Ame here, I have updated this chapter, funny story. Something happened to the original one but I revised it again, it's up to you to see the difference from the different one XD
PS.
DISCLAIMER: Harvest Moon and its characters doesn't belong to moi
Chapter 1:
Near Summer, last of Spring
Claire's Side
Summer is coming soon, a good way to spent a day in the Mineral Town Beach.
Ever since I arrived in here, it's been a routine to go the store in Town to re-stock my supply of food and seeds.
"Kyaaa~! Watch out Claire!" A familiar voice rang my ears, it's Popuri's, running all the way from their Poultry Farm to the Entrance of my Farm. She seems to be chasing a chicken.
She really is chasing a chicken!.
A chicken is running to my direction, it flew to me and I caught it in my arms. "That was anticlimatic..."
"C-claire..." She looked at me with an exhausted look, hands on her knees. "Y-you caught it..." she said to me while catching her breath, she stood straight and looked at me once again with a smile pasted on her face.
"Seems like it." I smiled sheepishly "Tending the chickens AGAIN, Pop?" I emphasized the word 'again' and widen my smile.
"Yeah, I want to... help Rick." she hesitated to say the word help and averted her gaze from me.
I shook my head "Doesn't look like one Pop. It was more like he forced you." I tilted my head to the side, seeing her older brother Rick, coming in our direction but I didn't tell Popuri about it.
She giggled. "You hit the nail in my head Claire. Yes he forced me to do it this morning!" She exclaimed putting both of her hands at the sides of her waist. "So to avoid further of his early rantings. I immediately took care of the chickens!" she closed her eyes and looked away with a 'hmp'.
"Don't look back now Pop, there's an angry rooster ready to peck you to death." I grinned at her and she cringed.
Her legs are shaking and I can tell that she knows who I am referring to. "You can't be fucking serious Claire." Her face went pale.
"Yes, I am Pop... Yes, I am." I forced her a smile and I heard her gulped loudly.
"Popuri Byrde! You stubborn lady!" Rick glared at Popuri or rather glared at Popuri's back. "You let the chickens run wild again!"
she sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat and then turned at Rick "No I did not!" and then shot a glared at him. "This is the only one who got away!" she pointed the chicken at my arms. "And I chased it!"
Rick facepalmed "You know... You could have at least closed the door to the chicken coop before you chased it!" He continues to glare at the cotton candy headed girl.
"Stop glaring at me!" her legs continues to shake.
"Just! Just go back to the house!" The chicken farmer still glaring at her little sister.
"But I want to talk to Claire more!" she pleaded to him
"You can just hang out with her later!" he looks at her more deadlier than before.
"'kay. Hmmm..." she looks up and taps her chin with her finger. "Oh yeah! Tomorrow is the start of Summer! Which means, He will be here!" she blushed and let out a squeel, making me and his brother want to tape her mouth, but I don't want to do it.
"Go home Pop!" He points the direction to their house and glared at her more.
Popuri left with a 'hmp', Rick did not stop to glare at her until she completely left.
To be honest, I pity Rick than Popuri. Rick is the one who's taking care of their chickens and their mother since she has an illness, and the one who is taking care of their family instead of his father. Nobody really knows the whereabouts of him. Rick is the only who is doing everything and Popuri barely do something for her mother and her brother, if she's doing something for them, it's most likely that she was just forced to do it, but I'm not sure about this myself, the townspeople told me about those things about Popuri since those two siblings likes to make a scene... just like what happened earlier.
"Hey Claire..." he scratched the back of his head and looks at me apologetic "Sorry about what happened earlier. I really am."
"About what?" I tilted my head to the side, playing dumb
"Oh you know about it... It's really embarrassing, arguing in front of you and my sister ranting on you." he averted his eyes and blushed in embarrassment.
