"Hey, Kumacolo. What a cute name.
"One bite and even a bear will be satisfied.
It's dangerous!

　I was about to pick it up and leave, but I hurriedly pulled my hand back.
　They look normal, but they're really noisy, aren't they?
　Yuki smiled at me and pointed to another place.

It's a poisonous mushroom, but there's no problem touching it. See the slightly lighter colored mushroom next to it?

"Hmm?　This one?

　I pointed to one of the lighter colored mushrooms, but Yuki shook her head.

"Right next to it. That's a kumakoro. It's edible. It's edible. ...... About five of them are bearberry.

"I can't tell the ...... apart, can you?

　There are about a dozen mushrooms growing like a colony, and I can hardly tell the difference.

　Of course, I know there is a difference.
　Of course, I know there are differences, but I'm not sure if they are individual differences or if they are different species. .......
　I was told that the one I just pointed at was different.

He said, "Well, you can tell by pulling out this one and this one and ...... this one. The color of the pith is different. See?

"...... sure.

　You can compare the two.
　If you pull it out and compare it, you'll see that the color of the pith buried in the ground is different.
　In the Kumakoro, that part is white, while in the Kumakoro-modoki, it is brown.
　Even I can clearly see the difference. .......

If this part was cut off and sold, you wouldn't notice it, right?

"No, not usually. As you can see, they grow in the same places, so it's best to stay away from stores you don't trust.



　I can't tell the difference at all when I hide the pebbles.

Oh, man, mushrooms.

Well, there are stories about natural mushrooms, like poisonous mushrooms being sold by mistake at roadside stations in Japan.

Yeah, it's all over the news.

　In addition to mushrooms, there are also narcissus and chives, saffron and garlic.

　These are major poisonous plants that are in the news every year when the season comes.

　There are many people who say that they got them from their acquaintances or collected them by themselves.

"So far, I haven't seen poisonous mushrooms being sold for food in the market, but some vendors seem to be selling questionable products without knowing the rest, so it's very risky to shop without knowledge.

I shudder to think that the most dangerous thing you can do is to collect it at your own discretion.

"Well, we'll be fine. We'll do a proper [evaluation]. And you won't die if you eat the bearcolo. ...... Maybe.

Maybe? ...... Really?

　It's tougher than most people, though.
　I'm not sure if that's the only benefit of leveling up and being more robust.
　I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

I'm sure you're right, I can detoxify.

　In the event that you're not sure what to do, you can always ask for help.

　But I don't want to take such a gamble.

Don't worry, don't worry!　There's no such thing as poisonous mushrooms in the food we make!　--Unless Nao has an affair or something.

"Hey!　What did you just say?　I heard a word that really caught my attention!

　I was in a hurry, but Yuki said something back.
　I'm very curious about what you said.

It's important to live a decent life, isn't it? Especially when your food (life line) is in your hands.



"Oh, I'm fine, all right?　I'm fine, right?　Right?

You got nothing to worry about. --Whorehouse.

　I gasped at the last words he added with a smirk.

".........

　It's okay, it's okay.
　I didn't go there. ...... I was a little curious, but I didn't go there.
　I don't think so.
　I'm sure you'll be fine.

I'm sure you'll find more mushrooms than you think. Let's collect as many as we can and go home. --Let's collect as many as we can and go home.

Oh, my God. ......

　You're sure there are no poisonous mushrooms in this "stuff"?
　It's okay, isn't it, Yuki?
　I'm sure you'll be fine.

　　　　I'm not sure if this is a good time or not.

　I'm not sure if it was the right time of year, the right place, or both.

　After we harvested the kumakoro - or kumakoromo(d)oki(ki) - we found more mushrooms.

　There were mushrooms that looked bad but could be eaten, and others that looked ordinary but were deadly poisonous.

　There were also mushrooms that would make your skin sore even if you touched them, and mushrooms that would spew out spores when you tried to pick them and make you cough if you inhaled them.

　And, well, Yuki collected most of them.

　It seems that the dangerous mushrooms are for sale because they are unappetizing, and the poisonous mushrooms are for medicinal and alchemical purposes, but please don't mix them up.

　I've got them all in my magic bag. ...... I'm definitely not going to cook with mushrooms.

　If you're not careful, you might end up with something you thought was an ingredient, but actually is.
　By the way, some of the mushrooms are collected from the rotting wood on which they grow.
　If you are good at it, you may be able to keep getting them in your garden.


　Mushrooms grow by spores, right?

　If I cut down a tree of the same kind and leave it by my side, will it grow from there too?

　A little hope.

　--Well, Natsuki told me later that even the shiitake mushrooms that are sold with the fungus need to be planted in kindling and then left to grow for years, so artificial cultivation of mushrooms is a long and tedious process.

Hmm, we didn't make much progress, did we?
That's because I was so absorbed in picking mushrooms.
Yeah, Nao, right?
You can't deny it.

　It is said that with our physical abilities, if we try hard to reach our destination, we can normally reach it in a day, but in reality, we still can't even see the shadow of our destination.

　It was no wonder that we had been enjoying picking mushrooms since we entered the mountain.
　When you find them, you want to pick them.
　It's inevitable.

So we'll camp here today. I brought the tent I found the other day, so I'm sure it'll be comfortable.

I hope so.

　We just found a big rock.
　In the shade of it, we started to set up our camp.

　We set up the tent, built a fire, and sat down on the chairs we had taken out of our magic bags.

　It's not too inconvenient, but it's more like camping.

Hmm, we've grown up, haven't we? We used to be nervous about camping in the beginning.

You get used to it. That's how it is.

　If we were in a place where we didn't know what kind of demons would appear, now we understand that we don't need to be so nervous around here.

　I've gotten used to being on the lookout all the time, and I've gained experience in dealing with spur-of-the-moment situations.
　It's no problem to take it easy and camp out.

"Since we're here, why don't we make some mushroom soup?
"Hmm, you don't make it yourself, do you?　You've got it, right?

　The only time I cooked in the camp was in the beginning.
　Nowadays, I just eat what I take out of my magic bag or lightly heat it up.


　I rarely cook them anymore.

"Pick it and eat it right away. That's one of the best things about camping, isn't it?
I can understand that. It's good because it's fun, but ...... don't put anything weird in it, okay?

　Yuki's shoulders twitched as she turned her head back to look at me, preparing the pot.

　Then she slowly turned around, smiled dryly, and hung the pot on the fire.

No, I don't like it. I wouldn't put anything strange in there.　Nao, can you believe me?

"Basically, I believe you.　--"Basically, yes.

　But I don't believe it now.

　However, I don't believe it right now, because I remember that there was a mushroom that I was picking with a suspicious smile on my face.

"I know, you believe me. The word "basic" bothers me.

Don't worry about it. --Can I take care of the food?

Yeah. I got it. We've got all kinds of mushrooms. I'm sure you'll make a nice mushroom soup.

Well, I'm looking forward to it.

　I pull out my magic bag, take out a book from it and start reading.

　Most of the books are on my bookshelf at home, but some of the books that I might use during the adventure are in my magic bag.

　And some books that I read to pass the time.
　And right now, I'm reading...