Chapter 2: Sachiko


"I don't like him."

Celia was gazing out of the window absently at the farmhouse across the way. Marlin and Vesta were eating lunch and she'd barely heard a word either of them had said. Marlin's statement made her snap out of it though and glance back at him questioningly.

"Who?"

"That city slicker thinking he can do farm work" he snorted, "It's plain insulting."

Celia scowled. Keiji had been there for three weeks and Marlin rarely missed the chance to insult and question how some 'pretty boy' can take care of a farm. Though, she was wondering herself how much Keiji knew on the subject. He said he wanted to be a lawyer so how much did he know about…agriculture?

Vesta, seeming somewhat neutral in her opinion of Keiji since she hadn't met him yet, shrugged, "I'm sure he's pulling through. The only that makes me expect he's in over his head is that he hasn't purchased any seeds from us!"

Celia rolled her eyes, "Maybe there were some already on the farm…or he doesn't even know that's one of our businesses."

Vesta looked stunned, as if the idea hadn't even occurred to her as she stood up suddenly, running her bulky fist into her large palm.

"Of course! I can't believe we were so thoughtless before!"

Marlin and Celia watched in befuddled amazement as the large husky woman moved around the farmhouse at ease. After a moment, she pulled out a bag of strawberry seeds. Smiling almost deviously, she waved them 'up'.

"We'll give him this complimentary bag…just to drop a hint or two."

Celia groaned and Marlin snorted, rising to his feet, "Fine with me. I want to see how much of a failure he is."

Celia gawked as the two left before quickly following. Why? Keiji was a really nice guy from what she could tell. He was from the city and she heard that people from there proved to be really coarse. How ironic that Vesta and Marlin would turn that around…

The walk over was a bit long as they passed by smaller farms. Keiji's farm was one of the largest in Wasuredani. Unlike Vesta's, it was also available for raising animals…

When they arrived, they found Keiji easily enough: he was napping on a hammock he'd strung up. Marlin grunted, "I knew it…"

Celia frowned, staring at Keiji before glancing back at Marlin who'd fallen rather silent. His eyes were narrowed at something and she slowly followed his gaze. What was he staring at so angrily?

…Everything.

The whole yard was the absolute view of perfection. The grass in the pastures was cut but not low enough that the cows couldn't graze which they were doing at the moment. All three main fields were tilled, watered, and immaculate…

…Woah.

"Mm…"

They all jumped when Keiji stirred, sitting up and stretching, yawning widely. They all stared at him as if he were some strange enigma. He rubbed his eyes and stared at them, dazed for a moment, before smiling softly.

"Hello…I'm sorry, did you need anything?" he asked politely.

Marlin growled, "Not from you."

Celia slapped his arm, hissing, "Marlin, mind your manners!"

Keiji blinked, confused, "Oh, Sawamoto-san, what brings you by?"

Marlin's eyes flared and Celia rolled her eyes at him before smiling, "We just came by to bring you some seeds as a welcome gift. But seems you have that under control…"

Standing, he shook his head, smiling, "I didn't account for the climate change and researching a bit found that the seeds that I brought from home aren't in season so…"

Vesta crossed her arms as Celia handed them to him. Looking back at Vesta, she gasped, "Oh! Yagami-san, this is Shinichi Vesta and her brother, Marlin. I live with them."

Keiji bowed politely, "Nice to meet you."

"Tell me…Yagami, how the hell do you know Celia?" Marlin snarled angrily.

Celia sent him a death glare and Keiji seemed puzzled, "The first day I arrived, we met…is uh, there a problem?"

"You're damn right there's a probl-"

Celia laughed loudly and nervously, shoving Marlin along quickly, "Well, Yagami-san, we just wanted to inform you that we sell seeds and things so if you need anything, just come on by! See ya' later!"

Shoving Marlin out before he could say another word, she instantly pulled away when they were away from Keiji, hissing, "Why do you have to be that way?! Goodness, you're such an idiot, Marlin!"

She stomped off, irritated. What an impression to make in front of him! Ugh, she…she didn't know what it mattered, just…

She didn't want him to think badly of her.


Marlin grunted, glancing at Vesta who rolled her eyes, "That WAS hella untactful, Marlin. You're not going to impress her that way."

Marlin glowered at his sister before stuffing his hands in his pockets before mumbling, "…I don't like him."

"And you can tell she likes him. She's always looking over here. There's something about him that she likes and that you apparently don't have" Vesta scoffed, walking up the path.

Marlin darkly glared in Celia's fleeting direction. "…Don't worry about that. When the time comes, if I hafta, she'll learn to like me too."

"He is utterly gorgeous!" whispered Muffy.

"You don't see men around here like that" purred Samantha.

Sawamoto Celia, walking by after visiting Sebastian, the butler at Romana's, a rich old lady, estate, rolled her eyes. Samantha was married too…

But the women were up in arms about Keiji. Celia looked to where the two were gazing dreamily. Keiji was wandering around absently, going down to the turtle pond. Celia frowned and grimaced.

Ever since that incident with Marlin, he'd obviously been trying to avoid her. She couldn't blame him though. Marlin often tried his hardest to make a fool of himself, telling Keiji to stay away from her.

