I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 60

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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 this was supposed to be a healing farming game.
Chapter 60

“Why, why…? Did I say something wrong?”
“If I act like that, Miel won’t come near me anymore.”
“That’s not true. I’m always trying to stay friendly with you!”
“Really? If I hadn’t approached you first, I think I would have just kept my distance and watched from afar.”
“Hmm….”
I couldn’t mount an immediate counterargument.
If the other person found me uncomfortable to be around, of course I couldn’t force my way into their life.
Yet despite that, Priam seemed to murmur something under his breath, as though the thought still stung.
“Everyone else gets along fine with me. But me… just me.”
“That’s… well. I’m sorry for upsetting you… Is that why you’ve been forcing yourself to approach me all this time?”
“Forcing myself…? No, I never forced anything. I just felt like Miel wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Really? What gave you that impression?”
I was curious what had made Priam approach me first.
I asked again, my eyes bright with anticipation, and Priam answered without hesitation.
“Well, for one thing, you’re always kind to the Twins. You always seem to be smiling, your expressions are honest, and also….”
His words tumbled out with no trace of doubt.
Priam laid bare his transparent heart without reservation, and the moment he finished speaking, he looked directly at me.
“So… I liked you, Miel.”
His face shone with a candid, hopeful light.
‘Ah.’
I’d seen that face before. A face so clear and pure, unmarred by the weight of the world.
A thought crossed my mind then.
I didn’t want to leave scars on that face—wounds that would crack its brightness.
If I touched something so tender, he would feel the hurt at once, and I wanted to cherish him for that.
I carefully extended my arm and took his hand.
Priam flinched visibly, and his stiffened fingers moved awkwardly as he returned the grip.
His face went noticeably pale, and his pupils trembled faintly.
Even his breathing grew shallow and unsteady.
Though he tried to seem composed on the surface, the tension betrayed him.
I held his hand firmly for a moment, then slowly released it.
Then I smiled brightly, as if I hadn’t noticed anything at all.
“Thank you, Priam. Let’s stay close from now on, okay?”
I held out my pinky finger to him, who had made such an effort to return my grip.
“A promise!”
At my bright tone, his face lit up. He smiled and hooked his finger around mine.
There was no hesitation this time, unlike before.

Priam’s Affinity +40
Priam’s Affinity has reached Level 3!

‘So Priam really does want to be closer to me.’
From now on, when he comes near, I should welcome him more openly, and I’ll close the distance between us bit by bit.
He’s been struggling with this, gathering his courage to approach me—the least I can do is meet him halfway.

Invitation Event has been unlocked.
From now on, you can invite residents with Affinity Level 3 or higher to designated locations and spend time together.
Invitations can be sent through the mailbox at the Village Hall.

With Priam’s Affinity reaching Level 3, the invitation feature had unlocked as well.
‘It’s summer now—it would be so nice if we could all go somewhere together! Maybe camping would be too hot? Playing in the water at the beach or by a lake sounds fun too….’
Part of me wanted to push ahead with the idea right now.
I gazed regretfully at my bandaged leg and sighed.
“Listen, listen. Miel.”
“Huh? Why?”
“You like our village?”
“What? Of course! I love being here in Node. Every day is just wonderful.”
“Then you’ll stay with us?”
The moment I met those eager eyes—bright as a puppy’s wagging tail—my words caught in my throat.
“I……”
While I hesitated, a dozen emotions flickered across Priam’s gaze in quick succession.
Hope and anxiety, and something that looked almost like resignation.
My thoughts hadn’t fully settled, but the instant I saw that look, the words tumbled out.
“If I could stay!”
Priam’s eyes widened.
Startled by my own words, I still pushed forward, stumbling slightly.
“I want to be here too……”
It wasn’t something I could claim with absolute certainty, but it came close to my true heart.
My answer seemed to delight him—those gleaming green eyes flooded with joy.
“Really?”
Unable to hide his happiness, he asked again, his voice carrying an almost desperate edge, as if afraid I might be speaking carelessly.
“Being in Node is… it’s good. I mean it.”
I smiled at Priam with genuine warmth.
Perhaps it was a touch irresponsible to say such a thing, but I needed him to hear it.
The time I spent with the villagers, here in Node, was too precious to describe.
It felt as though I were actually living the life I’d only dreamed of before.
Yet one thing weighed constantly on my heart: I missed my grandmother.
‘Even if I returned to reality, I wouldn’t be this free……’
And that was the heaviest burden of all—to stay here, I had to keep burying my memories with her.

* * *

“Come on now, let’s move the tomato crates in order.”
“One box at a time, one box!”
Not long after, the Tomato Sauce making event I’d been waiting for with bated breath finally began.
It seemed like every resident in the village had gathered in front of the Village Hall.
I barely had time to marvel at the mountain of tomatoes piled high before being swept into the crowd and assigned my task.
I was in charge of blanching the tomatoes.
“Once you’ve finished washing them, pass them over to the pot.”
Cleaned tomatoes came pouring over from the station beside me.
I’d blanch them in a pot of vigorously boiling water, then plunge them into ice water to slip the skins clean—and that was my job.
Watching everyone move without pause, I suddenly felt grateful that my leg had healed.
‘Is it because I’m in Node?’
My bones had knitted together as rapidly as the crops around us grew.
Because of it, I’d needed only a few days before returning to my normal routine.
The moment my body recovered, I was back at the Farm, and everyone welcomed me so warmly, fussing that I shouldn’t overexert myself.
‘I think I’ve gotten pretty close to these people now.’
Even as I stood scoring tomatoes and peeling their skins while chatting with another resident, there wasn’t a dull moment.
“You’re quite diligent. Your hands are nimble too, just watching you work.”
“Oh, thank you!”
“You said this was your first time? I come every year, and once you’ve made a batch, you wouldn’t believe how convenient it is. Summer, autumn—you can use it all season long.”
The warm-hearted older woman took special care of me.

Village Resident Affinity +15

As I worked diligently, chatting with the people around me, a familiar name drifted to my ears from across the way.
“Oh my, Kaies!”
I looked up as I stripped away the tomato skin.
In the distance, Kaies was greeting the residents, making his way through the work site.
He acknowledged each person as he passed, and when he spotted me, he headed in my direction.
“Hello, Princess.”
At those words, not just I but all the nearby residents’ eyes went wide.
The woman next to me was so startled she dropped her blanched tomato straight into the water.
“Oh, it’s hot!”
When hot water splashed up from the impact, the villager startled, shaking her hand.
Kaies immediately turned the adjacent tap and ran cold water over her arm.
“Be careful.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you so much.”
As the villager held her arm under the cold stream to soothe the burn, the attention that had gathered began to scatter gradually.
Hands that had paused resumed their busy work. In that brief reprieve, Kaies spoke to her casually.
“Princess, is your leg alright?”
“B-be quiet about it!”
She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling caution. Kaies tilted his head slightly.
“Why?”
“Why do you keep calling me that?”
“What? I’m just calling you as I always do. I was asking if your injuries are all healed.”
“…Yes, they’re all better.”

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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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