It was another day off and I had new reports I'd like to show to Cam. He hadn't shown up to the house ever since his last visit and I was slightly worried. I began to think that maybe Cam was just being polite and that he didn't really want to come by or that he was too busy with his flower shop that he didn't have time to visit or perhaps he was sick. With so many possible reasons as to why Cam didn't show, I decided to go check on him instead. What greeted me in Bluebell did not boost my confidence at all. Cam was busy talking with Lillian not by his flower shop but instead they were talking by the flower bush. Lillian said something that made Cam smiled and the two soon laughed together.

They seemed like they were having a good time and somewhat hurt by the sight I turned around. There was nothing more for me to do there so I was heading back to Konohana or at least the mountain to clear my mind when someone called my name. His voice didn't sound familiar but I hadn't really met anyone here except for Georgia and Laney. Quietly, I turned to look at the one who addressed me. He was a man not much different from how Cam dressed with a similar hat and straps on his shirt. It wasn't a Konohana outfit that was sure.

"You're Reina right?" The boy asked with a child-like smile.

"Yes? How may I help you?" I didn't think anyone in this town really needed a botanist' help. Surely not this guy?

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I should introduce myself. My name's Ash. My family owns the ranch over there." Ash pointed at the house across Georgia's and I could see a pasture behind the house with moos and baas resounding from there.

"Well... nice to meet you Ash. If you don't need anything else from me, I'll be heading back to my work." I didn't see any point to chat longer with the boy since it was obvious that we worked in different fields. I started to turn back to where the mountain entrance was but Ash stopped me once more.

"Uhh.. do you think they like each other?"

"Excuse me?" Now this was intriguing.

"Lillian and Cam, I mean. Lillian drops by a lot to chat with him. Of course she chats with everyone, really, but ..." Ash scratched the back of his head looking a bit embarrassed that he brought this topic up with me, a complete stranger. Now, if I hadn't had a revelation that I was attracted to Cam, I would dismiss this thought as irrelevant but now I could clearly see that Ash seemed to fancy Lillian.

"I can't really say. In any case, it's too soon to jump into conclusion that anyone likes someone. Even with you. Are you sure you like her?"

His reaction was similar to mine when Nori told me I was in love with Cam. I couldn't help but smile when I recalled that moment.
"Don't worry. I won't tell. In fact..." An idea suddenly occurred to me that if Lillian were to return Ash's feelings, I wouldn't have to worry about having Lillian liking Cam. "...if you need me to help you with anything Lillian-wise, I'd be happy to assist."

"R-really? Thank you! Remind me to give you some fresh milk from my farm next time I see you as a thanks." Ash appeared even more ecstatic, moving up and down in a bubbly way. He was sure a kind of person who could bring a smile to one's face.

"Uhh.. that won't be necessary but thanks for the offer. I'll ... see you around then?"

This time, Ash didn't try to stop me. He was probably too preoccupied with figuring out what sort of favor he could ask me to do. I managed to escape from Bluebell without anyone stopping me anymore. At least that was what I thought when I heard a rustling behind the bush. I ignored it at first, of course, but not long after I heard footsteps following me. It moved when I moved and stopped when I stopped. Finally tired of the little game, I turned around and saw a little girl with pigtails. Red ribbons adorned her hairstyle, a plaid pattern like everyone's head dressing. Perhaps there was a dress code in Bluebell that I wasn't aware of.

"And you are?" I inquired. The little girl looked surprised that I managed to notice her following me. She took a defensive stance and pointed her tiny finger at me.

"I don't need to tell you my name! Just know that I am Ash's little sister who will always protect him from people like you. I have my eyes on you!" She threatened before rushing back to Bluebell. I was left frozen there for a while, digesting what had happened. Honestly, I pity Ash and his future wife to be. Now I understand why he was thankful of me wanting to help him.

"I may have made an enemy." I was sitting at the table outside of Yun's tea house with Nori during her day off eating one of Yun's great dessert. Nori graced me with one of her sweet laughter.

"She sounds really adorable though. If I were to have a brother I would probably think the world of him too."

"There's a fine line before being overprotective and being a cute little sister. I think she's the former." I ignored Nori's attempt to defend the little girl.

"Oh come on. I'm sure she's the cute little sister one."

"Really?" I placed my elbow on the table and leaned closer to Nori. "The other day, Dirk delivered an anonymous gift containing a dead bug. Good thing I wasn't afraid of them otherwise I'd be looking for her for revenge." Nori was about to laugh again but I stopped her. "I'm not done. Apparently, she's been posting requests for Lillian to collect those bugs and she even told Lillian that she wanted to protect her brother from girls. She's a sneaky girl. I'm telling you."

"Sneaky like you? Trying to help Ash swoop Lillian's feet so you can place yourself beside Cam?" Nori teased.

"That's... different. I'm just doing it for Ash's happiness." I started to blush knowing that what Nori said as true.

"Sneaky little Reina. Sneaky sneaky..." Nori started to tease me even more.

"Oh come on Nori. Lillian doesn't mind it either whenever I ask her things and put in a few good words for Ash."

"There once was a girl named Reinaaaa who was a sneaky sneaky giiirl.." Nori wasn't listening to me anymore and instead she started singing some made up song about me. I laughed at her silliness and got up to head to the forest again. Based on my calculation, the plant I'd been observing should bloom by now.

"I'm leaving now. Since you've lost interest in having a decent conversation."

"Sneaaaky little Reinaa.. went of to the woods..." she still continued.

"Okbye..."

By the time I entered the mountain I was already humming Nori's silly tune. I had to admit that it was a catchy tune but... darn it Nori why did it have to be about me? When I arrived at my usual spot, I was greeted by something new. It was the plant! At least I assumed it was. The leaf was the same shape and the position of it was the same. The only difference was that there was a bud. It was a flower after all!

