Hi everyone! imaginebelieve comes back with another story; this time, it will be on Story of Seasons! Broadly speaking, I am very pleased with the game system and the translation. Feels like BokuMono grows up with all of us, too!
So... I have seen the bachelors (including Cam, who almost tempted me from Ash when I played ToTT) and decided my pick on Klaus, the oldest bachelor of the row. He is different from Soseki, as far as I know and he has been an interesting character. (I thought I would have a hard time of picking between Klaus, Raeger, and Nadi... but 1 full year of the game and I am glad of my choice)
I know that many people drop Klaus from their choice because he mentions the age gap too much while he doesn't look THAT old. In his defense, presented by yours truly, I do think considerable age gap is one HUGE problem in romantic relationships and we never knows how the MC reacts every time Klaus brought that up, so... yeah. Some felt disturbed when he "cursed" 'idiot' in one of the flower events (no more spoilers for those who are not aware yet), but given the circumstances (I saw it, of course), I am GLAD he said idiot or else I'm questioning his affection (or whether he has emotions)... and NO guys I am not a shipper of abusive relationships in any sense of abuse (besides the Japan script was bakayarou, quite harsh, so I think XSeed translates it pretty accurately to 'idiot' rather than mere 'stupid'). Can't go any further without further spoiler, I'd suggest you see the screenshots for the event in question if you are curious (There is on mariethecrocheter tumblr page)
I think Klaus is one of the most realistic bachelors in the title, with considerable depth in his personality, and I hope this story can do him justice.
Sorry for my long rant people. I just feel like I need to defend Klaus.
P.S.: I like Nadi, too, but for some reasons his impression on me wasn't as striking as Neil although it is claimed that Nadi is the tsundere bachelor of this particular title.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the franchise and the character except for my OC. I have the plot (most of it, since I will be picking some scenes from the games) and the willingness to write this story, of course.
The young woman looked at the vast expanse of grass in front of her. She closed her eyes and somehow the voices she tried to bury deep within her resurface… again.
"Doggy! Doggy!"
"Rae is the little doggy~"
She winced. No matter how many years had passed, the memory still stung her heart.
Should I? she hesitated.
Taking a deep breath, she finally reached to slip off the mask covering her nose and mouth. She exhaled and took another breath with a mixture of anticipation and worry.
It smelled so… light.
Maybe the decision to leave the city behind in favor of the countryside was right, after all.
Raelyn walked with renewed vigor and lightened steps towards the town. Oak Tree Town; she never heard of the town before this, actually.
Perhaps that's a good sign. She could really start over, from scratch, in this town.
Finally, she made it to the place she was directed to in her acceptance form: the Guild. Taking another deep breath, relishing in the freshness and lightness of the scent of countryside, Raelyn knocked on the door.
"Please come in!" replied a voice from inside.
The pinkette opened the door and found a woman standing inside. She was tall, clad in a simple yet elegant blue-and-white dress with long sleeves and high collar. She smiled. "You must be Raelyn Forrester," she said. "I am Veronica."
Raelyn smiled and bowed politely. "Nice to meet you."
"So how do you find this place so far?"
"It smells nice," she replied without any further thought. She realized it a moment later and covered her mouth in slight embarrassment. However, Veronica didn't seem to mind that at all. "I guess it would feel that way for people from the city," she said with a sympathetic tone.
Raelyn laughed softly, trying to cover her embarrassment.
Veronica was both amused and impressed by this young girl. Actually, the decision of picking her from numerous applicants was a bit of a gamble; this girl was twenty—making her the youngest applicant for the position. However, she could feel her determination through the application. At the very least, she had enough guts to apply. Veronica thought she might just take the chance with this young girl.
They sorted out some paper works as Veronica told her briefly about the town. After a while, Veronica declared that they were ready to go.
"Um… where?" Raelyn asked sheepishly. Nevertheless, she followed the guild leader out from the building.
"To Madam Eda's place," Veronica replied kindly. "She will mentor you through the basics of farming."
When she was a child, the sight of her mother and aunt working on the farm back in her hometown was an everyday thing, but she did nothing much except for feeding the animal and watering... some actual practice would do her good, she thought.
"I see…"
"Madam Eda is the most experienced farmer we have around," Veronica explained further. "I am sure you can benefit much from her experience."
Just as they were about to leave the town—apparently the farms were located outside of the town—Raelyn's nose caught another scent. She raised her head slightly and met a pair of striking golden eyes. She opened her mouth slightly, unsure as to what to say.
The man in front of her was tall and lean, with raven black hair and sharp eyes. He wore a set of green suit and golden cravat above white shirt, black trousers and a pair of knee-high dark brown boots. Very attractive, Raelyn thought briefly, but above all that… he smelled nicer than most of the men she had come across.
"Good day, Madam Veronica," he greeted before meeting her eyes again. He smiled. "And I believe you are the new farmer who are going to stay here… Miss Raelyn, am I correct?"
Raelyn blinked for several times before realizing that he was actually talking to her. She immediately bowed, a bit too deeply thanks to her nervousness. "O-oh! Yes! Yes, I am Raelyn! Nice to meet you!"
That man smiled. "I am Klaus," he introduced himself. "See you around, Miss Raelyn."
Raelyn held her breath, as if the action could make his scent—whatever it was—stayed.
They parted ways and Veronica brought her to Eda. The latter was an elderly woman, as old as Raelyn's own grandmother, with a rather plump build. She showed her the room she would be staying in until her own farm was ready, and Raelyn put her bag down.
"Your training will start tomorrow, dearie," she told her.
Raelyn nodded.
OK, she told herself. This is my new beginning.
Her own new beginning...
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^
About the OC: Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my newest OC: Raelyn Forrester! As you might or might not have guessed, if you read my previous stories on ANB, she is the daughter of Neil and Reine. But no, I do not make this as a continuation of UTW, COOH, or any of my NeilxReine story... for this story's purpose, Neil and Reine met in Echo Town... which is why I put a slight reference to the said title.
