Kai was still holding the pink-haired girl's hands with both of his. His eyes stared straight at her beautiful face. He also gave her a gentle smile, showing that he was sincere about his proposal just now.
Meanwhile, the pink-haired girl still couldn't properly process what had just happened. Her face turned red, almost the same shade as her hair. Her heart pounded wildly as she recalled the words spoken by the boy she had just met.
"Um..."
The girl's soft voice came out again.
"Yes, what is it?"
Kai patiently waited for her answer without changing his expression. His confident smile remained on his face.
"Could we start as friends first?"
"I-I see... I'm sorry."
As soon as he heard her rejection, Kai immediately let go of her hands. A gloomy mood quickly surrounded him.
He went straight to the corner of the room, crouched down, and started scratching the floor of the shop with his finger.
The pink-haired girl began to feel guilty for rejecting him, especially after seeing how downhearted he looked. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know what to say.
"Um, Kai... you got rejected because it's your own fault!"
Said the Fairy Goddess while checking on him.
Kai then lifted his head to look at the Fairy Goddess, who could only be seen by him. He had to be careful when speaking with her if he didn't want to be thought of as strange by the girl he liked.
"You should have introduced yourself first, then built trust and a bond between you, then given her a gift to improve her impression of you—then you could propose! You skipped too many steps all at once!"
"Hmmm... do you want to marry me, then?"
"No!"
Kai sank into gloom again after hearing the Fairy Goddess's quick answer. She didn't even need to think before responding.
"Do you really want to get married?"
Asked the Fairy Goddess worriedly as she approached him. The young man nodded his head slowly.
"Hmm, if that's the case, then you need to cheer up and try winning the hearts of the girls here."
"Do you think I can?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Alright then!"
Kai's spirits returned. He stood up, clenching both fists with strong determination in his eyes. The Fairy Goddess smiled happily when she saw him like that.
On the other side, the pink-haired girl simply looked at Kai with a strange gaze. To her eyes, he was just mumbling to himself, then suddenly bursting with enthusiasm for no clear reason.
"How can I marry you!?"
Kai asked with great excitement.
"Sorry, but could we start as friends first?"
"Yeah... sorry."
Kai's head dropped weakly once again upon hearing the girl's second rejection.
"Um, excuse me, sir... could we at least introduce ourselves first?"
Kai lifted his heavy head, weighed down by despair.
"She didn't say she wouldn't marry you. She only wants to start as friends... so you weren't really rejected,"
Said the Fairy Goddess, encouraging him.
Hearing those words, all the despair surrounding him vanished in an instant. His face lit up with a bright, joyful smile.
"My name is Kai. I just moved today to the farm up on the hill... if you don't mind, you're welcome to visit me anytime!"
Said Kai, extending his hand for a handshake.
"My name is Elly. I work at this flower shop... and of course, I'd be happy to visit you, if you don't mind."
"Of course not... for a beautiful girl like you, there's no such thing as refusal!"
"Fufufufu… Kai, you're quite good at giving compliments."
Kai's smile widened instantly when the pink-haired girl—Elly—accepted his handshake. He felt as though he could throw a celebration right then and there, just from the touch of their hands.
"I'm glad, Kai… it looks like she's welcoming you here," Said the Fairy Goddess with relief. After what had happened back at Bob's farm, she had worried Kai wouldn't be accepted, but it seemed not everyone opposed the idea of an outsider helping them resolve their troubles.
Kai nodded in agreement with her words.
"So, if I may ask, what brings you here, Kai?"
Elly asked with a warm smile.
"Ah, right… I almost forgot."
Kai turned his gaze back toward her.
"I came here to introduce myself, and also to buy some seeds for my fields… You know the farm up on the hill, right? I'm the one managing it now."
"Oh, the abandoned farm? Yes, of course I know it… Oh, I see now. You must be the hero sent by the Fairy Goddess to save this village, aren't you?"
"Ah, so you know about that legend?"
Kai couldn't hide his surprise. He hadn't expected a beautiful, mature-looking girl like her to be familiar with such tales.
