"Hmm... I wonder if..." Kyle mused. While Mana did tell him to go introduce himself to the villagers first, he had felt that the farm needed some cleaning. It's not like he was being picky, it was just bothering his... instincts. So he did exactly what he wanted- cleaning up the farm space. Or at least, he would have done so completely, but there were some giant rocks and stumps that he just couldn't get rid of. He was now on his way to a blacksmith shop.
Perhaps they sold farming tools there too, hopefully? And maybe not for 100G each... he shivered as he remembered the evil genius of Mana, fooling him into buying tools and working for her. Then again, Douglas did say it was cheap. Maybe the blacksmith would sell tools more expensive than that.
He peeked into the workshop to witness an argument between two people.
"Come on, Mom! Stop bothering me already!" a little boy shouted.
"Now now, Roy, I just want to know which sword you think is better!" his mother exclaimed, a bored expression on her face.
The boy with green hair groaned. "Mom, I just wanted to know what's for lunch..."
"Lunch? Boy, you have no idea how much lunch you can get with actual weapons!" the mother replied. "In fact, I'll let you know now that weapons get you better food than mothers!"
"That's not something you should be saying as a mother, Mom!" the boy named Roy sighed. "Why can't I have a normal mother...?"
"..." Kyle sweat-dropped. This seemed like an... interesting family.
Roy turned and noticed him at the door. "Oh, hey, someone's here..." he pointed. The two looked at him. "Hey, I haven't see you around here before."
"And who might this new face be?" the mother asked.
Kyle nervously laughed. I'll just keep my comments about that scene to myself... "I-I'm Kyle. I, uh, just moved in recently... to the farm near the town..."
"That wasteland?" Roy asked and laughed. "Haha! Good luck raising any crops in there!"
"Not now, Roy..." the mother sighed and smirked. "Ah, yes... Douglas was telling me about you," she said. "I'm Tanya. Nice to meet you, Kyle."
The now-farmer smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Tanya."
"Hey, Kyle! If you need any help, you can always ask me, alright?" Roy said.
"S-sure."
Tanya suddenly wrapped her arms around his back. "Say, Kyle, are you interested in swords? Blades? Or any sharp objects?" she asked. "I really love swords, you know. Not the huge sword that you might or might not have, but actual, huge swords."
Kyle flushed red. "W-what?" He somewhat got the idea of what the woman was saying, but...
"Mom!" Roy exclaimed. "Oh, man! Sorry, Kyle. If you need help about my mom, then you can always ask me, again!"
"Roy, why do you understand what I meant by that?" Tanya asked skeptically.
The green-haired boy stared at his mother... and laughed before running out the shop in a hurry.
Tanya sighed. "That son of mine... oh well, sorry, Kyle. I was just joking around." She patted the farmer's head, chuckling. "What a cutie, all embarrassed like that."
"T-thanks...?" Kyle replied, unsure whether that was a good thing.
She looked around her own shop. "But yeah, that's a shame. You're not into sharp stuff, okay. But me," she said, "I'm all about them! I can't get enough!"
The farmer gulped. "I... I can see that."
"And Kyle, my boy," Tanya grinned, "you know what a real man like you need?" she asked. Kyle didn't react to that, unsure. "A sword! Yes! A sword, hahaha! Monsters never come into the town, so I can't test any out. But Kyle," she continued, "you're a farmer, right? There are areas that you can farm outside the town, in those dangerous dungeons or zones. There, you'll definitely need to fight monsters!"
"O-okay..."
She turned the boy around and pointed to more weapons. "And furthermore... weapons can be aided by Skill Seals!"
Kyle frowned. "S-skilled what?"
"Skill Seals, Kyle." Tanya patted her own short sword. "Skill Seals help you perform special techniques that might not be possible, especially not for a normal human." The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a circular sticker with a green background and white silhouette of a short sword. "Here, this one's a classic. I'll teach you this one." Before the male could ask what she would do, Tanya patted the sticker flat onto Kyle's forehead, and a bright flash occurred.
"W-what happened!?" Kyle asked.
Chuckling, the woman let go of him. "There, you now know how to perform the Power Wave technique!" she exclaimed. "With this skill, you can charge up and release a shockwave that may or may not stun your enemies. Probably will."
"...you sound unsure."
