It took over ten minutes before Gus returned, carrying a tray of food. The aroma hit me before he even reached the table, and steam rose from the freshly prepared dishes.
"Here you are."
He set down two plates of spaghetti and a sizzling platter.
I couldn't tell what kind of dish it was, but it smelled nice.
"You aren't allergic to anything, right?" Gus asked as he finished setting everything down.
"Not that I'm aware of. What's that dish, anyway?"
"Some grilled shallots and other vegetables. Give them a try. Oh, and it's all on the house. If you need anything else, just let me know,"
He replied with a grin.
He didn't seem hostile or malicious. Although the brief thought of him poisoning the food crossed my mind, I didn't peg him as that type of person.
Then again, I barely knew the man.
"Free? What are you planning, sir?"
"Nothing in particular. I'm just curious about a new face. So, what'll you have to drink?"
"...You know what? I'll take you up on that. Give me a chocolate milkshake."
Turning to my side, I asked Mel.
"What about you, Mel?"
"I'll have the same as you, Master."
"Two chocolate milkshakes coming up. Take your time eating."
With that, Gus left us to our meal.
As soon as he was gone, Mel spoke up.
"I'll take the first bite, Master."
I trusted Gus, and I'd even checked the food with my Appraisal Eyes. Still, I suppose there was always a chance that the appraisal could fail. Besides, I didn't want to seem rude.
"It's fine. I doubt he's the type to—"
"Master!"
Her voice was unusually firm, loud enough for the other patrons to hear.
"...Alright."
Seeing how insistent she was, I decided not to argue further.
I turned toward the other patrons and offered an awkward smile, bowing my head slightly to apologize for the disturbance.
I could see Haley sitting nearby, watching us from a table not too far away.
Meanwhile, Gus had stepped back out of the kitchen. After seeing Mel taste the food first, he glanced at her before chuckling to himself.
'What a loyal maid.'
I thought I heard him mutter something, but I couldn't quite make it out.
Well, whatever. It wasn't as though I could blame her for worrying.
The milkshakes arrived midway through our meal.
I wasn't particularly fond of spaghetti. I'd grown tired of it in my past life, especially since it was usually prepared sweet where I came from. Gus's version, however, leaned more toward savory than sweet.
It was a welcome change.
The shallots were also surprisingly good. The grilled parts had a satisfying chew to them without becoming rubbery.
As for the milkshake, it was practically a dessert and a drink in one. It even came with a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
Now that was more like it.
We ate in peace, savoring our lunch.
For a while, at least, I managed to forget about the unpleasantness of the day.
After we finished eating, Gus returned to collect our plates.
He stacked them neatly on the tray, but rather than immediately heading back to the kitchen, he lingered beside our table.
"So," he began casually, "what made you want to become a farmer?"
Ah.
There it was.
He'd waited until we'd finished eating before asking. Subtle, but not subtle enough.
I leaned back in my chair and gave him a cheeky smile.
"What do you think I'm here for?"
Gus raised an eyebrow.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
I held his gaze, still wearing my smile, but eventually, I was the one who broke first.
"Heh. Alright, alright."
My smile softened.
"When people who've spent most of their lives in the city retire to the countryside, what do you think?" I asked, my tone becoming more serious.
Gus raised his brows slightly, but he seemed willing to hear me out.
So I continued.
"There are a number of reasons, honestly. Maybe things didn't work out for them in the city. Maybe they never quite fit in. Or maybe they're simply looking for something different, somewhere quieter and more peaceful."
I glanced out the window.
"Sometimes, people just want to start over."
The words came out more easily than I'd expected.
Perhaps because I'd spent so much time thinking about them myself.
"But maybe I was wrong."
My smile faded.
Maybe this life was better than the one I'd had before coming here.
But was it really?
I'd given up a comfortable life. Sure, it had been lackluster and mundane, but it had been mine. I knew what to expect from it. I had a place in the world, even if I hadn't been particularly satisfied with it.
And now?
Now, I was here.
A new world, a new life, and a farm I had barely begun to understand.
I'd told myself that this was an opportunity. A chance to do something different, to find a purpose of my own, to experience a world I'd once known only through a screen.
It all sounded wonderful when I put it that way.
But the reality was proving a little more complicated.
I'd barely been here a week, and already I'd found myself questioning my choices.
Perhaps I had been too impulsive. Too optimistic.
I'd thought that as long as I had the means to support myself, things would work out eventually. I had money, some knowledge of this world, and the freedom to pursue whatever I wanted.
