This one's okay. This one is still blue. This one is red but the stems are still open. I cut out the tomatoes with a pair of scissors and put them in a floating basket.

　This one is fine. This one is also.....yeah?　It's pretty red, but it's still blue at the bottom. Even the loofah's rise is halfway up, so what should we do?

Hmmm.

What's going on?

　I groan, and Asmo asks me as he puts the tomatoes he's picked in a basket.

'Do you think we should still keep these tomatoes?　The heft is only up a little, and the color isn't fully dyed to the hefty side.

Hmm, show me the other side.

　Asmo says so, and I turn the tomatoes over to show him the underside.

'Yeah, the backside is bright red and you can harvest it,'

Are you sure?

'And not everything can be on the terms you're told. Some of them are perfect, some of them are halfway done. Those are the ones you should look at the back side of and if they're red, harvest them.

　Okay, that's true too. What you told me is just an indication of what's good. And when you grow a crop, not everything is going to be perfect.

"Okay.

　Satisfied with Asmo's explanation, I cut out the tomatoes with a pair of scissors.

　Then I went back and checked the underside of the tomatoes to make sure the parts I'd harvested so far were intact.

　Then I found two similar ones, so I harvested them.

　We proceeded to harvest the tomatoes in this way. I replaced the basket for a while. I stood up involuntarily, feeling the fatigue in my back and legs.

'Oh, my back and legs hurt.

　I stretched and stretched, patting my lower back and relaxing the muscles in my legs and back.

　I wish it had grown a little higher, but unfortunately it's lower. It's pretty hard on my back and legs to move around while bending over.

'It's the fate of farm work, isn't it? But Al has magically lifted the baskets for me, so it's much easier. It's even more tiring when you have to carry the baskets by yourself and have to bend down.

　In my case, I'm a psychic and I'm always putting the basket in a position where I'm comfortable doing it. If I had to put the basket down and lift it up and repeat the process, it would be a lot of work.

'Haha, you're pathetic, Al!　I can't believe you're down for this!

　I'm stretching and moaning, and Thor comes back.

　The basket he was holding was full of red tomatoes.

'Thor, are you finished?'

Yeah, it's this big. We could do a whole row and that would be enough.

　Thor's right, we have a big field here. I don't think I'd want to do it all either.

　If I could just use wind magic to cut every one of them up and put them in a basket with a psychic, it would take a few minutes, but as expected, it's impossible because I can't even identify the tomatoes.

''Well then, we have to get this over with, too.

I'm almost done.

What?

　I told Asmo to ask him to agree with me, but Asmo seems to be far ahead of me.

　Asmo is at the 80% point of the whole, and I'm at 50% of that. We have to hurry with this one.

　I've made up my mind that I'm going to harvest the tomatoes, but my speed is slow because I'm used to it, just like Asmo is.

　As if he couldn't bear to see me, Thor bends over in my row with his arms around me.

'It can't be helped!　Let me help you!　I can't eat my tomatoes fast enough if Al doesn't finish up!

Oh, Thor. Thank you.

Baka. Don't be creepy. See, there and there and there is the harvest and leave it there.

　I thank him, and Thor is a little shy as he directs me to the tomatoes that I can harvest.

　All the tomatoes Thor pointed out are really good ones that meet the requirements. And yet, he also makes good decisions about the most outstanding tomatoes.

　He's usually a bad boy and a useless guy, but he can do his job well.

　I proceed to harvest the tomatoes, amazed and impressed by this side of Thor that I don't usually see in him.

　As Thor and I worked on the harvest, the baskets filled up in the blink of an eye and the line I was in charge of was over.

Okay, I guess that's it.

'Good evening, Master Alfried. I've put some chairs and tables over there, so we can take a break.

　I shouted with a clear mind, and Igma came over as if he had been waiting for it.

　I nodded without hesitation, as I was full of desire to take a break now.

　A wooden chair and table were set up on a flat area at the edge of a tomato field. Furthermore, on the table are tomatoes on a plate, plus what looks like water eggplant.

'Ah!　Is that tomatoes and water eggplant?

'Yes, these are the ones Alfried-sama picked earlier and the water eggplant I picked. Please eat them.

　Oh, I thought they were going to tell me to pick water eggplant now, but I was honestly quite tired from the tomato harvest, so I was very happy to hear that consideration.

