Charlie and Abigail both stared at the sparkling ring, stunned.
“Where did that treasure chest come from, Charlie?” Abigail cried, her eyes wide.
She always got excited over strange, interesting things.
Her reaction also confirmed something for him.
She couldn’t see the icon on the fish, and she couldn’t see the treasure chest floating in the air either.
Not until the chest was actually in his hands.
Charlie turned to her and changed the subject.
“It’s a ring.
Pretty nice, huh?”
“It’s for you!”
Abigail had been the one who caught the fish.
Since he had already taken that, he figured the ring should go to her.
But the second he offered it, she hurriedly shook her head.
“No, I don’t want it.
You keep it.”
Huh.
She’s the first person to turn down one of my gifts.
That only made him more curious.
“It’s fine.
You earned it after all that work,” he insisted.
But her next words made him give up on the idea.
“Back when the Bus Stop was still working, I used to go to the Desert all the time.
There’s a mine shaft there you can explore.”
“I’ve picked up tons of those things.
They’re shiny, sure, but they make my room way too bright…”
Charlie froze.
“You have tons of them at home?”
Fine.
He could admit it.
He was the country bumpkin here.
So he took out the Silver Parsnip from that morning instead.
“Then take this!” he said, holding it out.
Abigail accepted it, though she didn’t look especially thrilled.
“Thanks.
I’ll take it, but I’m not really into this.”
“Then what do you like?” he asked, leaning closer without thinking.
She jumped a little when he suddenly moved in.
“Ah, don’t get that close out of nowhere.
That’s embarrassing,” she said, her cheeks turning a little pink.
But she recovered quickly.
“Things I like… gems, maybe?
I’m not really sure.”
Charlie quietly filed that away.
…
8:00 p.m.
Eventually, they both realized it was getting late and they should head home.
“Well, Charlie, I’m heading back…” Abigail said, stretching as she waved goodbye.
“Yeah.
Bye.
See you tomorrow.” He waved back.
Just as he was about to leave, a dull thump came from behind him.
He turned around and saw Abigail on the ground, clutching her right leg with a pained look on her face.
“Abigail, are you okay?” he asked, hurrying over.
“I’m fine.
I stood too long while fishing, and the second I tried to run, I twisted my ankle.”
“Ah, ow, ow, ow… okay, it hurts a little,” she admitted through a grimace.
Charlie felt awful seeing her like that.
After all, he was the one who had talked her into helping him fish.
“Just help me up first.
I should be able to walk if we take it slow,” Abigail said.
But he didn’t move to pull her up.
“Charlie?”
Just as she started to wonder what he was doing, he suddenly scooped her up in a princess carry.
“Hey.
Hey, Charlie, what… what are you doing?” she stammered, flustered.
He was perfectly serious.
“I’ll take you home.
I didn’t work the fields today, so I’ve still got plenty of energy.”
“Wait, do farmers just not farm?”
“No seeds.
I bought some from your dad.”
With that, he started to leave with her in his arms.
But Abigail stopped him.
“No… this is way too embarrassing… carry me on your back instead…”
Seeing her face turn bright red gave him a fresh burst of strength.
After changing positions, he carried her on his back and headed toward Pierre’s house.
On the way, Abigail talked about how much fun she’d had that day.
“Charlie, thank you.
I had a really good time today,” she said, lifting her gaze toward the sky.
He didn’t quite get it.
“What’s so great about working?
Isn’t it nicer to have nothing to do all day?”
Abigail didn’t agree.
“You sound just like my mom.
Like I’m supposed to be a good little girl who stays at home.”
“But I like the feeling of adventure.
It lets me forget about the things waiting for me in the future, at least for a little while, and just enjoy myself.”
…
Abigail rested against his shoulder and talked about what was on her mind.
He thought she was right, but also not right.
Depending on how you looked at it, the answer could change.
While he was thinking about that, she suddenly leaned closer against his back.
“Charlie, I have two friends in town.”
“Sam and Seb.”
“One of them loves music, and the other just shuts himself away at home.”
“You…” Abigail hesitated, and her breathing grew a little uneven.
“You… would you be willing to be my third friend… and my adventure partner?”
After saying that, she lay quietly against his back, waiting for his answer.
Of course Charlie wasn’t going to say no.
Only an idiot would pass up a chance like this, especially an invitation from a girl this lively and unpredictable.
“Sure.
Where do you want to go next time?”
“I’d be happy to come along.”
“Huh, really?”
“You really want to be my friend and go on adventures with me?”
Her voice lit up with excitement.
On his back, Abigail laughed, bright and happy.
…
10:00 p.m.
Charlie stopped outside Abigail’s house, and she hopped down on her own.
He scratched his cheek.
“Yeah, it should be fine.
But I still have to farm, so I can’t go adventuring with you every day.”
Abigail didn’t mind.
Having someone willing to go on adventures with her at all was already enough.
…
After saying goodbye to her, Charlie returned to his farm and walked up to the shipping bin.
He tossed in everything he had harvested today.
Sunfish (Normal): 4
Chub (Normal): 3
Sunfish (Gold): 5
Chub (Gold): 1
Along with those, there were three Normal Garlic, one Silver Garlic, six Wild Horseradishes, seven Leeks, eight Daffodils, and the Parsnip he had sold that morning.
He almost didn’t dare imagine how much money he would make.
Once that was done, he planted the seeds he had bought that morning, plus one packet of Mixed Seeds.
Eight in total.
By the time he finished watering them, it was already past midnight.
Charlie lay in bed and opened the interface.
Today, only one person’s affection had gone up.
Abigail: 2 hearts.
As for levels, Farming had gone up by one…
And that was it.