"So, you guys ready for this?" Molly asked. I could see her hands trembling a bit.

"I don't think so," was Kasey's short answer.

"Nope," I added.

"To be honest, I don't think I can handle this," Will let out a nervous laugh, his smile wore down a bit.

I would say it was just a normal spring day in Castanet, but it seemed that wasn't the case for the four of us. We were standing by the docks, awaiting the ship to enter our views. A few of the locals were curious, but somehow decided to not meddle in our business. They mostly turned their heads and walk away.

This is it, huh. Our reunion. I never thought the day would come. The Big Sister, the one who we always feared, is on her way to see us again.

"Dunno about you guys, but half of me really wanted to see her again," Kasey stated. I could see a bit of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Me too," Molly chimed.

"Somehow, yeah," I said.

"I do miss her. So yes, I would like to see her as soon as possible," Will vouched.

"I guess we really couldn't live without her, huh," Kasey chuckled.

"Wonder why," I muttered.

"Probably got our heads whacked too often."

"Guys! There's the ship!" Molly exclaimed. She pointed at the vast blue sea, and surely enough, there was a familiar ship cruising our way.

"Here we go..."

As time goes by, the ship came closer and closer. It felt as if we were waiting in line to get a one-way ticket to hell. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, but all I heard was a dreadful laugh of the reaper.

It took about five minutes until I could make out a figure on the ship. She noticed our presence, and waved her arms frantically. I could see her huge grin, even from a distance. Each of us returned the wave, albeit hesitantly.

We held our breaths as the plank was laid down. Coming off the ship was a figure of a young lady. Her straight, blonde hair dropped down to her back. Her eyes were blue as the summer sky, and a glint of determination was seen. She wore what seemed to be a regular farmer's outfit, and though I never thought I'd say this, they fit her well.

Though her physical appearance seemed to differ from a few years ago, I could still feel that certain aura she gave. I could feel the confidence, the bravery around her, as if she was saying 'I could do anything and nobody can stop me!'

She briefly looked over each of us, her smile intact. After a while, a chuckle escaped her lips.

"You guys took real good care of yourselves, huh?"

Suddenly, the tension we had before was gone. The dreaded feeling was somehow vanished into thin air. From Big Sis, I could only feel a hint of kindness and concern.

"Goddess, I thought you were going to kick us in the face or something," Kasey laughed, wiping a sweat off his brow.

"I'm not that much of a monster," Big Sis took a step toward me, "and I'm no longer your boss. Keep that in mind while I'm here," she poked my nose with her index finger, being playful as usual.

"It's been a while, Big Sis," I said.

I could see her cringe a bit at the name I just called her. My heart stopped beating for a moment, as if I just said something taboo.

"Y'know, I'm getting a bit sick of hearing that name," she sighed, "just call me by my name."

"That would be best," Will said.

His smiling face was soon replaced with doubt just after he said that.

"That's odd. I can't seem to remember your real name."

"Whaaat? You're horrible, Will," Big Sis smacked Will's shoulder.

"Now that I think of it..." Molly began. "I don't remember as well," she shrugged.

"We really got used to calling you 'Big Sis'," said Kasey with a chuckle.

"You guys are the worst..." Big Sis let out a disappointed sigh and turned to me. "What about you, cowboy?"

How could I ever forget? The name of someone who brought me pain, sorrow and happiness at the same time. The name of someone I look up to, someone who doesn't take crap from people, someone who lives her life through her own way.

"I could never forget it," I muttered, looking straight at her eyes. "...Claire."

Claire's eyes widen a bit in surprise. After a while though, it turned to a sweet smile.

"That's better."


"A ranch, huh. Are you trying to copy me or something?"

Kasey chuckled as he placed a glass of iced tea in front of his mentor. We were at the ranch, taking cover from the scorching hot sun outside. Spring was coming to an end. Day by day, the temperature rose slowly, but surely.

"I still can't believe you're running a farm," Molly began. She took a seat beside Claire, genuinely interested in finding out more about our former boss.

Claire gulped down her tea at sonic speed. She let out a satisfied sigh before speaking. "I thought you guys would understand. All I ever wanted was a peaceful life, to live as an ordinary, innocent girl."

