Chapter 1: Computations

"Oh, I'm… um… good," I managed to stutter while refraining from looking for a place to crawl under. Nonetheless, a polite smile still graced Claire's face, which unintentionally increased my desperation and embarrassment.

"If you have any questions about the town, feel free to ask me," Claire responded, kindly not commenting on me looking like I desperately wanted to bolt in the opposite direction.

"Uh… thank you."

After nodding politely at me, Claire turned to leave. I was only able breathe freely and look at the farmer after she was half a block away. Stuffing my hands into my pocket, I sighed. One day, she would get tired of the same old thing from me. Truly, it was only a matter of time before she realized that I wasn't worth her time.

"Hey! Watch out!"

Something slammed into my leg and I stumbled forward, barely preventing myself from kissing the ground.

"Shh! Don't move."

I turned my head to find two young children hiding behind me. It didn't take long to recall their names from the pile of introductions I underwent as a new resident; I had an easier time conversing with children.

"Turn your head back around or she'll notice," whispered Stu in the most authoritative voice he could muster. "And act casual. Please."

I rigidly turned my head away from the children. "Um… might I ask what you're doing?"

"We're spying on the robot."

"The new farmer," May supplied.

"Claire?" My gaze wondered back to her retreating figure.

"She doesn't eat, rest or ever use the washroom!" the boy exclaimed. His companion gently reminded him that they were spying so Stu lowered his voice. "She has to be a robot."

I scratched my cheek, wondering if I was ever that imaginative as a child.

"Uh huh, she doesn't do those things in her home or anywhere! We've been following her 24/7."

"May, you're using the word wrong."

My thought that their assumption was harmless was beginning to derail as the two children bickered. I turned to look at them to confirm that they were serious. Nope, they didn't look like they were joking.

"It means all the time, doesn't it?"

"Um… if you've confirmed that she is a robot, you don't need to spy on her anymore, do you?" I ventured, trying to steer them away from doing any more spying while refraining from demolishing their fantasy.

"No way! It's a real, live robot! We have to study it!" exclaimed Stu.

May nodded emphatically beside him, her pigtails bobbing. "The only one in town."

I breathed in deeply, trying to figure out how to proceed. It wasn't as if I was telling them Santa Claus didn't exist. "Maybe she eats and… um… uses the washroom after the two of you have gone home for the day?"

"No one can last all day without eating and using the washroom," Stu argued, stomping his foot.

I rubbed my chin. I had to admit that it was difficult not to do either for extended periods of time.

"Besides, there are other things," May said knowingly.

"… Other things?"

The two children grinned at each other before turning to look up at me with bright eyes. In unison, they chimed, "We'll show you."

Exhibit #1

As I crouched outside the General Store, I wondered how I got roped into this. The doings of these children were not my responsibility. I could leave the teachings of what was right and wrong, and what was borderline stalker behavior to their guardians to explain.

On the other hand, there was a saying that it took a village to raise a child. And this town had kindly taken me in, so I was somewhat obligated to watch over these two.

I looked down at the two children as they pressed their ears against the wall of the building. Perhaps it was also because I wanted to make up for not being able to be there for another young child I had left behind.

"Hey, listen," Stu said, tugging on my tunic and pulling me out of my depressing thoughts.

I raised my head, directing my attention at the open window above our heads.

"I'll have 4 bags of tomato seeds, 6 bags of strawberry seeds, 5 bags of corn seeds, and 6 bags of onion seeds, please." Claire's voice was clear and firm. "The total is 4,100 G. Here you go."

I arched an eyebrow, impressed at her fast math.

"Every time she shops, she calculates the total amount of her purchase in her head," May explained, tapping her temple. "She has a calculator in there."

"She could be just very good at math," I ventured.

Stu planted his hands on his hips and huffed. "Okay, get ready for this one then."

Exhibit #2

Stu grabbed my right hand while May tugged on left hand, leading me to the side of the store where we crouched in the shadows.

The bell above the general store door rang as Claire exited the building. Her footsteps sounded heavily against the cobblestone road. My hands began to sweat as the sound grew louder.

"Good morning, May. Good morning, Stu," Claire greeted kindly, appearing in front of the three of us. The children beside me yelped in surprise while I nearly toppled over from my crouched position.

I wiped the palm of my hands on my pants. Please don't think I'm a stalker… Please don't think I'm a stalker.

Her gaze settled on me as I began to search for a hole to sink into. "It's nice to see you again, Cliff."

Perhaps I could dig my own hole. Face flushed, I mumbled a barely audible greeting in response. "H-hey."

"Gah, how did you find us?" Stu huffed.

Smiling her same affable smile, Claire responded, "There's a saying that women have eyes on the back of their head."

"Advanced robot sensors," May whispered into my ear.

"Surely, that… that isn't possible," I protested. Whether that protest was directed at myself or May, I wasn't sure. I shook my head. Claire probably knew that May and Stu had a habit of following her around.

Now that their cover was blown, May and Stu launched into stories of interesting things that happened since they last spoke, the embarrassing incident of being caught hiding in an alley easily forgotten. I gazed wistfully at the three. Would there be a day when I could talk to others with such lighthearted ease?

