AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It's actually been a really long while since I've written any fanfiction in this website. Things have changed, my writing style changed, and personally, I'm having troubles on getting back to the groove of writing. Treat this story as an experiment or my little drabble candies for me to become energized into writing again.

This story won't have definite update dates, it will just update as it goes! I'm currently playing Story of Seasons, and I still have a long way to go before I can marry Fritz, in-game, but I really hope I can make this story a heartwarming read as I go on! Be wary though, I won't follow the storyline of the game that much so that I'll have the freedom of shaping the story, but there will be noticeable elements of the game and some of it will conform to the game itself.

Hope you enjoy my experiments! Leave a like and reviews are much appreciated! You don't know how happy I am when I receive a review, especially the encouraging ones. It keeps me going on writing these things.

/ Maple /

"Just like me, there are some other farms around here that also contribute to the success of Oak Town. My cows have been with me for quite a long time, and like Veronica said, the milk I produce contributes to the popularity of our town in terms of dairy trading due to its quality."

It's the third day of training of the new farmer. Being a temporary apprentice to Eda, one of the town's elders and the reigning champion in Milk Production, she and Veronica agreed to teach the girl all basic farming knowledge for her to start her life in the village.

"Now dearie, what should I teach you today…" The old woman started to think, until suddenly a shout echoed from far away. You can easily hear someone's loud voice even when the person is still in the cross section towards the highlands, where the farm is.

"Oh, I would recognize that cheery voice from anywhere." A teenage boy, probably in eighteen or nineteen years old waved cheerfully at the old woman with a large grin all over his face.

He had small freckles in his nose, maple-colored hair, a white undershirt topped with a brown vest. His pants were ragged with a piece of cloth sewed in the lower part to cover what might be a hole. His green socks almost go knee high, and his shoes are your typical brown farming shoes.

He had brown eyes, skin a perfect balance of white and light rosy pink, a band-aid in his left cheek and a brown and an orange stripe-patterned scarf covering his neck.

"So, Ms. Eda, how may I help you today?" The boy asked the elderly lady.

"I feel glad for the sentiment lady, but my apprentice over here had already helped me with most of my chores. How about I leave her to you while I make dinner? Teach her some of your tricks or two? Or have a chat with her?" The boy kindly agreed and went nearer to the girl. He reached out a hand for a handshake.

"Hiya! My name's Fritz. I'm a farmer down 'here next to Giorgio. I'm also quite new around these parts, and I've only been here for a year or so."

"Nice to meet you Fritz, my name's Annie!" The two smiled at each other and proceeded to go the nearest river. Eda on the hand went inside and started to cook dinner.

The pale indigo and pastel orange of the equilibrium of day and night painted the once blue afternoon sky. The sun was almost setting and the wind gets more chillier by the moment. The two hurried to the nearby river before the crack of dusk sets and the water becomes completely ice-cold.

"So, you came from a city I suppose?" Fritz asked the farmer who was looking straight immersing herself to the new scenery she's in.

"Yeah. I wanted a new pace of life for a change since the city life can get too monotonous. It felt like you were stagnating in there y'know?" She replied to the farmer who was curiously looking at her.

"Hmm, I agree. I've studied college in the city after being a rural bumpkin and graduating in high school back in my old town. Man, for how colorful the city is, life there is total gray y'know! I hated that!" Annie giggled a bit and was glad that Fritz understood her sentiments.

"Ah, we're here! It's a good river!" The rushing streams of water was calming for Annie. It was truly a quietly peaceful place where only the two of them existed. Fritz quickly removed his vest leaving Annie in shock and blushing.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just used to country life where no one really cared that much about garments when it comes to swimming. In here, if there's a fun place to swim, you get your top shirt off and start immersing in the water!"

Unbeknownst to Fritz, Annie accidentally examined Fritz's physique.

Fritz had already a well-built six pack probably after farming of a year. He had a few small scars around the body, probably due to farming accidents as well. His body though, was clear of acne, and seemed smoother than expected. He must probably take hygiene to the highest degree due to the stresses of farming life.

The boy then leaped in the water, and rose his head intaking a huge inhale of air.

"In here, if you dive for a bit you could probably get stones that are useful for building stuff. If you're lucky, some small bits of ore might also appear, but that's usually rare!" He started climbing back up after a good swim. His hair that rose up in all directions, probably from a bit of hair gel, fell all the way down.

"You should try it Annie!" Annie who was only a step closer from the dock decided to release all her clothes revealing only shorts and bra and took the plunge to the river. Fritz was right, it was fun! And when she dived down, unfortunately, she just also got stone.

"Time to get back up Annie, Ms. Eda might be looking for us!" Fritz helped Annie to get up from the dock and left her alone to wear her clothes back and so did he do the same.

Unknowingly to the boy, the new farmer felt really comfortable with the boy. Usually seeing her with only that made some boys from the city fawn over her which is why she didn't like beaches.

The girl liked swimming, but she hated it since she's always disliked the mischievous glares from other men, but Fritz?

Fritz didn't even care. It was natural for him, and that's what made it all the way better.

The pair started to head back home, and while they were walking back, the two chatted a bit more, purposely slowing down steps to make their time together longer.

"And did you know, the first time I got here and saw that river, I jumped with all my clothes on and Ms. Eda got really angry with me!" Fritz recalled the funny experience which made them both laughs, their laughter being heard all the way to Ms. Eda's house.

(A/N: I made a direct joke on the game mechanic of the playable character jumping in the river with ALL HIS/HER CLOTHES ON throughout the game. Probably the game creator's own answer to censorship.)

It was already night, and the stars started to appear in the sky. The light was already lit in Ms. Eda's house, and as Fritz left the young farmer in their doorstep, the maple-haired boy started to sprint towards the gate, but before he left, he looked at Annie for one last time before departing off.

"Annie! I had real, real, real fun today!" Fritz grinned at Annie and the girl was pleasantly shocked and smiled back.

"Visit me sometimes on my farm and please tell Ms. Eda my gratitude. See you soon Annie!" The boy giggled and started sprinting quickly back to his farm.

"Fritz… is really cute!" Annie thought as she giggled and made her way back home.