Chapter 1

Left Out to Pasture

Am I pulling a bit of a P5 with Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons? Kind of… I know what the main imports/exports are in Japan, and reality can be bent for fun. Also, Shido is not the person assaulting the woman in the beginning for obvious reasons. Just imagine it was the SIU director.

Italics = Ren's thoughts

Late Afternoon- 1st of April

This car trip was endless, at least seemed to be in the frizzy black-haired young man's eyes. The scenery was pretty for the first few kilometers after getting out of town, but everything looked the same after a while. The air inside the vehicle was getting stagnant as well, and the only liquid available to him was a past-lukewarm water he had brought from his home. He was still wearing his now former school clothes because they were somewhat comfortable. Where he was headed, though, they would not be of much use. The story on why he was headed there was incredulous, ridiculous, and downright frustrating.

The reason he was in this vehicle headed far out to who knows where was for what he considered a ridiculous reason. Every Thursday, he left his high school slightly later than usual due to club commitments. On his somewhat long walk back home from high school, he heard a distressed voice of a woman calling out for someone to leave her alone, followed by a retort of a rough male voice telling her to get into a car. He quickened his pace to see if he could help the woman, but the response of the apparently inebriated man was to stay away from him and the woman. Regardless, despite the man's warnings and continued approaches towards the woman, he still attempted to help by not quite pulling the drunk man away. It caused the older male to slip and fall, which resulted in a minor injury. Stopping him inadvertently should have been the end of it, but the older man apparently had sway with officials and he was the one who was arrested.

Being arrested, even if it was for a ridiculous reason, was still enough to send him on a ridiculous spiral towards his current situation of being stuck in a car for an amount of time even he had lost track of.

After being put in handcuffs and booked on assault charges, which included a lengthy probation sentence, he was expelled from his high school for the black mark put on his record. His parents were more than ashamed for what had happened, completely disregarding the situation, and did their best to try and force him out of the household. The only positive thing they did for him was try and find a new place for him to live, only because he had first mentioned that he wanted to find another school to finish his education even if it meant sending him to Tokyo or some other big city. However, no school in Japan apparently wanted a person with a record like his in their school. With no opportunity for returning to school in the near future presenting itself to his parents, a few more tendrils of communication reached out.

One day, a few weeks after being released, just before dawn, an old white car arrived in front of his parents' home, unannounced. The only warning being that his parents had subtly mentioned that a solution had been found, but nothing about attending a new school was in the conversation. Out from the white car stepped a middle-aged man, somewhat balding with a somewhat lengthy but well-kept beard. The man was wearing a stunning white suit and matched it was a similar white hat once he closed the door to his vehicle. The man headed straight to his house and then proceeded to introduce himself to his parents, and then to the frizzy-haired young man who had only gotten up a few minutes ago.

"I'm Sojiro, and I'm here to take you to your new residence," he said curtly. He seemed very straightforward.

Not knowing exactly how to respond in kind, the frizzy-haired boy said in response, "My name is Ren. Thank you for picking me up."

Sojiro just nodded, looked at Ren's parents and asked them, "So, this is the guy. Is he packed because we're on kind of a tight schedule if we want to get back before tomorrow?"

Ren's parents looked at their child for a response.

They sort of mentioned that they had found somewhere for me to go, but they never said where I was going or when I was leaving.

Ren admitted to the visitor, "I have a few things thrown together, but no one has told me where I am going." This response got him disapproving glances from his parents, probably because of his admittance that they did not tell him where he was going, or that he had not packed at all. Most likely both reasons were why they were giving him disapproving glances.

Sojiro looked him up and down, mainly at his white polo and pants ensemble, "Well, where you're going those clothes will be ill-suited for your work."

I mean if I'm at a new school, I'll have a uniform.

Sojiro continued, while shrugging, "I guess if there is a festival, they might be suitable, but day-to-day work will require something a little more heavy-duty." He turned to Ren's parents and asked, "Does he have any overalls, workmanlike-clothes?"

Ren's father replied, "I think there's an old pair of mine that he could fit into. It might be a little loose for him at the moment, but with a little muscle growth."