Catching me staring, Claire gave me a quick wink before returning her attention to the children.

Wait. What did that wink mean?

Exhibit #3

I awkwardly stood at the edge of the beach, taking in all the villagers gathered in the area for the Frisbee contest. Laughter and pieces of conversation reached my ear, making something clench in my chest. Despite the welcoming atmosphere, I felt like an outsider.

"Why don't you join me?"

I jolted, searching for the source of the voice. My eyes settled on the back of a familiar blonde farmer, who was patting the empty spot on the blue beach blanket beneath her.

"H-hello, Claire." I hesitated before I slowly approached the young woman and took a seat beside her, the desire to be polite overruling the sinking feeling that I didn't belong. I was still unable to look at her but being able to sit rigidly beside her was marked improvement.

Now if only I could say things other than "hello" and "I'm good". I rubbed the back of my neck. "So… you saw me with the eyes on the back of your head again, huh?"

Turning her head slightly to look at me, Claire grinned. "I can sense anything within a five-meter radius of my being."

I chuckled nervously. "Really?"

"Yup."

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to her seemingly serious answer so I just nodded.

We fell into a strange silence, which remained until the competition started and our attention was directed to the contest. Zack introduced the contestants and went through the contest rules – fairly standard fare.

Turning my head, I snuck a look at the farmer. Shiny blonde hair, soft clear skin, and crystal blue eyes –she looked too soft to be a robot. Although, she had proven herself to be far from soft. I've passed by her farm and could see that her daily routine was grueling. And yet, even after all that work, she made time to visit the townspeople, forage around the forest, explore the mines and who knows what else. Claire was a hardy woman.

And as much as I hated to admit it, I had never seen her eat -not that I was keeping an eye on her. However, it was difficult to shake the thought that May and Stu planted inside my head.

I dazedly snapped out of my thoughts when cheers erupted from the crowd as a local contestant stepped forward.

A Siberian Husky stood proudly beside the large woodsman, his snout pointed to the sky and tail up. It wasn't hard to conclude that they were going to be a formidable pair. The first throw was clean and powerful. The frisbee cut through the air and was caught by the husky beyond the sixty-meter marker. The second throw, on the other hand, wobbled unsteadily as it travelled and was caught by the dog at the forty-meter marker.

"And it seems that Gotz has taken the lead!" boomed Zack.

Enthusiastic cheers filled the air.

"But we have one more contestant. Vesta from Forget-Me-Not Valley! Please step up!"

The crowd clapped and cheered, although not as enthusiastically as they did for the local competitors.

A sturdy looking woman stepped forward with a healthy Bernese Mountain Dog matching her steps. While Gotz and his dog gave off a powerful feeling, the current pair made me think that the two had been partners for a very long time based on how in sync their movements were.

The crowd gasped as they watched the firm and powerful throw, holding their breath as the dog chased after it. Everyone seemed to exhale as one as the frisbee whizzed past the dog and smashed into the sand.

Chatter broke out amongst the crowd as the next attempt was prepared. The contents of the murmurs were easy to guess. The frisbee landed around the sixty-meter marker so Gotz's lead was at risk if the dog could catch the next frisbee.

Vesta's next throw was as clean as her first one. The Bernese kept up with the frisbee as he bounded down the beach. With a strong lunge, the object was caught between the large dog's jaws as he landed beyond the sixty-meter marker.

Tension filled the air and time slowed as Zack began to measure the exact distance for the final results.

"Who do you think won?" I asked, unable to help myself.

"Vesta. Her final measurement is 63.4 meters, which is 0.3 meters higher than Gotz's score of 63.1 meters," the farmer stated matter-of-factly.

I slowly turned to stare at Claire. "Um… how did you get that number?"

Claire raised her right hand and jabbed at the air above her. "I can see the distance travelled starting from the point the frisbee leaves each competitor's hand right here." Her expression was eerily serious.

"We have our new champion at 63.4 meters!" Zack announced to the dismay of the villagers hoping for a local winner. "Vesta from Forget-Me-Not Valley!"

"Well, that was a nice festival, wasn't it?" Claire commented casually, as if she hadn't just correctly stated the winning distance.

I gaped at Claire as she stood up and began to nonchalantly roll up her beach blanket.

"Could you please move aside?"

I numbly scrambled to my feet.

Claire finished rolling up the blanket and tucked it under her arm. Smiling at me, she observed, "You're starting to look like a dying goldfish."

I snapped my mouth shut then opened it again. I had to know. "Are you a robot?"

"Hm… am I really doing that bad a job of hiding it?" The blonde farmer tilted her head, looking like she was seriously contemplating the issue.

If it were possible, I'm sure my jaw would be touching the ground.

Meeting my eyes, she whispered, "Keep this a secret, alright?"

With a mysterious wink, the robot left the dying goldfish floundering on the beach.

Author's Notes:

Despite doing my research, I haven't actually played Friends of Mineral Town so please tell me if there is anything out of place.

With that out of the way... Happy New Year! Let's hope that 2017 turns out to be a wonderful year!