Chapter 24: Wild Accusations
It had been three days since Eren's triumphant win at the Grand Plant Competition, and things had settled into an oddly peaceful rhythm. The farm was quiet again—well, as quiet as it could be when Mira was loudly trying to charm a goose out of his turnips, Lira was silently judging everyone, and Eren was pretending the sudden flood of attention wasn't bothering him.
"You know," Mira said, bent over a weed patch with her sleeves rolled up and a streak of dirt across her nose, "you should wear your medal more often. You looked really cool."
Eren, who was trying to unstick a jammed hoe from a clump of overly fertile soil, grunted. "Yeah, nothing says humble countryside farmer like a giant golden cabbage medallion."
Mira giggled. "I still can't believe you beat Cael the Rootmaster. I mean, he looked like he wanted to cry."
"His potato tried to emotionally manipulate the judge," Eren muttered, yanking hard enough that the hoe flew backward, nearly clocking Lira as she appeared midair in holographic form.
"Warning: Poor spatial awareness detected," Lira droned, dodging gracefully. "Also, his potato had deeply repressed trauma. The judge's therapy bills have already exceeded the contest's prize money."
"It deserved second place at least," Mira added solemnly, placing her hand over her heart in mock respect.
Eren sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. "I just want one day without anyone bringing up Cael, cabbage medals, or haunted potatoes."
"Impossible," Lira replied. "Your fame rating has increased by 42%. Local gossip networks have upgraded your designation from 'that weird guy with nice hands' to 'local crop hero slash suspiciously handsome bachelor.'"
He groaned. "Of course."
That afternoon, while Mira tried (and failed) to teach a goose not to peck her bootlaces, Eren found himself staring down a group of very serious-looking villagers who had shown up at his gate.