script, or I’ll be working until the last day, saying goodbye to everyone…”
Dad sighed, looking a little distant. According to him, creating the story for the manga is mentally harder than the drawing process.
When drawing, you can just keep going and eventually finish. But with writing, when the ideas don’t come, it feels like the end is nowhere in sight.
“If it’s drawing work, I can't help, but I can help with the storyboard work…”
“Well, Touya, you’re also good at drawing work… whoops.”
Dad hastily covered his mouth. Sorry about that, "Master Artist."
“Ah, so where exactly are we planning to go overseas?”
As I glared at Dad, he tried to deflect by asking about our upcoming schedule. ...Well, I guess it’s fine.
“I think I’ll avoid places we went on our honeymoon. I want the wives to enjoy somewhere new, too.”
For our honeymoon, we visited Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, France, Easter Island, and many other countries.
I guess we spent most of the time in Europe. Maybe we should try going to America next? It could be fun to show them places like the New York skyscrapers or the Statue of Liberty.
Speaking of which, I remember Linne saying she was interested in Chichen Itza. Maybe we should focus on places in North and South America.
Though, natural tourist spots like the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls might not be very well-received… There are similar places in the other world too.
I feel like they’d enjoy things built by human hands more—like the Tower of Pisa, which they found interesting.
They might be surprised if we show them Mount Rushmore, where the faces of four presidents are carved.
While I was thinking about this, an hour passed by quickly, and the kids returned looking satisfied. There didn’t seem to be any major trouble... or was there? Elze and the others seemed a little tired, though…
After that, we watched the dogs playing in the dog run while having fun on the go-karts. I decided to try one myself, and it turned out to be pretty fun. You can enjoy it even without much speed.
It was a bit of a hassle when Kuon tried to crawl on the ground to inspect the go-kart’s structure. Linne was just about to give him a knuckle sandwich.
After that, we watched an animal show at the outdoor stage, interacted with birds like owls and eagles in their enclosure, and after playing for a while, we decided to go to the shop to buy souvenirs.
The shop, though, wasn’t just any ordinary shop; it was huge, almost like a small supermarket.
“Wow, as expected, there are so many animal-themed goods…”
There were stuffed animals of cows, horses, pigs, dogs, cats, and more, along with animal mugs, cow-pattern towels, pig-shaped cushions… Oh, Zabuton Ton? There were also plenty of items with clever wordplay.
Of course, it wasn’t just animal goods; there were also snacks like butter candy, farm pudding, milk rusk, milk sables, and even something unusual like Genghis Khan curry.
“Wait a minute, they’re selling raw meat…”
This couldn’t be the meat from the animals here, right? They’re selling beef, pork, chicken, and even lamb…
There were a lot of other items for sale too, but as expected, dairy products were predominant. Cheese, butter, yogurt…
As usual, the kids rushed straight to the stuffed animal section—except for Kuon. Just like at the aquarium…
And naturally, Lu and Arcia went straight to the raw meat section. I guess tonight’s dinner will be Genghis Khan… Do we have a Genghis Khan pot at home…? Oh, right, Lu and the others bought one at Kappabashi Street…
Oh, I also need to buy some souvenirs for everyone at the castle. Butter candy and raw caramel are staples. They’re great because I can give them to a large number of people. The smoked sausage and bacon set would probably be good for the Takeda Four Heavenly Kings.
Maybe I’ll buy some cheesecake for the maids? Oh? There’s even hand cream with milk in it… Didn’t expect that. I should get some of that, too.
“Mom, look, there’s a roll cake!”
“What? I can’t miss that!”
Steph and Sue found the roll cake and got excited. I wonder if the roll cakes here are different from others. Maybe the cream is richer… I’m kind of curious to try it too.
“Blanca!”
“Wow, that’s really similar.”
Fuyuka was delighted to see a white dog stuffed animal that looked just like Blanca. It really does resemble her. If you put them next to each other, they could look like parent and child.
It seems like Mom will buy the Blanca look-alike stuffed animal. ...I wonder if Blanca will get jealous of the stuffed animal that looks like her?
The wives also bought animal-themed tableware like mugs, bowls, and chopsticks. I remember they bought a ton of stuff like that at Kappabashi...
It feels like my wallet has been loosening ever since we came to Earth. Well, it’s fine as long as it’s within reason, but the funds are already less than half. Buying for more than twenty people adds up quickly...