Overalls? What exactly will I be doing?

Regardless of his confusion, he was soon rushed upstairs to finish throwing together some clothes and toiletries into something that could not really be a proper piece of luggage. It was a large cardboard packing box that was covered in masking tape. With his father's slightly worn overalls brought to him, most likely from a part-time job at a gas station or who knows what, he finished taping up the box and found himself giving hasty farewells to his parents as he and Sojiro lugged the big box into the backseat as miscellaneous goods that were already lying in the trunk made it an impossible fit.

Was that an espresso machine?

Ren still had not made much if at all conversation with Sojiro since the joint exchange that included his parents. Besides giving Ren directions about where to put that big box that included clothes and basic necessities… outside of keeping the overalls, sleepwear, and some basic toiletries in a bag in the backseat, there was no other words spoken even after the man ditched his white hat, started up his car, and left Ren's home and town.

I still pretty much don't know what exactly is going on. This is so stupid, but I should probably figure out what the supposed plan is in case I need to jump out the car door or something.

A few minutes into the trek, Sojiro finally chimed in, "From what I've heard, you stopped some guy from forcing himself on some girl, the guy got hurt, and then he sued you." When Ren nodded, Sojiro continued. "It's what you get for involving yourself in adults' business."

It's a bad thing to interject when some old guy was going to do something illegal. Why should he not be punished and why should I be punished because I was young and stopped it?

"I only did it beca…," Ren started his complaint, but never got to finish his fifth word.

"If people have influence and power, adults can treat children like they're useless cattle." Sojiro interjected almost forcefully. "To be fair, they can do that to most adults, too." His voice softened slightly as he added. "Well, you won't be considered a child for the next year or so."

This guy did have the power to influence the police… Wait, I won't be considered a child? Where exactly am I going?

Ren shook his head and pried for the information he needed, "If you don't mind me asking, but considering my parents never explained what was truly going on. So, do you think you can tell me where we are going?"

Sojiro appeared to roll his eyes, yet still looking forward on the road, "We're headed to a small town, actually closer to a village in size."

"What's the name of this village?" Ren asked.

"Yongen," Sojiro responded.

It sounds similar to Sangenjaya in Tokyo, but I have never even heard of Yongen.

The typical vestiges of civilization had started to disappear as the two began their conversation, but Ren still needed a lot more information, "You're saying I won't be considered a child at Yongen, but what stops people older than me from doing so?"

"Well, some people in authority might do so, but most people, regardless of age, will treat you with respect as long as you do." Sojiro explained succinctly. "That's because you will be learning to be a functioning member of society doing work that benefits the community."

So, I'm not going to school?

"That means my parents didn't find a new school for me to attend, it seems," Ren gave his assumption.

"That's right," Sojiro said. He added. "Your parents worked it out with your old school, though, on what you could do to be able to return to classes."

"And that would be…?" Ren started.

"Living in Yongen and working on a restoration project inside the limits," Sojiro answered the question.

Restoration project? What is he talking about?

"The restoration project is one that is a benefit to the community and society as a whole," Sojiro continued through Ren's thoughts. "You will be restoring and working on an old family farm."

A farm? What!? I'm not a farmer.

"I'm supposed to restore and work on a farm?" Ren gave Sojiro an incredulous look, even if Sojiro's face was turned away from him. "Farms are never run by one person, alone."

"You'll be getting some help when it comes to certain tasks and logistics, but yes, a majority of the grunt work will be your problem. It's to teach you to become a functioning adult." Even with the gruff statement, Sojiro seemed slightly conflicted. He then sighed. "It's not like anyone is expecting miracles here."

Anyone?

When Ren voiced his thought, Sojiro explained, "The villagers don't expect you to stimulate the whole economy of Yongen." A small mutter did emerge from his breath. "Though it wouldn't hurt if you did."

What did he say at the end?

Sojiro again broke through Ren's thoughts with a slightly sterner tone, "It doesn't mean you can slack off, or not produce any results at all. You are on probation after all, and they will want to know what you're doing."

Of course they do.

