Claire woke up with a start. Ciel was sleeping, curled beside her. She rubbed her face with her hands. Yawning, she got up from her bed and headed to her kitchen. She prepared toasted bread and milk. She spread butter all over her toasted bread and waited for it to melt. After every few bites, she drank a bit of milk. Claire enjoyed drinking milk in both the morning and the evening, although, due to her past busy schedule, she found preparing the type of meals she wanted difficult.

Ciel jumped at her as she was eating. Claire didn't mind him. She didn't want him to get spoiled and become hard-headed. Ciel started barking at her but Claire tried not to mind him. He finally gave up and sat down by her feet. Claire pinched a small piece from her bread and gave it to Ciel. Ciel started barking and jumping again, but Claire stopped minding him again. After she ate, she prepared Ciel's food, washed her plate, gave the puppy his food and made her bed.

Claire headed to her bathroom and took a bath, contemplating on what she planned on doing for the day. She thought of going through some of the houses to meet some of her neighbors and finally buying a few seeds and livestock. She was beginning to get excited at the thought of earning money from pure hard work. She didn't think that the jobs she had previously would be as difficult as this. She looked at her clock. It was already 7:45.

Claire stepped out of her house and surveyed her farm. It was probably a little bit too early to start visiting people. She got her sickle and cut through some of the tall grass growing in her main field. She could use this as feed for her livestock when the weather is bad or something similar. She had already cleared a square meter of grass when she noticed how high the sun already was in the sky. She entered her house again and washed her hands.

Knock. Knock.

Claire approached her door as she heard the noise. She wondered if the mayor or Zack wanted to talk to her. She opened her door and saw a Chinese man standing in front of her. His hand was still raised, obviously ready to knock again. He lowered his hand but kept it level with his waist. "Good morning. I am Won."

Ciel ran beside Claire and started barking. Claire, on the other hand, took Won's hand and shook with him. "I'm Claire. Nice to meet you." Won nodded and lowered his hands, surprising Claire at the sudden drop of her hand. "I sell a lot of things. My shop is in the beach, in Zack's house, to be exact. Please visit when you have the time." Claire nodded and Won left immediately. 'He's a bit weird', she thought to herself.

Claire petted Ciel on the head. "I'll be going around town for a while, okay?" She approached her door and Ciel followed her. "No, darling, you're not coming with me today." She exited her door and heard a small whimper from inside. She shook her head. She shouldn't easily get swayed because of the whimpers of a puppy. She was going to meet some of the townspeople first.

Claire slowly walked to the entrance of her farm. She continued walking straight with her head bowed, then, she suddenly stopped. She saw a pair of feet not too far from the peripheral of her field of vision. She stared at the feet and slowly gazed upward. She saw a pair of brown eyes staring directly into hers. The man raised his hand and fixed his eyeglasses. He lowered the same hand and stretched it toward her. "Hi. I'm Rick. You must be the new owner of that farm." He pointed down the path. "The mayor mentioned you." Claire took his hand. "I'm Claire. It's a pleasure to meet you." She glanced sideways, trying to locate where exactly he lived. "You're from the poultry farm, am I right?"

Rick nodded. "Zack told me," Claire continued. Rick nodded again. "If you ever want to buy chickens," he began. "Just go over to my place. We're open everyday, except Sundays, from 11 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon." Claire nodded and let go of Rick's hand. Rick blushed and apologized. "Sorry about that. Uh...I have to go now." He turned left and started walking. He glanced back at Claire. "See you soon!"

Claire waved at him. She started walking in the same direction. She saw what Zack called 'Saibara's shop'. The sign by the door said 'Come in, we're open'. She entered the shop and heard a woman speaking. Claire walked forward, then suddenly stopped.

"Thank you very much for upgrading it. It's a whole lot easier to use. Tha-", the woman's voice was abruptly cut off by the 'ouch' of a man in the corner. The old man the lady was talking to started scolding the young man in the corner. This younger man just stayed quiet, trying not to be bothered by the words of his elder. "Hey, wait," the woman grabbed his hand and surveyed one of his fingers. "Do you have any bandages, Mister Saibara?" She looked at the old man while pressing the younger one's finger. Saibara got something from the drawer in his desk and handed it to her.

The woman asked Saibara to cut the gauze and she started wrapping it around the young man's finger. The young man thanked her. The woman bowed and quickly walked away. Her head was down when she passed by Claire, not noticing that she was even there, and exited the little shop. Claire looked at the woman and noticed she had glasses and her black hair was tied in a loose ponytail.

