33 – Pruning
[Why are you making such a scary noise?!]
I didn’t bother to catch the fleeing Pii.
The clone could run away, but the real body that mattered couldn’t move.
Pee-ee seemed to notice that fact and came back hesitantly.
Looking at its duck-like bill sticking out, it seemed to have a bad impression of pruning.
I chuckled and looked around Pee-ee’s real body.
‘You really need some pruning.’
I thought the spirit tree didn’t need pruning because of the mana enhancement, but there were already signs of breakage here and there.
‘It should be fine since it seems dull to pain.’
And didn’t Pee-ee not feel any pain when I collected its sap?
I didn’t have to worry about it suffering during the pruning process, so I could suggest pruning to Pee-ee without any burden.
I picked up the sulky Pee-ee and pointed at the branches of the spirit tree.
“Pee-ee, you know I won’t do anything bad to you. You have to trim those branches, or they’ll break easily.”
[I know that, but pruning is scary! Why do you want to cut the branches that haven’t broken yet!]
“Even if they don’t break right now, they’ll definitely break when winter comes and snow falls. You know that, right?”
[Uh-huh!]
It seemed that Pee-ee also felt the need for pruning.
I gained more confidence and started to explain the benefits of pruning.
“When the branches break, the cut surface is not good and it looks ugly. You agree with that, right?”
[…Yeah.]
“And the area that the bark has to cover increases, so the recovery speed slows down. It wastes a lot of nutrients, and the risk of pests and diseases increases.”
[Heeeng….]
“Pruning is for the sake of the tree. Don’t misunderstand that point.”
Pruning was quite similar to dental treatment from a human’s perspective.
If you postpone the treatment because you are afraid of the immediate pain, you will suffer more and more later. It was really alike in that sense.
[But it’s still scary….]
Bii, who learned about the importance of pruning, made a sad face and shook his head.
He felt like he had to do pruning, but he was still afraid of the electric saw.
He looked like a child who hated going to the dentist.
I smiled brightly and ruffled Bii’s hair.
“Don’t worry so much. Have you forgotten what I was in my previous life?”
[Huh? You were a lumberjack.]
“Not an ordinary lumberjack. You don’t know my career?”
[Your career? What was it?]
I was a lumberjack with impressive credentials.
I was recognized as an authority in the logging industry in four countries, achieved world champion in all aspects of timber sports, and was selected by Forbes as the most famous lumberjack in the world.
Of course, there were also countless minor careers that I had left behind.
But the only career that I needed to tell Bii right now was enough.
I chuckled and confidently revealed my career.
“I was a tree management master certified by the Tree Management Association. There would be no one better than me at pruning in both worlds.”
I felt a bit guilty for bragging so much, but it was an undeniable fact.
Did he appreciate my sincerity?
Bii, who had been lost in thought for a moment, grabbed my clothes and pleaded cutely.
[Then please don’t hurt me….]
“Of course. Just relax and leave it to me.”
Now that Bii had given me permission, it was time to take action.
I moved quickly to start pruning before Bii changed his mind.
I used the vines lying around to tie up the chainsaw, and I breathed in the mana in the air to prepare for the rough movement.
There wasn’t much to prepare, really.
I didn’t have to worry about being scolded for poor safety management, so I just relied on my superior physical abilities to climb the tree.
I put Bii in my chest armor and then kicked the ground and jumped up.
[Woah!]
Bii felt himself rolling around in the chest armor as I managed to hang on to a thick branch.
I had jumped at least 2m high. It was truly a monstrous physical ability.
I used the momentum to climb up the branch and then jumped again.
The branch I had aimed for was in my hand with just two leaps.
I sat on the branch and looked down. It was quite a dizzying height.
But I wasn’t scared, knowing that I would be fine even if I fell.
I felt that my range of activity had widened as my physical abilities improved.
“Then let’s start.”
[Ahh! I can’t look!]
I lifted the chainsaw on my back and checked Bii’s reaction.
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The Pii that had briefly poked its head out saw the chainsaw and hid back into the breastplate.
It seemed scared, but it didn’t look like it was going to stop me.
Then I guess I can proceed with the pruning.
I pressed the chainsaw ignition button and woke up the motor.