Yeah, no. It would be the biggest lie of all time to call you ordinary, much less innocent.

"After graduation, I was stuck. College was too expensive for my family. And getting a job was pretty much impossible," Claire began. The sparkle in her eyes dimmed down a bit, "but then I heard about a small farm my grandfather left. He died a couple of years ago, and the farm had been abandoned since."

"So you took up arms." I said.

"Yes. It was a tough fight. The mayor said I only have three years to get the farm back to its original state," the smile on her face was back. This time, it was wider. "I thought I would never make it. But I guess we can never know what the world has in store for us.

She abruptly stood up, stretching her arms a bit. "Enough sob story. I'm here to have fun! Take me out for a walk, would you guys?"

"Uh, sure," Kasey took the empty glass on the table, swiftly placing it in the sink. "Dunno where we should go, though."

"We can visit Renee's place for a start!" Molly suggested. She seemed a bit too eager.

"That is a good idea. I hope she isn't too busy," Will added.

"Okay, you guys will be my tour guide for the day. Let's move out!"


Eventually, we were once again greeted by the hot, scorching sun. I cursed myself for wearing black, and for liking the color black. If only I could trade clothes with Will... wait, that's horrifying. Why would I think of that?

"This place is pretty nice," Claire said as we were pressed forward to Horn Ranch. "And from the looks of it, the folks seem nice too."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"I just get that feeling. And after all these years, I'd rather trust my guts before anything else."

That is a perfectly rational explanation.

"So what's the deal with this Renee girl anyway?" Claire turned her head to Kasey, a slight spark of curiosity was seen on her face.

"Dunno, ask Vaughn," he replied with a smirk.

You son of a biscuit.

"Oooh, a close friend of yours?" Claire turned to me with a smirk wider than the bloody Pacific Ocean.

"No. Just some rancher girl I know little about," I replied.

"Rancher girl? Oh, I get it," she giggled. "You always had a thing for simple girls."

Goddamn it, how the hell did she remember that?

"No, I do not."

"Yes you do."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"Now, now. Save it for later, we have arrived," Will interrupted our little verbal match.

The ranch was... well, quiet. I could only see Renee from the distance, sitting down on the green, green grass of home. She noticed our presence, and waved her hand slightly.

"Renee!" Molly shouted as she ran towards her... BFF or whatever.

Seeing her sprinting at full speed reminds me of a certain blue hedgehog who likes to go fast.

It took about a minute for us to catch up. I could hear them talking a bit, gesturing towards Claire. Renee seemed pretty curious and excited for some odd reason.

As we reached them both, the rancher girl stepped up towards Claire.

"Hello! You must be Claire!" she greeted with the brightest smile she could muster.

"Awww, you didn't tell me she's this cute, Vaughn!" Claire smacked my shoulder. I felt the pain going through my bones as she gave Renee a hug.

And no, it wasn't an ordinary hug.

"Gah- hack! I can't... breathe-"

"Oh!" Claire immediately let go of the victim of her... chokehold. "Sorry, I can't help it," she said, letting out a nervous laugh.

"It's... it's fine," Renee muttered in between breaths.

"Oh wow, looks like you still have that murderous intent in you," Kasey joked.

"Shut up, Kasey."

"A-anyways," Renee interrupted, coughing a bit. "I've heard a lot about you. I heard you're running a farm."

"Yep! It's the best and biggest farm in Mineral Town!"

I could feel the leaking sense of pride coming from her. Even though that statement isn't wrong, Mineral Town only has one farm, which is Claire's.

"That's amazing! Tell me more about it!"

The two girls continued their talk like a pair of gossiping mothers. I could only raise an eyebrow at such behavior. It didn't take two minutes for them to become friends, and a very close one at that.

"I don't know what the hell is going on," Kasey stated. A look of confusion was seen on his face.

"Umm, girl power?" Molly tilted her head, looking for approval.

"Yeah, right," I muttered sarcastically.

I'd hate to admit it, but Molly's probably right. Don't know what caused it, but girls seem to have a greater chance in making friends.