"That's fine... That's nothing new, but I would love to hear about what really happened Rick." I smiled to reassure him
He looked at me again "Well... I need to buy something from the town supermarket and since Pop doesn't have anything to do until afternoon, I asked her to feed the chickens... And then when I came back, the chickens are running here and there so I placed them back to the coop and realized that one of the chickens is missing then I knew that Pop must have chased it." he tilted his head to the side and he crossed his arms in front of chest "But Pop was taking her time to chase that chicken, so I decided to look for her, then there she is, ranting to you AGAIN!" he closed his eyes and he inhale and exhale heavily.
"What do you mean by 'she's taking her time'?" I raised an eyebrow as I ask him.
He widened his eyes for a moment and then smiles bashfully. "You don't recognize that fellow in your arms?"
I looked at the chicken in my arms and a sudden realization hit me "Oh..."
Rick nodded and smiled again. "Yeah, that is the chicken that run into you when you first arrived here 2 months ago."
Yes. I came here 2 months ago when I arrived here, again. I brought the farm at the south part of Mineral Town. After I graduated college at a young age, I decided to get a job at an observatory as an astrologist for a year and when I earned enough money to buy the farm, I quitted my job and bought the farm. My parents are quite against it but when I told them that I like living in a farm doing farm work and stuff instead of living in a city growing to be an adult and do adult crap and I also told them that 'Claire Iory Aracari does not break her promise the she made, if she has one that is...'. Even though I've been here for almost a month, I've made so many friends here; the first one is Popuri, whom I ran into because of the 'Runaway Chicken' accident just like this one.
I pat the chicken's head and smiled at Rick "This feels like Deja Vu, don't you agree?
I saw him scratching his back of his head "You can say that..." he averted his gaze from me to the ground.
I stared at him, sensing that he's hesitating about something "Uhm... Is there something else you want to say?"
He looked at me bashfully "About that fella in your arms..."
I felt my twirl in my hair jumps a little because of my realization "Oh! Here!" I'm about to give the chicken when it jumped from my arms and flew to my head, resting.
Rick's eyes widened and gasped and then laughs "Seems like that one is attached to you"
"Yeah no kidding." I giggled
"Uhm, by any chance Claire... Do you already have a chicken in your farm?" I saw him blushed.
Or maybe that was my imagination?
I shook my head and smiled "Nope, none. I still haven't bought one."
"You know... you can keep that one for free.." he averted his gaze from me again and the blush in his face deepened
"Huh?! No! You can have it back!" I shook my hands in front of me.
"That seems impossible... I don't think that one has an intention to go back to the Poultry Farm." he gazed at me.
I dropped my shoulders and sighed in defeat "Right~..."
"Accept it Claire, it's bad to turn down people's gift you know..." I saw him grinned.
I smirked and laughed "Okay, okay... I'll keep it..."
He finally looked at me "I'll deliver the Chicken Feed later, okay?" he smiled
I widened my eyes at his statement "WHAT?! You will even give the chicken feed for free?! But that's too much!"
"Eh?" he shook his head "Don't worry about it Claire." he glanced at his watch "Anyways, see you later Claire..." he waved his hand, turned around and started to walk away from me.
"Oh... Yeah... See yah!" I waved him farewell and watched him as he walk to their Poultry Farm. "I have to go to Jeff's Store!" I dashed my way to Jeff's Store.
"Claire? You okay?" a woman with a dirty blond hair has greeted me outside of her dad's store making a worried face.
"K-Karen..." I called her name and huffed.
She grinned and patted the available sit beside her "Here Claire, have a sit."
"The... store... is... closed... Why?" I huffed and huffed until I catch my breath.
"Pffft..." she covers her mouth with her hand "It's Sunday... Don't you remember?" she asked while she trying to hold her laughter.
"Ack!" I facepalmed at the sudden realization "This so embarassing." I slumpped my shoulders in shame.
Karen stood up from her seat and patted my shoulder "Nee~... Don't worry about it, everybody makes mistakes... Even the embarassing ones." she flashed her teeth to me.
I just smiled to her then she changed her expression with a confused one "Why do you have a chicken sitting comfortably on your head?"