I pulled out my notebook getting ready to jot down any new development along with the new sketch I was able to make. My head was filled with facts and observation points when I suddenly thought that this was a great reason to meet Cam! Surely he would be interested in my new findings.

Eager to meet him, I rushed across the mountain and when I was by Bluebell's low mountain area I saw Cam crouching on the ground with his back against me. He was busy mumbling something that he didn't realize I was already beside him when I said hi. That caused a jump.

"Ahh! Re-reina? What are you doing here?" he put his hand on his heart, clearly not expecting to see me. A thought creeped into my mind thinking that he wouldn't be this surprised if it was Lillian who came by.

"I have news about the plant I was observing. I thought you'd want to know, what are you doing?" Curiosity got the best of me and I bent my body to try to see what Cam got hidden under his arm. It didn't take me long to figure out that he was hiding a cat! A kitten to be exact.

"My she's adorable..." was my reaction when our eyes met. It's little whiskers, it's little meows was to die for.

"Isn't she? I found her around here when I was going on break. I think she's hungry." Cam's face shone brightly upon realizing that I wasn't judging him for hanging out with the cat. Then again, what's so weird about that?

"Hmm.. I don't think I have anything cat-edible with me." I said, searching my pockets for anything edible. "In fact, I have nothing edible at all."

"Well, I was actually thinking of catching some fresh fish from the river but the cat kept following me so it's kinda hard to do both. Hey, do you think you can help me catch a fish?" Cam looked up; hopeful.

Okay. One thing he did not know about me was that I couldn't stand slimy things, especially fish. In fact any animals that deals with water covered in slime was my all-time weakness. Throw me some dead bugs and I'll throw it back at you bare handed but throw me a fish, my head will reach the floor even before the fish reached me. Of course, I couldn't possibly told Cam that. He'd think I'm weak! So I simply stood there for a while, unsure what to do. He must've noticed how pale I suddenly turned.

"Uh... what... what about if I stay with the cat instead... I mean, I ... can't really ... swim. Water... the water's a bit cold and, uh, if I get wet it'll be a long way home compared to if you were the one that catches the fish, right?" I managed an awkward chuckle at the end. My excuse sort of made sense. I would have to cross the mountain to get home while Cam could simply walk home. Good thing Cam saw some sense in the reason as well which was why he handed the kitten to me before pulling up his pants to wade to the water.

So there I was, petting a kitten while watching Cam from afar attempting to catch a fish and failing quite badly as well. Things were popping in my head and one of them accidentally got said outloud.

"Why haven't you visited me in Konohana? Do you hate me?" I said in almost a whisper.

That caught Cam's attention even though he was far away. He didn't seem to hear what I exactly said but he noticed my tone of voice. "Are you okay Reina?"

"Ah, nothing. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." I tried to lie but he didn't look satisfied with my answer. In fact, I might have offended him or something.

"Look, if you don't want to be here it's fine. You don't have to force yourself if you hate it." Cam sounded mad and annoyed which meant that he must've misheard what I said. Unfortunately he caught the word "hate" although in a very different context.

"No! I didn't say I hate it here. I was…" there was no way I could tell him I was wondering if he hated me so instead I got up and walk towards the river. "L-let's switch place. I'll get you the fish. J-just stay with the cat instead."

It was a desperate move. I wanted to show Cam I didn't hate him or this situation so I foolishly entered the river. In my haste, I slipped forward and brought Cam splashing down with me. He was on his elbows by the time I realized the position I was in. To my horror, there was a fish swimming idly right next to him. I immediately paled.

Cam, who was showing concern, reached to touch my hand but because I thought it was a fish that was swimming past me, I slapped it away while screaming in the process.

The hurtful look that the handsome florist gave me was etched to my heart for a very long time after that. My attempt to show that I enjoyed being with him backfired.

"Next time, don't bother coming here if you don't like being with me." Were his last words to me before he disappeared behind Bluebell's gate with the hungry kitten.

My notebook was drenched in water so most of my writings were faded away. I had to rewrite the whole thing in a new notebook, which allowed me to not think about what had happened in Bluebell. I hated myself for having an unreasonable fright of fish. Now Cam hated me even more without a chance for me to explain. After the incident, I did visit his shop to buy some seed but he treated me like a normal customer. He didn't even smile.

Ash noticed this and could only smile encouragingly. In fact, he gave me quite an idea to solve my fear of fish and even though I didn't like to do it I finally stopped making excuses and posted a request form in Konohana. The topic of request: Summoning Courage.

AN:

Yaaayyy! Another chapter!

I'm so sorry that it took me a long time to write this :) And I'm thankful that you're still waiting on the update, heheh. Thanks for those of you who reviewed, listed this story as a favorite, followed this story and many many more!

I'm gonna warn you.. I'm planning to take this story quite slow... Getting Reina and Cam together ain't going to be easy just as how getting Lillian and Cam isn't easy in the game. We need to give him gifts, go on dates, answer the right questions, etc. But I pretty much have the story line set. Maybe I'll change a few things if I need to.

Oh, and Ash is here! He's not showing up as much as I wanted him to but at least he's now introduced to the story. What you guys think?

You probably noticed that I tend to use a lot of what the in-game information gives in this story just to make things feel more real with a mix of my own reality. How'd you like the fish thing, eh? Hahahah.. I figured there was a reason why Reina wanted to relieve her fear of fish. Here's my take on that theory :)

Btw, did you notice I put up a cover for this story? Nothing fancy but it's better than nothing, right?

So yeah... that's all I can think of. Thanks for reading!