The conversation slowed down for a while with nothing to focus on but open road, landscape, and the occasional vehicle going past. Ren started to take a deep breath and get a grasp of the situation. He was being sent to an even smaller locale than his own, where he would be expected to work on a farm. He was no farmer. The only experience he had with planting crops was planting a flower and measuring its continuing growth for a school project, and the only experience he had with animals was when it was his turn to take care of the school pet back years ago. He barely remembered doing any of that. Was he expected to till fields, fertilize, plant and harvest by himself?

If I'm expected to milk a cow or something, I'm going to go crazy. At least, he said I'll be treated like an adult.

It was another thirty to forty minutes of endless driving before he checked his phone. With no reception, Ren shook his head at the absurdity of it all. There should not be a place in the country where reception did not exist for his phone, even if they are on the road.

No reception bugged him, but he tried to push it out of his mind and catch a quick nap or something of that sort. He was never averse to taking a nap, especially if there was nothing else for him to do. The time asleep was fleeting, though. Again and again, Ren soon found himself idly watching the countryside.

I really should have brought a book or something. Maybe if I had more time to pack? Or knew that I had to pack today at all?

With a lack of diverse scenery in view, Ren turned his attention to Sojiro for the moment, "Going with the assumption that you are a resident of Yongen, can I ask what your job in Yongen is?"

The question did seem a little direct, but Sojiro answered it regardless, "I operate the restaurant and registration side of the town's inn."

Does that involve coffee-making?

Ren decided to pry a little more, "Does your inn get a lot of traffic?"

Sojiro's nod was miniscule, "Most of our visitors are merchants looking to buy and sell wares or other items." His tone changed to slightly forlorn from the usual gruffness displayed earlier. "We used to get tourists and such during festival times, or just to view the countryside. I guess old-fashioned just do not equal success these days."

To be honest, I would probably agree. I have a feeling that cell coverage is going to be just as spotty in Yongen as it is on our drive over. Who knows how far behind the times my destination is? There are festivals, though. I doubt I get to take Golden Week off I'm supposed to be a farmer. Though is Golden Week really a festival, or is it just a series of holidays? Plants won't water themselves…

Ren's thoughts continued to wander aimlessly as the drive continued and continued. He lost track of where he was, generally because of what seemed like the lack of road signs showing themselves. The drive seemed so uneventful he barely remembered if he ate lunch or not.

Eventually, day turned to dusk, and then evening as the overbearing sun fell giving way to a warning crescent moon. When Sojiro made a slow turn to the right, the road the two had been traveling on degraded slowly from fine asphalt to dusty dirt-laden patchwork that finally became seemed to be just a dirt road over grass itself. The road, lacking barriers, did not seem to be well-traveled by cars, and Sojiro slowed down his vehicle as he traversed along the dusty path.

One kilometer and two turns later, a large wooden arch standing high above the road with a sign nailed on the center greeted the two as Sojiro slowed even more than he had when the road changed textures. The sign read 'Yongen'.

I guess we've arrived.

As the two ambled through in the car, the roads thinned slightly, and even more in various turn-offs. Sojiro, however, stayed on the same path where the road was the widest. Ren assumed it was the main road of the village.

The illumination was not the greatest, as most of the light came from a moon that was nowhere near being full, but Ren could still see that from the outlying roads were rustic homes built in a style that could pass for a time well before the present.

I see a lot of wood and what I assume is metal roofing, but it doesn't seem early 20th century Japanese either. This has to be a portal to another country in another time period, seriously.

Regardless of how Ren assumed the buildings looked in the moonlight, he shifted his attention back to the main road where there were two paths that broke off to the right hundreds of meters after each other. The path's farther away turned to cobblestone at the turn while the path closer away dissipated completely. Sojiro took the closest path to where the "road" disappeared.

There may be a lack of road, but in Ren's vision came into view a quite large two-story fancy wooden building with two doors of somewhat similar material facing the front of the building. One of the wooden doors, on the left side of the front if facing head-on to the building, about twenty-five percent of the way across was well-lit due to multiple windows on the second floor that what appeared to be lighting. There were most likely second-floor windows on the other sides of the building. There were a few windows by the left side door on the first floor as well. A large wooden divider, though not completely cutting off the building, cut into the middle of the building. The right side of the front of the building, equidistant to the door on the left, was a door exactly the same in every dimension. However, there were more windows and lighting on the first floor, and only one window at the front of the second floor in this half of the building. The second floor window was dark as well.