But the poor guy seemed rather…down. Having him there made her realize how little was in Wasuredani. He was probably bored senseless…

Rubbing her arms, she walked over after him and found him sitting on top of a rock. She blushed as his hair waved in the wind, staring out, his eyes blank. Swallowing, she cleared her throat softly. He looked up, surprised out of his daze before smiling gently.

"Hello, Sawamoto-san."

"Hello, Yagami-san" she crossed her arms behind herself, smiling nervously, "It's been a month…how are you holding up?"

He sighed, rubbing his temple, "What can I say…? I thought this place would be run into the ground, that it'd take a few months to restore. Nope, the place was almost perfect. Three days, I was able to clean it up. A day, I had all the crops sown. Now, I just finish up early no matter how late I start and have to bide my time…"

She cautiously sat next to him and smiled, closing her eyes, "You're bored."

He blinked, shocked, "Bored? No, no, just…"

She glanced at him knowingly and he groaned, shaking his head, "So bored I'm considering just sleeping this whole year. I'd go home too, if it wasn't such a long trip and I didn't have animals."

Hugging her knees, she gazed at the pond, "I like this slow life…but I guess you live in the city. This silence must be painful to you."

He chuckled, "A tad."

"Um…" she murmured, blushing, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling, "It's not exciting but do you want to have a picnic on the shore?"

He glanced at her before looking back to the pond, "I don't know, wouldn't your boyfriend get angry?"

It was lucky Celia wasn't eating or drinking anything because she still managed to choke on air. "BOYFRIEND?! M-Marlin?!"

He stared at her, surprised, as she vehemently shook her head, "I can't stand him! He's an overbearing, needlessly jealous idiot! I'd bury myself alive before I had a romantic relationship with him!"

He laughed, waving his hands, "Okay, okay, I gotcha. Just the way he's been acting…"

"He likes me" she admitted, "But I could never think of him that way. Plus, he's almost twice my age."

"Hmm…" he murmured, staring up, "No offense, but he seriously irks me with his attitude toward me, like I'm just some dumb perverted guy…"

"I understand" she shook her head, leaning backward, "He's just trying to sway me…just ignore him, Yagami-san."

"Okay" he chuckled, running his fingers through his hair, "But…call me Keiji. Yagami-san… sounds way formal."

She blushed and smiled, "All right…if you'll call me 'Celia'."

He grinned at her, "No problem. Now…what was this about lunch?"


The plain they found was perfect. It was completely deserted and Marlin would probably never walk this far out.

Keiji and her had parted before meeting back up and looking for a good place. When they found this little bit of nature, she spread out the blanket she'd brought and they sat to eat. She was surprised when she came to Keiji's house to find him finishing something up. It smelled tasty…

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

He glanced back at her before winking, "You'll see."

It looked…strange. And…spicy. She couldn't really deal with spicy. But he'd laughed and held out a spoon to her, insisting that she give it a shot. She sighed and dipped forward, allowing the spoon and unknown substance into her mouth. Hot indeed. But also…really good.

"I like it! What's it called?"

He blinked at her, "You've never had curry?"

She shook her head, taking a bit more, "My father, Vesta, and Marlin don't like spicy foods."

"Hmm…" he murmured, sitting back and biting into an apple she'd brought, "This is like the best apple I've had in my life. You guys are definitely better farmers than me."

She blushed, shaking her head, "You're doing really well though! You know so much about it but I thought you'd said you were gonna be a lawyer."

Keiji laughed, closing his eyes, "I know, weird eh? But no, my uncle owns a farm in my hometown and I worked every summer there to get some extra money."

Celia 'oh'd' and took some of the bread he'd bought before frowning. Wait a second…

"You're coming from the city, right?"

"Yup" he nodded.

"…There are farms in the city?" she questioned, puzzled.

He laughed softly, "Oh no, I live in the city. I'm from a suburban country-like island called Mineral Town. It's pretty much where my whole family lives."

She nodded, "It sounds nice. Are you homesick?"

Keiji looked up absently before smiling, "Homesick…? Nah…"


Celia smiled as she slowly packed a lunch of bread and honey. She wondered what Keiji would bring…

Three months had passed and every Thursday, Keiji and she would go and have a picnic lunch. He was such a sweet guy. They'd talk for hours, trading their life tales and different experiences. As time passed, they got a tad more intimate with their talks. She had to say that his admittance to being somewhat promiscuous a few years ago bothered her a little bit but did it really matter that much? It probably wasn't so much the actual act but that…

She clasped her cheeks and sighed. She supposed it was bound to happen: she had a crush on him.

He had all the charming qualities that she'd wanted in a man. He was cultured too. The more time they spent together, the more time she wanted with him. Sighing almost dreamily, she started to head out…

"Ah ha, just the girl I wanted to see."

Celia jumped and groaned. Muffy…

Muffy had moved in from the city herself maybe a year ago. Celia would make no argument that the blonde was a lot more attractive than her. She was elegant, had an English accent, her skin not marred and very clean. Celia's skin was clean, of course, but she had some sunspots and freckles from her childhood that still hadn't quite gone away. Muffy's hair…she curled it at the ends, a black band holding it back. It was so shiny and pretty. Celia's didn't shine at all and was just…straight. Oh, and of course, Muffy was very well-formed.

