"Um, Kai… are you alright?"
the Fairy Goddess asked as Kai stood there, lost in thought while staring at the girl named Claire.
"Ah, yeah."
Kai answered, finally snapping out of his daze. He quickly stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes, still clinging from when he crashed into the wall.
"My name's Kai. I just moved to this village!"
he introduced himself, extending his hand to Claire. But instead of her soft, fair hand, what met him was something that looked like an enormous chicken's foot.
"Huh?"
Kai frowned in confusion, staring at it.
"Kwaaak!"
Cried the strange creature that had attacked him earlier, shoving Kai again with its clawed foot.
"Uwaaaaaahhh!"
Kai screamed as he was sent crashing into the wall once more.
"Hey, Goldchick, you can't do that!"
Claire scolded the creature, which seemed to be her pet.
Kai couldn't help but feel a little satisfied seeing the strange creature get scolded.
"You might catch some strange disease if you touch a stranger like him!"
"Oi! What do you think I am, some kind of monster!?"
Kai shouted angrily, realizing that both the girl and her pet were equally rude.
"Hahaha! Looks like you two are already getting along."
Bob laughed as he watched their exchange.
"Getting along!? In what way!?"
Kai retorted with a sulky frown.
Although the girl was indeed beautiful, if she behaved so rudely, Kai had no interest in marrying her. But if she truly forced him, then Kai would have no choice but to accept.
"Brother, you'd better not say strange things, or I'll have Goldchick kick you into outer space!"
Claire threatened, clearly displeased with what her brother had said.
"Hahaha! That would be a problem! I wouldn't be able to take care of my livestock if I were kicked into space."
'No, before that you'd die instantly if you were really sent flying into outer space!' Kai thought as he looked at the two siblings.
'Besides, could that strange creature really kick someone all the way into outer space?' he wondered while staring suspiciously at the creature.
"Kwakk!"
Kai immediately stepped back from the creature after hearing its scream.
He didn't really know what kind of creature it was, but he already understood that it would be dangerous if he stayed too close to it.
"Oh, you must be curious about what kind of animal that is, right?"
Bob asked, noticing Kai's curious gaze.
"Its name is Goldchick. He is our proud chicken and also Claire's best friend, so I hope you'll be willing to get along with him too!"
There was no way Kai wanted to befriend a creature that had kicked him the very first time they met. Besides, was that thing really a chicken? It didn't look like one at all, except for its legs and the color of its feathers, which resembled those of a chick.
"Are you sure that creature is really a chicken, and not an ostrich?"
Thud!
Kai was sent flying once again after he finished speaking.
"I'll fry you, you damn chicken!"
Kai shouted angrily, preparing to kill the creature.
"If you dare lay a hand on him, then I'll be the one to fry you!"
Claire immediately gave him a murderous glare before Kai could touch the strange chicken.
"Hahaha! I'm glad to see you've become such good friends already!"
""We're not good friends at all!""
Kai and Claire denied Bob's words at the same time. Hearing their response, Bob only smiled in delight.
"By the way, Kai... what's your reason for moving to this small village?"
Bob asked with a wide smile.
"Ah, yes... actually, I heard that this village is having some trouble, so I decided to come here and offer my help."
Kai answered in a boastful tone.
"Oh!"
While Bob smiled with interest at Kai's words, Claire gave him a doubtful, condescending look.
"And what could a man who goes flying the moment Goldchick kicks him possibly do!?"
"Shut up! That chicken's the rude one! Kicking people whenever it wants!"
"Kwaakk!"
Thud!
Once again, Kai's body was sent flying by Goldchick.
"I'll fry you up one day, just you wait."
Kai grumbled as he crashed into the wall again.
"But Kai, are you serious about what you said earlier?"
Asked Bob, his tone suddenly turning serious. Ignoring Kai who was still hurt.
"Ah, hn... I am serious! Why? Is something wrong?"
"Well, not exactly... it's just, as you can see... this is a small village with nothing much to offer, so I suppose it's only natural that they'd want to demolish it and turn it into an amusement center and shopping district... you've heard that story, haven't you?"
"Hn!"
Even though Kai actually hadn't heard about that part, for now, he just decided to nod.
"What are you saying, Brother?! There's no way we can let people like them demolish the village we love so much!"
"Hahaha! You're right! Hahaha!"
Bob laughed heartily when his sister looked displeased with what he had just said.
"I don't know why you look at me like that, but since I've already decided to help you, I'll see it through to the end!"
"This has nothing to do with an outsider like you, so it's better if you just leave this place!"