What more could I ask for?
And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Maybe it was the way people looked at me whenever Willow's name came up.
Maybe it was Lewis's accusations.
Or maybe it was the fact that, despite everything I'd told myself, I still couldn't completely dismiss the possibility that I was somehow responsible.
The system had announced her death before my memories of my past life returned.
I'd held on to that fact as proof that I had nothing to do with what happened to her.
But what if I was wrong?
What if the system had killed the previous farmer simply to give me the chance to live my dreams as Luke, or to find a purpose as Anthony?
What if her death wasn't some unfortunate coincidence, but the price of my new life?
I had no evidence to support any of it.
No reason to believe the system had done such a thing.
But I couldn't prove otherwise, either.
And that was the problem.
I could tell myself a hundred different reasons why I wasn't responsible, but none of them could answer the one question that had begun to haunt me.
What if my being here was what had killed her?
Maybe it would be easier to accept the rumors.
To accept that I was the villain in someone else's story, retreat to the farm, and stop trying to explain myself to people who had already made up their minds.
At least there, I could work in peace.
And I would have Mel to keep me company.
That wouldn't be so bad, would it?
...
What a pathetic thought.
I'd come all this way, determined to see this new life through, only to start thinking about hiding away before I'd even properly begun.
Yet, for some reason, the thought refused to leave me alone.
Gus watched the young man across from him fall silent.
A moment ago, he had been smiling, answering his question with a playful remark. Now, his expression had changed entirely.
His gaze had drifted toward the window, and his head lowered slightly.
The silence stretched on.
Gus frowned.
'What happened?'
He hadn't expected such a reaction.
He'd only asked why the man wanted to become a farmer. It was an ordinary question, one he'd asked plenty of newcomers over the years.
Yet the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.
For a moment, Gus wondered whether the man was putting on an act. Perhaps the young man wanted him to feel sorry for him. Perhaps he was simply trying to avoid answering the question.
But something about the scene didn't sit right with that explanation.
The change had been too abrupt, too natural.
Gus couldn't claim to know what was going through the man's mind, but he had spent enough time around people to recognize when someone was struggling with something.
And whatever this young man was thinking about, it didn't look pleasant.
Gus scratched his cheek, uncertain how to proceed.
He hadn't expected the conversation to become so heavy.
Nor had he expected to see such a different side of the man who'd confronted the mayor yesterday.
'Just what kind of person are you?'
He still didn't know.
The rumors surrounding Willow's death hadn't disappeared, and Gus wasn't about to dismiss them simply because the man seemed troubled.
But neither could he bring himself to judge the young man on rumors alone.
For now, he could only wait and see.
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait much longer.
"Master?"
Mel's voice broke through the silence.
He didn't respond immediately.
She turned toward him, her brows knitting together.
"Master?"
This time, she reached over and gently shook his arm.
I blinked, slowly turning my head toward her.
"Hm? What's up, Mel?"
She stared at me for a moment.
Then her expression grew serious.
"Master, I think we should go home."
I paused.
Home.
The word felt strangely comforting.
I hadn't realized how tired I was until she said it.
"...Okay."
Mel seemed surprised by how readily I agreed, but she didn't question me.
Instead, she excused herself to Gus, thanking him for the meal before helping me out of my seat.
I followed her without protest, still feeling somewhat dazed.
Only after we had taken a few steps did I realize how unusual this must have looked.
I'd been perfectly content to eat and chat with Gus just a little while ago. Now, I was leaving without much of an explanation.
But I couldn't bring myself to care.
For once, I didn't feel like pretending everything was fine.
Mel glanced at Anthony as they walked out of the Saloon.
He was quieter than usual.
That alone wasn't particularly unusual. Her master could be thoughtful when he wanted to be, and she had long since learned not to interrupt him whenever he fell into one of his moods.
But lately, something had been different.
It hadn't even been a week since they arrived in Pelican Town, yet she had already seen him frown and lose himself in thought more often than usual.
At first, she'd assumed he was simply adjusting to life in the countryside. It was a considerable change from Zuzu City, after all. Even someone as carefree as her master would need time to settle in.
Then there had been the incident with Mayor Lewis.
She understood why her master had been angry. The accusations were unfair, and she couldn't blame him for defending himself. Still, the way he'd acted afterward had left her uneasy.
And now, this.
