Chapter 10

A few seasons passed. Kai left once summer passed, and for the most part, Fall passed by as usual.

Some of the villagers are still inexplicably convinced that Mitchel and Ann are destined to be lovers despite their open displays of hatred, but the eccentric chicken farmer chose to ignore the rumors. Instead, Mitchel continued relying on the quiet Librarian for morale support while he hung out with Popuri, Karen, The Doctor, and Elli for fun.

Meanwhile, Ann and Cliff managed to regain their abandoned friendship, and resumed their happy lives. Despite this newfound light in their relationship, poor Cliff could still not find the courage to confess his feelings to Ann. Still, neither seemed to mind how their lives were at the moment.

Unfortunately, Mitchel was still quite interested in befriending the ponytail vagabond, which caused even more conflicts with an overprotective Ann. Despite this, a vague, yet decent sort of friendship was forged between these two young men. The only thing is that they decided to meet in the church to talk, where they know Ann won't bother them.

But now, Winter has come. The morning of Valentine's Day has arrived to humble Mineral Town, and the hearts of some sing out to those they feel for. The symbols of their emotions have been carefully prepared for this day, and soon, they hope these symbols will leave a memorable impression on their chosen ones.

But one question in the whims of fate still remains:

Will the eccentric young farmer ever escape the insanity that plagues Mineral Town with gossip of unexisting love?

On that one special Winter Morning, Mitchel rose swiftly from his bead. He wasn't exactly why, but he felt the significance of this day. While he thought over the feeling that lingered over him, the raven-haired chicken boy consumed a partial loaf of imported Hawaiian before opening the door the greet the brisk, cool morning air.

But instead of seeing the shipping bin surrounded by heaps of snow, he was treated by the pleasing sight of Mineral Town's personal nurse.

"Oh, uh... hey, Elli." Mitchel said a casual tone. "What's going on today? Is it like some door-to-door nursing service today or something?"

Elli giggled pleasantly as she had a certain twinkle in her eye. "No, Mitchel! You mean, you honestly don't know what the occasion is today?"

Mitchel scratched his head while thinking over this. "Well... I remember back in the city, we used to call this day "Singles Appreciation Day" for us hardy and carefree folk, while a bunch of nut jobs shove heaping gobs of sickening romance up everybody else's asses. But I guess the lesser known name is "Valentine's Day", which was apparently named after some dude before it was corrupted by the frikin' greeting card industry. Why?"

"Happy Valentine's Day it is!" Elli exclaimed as she presented a chocolate wrapped in beautiful coloring.

"Oh..." Mitchel said in vague surprise. "So you guys celebrate it here, too?"

"Ha ha! Yes, of course it is! And chocolate happens to be our town's great symbol of compassion for this occasion!" Elli cheered.

"Really?" Mitchel uttered to himself. His grin then widened mischievously. "So then... does this mean you made an awesome globe-sized chocolate with tasty cream filling for my good buddy, Doctor Holiday?" he exclaimed.

Elli shook her head while her face flushed. "N-no... that sounds like a good idea, actually, but I had something else in mind... it was more of a special chocolate shake blended with the finest fruits you could offer me. He was really glad to taste it, and I'm really gratefully for having a friend like you around, so I thought I could show my appreciation with a little gift."

"Oh, neat." Mitchel answered calmly. "So people can offer candy as a simple gesture of friendship, just like how they make kids brings some in class!"

Elli nodded. "I suppose you could say that." she said with a grin as she placed her chocolate in Mitchel's hand.

"And I guess doing a little special is a good way to express something deeper than friendship!" Mitchel grinned smartly.

The young nurse nearly fainted with those words, but she managed to recover herself quickly. "Ah, yes... I suppose that can be true, too..."

"Oh, it's alright! Out of all the stupid gossip running around this town, I'm glad your relationship with my buddy is being supported this way! Everyone officially likes you two being together, including yours truly" Mitchel explained.

In response, Elli displayed an adorably bashful smile. "I see... I'm glad to hear of it."

The raven-haired farmer then played around with the unwrapped chocolate for a bit.

"Right. That's actually one of those special chocolate eggs with a tasty white filling. I had a feeling you might like it, so please enjoy it." Elli said while gesturing politely.

"Wow! I don't know where you got this, but I used to enjoy this kind of treat every once in awhile when I lived in the city! Thanks a lot, Elli!"