I stand up straight and looked at her "This is Rick's trouble making chicken, it ran away from their Poultry Farm to my direction this morning."
"Deja Vu I might say..." I tilted my head in confusion "Didn't that happened before? That day you arrived in here?" she stated as if she sensed my confusion "Rick told me."
"Oh..." I stared at her
As I stare at her she laughed "If you are the one who listens at Popuri's ranting about Rick then, I'm the one who listens at Rick's ranting about Popuri."
"I did not know that Rick likes to complain a lot." I grinned
"You have no idea..." she crossed her arms in front of her "No wonder those two really are siblings, don't you agree?" she smirked at my direction
"Ooooh~ I agree Karen... I agree.." I smirked in return "Oh yeah, since your store is closed, I'll return to my daily schedule!" I turned around and started to run to the Inn but turned around again "See yah later Karen!" I waved and started running to the Inn.
Rick's Side
"That girl!" I hissed
Earlier this morning I asked my stubborn little sister to take care of the chickens because I need to get the medicine I ordered from the city from Zack which Doctor Trent prescribe for mum's illness.
"I only ask her to help once in a while and this how she do her work?! This is bullshit!" I stomped my feet.
A flock of chickens welcomed me when I return from my trip from Zack's house, running here and there like there's no tomorrow, flying like they can fly from here to heaven... This is a mess... And then I spotted it, the door to the Chicken Coop, widely opened!
"That girl is going to get it when I found her!" I put the box aside and started fetching the chickens. As I was putting them back at the coop, I noticed that one of the chickens is missing and I'll bet my shoes that the one is missing is none other than that chicken... That didn't take so long that's when I started to wonder. "That's odd, she should have caught that one by now." I immediately closed the door to the chicken coop and exited the Poultry Farm.
"Yeah, I want to... help Rick..." I turned at the direction where I heard my sister.
There she is, ranting about me to 'her', again...
I sighed and stomped my way to theirs. As Popuri go on with her complaints to her, she saw me going to their direction.
"You hit the nail on my head Claire. Yes he forced me to do it this morning!" I stoped behind her "So to avoid further of his early ranting, I immediately took care of the chickens!"
Claire just listened there and then grinned as she saw me behind Popuri, ready to scold her "Don't look back now Pop, there's an angry rooster ready to peck you to death." she continues to grin.
I saw my sister cringed and her body shook. She knows who is Claire implying to.
"Popuri Byrde! You stubborn lady!" I screamed "You let the chickens run wild again!"
Seriously... The only thing that my sister's good at is ditching everything.
I scolded her about what she done back at Poultry Farm and yelled at her to go home, at first she didn't budge but later she admitted defeat.
"Oh yeah! Tomorrow is the start of Summer! Which means, He will be here!" she shrieked. Her shriek makes me want to tape her mouth, but now is not the time for that.
"Go home Pop!" I point at the direction where our house at and glared at her more. I followed her with my gaze as she leaves, not stopping to glare at her.
I called Claire's name and apologized about what happened and about her being Popuri's 'Listening Machine'.
I never felt comfortable when I talk to girls before...
"That's fine... That's nothing new, but I would love to hear about what really happened Rick." she smiled
"Well... I need to buy something from the town supermarket." I lied. I don't want people to know that I'm getting medicine from the city, they might tell mum and she will be super worried.
I explained about what happen earlier this morning and I mentioned to her about Popuri's mishap in the poultry farm earlier.
"What do you mean by 'she's taking her time'?" she raised an eyebrow, confused.
I widened my eyes at her statement.
She doesn't remember 'that' day? Weird...
I smiled bashfully "You don't recognize that fellow in your arms?"
She looked at the chicken in her arms at her sudden realization "Oh..."
I smiled at her dumb yet cute look on her face "Yap, that is the chicken that run into you when you first arrived here 4 weeks ago."
Wait... Did I just think that she looked cute?
She patted the chicken's head "This feels like Deja Vu, don't you agree?" she smiled at me, making me nervous again.