Tanya flicked Kyle's forehead. "No spoilers for beginning swordsmen."
"O-ow... okay..." Kyle scratched his forehead. No stickers were on his head. How does that work, he wondered. Sighing, he headed towards the entrance. "W-well, I think I should get going now... see you later, Tanya."
"See you later, Kyle!" Tanya exclaimed. "And make sure you give a... sharp introduction to the others!" Cue a short moment of Tanya laughing and Kyle sweat-dropping.
After stepping out the blacksmith workshop and waving to Tanya, he walked towards the closest building. It seemed like quite a fancy place... only that the door was shut close and locked. "...huh." Kyle shrugged. "The... Wisdom Bathhouse, I see... closed on Mondays. Okay." He walked away, wondering why there was a need for bathhouses when every house should have their own bathrooms.
Continuing on, he reached a general store-like place.
"This looks like a general store..." he mused. "General... store." After a few beats, he smiled. "This must be Mana's place. Pumpkin General Store, huh? Sounds like a nice place." He gently opened the store's door and peeked inside. "Hello?"
Mana was inside, carrying some boxes from one place to another. She paused upon hearing his voice and smiled. "Welcome, Kyle!" she said. "Father, Kyle's here!"
Kyle waved back to her with a smile, but nervously shrunk a bit as he heard the loud earth-shattering steps of the father, Douglas.
"Hey, kiddo. A real man," Douglas pointed to himself, "such as myself, would buy something nice and expensive right now!"
The farmer flinched. "W-well, uh, no... maybe I'll buy a few seeds for farming then... and nothing else..."
Douglas gasped. "You're going to buy a few seeds? And then ask for my daughter's hand in marriage!?" he exclaimed. Kyle got a perplexed expression right before Douglas continued shouting. "I won't allow it!"
Mana face-palmed before hitting her father's shoulder. "Father!" She groaned. "I- I'm sorry about him, really."
"H-haha... don't worry about it," Kyle reassured. "You have an... interesting father there."
"Do I really, now?" Mana asked, ignoring her father's fall of defeat from her sheer coldness. "Don't let him get to you. Kyle, you're allowed in this store anytime you want!"
The farmer smiled. "Thank you, Mana. Well then, I guess I'll see what you have in stock..."
Douglas got up and sighed. "Hold on now, let me teach you the basics," he said. Kyle raised an eyebrow. The mustached man pointed to their supplies. "This is our store, so those are our- mine and Man's- supplies for sale." Then he pointed to the bag Kyle was carrying. "That's your bag, so that's where you keep your stuff." Smiling, he shook his head like he was teaching a beginner. "If you want to buy anything, you put an item from our supply into your bag and pay. If you want to sell, you take out your item and put it on the counter, and we'll pay." He patted Kyle's head. "Do you understand, kiddo?"
"...I think I already know that much, s-sir..." Kyle muttered, unsure of whether he was being mocked.
"What!?" Douglas exclaimed. "You want to know if you can buy my little Mana!? Of course no-"
"Father!" Mana shrieked with a red face, throwing a bag of pink turnip seeds at her father's face. "Jeez! Y-you're embarrassing me!" Quickly ignoring the groan of pain that followed, she quickly bowed to the farmer in front of her. "I-I'm sorry once again, Kyle! My father's just... r-really, really crazy..."
Kyle nervously laughed yet again. This town is full of surprises, isn't it? "H-haha...ha... it's alright."
Shoot, he thinks I'm weird for sure! Mana whimpered to herself. "W-well, um, how about you buy this bag of pink turnip seeds for today!?" she asked in a hurry. "Here you go, 980G please, thank you, come again!" Mana said and pushed the bag into Kyle's hands, and attempted to push the man out the store.
"W-wait, I only have 50G left, r-remember?"
"...today's special discount for Kyle! Ahaha, ahahaha!" she exclaimed and quickly pushed him out, then shutting the door.
Kyle frowned. "...d-did I do somethi-" He was briefly cut short by more cries of pain from inside the store, definitely from the insanely overprotective father. "...I'll be back... some other time, then."
Wishing silently for Douglas' safety, the farmer walked towards the next building- a hospital. How'd he know it was a hospital? Well, the plus sign was a dead giveaway... he internally chuckled. Compared to the other buildings, this one seemed quite modern, in his opinion. Walking inside, he heard a girl crying.
