Thousand Year Old Cherry Tree

Chapter 14: Growing Fruits

"Master?" I was really tired today. Probably to the point of dropping my head on the table. Yasusada seemed to be worried. Maybe it's because I've been reading scrolls everyday now. I can't keep straining my eyes. I wonder if I should help one of the swords with a chore. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Yasusada. Just tired from reading." I replied, trying to massage my temples. "Can you tell me which chores need to be done for today?"

"Yeah." As he listed off the chores, I heard Yasusada mention about harvesting the vegetables in the fields. "The vegetables."

"Mm! Kashuu and Hasebe checked to make sure that all of the are ripe to be picked. So Midare wanted to ask what kind seeds you wanted to plant for next season." Midare was another tantou from the Awataguchi school, literally at first I thought Midare was a girl. The way he dressed to the way he spoke, it was unbelievable to think Midare was a boy instead. He's been helping a lot when it came to planting new vegetables, so I decided that we try something new. "Hmm, maybe we can start planting those strawberry seeds I got from the store."

It's a good time to start planting spring crops, all we need to do is make sure they grow healthy. "Can you tell Midare and Gokotai to meet up with me at the fields for me, Yasusada?"

But instead of saying yes, he was staring intently at me. I tilted my head at him in confusion, unsure of what to say. "Um?"

Then out of nowhere his hand landed on my head, surprising me out of my wits. "Yasusada?!"

"It's fine to help out, but sometimes Hasebe is right. You need to rest, okay?" I guess I seem that tired. He ruffled my hair, messing up what took me forever to fix.

"Hey." I puffed my cheeks at him for doing that. No matter what, sometimes these swords really love to treat me like a child even though I'm an adult woman. Well an adult that was going to college. "I'm not a child Yasusada."

"Hehe." He chuckled, still messing up my hair. After I finally got him to stop messing up my hair, I grabbed the strawberry seeds in my room for the fields and tied my hair into a high ponytail. Pulling my sleeves up, I greeted Midare and Gokotai at the fields.

"Midare. Gokotai." The instant I called out their names, I was pulled into a hug by the both of them. "Master!"

I sometimes wondered if this was how it felt to have younger siblings.

"What are we going to plant today, Master?" Gokotai asked first, a twinkle of excitement gleamed in his eyes as the tigers around him playfully danced.

I smiled at the two as I present the seeds, "Today, we're going to be planting strawberry seeds."

"Strawberries?" Midare tilted her...I mean his head out of curiosity.

"Yep, they're really small berries. However they taste really good to eat after being washed." I explained, telling them what we can do with the fruits once they've grown bigger. Midare and Gokotai looked excited upon hearing what we could do with the strawberries. "So are we ready to grow?"

"Yes!" The three of us soon started separating to start tilling the rows of dirt. After we tilled the ground, we each started planting the seeds. I dug the holes, Gokotai poured the seeds, and Midare watered using the watering can.

"We're done!" The three of us cheered together, however our cheering came to a halt the moment someone's chuckling arrived in the distance. I know that voice from anywhere.

"Tsurumaru, what are you doing here?" I raised a brow at him.

"I was going to tell you that Mitsubou finished making lunch Master, but all I see are three caked in dirt."