AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welcome to my first Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons fanfiction! I've been playing the game for a little bit now and I was just inspired to write one!
I will be tweaking a few of the character's personality a little bit, but I'll try to keep them as original as possible.
Also, I will be changing the default name and appearance of the main character.
Please enjoy!
Chapter One: Amethyst Eyes
Summer started off smoothly this year. The trade depot was bustling with country traders, some of which were considered the norm while others were still new to Oak Tree Town. Veronica stood at the entrance as she welcomed them all to Oak Tree Town, smiling. Just a few years ago, the trade depot was considered a slow part of town, and now it was the busiest. Tourists came from neighboring villages, big cities, and even from the same countries they traded with.
As soon as everyone got settled in, Veronica made her way over to Jonas' little kiosk.
"Good morning, Miss Veronica!" he greeted her with a large smile, still trying to tend to those asking for information.
"Jonas!" Veronica responded, returning his grin. "A good morning, indeed! We are quite busy this Monday morning, aren't we?"
"It is the beginning of a new season. All the vendors will be have new and exciting items to welcome the summer days."
"Yes," she sighed, "sometimes I wonder if we'll ever be able to keep up with all these tourists. Maurice has had to upgrade his inn in order to accommodate for all the people."
Jonas gave a confused look and asked, "But Miss Veronica, isn't this what you wanted?"
"Of course," she nodded, "I just didn't expect it to happen so fast. By the way, has she made her way down here yet?"
"Well," Jonas was busy shuffling information around his desk as people began piling up, "she usually makes her way down here about 10, and it's only 9:30, so it could be any minute now."
"Good to know," Veronica said as she made her way back to the guild hall. She needed to leave Jonas to do his job, as his desk started to get extremely busy, as it did every new season. She passed by many more tourists as she walked up the stone steps. Her smile grew bigger across her face. Oak Tree Town's economy was finally living up to its potential.
In a way, this was all thanks to one young woman, who moved to Oak Tree Town just about a year ago.
Raeger woke up at about 8 am every morning to prepare his restaurant for opening. He knew today would be busy with customers, for everyone in town knew that the beginning of a new season was the busiest time for the town.
He put on his brown vest over his white shirt as he combed his hair. Always eager to be downstairs early, multitasking in the morning was a must. Straightening up his red tie, he smiled in the mirror. Fidgeting with his hair and straightening up his clothes, getting ready for a new day.
As he made his way down the wooden stairs, he quickly wrapped his apron around his waist, holding his notepad and pen in his mouth. The curtains over the windows were flung open, welcoming the morning sun into the building. Summer sunlight bounced off the pots and pans in the kitchen and gave a nice glow to the oak tables, giving a little more sparkle and warmth to the atmosphere. This became his normal morning routine, for he didn't want to chance missing the sight of her passing by. It was exciting to him as watching the sunrise. However, today was extra special. He had ordered some crops from her and today was the promised delivery date.
He began to set up the tables when he heard a knock on the window.
Odd. She shouldn't be here just yet.
Reaching into his pocket for the keys, he made his way for the door. The closer he got, the more he could make out the silhouette. It was only Fritz, who frequently stopped by in the morning, hoping to snag some breakfast before the 'crowd came in.' Raeger rolled his eyes as a slightly annoyed grin came to his face.
Good ol' Fritz. Anything for a free meal.
Fritz burst through the door before Raeger even had a chance to open it himself, his usual entrance. He waltzed all the way to the kitchen with his muddy, worn out shoes and dirt dusted trousers.
"Mornin' Rae buddy!" Fritz greeted happily. "How's it goin?"
"It's goin fine, I guess," Raeger responded, a little annoyed with the muddy tracks, "Let me guess, you want something to eat?"
"How did ya guess?" the dirty farmer laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's not hard when you ask every morning before resaurant hours."
"Aaah, c'mon buddy! Just a quick meal! I'm starvin'!"
"I'm not even ready to prepare anything for you, and even if I was, you still owe for the last meal I made for you. Freebies aren't exactly my policy."
"Oooh, that's right... Well, listen! I'll be back with some cash after I sell my veggies to cabin country today. Buuuut, until then, ya think ya could-"
"Uhm, hello?"
Fritz was suddenly interrupted by another voice. The door wasn't closed after he had burst his way through it. Raeger turned around to see who had quietly made their way in. His emerald eyes widened and his cheeks flushed pink.
Standing in the doorway with the bright morning light shining behind her, holding a small crate in her arms, was Akiko. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled back into two pigtails with large ringlet curls which bounced on her shoulders. She was wearing one of her new outfits, a purple blouse and a lavender skirt with a white apron to cover over it. Her dark brown boots were definitely much cleaner than Fritz's as she made her way across the room to Raeger with a smile as bright as the sun.
"Kiki!" Fritz shouted with excitement. "I didn't expect to see ya here!"
"Well, Raeger had ordered some goods from me, so I'm just here to deliver them before I head to the trade depot," Akiko replied sweetly, "Speaking of, why aren't you there filling up cabin country's order of turnips?"
"I- I was tryin' to get Rae here to make me somethin'," he replied, a little nervous, "Ya think ya could put in a good word for me?"
Akiko laughed lightly as she replied, "Fritz, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to once the restaurant is open."
Raeger smiled and enjoyed having her on his side.
"Oh, alright, Kiki," Fritz sighed in disappointment, "I guess I'll jus' come back later." He made his way out the door slouching, hoping to produce some guilt from either of them. Seeing that it wasn't working, he made his way down the steps and headed for the trade depot. Raeger closed the door after him, double checking the sign read "Closed" to anyone outside. He sighed in relief, then gave his attention to Akiko.
She had placed the crate on the floor next to her and helped herself to one of the bar stools, patiently waiting. Crouching down to pick it up, he inspected the goods, but of course, he never doubted her quality. After took it back to the kitchen, he noticed that she placed a few eggs and some milk, which he never ordered.
"Akiko," he called out as he turned back to her, "I think you might have mixed up my order with a different one."
She shook her head, making her thick curls sway, as she replied, "Well, you mentioned a few days ago that you needed some more dairy, so I thought I'd save you a few dollars."
A few dollars? Her milk and eggs gave her the biggest profits from its quality. Was she willing to just give them to him, free of charge?
"Akiko, please," Raeger urged, "I can't just accept these without some kind of-" He suddenly was at a loss for words when she smiled at him and her dark purple eyes locked onto him. As he swallowed a large lump in his throat, his face began to fluster, a little embarrassed, realizing he suddenly fell silent.
"Raeger, you know I don't mind," she snapped him out of his trance, "think of it as a gift." She placed her hand on top of his which was resting on the counter top. He wanted so much to intertwine his fingers with hers, but alas, his urges remained suppressed.
They chatted for a few more minutes, but it didn't last as she needed to be at the trade depot to fill orders and sell other goods. As a small token of gratitude, he gave her some juice that was made the night prior in preparation for the busy day ahead, along with his payment for his order. He watched her walk down the stone steps to the trade depot, holding the reins of her brown horse which towed along the large cart of goods through the small window of the front door. When she was out of sight, he turned around and leaned his back against it and sighed.
The heart in his chest was still pounding and his face was still flustered. This infatuation was starting to turn into something much more, and at a faster pace than it did at first. Her innocent beauty and sweet nature has captured him from day one, and has been reeling him in since.
His biggest fear was her falling for someone else, more so before he was able to express his own feelings to her.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will try to update as soon as possible! It might have to be once a week, but I'm hoping to squeeze in more!
Feedback is welcomed! Thank you!