She didn't know what had been going through his mind while he spoke with Gus, but she'd seen the change in his expression. One moment, he'd been talking normally. The next, he looked as though he'd wandered somewhere far away, leaving the person sitting at the table behind.
Mel tightened her grip on his arm slightly.
Just what were you thinking about, Master?
She wanted to ask.
She wanted to know what had made him so troubled, what he was hoping to find in this town, and whether coming here had really been what he wanted.
But she knew better than to force him to answer.
Her master could be surprisingly stubborn when he wanted to be. If she pressed him before he was ready to talk, he might simply smile and brush off her concerns.
She wanted him to tell her because he wanted to, not because she had cornered him into it.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Perhaps bringing Master here was a mistake.
The thought came unbidden.
Mel immediately frowned at herself.
She knew how much her master had wanted to come to Stardew Valley. He had spoken about the farm with an enthusiasm she hadn't seen in him for a long time. She had thought this place might be good for him, somewhere he could finally pursue something of his own.
But was it really helping him?
She didn't know.
And that uncertainty bothered her more than she cared to admit.
If this keeps up, I'll have to take him back to Zuzu City myself.
Whether he liked it or not.
The thought was a little unreasonable. She knew that much. her master was an adult, and she had no right to decide where he should live.
But if staying here continued to wear him down, she wasn't sure she could simply stand by and watch.
For now, though, she would take him home.
She could worry about the rest later.
As Mel led Anthony out of the Saloon, a few patrons glanced in their direction, finding their sudden departure a little odd.
Most soon returned to their meals.
Only two people continued watching the door after it closed.
Gus stood behind the counter, holding the tray he'd collected from their table.
He let out a quiet sigh.
'I didn't even get their names.'
He'd been so preoccupied with the rumors and his curiosity that he'd barely managed to learn anything about his guests.
And now they'd left.
Gus glanced toward the closed door once more.
This new farmer was certainly more complicated than the rumors suggested.
Whether that was a good thing or a bad one, Gus couldn't say.
For now, he had work to do.
He returned to the kitchen, leaving the matter for another time.
Emily had taken her break, and the Saloon wouldn't run itself.
Haley watched the door long after the pair had left.
She'd heard their conversation from beginning to end.
Well, most of it, anyway.
When she'd first seen the woman insist on tasting the food before the man could eat, she'd assumed their relationship was exactly what it appeared to be: a maid looking after her master.
But then she'd watched them eat.
The man had been smiling.
Not the kind of smile men gave her when they wanted to impress her, nor the sort of practiced expression people wore when they wanted something.
He'd simply looked happy.
He'd smiled contentedly as he ate, occasionally saying something to the woman sitting beside him.
And Mel, in turn, had seemed perfectly comfortable around him.
Their relationship felt different from what Haley had imagined.
She'd expected a wealthy young master and a maid who waited on him hand and foot.
Instead, she'd seen a man who seemed almost childish in his enjoyment of a good meal, and a woman who wasn't afraid to scold him when she thought he was being careless.
'So he can smile like that, too.'
She found herself watching him more than she'd intended.
At some point, Emily had returned from the kitchen, and the two sisters had begun eating together.
Haley had only half-listened to her sister, her attention occasionally drifting back toward the pair near the counter.
She'd caught bits and pieces of their conversation.
Something about becoming a farmer. Something about starting over.
At first, she'd found it rather boring.
Who wanted to listen to someone talk about moving to the countryside?
But then his voice had changed.
The man who'd looked so confident when speaking to Mayor Lewis had suddenly grown quiet.
His words became hesitant, his expression distant.
And, for some reason, Haley couldn't bring herself to scoff at him.
He'd sounded so... weak.
It was strange.
She'd never thought much about people who struggled with their choices. If they didn't like their lives, why not do something about them?
It was easy enough to say that when you weren't the one struggling, she supposed.
Still, she didn't understand why hearing him speak that way made her feel so uncomfortable.
Then, just as she'd begun wondering what was wrong, Mel had called out to him.
And the man had agreed to leave without so much as an argument.
Haley watched them go.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Concern?
Concerned? Why was she concerned?
She barely knew the man!
She didn't even know his name!
'What's wrong with me?'
Haley shook her head and turned back to her meal, determined to put the strange thoughts aside.
Whatever was going on with that man, it wasn't her problem.
She had no reason to care.
None at all.
"Hey, Haley?"
Emily's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"What?"
"Why are your cheeks red?"
Haley froze.
Then she snapped her head toward her sister.
"Shut up!"