Ryo didn't sleep.
He pretended to.
That counted.
"…If nothing happens, I don't need to react."
Morning came.
He opened the door slowly.
Looked outside.
"…No."
The field was normal.
Organized.
Harvesting.
Quiet.
"…Good."
He stepped out.
Cautiously.
"…Very good."
Then—
thump
He froze.
"…No."
The sound came from the expanded field.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
thump…
The crops near the edge leaned away.
Creating space.
"…They're making a path."
"…No."
System Alert
New Entity Detected
Origin: Farm Expansion Zone
Classification: Unknown
"…No."
"…Absolutely not."
The adventurer stepped beside him.
"…That's not normal."
"…I agree."
"…We should investigate."
"…We should not."
thump…
Something moved within the crops.
Larger.
Heavier.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ryo stepped back.
"…This is no longer farming."
"…It never was."
thump…
The system flickered.
System Response Delayed
"…That's bad."
"…That's very bad."
Ryo turned around.
Walked back toward the house.
"…I'm not involved."
"…You're very involved."
"…I refuse."
Behind them—
THUMP
The field had changed.
Not just growing.
Not just reacting.
Something had started.
And for the first time—
The system didn't immediately explain it.
Ryo closed the door.
"…Future problem."