"Haah, I've moved all the packaging materials. Is this all I have to do today?"
After moving hundreds of boxes of styrofoam packaging, I wiped off my sweat and lay down on the floor.
It might seem strange to ntion now, but Japan is experiencing an epidemic.
This isn't about C*VID. It's an incurable disease that has been passed down from ancient tis and still hasn't been eradicated.
Surprisingly, it's said that this epidemic only infects retired, leisurely couples in their 50s and 60s. The transmission vectors include shows like 'I Am a Farr' and 'Return to My Hotown'.
I call it the 'farming disease.'
I don't know why my parents, who lived their entire lives near Tokyo and never even tried weekend farming, suddenly got the idea to set up a 13,200 square ter Shine Muscat grape farm.
...Well, actually, I do know. That lady who usually pushed multi-level marketing products onto my mother probably whispered strange ideas about 'an easy way to make money while living peacefully after retirent.'
With such grand aspirations and romanticism about farming, they moved to the countryside, where 'the air is good, the water is good, peace prevails, and people are kind.'
They impulsively spent a fortune on Shine Muscat farm equipnt, which was supposedly 'so popular among young people that they can't keep up with demand.'
When I ntioned their bad backs weren't suitable for grape farming, they confidently claid that modern equipnt makes it manageable.
And exactly 1 year and 4 months later...
'Sorry, son! Guess we're city folk after all~^.^'
...With such a ssage, the farm was passed on to .
How convenient(?) that their son had just lost his job due to C*VID and was drifting.
How tily(?) that my parents' backs were breaking from the harsh farm work.
It was a perfect storm of factors: the annoying swarms of mosquitoes and bugs in the countryside, the more troubleso than expected pruning and fertilizing, and so on.
"Sigh, now that everyone's jumping on the Shine Muscat bandwagon, the grape prices have hit rock bottom!"
No one's around to hear my sighs as I open a can of beer from the refrigerator.
It's been about 5 years since I suddenly gave up city life in Tokyo in my early twenties and settled in this grape farm. I must be single-handedly lowering the average age of this neighborhood by at least 5 years.
Normally, being a city person through and through, I should have quit this unexpected farming business after a year or two.
Unfortunately, until C*VID hit, Shine Muscat really was 'so popular among young people that they couldn't keep up with demand.'
In other words...
"The net profit is how much? Haha, HAHA! I guess I'll be growing Shine Muscat for at least 20 years!"
I made quite a profit too.
For exactly three years.
However, that success was too sweet for soone who had failed miserably with only 14 views on the web novel I casually tried writing after losing my job.
Just like the taste of Shine Muscat grapes when the farming was going well in the beginning.
"Success is... it's a drug... a drug... Shouldn't the governnt prevent people from succeeding? What are the Japanese police doing?"
I'm still stuck in this business for 5 years because I can't forget that taste.
Still, after 5 years, this work has beco sowhat manageable.
The neighbors who initially gave a hard ti for being a young bachelor now exchange potatoes and chickens with sympathetic looks.
I've also beco familiar with spraying pesticides, watering, pruning, and other tasks, making it much less burdenso to farm alone.
Of course, during harvest season, there's too much work for one person to handle. But it's fine since my slightly apologetic-looking parents and their excited prospective farr recruits co to help.
"Co to think of it... harvest season is coming soon."
This countryside house where I live alone will beco noisy again soon. The precious leisure ti I've barely been enjoying will disappear.
Ding dong.
"Ah, it's here!"
This ans my hobby ti will disappear too.
"Are you Mr. Kin Issei? Please sign here."
"Ah, yes. Yes. Thank you!"
But that shouldn't happen yet.
I showed a friendly smile to the postal worker, then ca inside and imdiately opened the package.
The contents were none other than the pre-order limited package of this year's 4th quarter's most anticipated open-world stealth action RPG, 'Immortal Order: Origin'!
It's the long-awaited prequel to Fansuku Software's masterpiece series about the protagonist's struggle against a secret society behind major historical events like the Arican Revolution, Civil War, and both World Wars.
I heard that this edition finally reveals the hidden origins and truth of the secret society that has been carefully concealed throughout the series while dropping nurous hints. I haven't touched the internet for two days to avoid spoilers.
Swoosh. Thud.
Ah, the carefully crafted packaging has that special unboxing satisfaction.
'In the 16th century, England under Queen Elizabeth dispatched settlers to Roanoke Island to establish their first permanent colony in North Arica. 'In our world,' that attempt is known to have ended in terrible failure. But what might be the truth behind it...'
Wow. The localization is perfect too. From today on, I'll bow three tis toward the publisher's direction.
They even included detailed maps and descriptions of the Roanoke colony and its surroundings in an antique style.
Very thorough. This is a satisfying package.
Just when portal sites show despicable related searches like 'Shine Muscat tastes bad' when you search for 'Shine Muscat' in this grape apocalypse situation, I spent a whopping 15,840 yen.
Therefore, this ga cannot be boring.
No, it's impossible for it to be boring.
I imdiately entered the CD key from the package and swallowed my saliva. The Fansuku Software logo appears with their signature big-eared Mr. Fansuku's face, and the majestic BGM makes my heart flutter.
Then cos the black screen. When I select 'yes' to the Japanese dubbing option, text and voice rise with flas above the selection screen.
'You are sufficiently prepared.'
Yes. I'm very prepared.
'You have earned the right to peer beyond the secrets that have accumulated, beyond hundreds of years, to glimpse the truth.'
If I spent 15,840 yen, it's only natural that I should have the right even if I didn't before.
'O immortal one who will transcend ti, a new world now calls to you.'
'Migrate to the New World', 'Give up'
...Migrate to the New World?
Strange. The 'Immortal Order series' traditionally has a 'Confront the Society' button on the start screen as its signature.
Well, it's a prequel, so this fresh change isn't bad. That's what I thought as I moved the mouse.
Crack.
Sohow, an ominous thought crosses my mind.
Sohow... sohow...
Usually in web novels, doesn't sothing ominous happen at tis like this? Like getting sucked into the screen when I press this start button.
"Ha... harvest season is coming soon and I'm having strange thoughts."
Click.
...
...
...
See, nothing happened after all.
Feeling stupid for having such thoughts, I got up while hitting my own head. I even did so stretching, thinking maybe blood wasn't flowing to my brain properly.
When I looked back at the screen, there was only one line written on the black background.
'...You clearly agreed.'
And then the computer turned off.
"..."
Click. Click.
"..."
It wouldn't turn back on.
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