"Guys, I'm gonna take a tour around Renee's barn. Any of you wanna come?" Claire turned her head to us. The excitement in her eyes could practically light up a dark room.

We looked at each other. No words were spoken, but following the old guidelines we made about the boss and something she really wanted to do, we agreed not to disturb her.

"We'll pass. We've been there before," Kasey spoke up.

"Yeah, we'll be waiting over at Chase's," Molly jerked a thumb towards Chase's house. She then turned her head to Renee. "You can meet us there when you're done."

"Got it!"


"So... what are you guys doing in my house?"

"Waiting," Kasey answered.

"Visiting," Will added.

"Playing!" Molly exclaimed.

"Annoying you," I stated.

Chase let out a tired sigh whilst pressing the palm of his hand to his face.

"Should've kept that shotgun my old man gave me." He mumbled, taking a seat beside Molly.

Chase's house was unexpectedly tidy. For a man with a reckless and cynical nature, he sure kept his house well-maintained. We were sitting on the living room, with Molly and Will playing a game of Smash Bros. Kasey, Chase and I were watching the match as if it was a football game.

"So, you guys met your 'Big Sister' yet?" the peach-haired man asked us. His eyes were still watching the screen.

"Yep," Kasey answered. "She's at Renee's right now."

"Huh. Girls talk?"

"Dunno," The brown haired rancher shrugged. "Isn't it a bit too early for that?"

"Girls. You'll never know," Chase scoffed, his eyes gazing at Molly for some reason.

The room went silent after that, save a few sound effects coming from the TV. Not long after, a knock came on the door.

"Chaaase, you in there?" came a muffled voice from the front door. It was Renee's for sure.

"Yep! And four uninvited guests!" the owner of the house exclaimed whilst striding his legs to the door.

As the chef opened the door, I saw two figures standing there. It seemed the girls were done with whatever they were doing.

I saw Claire staring at Chase for a few seconds, looking a bit confused. She then opened her mouth to speak.

"Why would anyone name a girl 'Chase'?"

"I... wait, what?"

I could hear some snickering coming from the room. I even saw Renee covering her mouth with her hands.

"You know I don't have to tell you this, but Chase's a guy." I said. To which Claire responded with a dumbfounded look.

"What? That's crazy!"

"I know."

"Look at the way she dresses!"

"Totally a guy."

"That's crazy!"

"For Goddess' sake, do I have to take my pants off to prove it?!" Chase exclaimed. I could see the annoyance in his eyes.

"Oh hell no!" Claire pushed the chef away, barging into the house without the owner's approval whatsoever.

"Pfffhahaha," Renee followed suit, not forgetting to mock Chase a bit more.

"Whatever," He sighed, closing the door as the two walked in. "I'm going to work in a bit. You guys wanna come?"

"Sure thing," Kasey replied. "You won't mind going to the bar, right Claire?"

"Of course not. A bar is my second home," Claire said. She took a seat beside Molly, stretching her legs a bit.

Renee, with a somewhat cheerful smile on her face, sat beside me. It seemed she was more than happy to meet someone new, an enthusiastic farmer at that.

"You two seem to get along pretty well." I said, scooting over the sofa to give her a bit of space.

"Vaughn, you don't know how happy I am to meet someone like her," Renee said to me, "all those things you told me, were you lying?" she turned her head to me, an accusing look on her face.

"I wish I were," I stated. "She's changed, for better or for worse."

"Couldn't be worse, right?"

"I... don't know. She kinda lost her 'leader aura' now. Shame, I've always admired that part of her."

"You really looked up to her, huh?" the curious, eccentric rancher leaned closer to me.

"I do. She's the one who taught me not to take orders from anyone. She taught me to live life as a free man, and not as a pawn to some higher ups. She believes in freedom, just as much as she believes in humanity," I rambled on. "Her ideology, her faith, and the skills she has to stand her ground. Those reasons are enough for me to respect her."

"Do you... love her?"

That question caught me off guard. I slowly turned my head to Renee, getting a bit nervous as our eyes met. Somehow, I could see that she really wanted to know the answer to that question. The look on her face showed me a hint of worry mixed with anticipation. I didn't know why she would be worried over whatever I would say, but I didn't have time to think. That question was already corrupting my brain.