To minimize the possible pain of the Pii, I planned to use the most powerful output from the start.
――――――!!!
I didn’t need to enhance my body any more.
I poured all the mana I had into the chainsaw and pulled the trigger.
A roaring sound like a beast’s cry filled the area.
Then, I thrust the chainsaw into the optimal path for the Pii.
– Kwagak!!
The Pii couldn’t release its mana, so the spirit wood was incredibly hard.
But the chainsaw was cutting through it without hesitation.
It felt like I was cutting down a tree for the first time in a long time.
As I was immersed in the strange nostalgia, I heard the Pii’s scream from the breastplate.
[aaah!!!]
I was startled and stopped moving.
I felt a chill down my spine, thinking that something might have gone wrong with the Pii.
I pulled the Pii out of the breastplate and shouted.
“What’s wrong! Why? Does it hurt? Are you screaming because it hurts?”
[I, I think it hurts a little….]
“Are you okay? How much does it hurt? On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt?”
[Um… two? Three?]
That means it barely hurts.
I reflexively gave Pii a punch.
[Aak!]
“Hey, you! Stop whining! How much did it hurt when you just got hit?”
[Aaugh… five? Six?]
“You better behave yourself before I really hurt you.”
[Heeess….]
I calmed down my startled heart and lifted the chainsaw again.
I originally intended to cut only one thick branch, but Pii’s reaction was so annoying that the other branches started to bother me.
Pii, you’ve won the full course of pruning.
I ignored the screams from my chest and lifted the chainsaw.
――――――!!!
[Kyaaa!!]
From the perspective of the forest, an unfamiliar sound of trees being cut echoed loudly.
* * *
After a long time, the pruning for Pii was finally finished.
I lay down in a suitable shade and looked up at Pii’s body.
A straight trunk that rose up in a line and healthy branches that stretched out neatly.
After pruning, Pii’s body was truly an ideal plane tree like no other.
[Wow! I feel so light!]
Pii also liked his own appearance and ran around brightly.
I didn’t know why he screamed so much when he was happy.
I smiled with an expression of disbelief, and Pii pointed to his body and shouted.
[I’m so pretty! Right!?]
Of course he was pretty, but I didn’t know if I could use the expression pretty for a tree.
I chuckled and got up from my seat and headed to where the sap faucet was.
I was thirsty because I had worked for a long time.
Even though he was pruning, the sap was flowing, and there was a cup of sap in a transparent glass bottle.
[Ah! Are you going to drink it now?!]
“Yes. I’m so thirsty right now.”
[Well, I can’t help it. You worked hard, so I’ll let you drink it specially.]
“Thank you.”
I stroked Pii’s head and lifted the glass bottle.
Then I started to evaluate the sap like a sommelier.
There was no special meaning to the sap evaluation.
I just wanted to see Pii’s embarrassed expression.
“Hmm. The fresh plane tree scent is richly rising. I can tell that the natural mana is abundant without drinking it.”
[Hey! Why are you sniffing me!]
“Slurp. Oh wow. The sweetness is much higher than I expected. It surpasses the sweetness of the maple tree sap that you love so much. I can’t believe your sap is this delicious. I’ve been missing out on life until now.”
[You, youu!! Are you really going to do that?!]
“Grrr! It’s so smooth going down my throat! And it’s so tasty! I want to live on your sap instead of water every day!”
[Eek!!]
I was teasing him with a lot of fuss, but it was all sincere without any lies.
His sap was really delicious.
It was a taste that was incomparable to any liquid I had ever drunk in my life.
More than anything, the refreshing sensation that spread through my body was really addictive
What do you mean by that, Pii!
You were able to make equipment with your branches?!
“I’m sorry!”
[Ack! Go away! I don’t like you anymore!]
“I love you! You’re the only one for me!”
[Woah! Get your face away!]
I desperately tried to appease Pii’s anger by cooing.
But Pii, who was firmly angry, turned his back on me completely.
But there is no tree that doesn’t fall after ten strikes.
Pii quickly calmed down when I promised him a ‘wish’.
[Don’t go back on your word later!]
“Of course not. Do you think I would?”
I would have granted him anything he wanted even without a wish.
This was clearly a win-win situation for me.