"You're quite welcome." Elli answered back. She then took a look at a clock inside when she realized the time. "Well, I think I should get going now! May said she wanted to accompany me back to the house for something special. I think she planned something for Stu!"

She then took a few steps back and waved a hand before heading towards town. "Good bye, Mitchel!"

"See ya later, Elli! And Happy Singles Appreciation Day!" Mitchel cried as he waved back.

Right after Elli left, Mary arrived with her own treat in hand.

"Happy Valentines Day!" she cried at the door as Mitchel greeted the glasses girl with a friendly smile.

"Ah, yes… the customary exchange between friends. It's a shame I really can't call it "Singles Appreciation Day" around here, because I feel like people are being paired up like some well-known boat story." Mitchel quipped.

Mary nodded. "I… want to thank you for everything you've done for me at this point. I wasn't sure how the new guy running the farm would treat me at first, but you ended up being a really good friend to me. It's just… visitors in the library are rare, and…"

"I think what needs to be said has already been shared." Mitchel replied with a warm smile.

Mary then took out a big wrapped bar of chocolate. "I remember you told me how much you enjoyed a chocolate and raspberry mix, so I went to the city the other day and got you this. I hope it's a good brand…"

Mitchel then took the bar from Mary's grasped and observed the wrapping. "Well… it's blue with some gold lining on it, and it even has a picture of the stuff… I think this is a familiar brand, so I'll be fine." He responded cheerfully.

Mitchel's typically carefree smile then morphed into one of slight mischief.

"Anyway, did you give the Chocolate cookies to Gray yet? I doubt there's any way that guy could resist a treat from you!" he teased.

Mary immediately became flustered. "Ah… uh… no. I'm sorry, not yet. I thought I'd come here first to help work up the confidence…"

Mitchel sighed. "So I'm just practice then?"

"A-Ah! No… I didn't mean to---"

"Relax, relax. I got this a lot when I lived in Chickadee, and--"

"Oh gosh! I'm terribly sorry! I---"

"No! Just… you didn't offend me, so I'm okay!"

After a continuous bout of Mary trying to appoligize, and Mitchel trying to ease her guilt, the two finally reached a steady compromise.

"Are you good now?" Mitchel asked nervously.

"Yes… I'm fine." Mary assured quietly.

Mitchel took another deep breath before picking up where the conversation once was.

"That Gray… I'm sure he'll be more than happy to accept. The end result looked pleasing, and the sample taste was just fine. All you have to do now is make sure "Grumbling" Gray takes a bite of it as well." he assured her friend.

Mary looked incredibly grateful. "I appreciate you coming over and helping me make his present, as well. It was discouraging that day knowing Mother had some other business to take care of, but it was a wonderful surprise to know I had a friend who can cook!"

"Well… messes aside, that was one heck of a time!" Mitchel exclaimed. "All those random cooking sessions I had before living on my own helped after all! I even got to sample fine cookie dough and everything."

Mary smiled. "You're a really good person, and you really deserve love. I hope Popuri shares your feelings for her." She said hopefully.

"Yeah, well… if it ends up being that way, I'll just have to confess my own feelings on the spot. I really haven't said anything to her about this whole issue yet, but I do believe in the law of "equivalent exchange" every once in awhile." Mitchel explained.

"Mitchel…" Mary called meaningfully, "The way you can be so open and comfortable like this; sometimes I feel myself jealous of you. You're pretty quirky most of the time, but at least I know you're honest." She confessed.

The eccentric chicken farmer took a deep breath before slowly exhaling bad air.

"You know what? I actually feel anxious about this whole "feelings" thing myself… sure, I can just go in and do things, but nobody can predict the outcome… THAT'S what makes me nervous as the open guy…" Mitchel shared.

"Gee… I never really considered the possibility that impulsive people could even think that way." Mary replied.

"Yeah, but that's because I'm not your run-of-the-mill impulsive person. I don't know how everybody else thinks, but I have a feeling we share a similar mindset like that. There's another reason we seem to be good friends, I guess." Mitchel grinned.

Mary nodded. "Alright. Then I guess I'll just have to go in and hope for the best!" she declared.

"Do you really need to make it seem like a distant goal? I think it's been established that Gray loves you, too. Just try not to make a great big deal of it, okay?" Mitchel suggested.

"I'll try…" Mary said with a meek smile.

With that said, the young Librarian took a few steps back before offering a polite bow.

"Once again, thank you, and Happy Valentine's day." Mary cried before taking leaving the premises.

