The lotion production succeeded without a hitch.

Thinking we’d need enough for all the girls, I generated small, short cylindrical containers.

Just like with the canteen, with Crafting Ability, making grooves and a matching lid that fit into them was easy.

I tried placing the containers of lotion on top of the table.

Seeing them, Shijo started trembling as she looked at me.

“C-Can I... touch it?”

“Yeah. Actually, that one’s Shijo’s.”

Shijo blinked rapidly.

“...Are you sure? I’ve been getting things all day, but I still haven’t given anything back.”

“Hey, did you forget what we were just talking about? This is our joint project, isn’t it?”

At my words, Shijo hugged the container like it was precious and smiled.

“Thank you, Kuno Sousuke. I’ll use it carefully.”

“Use as much as you need. The Recipe’s unlocked, so I can crank it out as much as we want.”

For a moment Shijo’s eyes widened, then she immediately softened into a smile.

“Heh. Now I get why the girls here trust you.”

“Because I make useful stuff?”

“No. Because you’re considerate—you make sure we don’t feel pressured.”

The way Shijo smiled gently had a different kind of beauty from her usual dignified expression.

I found myself staring without meaning to.

Shijo was staring straight back at me, too.

“Soousuke-kuuun. Sorry—can you re-place the towels for me?”

Shion’s voice came from the bath area, and we both looked away at the same time.

“G-Go help her, Kuno Sousuke.”

“Y-Yeah. And Shijo—if you want, why don’t you try the lotion right now? You just woke up, so you can wash your face too.”

“That’s true. I did just wake up... yes.”

The moment I said it, Shijo covered the area around her eyes with one hand.

“~~~~! Th-That’s embarrassing...! I can’t believe I was talking to you with my messy just-woke-up face!”

It honestly didn’t bother me, but stuff like this is all about how the person themselves feels.

Still, I made sure to tell her, “I didn’t think you looked messy.”

“O-Okay... I’ll use it right away, then...!”

She took off running, and I followed behind at a slower pace with a wry smile.

“Kyaa—! Shijo!?”

Shion shrieked as Shijo burst into the bath area.

“Sorry. I’m borrowing a bucket and some hot water. I want to wash my face and try the lotion Kuno Sousuke gave me.”

“Huh—lotion!? You made it!?”

Shion sounded genuinely shocked.

There was some distance and the folding screen was there too, so it looked like she hadn’t heard our conversation.

“Yeah—there’s one for you too, Shion. I’ll put it in the basket with your change of clothes.”

While using Storage & Replacement to dry the towels, I placed the basket right by the folding screen.

And then, Shouko and Chiyu came back.

“Big haul, big haul! The basket got full, so we came back for a bit!”

“No chickens... Let’s hope a future update adds them.”

“Welcome back. Perfect timing—the lotion just finished.”

In an instant—

“—What!?” “—Impressive.”

The two of them hopped off Mashiro, landed smoothly, and sprinted right up to me.

They were shockingly fast.

“Show me, show me!”

“I knew So-kun would pull it off.”

When I handed theirs over, they immediately shoved the folding screen aside and went into the bath area.

“Yay! Thanks, Sousuke—I love you!”

“Now, I shall present my childhood friend’s plump, bouncy skin.”

“Kyah. Geez... now it’s two of you...!”

After that, I could hear all four of them chattering excitedly.

“If it gets that kind of reaction, I’m glad I made it.”

If they were happy, that was enough.

Though... thanks to all this, I understood what lotion did now.

But what’s different about toner and serum?

Thinking about that, I walked over to the basket the other two had left behind and put it into Inventory.

“Mashiro, good work.”

I petted Mashiro as he leaned his head toward me, then started checking what they’d gathered.

There were mushrooms and nuts, plus all kinds of plants.

Not just things that looked like they could yield oil—there were also plants that could work as spices, and mountain vegetables too.

We’d gotten tough vines as well.

And then—one huge find.

Flax.

“Oh!”

That becomes linen, right?

Plant fiber—meaning with Crafting Ability, I can generate fabric!

It wasn’t a large amount, though. After generating a single face towel, most of the stock was used up.

I pulled it out into my hands.

Smooth, white fabric.

It reminded me of those hand towels you can buy at a hot spring inn.

Up until now, my former underwear had been brutally overworked as a towel, and by repeatedly using Storage & Replacement we’d been able to share it among everyone...

But if we can increase the number of towels themselves, that problem’s solved.

If we had a lot more, we could even make clothes.

Storage & Replacement after putting something in Inventory is convenient, but it doesn’t repair wear and tear.

If fabric gets scorched, it won’t restore the burned part.

...Wait. If I disassemble it once and then generate the uniform again, would that work?

The burned portion would be lost, but I could just shorten sleeves and such a little.

Come to think of it, some of the girls had complained their uniforms were too big because they’d chosen larger sizes for chest reasons—so if I disassembled and regenerated their shirts, wouldn’t the sizing become perfect and I’d get fabric out of it?

If we’re lucky, we might even be able to make one spare dress shirt for emergencies.

Anyway—towel completed.

“Hey, everyone. Try using this to dry your faces.”

I called out and walked closer to the bath area, but—

“This is amazing! It’s really lotion! As expected of Sousuke—wait, how many times have I said that already!?”

“I wasn’t just worried about dryness after washing my face—campfires dry me out too. But with this, I can relax! I can’t leave you anymore, Sousuke!”

“Forgive me. My childhood friend is considerate.”

“...Kuno Sousuke really thought hard and made this. Like it was his own problem—seriously.”

Somehow, praise was happening while I wasn’t even there.

Part of it is that Crafting is fun, but being praised doesn’t feel bad.

Honestly... it makes me happy.

“Hey. I could make towels from what Shouko and Chiyu brought back!”

I raised my voice a bit and hung it over the top of the folding screen.

“Huh, seriously? Chiyu, did we even pick up something like that?”

“No idea. I gathered things at random thinking I’d let So-kun decide.”

Then we don’t know where it came from—

...No, we could rely on Mashiro’s sense of smell.

“That, that~”

“Anyway, I’ll gratefully use it.”

It looked like Chiyu collected the towel.

After a while, the girls came out of the bath area.

When I looked closely... yeah, their skin really did seem more hydrated somehow.

Also, Shion had just gotten out of the bath, and she looked like she had a faint haze of steam about her—combined with her flushed cheeks, it was... a problem.

“So-kun, thanks. You can look forward to your reward.”

“Is there anything else we should get with what we found? We’ll go grab more!”

“Ah—if it’s ingredients, tell me too. We might be able to use them for dinner.”

“If we’re going exploring again, I’ll help too. Just tell me anything you need.”

Even though I had a convenient cheat ability, my companions didn’t just rely on it.

They always ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) thought about what they themselves could do, and they showed gratitude too.

Because of that, I could appreciate them as well—girls who had strengths and abilities I didn’t—and sometimes, I could lean on them.

Even if more people joined us from here, I wanted it to be someone we could build that kind of relationship with.

Thinking that, I started planning what we’d do for the rest of the afternoon.