Do I love her? That's not an easy question to answer. How do I even know if it's love? Claire gave me a feeling that's pretty foreign to me, that's for sure. But I'm pretty sure it isn't love in a romantic sense. Our relationship, as far as it gets, is just like a love between brother and sister.

Once again, looks like I'm in 'that' kind of situation. If I wish to stay on character, I'd just blurt out whatever I'm thinking. But another part of me thinks that it's a bad idea to say things straight.

"Well uh, I don't think it's love or anything," I began as I worked my brain to think of a better word. "I think she's some kind of 'mentor' or something along those lines."

I couldn't make out Renee's face after I said those words. After a while, though, she came back to her original self.

"I see! It's like an old kung-fu movie!"

Well that's great. Call me Jackie Chan from now on.

After a few small chats, Chase came out of his room. He gained everyone's attention by clapping his hands together.

"Alright, let's get going! Kathy's gonna beat the hell out of me if I'm late," he announced, opening the front door whilst gesturing everyone to pick up the pace.

I stood up from my comfy seat with Renee following suit. As I stepped outside, the spring breeze lazily greeted me yet again. Chase took a glance inside, making sure no one was left behind. After locking his front door, he led us to our new destination: Brass Bar.


"Another one!"

Hayden looked at the blonde-haired farmer with fear and uncertainty as he hesitantly poured another shot. I was sitting beside Claire, who had gulped down her fifth shot for the night.

"Do I need to remind you that you're a girl?" I stated.

"Nah, I've had my share," She casually replied.

It was getting a bit late, and the bar was crowded. We just did some catching up, as well as remembering the old days. In times like these, the clock seemed to move at a much faster rate. I knew we all had much more stories to tell, but sadly, the sun was setting before we knew it.

The others were pretty much separated. Molly was bothering Chase in the kitchen while Renee, Will and Kasey were gossiping like middle aged mothers.

After taking a look around me, I placed my attention back to the blonde farmer sitting on my left.

After all this time, she still drinks like a sailor.

"Ergh, I can't believe I have to head back tomorrow," Claire grumbled.

"Working hard, eh?"

"Yep," she cued Hayden to pour another, "I'm lucky I can still visit you guys."

"Yeah, we appreciate that, I guess."

The conversation ended thus. The bar was crowded, but I could feel the awkward silence creeping upon us. I had a feeling she had something to say, so I disregarded the thought of coming up with a subject to talk about.

I saw Claire gulping another round. After letting out a whiskey-stenched breath, she tapped my second favorite drinking arm.

"I wanna get some fresh air," she said, "Come with me."

My guts told me that those words were more like an order than a request. With only a slight nod as confirmation, we both stood up and headed out.

It was a starry night. The streets were quiet, I could only hear the wind and a few muffled voices coming from the bar. Claire's back was facing me as she led the way. Back then, she would have her hair tied up, and her back was much smaller. Just this view alone was enough to make me a bit nostalgic.

We ended up at the beach. Claire sat down on the sands with the waves stopping just a meter in front of her small feet.

"So..." she started, "how are things going, Vaughn?"

I have a feeling that this conversation won't go very well.

"You've seen how things are going," I replied.

"No no, don't give me that," she let out a sigh. "I'm asking you personally. Come on, sit down for a sec."

"I don't know what you want me to say," I said as I sat beside her.

"Remember when we used to share stories with each other?" she said with a bright smile on her face, "I kinda want to do that again, just this one time."

Those moments were a bit vague in my head, but I could remember bits and pieces of it. We would talk about our personal things, unheard by the others in our group. Back then, I could never understand why Claire would want to share her personal stories to me of all people.

"I think I'm doing well."

I could come up with better things, but I guess those words summed up my life here pretty well.

"Really?" Claire stated with a hint of disbelief. "This place is really that nice, huh."

"I mean, I don't have any trouble working here," I said, "but sometimes I get the feeling that the people here are genuine wackos."

She let out a small giggle. Now that I think about it, that sound she made is a bit cute.