"Oh, you're so thoughtful!

I'll do a good job.

Shut up. I ain't doing this for you.

　What a conversation between Igma, Thor and Asmo, I went to sit down.

　On the table, there were drops of water on the tomatoes and water eggplant that had been lightly washed with water just a few minutes ago. Not to mention the bright red tomatoes, the beautiful dark blue water eggplant is also nice.

''Well, can I eat it right away?''

Come in.

　I reach for the tomatoes I've harvested, and when Igma tells me that, I reach for them.

　It's a solid weight, with just the right amount of hardness. I gave the smooth skin a pat and bit into it.

　The juice of the tomatoes from nature's bounty filled my mouth. The slightly sour and sweet taste of the tomatoes is so delicious and comforting. It doesn't matter if the tomatoes we grow here are of a particularly sweet variety or if there's a secret to growing them.
Why does it taste better than the food I usually eat?

It's so sweet.

Right?

　I blurt out, and Igma says happily.

　His expression is somewhat proud, and I can feel the confidence and pride in his short words.

'And it tastes better than the food I usually eat,'

That's because you picked it yourself.

　I knew it. I guess it's because I picked it the hard way myself.

'Oh, they're so sweet!　I knew the tomatoes here were different!

It's nothing compared to ours.

Of course. I took my time.

　If this is just the harvest, it's probably even better when you grow it from scratch.

　But I'm not sure I have the guts to go that far.

　With that in mind, I bite into the tomato.

　Every time I bite into it, the juice comes pouring out, so I have to slurp it up as I eat it, or else the juice will leak out.

'When they're this sweet, you'd think a tomato could be a fruit, wouldn't you?

Indeed.

　I'm very much in agreement with Asmo's impressions.

　This sweetness is now a fruit. I can understand why you want to say that. But it's a vegetable, isn't it?

I know some villagers call a tomato a fruit.

'Indeed. I think it's a vegetable, but I can understand why someone would insist it's a fruit.

'Well, I see what you're saying, but from my point of view, I don't care if it's a vegetable or not, as long as it tastes good.

Hey.

　Even Igma unintentionally shoves Thor, who finally cuts him off as unimportant while shaking it off himself, with a straight face.

　Well, that's true too. Such details don't matter once you've eaten the good food.

　Maybe it's because we labored in the hot sunshine, but our hands never stop eating our tomatoes.

　But let's stop at two, because if we eat too much of it, it might upset our stomachs.

　Thor and Asmo didn't mind though, they ate four.

'Alright, after we eat the tomatoes, we'll have to go for the water eggplant next!

Water eggplant!

　Honestly, it was the most anticipated thing I've had all day. I can't leave today without eating this.

　The eggplant on the plate is in very nice shape. The neck is thick, and the gunk has sharp thorns that look like they might hurt. And best of all, it's got this massive weight to it. There must be a lot of flavorful water in it.
Ugh.

Oh, boy, let's eat!

　While I was observing, Thor and Asmo took a bold bite of it.

　Perhaps because of that overwhelming moisture, water eggplant water leaked from the edges of their mouths.

''Whoa!　I knew this place had the best water eggplant!

This might be my favorite summer vegetable.

　Thor and Asmo scream with delight as they eat the eggplant.

　Seeing them, I take the eggplant into my mouth as if I were following them.

　I stick my teeth into the slightly hard skin and take a bite out of it.

　Then the flesh of the eggplant is easily torn off and the water mixed with the flavor of the eggplant flows out from inside.

　When I chewed more soft meat, more of the flavor was poured out and down my throat. Even if it's summer and I don't have an appetite, this is easy to eat.

　My mouth is filled with water and I feel cooler just by eating it.

　A true natural coolness. And.

"...this is the beauty of summer vegetables.

'I can cook you a lot of things, but this is the best thing you can do in the summer.

　I mutter sullenly, and Igma, who is next to me, says.

　Ah, I know. I'll think of many ways to use it, but in the end, sometimes it's better to eat it simply.

''Eating this kind of food naturally makes my body feel cooler, doesn't it?''

So Thor doesn't need the cold air of ice magic?

No, that's not the same thing.

　We took it easy, ate our summer vegetables and cooled off.