Tuesday, 6 December 2016

Story of Seasons: Raeger Fanfiction Part 14

Writer's note: Phew, I've finally finished my exams! This semester's been pretty hectic, but it's been fun at the same time. Anyway, it's the start of summer break, which means I would have more time to write, and do the other things I enjoy doing in my free time! The only issue is that I'm not so good with heat. Ugh!

To read the other chapters, click the links below:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures


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Flambéed Love

~Beginning~

Raeger kept Minori in his embrace, holding her tightly while he continued to feel her warmth on his own lips. His heart rate began to rise again, and his movement became uneasy around her body. "Rae..Raeger.. wait.." Minori spoke weakly as she pulled back to get some air.

His heart skipped a beat upon hearing Minori's soft complaint, and his eyes quickly widened in disbelief over his own actions. At the same time, however, he was thankful that he stopped in time before he loses control over his own body; before he does something he might regret later on. 

"I..I'm so sorry, Minori!" Raeger apologised immediately. "I let myself get carried away... I shouldn't have done that. I'm really sorry!" He looked at her with guilt, afraid that she would feel uncomfortable around him in the future if he continues to make such advances - when he hasn't even make sure on how she feels about it.

Minori looked up to see the young chef frowning with concern, along with his facial expression that turned somber.. yet it shows the clear genuineness in his apology, and his fear of hurting her because he truly does care about the woman standing right in front of him. Minori smiled and giggled faintly, very quickly lightening up the atmosphere. 

"It's fine, Rae. You don't have to feel bad about it at all.. And it's not as if.." She suddenly paused, finally coming to a realisation that what she was about to say could very well be rather embarrassing for herself. "Uhh, nevermind!!"

"Hhmm? What is it, Minori? Not as if...?" Raeger questioned.

Minori quickly twisted her brain in an attempt to find a way to get out of this seemingly awkward situation. But being unable to come up with a witty answer, she sighed, and eventually decided to face his question - because he would eventually be able to figure it out by himself anyway.. just like how he always managed to see right through her. 

"It's not as if.. not as if I hated it!" Minori finally declared. She looked away in embarrassment, and her cheeks immediately turned pink. Raeger had his eyes slightly widened in surprise, totally amused by what he had just heard.

"But.. just, slow down, will ya'?!" Minori continued to look the other direction, and then kept her mouth sealed as she blushed even harder. 'Why did I have to shout saying that?!' she told herself.

Raeger tried to control himself from bursting into laughter upon seeing her adorable - yet spicy - reaction. But he was almost at his limit, and he didn't think he could maintain his poker face any longer. So he cunningly stepped forward, and hugged her tightly in his arms to hide his facial expression from her field of observation.

He brought his hand up to her head, and gently caressed it. His affection seemed to have calmed Minori down a little, but being pressed so close to his body.. and clearly smelling his scent, Minori was put in a dilemma. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the sensation, and hence let herself fall deep into rapture. She smiled, thankful that Raeger didn't press her for further questioning that would otherwise embarrass her even more. 'Phew.. I'm lucky Raeger's so nice.. hehe! Now I don't have to wor..'

"So, what is it that you don't hate, Minori?" Raeger suddenly asked, disrupting Minori's joyful train of thoughts. He grinned, and was impatiently waiting for her reply.

'DAMMIT, RAEGER. I spoke too soon.' Her eyes widened in disbelief, with her cheeks slowly turning back to its rosy blush. 'You evil little...'

"Isn't it obvious, Raeger? You should know that, rightt?" Minori pulled back a little, then looked up towards his face and acted a smile - a really sweet one, in fact, keeping her inner frustration to herself. She would not let him tease her that easily! 

But Raeger now smiled in satisfaction and quickly accepted her challenge.

"To be honest.. I don't." he faked a sigh. "I won't be able to know unless you tell me, Minori."

He then drooped his eyes a little bit, and looked directly into her face. He brought his right hand up to her cheek, and smiled melancholically, "I want to know everything about you, Minori. Everything you like.. everything you desire. I want to be the kind of man who can fulfill those wishes for you. So can you tell me.. what is it that you like, my dear?"

Minori's face redden in utter embarrassment, but also pure elation upon hearing his words. She held onto his vest tightly, and pouted in defeat. "You're way in a different league, aren't you?"

Raeger laughed freely, and slowly patted her head. "But I meant what I said, Minori. I truly do." He smiled, then continued his words, "I'll always try my best to make you happy."

Minori smiled sweetly, and pressed herself closer into his embrace. "Thanks, Rae. I'll always do what I can to make you happy too." She paused, suddenly recalling something that crossed her mind earlier, "But seriously, Rae. How are you so good at whispering such sweet words? Surely you've had some experience?" She enquired.

He lowered his eyebrow and denied, "Actually.. no, I've never said that to anyone else, Minori. Heck, it's even my first time confessing to a girl." He scratched his head nervously.