"You better be sure Gray gets those cookies before day's end, you got it?" Mitchel warned sternly.

"Yes, sir!" Mary cried back.

Finally, the black-haired girl was finally out of sight as Mitchel was left there think to himself.

"Well, the Harvest Sprites already took care of the watering for me today. Dunno what else I have left to pass the time except for watching some strange show about a Princess being a Demon Lord's housewife…" he thought.

He then shrugged as he closed the door and went inside. Just as he was about to flip the TV switch on, he heard an immediate pounding at the door. Mitchel quickly made an about face as he head towards the closed door once again. Upon opening it, he saw fairly anxious young lady with big pink hair and ruby red eyes. His eyes lowered slightly to notice something special in her hand.

"Chocolate Cake?" Mitchel thought to himself.

"Ah! H-Happy Valentine's Day!" Popuri exclaimed.

The curious farmer could not take his eyes off the cake. It was pretty big, and it smelled freshly baked.

Mitchel blinked. "You made this?"

Popuri nodded vigorously. "Yes! It's for you!"

"Ahhh…."

He still could not recover from the sheer shock from it all. To him, this was clearly one of the greatest displays of affection he's witnessed that wasn't a form of fluid-swapping.

"I tried to make sure I used the best possible recipe and everything! I even made a few personal improvements for a special touch!" she continued.

Stil struggling to find the appropriate words, Mitchel slowly pointed a finger at the cake with his mouth gaping open.

Popuri blinked in confusion. "Ah…. Mitchel? Is something wrong?"

"This cake…" Mitchel started out in a low, yet clear voice.

"What about it?" Popuri asked.

"Does this mean… what I think it means?" the Farmer finished.

Popuri turned her head to the side with a blushing face.

"….If you mean this holds special meaning for today, then, yes… you can say that…" she answered bashfully.

Mitchel then swiftly snatched the cake tray out of her hands and carefully set it aside in his house. He then carefully approached the pink-haired chicken girl.

"Popuri… that's… a LOT… of Chocolate…" he said with a gulp.

"Yes… I thought… maybe it would be the best way to show how much I really like you…" Popuri answered back.

A faint, nervous smile came across the farmer's face.

"I see…" he said with a shaky voice.

Popuri then faced Mitchel with a serious expression. "Mitchel, are you okay with this? I know we've had so much fun as friends, but these feelings just sort of came up, and… some part of me really wants this! I started feeling REALLY comfortable lately when we're having fun together, and I just… I actually feel like I'm growing up now! I don't want this to get too awkward with you, but you must still see me as a little girl, huh? I know! I always say really childish things, and I'm starting to worry I'm teasing you or something…"

Mitchel gave a soft chuckle as he gently embraced the flustered girl.

"It's okay… I don't mind the way you are. Personally, what I see before me is a mature young lady." He assured her.

Then it was Popuri's turned to be shocked.

"Huh?"

The eccentric chicken boy sighed again. "Why do you have to be the nervous one, anyway? You came well prepared for this moment. You have the chocolate in cake form, the willingness to express your feelings, and the maturity to impress your receiver." He explained calmly.

"…Mitchel? I don't understand… what are you saying?" she asked with uncertainty.

"You mean after all of that, you still don't know?" Mitchel exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

The poor pink-haired girl was still quite confused at her friend's behavior. "No, I'm sorry… I don't get it…"

"Popuri… I love you!"

Popuri wasn't sure how to respond to this. Mitchel's cheerful grin and tone was a little too casual and light-hearted for her taste, but then again, this farmer always had his own way of doing things.

"Uh… Mitchel, are you serious?" she asked cautiously.

Mitchel then gently caressed her face and showed off his warm smile again. "I can tell you put your heart into making that cake… I look forward to trying it." He said.

Popuri giggled in gratitude, and both parties felt their hearts pounding. Just when it seemed like the next moment would take forever, a swift, surprising action passed by in an instant.

Mitchel blinked, unsure if he had indeed felt a peck at his lips.

"Thank you!" Popuri said with a brimming smile.

Back at the Inn, Ann and Cliff were conveniently by themselves downstairs, with Ann holding something behind her back.

"Ah, Ann! You made it sound pretty urgent for me to come down here! What is it you want?" Cliff cried.

"Ah...yeah, Cliff! Th-thank you for c-c-coming, Cliff! I'm... happy that you decided to join me!" Ann stammered.

