While Charlie was still reeling from the discovery that Robin was already married, a girl quietly brushed past him.
She wore an orange top, and her short orange hair stirred gently in the breeze.
Her calm, bookish air naturally drew his attention.
After all, she was the second woman he had met here.
In the end, the girl stopped beneath a large tree and sat cross-legged in the shade.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and opened the book she had brought with her.
With her green eyes and slightly round, baby-faced cheeks, she had a soft, gentle look that suited a small town perfectly.
Since she was still an unlocked character, Charlie went over to say hello.
“Hi, hello…
I’m the new farmer here.” He stepped forward and waved, putting on a polite smile.
“My name is Charlie.”
Hearing his voice, the girl closed her book and lifted her pretty face.
“Oh…
hello!
I’m Penny…”
“Nice to meet you!”
Her voice carried a hint of shyness, probably because Charlie was a stranger who had approached her out of nowhere.
Her polite response instantly made him feel much better.
Compared to her, Shane had been way too harsh.
That got him a little excited.
“Penny.
That’s a really nice name.”
“Do you like reading?”
“What a coincidence…
I do too…
uh…”
Charlie wanted to keep the conversation going, but Penny cut him off.
“Sorry…
Mr.
Charlie…
I don’t know you very well yet.
Please keep your distance.”
There was a hint of fear in her eyes.
It seemed she had mistaken him for some kind of creep.
Charlie froze.
It’s over!
I came on too strong.
She thinks I’m a creep!
Seeing Penny’s wary look, he quickly waved his hands in embarrassment.
“Sorry, I…
I got too excited.
I didn’t mean anything by it!”
His gaze darted around nervously.
This was probably the first time he had ever been put in such an awkward position, and sweat was starting to prickle along his back.
“Uh, well, I’ve got something to do…
We’ll talk next time!”
With that, Charlie immediately left the tree without looking back.
By the time he returned to Harvey’s Clinic, it was almost ten.
The doors were open now, but he had completely lost the will to keep making friends today.
Two blows in a row.
He needed a moment.
He retraced his route and slowly made his way back toward the area below the Bus Stop.
Kicking bits of gravel along the roadside, Charlie felt miserable.
“This start is way too…
way too awful!” he complained inwardly.
Other people who transmigrated got harems and everyone’s attention.
A proper wish-fulfillment story.
So how had he managed to get disliked twice?
The more he thought about it, the more useless he felt.
He raised his foot to kick at something, then stopped.
He had suddenly noticed a yellow flower blooming beside the road he had taken earlier.
“A flower?”
“How did I miss that on the way here?”
That spot of bright yellow amid all the green naturally became his new target.
Charlie walked over and plucked it.
The moment his fingers touched it, the flower’s information appeared.
[Daffodil (Normal): A traditional spring flower that makes a nice gift.]
The last few words immediately caught his attention.
“Makes a nice gift!”
“Right.
Girls all like flowers, don’t they?”
“If I give this to Penny, maybe she’ll treat me a little better.”
Charlie felt like he had started to understand what affection meant.
It was probably something that could be raised by giving gifts.
“Well…
if there’s one, there must be more around here.”
He began searching around the Bus Stop.
After a while, he actually found a decent haul.
He collected three Daffodils, one Dandelion, and two Wild Horseradishes.
The entries for the other two forageables were added to his interface as well.
To his surprise, after all that running around, his Foraging level even went up by one.
[Axe Proficiency +1]
Looking at the bonus, which did not seem useful at all, Charlie stopped caring much about the level-up.
He checked the time.
It had only been nine earlier, but now it was already 1:30 p.m.
He looked toward town.
“I wonder if Penny’s still there,” he muttered.
But just as he was about to try his luck, a wriggling patch in the dirt caught his attention.
By the fence near the stone path, countless little worms were squirming wildly in the soil.
Charlie, who had a mild case of trypophobia, noticed them at once.
“Ew…
what the hell is that?”
“That looks disgusting…”
Because of that thing, his plan to see Penny had to be postponed again.
Either it died, or he did.
He summoned the interface and opened his backpack.
The next second, a Hoe formed in his hand.
Charlie raised it and brought it down hard.
“Die!”
To his surprise, the scene he had imagined—worms splattering everywhere—did not happen.
Instead, a doll appeared on the ground.