"Oh! Uhm, I'm sorry, Rae.. I didn't mean to accuse you like that.."

"Haha, it's fine, Minori. That's what everybody says too.. I suppose I should let you in on a little secret then?"

"Hhmm? What is it?"

"I..uh.. I actually read romance novels a lot. Perhaps that's how I got to know some of the 'classic' words to say." He giggled softly. "I haven't told too many people about it though.. I mean, Fritz knows because he barges into my room all the time, and Lillie likes to borrow them from time to time. But other than the two of them.. it's just you."

Minori smiled from ear to ear and exclaimed, "That actually sounds amazing! You should lend me some of your favourites sometimes too!" Her brown eyes lit up in excitement, which was returned by a sweet smile and a nod from Raeger.

"But Rae.. why do you.. uhm, are you trying to hide it from everyone else?" Minori asked in slight concern.

"Well.. I wasn't really against telling other people about it.. it's just that... it's not really a hobby enjoyed by most men." He let out a small laugh. "I do have some insecurities from time to time.." he spoke as he lowered his gaze.

Minori raised her hand and gently caressed his hair in an attempt to comfort him. "There's definitely no need to be insecure about your own hobbies, Raeger. There's really nothing wrong with it, and in fact I thought it's very interesting; it's really great. People who truly care about you won't judge you based on just that, right? I mean.. I.. l..like you for who you are." She blushed after voicing out her opinion.

Raeger gazed deep into her eyes tenderly, and smiled uncontrollably. "You were lying when you said that I'm in a totally different league, weren't you? You always know how to comfort me, all the right words to say."

"What?! I really wasn't!! You're like the harvest goddess of romance." Minori protested.

Raeger laughed freely once again, and patted Minori's head in adoration. Never a second that he felt bored around her presence, yet at the same time she's always pushing himself to be a better person each day. But he had been away for a bit too long, and regrettably he realised it was time to head back.

"I'd love to spend more time with you.. but I think we should head back now, Minori. I've left the restaurant for too long. I don't want to trouble Klaus too much."

"Oh my.. you're right. I didn't even realise how long we've been here for.." Minori looked at the watch she received from Raeger and pouted. "It's a really beautiful place, though.. I would love to come back here sometimes."

"Absolutely." Raeger replied almost immediately and smiled. "But for now.. shall we head back?" He extended his arm and motioned Minori to hold his hand.

Minori returned the gesture, and the two of them started walking back towards the restaurant.

...

"Oh? What's this?" Klaus raised an eyebrow and smirked upon their return. "I believe everything went well?"

Minori blushed hard hearing Klaus' tease, but was extremely thankful for what he had done. "Uhh.. you could say that, Klaus.." Minori replied sheepishly.

"As for you, sir?" Klaus stared at Raeger as he continued his smirk.

Raeger let out a brief sarcastic laugh, and uttered, "What a cunning old man you are. Was everything according to plan?" He questioned jokingly.

"I deeply apologise.. but I could not seem to comprehend what it is that you are trying to say, sir. I carry no hidden motives since the beginning." Klaus replied back wittily.

The young chef smirked this time, and after planting a peck on her cheek and explained that he needed to go back to work, he stepped forward, walking towards the perfumer.

He squeezed Klaus' right shoulder lightly, and whispered, "Thank you, I owe you big time.", as he smiled and quickly returned to business.

"I suppose I could do some extra work too.." Minori exclaimed. "I'll be heading to the safari with Agate then."

"Alright, I'll walk out with you." Klaus motioned.

"Hey, Klaus.." Minori whispered.

"What is it, Minori?"

"Thank you.. thank you so much for doing that. You can't imagine how happy I am right now.." she beamed.

"The two of you sure are peculiar. I believe I have made myself clear when I said I could not understand what it is that you were trying to convey." Klaus smiled.

"Ahahaha! Stop it, Klaus. Just accept our gratitude, will you?" Minori laughed as she opened the restaurant door.

Klaus laughed back in return, but said nothing otherwise. He held the exit and signaled her to step out of the establishment first, gazing into her from the back, feeling much like an accomplished older brother.

'Ah.. young love.' 

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Monday, 26 September 2016

Story of Seasons: Raeger Fanfiction Part 13

Writer's note: *This was written 3 weeks ago* Hello everyone! I'm now on my two weeks mid-semester break, which is something I really appreciate given how hectic my semester has been. I hope to write as much as I could, but sometimes it's just so hard to find the inspiration. Oh, speaking of which! I finally got the long-awaited Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice on my 3DS (how excited I am!). The temperature is getting warmer too, signalling that the end of the year is slowly approaching. It's too fast!

To read the other chapters, click the links below:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures


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Flambéed Love

~Bliss~

Minori increased her pace, trying to catch up with Raeger's longer strides. Especially at times like this, Minori grumbled at her short legs. "Raeger, w..wait!" Minori requested.