"I can see that. Renee really gets you, huh?"

"Especially that girl," I breathed out a tired sigh, remembering the shenanigans she pulled on me for the past few days. "There's this one time when she dragged me deep into a forest for sightseeing. We ended up meeting some magic weirdo who can spit fire from his hand, and guess what, we were led to ANOTHER magic weirdo's house deep in the woods. And as if those wild animals and killer insects weren't enough threat to us, the house was full of magical traps made out of LIGHTNING. I mean come on, I never asked for this!"

Before I knew it, I was catching my breath. Ranting and raving like that took a good chuck of my energy somehow. I took a glance at Claire while she was practically hurting her stomach by laughing too hard.

"Sorry, kinda flew off the handle there," I said, clearing my throat.

I could see she wanted to say something, but the uncontrollable laughter wasn't helping.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Oh nothing," Claire attempted to speak in between her laugh, "it's just kinda fun seeing you getting all pumped up like that."

I guess I was a bit out of character.

"Seriously though, I'm having a hard time believing she has a working brain," I continued.

"That's what makes her fun, don't you think?"

"I guess."

"Oh, Vaughn. You're still stubborn as ever," she said in a playful tone.

"What?"

"Nah, forget it," Claire cleared her throat. I could see a huge grin on her face.

Soon after, that grinning face of hers turned into a small smile. I wasn't that much bothered by it until I saw her eyes. The lack of illumination around us made it a bit difficult to see, but her eyes were filled with sorrow. I was a bit confused for a good while before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Y'know, I think I have something to say."

Claire slightly hung her head down, making her bangs cover her small face.

"I'm all ears."

"I've been working really hard for the last three years. The mayor wasn't really pushing me, but you know how it is. Put a deadline on any work and you'll feel under pressure most of the time."

I can understand that.

"Anyways, I've made some friends during those three years. The people of Mineral Town were very kind. Of course, there was a bit of drama here and there, but I guess that's just natural."

I wanted to tell her to go straight to the point, but for the sake of my own life, I let her speak her heart out.

"There's this one guy called Gray, a blacksmith in town," she said with a small smile on her face. "Oh man, we've fought so much back then. Let's just say his first impression wasn't too pleasing. Just seeing his face pissed me of for no reason. He was just too stubborn to lose, and I was... well, you know how I was."

I'm pretty sure you're just as stubborn.

"Having tools made mostly out of metal, I couldn't avoid going to the blacksmith for repairs and such. We changed, little by little, and started to accept each other for what we were."

"I still don't get what you're trying to say," I finally interrupted.

Claire giggled lightly, shifting her gaze to me.

"Okay, okay, I'll go straight to the point," she cleared her throat, "after years of bickering with each other, we felt something special between us."

Oh boy, here we go.

"We fell in love."

That statement caught me off guard for sure. I was having a hard time believing those words, but seeing how much she's changed, I guess it was inevitable.

Claire's smile grew wider, and the spark in her eyes seemed to outshine the stars. She covered her face in embarrassment while letting out a somewhat out-of-character girly squeal.

"I guess the world will be ending soon," I joked.

"Oh shut up, you'll understand when the time comes," she smacked my shoulder lightly.

For the nth time, I breathed out a tired sigh. "So what the hell are you trying to tell me?" I asked again. For some reason, I had a feeling that she was trying to stall for time.

"Alright, fine," she pouted, "I really have to tell it straight, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I was interested in Gray... because he reminded me of you."

I widened my eyes in surprise. I didn't know how I should've felt, but there I was, frozen to the ground. I was dazed and confused, unsure how to react.

It felt like a train just hit me in full speed.

"W-what?" was the only word I could mutter. I could feel an imaginary hand grabbing my throat.

Though her eyes reflected a hint of melancholy, Claire's soft, sweet smile remained on her small face.

"You really didn't notice, huh?" she said, letting out a small giggle, "I was really interested in you back then."

"I... didn't know."

Claire stared at the starry skies, her previous expression still intact.

"The others were treating me as their boss," she began, "but you were different. You treated me as a friend."

I guess I did. I never paid that much attention to it. She was my mentor, sure, but we were both students of the same school. Wouldn't it be natural that I treated her as a friend?