What is this place? Sojiro's place of work?

Sojiro stopped his vehicle just about in front of the middle of the building, about ten to fifteen meters away. As he cut the engine, the bearded middle-aged man turned his head towards Ren and said in an authoritative voice, "Grab the extra pair of clothes from the back and head inside. I'll meet you there. Don't worry about your big box of stuff right now."

Don't worry about it, huh? Guess I'm not living here.

Ren reached into the back seat for what would be his clothes for tomorrow and a small bag of toiletries he could keep hold of in one hand. With the clothes in his other arm, he asked Sojiro what seemed like an obvious question, "Which door should I go through?"

Sojiro looked slightly annoyed as he unbuckled, "There are signs, you know." The man in the white suit sighed. "Just go through the door on the left and I will be right behind you."

Signs? I didn't see any signs.

In spite of Ren's confusion, he reached for the handle of the car door with his right hand, and took his first steps into Yongen. With his clothes under one arm and the hastily put together toiletries bag in the other, Ren walked towards the left-side door of the large wooden building. It was only as he drew close to the door that he noticed a wooden sign of a different shade plastered to the middle of the door that read 'Inn and Café'

This sign is way too small. It's flanked by four windows that easily overshadows it. The only reason it could be picked out is the fact that it looks it's been stained a different color and it's not been etched in or anything. If this is the inn and café, I wonder what the other door's sign says…

Ignoring of what he thought was a lack of good marketing, Ren opened the door with his somewhat free hand to enter the inn/café. Inside, he was greeted to a quaint yet inviting sight due to its oddly familiar vibe that touched him. Besides a rectangular rug that Ren's feet touched upon entering the room, the first floor was covered in fine wooden planks that looked immaculate in its cleanliness. Two wooden tables with four similar chairs were placed in the bottom left corner of the inn/café, while another longer table that seated six was on the opposite corner just below a table that curled inwards with plush-backed seating against the wall to go along with two wooden chairs. That table could probably sit five at most. Not quite at the end of the first floor was a reception desk with sets of keys behind a glass case that had a keyhole in front of the case. The case that lodged the keys served as part of the back of the reception desk, apparently for easy access to whoever was running the reception. To the left of the reception desk, which stood about halfway between the wall and the divider to the other premises, was a burgundy-laden carpeted staircase with wooden handrails. At the top of the staircase, there was rooms at the back and a left turn off the staircase. With that being the case, a wooden bannister was also present on the second floor.

I see tables, but where is the café? I can tell there's an inn, and I see random tables, but where would food be produced?

Ren's eyes were drawn to the right at that point due to the clinking of glasses by a woman with very short black hair. That was all he could make out of her appearance, though, as she had disappeared from his sight. The divider, while jutting out slightly from the building on the outside, was actually an archway that separated the inn and its tables from what appeared to be a bar. It also served as a good impediment of Ren's vision to two small wooden tables that held two people each that were placed right beside of the right door. One table stood by each side of the door.

The bar itself was an immaculate piece of polished, finished wood with five stools lining the opposite side. Behind the bar were not only various liquors, but also other pots and what looked like equipment that had nothing to do with the consumption of alcohol. It had more to do with the creation of food. Though it would make sense as bars serve food, some of the equipment seemed to be a little fanciful for bar food. It looked like the back of the bar was also the kitchen, and that food ordered for the inn/café was made at the bar and served across the divider.

Though Ren was not able to make out everything inside on the opposite side of the building, the inn side's first floor was adorned with beautiful paintings. They drew out feelings of longing inside, one in particular as he stepped forward to take a better look at the painting of a young woman holding a baby swaddled in red cloth.

"You finally stopped blocking the doorway," a familiar blunt voice from behind Ren called out.

Ren did not turn around, but took another step forward to give Sojiro room to get inside the building. Sojiro continued, "Do you like those paintings?"