Raeger immediately stopped and looked behind to see Minori panting with one palm on her knee. He finally realised how quickly he has been walking, perhaps in anticipation and anxiety on what was to come. He turned his body to face Minori, and stooped so that his eyes would be on the same level as hers. "I'm sorry, Minori. I didn't realise how quickly I was walking..." he spoke with guilt.

She took a few more deep breaths, before she finally settled down and straightened her posture back up. Raeger followed her gesture and was once again standing tall on both feet. With her arm still in his grip, he looked gently into her eyes. Minori blushed slightly, and smiled sheepishly before she let out a chuckle. "It wasn't your fault, Rae. My short legs are to blame." she pouted, expecting Raeger to tease her as usual.

Instead, Raeger smiled gently and walked towards her direction to close the little gap that they had; his eyes still fixated on hers. He placed a palm on Minori's head, and softly caressed her hair. "You're adorable like that, Minori."

Minori was now blushing even harder, and immediately looked down to hide her embarrassment. She was so thrilled hearing his words of praises, but she just didn't know how to respond. Raeger raised his eyebrows in surprise, and giggled at her reaction. Judging from the way she behaved, Raeger deduced that she was at least comfortable enough with his touches, signalling that he could proceed with his moves. He let go of her arm, to Minori's surprise, and brought her close to his embrace.

"Rae..Raeger?" Minori asked shyly.

Raeger remained silent as he continued holding Minori in his arms, not wanting to move and let this moment ends. But they were only halfway towards his original destination, and he wanted to bring her there for the special occasion, no matter what.

He stepped behind to allow space between the two of them, and motioned Minori to look at him. "There's a place I want to show you, Minori." Raeger explained tenderly. "Shall we continue walking? I'll slow down my pace, of course." he chuckled.

Minori returned his gesture, and soon nodded in agreement. "Let's go!"

...

"So this is it!" Raeger beamed as he introduced his favourite place in Oak Tree Town to Minori.

Minori made a few more steps towards the direction of the river stream; the water body glistening in abundant sunlight, so crystal clear that creatures residing in the river could be seen dancing their way around. It didn't feel like the middle of winter. The place felt warm, loving, and bright. While the trees were naked following the seasons, Minori could imagine how lush they would have been once spring comes; how the flowers would bloom beautifully, and how the animals would emerge as they rose from their slumber. She continued to stare in amazement, slightly annoyed at herself for not noticing such a magical place sooner.

"Raeger, this is amazing!!!" Minori expressed her excitement.

Raeger smiled gently, and made her way closer to where Minori was standing. "This is my secret place. I come here whenever I need to unwind, when I'm sad, or simply when I want to be alone - And I want to share this place with you."

She felt herself getting warmer from his words of affection, and found herself gazing into his eyes. "Such a special place for you.. and you want to share it with me?"

Raeger gazed lovingly into her eyes in return, and slowly nodded.

"Have you told anybody else?"

"Nope." he answered briefly, as he maintained his eye contact, but this time with a gentle smile.

"Raeger.. I'm so honoured.. but, why me?" Minori enquired, stepping closer towards Raeger.

Raeger chuckled. "Do I really have to say it, Minori?" He continued staring into her eyes while Minori kept her confused look. "Or are you just playing innocent, huh?" he teased.

Minori blushed slightly in embarrassment, and tilted her head slightly downwards."Uhm.. is this what I think it is?" she questioned sheepishly.

"Depends on what it is that you're thinking.." Raeger smiled as he raised his right hand towards her cheek and gently caressed it. "I should've noticed it sooner, Minori. But as cliché as it might sound, it's true when they say that the closer you are to something.. or someone in this matter, the lesser you could see."

Minori waited patiently, though in anticipation. His hand felt warm - and so she longed for more.. but she held herself back; from jumping into his embrace, from letting him know how much she had yearned to be with him. So she remained silent, allowing Raeger to finish whatever it is that he wanted to say.

Raeger cleared his throat, and began pouring his heart's content to Minori. "Minori.. recently I've come to realise that I've been thinking about you almost non-stop."

"I'll wonder what you're up to, or if you'd like to come try my new recipe... stuff like that." he smiled softly. "I wondered why I suddenly became very nervous around you, got my tongue twisted whenever I try to speak to you, felt unreasonably jealous when another man is beside you.. I felt so uncool!" Raeger laughed lightly, causing Minori to chuckle from his reaction. But his expression quickly turned serious, and he lowered his eyelid as he gazed deeper into her face. He moved his hand upwards towards her hair, and towards the back of her head, once again caressing her lovingly.

"And suddenly it hit me.. I couldn't tell when it happened, exactly, but..."

"I've fallen in love with you"

Minori felt her heart leaped in astonishment as she finally hear the words she had been dreaming of. 'I'm not dreaming, am I?' Minori blinked a few times in disbelief,  and pinched herself spontaneously. "Ouch!" she responded as expected.

