-Beep! Beep! Bee—crash!

"...I'm up... I'm up..."

Nigel groggily slammed the alarm clock, jolting himself awake. His body still felt tired, and he couldn't quite figure out why. Usually, he would wake up with fully replenished energy, but today he felt only half as energized as usual.

"Maybe it's because of the change in environment... Well, time to get moving, Nigel. Move... for money."

Honestly, it was Nigel's first day on a farm. Despite researching farming techniques online, he knew that without hands-on experience, things wouldn't go as smoothly as planned.

Creak...

"Huh."

Surprisingly, there was a package waiting in front of his house door. Nigel quickly tore it open, disregarding the note from Lewis, and headed outside. It was six in the morning, and the farm was quiet, with only the sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing. There was no time to waste—Nigel took out his axe, pickaxe, and scythe from his pocket and began clearing away the obstructions on the farmland.

Whack! Crunch! Clang!

Covered in sweat already, Nigel glanced at his watch—8:30. He had managed to remove some of the small logs and rocks cluttering the farm, creating enough space to plant his seeds. He also chopped up some wood and crafted a small box to keep his belongings in. Carrying around all those resources was tiring, and his pockets had limited space.

Letting out a sigh, Nigel pressed on. He started hoeing the newly cleared ground, creating neat rows for the parsnip seeds. Carefully tearing open the bags of seeds Lewis had provided, he planted them in the soil. Finally, using water from a nearby pond, he watered the seeds, making sure they were adequately moist.

"Heh."

After planting all the seeds, Nigel caught sight of his sweaty reflection on the surface of the watering can he held. He looked tired and sunburned—a far cry from the perfect Joja employee he used to be. The only similarity between his past self and now was the exhaustion etched on his face.

"No time to waste..."

Nigel quickly took a bite from a chocolate bar he had saved from the previous day. He needed to save money. People wouldn't simply donate seeds to him like this again.


Pelican Town turned out to be more developed than Nigel had imagined. While it didn't have skyscrapers or flashing neon lights, the roads were properly paved, and the town had an overall sense of organization.

Though Nigel had an urge to explore his new surroundings and take a moment to relax, he knew he had to prioritize. He was tired and exhausted, but he couldn't afford to waste time or money. He needed to work. So, Nigel headed straight to the local town store named 'Pierre's.'

The store wasn't as big as the Joja marts near his previous workplace, but it seemed farmer-friendly. Fresh vegetables and fruits were displayed all over the place.

"...Welcome... Hmm? Oh, a new customer... You must be the new farmer in town! Nice to meet you. My name is Pierre, the owner of Pierre's General Store."

The shopkeeper, Pierre, greeted Nigel from behind the counter with excitement in his voice. He had brown hair, a jacket, and brown-framed glasses. Nigel couldn't help but notice a hint of greed in Pierre's eyes. He started to feel uncertain about whether he could trust this person.

"Nigel. Okay, I don't have much time... Let's make it quick. Do you have any plant seeds?"

"Of course! Right over there, in front of that door. We currently have spring seeds in stock—parsnip, cauliflower, green bean, and potato. You name it."

Nigel walked over to the designated section and began carefully inspecting the information written on each bag of seeds. The potato seeds caught his attention. They promised a growth time of 6 days and had a chance of yielding multiple potatoes at harvest.

On the other hand, parsnip seeds lacked such options but could grow in just 4 days. It seemed like a great opportunity for him to learn farming techniques. Green bean seeds took a full 10 days to grow but produced more beans throughout the spring, yielding a crop every 3 days.

Cauliflower seeds were expensive, requiring 12 days to grow, and they couldn't produce again. However, Nigel knew that cauliflower was sold at a high price, even more expensive than what he used to earn at Joja.

With only 500g in his hands, Nigel had to decide what to grow. It was crucial to choose the most efficient plant that would bring him the most profit since he was using his own money now.

"...Okay, I think..."

Slam!

At that moment, the door behind Nigel opened with a loud noise, hitting him in the process. A purple-haired young woman emerged, looking exhausted with dark circles under her eyes. Nigel assumed she had been up all night, maybe reading a book.

"...Yawn... Sebastian? Is that you...? Sorry, I was playing 'Journey of the Prairie King' until late last night... I..."

"..."

Nigel remained silent and decided to walk away from the tired girl. He wasn't sure who she mistook him for, but if she realized her mistake, things would get awkward, wasting precious time.

"...Hey... Sebastian, where are you... Whoa, wait! You're not him! You...!"

"...Too late, I guess."

And it was too late. The purple-haired girl suddenly blushed as she saw Nigel's face. Of course, not because of his charm or anything—simply due to the embarrassment of mistaking him for someone else she knew for a brief moment.

"I... I'm sorry. I confused you with my friend... Well, he also always wears all dark... Um... Yeah, right... I heard someone new was moving to that old farm... My name is Abigail."

"Nigel. No need to apologize... Now, would you mind stepping out of the way? I'm in a hurry."

"Ah! Yeah, of course... Bye."

Without further conversation, Nigel carefully selected one seed pack from each vegetable variety, except for parsnip, and decided to invest the remaining money in additional potato seeds. His rationale was simple—he lacked experience in farming and wanted to observe which plants would prove to be the most efficient. Besides, he had heard that potatoes could grow relatively well even in challenging conditions.

"So, met my daughter, huh?" Pierre remarked casually while inspecting the price tags on the seed bags.

Nigel nodded, not particularly interested in engaging in small talk. "I guess... Look, I really don't have time for a chat. Would you do me a favor and just take this money?"

Pierre raised an eyebrow but obliged, calculating the total amount. "Uh... sure, why not. That would be... 490g in total."

Nigel handed over the money and nodded in gratitude. "Here. Thanks."

Pierre, seemingly curious, seized the opportunity to strike up another conversation. "Yeah... um, Nigel? If you have any vegetables you grew on your farm that you could sell, I can buy them from you for a good price... just so you know!"

Nigel nodded again, acknowledging Pierre's offer. "Sure, why not."

With that, Nigel swiftly left the store and made his way directly to his farm. He noticed some of the villagers casting curious glances in his direction, but he paid them no mind. All he wanted to do was plant the seeds he had acquired and delve deeper into his research on these plants. Efficiency was his primary goal after all.


"...Seriously, Abigail, what were you thinking... Urgh! Stupid... Stupid me..."

That night, Abigail couldn't stop kicking her blankets off her bed. The incident with the newcomer, Nigel, kept replaying in her mind. Though it wasn't exactly rude, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Nigel's reaction, or lack thereof, had made her feel pitied even in his expressionless face.

"...That farmer..."

Abigail gritted her teeth, swearing to Yoba that she would never let something like that happen again. But still, she couldn't stop her brain from replaying the scene over and over.

"Nooo...!"