Dang it! I am not really good at talking to girls!
"You can say that..." I scratched the back of my head and I averted my gaze from her and focused it on the ground.
She's staring at me... It's like she is boring a hole at me!
"Uhm... Is there something else you want to say?"
I raised my head and looked at her bashfully "About that fella in your arms..."
I saw the twirl on her hair jumped a little "Oh! Here!"
She's about to give the chicken to me when suddenly it jumped to the blonde farmer's head, resting and enjoying 'herself'
My eyes widened and gasped and then I laughed "Seems like that one is attached to you"
She giggled.
I don't have a choice do I? That chicken really is attached to her, I'll just make her keep it.
"Uhm, by any chance Claire... Do you already have a chicken in your farm?" I blushed
Did I just blush?
She shook her head and smiled and told me that she doesn't have one...
"You know... you can keep that one for free.." once again, I averted my gaze from her felt my face warms up more than before.
She shook her head back and forth and her hands gesturing a 'no'
I told her that it's impossible and it doesn't have any intention to go back to me. I stole a glance at her.
She dropped her shoulders and sighed in defeat "Right~..."
"Accept it Claire, it's bad to turn down people's gift you know..." I grinned at her.
I heard her laugh and she finally agreed to keep the trouble making chicken. Since it's her first chicken, I'll give her some chicken feed for free.
I managed to look at her at last and told her I'll deliver the free chicken feed at her farm later because I really need to crawl in a hole now.
"WHAT?! You will even give the chicken feed for free?! But that's too much!" She widened her eyes.
"Eh?" I shook my head "Don't worry about it Claire." and I took a glance at my watch, checking the time and it's telling me that I really really have to crawl in a hole. "Anyways, see you later Claire..." and with that, I waved her goodbye and started walking towards the Poultry Farm
I heard her saying 'See Yah!'
As I reached the entrance of our Poultry Farm, I sighed of relief escaped from me, I picked up the box of medicine that I hid at the stack of hay beside the watermill and made my way inside the house. Making sure that mum's still sleeping upstairs, I entered our house and started to put mum's medicine to the cabinet.
"So... Did you enjoy your alone time with Claire, my dear nervous wreck of a brother?"
I jumped at the voice of my obnoxious little sister. "What the hell? Are you been there the whole time?" I asked her a dumb question.
"Are you an idiot? Of course I am! This is my house too you know!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and she hmp-ed me.
"I know... Mum's still sleeping?" I asked her, trying to forget what she asked earlier.
"Yeah... Anyways... How's the talk with Claire?" she grins widely that it reaches her ears.
Dang, so close! I'll try again.
"So, how are you going welcome 'him' when he came here."
Easy, easy...
"You bonehead, trying to dodge my question. Answer it!" she yelled
"Ack! What gives you an idea?!" I turned to show my shocked face.
"Idiot... You don't like talking about him, that's a first and you don't really like sharing your conversations with Claire!" she placed both of her hands at the both sides of her waist.
"What?! But I hardly talk to her!" I exclaimed
She grinned again "Exactly!"
"Huh?" I replied showing her a confused look.
"Whatever, you dick..." she sighed "I'm better off now! Ta-ta!" she made her way to the door as she bids a farewell.
Silly Pop... What does she means by that?!
I sighed
I rarely talk to Claire even she wants to talk to me... Even though she's been here for 4 weeks I can't bring my self to talk to her... It's strange for me, whenever I talk to Karen, I never felt so nervous but when it comes to Claire, I feel that my insides are going to burst, especially when she flashes her cute smile...
...
What? Did I just think what I thought?
Well, she's definitely cute, I admit it, but many people thought that about her, didn't they?
"Argh! The hell with it!" I noticed that my face started to heat up.
Why am I thinking about that anyway?!
I sighed again
"I should stop thinking about how cute Claire is...I better get ready for tomorrow's first event of the season."
Did I just say she's cute again? Arg! My head is messing with me again!
Revised complete... TwT
I'm so sad... R & R
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