Raeger jolted slightly in surprise at her response, and immediately burst out laughing in utter amusement. "Ahaha!! Minori, what are you doing??" 'That's not something you usually do in front of someone who had just confessed his feelings to you..' he chuckled quietly as he kept his own thoughts to himself, beaming from ear to ear. Minori blushed in return, unable to hide her embarrassment. She couldn't belief what she just did.

"Ah.. uhm.." Minori stuttered, "I didn't think this would ever happen, Rae.."

"Why? Are you.. troubled by what I've just said?" Raeger pointed out his concern. "Do you perhaps.. see me as.. nothing more than a friend?" his brow furrowed.

"No! No! You got it all wrong!!!" Minori quickly denied. "I'm really happy from what you've just said!" she angled her head up and shot Raeger a flustered look.. unknowingly already clinging into his coat. "I.. I feel the same way towards you.."

Hearing her response, Raeger smiled ever so sweetly, continuing his gentle touches, watching her so lovingly. "Really? I'm glad.. I didn't know what I'd do if you were to say no.." he chuckled lightly. "Will you go out with me, Minori?"

"What if I don't want to?" Minori replied sheepishly to tease him.

Once again the young chef jolted back in surprise as she caught him off guard. "I..uh,.. um I.. I can't force you then, can I?" Raeger looked flustered and disappointed.

Minori giggled and buried her face in his embrace, "I'm sorry, Raeger, I just wanted to see your reaction." she continued chuckling. "Of course I'd say yes.. without hesitation. So.. yeah. I would love to go out with you." she buried herself deeper in embarrassment.

Raeger flicked her forehead very lightly. "Hey.. I would've gotten mad if this were any other day, okay?" he pouted. "But today is a special day so I'll let it slide." Raeger chuckled while caressing Minori's hair. Slowly, his hands started to move towards her back, and he gave her a tight embrace. "Thanks, Minori. I swear I'll take great care of you."

Minori returned his gesture, hugging him tightly back. "Thanks, Raeger.. that makes me happy." she replied shyly, unable to contain her felicity, beaming from ear to ear.

Slowly, Raeger pulled himself back and gently lifted her chin up, separating her lips with his thumb subsequently. He leaned in closer and closer towards Minori by the second, stopping just before his nose touches hers, to see any sign of protest. Minori felt her heart beating faster, growing conscious of what was to come. She gave Raeger a subtle, yet certain look of her desire in return, and slowly closed her eyes in anticipation. With that, Raeger carefully angled himself as he inched closer, gradually closing the gap between them, and finally placing a warm, soft touch on her lips. He continued to feel her warmth in return, her taste, her sensation.. letting it linger for a while longer, before he reluctantly let his capture go.

Minori felt herself heating up,blood rushing to her cheeks the moment Raeger pulled away. She looked up towards him shyly, and Raeger smiled gently in return.

"Pretty magical, huh?" Raeger asked her lovingly. "Did you.. like that, Minori?"

Her eyes widened in shock as she blushed even more upon hearing his bold question. But she couldn't lie to herself - she did like it after all.. A LOT. And so despite her embarrassment, Minori slowly nodded and smiled sweetly. "It was amazing."

"That.. makes me happy." Raeger replied cleverly, raising an eyebrow to indicate the previous 'event' that was triggered right after Minori said the exact same thing.

"Are you planning something, Rae?" Minori squinted her eyes in suspicion. "Are you expecting me to do something?"

He laughed freely, astonished by her quick-wittedness every time he engaged her in word play.

"Man, I'm already looking forward to spending even more time with you, Minori." Raeger declared as he beamed affectionately, placing a tender kiss on her forehead as he brought her closer towards him..

"Hey, Raeger.."

"Hhhm?"

Minori quickly tip-toed and planted a peck on his lips.

"Now we're even right?" she questioned him innocently.

"Ahaha! Not even close, my dear." Raeger quickly arrested Minori in his arms, yet restraining himself  so much from wanting to devour her.

"I'm going to need more than that."

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Friday, 5 August 2016

Story of Seasons: Raeger Fanfiction Part 12

Writer's note: My short winter break has ended since three weeks ago.. and that means more sets of work are coming.. and that means I would have less time to write! :( Don't get me wrong, I love what I'm studying but I also equally love writing. Anyway, I'll try to write more regularly when I can, and I hope more inspirations would come! A new character will be a part of the main story in this chapter, and I'm sure you'll quickly guess who :-)

To read the other chapters, click the links below:


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures


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 Flambéed Love

~Wölfe~

Despite coming into the restaurant at the same time today, Klaus and Giorgio did not sit together at the same table; in fact they never did. While the two gentlemen are fairly acquainted (only because of their mutual friend Marian), they prefer to have their meals alone. Being a busy perfumer and farmer respectively, they truly value the time they get to unwind.

However, being the observant gentleman that he is, Klaus immediately noticed Raeger's sudden uneasiness when he stepped into the restaurant with Giorgio. More importantly, he noticed how Minori was desperately trying to hide her face from everyone present in the vicinity, with her posture slumped. Concerned, Klaus approached Minori's side instead of his usual table and took a seat beside her. He took off his coat to allow easier movement, and simultaneously patted Minori's back gently as he finally settled down.

