I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I thought it was just a healing farming game
Chapter 16

“So… I wanted to give Friam an apology letter and a small gift. Would that be alright? I’m worried it might burden him.”
“A letter… Friam will surely be delighted. But perhaps it’s best to give him gifts later, once you know each other better.”
“Really? Why?”
“If he receives a gift as well, he might blame himself, thinking he’s made you overly cautious around him.”
“I see. Thank you. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
Siad reached out. His palm pressed gently against my head, stroking it softly.
It was a touch that eased my heart considerably.
“By the way, Siad. Do you happen to have any spare letter paper?”
“Of course. Will one sheet suffice?”
“If possible, two or three sheets would be better.”
Siad returned to his room and came back promptly with letter paper and envelopes.
“Let me know if you need anything else.”
I was given no fewer than five sheets of letter paper.
“I’m sure you’ll manage beautifully.”
He offered a small word of encouragement along with a warm smile. I clutched the letter paper to my chest and nodded.
“Thank you. I’ll write carefully and deliver it.”
Back in my room, I sat at the desk and picked up my pen, choosing each word with deliberate care.
Weighing every single word and phrase to leave no room for misunderstanding.
I spent the entire night absorbed in writing the letter.

* * *

Ding!
My eyes snapped open before dawn broke.
“Time to send the letter!”
I leapt out of bed with a shout of determination.
For someone who’d spent years confined to a hospital bed, being told to do nothing but lie still was torture beyond measure.
‘I’d sooner spend the day pulling weeds by hand from a hundred acres.’
Click.
I shut the door quietly and stepped outside. Even in spring, the early morning air was brisk.
“Refreshing.”
The smell of earth and grass at the roadside welcomed me, and I drew in the clean air deeply.
“Did I leave anything behind?”
I walked quickly, rummaging through my bag to check its contents.
The letter and gift for Friam, the money pouch, and the cat doll I was told to always carry with me…
“Hmm?”
As I peered into the bag, I paused.
I lifted the cat doll in front of my eyes and let out a small exclamation of wonder.
“It changed.”
The fur, which had been white when I left home, had transformed.
“A tabby cat?”
The orange fur now bore a distinctive tabby pattern — the kind commonly called a ginger cat.
“How cute!”
I kept the doll tucked in my chest pocket, stroking its soft fur as I walked, until I reached the Village Hall.

[Village Hall Operating Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM]

I found the mailbox beside the door with the sign.

[Please insert 1 Gold and place items to be delivered inside the mailbox.]

“One Gold…?”
As I read the large letters, the mailbox clicked open by itself.

[Free Mail Service Voucher holder.]

“Does it recognize automatically?”
Completely cutting-edge. Stand in front of the mailbox and it automatically recognizes the user and opens. Amazing.
I examined the mailbox from every angle, then pulled a letter envelope from my inventory.
Just as I was double-checking the address, I heard scuffling footsteps behind me.
I turned to see who it was, and my breath caught. I froze.
“Miel?”
Friam said my name perfectly, a faint smile playing at his lips.
I quickly hid the letter behind my back and greeted him.
“F-Friam! Fancy running into you this early in the morning?”
“Right? Seeing your face makes me happy.”
His expression was like a puppy wagging its tail at the sight of someone it knew.
“I’m happy to see you too, Friam. It’s a good…… morning?”
I fidgeted with the letter behind my back, the one I’d taken such care to write.
My plan was to send an apology letter first, then gradually rebuild our relationship by drawing closer.
I never expected the person involved would greet me the very next day.
“You too, Miel. Good morning.”
Friam, his nose slightly reddened by the cold air, glanced at the mailbox behind me with curiosity.
“But what are you doing here at this hour? Sending mail first thing in the morning?”
“Yeah, well…… my eyes just opened early! What about you?”
“I came out to manage the trees in the village. I’m heading to the orchard after.”
“I see. You’re diligent.”
I tensed, still hiding the letter, and quickly changed the subject.
“Right, Friam. Thanks for the fruit. I ate those cherries yesterday—they were delicious.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I rinsed them and ate the whole bunch right there!”
“Thank goodness. I wasn’t sure which fruits you liked, so I picked a variety of whatever was ripe.”
Looking at Friam’s genuinely delighted face, I wondered if he’d already forgotten about yesterday, or if he truly never remembered it at all.
Or maybe he was pretending not to know.
‘He didn’t seem particularly eager to talk about it yesterday, anyway.’
I glanced down at the tools he was holding and offered a closing greeting.
“You’ll have a busy day thinning the fruit and applying nutrients. Hang in there, Friam.”
At those words, he looked at me with puzzled eyes.
“Huh? You know a lot about it? Have you done Tree Management before?”
“No, I haven’t done it myself, but I’ve seen people do it often. I lived in the countryside with my grandmother when I was young.”
“The countryside?”
Friam’s eyes suddenly sparkled with such intense curiosity it was almost overwhelming.

Friam’s Affection +10

“Really? You farmed too? Can you tell me about the countryside?”
I’d been trying to wrap up the conversation quickly, but I’d accidentally sparked Friam’s keen interest.
“W-what kind of story?”
“About the village! I’ve never left Node, so this is my first time meeting someone from the countryside.”
Friam leaned in close, his eyes gleaming like emeralds with curiosity.
“Well, of course. Anytime you’re free next time, just…… let me know.”
I retreated backward hesitantly and bumped my arm against something.
The letter slipped from my hand.
Thud.
Both our gazes dropped to the ground simultaneously.
The moment I saw the letter envelope lying beneath the mailbox, I went silent and screamed internally—but Friam immediately bent down and picked it up.
“What’s this?”
Friam held up my letter, tilting his head in confusion.
“That’s, that’s, my letter, Friam!”
“Oh, a letter you received?”
Friam handed the letter back to me.
Then he tilted his head again, murmuring thoughtfully.
“But didn’t you just say you were here to send mail?”
I swallowed back the word ‘ruined’ before it could escape.
I couldn’t decide how to explain myself.
“Ah, well…….”
I’d been fidgeting with the letter envelope, and after a moment of resolve, I held it out to him.
“Ah, if it’s a secret, you don’t have to tell me…….”
“Actually, I was going to send this to you!”
We spoke at the same time, our words overlapping.
“Huh?”
“What?”
Friam looked between the letter and me, then asked with a bewildered expression.
“To me?”

* * *

“Aha! So that’s what it was?”
After hearing my explanation, Friam burst out in bright laughter.
“Yeah…… I was just trying to brush it off vaguely.”
“I thought you were hiding something serious, the way you kept dodging the question.”
Friam looked at me with a face full of amusement.
I fanned away my embarrassment-flushed face and averted my gaze.
“That’s not it. I was planning to explain everything after sending the letter, but you showed up so suddenly that I got flustered.”
I hadn’t expected to hand it to him in person before it was even sent.
Friam gazed down at the letter for a moment, then spoke.
“That matter…… it’s fine.”
Friam’s expression darkened slightly. He added in a voice tinged with regret.
“It was partly my fault for overreacting in the first place. You were just trying to get closer to me, Miel.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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