I own nothing but this fic.
Harvest Moon: A Tale of Two Towns and all related characters and places © Natsume and Marvelous Interactive
The reverberating sound of horse hooves beating against the dirt of the mountain slope resounded in Hiro's ears. There she went again, riding up the mountain, back to Bluebell, with the little wooden cart full of farm products in tow.
The young doctor-in-training sighed to himself. Every morning, Lillian came down the mountain to make her rounds in Konohana, and every evening following she returned up the mountain back to Bluebell, where she lived.
Hiro, whose home was in Konohana, where he trained diligently under the town's physician Dr. Ayame, relaxed the muscles of his legs to allow his body to slide down from the wall of Konohana's gates, upon which he had secretly been leaning, to the soft grass below. Bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them tightly, he looked out into the front yard of the house of Dirk, an easygoing boy who delivered mail between Konohana and Bluebell. The light from within the mail boy's house shone out onto the garden Dirk had planted, providing some illuminescence through the spreading shadows of the evening atmosphere. Nearby could be heard sounds of banging and clattering; presumably the source of the clamor could be located in the house of Sheng, the town's carpenter, who was evidently hard at work finishing a project before he, along with many of the other Konohana villagers, retired for the evening.
Hiro, however, could focus on neither the light nor the racket. His mind was occupied with only one focus- Lillian. He refused to harbor the notion that he would ever, in the future, confess feelings for the vigorous female farmer. Doing so would be to willingly accept the inevitable fact of his mentor Ayame's constant teasing. Moreover, Hiro would be subjected to pressure- Ayame, bearing in mind the probabilities of her behavior, would insist that Hiro immediately relay his affections to Lillian.
Hiro knew such an act was not as simple as Ayame considered it. Indeed, his feelings for Lillian were great enough to consider the pursuit of a relationship with her, but there were one or two obstacles posing valid threats to any chance Hiro might have of winning Lillian's heart.
On the other side of the mountain, within the gates of Bluebell, lived a young farmer boy, whose name was Ash. Hiro had seen him only briefly and on occasion, primarily at the weekly cooking contests held on the mountaintop by residents of Bluebell and Konohana. Hiro didn't know much about him, due to the fact that Bluebell and Konohana shared such a fierce rivalry. There was one thing Hiro had learned about him, however...
... Lillian was in love with him.
Many times, during cooking festivals, Hiro had seen them together. When one of the two participated in the contest, the other would stand nearby and cheer their participating friend on. If the participant won, his companion would delightedly congratulate the winner with a tender squeeze of the hand. Once, Hiro saw them leave a cooking festival with hands interlaced. Perhaps it was nothing. Hiro truly and wholeheartedly wished that there was nothing between Ash and Lillian, but reality forced logic down his throat. Lillian cared for someone else.
Several times had Hiro attempted to rationalize for himself. Surely Lillian had some form of appreciation towards him. She paid daily visits to the clinic in Konohana, always conversing cheerily and specifically to Hiro. She made a habit of asking the aspiring doctor how his studies were going, and if he had learned anything of interest. She also frequently brought gifts to him, of the sweet dishes he was so fond of. Even still, she always behaved pleased when Hiro offered to take walks with her, and willingly accompanied him. Ultimately, Hiro had gathered enough evidence to convince himself that there was every possibility that Lillian cared for him.
When Hiro combated his supposed evidence against the fact that Lillian was spending time with another boy, all his confidence swiftly faded. Clearly, it was a battle Hiro could not win. Ash lived in the same town as Lillian did, whereas Hiro lived one tiring trip away from her. Obviously, Ash would be a more optimum choice for the lady farmer... The acceptance of that likelihood was no less choking to Hiro, however.
It was time for Hiro to face the facts. His love was everything but requited. Lillian's affections were directed to someone other than him. That was that. It was nothing more and nothing less. Hiro must move on.
Hiro hefted a great sigh as he pushed himself to his feet. By now, the moon was bright and full in the night sky. His heart heavy, he turned and headed down the path back to the clinic, where he resided. The only thing for him to do now was to leave the situation behind and continue his life.
Hiro was left only to continue his life, without Lillian's love.