"Is something troubling you, Minori?" Klaus spoke quietly, to prevent anyone else from listening.

Minori tilted her head towards his direction slowly, and bit her bottom lip lightly. Her heart was still pounding quickly, her cheeks rosy. She needed someone she trusts to confide in, and the right person was now just in front of her. She wanted to tell Klaus everything. But she didn't know where to start, nor could she find the right words to describe her feelings.

"Uhm.. I, uh.. it was.. uhm.."

She continued to stutter, and thus drawing an unsettling sigh from Klaus. He leaned his arm against the counter, and bent his back slightly down to look at Minori in the eye.

"I apologise for prying into your business, Minori, but does it perhaps has something to do with Raeger?" Klaus questioned politely.

Minori flinched for a second, terrified of the accuracy that Klaus has when it comes to reading her mind. But to her, this was perfect - because it saves her the trouble of having to start the discussion awkwardly. She took a deep breath, and slowly nodded her head.

"Yeah.. well, we were kinda in the middle of something before you and Giorgio came.." Minori explained sheepishly and she suddenly halted. "But I'm not blaming you in any way, Klaus!!" She quickly waved her hands in disagreement as soon as she realised how her words could have been misinterpreted.

Klaus chuckled lightly, "Of course, Minori. I know you'd never do that!"

He paused, and looked at her gently, "You like him, don't you, Minori?"

"Yeah.." Minori replied shyly. "I was so sure that he wouldn't feel the same way, but recently.. I've, um, started to be hopeful."

Klaus raised an eyebrow subtly. "Could you elaborate on that, Minori?"

"Well.. it could've just been my imagination, but.. I feel like he's been more conscious around me lately... He's always been sweet and caring towards me too, but it somehow feels.. different now - in a good way." Minori recalled recollections of the time she spent with Raeger. "He was about to say something to me.. but he didn't manage to complete his sentence."

"I know that you are going to object this, but I can't help feeling guilty for interrupting your conversation. My humblest apology, Minori." Klaus frowned.

The young farmer chuckled in amusement, yet admiration for Klaus' gentlemanly nature. "You didn't do anything wrong, Klaus. The timing was just bad.. that's all."

Klaus remained silent for a moment, before he enquired Minori further, lowering his tone of voice, "You do know how his reputation is like, right? Do you still wish... to be with him?"

She looked at him in disbelief. "What?! There are a lot of rumours in town, and yes, I've heard not-so-pleasant things about him, but none of them is true!" Minori raised her voice unknowingly.

"I'm sorry, Minori." Klaus quickly apologised before Minori could continue any further. "I was.. somewhat testing you. I just wanted to make sure that you are fully aware of the situation and certain of what you truly desire. I never want to see you get hurt." Klaus carefully explained. "It was never in my intention to offend you, or Raeger."

Minori softened her expression. She had misunderstood Klaus' intention and it made her feel embarrassed, if not ashamed. "Ah! I'm sorry for raising my voice towards you, Klaus! I should've known better!"

Klaus shook his head. "Not at all, Minori. I would have reacted the same way if anyone were to insult or accuse a loved one of mine." He then changed his facial expression, into something less stern and more tender. He gave her a gentle smile, and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Don't worry about it, Minori. I'm sure he will continue what he wants to say as soon as he gets the chance. Or.. would you like my assistance, M'lady?" Klaus smirked unexpectedly.

 "Eh? What do you mean by that, Klaus?" Minori shot him a look of surprise.

"Hhhmm?" Klaus smiled slyly, and swiftly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I told you, Minori.. I feel guilty for interrupting. Let me make it up to you two."

"Wh..what? And what do you intend to.."

Her sentence was cut the moment she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the restaurant's kitchen, and saw Raeger walking out while holding two plates of meal that he had just cooked. He immediately noticed Klaus' proximity and had a look of disbelief when he particularly saw Klaus' grip around Minori's shoulder. 'He's just like a brother to her.. he's just like a brother to her..' Raeger repeated himself over and over.

He held his urges back, and inched closer towards the counter to serve Klaus his meal, "One bouillabaisse", before he proceeded towards Giorgio's table to present him his penne all'Arrabbiata. As Raeger was walking on his way back into the kitchen to clean up, he noticed a back-view of Klaus pulling Minori closer towards him. He halted almost immediately, and squinted his eyes in suspicion.

Klaus looked into her eyes and motioned her to look back into his. Minori gave him a look of confusion, but Klaus carried on and gave her a sweet and gentle smile. He took Minori's palm with his right hand and bent his head slightly down to place a tender kiss. At this moment, Raeger was already gritting his teeth inside his closed mouth, but he remained composed for there was nothing major as of yet that he could suspend; until Klaus declared something that Raeger would never have expected.

