Flambéed Love (Story of Seasons / Harvest Moon Fanfiction)

Chapter 4: Confusion

"There we go! Isn't that better?" Minori grinned as she finished brushing all of her animals in the barn. This job can be exhausting but at the same time, extremely rewarding.

'Moo'... 'Baa'... 'Neigh'

Almost at the same time, her lovely animals each respond in their own way as gratitude. Minori loves them unconditionally and she takes great care of them; in return, they love her back - giving her the best quality of animal products that they could. It's no wonder the dairy products from Minori's farm are the freshest, the eggs are the tastiest, and her wool is the most durable - highly sought after.

Today, Minori finishes her work earlier than usual; and so she decided to grab some lunch at the restaurant..she could pamper herself once in awhile with delicious food and plus, she'll get to hang out with her friend, Raeger. And so, Minori proceeded down to the town area and made her way towards the restaurant.

...

"Welcome to the restau.. Oh, hey Minori! What's up?" Raeger gave a warm smile as usual.

"Hey, Raeger! I finished work earlier than usual so I figure I'll have lunch here. It's been awhile since I last had delicious food!!" Minori beamed and took a seat at the bar, right in front of Raeger.

Raeger chuckled, "Haha Minori, you're too kind. What would you like to have?"

"One kitsune udon please!! It would feel SO amazing to have a nice delicious soup on a windy afternoon." Minori closed her eyes and placed her palms on her cheek as she begins thinking about her imaginary food, then smiling like the happiest person on Earth.

Raeger laughed upon seeing her silly response. He has always loved seeing Minori's different reactions. Minori is amusing, unlike many other girls. Perhaps, this is what made her so easy to hang out with..Raeger thought to himself.

"I'll get right to it! Though..do you mind waiting up a bit? I'm still cooking the lasagna for Fritz. I promised him I'll cook a free meal for him today...Well, I couldn't refuse after he begged and said he was running out of food." Raeger sighed, "I wish he'd take better care of himself.. But don't tell him that I told you! Haha!" Raeger chuckled once again as he explained himself to Minori.

"Don't worry about it, Raeger! I'm free for the rest of the day anyway, so I'm not in a rush." Minori smiled. "And I promised I won't tell a soul!"

"Thanks Minori! I'll try to finish as soon as I can!" Raeger immediately returns cooking.

Deep down, Minori was amazed, 'I've always known that Raeger is a nice person..but I didn't know he's also very caring.'; From the bar, Minori can also see Raeger's work very clearly, 'Wow..he's always serious at work.. But damn, he even prohibits his good friends from entering the kitchen. He's always trying his best - improving his recipes, ensuring that his customers are satisfied...woow, he looks really cool. I like him.'

Minori then jolted in shock, 'Eh? What was I thinking about?' Minori was surprised at her own thoughts, but soon brushes it off, 'Right..it's just simple admiration! That's all!'

Just as Minori swept her thoughts away, Raeger came out of the kitchen holding two dishes; Fritz's lasagna and Minori's udon. "I'm done!!", Raeger exclaimed, then looked around the restaurant, "Hhhmm..that's weird, Fritz should already be here by now."