"Of course I know… My grandmother used to tell me about it when I was a child."
"Your grandmother? Is she still alive?"
Kai asked cautiously, afraid of offending her. Seeing Elly alone here, he wondered if perhaps her family had passed away or moved elsewhere.
"Yes, she's alive and very healthy… She owns the bakery right next to this shop. I'll introduce you to her later!"
"Yes, of course."
Kai replied to Elly's lovely smile with a childish grin of his own.
"By the way… is the Fairy Goddess here as well?"
Elly whispered into Kai's ear.
Kai nodded, then pointed toward where the Fairy Goddess was."Yes, she's here. You can't see her though—only I can."
The Fairy Goddess waved her hand at Elly, even though the girl couldn't see her.Elly's face lit up with delight when she heard that.
"Really...? Wow! That's amazing!"
Elly said, jumping with joy. It had been her dream since childhood to meet the Fairy Goddess. Even if she couldn't see her, she was still overjoyed.
"Ah—oh no! I almost forgot!"
Elly suddenly stopped looking cheerful and turned to Kai with a guilty expression.
"I'm so sorry, Kai! I forgot the reason you came here... you wanted to buy seeds, right?" she asked apologetically.
"No, no! It's fine! I'm just happy seeing you happy!"
Kai quickly waved both hands left and right, showing he really didn't mind.
"No, I really am sorry for forgetting your important request... so, what kind of seeds would you like to buy?"
"Really, it's fine... um, what kinds of seeds do you sell here?"
"I currently have three types of seeds!"
Elly tapped the cash register beside her, and a transparent screen appeared in front of her. It displayed three kinds of seeds: Tomato, Corn, and Potato. Below each one, Kai could adjust the quantity to buy, along with the price.
'So this is how transactions work in this world...?' Kai wondered as he stared at the screen. Then, he suddenly remembered something important.
"Wait a minute! I don't have any money right now!"
Kai had completely forgotten that he had brought nothing with him into this world—not even money. He glanced in a panic toward the Fairy Goddess.
"Well, Kai… I already gave you some money before we came here… you can check your inventory!"Kai reached for the pouch strapped to his waist and quickly checked the amount displayed on the screen. It showed the number 500. He then glanced at the prices on Elly's display: Tomato – 200, Corn – 300, Potato – 150.
"Isn't the money you gave me way too little?"
Kai said sharply, glaring at the Fairy Goddess. Wasn't she being a little too stingy with his allowance?
"I'm sorry, but that's the maximum amount I can give you."
The Fairy Goddess replied apologetically.
"Do I still need to buy anything else besides seeds here?"
"You'll still need to eat once a day, or you'll get sick."
"So if I don't eat for a day, I'll just get sick? This world really is better than the one I came from."
Kai might have suffocated if he had gone a whole day without eating in his previous world.
Meanwhile, Elly only smiled happily as she watched Kai talking to himself. She knew that Kai was currently speaking with the Fairy Goddess, so the scene before her looked amusing, not strange like before.
After consulting with the Fairy Goddess, Kai ended up buying just one potato seed, since it was the cheapest. He couldn't leave without buying anything after saying he wanted to get some seeds here, even though he didn't really need them at the moment.
A paper bag with a picture of a potato appeared in Elly's hands, and she handed it to Kai, who quickly placed it into the pouch at his waist. Now his storage held an extra potato seed.
"Um, Kai… if you don't mind, would you like to visit my grandmother's place?"
"Yes, of course… that's been my plan from the beginning!"
After that, the two of them went to the bakery right next to Elly's flower shop.
"Good morning, Grandma," Elly greeted her grandmother, who was sitting in her rocking chair.
"Good morning, Elly… hmm, who's this young man you've brought along?" Grandma Elly asked, looking at Kai with curiosity.
"Nice to meet you, Elly's Grandma… I'm your soon-to-be grandson. My name is Kai!"
Kai introduced himself with a wide smile on his face.
Elly's cheeks instantly turned red upon hearing Kai's self-introduction.