"Ann? Are you okay? Your face is turning read and you look really sweaty." Cliff voiced in concern.

"Ah, no! I'm fine! Yes, FINE!" Ann insisted in a panic.

"Oh no! It's happening again! Now I'm all icky!" she thought in a panic.

"...Okay... if you say so..." Cliff agreed reluctantly. "So... why did you call me down here, anyway?"

"Wha? Oh, right! Right, rightrightrightrightright..." Ann blurted out. "That's a good queestion!"

"Does it have anything to do with what's behind your back?" Cliff said as he pointed to her arms.

Ann nodded vigorously as Cliff tilted his head to figure out what sort of surprise she had in store. He then scratched his head.

"Is Ann trying to pull a prank on me? If so, maybe that explains why everyone I came across has been acting a little unusual today. Even Popuri was really flustered, and she's usually the most carefree member of this town! I guess it's some bizare, prank-filled ritual day where single people are recognized. That must also explain why Mitchel kept exclaiming "Happy Singles Appreciation Day!" at the top of his lungs..." he thought inexplicably.

Cliff then let out a big sigh. "Alright, Ann. Go ahead and give to me. We're good friends now, so I'll be able to handle anything you throw at me." he insisted.

"Huh? Really, Cliff? Are you sure?" Ann asked in anxious enthusiasm.

Cliff nodded. "If it really means that much to you, then go ahead."

"Cliff!" Ann cried gratefully.

The young vagabond shrugged. "I can't deny it if she wants to have fun. I love her too much to deny it, after all..." he thought to himself.

The moment Ann unveiled her surprise, Cliff flinched at her movement, only to see a bowl of chocolate mousse shoved towards him. The surprised fellow stared blankly at the delicious concoction.

"C-Cliff! As token of my feelings for you... please accept this! I woke up early morning to make it just for you!" she exclaimed with a quivering voice.

Cliff scanned the mousse for a second, then looked straight at Ann's bowed head.

"Wait a minute! This isn't a whipped cream pie! Or a joy buzzard! This is... mousse... in fine china! Isn't she at least going to hit me with it or something?" Cliff thought to himself.

"What I meant to say is..." Ann continued. "H-Happy Valentine's Day! P-Please... w-won't you be my Valentine?"

Cliff blinked. "Valentine's Day? But Mitchel said it was "Singles Appreciation Day", and I thought it was some special pranking holiday of Mineral Town!"

Ann stared awkwardly at the confused vagabond.

"What?"

"A-Ann! I can't believe what I'm seeing!"

The surprised pair faced the entrance, just in time to see Sasha and Manna just outside.

"Karen's Mom? What are you doing here?" Ann exclaimed.

"What am I doing here? The question is, what are YOU doing, Period?" Sacha shouted back.

"Ah... shouldn't it be, "What are you doing, Question Mark?" Cliff reluctantly interrupted.

"CAN IT, CLIFF!" Ann and Sasha exclaimed at the same time as the chocolate mousse was forced into Cliff's grasp.

The quiet young man was forced to retreat back a few steps and enjoy his tasty treat with a spoon.

"I can't believe you caved in so easily! I know you've had a rocky relationship so far, but it doesn't mean you have to settle so hastily! Shouldn't you at least try to confess your feelings before resorting to this?" Sasha suggested.

"What are you talking about? I'm confessing my feelings right now! At least before you rudely interrupted!" Ann complained.

Sasha clicked her tongue as she shook her head in disbelief. "Poor Little Ann... You've suffered because you've lost the man of your dreams, and now you've become delusional to block out your true feelings. As a fellow woman, I pity you..." she sighed.

Ann scratched her head. "Are you trying to mess with me? The man of my dreams is standing right beside me! He's HERE!" she shouted.

Cliff blushed in an instant. "...So then, what the Harvest Goddess told me the other day wasn't the product of a dream after all? Then... She... she really DOES love me!" he thought in excitement.

Sasha shookher head once more. "You do realize that you still have a chance to do something about this. Just go into the kitchen again and whip up something like a chocolate cake for the one you REALLY have your heart set on, instead of wasting it like you just did. I have confidence that you'll fix this, because I know you're a capable cook." she told Ann.

She then gave her a gentle pat on the head before retreating to Rose Square. "I'll be expecting to hear about results in the coming days. And a little thanks wouldn't hurt, either." Sasha scoffed.

As the uptight blonde left, Manna decided to butt in on Ann's business herself.