Claire clearly disliked Kai's presence. She even turned her face away from him with a sharp
"Hmph!"
"What's wrong with you? I was just trying to help."
Kai complained at Claire's attitude toward him.
"Hahaha! That's just how Claire is… she doesn't mean any harm. So could you forgive her and maybe work together with her in the future?"
"I don't need his help at all! We can solve this problem with our own strength!"
It seemed Claire didn't dislike Kai himself, but rather the idea of an outsider stepping in to handle their problem.
Kai glanced at the Fairy Goddess for her opinion. The goddess quickly understood the meaning behind his look and offered her thoughts.
"Just as her brother said, that girl doesn't bear you any ill will… it's simply that she feels outsiders look down on her village and try to drive it away. She wants to prove the people here are strong and not inferior to anyone. If you hadn't declared that you wanted to help them, her attitude toward you might not have been this harsh… though she still wouldn't be fond of outsiders."
"I see…" Kai finally understood the girl's feelings.
"Don't worry, Claire! I truly intend to help you overcome every problem here—including dealing with those who want to drive your village away."
Kai spoke with a friendly smile.
Claire gave him a sidelong glance. Though doubt still lingered in her eyes, at least she was willing to listen.
"Do you really want to help us? Without any hidden motives?"
"Well… I have to admit, I do have a certain motive for helping you."
"Hmmm… then let's hear what your hidden motive is!"
"I'm helping this village because I want to marry all the beautiful girls here!"
Kai flashed a confident grin and proudly gave a thumbs-up.
Claire glared at Kai in irritation.
Bruukk!
And once again, Kai's body slammed against the hard wooden wall. But this time, it wasn't from the kick of the giant chicken—it was from Claire's punch.
"As I thought, outsiders really are disgusting and untrustworthy! I don't want to see you again, so leave this place at once!"
Claire spat those words with clear anger, then decided to leave, unable to stand looking at Kai's face any longer. Goldchick followed obediently behind its master.
"Hahaha! You really are an amusing fellow, Kai!"
Bob laughed again as he watched Kai's eyes spin from the impact.
Afterward, Bob helped Kai back onto his feet before they bid farewell, and Kai left Bob's farm.
In the end, Kai still hadn't seen what their ranch was really like. He felt that forcing himself to look around would only make Claire even more hostile toward him. Well, he could always come back later to tour the ranch and learn about it once Claire had calmed down and their relationship improved.
"Kai, that was truly your fault! I know you were just being honest, but you should never say something like that in front of a girl!"
"Yeah, yeah… I get it… I kind of regret saying it too."
That sort of thing should only be said once they were closer.
"So, where are we heading next?"
Kai asked while checking his sore body. Even though this should be inside a game world, he could still feel pain—though not as sharply as in his original world. If what just happened had occurred back in his world, he would already be in the hospital.
"Hmmm… how about we check out the flower shop?"
"The flower shop? Why are we going there?"
"Even though it's called a flower shop, you can actually sell your harvest there, and you can also buy seeds from them."
"Why would a flower shop be in the business of buying and selling vegetables?"
"It seems she has connections with outsiders living in other towns or villages, so she often sells this village's crops and livestock to places outside."
"Why doesn't the village chief handle that instead?"
"It seems that's because she's more well-liked than Chief Van."
"Ah, I see."
Kai understood right away. Of course, anyone would rather do business with someone like her than with that cranky old man who adored little children.
Not long after, they came across a shop filled with flowers, both inside and outside. Without a doubt, this was the flower shop Kai had been looking for.
Near the flower shop, there were other stores as well, such as a bakery and a gardening and livestock supply shop. Kai planned to visit those after he finished with the flower shop.
He entered the shop without bothering to knock.
"Welcome to our flower shop."
As soon as Kai stepped inside, he was greeted by the radiant smile of an extraordinarily beautiful girl. Even though Claire was certainly beautiful, the girl before him surpassed her—at least in Kai's eyes at that moment.
She had soft, wavy pink hair that looked as smooth as silk, a warm and charming smile, and round, sparkling crimson eyes. To Kai, there was no other way to describe the being in front of him but as absolute beauty.
Kai immediately walked up to her and grasped her hands tightly with both of his.
"Um, excuse me, sir... what is it?"
The girl asked in confusion, staring at Kai who suddenly held her hands with such a serious look.
"I'm sorry if this is sudden, my beautiful young lady... but will you marry me?"
"Ehhhhhh!!!"
The girl's scream echoed throughout the entire shop in response to Kai's sudden proposal.