After that, I harvested sweet potatoes to help relieve the food shortage of the students in the residential district.
With the skills of a Mana Farmer, I could grow as many vegetables as I wanted from now on.
I loaded all the sweet potatoes from the field onto the cart, leaving only the seed potatoes behind.
One cart was not enough, so I made another cart as well.
"I could take them to the residential district myself, but the principal and vice-principal told me not to enter for a while.
Can someone call for help?"
Akemi then called over some male students who followed her around.
Like worker ants, they carried the heavy carts without complaint.
As I watched their backs, Monaka spoke to me with a worried look.
"Um, are you really sure we can take these? You worked so hard to grow these vegetables…"
"Don't worry about it. I had fun, so it's fine."
"…Le-kun, you really… you really are amazing…
Not only did you build such a splendid house by yourself, you even built one for me…
On top of that, you saved us from the disaster and even solved the food crisis…
You're so incredible that I… I feel like I'm going to lose my mind…!"
Monaka's eyes began to well up with tears, so I playfully placed my hand on her head.
"Hey now, is the crybaby Monaka back? When you cried, I used to pat your head like this, remember?"
"Mou… I'm not crying…"
Monaka looked down in embarrassment.
As if trying to calm her racing heart, she pressed both hands tightly against her chest and whispered softly.
"B-but… I would like you to pat my head…"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
The three girls—Monaka, Akemi, and Kotone—said goodbye to Leopin and left the forest.
But the moment they stepped out of the forest, hell awaited them.
The residential district was still buried under rubble, and the removal work was progressing painfully slowly.
Only the pathways had barely been cleared, but the area looked like nothing more than a garbage dump.
It was completely different from Leopin's house, which had been leveled and even had a field.
Akemi muttered in disbelief.
"Hafuu, I can't even tell which one is the garbage dump anymore."
There were two main reasons why the removal work was not advancing.
Most students at the Royal Pioneer Academy were young masters and ladies who had never done rubble removal work before.
However, that was only the minor reason.
The biggest reason was the rule for rubble removal that kept the area in its ruined state.
The work was supposed to proceed by having each class remove the rubble within its own plot.
The students only thought about their own class and would dump rubble from their own plot into other classes' plots, pretending not to notice.
In short, the garbage was simply being moved back and forth between plots…!
As a result, the plots of the top-ranked classes were quickly cleared, but the plots of the lower-ranked classes remained buried in rubble.
Some students had even begun living among the rubble, turning the pioneer academy into something more like a slum.
The three girls made their way through the area where homeless students were gathering and returned to Monaka's house in the center.
Thanks to Leopin's fence, Monaka's house had escaped damage, and its large plot had turned it into a shelter.
When the mountain of sweet potatoes arrived on the carts, the students cried out "Ohh!?" in excitement.
They gathered around as if receiving rations during wartime.
They were grateful.
"Amazing! So many sweet potatoes!?"
"We haven't had decent food lately, so this really helps!"
"As expected of Monaka-sama and Kotone-sama! Bringing us this much food!"
"Thank you, thank you~!"
However, the two girls cut off their prayers.
"Please stop. These sweet potatoes were not brought by us."
"Exactly. Therefore, please thank the proper person before eating."
"Eh!? It wasn't your achievement!? Then who on earth…?"
"Le-kun." "It was Master."
The answers they gave in stereo were different.
Yet the person they pointed to was exactly the same…!
"Le-kun made these vegetables for himself, but he gave them to us because we were in trouble!"
"Ahh, how generous Master is!"
"Therefore, we will only give these vegetables to those who properly thank Le-kun!"
"Exactly! Please receive them in order, starting with those who have received Master's permission!"
"Eh… eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?!?"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
"Fwaaah… I'm completely full from the sweet potatoes.
I'll take a short nap and continue the field work in the afternoon."
I returned home and lay down on the bed.
As I dozed off, there was a knock at the front door.
"Hm? What is it? Monaka and the others again? Geez, I was just feeling good…"
I got up from the bed with a sigh and opened the door.
There stood an unfamiliar female student.
Before I could ask "Who are you?" she quickly bowed her head.
"Leopin-kun! Thank you for the sweet potatoes!"
I immediately understood.
"Ah, don't worry about it."
It was impressive that someone would come all the way to say thanks.
I was sleepy, so I tried to close the door quickly, but the girl wedged her troubled face into the gap.
"Um, wait! You have to say 'It's nothing'!"
"What's that about?"
According to the girl, she had to thank me, and I had to say "It's nothing," or she would not be allowed to take the sweet potatoes.
"I don't know why it's like that, but just pretend I said it."
The girl pointed with a troubled face toward the window of my room.
There, Shinobuko was peeking in.
"Nin. I am checking on Master Monaka's orders to make sure you properly thanked him."
"What a… pain in the neck…! You don't even need to thank me for something like this…!"
But the girl looked at me with the face of a starving puppy.
"Ah, fine. 'It's nothing.' Is that good enough?"
The girl's face filled with gratitude as if she had truly received a blessing from me.
"Th… thank you, Leopin-kun!"
She bowed once more and quickly left.
I thought it would finally be quiet, but right after, another male student poked his head in.
He looked up at me with a sulky expression and waited for my words.
When I said nothing, he snapped,
"Hey, hurry up and say 'It's nothing'!"
"Who's going to say that?"
"You're kidding me! A dropout from the Special Training Class acting all high and mighty!"
"And who exactly is the one begging food from that dropout?
If you don't want it, you don't have to eat it."
"Ah… u… No! I'm sorry! Leopin-kun! Please, the sweet potatoes…!"
"Then get on your knees and ask properly."
"Ggh…! You bastard…! P-please…! I beg you, Leopin-kun…!"
For students who came and thanked me properly like the first girl, I said "It's nothing" right away.
But for those who acted defiant like the male student, I made them do a dogeza.
Some even spat out "Screw you! Who's going to dogeza to trash!" and left.
But hunger won in the end. A while later they would come back and throw themselves on the ground crying.
"Please! I beg you, Leopin-kun—no, Leopin-sama~!
I haven't eaten anything decent for so long! If Leopin-sama abandons me, I'll starve to death!
Uwaaaaaan! Uwooooooooon!"
To think someone would throw away their pride for just one sweet potato…
I was beyond amazement and even felt a sense of admiration.