The doll wore blue clothes and gray pants, and it looked pretty old.
The moment his fingers touched it, information popped up.
[Ancient Doll: Gunther can tell you more about this if you donate it to the Museum.]
At the same time, a “ding” sounded in his mind.
The next second, a quest window appeared.
Quest: Archaeology!!!
→ Visit Gunther at the Museum.
[You found an ancient-looking object.
Could it be some kind of artifact from long ago?
Perhaps Gunther, curator of the local museum, has the answer.]
Charlie looked at the quest, a little confused.
“A quest?”
“An artifact from long ago?”
“If I sell it, wouldn’t I make a fortune?”
But as soon as he started thinking that way, memories of Joja Corporation echoed through his mind.
“No, no, no.
Those capitalists would probably only give me a few bucks for it.
I’m not going to them.”
“Right.
What if this Gunther guy is an important character?
The kind who gives me powerful items?”
“Wouldn’t that be a huge win?”
The theory was solid.
Time to test it.
With that thought, Charlie turned around and headed back toward Pelican Town.
He walked down from Harvey’s Clinic and arrived at the square.
In the center was an area paved with red bricks.
He stopped there, because he spotted new faces again.
A few villagers were chatting on the left side of the square.
Charlie looked at them and quickly went over to start a conversation.
Maybe he could even ask where the Museum was.
“Hello, I…” He had just reached them and was about to speak.
But before he could finish, the woman standing between the others spoke first.
She had long green hair and a pretty, delicate face.
Her voice was gentle.
“Hello!
You must be the new farmer.”
“Let me think…
hm…
your name is Charlie, right?”
Charlie froze for a moment, then nodded hesitantly.
Seeing his reaction, the woman smiled.
It looked very pretty on her fair face.
Her brows were fine and graceful, and her gentle smile gave her an elegant, warm air.
“My name is Caroline.”
“A new face like yours gets noticed quickly around here.”
Charlie felt a little awkward hearing that.
Well, it made sense.
Everyone in this village probably knew each other already.
“Yeah.
I came to get along with the villagers from now on,” he said.
Caroline listened, then softly repeated his name.
“Charlie…
hm!”
“That’s such a cute name!”
Charlie was completely drawn in by the way she carried herself and spoke.
This girl named Caroline stirred something youthful and restless in him.
“So…
so gentle…
so pretty…”
He stared into her pale green eyes, the thought slipping out inside his head before he could stop it.
But when he noticed Caroline looking back at him, he immediately turned his face aside, too embarrassed to meet her eyes.
She looked at him and seemed to remember something.
“My husband runs the general store here.
Have you met my daughter Abigail yet?”
Crack.
Charlie practically heard his heart shatter, like glass scattering across the floor.
His entire worldview collapsed.
Huh?
She’s married too?
Who got there first and stole my wife?
Charlie was shaken to the core.
On the surface, though, he still looked calm.
He had to answer her question.
“Abigail?” He shook his head.
Caroline nodded, then smiled.
“Mm-hm!
She has fair skin and purple hair.
You two might get along well.”
Since Caroline was older, Charlie could only accept reality.
He quickly forced a smile.
“Okay, Caro—ma’am.
I understand.”
He really didn’t want to call her that, but he had to swallow the pain and say it.
That man had won!
Seeing Charlie chatting so happily with Caroline, another woman nearby looked a little displeased.
“Oh!
Farmer boy, did you forget I was standing right here?”
Hearing the voice, Charlie turned back.
Only then did he realize there was someone else there.
He had completely forgotten about her.
She had light brown hair, wore red clothes, and had a curvy figure, with a braid resting over one shoulder.
With that look, there was no need to guess.
She was definitely married!
Charlie could tell just from her appearance.
She even had the dangerous married-woman hairstyle!
“Uh…
sorry.
I’m Charlie, the new farmer here.”
“I guess I got a little too caught up talking with Caroline.”
Hearing his apology, the woman didn’t get angry.
Instead, she smiled slightly.
“I’m not that petty.
You’re a little different from what I imagined…
but that’s all right!”
“My name is Jodi!”
As soon as he heard her name, Charlie bent into a bow.
“Hello, ma’am.
I sincerely apologize for what happened just now.”
Charlie’s mother had once told him that if he accidentally upset an elder, then his apology needed to be sincere.