"You better thank Mary properly, Gray." Saibara was pointing at Gray who was staring intently at his wrapped finger. "I don't know how you plan on doing it, just make sure you do it." Gray dropped his hand suddenly and looked at the person standing by the doorway. "What are you looking at?" Saibara followed his gaze and spoke. He looked at Gray and yelled at him for being discourteous to a customer. He then looked at Claire and said, "good morning! You must be that woman the mayor was talking about. I'm Saibara," he gave Gray a quick glance and pointed at him. "And this," he rolled his eyes, "is my grandson, Gray. I'm sorry for the commotion you walked into. Welcome to my shop. What is your name?" He smiled at Claire and urged her forward. "Come close, don't worry. I don't bite. Although," he lowered his hand and reached out to her. "He might."

Claire approached the old man and took his hand. "I'm Claire. It's a pleasure to meet you." Saibara released her hand and cleared his throat. "We're open from 10 to 4 except on Thursdays, so, if you want anything fixed or upgraded just go to me," he looked at Gray again, "...or him." Saibara looked at Claire again. "Do you have any questions?"

Claire nodded. "Do you sell any tools?" She looked at the old man and then the young man and smiled. "In case I break any of my tools beyond repair. "Ah yes," the old man answered. "We sell some tools, too. And other stuff I doubt your farm still has, like wool scissors. Finn wasn't into taking care of sheep. On the other hand, I believe the milker is already too rusty for use. I'm not trying to force you to buy, I'm just saying." Claire giggled at the old man's words. "It's just business." She said.

Saibara laughed. "That's right! Look here, Gray, someone who understands marketing."

Claire looked at Gray and smiled. Gray looked away. "Hi..." Saibara nudged Gray in the rib and murmured something to him. "Why don't you stay a while. I'd like to know more about you." Claire looked at Saibara, surprised at his question. She grinned at him and answered his question. "Yes, thank you. I'd like to know more about you, too."

"Ah," Saibara took a sip from his teacup. "Your grandmother must be very proud of you." He leaned forward and gestured Claire to do the same. "If you ask me, I'm proud of Gray, too. I just don't want to say it to his face. Not yet, it's too early. He isn't taking this too seriously yet." Claire straightened her back and set the teacup on the table.

"I enjoyed speaking to you, Mister Sai-"

"Please," Saibara spoke. "Just Saibara."

Claire nodded, "Saibara". She stood from her seat and bowed to him. "I have to go now. Thank you very much."

"Gray," Saibara called out. "Walk Claire out," he looked at his grandson sternly, "and apologize". Gray nodded and walked towards Claire. "Let me take you outside." He stood still and waited for Claire to walk. As she approached the door, he spoke. "I'm sorry for being rude earlier. It's just that," he opened the door for her, "my grandfather has a way of setting my nerves off."

"It's probably not my business," Claire began, "but why would he set your nerves off?" Gray shrugged, closing the door behind him after they passed. "I feel like he doesn't appreciate me being around." Gray lifted his hat and slicked his hair back. "It's not like too many people would still want to be apprenticed by him. It's like he's always looking down on me." He set his hat back on his head. "I think I want to give up and return to the city instead."

Claire shook her head. "All you need to do is practice some more. He's probably like that because you're his grandson. He probably doesn't want to see you hurt," Claire looked away as she spoke, "...like earlier."

"You saw that?" Gray's eyes widened in shock. "Well, this is embarrassing." He rubbed the back of his head and looked away. Claire laughed at Gray. He looked at her, confused at her sudden outburst. "Practice more and train harder! You'll see, he'll be so proud of you." She placed her hand on his shoulder and grinned. Gray looked at Claire's eyes and suddenly spoke. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. I guess I'll talk to him and apologize." Claire nodded, and removed her hand from his shoulder. "You're welcome." She smiled at him again. "It was really nice meeting you. Bye!" She waved him goodbye and walked toward the poultry farm.

Claire approached the poultry farm and looked at the field in front of her. She walked toward the door and placed her hand on the door knob. Suddenly, the door opened and she saw a shocked Rick standing in front of her. He placed his hand on his chest and sighed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." He let go of the door knob and gestured her to come in. "Were you planning on buying anything," He looked at the stairs as he heard light foot steps going down, "or just visiting?"

"Just visiting," Claire answered. "I haven't cleaned up my chicken coop yet, and I was planning on asking some questions."

A pink-haired, middle-aged lady walked toward the two. She looked at Rick first, and then at Claire. "The new girl", Rick mumbled. "Hi," she raised her hands to shake with Claire. "I'm Lillia. You are?" Claire took Lillia's hand, "I'm Claire." Lillia reached for Claire's hair. "Wait, you have something on your hair." She took it out and gave it to Rick. "Just a leaf, nothing to worry about." She smiled at Claire. "Nice to meet you, Claire," she walked toward her couch and sat down. She patted the seat next to hers. "Would you like to sit?"

Claire nodded. "Thank you." She sat down beside Lillia.

"I heard you wanted to ask questions, what is it that you would like to know?" Lillia looked at Rick and mouthed, tea, and something else at him. Rick went up and a minute later, he went back down and headed into the kitchen. Lillia faced Claire again and waited for her to speak. Just as Claire was about to speak, loud steps echoed throughout the house, followed by a high-pitched sound. Claire and Lillia looked at the stairs, as a loud 'Popuri!' was heard from the kitchen.