"Kai, why did you introduce yourself like that!?" Elly protested, her face still flushed.
"Fufufu, I see… so you wish to become my grandson," Grandma Elly said, clearly amused by Kai's bluntness.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lyla, Elly's grandmother and the owner of this bakery… I am the best bread maker in this village!"
Elly's Grandma—Lyla—introduced herself proudly, and Kai responded with an equally proud smile.
Kai then began browsing around the shop. Despite being called a bakery, it didn't only sell bread, but also cakes and cookies.
"Would you like to buy some bread here?" asked Grandma Lyla.
"No, I'm not planning to buy anything. I just wanted to look around!"
It was embarrassing, but he knew he probably didn't have enough money to afford the bread or cakes sold here.
"Oh, in that case, feel free to look around as much as you like!"
The grandmother pressed something on her rocking chair, and a transparent screen—one Kai had often seen before—appeared. This time, however, it displayed a wide variety of bread. As Kai expected, the prices were far too expensive. Even the ones he could technically afford were still overpriced for him at the moment.
"Sorry… it seems I really can't buy anything here," Kai said sadly.
"Hm, you only need to eat once a day, so I think you can just gather berries in the forest and eat those!" The Fairy Goddess suggested.
"Oi, do you think I'm some kind of wild man!?" Kai immediately protested.
Grandma Lyla tilted her head in puzzlement as she watched Kai talking to himself, since she couldn't see the Fairy Goddess.
Elly quickly grasped what was going on.
"Oh, Grandma… I forgot to mention, but Kai is the hero chosen by the Fairy Goddess to save our village!" Elly said excitedly. Because of Kai's blunt introduction earlier, she had completely forgotten to bring it up.
"Ooohhh… so you're the one from the legend. I never thought you would actually appear," said Grandma Lyla, her eyes lighting up. Though clearly, she hadn't truly believed in the legend before this moment.
'So you didn't really believe in the legend after all!' Kai thought as he glanced at Grandma Lyla. Still, he couldn't blame her—if he were in her place, he wouldn't have believed it either.
"Well, that's how it is… I don't really understand why I was the one chosen," Kai said, then shot a cynical look at the Fairy Goddess. He still hadn't forgotten the painful reasons she had given when she selected him.
The Fairy Goddess only looked puzzled under Kai's sharp gaze, as if she couldn't understand the resentment behind his eyes.
"Sorry… I won't be buying anything here. There are still other places I need to visit, so… goodbye," Kai finally said, reluctantly taking his leave. He felt that if he stayed any longer, he'd only end up embarrassing himself.
"Oh, I see… what a shame. But I'll gladly welcome you if you come again," Grandma Lyla replied, waving her hand.
"See you later, Kai… I hope we can meet again tomorrow!" Elly added, waving cheerfully.
"Yes, of course," Kai answered, returning the wave before heading off.
Leaving the grandmother and granddaughter behind, he made his way toward the nearest shop. From a distance, he spotted a tool shop and decided to check it out.
When he reached the door, Kai opened it without a word.
BOOOOM!
Kai was startled when he heard an explosion the moment he opened the door. He thought he had triggered something he shouldn't have by carelessly barging in.
A moment later, thick black smoke filled Kai's vision, making it impossible for him to see his surroundings.
"Cough! Cough!"
Kai could hear someone coughing inside the smoke.
"Sorry, could you open the door and window for me?"
A voice called out from within the haze.
Without saying much, Kai quickly opened the nearby window, since the door was already open. The shop only had one door and one window, so there wasn't much else he could do.
Kai stepped back from the doorway and window as the smoke began to flow out of the shop. Once it had cleared, he could finally see a man covered in black soot from the explosion earlier.
"What on earth are you!?"
Kai asked, staring at the man in disbelief.
"My name is Kurt! I'm the greatest inventor in this village!"
The man introduced himself proudly, but with his body still covered in soot, he looked more comical than convincing.
"Are you serious!?"
Kai asked sarcastically. It seemed he had stumbled upon yet another oddball.