I Transmigrated Into a Farming Sim, Turns Out It Was a 18+ Game-Chapter 17: The Tomato Trials (And Other Emotional Vegetables)

Chapter 17 - 17: The Tomato Trials (And Other Emotional Vegetables)

Eren wiped sweat from his brow as he stared at the absurdly vibrant tomato.

It was... flawless.

And that terrified him.

"I don't trust you," he muttered at the tomato.

Lira, polishing a pair of pruning shears with robotic precision, didn't even glance up. "Master Eren, are you talking to the produce again?"

"I'll talk to what I want. This one's too perfect. Either it's secretly sentient, or something went wrong in the compost again."

"I cross-referenced seventy-two horticultural databases. Your tomato is within optimal aesthetic and biological parameters."

"That's what a killer tomato would want me to think."

He eyed the vegetable suspiciously, then reluctantly added it to the basket beside him. It was the fourth batch of the day—part of his "trial runs" for the upcoming competition. If he was going to enter a farming contest judged by professionals and probably one overly attractive elf botanist (because this world had themes), he needed perfection. No room for average.

And frankly, his bar was high. He'd been cheated, chased, and harassed out of his comfort zone more in the last month than in his entire adult life back on Earth. At this point, winning wasn't just about pride—it was survival. He needed that gold. And maybe, just maybe, some peace.

Too bad peace had a name, a braid, and a habit of barging in unannounced.

The door creaked open.

"Eren?"

He stiffened.

Mira.

Sunlight followed her in, turning her hair to threads of gold-laced chestnut. She wore a pale green dress today, a little too big at the shoulders, probably inherited from her grandmother. Her boots were caked in dirt, and she held a bundle of herbs like a peace offering.

"You're... talking to the tomatoes again," she said, clearly trying not to laugh.

"They started it," Eren muttered.

She grinned and walked in, closing the door behind her with the kind of comfort that made it clear this wasn't her first time showing up uninvited. She'd gotten very good at slipping past Lira, who only half-heartedly glared at her from the corner.

"I brought thyme and mint," Mira said, placing them on the table. "Grandma used to plant them around the tomatoes. Said it made them happier."

Eren raised a brow. "The tomatoes?"

She nodded earnestly. "She said they grow sweeter when they're around friends. Plants have feelings, you know."

"...I'm surrounded by insane people."

Mira just smiled and began untying her braid, fingers deftly working through the strands. Her cheeks were flushed—probably from the sun, though it might've had something to do with the way Eren's shirt was clinging to him after an hour of hoeing. (Farming, he mentally clarified. Definitely farming.)

"Need help sorting the harvest?"

He wanted to say no. He always wanted to say no.

And yet, "Sure. Just don't touch the perfect one. It's plotting something."

She blinked, then snorted.

They worked in silence for a bit, Mira kneeling beside the baskets, occasionally humming to herself as she sorted tomatoes, onions, and beans. Eren kept pretending not to notice when her shoulder brushed his, or how she smelled faintly of chamomile and sweat and something he couldn't quite name but wanted to bottle.

Then she spoke.

"You're really going to do it, huh? Enter the competition?"

Eren hesitated. "I don't have a choice. If I win, I get permanent land rights. Gold. Status."

Mira looked down at the tomatoes in her hands. "What happens if you lose?"

He paused. "Then I go back to being the weird guy with a robot who talks to vegetables."

She smiled softly, but her eyes didn't. "You're not weird, you know."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she beat him to it.

"I mean, okay, a little weird. But... good weird. Like, the kind of weird that makes things grow."

He stared at her.

"That sounded way less dirty in my head," she added quickly, face turning the color of the tomatoes.

"Uh-huh."

Mira buried her face in the herb bundle, muttering something about planting herself in a hole. Eren chuckled under his breath. Despite himself, he liked having her around. She didn't judge. Didn't try to seduce him like the others. Well—at least not on purpose.

She looked at him again, more serious this time.

"Can I come with you? To the competition?"

Eren blinked. "Why?"

"I wanna see you win."

It was simple. Honest. Not wrapped in flirtation or manipulation. Just her being Mira—soft, sincere, and utterly disarming.

"...Sure," he said before he could stop himself.

Her smile could've outshone the sun.

They finished sorting, and Mira set to work boiling water for tea while Eren reviewed his crop stats on the interface only he could see.

[Crop Quality Status]

Tomatoes: S-Rank (possibly possessed)

Lettuce: A-Rank (slightly bitter)

Onions: A-Rank (emotional damage potential: high)

Wild herbs: B-Rank (mystical? Unclear)

[Soil Quality]: Tier 2 Enrichment, Compost Active

[Current Mood]: Anxiously optimistic ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

[Time Until Competition]: 11 days

Eren let out a long breath.

He was making progress. Actual, measurable progress.

The tea steeped in the background. Mira stood at the counter, pouring two cups, completely at home. Lira hovered behind her like a jealous toaster.

"Would you like me to initiate Defense Protocol: Cup Sabotage?" Lira asked, just loud enough for Eren to hear.

"No."

"She spends a statistically suspicious amount of time here."

"She lives next door."

Lira narrowed her eyes. "Exactly."

Eren ignored her.

Mira handed him a cup with both hands, smiling shyly. Their fingers brushed. She didn't pull away.

"Thanks," he said.

"No poison," she replied sweetly.

"I didn't ask."

"You always look like you're expecting betrayal."

"That's because I am."

They drank in silence for a moment, the kind that felt comfortable. Mira glanced around the house.

"You're not bad at this, you know. Farming. Building something."

Eren shrugged. "Just following the system. It tells me what to do."

She frowned. "But you're the one doing it. You could've given up. Lots of people would've."

He looked at her.

"You think I'm brave?"

"I think you're tired. But still trying. That's better."

His throat tightened.

God, why did she always say things that sounded like they belonged in a tearjerker novel?

"I'll win," he said suddenly, voice firmer than expected. "I don't know how yet, but I will."

"I know," Mira said, and she believed it.

She always had.

Later that night, after Mira left and Lira powered down in the corner with a soft mechanical sigh, Eren stood alone in the field.

The moonlight bathed his crops in silver. They looked peaceful. Strong.

And somewhere in the back of his mind, that old, buried part of him—the one who'd once sat behind a desk in Seoul wondering what it all meant—felt something stir.

Hope, maybe.

Or just the beginning of something bigger.

He looked up at the stars.

"Alright," he whispered. "Let's make this farm legendary."

[System Prompt: Objective Updated – Compete in Village Plant Competition]

[Optional Bonus Goals: – Submit at least one S-Rank crop: (Tomato – ready) – Utilize unique technique or innovation: (Pending) – Community engagement (1/3)]

[Progress: 20%]

[Time Remaining: 11 Days]