As Popuri reached the last step, she straightened her skirt and walked toward Claire. "Hi! I'm Popuri. It's nice to meet you." She took both of Claire's hands. "What's your name?" Claire stood up, hands still in Popuri's grip. "I'm Claire."

"Popuri," Rick called out from the kitchen. "Could you please help me out with these?" Popuri smiled at Claire and let her go, then, she headed for the kitchen. Lillia looked at Claire and spoke. "Popuri is very hyper." She nodded to herself. "Ah," she saw her children approaching them with trays. "Let's continue our conversation after the tea and cake are served."

Rick set down a cup in the table in front of Liliia and one in front of Claire. He set down another two intended for him and his sister. He then proceeded to pour tea into the cups and set the teacup down in the center of the four cups. Afterward, Popuri placed the plates of cake beside each teacup and handed everyone their forks. "Bon appetit!"

"You can always ask me if you have any problems or just want help." Claire nodded to Rick. "I sure will." She stood up from her seat. "Thank you very much. I have to go now." Popuri walked with Claire to the door. "If my brother intimidates you, just tell me," she said in one of the most sing-song voice Claire had ever heard. Claire walked toward the gate and waved to Popuri.

Claire turned right and continued straight through the path, stopping when she reached the Yodel Ranch. She heard one of the cows moo and smiled to herself. She thought about buying her first cow and milking it after a while. She saw a little girl walk out the door and stare at her. Claire waved at the little girl and she waved back. "Are you going to buy something?" The little girl asked Claire. Claire shook her head. "No, but I'd like to talk to the owner of the ranch, if I may." The little girl nodded. "I'm May." She opened the door and ran inside.

Claire stood still. She wasn't sure what the kid did. A moment later, May opened the door and caught Claire's attention. "My grandfather's ready to see you, lady." Claire approached May and said, "please, call me Claire." She entered the house and saw an old man slumped over the counter. "Oh, good afternoon. You must be the new girl living in the farm. I'm Barley." He saw May enter the house. "And, that one there is May."

Claire looked at May and smiled. "I'm Claire," she said. "How are you enjoying Mineral Town?" Barley asked, his hands resting on the counter. "It's quite nice here. The people are very friendly." Barley nodded. "So, what brings you here?" Claire looked at Barley as he spoke. His back was already arched and his knuckles were swollen. "I wanted to ask about livestock." Barley nodded again. "I see," he looked at May and saw her signaling something. He nodded his head and she ran outside, not without shouting a hurried 'bye' to them. "You've come to the right place. I believe you've seen my cattle outside." Claire nodded. "Some of them are for sale. Usually, I just sell the mothers when the calves are old enough to live on their own. Cows produce the best milk when they are still lactating." Barley walked toward Claire. "I keep the bulls, unless that's what the people want to buy. I also sell sheep, animal medicine, food and all sorts of other stuff. I no longer sell horses within here though."

"Regarding your barn," Barley looked at Claire, staring straight into her eyes. "Let me help you set it up. Have you cleaned it?" Claire shook her head. "Not yet," she answered. "I was planning on doing it today." Barley straightened his back and Claire was sure she heard a sound. "Would you like me to help you?" Claire shook her head again. "No, thank you, but I would like for you to help me with the set up." Barley smiled at Claire and nodded. "Alright, just come by and tell me."

Claire bowed to him. "Thank you!" She looked at the watch strapped to her wrist. "Oh, I have to go now, thank you very much." Claire turned around and headed for the door. "Ah," Barley approached the door and opened it for her. "Before I forget, the shop is open from 10am to 3pm, all days except Mondays and holidays." Claire nodded, "thank you." She exited the ranch and ran toward her farm. She wanted start working on her barn. Rick said he and Popuri were coming over early tomorrow morning to help her out with her coop, so she wanted to finish cleaning her barn already.

She ran into her barn and surveyed the area. She got a pail from one of the corners and filled it with water. She ran to the tool shed outside and got the soap the mayor had given her for the barn. She poured the soap into a few of the other pails around the barn and distributed them equally, after which, she diluted each. She poured water on parts of the floor and grabbed the brush she found near the pails. She carried one of the pails with soap into the area she wanted to work with and started cleaning.

It took me quite a while to finish this chapter. And, please, tell me if you find any inconsistency with the tenses. For whatever reason, while I was typing this earlier (starting from where May appeared), my brain suddenly switched to present tense. I had to retype every single verb I wrote.

Okay, now, for the reason as to why I downgraded this to "T":
It will take quite a while before I get to any scene that would make this M-rated. I don't even know if by the time I type those scenes out, they would really be M-rated or just OT. When the time comes, I'll put an A/N at the top as a warning.