"Minori, would you stay with me?" Klaus pleaded, still holding her hand.

"Wh..wha..what are you saying now, Klaus?" Minori flustered. "Is this what you mean when you said.."

"I mean it, Minori." Klaus interrupted her words. "I've been acting like a brother to you, but truthfully, I need you in my life." He gazed at Minori lovingly, and let go of his right hand that was gripping Minori's palm. He raised his hand towards her chin, and brought it downwards very gently so that her lips was now slightly apart. Klaus slowly inched closer, and before long he would've closed the gap between them.

"H-HEY!!"

Klaus and Minori looked back at the same time to see the bearer of the sound. What they found was Raeger staring in shock, while clenching his fists at his side. He darted towards them, and grabbed Klaus' arm away from Minori, "What do you think you're doing?" Raeger questioned irritably.

Klaus shot him a look of innocence combined with a little bit of annoyance, "What do you mean by what I think I'm doing? I'm having a very important conversation with Minori. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"You're bothering her." Raeger made up an excuse.

"I am not. I am simply being honest about my own feeling towards Minori." Klaus denied. "I don't think there's anything inappropriate about that. You seem to mind, though, Raeger.. You're not dating Minori, are you?" Klaus gave him a sharp look and raised an eyebrow.

"W..well, no.."

"Oh, so do you like her?"

"Th..that's..!" Raeger stammered involuntarily.

"No?" Klaus interpreted conveniently. "In that case, there is no reason for you to mind my actions. I apologise for my impudence, but will you please give us some privacy? Now if you'll excuse us.."

"No! Stop!" Raeger protested. He looked at Klaus sternly, and uttered a few words, "I'm sorry, Klaus. But you can't have her."

He turned his attention towards Minori, who have been staring at the two gentlemen and listening to their dispute, feeling flabbergasted all throughout. "Minori, would you come with me somewhere?" Raeger extended his arm to request for Minori's company.

"But your restaurant.." Minori asked concernedly.

"I'll watch it over for you." Klaus immediately offered.

"Huh? Really, Klaus?" Raeger stared in shock. "You.. you're not even mad?"

Klaus gave him the exact same sly smile that he gave Minori earlier, and winked playfully.

"D..don't tell me..?!" Raeger gaped at him in disbelief, and his eyes widened in further shock when he saw that Klaus did not flinch one bit and instead kept smiling in satisfaction. Raeger now fully understood the situation, and how Klaus had been playing the strings all along. He covered his face in embarrassment, and took a long deep breath before he faced Minori once again.

"Shall we go, Minori?" Raeger offered his hand.

Minori nodded slowly, took his hand and finally stood up from her stool. She followed Raeger's lead towards the exit of the restaurant - her hand gripped tightly by the chef, and her heart was once again pounding quickly in anticipation of what's going to happen next. Looking behind one last time before leaving the vicinity, Minori saw Klaus smiling gently towards her.

'Good luck!' Klaus mouthed from afar, as he watched Minori beamed lovingly in return for his gesture, before she finally left.

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Friday, 22 July 2016

Story of Seasons: Raeger Fanfiction Part 11

Writer's note: Hey everyone! I couldn't post as often as I wanted to because I actually just came back from travelling. Anyway, looking back into the previous chapters, I realised some traits are not always consistent and the story does not always flow. In addition, there are some grammatical mistakes and awkward expressions, since well, English is not my mother tongue. So in the future, I wish to plan my stories better and in advance; hoping I could improve.

To read the other chapters, click the links below:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures


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Flambéed Love

~Chocolate~

Minori headed to the restaurant excitedly, holding a woven basket in her hands. She had finished given the chocolate cookies to Mistel, Nadi, and Kamil simply as a kind gesture to the bachelors in town, and chocolate truffles to Fritz and lastly Klaus, whom Minori is closer to. The only bachelor left is now Raeger, and she has baked him a special chocolate cake, to show her appreciation for the numerous times he has helped and shown kindness towards her, but mainly because of the feelings she has for him.

While Minori does not have perfect eyesight, she could still see a figure coming out of the restaurant from where she was currently at, in front of the guild. She saw Lillie cheerfully walking out of the restaurant, looking especially happy – which makes her wonder if anything good had just happened inside... possibly with Raeger?

‘Well, they ARE very close after all’ Minori thought. ‘Could it be… has Lillie just confessed to Raeger?!’

Minori shook her head. ‘No, I shouldn’t be having any weird thought. I came here to deliver this cake, which I’ve put my best effort into, as a Valentine’s Day present to thank Raeger for all that he’s done.’

Once she calmed herself down, she continued walking towards the restaurant and repeatedly rehearsed her accompanying speech in her mind. She finally arrived at the main entrance and took a deep breath before firmly opening the door.