"My goodness, Ann! Why are you doing this? Will settling for Cliff really make you happy? I mean, I know he's a nice guy and everything, even cute, yet slightly rugged, but you shouldn't just give up Mitchel like that when he's still a single young man! I mean, everyone's been rooting for the two of you to finally stop your bickering and get together since what felt like forever to the rest of us? Why do this? Why crush your dream? Huh? Huh? Huh? Don't you realize you're letting everyone else down? How about Mitchel? How about yourself? How about your adoring audience? I mean, so many seasons of tension and all it amounts to is you giving Cliff your Valentine's gift, just because Mitchel is too difficult for you to handle! You coward! I thought you were stronger than this! How can you just give in like this, just because the one you really love is difficult? Sure, it's still hard for Duke and me when we argue and bicker like that, but you don't understand how much we love each other dearly! You didn't even TRY to make it work out! All you do is fight and fight and fight and fight! But no apology! No romance! No love! And why? All because the two of you are no-good stubborn mules! The both of you make me sick, using "easy" alternatives when you're afraid of TRUE love! It disgusts me!" Manna rambled before speeding out of the Inn.

Ann just stood there with dumbfound look on her face as her brain tried to process Manna's seemingly endless rant.

"Huh?"

"Ann! This mousse! It tastes terrific!" Cliff cried wit a satisfied smile.

"R-R-really? Oh my gosh! Oh... my... gosh! Cliff! Thank you! Really! I mean it!" Ann cheered.

Cliff nodded. "I'm just glad to try your wonderful cooking again! I didn't even know you could do gourmet food times, so this is a pleasant surprised!"

Upon hearing this, Ann felt like she could melt. All she could manage to do was gaze at Cliff with a fawning face.

"Cliff..." she uttered meaningfully.

Cliff felt his heart beat, but he felt an unfamiliar warmth and comfort throughout his body. His satisfied smile grew even wider thanks to this strange sensation.

"It's really refreshing to learn that gossip can be false..." he thought to himself joyously.

Omake: Odd Money

One fine day of an unspecified date, Cliff once again wandered the streets until he came across a familiar figure that forced him to halt immediately.

"Mitchel?" Cliff cried.

"Shhhh… quiet. We have to keep this a secret." The black-haired farmer insisted.

Cliff came closer. "Okay then," he said in a hushed voice. "What is you want?

"Don't you think all these stupid rumors about Ann and I are going overboard?" Mitchel whispered in complaint.

Cliff nodded slowly.

"Good. I'm aware how much the stupid gossip made you depressed and angsty and stuff, and I wanted to shut them up for good." Mitchel grinned. He then took out a sack of jingling objects.

"Here. Take this." Mitchel insisted as he handed Cliff the bag.

The curious traveler opened up the sack to discover over 5000 G worth of coins stashed in there.

"Wh-what's this all about?" Cliff managed to exclaim in a whisper.

Mitchel grinned. "I'm sure you know." he insisted. "Just make sure to use it when the time is right. Then we'll show these gossip fools whose personal lives they're messing with."

He then walked passed Cliff towards some unknown territory. Cliff looked inside once more and pondered over what exact reason Mitchel would have to give him such a generous portion of his money. He then found a card inside and started reading it:

I have confidence in you, friend. You can go ahead and take your time, but please get that crazy Ann out of my hair as soon as possible!

-Mitchel

He then saw a sketch of a devious-looking Ann at the side, along with a detailed sketch of a feather in blue ink.

Cliff blushed. "He wants me to purchase a blue feather? Is this even enough, or is he counting on me to work out the rest of the money with my vineyard job?"

He was about to ask the mysterious farmer about the note given to him, but it appeared he was gone in an instant.

"What the... he was just here a minute ago! Did he disappear?" Cliff cried.

He looked around the walkway for a few moments, but to no avail.

"...Wow... I didn't figure Mitchel had powers, too!" he thought in awe.

However, as soon as he said that, he heard hearty laughter coming from the library.

"Oh. He just went inside the library to talk to Mary. I should've known he went indoors!" he thought to himself, feeling rather silly of his former assumption.

He then walked away with his 5000 G bag in hand, feeling a peculiar mixture of gratitude and anxiety welling within him.

After a long time of walking, he finally reached the Church grounds. He was just about to enter the actual building itself until another thought occured.

"Wait a minute... did he even buy his own Bue Feather?"