"This one…," Ren motioned to the painting of the woman. "I can't quite put forth how I feel about them. Just that they're really pretty."

Sojiro made an indiscrete noise and explained, "All of the paintings in this building were painted by the mother of one of the current residents."

"That's impressive," Ren replied. "She must be talented."

Sojiro pursed his lips and said, "She passed about… twelve, thirteen years ago, now."

Jeez…

The slightly beyond middle-aged man now stepped past Ren and pulled out a key from his pocket as he moved to the reception desk. Sojiro opened up the case and from it, took out the bottom left most key from three rows. It was only the third key that had been removed. Sojiro walked back to Ren and handed the key over.

"Your room for tonight is 209," Sojiro explained. "Breakfast will be at 6:30 a.m., so if you're still sleeping, you don't eat."

I'd rather sleep.

"I understand," Ren pushed that stray thought aside.

He did feel a little tired, as a lot of long aimless car rides generally did. With that in mind, he ambled his way to the staircase and slowly made his way up to the second floor. The room straight across from the stairs was 201, so he made a turn to the left since it appeared that room 209 would be the last room if he went in that direction. Futilely, he made a mindless check of his phone, and as he thought, there was no reception on the device.

What place are we in where there is no cell phone reception? Maybe they sent me to one of those tech purge places.

Ren was so focused on his phone, and the fact he would not be able to use it at that location, that he did not notice the orange and black blur that mindlessly rammed into him. Ren stumbled and then nearly tumbled to the floor, catching himself from falling on his rear with his right arm at the last second. Luckily, his toiletries bag was zipped shut, and he had not lost hold of the clothes he was going to wear tomorrow. The one object that did to appear to have slipped out of his grasp was the phone he had been holding before he was run into. He gathered his bearings and first looked down to see if he dropped it nearby. When Ren could not see it on the floor, he looked straight up to see the phone being held by another person.

Who is that!? And why does she have my phone!?

The person that was holding Ren's phone, tapping away at the screen, was one of the shortest teenage girls the frizzy-haired boy had ever seen. A girl with large black glasses, she had long orange hair that stretched past her waist down to very short black shorts. She had a green winter coat on of all things, fur on the hood and everything, but her spindly arms were not inside the coat. She was also wearing a white shirt that did not cover her shoulders or even reach anywhere near that height. Underneath her white shirt was a black top that still did not touch the shoulders, but at least reached her neck. The only other piece of detachable clothing was a set of black headphones with red coverings that were attached to no actual playable electronic.

This girl has my phone.

The girl looked so completely engrossed in his phone, no matter its capability, that she did not even notice the original owner of the phone calling out in a stern but quiet voice, "Excuse me…?"

Unabated by Ren's words, the girl said aimlessly, "Still no reception… when are they going to put in a tower?" The girl continued to play with the phone even with her comment.

Since he was being ignored, Ren decided to take a step forward and tower over the girl. With a good amount of height above her, he lowered his head slightly towards her and repeated the same statement as before. The young girl slowly raised her head from the screen, her eyes and glasses locking with Ren's own much smaller frames. The look on her face went from ecstatic to something akin of shock and fright. She dropped the phone back into Ren's hands, and then ran past him to one of the other rooms. A few seconds later, her room door opened and closed abruptly.

Too weird… at least she was a little sister kind of cute.

Putting the petite girl into the back of her mind, Ren gathered himself and headed to his room. He shifted his key around in his hand and inserted it into the lock. A turn of the key and then a turn of the handle by Ren gave him his first view of his lodgings.

The sight that befell him in this room and a half was a rustic and charming affair. The double bed against the side wall was covered in a dark-colored cover with barely discernible ribbon-like affair along the edges. There was no television or anything similar in the room. However, the green walls were adorned with crown molding and above the headboard was a painting that Ren could only assume was painted by the same woman who had painted the ones on the first floor. There was an end table that was topped by an out-of-date clock that was meant to be use as an alarm, as well as a small houseplant.

Straight to the right of Ren, away from the bed and table, was the side room that above linoleum contained a simple wash basin, tub, and toilet for any reasons he might need to use them for.