"I was a bit confused, to tell you the truth. It was a foreign feeling to me. But day by day, I decided that I fell in love with you."

I didn't know what to say. Somehow, I felt a little guilty for not knowing her feelings, but I couldn't say a thing. I was too confused.

Claire probably noticed the expression planted on my face. She smiled and patted my shoulder for some reason.

"I know you're probably feeling like crap right now, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, just a bit... shocked," I said.

"Yeah, I can see that. I just wanted to get that off my chest."

"Why?"

"Because you're a stubborn prick."

Now is the best time to receive an insult. Thank you very much.

"It's all in the past, Vaughn. Don't worry about it," Claire said with a grin on her face.

"I saw you as a mentor. No more, no less. I didn't realize you had feelings for me, I'm sorry."

"Which is why I'm bringing you out here, to tell you to stop being so insensitive. You could hurt someone's feelings, y'know."

"I... guess I'll try," I muttered in defeat. "Thanks for making me feel bad."

"You're very welcome!" she said in a cheerful tone.

I took off my hat and rubbed my temples. It was more out of confusion rather than frustration. It was pretty hard to digest, and the alcohol swimming around inside my body wasn't much of a help.

I could feel a hand caressing my head. It felt pretty good, albeit embarrassing. But since no one was watching, I paid no mind to it.

"It'll come naturally, don't worry about it," Claire said to me with a giggle.

"Yeah… I'm just feeling a little guilty, probably."

"Nah, don't say that," she lightly slapped my left cheek, "Like I said, it's all in the past. I don't have such feelings for you now, but that doesn't mean I hate you, got it?"

"Alright, I got it."

"Good. Now let's get back before we catch a cold."

We both stood up, dusting our pants to shake off the sands. We took off after I put my hat back on my head. Once again, I watched Claire's back as we headed to the bar.

I've always known Claire isn't the vengeful type, but I can't help feeling a silver of guilt left in me. I don't want this to happen again. I guess I'll try to be a bit more caring about this stuff from now on. Getting hit by the big, blue hammer of guilt is not a pleasing experience.

As I opened the door for Claire, I noticed the bar was getting quiet. It looked like most of the folks went home. Kasey and the others turned their heads to us as they heard a ringing bell.

"There they are," Molly greeted us, "what were you guys doing?" she asked with a hint of curiosity plastered on her face.

"Just getting some fresh air," Claire casually replied.

Molly raised an eyebrow. I could tell she wanted to press on, but she shrugged it off.

I realized that Renee was still there. Her face told me that she could immediately fall asleep if she came in contact with a pillow. I took a glance at the clock to see the short hand stopping at 11. No wonder the place was quiet.

"Hey, you should get some sleep," I said as I walked up to her.

"H-huh? Wha- where am I?"

I don't even know how to react to this.

"You're in heaven, Renee! We're already dead!" Molly cheerfully stated.

"WHAT!?"

Well that works.

The eccentric rancher suddenly stood up and looked around her in a panic, only to notice that she, in fact, wasn't dead yet.

"It's pretty late, you should get going."

"Eheheh, I guess I got a little carried away," Renee mumbled before letting out a big yawn. "Well, I think I'll go home now."

She sloppily walked up to Hayden to pay. Kathy and Chase were seen behind the counter, looking worried.

I was about to offer help before Kasey stood up.

"Y'know, I could walk you hom-AARGH!"

There was a very loud banging noise under the table before Kasey's agonizing scream echoed all around the building. Before anyone was able to figure out what was happening, Claire opened her mouth to speak.

"You should have someone walk you home, Renee. I don't want to see you passing out on the street," she said with a cheerful, encouraging smile.

"Huh? Oh, it's fine," Renee replied with her eyelids half-closed.

I think that's far from fine.

"Should I go, then?" Will offered his company.

I could hear Claire clearing her throat. She even faked a cough or two.

Will looked a bit confused for a second before he got the hint.

"Oh, umm, I just remembered I have to escort Claire to the inn. I apologize," he said, his smile unscathed.

"It's alright, Will, but I'm fine on my own," Renee mumbled with some kind of a sleepy smile on her face.

