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Chapter 40
A faint blush crept across Ishanka’s usually composed face. If you looked closely, even his ears were slightly red. To anyone watching, it was clear—he was shyly giving flowers to a girl he liked.
But, whether fortunately or unfortunately, a message window suddenly popped up in front of Nana, perfectly obscuring Ishanka’s face. The content of the message was enough to completely capture her attention.
<Hidden Character: You received a gift from Ishanka. It’s rare for hidden characters to give gifts. Experience points have been granted to Adrienne Logitten for experiencing this new event.>
<Due to the gained experience, your profession skill has increased by 1 level. Keep doing what you’re doing. Enjoy your farm life!>
Experience points for receiving a flower crown? Thank you berry much.
Nana couldn’t stop marveling at the extra experience points that came with the crown.
“…You don’t like it?”
Seeing Nana quietly looking at him, Ishanka felt a pang of anxiety. Maybe he should have spent more time making an even more beautiful crown.
Nana, having been distracted by the message window, snapped back to attention at the sound of his voice.
“Ah, no, no! I was just surprised by this completely unexpected experience points—or rather, the gift!”
She naturally closed the message window and gently lifted the crown off her head, careful not to damage it.
“This is the first gift like this I’ve ever received. The scent is lovely, and it’s beautiful.”
She wasn’t just flattering him. The crown, with its delicate tiny flowers and a few larger, brightly colored blooms as focal points, was truly gorgeous.
“I always thought you had good hands, but I didn’t know you could make something like this.”
“When I was young, I was in charge of decorating the house with flowers. Every day, I went out to the meadows to pick wildflowers—it was part of my routine.”
Ishanka’s mother especially loved flowers. To make her happy, he would pick wildflowers to decorate pots, or craft crowns and necklaces to give her as gifts. The reward was his parents’ wide smiles and praise.
He never imagined that the skill he thought was lost to the past would be used again in this way.
“If you want, I can make one for you every day.”
Nana liked the offer, but she shook her head.
“No. I prefer looking at living flowers rather than plucked ones. So I’ll come here often.”
This is our secret place—don’t tell anyone, she added playfully.
Our secret place.
Ishanka felt his chest flutter, his heartbeat quicken. The heat he had managed to cool just moments ago now surged back. He silently prayed that Nana wouldn’t look back—his current state was probably a mess.
Fortunately for him, Nana’s attention was fully occupied. She was busy handing hoes and watering cans to zombies working with bare hands because their tools had broken.
The sound of raindrops pattering against the leaves of the crops announced a late summer rain.
For plants, it was a natural nutrient-rich fertilizer; for farmers, it was a break from the hard labor of farming.
Of course, all the direct work on Nana’s farm was done by her “zombies,” but even Nana wasn’t cruel enough to make them work in the rain.
Technically, since they were already dead, rain wouldn’t harm them—but watching zombies laboring with pickaxes and pitchforks in the rain was… horrifying.
Not wanting to witness this unpleasant sight, Nana gathered them in the densest part of the eastern forest, where they could stay dry.
She lay back, enjoying a lazy afternoon while Taanbang curled up on her lap.
Then, suddenly, the system alarm sounded.
Ding! Ding!
<Three unidentified humans are wandering along the boundary of the farmland. Do you permit them to enter?>
It was the first popup after Nana changed the entry setting from “anyone” to “only those approved by the farm owner.” Her eyes widened.
‘Are there living people near the village?’
The system occasionally irritated her, but it never lied. So this message had to be true.
Though she was curious and somewhat pleased about the appearance of new people, apart from Sam and Ishanka, it also felt suspicious.
The world was in a zombie apocalypse. The most important thing in a zombie apocalypse? Food.
Especially now, outside of Nana’s farm, barely anything could grow. Food was as valuable as gold.
Who were these mysterious humans—pitiful survivors, or potential raiders? Should she even let them onto the farm?
After tapping her lips thoughtfully, Nana quickly reached a decision.
‘Let’s go see with Isha.’
If they tried anything suspicious, she could just exile them.
Just as Nana prepared her raincoat and headed to find Ishanka, the front door opened. Ishanka entered, folding his umbrella.
“Ah, Isha. I was just about to come find you. But where did that umbrella come from?”
Unfortunately, Nana’s house had no umbrellas. More accurately, the umbrellas had been destroyed during the last meteorite gacha incident.
“I made it. Even with a raincoat, staying in the rain too long could make you catch a cold.”
Truly skilled hands. I’ve got a good worker!
“Perfect timing. There are people outside the farm, and I was going to see what they were doing.”
“Let’s get ready and go.”
Like any capable worker, Ishanka understood immediately. When he reemerged, a black long sword hung at his waist.
“Shall we?”
“Wait, wasn’t the umbrella in your left hand mine?”
Nana pointed at the umbrella he held.
“I’m lending this to those outside the farm. If they need help, I can’t just let them get soaked.”
‘Oh, right.’
Acknowledging the reason, Nana nodded. The umbrella was over her head, and they naturally walked toward their destination.
The drizzle they had been walking in suddenly intensified into a downpour. Ishanka pulled Nana’s shoulder closer.
“Move further inside. Your shoulder is getting wet.”
She wore a raincoat, so this amount of rain wouldn’t harm her.
Yet Ishanka tilted the umbrella so tightly over her, as if not a single drop should touch her.
Through the raincoat, his solid warmth pressed against her. Nana realized she was practically being held as they walked.
‘Thanks for keeping me dry… but isn’t this too close?’
She could no longer move naturally. Her face flushed, and her steps and arms creaked like a broken machine.
Calm down. Isha is just being considerate. Nothing more.
But she needed some distance. If she continued this close, her heart might really fail.
She brushed her hair back awkwardly, and raindrops ran down her cheek.
Ishanka suddenly stopped walking. Reflexively, she looked up.
“Huh? Why—?”
Before she could finish, their eyes met.
His gaze traced every detail: the raindrops sliding down her cheek, the tips of her wet hair, her slightly flushed ears.
‘Wait… what is this atmosphere?’
Her heart fluttered, and she felt flustered.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she looked away and stammered.
“Um… thanks for keeping me dry, but… walking like this is a bit uncomfortable. So…”
Before she could finish, she was suddenly lifted.
“Wha—?! What are you doing?!”
Ishanka had scooped her up from under her knees in one hand. Even in the pouring rain, the umbrella remained steady. His embrace was warm and steady.
“You said walking was uncomfortable. This will be easier.”
“No! I said I could just walk a little apart! No need to go this far—!”
“Then you’d get wet.”
“I don’t care if I get a little wet!”
“You might not die, but you could catch a cold bad enough to feel like it. So hold on tight.”
Ishanka slightly loosened the arm supporting her legs, and she wobbled. She let out a short shriek and clung tightly to his neck.
A low laugh sounded near her ear. Nana pouted.
“I’ll get revenge someday. Just you wait, Ishanka.”
“People who say ‘just wait’ are never scary.”
“I was going to make your favorite apple pie for a snack today, but now I won’t.”
“Ah, that’s a bit scary.”
Though she said it, he clearly had no intention of putting her down.
Resigned, Nana carefully leaned against Ishanka. Walking without splashing through the muddy path was surprisingly comfortable.
By now, the rain that had hammered the ground began to ease.