The men in town loved her because she was the only woman that showed off her bountiful cleavage and her hips were very apparent in that dress. Celia had very lean hips and her chest just made it to a B…

Celia pouted in her head. And she always saw the woman chatting with Keiji.

They'd laugh a lot, apparently talking about the city that they both, ironically, came from. Even more ironically is that she worked in the same building. It wasn't fair. Just what did she want though?

"Can I help you?" Celia forced a smile.

The blonde woman grinned, "Actually, I'm here to help you."

Celia cocked a brow and Muffy crossed her arms, walking around her, "Y'know, I noticed you pining after our local hottie…"

Celia stiffened, flustering, "I-I am not!"

"Now, now, Celia, no woman in town, except Vesta, won't admit that he's the sexiest thing to come into this valley."

Celia blushed brighter. Sexy? Sounded so…

…Appropriate.

"So-so what if I am?" she sputtered, completely red, "Are you here to tell me that we're rivals?"

"Rivals? Hardly!" she laughed, "I'm here to tell you that I completely support you."

Celia blanked, "…What?"

Muffy waved her hand, "Oh darling, it's not like he's not my type because he certainly has everything I would ever want. But I know I'm not what he wants. You, on the other hand…"

Celia kneaded her hands nervously, saying silently, "But I'm so plain…"

"Psh posh. I'm sure he likes you. And you should chase him down. You don't want to be stuck with Marlin forever, do you?"

Celia stiffened as the idea struck her like a club. Absolutely not.

"Well, there you have it" Muffy laughed, "But I was just stopping in to tell you that I will support your endeavors in any way possible."

"…Why's that?" Celia asked, still a tad suspicious.

"Oh, I love playing matchmaker" she giggled.

She walked away and waved back, "Toodles, darling!"

Celia watched, a bit bemused, before sighing. Well…wonderful.

She finally left the house, walking slowly toward Keiji's. It still seemed hopeless. Keiji was just too…good. The type of girl he was interested in probably wasn't her by a landslide. And…and he deserved someone that would actually be interested in him in that way too. She recognized his gorgeousness but not in that sexually intimate kind of way…

Upon arrival, she dropped her lunchbox out of absolute shock.

Keiji…no…shirt.

He was tilling away, half-naked, his muscles gleaming with the sweat of hard work. She'd thought he'd have some muscles but his whole lower abdomen was a row of tight muscles and his arms were rippling. His hips were still lean but she saw the formed shape disappearing into his pants. His nipples seemed really perky…

She would have squealed if he wasn't a foot away.

Keiji groaned, stretching, and looked up. He seemed stunned before glancing at his watch. He grimaced, "Oh crap, Celia, I totally forgot! I was trying to till for summer crops…"

She swallowed, still entranced, "Uh, th-that's okay. We can cancel for today if you're too busy."

He shook his head, "I'm famished. Let me grab a shower, throw something in the stove, and we can go."

Shower…? "Oh, uh, all right!" she laughed nervously, "I'll just go wait in the field."

He scoffed, "No way. It's hot as hell out here. Come inside…it'll only take a few minutes, promise. I'm sorry."

"N-no, it's fine" she scratched her cheek, gazing down realizing that she'd pretty much been staring at his chest the whole time.

She almost gasped as he gently took her hand and led her inside, sitting her on the couch and smiling at her before disappearing into his room.

Celia's cheeks were flustered as she slowly felt her heart. Oh…

Yea…definitely sexy.


Lunch on that particular day was very awkward. Every time she looked at him, she saw him all hot and sweaty, without a shirt. It was a miracle…

But she wouldn't mind maybe getting to know him that way too.

She groaned as she walked over, realizing as she walked back to his house to return a plate that she didn't even know him the romantic way yet.

…Did she want to?

Coming to his house, she blinked when she found his door ajar. Softly opening it, intending to just set the plate down, she paused, surprised. He was inside, sitting on the couch with a cell phone pressed to his ear, a smile on his face.

"Hey there, I miss you" he said in a strangely loving voice.

Suddenly her heart skipped. What…?

"How's my cutie doing, hmm? …Ooh, I know."

…Did he…?

"Aww, okay now. I love you" he cooed.

Have…a girlfriend?

"Okay, you take care, Sachiko."

….Celia swallowed and placed the plate silently down in front of the door. Walking away quickly, she rubbed her eyes, telling herself not to cry. So what was she to him? Some silly little girl that he could toy with while he was away?

Rushing up the steps of her house, not stopping to hear what Vesta and Marlin had to say, she threw herself across her bed and sobbed…

No…no. He was just thinking how it should be: that they were friends.

But…but it hurt. It hurt so much. She choked on her sobs, cursing herself for being so stupid. He was far too handsome to not have someone back home. Sachiko…she was probably an absolute stunner. Better than her, without a doubt.

She clenched her heart, trembling. Jealousy… she didn't like it, but…