In the stillness of the night, when all is silent, the tavern glows with dim lights.
Naoki leans against the bar counter with his arms crossed, gazing at Cyclizar drinking Berry Juice in the soft candlelight, his expression growing increasingly gentle.
The old-fashioned wall clock ticks away, and before he knows it, the time has reached 9:30.
Yet Naoki feels no trace of sleepiness, as he wipes away the dust on wine glasses while pondering his plans for the future.
Today is June 28th, with only two days left until the end of summer.
Next will come autumn, when the maple leaves turn yellow.
The season change is usually a busy period, not only requiring plowing and sowing but also watering and fertilizing.
When Zack came to collect goods in the evening, Naoki heard him say that ranchers at other ranches were nearly overwhelmed.
In comparison, his ranch was considerably more relaxed.
For plowing, there’s Diglett; for watering, Dragonite; Cyclizar and Koraidon also help him sow seeds, so fertilizing is the only task that takes a bit of time.
Besides this, there’s the matter of brewing to be busy with.
Brewing doesn’t simply involve throwing hops into oak barrels; the steps are complex and tedious, impossible to complete in a short time.
Not to mention, he’s clueless about the brewing process and still has to learn gradually.
The beginning is always difficult, the start is hard.
Perhaps, once he becomes familiar, things will be much easier.
The ranch handbook given by Mayor Thomas records the entire brewing process in detail.
Besides ordinary barley beer, there are all sorts of flavored fruit wines.
Fruit wine can be made with normal fruits or Berries.
Speaking of Berries, Naoki remembers the Berry Garden on his ranch.
Over the summer, they’ve grown significantly, transforming from tender saplings into sturdy fruit trees.
At this growth rate, by mid-autumn, he’ll be able to harvest a large basket of Berries.
The fruit trees he planted in spring should bloom and bear fruit even earlier.
But the sale price of Berries is too low, and Naoki is reluctant to sell them, thinking it’s better to keep them as snacks for the Pokemon on the ranch.
At that moment, several small figures flew in from outside.
Naoki looked up to see Dratini and Dragonair entering the tavern.
He was surprised by the sight: "Why aren’t you sleeping?"
"Woo~"
The Dratini and Dragonair glanced at each other, blinking.
They had been sleeping but noticed the lights on here amidst their drowsiness, so they curiously came to check it out.
"Alright." Naoki said with a smile: "Since you’re here, have a drink!"
Upon hearing this, three Dratini and two Dragonair approached the bar.
Naoki introduced: "There’s MooMoo Milk, freshly squeezed Berry Juice, and various flavored Berry Milk. Take a look and see which you like?"
The little dragons peered at the juices laid out on the bar, then lightly curled their tails to choose their preferred drink.
Naoki pointed at the table and chairs over there: "You can drink while chatting over there."
Dratini and Dragonair happily agreed, clutching their juices and heading to a small round table, where they sat around drinking juices and transformed into little chatterboxes.
Cyclizar had finished drinking, placed the empty glass down, and stood beside Naoki, looking at him with pure eyes as if asking if there was anything it could help with.
"Nothing," Naoki said with a smile as he patted its head: "It’s just a trial opening, no need to be nervous."
Even in a real opening, not many wild Pokemon would come here.
After all, their tavern was still largely unknown.
Early on, most of those coming here to relax and drink were the Pokemon from the ranch.
Because Dratini and Dragonair were drawn to the place and seemed to enjoy it a lot, Naoki stayed in the tavern for a while longer.
Unexpectedly, Koraidon also came running over shortly.
Upon waking up, Koraidon discovered Naoki’s presence was no longer in the room.
It panicked a little and hurried outside to find him.
Neither the living room nor the study nor the bathroom had him...
Koraidon glanced outside and saw the lights on in the tavern.
When it arrived, it found Naoki chatting with Cyclizar there, a gentle smile on his face.
Koraidon: "..." Feeling a bit sour inside.
Shortly after Koraidon arrived, Pawmo and Alcremie also came looking for him.
Naoki dutifully played the role of barkeeper, ensuring each Pokemon got a drink they liked, and then directed them to sit there and chat.
In the midst of drinks clinking, the small tavern became lively.
There were even Pokemon perfectly role-playing as wild Pokemon coming to drink.
Naoki: "..." Just felt like he was playing house.
He shook his head, feeling amused and helpless.
Having spent so much time with these childish Pokemon, he too had unknowingly become more childlike.
*
The following day, after finishing work at the ranch, Naoki went to the seed shop in the town and purchased a batch of corn seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
These crops are summer-autumn plants and can be planted continuously.
Though the residence has been fully expanded, it doesn’t mean he has nothing left to do.