"I'll walk you home!" Molly exclaimed whilst pumping her fist.

Claire audibly pressed the palm of her hand to her face.

"We have… a farm to take care of…" Kasey mumbled in between coughs, "have to… wake up early tomorrow…" he said with his last remaining strength.

What the hell did Claire do to him?

"Oh, right. Kinda forgot about that," Molly replied while rubbing her head.

"Well then," Claire cleared her throat, again, "What about you, Vaughn?" she turned her head to me, showing a bright smile.

Well, it was more of a 'do-it-or-I'll-kick-your-sorry-ass' kind of smile. But I guess Claire didn't know the difference that much.

"Fine," I feebly obeyed. I walked over to Renee, who was starting to drift off to dreamland. "Hey, come on, let's get going."

"Hwaah?"

Goddamnit.

After thinking for a bit, I decided to grab her hand and give a good yank.

Renee stumbled towards me as she let out a surprised gasp. I helped her regain balance by grabbing her shoulders firm.

"Vaughn!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide open, "you startled me!"

"At least you can walk on your own now," I said, letting go of her shoulders. "Now let's go, your parents might be worried."

"Heheh, sorry," she scratched her head, "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow then!"

"Alright, be careful on your way!" Claire replied, waving her hand.

I simply tipped my hat as I headed towards the door. The chilly breeze greeted me once again as I stood in front of the building with Renee behind me.

"It sure is late," she said as we began our journey towards Horn Ranch.

"What were you doing, anyway?" I asked.

"I… was just having fun!"

I raised an eyebrow at that statement. It seemed suspicious and I wanted to press on, but knowing that her brain might not be functioning well at this time, I decided to pay no heed to the matter.

"So what were you doing with Claire?"

"Just… talking," I nonchalantly replied.

"What were you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Aww, I'm curious!"

I breathed out a weary sigh. It was pretty late, and all I could think of was a comfy bed to lie on. I decided to just get it over with as quickly as I could.

"We were talking about the possible existence of aliens."

"That has to be a lie."

Alright, fine. Damnnit, there's no beating her.

"Well, where do I start…" I cleared my throat, "Claire told me about her struggle in restoring the farm for three years."

"In only three years? That's amazing!"

"She's always a hard worker. Anyways, she also told me how she fell in love with someone called Gray. Apparently, Claire fell for this guy because he reminded her of me."

"Huh? So Claire has feelings for you?" Renee was getting more interested for some reason.

"Back then, yeah. But she acknowledged me as a friend now, no more and no less."

"You never realized her feelings?"

Somehow, I felt some kind of a serious aura emanating around us. Now that I think about it, it's pretty strange for Renee to be interested in this kind of thing. But since I was practically knee-deep in the hole, I figured to just go with it.

"No, I didn't pay that much attention to it. Not to mention I wasn't interested in a relationship."

"O-oh…"

"Well, she told me to be a bit more caring about this stuff, so I guess that's that."

The conversation ended thus. We continued walking side by side in silence with our footsteps as the only noise that went through my ears. I shifted my eyes towards my companion to see her hanging her head down.

"What's wrong?" I asked. It was a bit weird seeing her like that, enough to make me feel unsettled.

"Oh… nothing, I'm probably too tired."

"Hmm," I hummed to myself, "You have to get up early tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah, I have to take care of the animals."

"I'll help you out tomorrow."

To say I was feeling well would probably be the biggest lie on the planet. It was probably the drowsiness or the alcohol, or both. I wanted to believe that it wasn't me who said those words, it could be some jackass who imitated my voice. Unfortunately, reality said otherwise.

Renee abruptly stopped on her tracks. I turned my head to her to see her big, brown eyes as wide as saucers.

"H-huh?"

I thought of revoking what I said, but since I didn't want to let her down, I decided to repeat my words.

"I said I'll help out."

I could see that she was pretty confused. I was about to do something to get me out of the awkward silence before a giggle escaped her lips.

"Okay! I'll be waiting!"

And in a matter of seconds, she was back to her original self. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

There's no better feeling than seeing someone smiling widely, especially a girl as cute as Renee.