That aside, Ren dropped his extra clothes off next to the bed while keeping his hand on the bag that held his toiletries. He went inside and ran the bathwater while simultaneously started other tasks for the evening. When the water was of a suitable temperature, he entered and began to lose himself in thoughts.

If this is the inn and bar, I wonder what the rest of Yongen is like… I still don't know why they need a single farmer for a small farm. I understand having multiple employees for big farms, but automation does most of the work in those places. This farm has to either be small or really dilapidated. Maybe it's both small and dilapidated?

Thoughts such as this continued to roll through Ren's head as he finished his bath. He then stepped out of the tub and dried himself off before proceeding to changing into what could be considered nighttime clothing, a looser shirt and gray sweats. He went back to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth before heading off to bed.

Right before he pulled back the covers, he went to the single window and cracked it slightly. The refreshing and calming air was something that not even his middle-sized town did not have. A deep breath brought in a feeling of nature.

The air feels pure, practically untouched by pollution and industrialization. I guess… it starts… tomorrow. Whatever it… is.

Ren could not put off sleep forever, though. He left the window open, just barely, and pulled back the dark-colored covers. Though he did not feel that tired as he slipped into bed, he fell asleep almost the instant his head touched one of the fluffy pillows. What seemed like moments later, was a sharp rapping at the door.

Wha…

Ren could not form a coherent response in his half-asleep state, but it had to be rather early for him to feel this tired. The sun was still refusing to completely show itself as the moon was still being its stubborn self. It felt like he was getting up for a project he had not yet finished until the day it was due, or a test he had not started studying for until the day of. He could not find the energy to roll himself out of bed, only complying when the rapping on the door continued for a second time.

Ren shut his eyes as hard as he could for a moment, blinked twice, and then responded to the person who was knocking on the door, "I'll be there in a minute."

There was no verbal response, but the knocking on the door ceased immediately. With that, Ren pushed himself up and off the bed and hurriedly threw himself into the bathroom to wash his face and take care of other needs. Once finished, he quickly changed out of the pants and shirt he had been wearing for the night and put on a different shirt and the overalls his dad had given him.

These really aren't a great fit.

Looking decent enough to be seen in public, at least where no one would arrest him for indecency, Ren headed to the door which had been the victim of all the knuckle-rapping. He slowly grabbed the handle and opened the door.

It better not be the girl who bumped into me yesterday.

"Hello…?," Ren said as he opens the door to reveal who had been knocking on the door.

The person who stood in front of Ren was not the girl he had bumped into last night, nor was it Sojiro. It was a slightly portly man, balding, yet wearing an immaculate gray suit and fine dress shoes. His clothing and demeanor seemed even more dignified than Sojiro. It most likely had to do with charisma. He had a closed smile on his face at the sight of Ren's appearance. Locking eyes with Ren, the portly man said to Ren, "I'm glad you came to the door. I was about ready to stop after the fourth try."

Fourth? Were there two tries where I did not even stir?

Ren agreed, "I appreciate you waiting for me." He continued. "Excuse me, but I am afraid I do not know who you are. The only person I know here at this town is Sojiro."

The other man nodded, "Ahh… my apologies. You can call me Toranosuke… or Tora as most do in this town."

"Tora. Okay, I got it," Ren repeated. "If I may, why are you the one who came to get me? I thought it would be Sojiro if someone was going to wake me up early for breakfast."

Tora answered his question, "Well, you didn't exactly oversleep. It's just you have a busy day ahead of you, and we need to get things done." Before Ren could question him. "We can eat breakfast on the go and then start with the first task."

"Breakfast on the go? What task?" Ren gave a confused look.

"We need to introduce you to the townsfolk and show you around the town," Tora told Ren.

Makes sense, sort of…

Looking straight at Ren, Tora continued, "How better to learn how to have symbiotic partnerships with the other townspeople than to meet them?"

"I understand," Ren gave a short nod.

Tora's smile doubled down. He did look impressive in his suit as he told Ren, "Well, let's grab something you can eat on-the-go and get started."

I guess if it wasn't real before, it's real now. We can't get away from where I am and where we are going.

Next Chapter- Chapter 2: A Cast of Characters