Chapter 18: Competition
Day 1 before the competition
Eren woke up with a determination he hadn't felt since discovering soap existed in this world. He chugged a mug of weak herbal tea and stared at his fields like a man about to go to war.
Lira floated beside him, scanning the crops with her glowing blue eyes. "Moisture levels optimal. Growth status: acceptable. Owner stress levels: alarming."
"Yeah, well, welcome to pre-competition anxiety."
He spent the entire day laying down mulch, tweaking compost ratios, and using exactly zero of the weird biotech tools Lira kept offering. He wanted honest effort. Mostly. Also, he didn't trust anything labeled "quantum-root stimulator."
Mira showed up halfway through the day, cheeks flushed and carrying a basket of eggs.
"Brought you these," she said, looking anywhere but at his shirtless chest.
Eren blinked. "Why do these eggs look judgmental?"
"They came from Nana's old hens. They always look like that."
Day 2
Weeding. Hoeing. Sweating. Internal screaming.