“Welcome to the restaurant!” Raeger was looking down towards the basin to clean the dirty dishes when his next customer came. He tilted his head up to find a very familiar face smiling at him from where she stood near the entrance. He was dumbfounded when he saw Minori right in front of him, just minutes after he and Lillie discussed about his love interest that was now at very close proximity; and he continued staring at her, speechless.

“Hey, Raeger! What’s with the look?” Minori giggled, questioning him as she walked towards the counter and took a seat – which made Raeger come to his senses, and he finally uttered a few words back.

“AH! Sorry, Minori. Today’s been… rather overwhelming.”

Minori shot him a confused look, until she saw the pile of boxes, presumably Valentine’s Day presents, stacked right behind him. “Are those all... Valentine’s Day presents for you?”

Raeger sighed, “Yeah.. it happens every year. They came here just to give me some presents and then talk endlessly about themselves.” He paused as he sighed once again. “But I just can’t force them to leave, that’d be so rude.”

Minori gave him a look of concern, “That sucks... I’m sorry that you have to go through something like that every single year.” She paused, suddenly remembering that she, too, had a present box for him. Would he feel troubled receiving yet another Valentine’s Day present? Minori could see that some of the gifts are clearly expensive, judging by the extravagant packaging; and meanwhile, hers was pretty much.. simple.

“Hey, Raeger.”

“Hhhmm? What is it?”

“I, uh.., I know you already have a lot of gifts by now, and mine’s not that special compared to the ones you got, but..” Minori paused to take a medium-sized box wrapped in yellow out of her woven basket, and bashfully hand it towards Raeger. “I made something for you.”

Raeger gazed at the box for a while feeling astonished, before he slowly took it away from her hands.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Raeger!”

He looked at Minori, then the box, and then Minori again, “Can I.. open it now?” Raeger enquired.

Minori chuckled sheepishly, “Of course, Raeger. In fact, you have to store the contents somewhere else.”

Raeger then carefully unwrapped the yellow packaging and slowly lifted the cover of the box, to reveal the special chocolate cake that Minori has baked for him – also the very first present he opened that day. “WOW! You made this, Minori?”

Minori nodded. “I’m not an expert baker but I hope it’s to your liking, Raeger.”

His eyes widened in enthusiasm, and he immediately thought of an idea.

“Hold on, I’ll get some plates and utensils!” Raeger grinned excitedly as he searched his cabinets and drawers. “Are you hungry, Minori? Let’s eat it together!”

Minori blinked a few times, then quickly responded with a sweet smile and a short “Okay!”

Raeger beamed, and proceeded to cut a small piece of the chocolate cake for each of them before gently placing the pastry on the designated plates.

"Let's dig in!" Raeger gestured as he placed one of the plates in front of Minori. He quickly took a bite from his share, while Minori stared at him, waiting for his response.

His eyes lit up and his smile started to grow. Minori looked at him with hopeful eyes, still waiting for his response. While the change in his expression most likely suggests satisfaction, she didn't jump into any conclusion before hearing the words directly from the man standing before her. Raeger remained silent, and swiftly took another bite into his mouth. The prolonged silence began to frustrate Minori, and just as she was about to ask him, Raeger finally commented.

"This is really delicious, Minori! I really like it!" He smiled sweetly. "Thank you for making this for me."

"Really? Umm.. then why did you take so long to think?" Minori questioned.

"It's just so good that I wanted another bite!" He chuckled.

Minori smiled sheepishly, "Thanks for the compliment." She paused for a while, and suddenly raised an eyebrow as she started to question him once more, "Hey, Rae. What would your honest opinion be about this cake.. as a professional chef?"

Raeger was taken aback, surprised that Minori would want her dish to be criticised by a professional chef, who is also the person receiving her chocolate, on Valentine's Day. 'I thought most girls would just want to be complimented.' But he admired her diligence, her desire to continuously be a better version of herself - partly why he fell in love with her. He chuckled, carefully placed his plate on top of the counter and slowly leaned himself in towards her.

"It's good, but it can be better." Raeger rotated his plate to show a better side-view of his cake, and pointed a portion of the cake interior to Minori. "Look at this part right here. Isn't this a little bit dense?"

Minori squinted her eyes, and suddenly gasped quietly, "Oh you're right!"

"You have to beat the mixture longer, but at a slower speed. Set it to medium." Raeger explained. "It's just a slight change, but you'll notice the difference!"

"Aaahh.. I see. I must've mixed it at too high a speed. Set it to medium.. set it to medium.." Minori made a mental note. "Got it! Thanks for your feedback, Raeger!"

Raeger chuckled, "My pleasure, Minori. But more importantly, thank you for baking this cake for me, really. I've always gotten purchased chocolate because they thought a handmade one won't be good enough for me.. But that's not true! I would always appreciate any dish specially made for me." he paused his little rant, looking disappointed. "Which is exactly why, I cannot stress how much I really appreciate your gift, Minori." He unknowingly reached out his right hand and squeezed Minori's left palm, causing Minori to blush.

