On the way home, I looked at Lina wearing the straw hat. The string didn't press tightly against her face; there was a small gap. That meant her face was smaller than mine, but that wasn't strange—everyone's face shape is different, it was just that my head was comparatively big.
"Is something on my face?"
Had I been staring at Lina for too long and made her misunderstand? I quickly said what I was thinking.
"No, it's just that you look really good in that straw hat."
Her face instantly turned red, though it was a little hard to notice under the shade of the hat. Still, I caught it. Flustered, Lina hurriedly grabbed the sides of the hat and pulled it down, trying to hide her shyness.
"Really…"
From now on, whenever Lina finishes cooking lunch, she'll come call me. If every day is like today, her skin will eventually darken. I decided she should wear the straw hat whenever she goes outside.
"Lina, remember to wear your straw hat when you go out from now on."
"Mm."
She agreed so easily, without asking why. In a little while, we were home. I looked at the table; everything seemed normal on the outside, but I had no idea what surprises the inside might hold.
After lunch, I rubbed my stomach and went to look for a new straw hat. I didn't expect that the village chief's house had none, so I had to start a little hat-searching journey—but it only took a few minutes to find one.
Returning to the farmland, I resumed soaking my feet and reviewing vocabulary. Since the work was done, I was already getting a little bored with these words and wanted a change of pace.
The spot I sat at faced the mountain. I stared at it for a while and thought it might be fun to climb up and see what's there. I'd only gone once before, when Dad had taken me to see a secret base. Back then, I just followed him and didn't really explore the surroundings.
Deciding to go, I first headed home to tell Lina so she wouldn't worry.
Outside the house, I saw Lina reading. She must have finished her chores. I invited her along.
"Lina, I'm going up the mountain. Do you want to come?"
"Yes!"
Excited, Lina closed her book, stood up, and looked for her straw hat. She seemed so impatient that she pushed my back, urging me to go.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
We entered the mountain. I led the way because I wanted to revisit the secret base, while Lina, full of excitement, looked around in every direction like a curious little explorer.
As we walked, I recalled the paths Dad had taken me on before. Suddenly, Lina tapped my shoulder. I turned to see her pointing.
"Karen, look! There are a lot of black fruits on this tree."
I looked up at the tree. There were many black fruits, and they looked very familiar, though from below I couldn't be certain.
"What are those black fruits?"
"I'll climb up and pick one to see."
I climbed the tree and plucked a fruit. Holding it in my hand, the black sphere looked familiar.
When Dad had brought me here before, he picked one for me to try. It was called a Shadowgem. Inside the black shell was silvery-white flesh, sweet with a faint tartness. A few were fine to eat, but too many would make you dizzy.
I spoke to Lina below the tree.
"Lina, these are Shadowgem. They're really tasty."
"Shadowgem? Never heard of this."
"This is delicious. I'll drop one for you—catch it."
"Mm."
Lina adjusted her clothes to catch the fruit in them, able to hold several at once.
Once she was ready, I tossed the fruit into her clothes. After confirming it landed safely, I picked another.
Then I climbed down and took half of the fruits from Lina's clothes. There were six in total, three each.
We walked to the secret base. In front of the cave was a small flat area where we sat.
I held the Shadowgem in my hands and pressed firmly. The shell cracked, revealing the silvery-white flesh inside.
"Did you see clearly?"
"Yeah, yeah. Hold it with both hands, press firmly… eh? Hmm~~"
Lina nodded twice, repeating what I had just done while voicing her uncertainty. She didn't ask me for help, so I waited quietly for her to succeed.
"I can't open it…"
In the end, Lina gave up. I looked at her fruit; there wasn't even a small crack. I decided to help.
"Here, mine is for you. Don't swallow the seeds inside. Got it?"
"Mm, got it."
We exchanged fruits. I pressed mine and it cracked easily. Lina hadn't had enough strength. She ate a segment in the meantime.
"So sweet! Karen, you eat one."
"Okay."
If it's sweet, that means it's ripe. After peeling the shell, I was about to put a piece in my mouth.
"Ah~~"
A small hand reached forward with the white fruit flesh—it was Lina, trying to feed me. I don't mind if my parents feed me, but when it's anyone else, even Lina, I feel hesitant. I wanted to politely refuse.
"No need, I've got mine. You eat yourself."
"Hurry, open your mouth."
"..."
I thought hard for a way to refuse without hurting her feelings but couldn't come up with a polite solution, only a way that might ruin our relationship.
Lina seemed to notice my hesitation. She leaned closer; her eyes said she wouldn't give up until I took the fruit.
"Open… your… mouth!"
With no way out, I obediently opened my mouth. Slowly, until the fruit could fit, I stopped.
Seeing me open my mouth, Lina put the fruit in, her fingers brushing against it. I waited until her hand withdrew before closing my mouth.
I chewed the Black Crystal Fruit's flesh—it was delicious, though the seeds made me chew carefully to avoid swallowing them.
After finishing the fruit, we descended the mountain. I had a good idea of the mountain's resources now.