Wait, what am I thinking? Did I just… ah, what the hell. I'm just too tired to give a damn.

"Y'know, I kinda want to see you work, Vaughn!" she cheerfully said as we walked through the small bridge leading to Horn Ranch.

"Why?"

"I dunno, I've never seen you doing anything."

That's just rude.

Well, yeah. I'm basically lazing around in here since Kasey didn't have plans for managing livestock yet. Might as well make myself useful somehow.

"You'll see tomorrow," I said.

We finally reached our destination after a good, sleepy walk. Standing in front of Horn Ranch, Renee turned to me with her hands on her back. Though I could see the weariness in her face, the smile remained the same.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" she said, tilting her head.

"Yeah, let's meet at the docks. I have to say goodbye to Claire."

"Okay, I'll be there!"

After acknowledging with a slight nod, I tipped my hat and went on my way.

The only thing that was in my brain was a good bed to crash to. However, I couldn't hide the fact that I was slightly excited for tomorrow. It was probably some kind of work-related adrenaline rush that I didn't know of. There could be other factors affecting me, but I decided to save my brain power for keeping my eyes open as I walk.

The next day, we gathered at the docks first thing in the morning. The gang was all there, Renee included. Claire, with her long hair swaying along with the wind, showed us her usual bright smile as she approached us. With a set of fresh, new clothes and a suitcase in her hand, she was ready for a three-hour trip back to Mineral Town.

"I had fun yesterday! You guys should visit Mineral Town sometimes!" she exclaimed.

"Sure, we'll go when we have the chance," Kasey said with a shrug.

Claire nodded in response. With her smile still intact, she walked up to Renee.

"Good luck."

That was the only thing she said. Renee responded with a smile, and patted Claire's shoulder.

"You too, Claire."

I raised an eyebrow at the sight. I hoped for an answer as I shifted my eyes towards the others. Apparently, all I got were shrugs and Molly whispering something about a 'you go girl' scenario.

I don't even know what that is, and I don't think I'll ever wanna know.

It didn't take two seconds to realize that it wasn't my business. It was probably something these girls wanted to keep between them, so I decided not to give more damns than I should have.

"Well then, I guess I'll get going now," Claire clapped her hands together to gain everyone's attention. "It's been fun, I'm so happy seeing you guys again."

"Likewise, Claire," Will said, showing his usual smile. "I wish you a safe trip home."

"We'll visit soon!" Molly exclaimed.

"I'll be waiting!"

Claire turned to me, her huge smile still plastered on her face. Before I could say anything, she smacked my shoulder lightly.

"I'll see you later, Vaughn," she said with a grin. "Remember what I said last night, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing," I stated as I rubbed my shoulder to ease the pain. "Take care of yourself, Claire."

"Will do!"

With that, she went on her way towards the boat. Pascal was there, tipping his hat as Claire came aboard. Just as she waved her hand, the engine started. We exchanged our last goodbyes before the boat drifted to the seemingly endless sea. After a few minutes, the boat disappeared into the horizon.

Looks like I have to visit her sometimes. Mineral Town seems to be an interesting place. Not to mention I'm a bit curious about this 'Gray' guy.

"Alright, time to get going," Kasey announced, "Got a farm to take care of."

Oh yeah, I have to give Renee a hand today.

I tapped the aforementioned person's shoulder to get her attention.

"Let's go."

She simply nodded her head in response. We parted ways with the gang and took off to Flute Fields.

I spent almost half of my day with Renee. Somehow, working with her was pretty fun. I didn't expect she knew much about animals. We exchanged knowledge about pretty much anything that came to mind. I felt like I knew her better with every tick of the clock.

It was a very long time ago since I've had this much fun. I know I'm probably getting a bit insane when my definition of 'fun' is brushing cows with a crazy girl in a sleep deprived state, but I can't deny it. I'm having fun, and I'm enjoying every second of it.

I guess Claire's words made an impact on me, whether I like it or not. I feel a bit lighter, and I can easily open up to certain people now. I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but as usual, I'll just go with my guts.

Looks like I have to thank Claire properly when I have the chance.