Well, we have four days left. I’m planning to spend the last day at home, so technically we have three days. I probably won’t spend too much. Worst case, I can ask the World God for a loan…
Oh, I also need to buy a souvenir for the World God... Maybe some beef jerky? It would go well with alcohol, right? There’s pork jerky and chicken jerky too.
Oh, speaking of alcohol, I forgot about Yuuka. I should buy a few bottles of liquor from a store…
Well, since we’re heading overseas tomorrow, maybe some rare Western liquor would be better? Although, knowing her, she’ll probably be fine with whatever as long as it’s drinkable.
I’ll look around for a bit more.
After that, we bought a ton of souvenirs and left the farm, satisfied.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Let’s eat!”
As expected, dinner was Genghis Khan hotpot.
There were two stoves on the table in the living room, and two more in the kitchen, with the characteristic Genghis Khan pot placed on them.
The lamb meat was sizzling as it cooked, surrounded by cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, and peppers, adding color to the dish.
The meat juices from the lamb, cooking in the center of the pot, trickled down and enhanced the flavor of the vegetables around the edges… Whoever came up with this pot design was a genius.
Though, it’s a bit weird to eat the sheep we were petting earlier today... Humans are such sinful creatures… Well, it’s not the same sheep, though. Hmm, it’s delicious.
The lamb steak I had earlier was good, but eating it this way is also amazing… Wait, I ate lamb during lunch too. If I’d known, I would’ve eaten something else.
The vegetables are great too. Whether they’re still crispy before being fully cooked or softened and tender from the meat juices, both versions are delicious.
I looked over and saw Sue making a bitter face as she ate a pepper, and Steph, with a determined expression, eating a carrot. Both of them were chewing through the vegetables.
It seems like they’ve gotten better at eating vegetables they don’t like. Suu probably ate it because she didn’t want to seem like a child.
“Thanks for the meal!”
We were all full. I think I ate a bit too much… I always underestimate how much I can eat in this body.
...Wait, I’ve just realized, I’ve probably gained some weight over the last few days. It’s not too noticeable in my child form, but when I return to my original body, I might end up with a little belly. I should exercise when I get back...
After dinner, everyone read books, watched TV, and took turns bathing. Since there were so many of us, we connected to our family’s house with [Gate] and borrowed their bath as well, managing to make do.
I could always use teleportation magic to go to a public bath, but after going out like today, it feels like a hassle to change clothes, prepare, and go out again.
I think it’s important to have some private time just to relax with the family. Yeah.
That being said, I can’t just laze around forever. I need to figure out tomorrow’s schedule.
“New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Vienna, Paris, Orlando, Machu Picchu…”
Everyone wants to go to different places. Vienna is probably for Sakura and Yoshino? Paris might be for Lu and Arcia—they probably want to eat authentic French food. We went to Paris on our honeymoon, though…
Also, Las Vegas might not be the best educationally...
“...Where is Orlando again?”
“Florida, USA. Apparently, there’s one of the world’s largest theme parks there.”
After hearing Linze’s explanation, I realized. Ah, right, the place with the mouse that drives a steamboat.
“So, Machu Picchu, that’s Linne, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to see that breathtaking view with my own eyes.”
I agree, seeing that view at least once might be worth it. It’s in the guidebook, but it looks like from Japan, you have to fly to Cusco, take a train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu village), and then take a bus. It’s apparently over 30 hours from Japan, but with teleportation magic, it’d be a breeze. A quick two-hour trip would be more than enough if it’s just to see it.
It really feels like we’d just visit and leave quickly.
Spending too much time on one place could make us run out of time, so I think we’ll just hit the major spots... The honeymoon felt similar towards the end.
We’re really traveling to show the kids their homeland.
Being in a foreign country is tricky because of the rules they have… Like in Singapore, they fine you for littering.
This guidebook also says that if you litter, you can get fined up to $1000.
Over 100,000 yen… That’s terrifying. Though, there are apparently trash cans everywhere, so it’s not something to be too scared of.
I need to make sure I don’t break any laws… although, I’m one to talk, given how I’m illegally here.
Tomorrow, I think I’ll be hopping around famous spots in various countries with teleportation magic. I’ll need to double-check the map sites tonight to plan the trip properly.
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