Under Moge's strict supervision and repeated scolding, Uvogin was sweating profusely as he planted the seedlings.
If this had been outside under normal circumstances, and Moge dared to speak to him in such a tone, Uvogin swore he would have twisted his head off and shoved it under his backside.
But inside this wondrous rice field, he merely obediently followed Moge's instructions and arrangements.
Thus, with the trio's clumsy and hurried efforts, the entire rice field was finally filled with relatively neat seedlings.
"That's the simple completion."
Moge wiped the sweat from his face and turned toward the two companions behind him, who were also covered in mud splatters and looked as if they had crawled out of a swamp.
"In about two hours, it will be ready for harvest."
Two hours?
Machi, who had not even bothered to wipe the mud from her face, raised her head and looked at the artificial mini-sun and dark clouds above.
Combined with the rice field and seedlings below, and that strange glutinous rice cake machine nearby, no matter how she looked at it, this scene did not resemble anything a normal person should possess.
Uvogin, whose back felt almost broken from planting seedlings, also stared intently at the field.
Although such physical labor was nothing to him, Sir Uvogin, this was his first time doing it under such bizarre conditions, and he could not help feeling tense.
However, when he saw the neatly planted field and heard that results would appear in only two hours, he could not help grinning.
After all, he had planted these seedlings with his own hands.
For some unknown reason, he felt exceptionally clear-minded.
Uvogin, who did not realize that this feeling was called a sense of accomplishment, and Machi both watched the small sun and dark clouds in the sky with anticipation.
Fortunately, the following developments did not disappoint them.
In the Doraemon world, when Doraemon and Nobita once planted seedlings, the season control machine malfunctioned.
As a result, there was very little rainfall under the dark clouds, while the heat from the artificial sun intensified, causing the field to dry up and nearly crack.
While Doraemon complained about getting what he paid for, he ran downstairs and borrowed water from his mother, who was cleaning, to save the crops.
Later, too much water was poured in, causing excessive rainfall, which nearly made the rice rot.
They even had to place sun-dolls in the middle of the field, making the whole process extremely troublesome.
However, the equipment invented by Moge had no such defects.
Normal sunlight and appropriate rainfall alternated regularly.
Under this stable cycle, the rice seedlings grew vigorously.
As the rotation continued, more than an hour passed.
"They've grown taller?!!!"
Uvogin and Machi watched as the rice visibly stretched upward.
Soon, the green stalks began to bear ears and gradually turned a golden-yellow color.
Originally, before full maturity, locust eggs would usually appear and require manual removal.
But under Moge's system, even the locusts were eliminated.
Well, even if locusts had appeared, Uvogin and the others probably would not have needed mochi—they could have eaten roasted locusts instead.
And just like that, two hours passed in a flash.
A golden-yellow field entered the trio's view.
Plump grains clustered densely on the stalks, bending them under their weight.
Delicious!!
"Is this… the rice we planted?!!!"
Uvogin stared at the scene in disbelief.
He had personally witnessed the entire process from planting to maturity.
An indescribable exhilaration surged through his heart, even stronger than before.
This feeling was simply too refreshing~!!
"…"
Machi still did not say much, but her slightly pursed lips and brightened eyes revealed her emotions.
"Alright, just one last step."
Moge handed each of them a small sickle included in the planting kit.
"After cutting the rice, put it into the chimney opening of this machine."
At this point, no further explanation was necessary.
Uvogin had already rolled up his sleeves and stepped back into the field energetically.
Machi followed closely.
Looking at the golden ears, both of them subconsciously swallowed.
They already seemed to smell the fragrance.
After two hours of labor and waiting, their empty stomachs were screaming.
Now that the results were in front of them, they could no longer restrain themselves.
Clank~ Clank~ Clank~!!
For a while, only the sound of harvesting echoed in the room.
Soon, piles of rice stalks were stacked in front of Moge.
"Put them in here. The machine will hull them, steam them, and then automatically turn them into mochi."
Moge poured all the rice into the chimney opening.
As the machine vibrated, he pulled down the lever.
And then~~~
When Uvogin and Machi finished harvesting and climbed out of the field—
"This is…"
They saw square, sticky blocks of mochi, emitting a rich aroma, emerge from the bottom opening of the machine.
They were still warm, instantly washing away their fatigue.
Their eyes were fixed on the fresh mochi.
Drip.
One after another, steaming pieces continued to appear.
"Mmm…"
Moge casually picked one up and put it into his mouth.
The fragrance of sticky rice mixed with the chewy texture.
"It tastes good~~~"
He nodded in satisfaction.
Uvogin: "…"
Machi: "~~~"
Clang!!
The two immediately threw away their sickles and rushed over like starving beasts.
Crunch crunch crunch!!
Uvogin grabbed three mochi at once and stuffed them into his mouth.
The sticky, fragrant flavor exploded, rushing straight to his brain.
"Delicious~~~"
He muttered vaguely and continued eating.
If it were not for how sticky it was, he would have already swallowed everything.
Even so, he kept pace, grabbing one as soon as another came out.
Although Machi ate more quietly, her cheeks were soon puffed out.
"This is even better than the church's mochi."
She managed to say this between bites.
It was only the second sentence she had spoken since meeting Moge.
"When you make it yourself, the taste is naturally different."
Moge smiled and also picked up another piece.
The taste was indeed good, though a bit dry—having something to drink would be better.
Uvogin and Machi did not reply, burying their heads in eating.
Moge glanced at the numbers displayed on the Glutinous Rice Cake Machine.
The upper row kept increasing, while the lower row remained fixed at 219.
That meant the harvested rice could produce 219 mochi.
Originally, it should have been 259.
But due to Uvogin and Machi's inexperience, some seedlings had not grown properly.
Still, over two hundred pieces were more than enough.
Divided evenly, each person could get seventy-three.
However…
Moge glanced at Uvogin, who was still stuffing mochi into his mouth without stopping.
This big oaf clearly had no intention of sharing anything that had already reached his mouth.
But that didn't matter.