"I, I was running after R-Roy!" the voice cried. "And, and, I skinned my knees! I-it hurts, Miss Natalie!" she cried more. "P-please help me!"
As he delved deeper, he felt a hand pat his back. Kyle flinched and turned around. A girl was looking right back at him, a finger on her lips, telling him to be quiet. He nervously nodded. W-who is this girl? he wondered. Suddenly the girl smiled.
"Just watch. My mother's a rather mature and calm nurse, she'll calm the girl down in no time..."
Kyle froze. It was a guy's voice. Oh, it's a guy.
The guy frowned. "...I feel like you thought I was a girl."
"N-no, no, of course not..." Kyle whispered nervously, laughing unconvincingly.
The feminine-looking man glared suspiciously, but looked back at the scene with his supposed mother.
"Well, Cammy," the nurse began, "you must fall down to learn about pain." She got a bandage out.
The light-pink haired girl, contrasting the nurse's somewhat dark-pink hair, sniffled and looked up. "W-what, what do you mean?" she asked. "Will I... be okay, Miss Natalie?"
The nurse, Natalie, chuckled. "Oh, it means that you should learn about everything and experience them yourself. Now, rush along." She smiled. "You should be okay now."
Cammy giggled and jumped on her feet. Flinching a bit from the slight pain, she ignored it and rushed out the hospital. "Thank you, Miss Natalie!" she exclaimed.
"Quite a soothing nurse, isn't she?" the man commented. "Oh, I apologize. Good day, mister." He got up and offered Kyle a handshake. "My name is Ray. I believe this is the first time we met."
Kyle smiled. "My name's Kyle. Nice to meet you," he said as he accepted the handshake. Wow, his skin is really soft too. This guy's a man?
"...I'm a male, just noting," Ray added as he squeezed Kyle's hand a bit harder.
H-huh? Can he read minds...? Kyle wondered, sweating nervously.
"Anyways, as you can see," Ray began, "my mother's a nurse. The only doctor in this town, currently." He sighed. "A great one too, although sometimes she might not be as mature as she actually is... and that's understandable." The feminine man looked over to his mother. "Being one of the few sane people in this town has definitely taken its toll on her..." Suddenly, he froze. Kyle cocked his head. Ray shivered. "Uh oh..."
"What is i-" Kyle felt himself being shoved asides. He looked around- an oddly-dressed woman walked towards the nurse. She looked like a witch... a legit one with magical powers... yeah, this town is quite interesting, he thought.
"Prepare for a storm..." Ray whispered.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a loud obnoxious laugh that sounded like a typical rich person, with all the mocking traits. "Oh, dear Miss Natalie!" the witch(?) exclaimed. "I think it'd be better to explain the concept of pain to someone before they feel it!" She then grinned evilly, directly at the scowl of the nurse. "After all, Cammy and the others would appreciate it much more, right?"
Clicking her tongue, Natalie put back some tools in a nearby drawer. "I think you'd be better off experiencing lots of pain, Alicia." Annoyed, the dark-pink haired doctor turned to the witch-like lady. "And please, I'm your mother. Don't call me by my name, Alicia."
"Make me, Mi-"
"And finally, stop that fortune-telling nonsense." Natalie rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Get a real job, Alicia. An actual, useful job."
"Wha-" Alicia paled, before gritting her teeth with rage. "How dare you! My fortune telling is not nonsense!"
"Whatever it is, Alicia, I will never accept it!"
Ray groaned. "Oh, boy..." he whispered. Feeling Kyle's sympathetic stare, he nodded. "Yeah, this is a normal occurrence in the family."
"...oh, boy..." Kyle repeated, to which the doctor's son nodded again.
"I'll handle this..." Ray muttered and walked onto the scene. "Sister, mother. Why do you two have to always be like this?" he asked. "First, dear mother, can't you just accept Alicia's decisions?" Then he turned to his fortune-telling sister. "And dear sister, can't you stop running your mouth off like that?"
Natalie looked away bitterly. "As a doctor, I do not believe in anything that isn't supported by science nor reason."
"And as a fortune teller," Alicia remarked, "I only believe in the future, not a snotty mother."
The two women growled at each other, causing Ray to sigh. "You're both as stubborn as ever..." he commented. They ignored him and continued sending hateful glances.
Kyle nervously laughed. "W-well, at least you tried, uh, Ray..."
"Oh?" Natalie noticed him. "And who might this young man be, Ray?" she asked. "A new friend?"
"H-hi..." Kyle muttered. "I'm, uh, Kyle. And... yeah, sorry, I saw the whole thing."
Natalie shook her head and smiled. "That's alright. I should be the one to apologize, Kyle." She sighed tiredly. "I'm Natalie, the doctor of this village. Are you staying at Egan's inn?"
Egan? Kyle shook his head. "No, I'm staying at... Douglas' and Mana's farm. Or that abandoned farm place..." he answered.
The nurse slightly showed a bit of surprise on her expression, but chuckled. "Oh, that's right... I heard someone was moving there." She patted Kyle's head. "Say, did those two force you to buy their things?" she asked curiously.
"Haha, well... kind of." Kyle laughed as he remembered the pure genius of Mana once again.
Natalie laughed along. "Well, don't worry. They're actually good people, don't hold it against them," she said.
"Of course. I can tell... haha." Once again, Kyle felt like laughing. Then he remembered the screams of pain from Douglas after he left the store. "...probably."
"Hahaha, you say that like something bad has happened." Natalie smiled and patted his head again, rubbing his hair. "But anyways, farming may be fun work and all, but if you feel tired or sick, you must not forget to rest and take care of yourself first."
"Okay, doctor." Kyle resisted the urge to grin when Natalie raised an eyebrow at him.
She eventually laughed. "Oh, you. Have fun with farming, Kyle!"
"Thanks, Natalie." He headed towards the hospital's exit, when a girl blocked his path. Specifically... Alicia. Uh-oh... exactly not who I want to get to know... he gulped. "...uh... he-"
"Ssshhh!" Alicia hushed him, earning a frown. "I'm reading your fortune..." she whispered-explained.
"O-oh... I, uh, see..."
A few seconds passed by. Alicia hummed. "Young man... lemme guess... you're not from this town, am I right?"
"N-no..." Kyle replied. Is this really fortune telling, he wondered.
Alicia suddenly laughed with excitement. "Yes, I did it! I really am an amazing fortune teller!"
The farmer sweat-dropped. W-well of course I'm not from this town... he stared as the girl continued cheering. I've never even met you before...
The again-pink haired girl pouted. "Ah! Just now you thought, 'of course I'm not from this town! I've never even met you before!' Am I right?"
Kyle frowned. "O-of course not! I wasn't!" Though it was kind of obvious, I guess.
"Don't lie!" Alicia exclaimed. "I'm an expert fortune reader, I can read your mind!" she said. "And even if it's a bit off, I can make them come true anyways!"
"..." he remained silent. I-it's not fortune telling if you make it come true yourself! ...is what I'd like to sho-
"Of course it is!" Alicia exclaimed. "As long as it comes true, it's fortune telling success!"
"..." Hold on... can she actually... read minds!?
Ray chuckled and patted him. "Haha, don't be fooled. Of course she can't."
Kyle paled at him. Can he also read minds!?
Natalie walked up to him and, also chuckling, patted him. "Haha, don't think too much about that nonsense. None of them can."
The farmer shivered. Wow, this town is full of surprises... even the scientific nurse can re-
"No," Natalie simply said.
Kyle stared at the three in silence. "...i-is it... that obvious what I'm thinking...?"
"Yes," all three replied.
"...o-okay..." Kyle looked down, embarrassed. Oh, boy.
Alicia laughed. "You're Kyle, right?" she asked. The farmer nodded embarrasedly. "I'm Alicia, and as you can see- I'm a fortune teller!"
"A fraud and a waste of time," Natalie muttered under her breath.
"What was that!?"
"You heard me! Get a real job already!"
"Oh, that's it! Say goodbye to your stupid science-y tools!"
"Wait, Alicia, don't you d- Alicia!"
Kyle and Ray immediately ran out the building as lots of crashes could be heard throughout the hospital. They looked at the tall building as the noises continued.
After a few seconds, Ray laughed nervously. "W-well then, Kyle... please, uh, visit the hospital sometimes..." he said, with crumbling hope.
"...okay..." Kyle replied. He laughed nervously before slowly turning away and walking a bit faster than usual, towards the central.
Damn it, Ray cursed. He's definitely staying away from us...