He noticed her cheeks growing pink, and finally noticed the way he'd been holding her hand tightly. From utter embarrassment, he quickly pulled away, and nervously brushed his hair while looking away, "Ah! Sorry about that."

Minori looked at him with wide hopeful eyes. She could still feel his warmth lingering on her palm, and it left her wanting for more. She had grown tired of holding her own feelings back, and she knew that sooner or later, she would have to let him know. And judging from his recent gesture... Minori thought that perhaps.. even with just a tiny bit of certainty.. he might feel the same way.

"You don't have to be sorry for that. you know..." Minori managed to mutter a few words.

Raeger looked back into her direction, gazing into her eyes in confusion, "Huh?"

"It's okay if you want to.. um.. if you want to hold my hand.." she blushed harder and tilted her head slightly downwards to hide her embarrassment.

He became awestruck, blood rushing to his face. 'Could it be?!'

Raeger immediately stood straight, fixed his posture and looked right into her eyes. He calmed his beating heart, and said in a husky voice, "Minori.. I.."

The restaurant entrance suddenly swung open, revealing two customers walking in for their meal. The unforeseen incident caught him off guard, and he awkwardly tried to re-position himself to his usual stance, "Uh.. ah.. welcome to the restaurant!" he quickly turned his attention to the two customers, to find out they were in fact regulars from Oak Tree Town, "Oh, hey Klaus! Hey Giorgio!"

Klaus and Giorgio returned the gesture and immediately ordered the usual. As he turned his back and went into the kitchen, he finally revealed his sour expression to himself. His heart was still beating so fast, and he was filled with frustration. He clenched his fist, and thought, 'Tsk just as I was about to..' He stopped and scratched his head, 'That was the worst timing!!! How cliché.'

 He took a long deep breath to calm himself down, because he knew he should never cook with a heavy heart - it'd leave a different, unpleasant, taste on his dishes. Cooking should be done out of love, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

He finally steadied his heart beat, and as he closed his eyes to reflect, he told himself, 'Be patient, Raeger'

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Sunday, 10 July 2016

Story of Seasons: Raeger Fanfiction Part 10

Writer's note: I'm finally on Winter break! Hoping the ideas would flow this holiday so I could get more writing done. Anyway, I realised that previous chapter might be somewhat too descriptive? I will be adding more conversations from now on!

P.S. I've also re-published this story on Wattpad recently.

To read the other chapters, click the links below:


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures


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Flambéed Love

~Thoughts~

Raeger stood behind his kitchen counter, feeling overwhelmed. 'It had to happen every year!' Piles of decorated boxes were already stacked up in front of him just minutes after he started business, and he knew that he should be expecting even more to come. His restaurant was filled with giggles all day long, and barely anyone who visited actually came to order his dishes; with the exception of the local residents. Ah.. yes. It was Valentine's Days.

Raeger tried to contain his exhaustion from speaking to the girls all day long. He'd much prefer some quietness today, but he thought that it would be rude to just shoo the girls away. He didn't have enough sleep last night after all, not after coming back from Minori's place at dawn... not that he minds.

...

"Raeger~" a mature-looking woman who is a regular 'customer' of Raeger walked into his restaurant and greeted him loudly. She strut towards the bar and sighed heavily as she sat on one of the stools that, fortunately for her, had just recently became unoccupied. "Geez.. this town is SO boring! But I came here today just for you..." she smiled seductively, and touched Raeger's arm while continuously blinking her eyes; obviously flirting with him. "Here, I got this limited edition chocolate gateau for you." she claimed proudly.

'A boring town?! She could've at least be nicer to me about it!' Raeger was obviously disturbed by her statement. He spent most of his life growing up in Oak Tree Town, after all.

The young chef took a deep breath and held it in for awhile before he made his reply, "Thank you, Yolanda, I appreciate the thought. Though, I must disagree. I think Oak Tree Town is an amazing, lively town if you pay attention more carefully."

Yolanda, immediately realising his frustration, quickly made up an excuse, "Ahaha..!" She laughed awkwardly. "Oh Raeger, you silly, I was obviously jokiiing~! You know I'd never say that right?" She squeezed Raeger's arm this time and orchestrated her puppy eyes.

Too exhausted to argue further anyway, Raeger shook it off and faked a smile. 'Can it please be over soon?'

Suddenly, the entrance door swung open once again and yet another woman's voice echoed through the facility, "Hey, Rae!"

'OH GOD. Another one?!' Raeger cursed silently and took another deep breath while closing his eyes to prepare him for what could perhaps be something troubling again.

"Raeger.. RAEGER!!" The same voice was heard again, but this time, followed by a smack on his left arm.

"Ouch!" Raeger reacted predictably. 'Who in the world?? No woman I knew would ever do such a non-ladylike act in front of me.'

Raeger tilted his head to see who the perpetrator was, only to find out that a pair of big crystal blue eyes was already staring into him. "Lillie!! It's just you."

"What do YOU mean it's just me?!" Lillie erupted frustratingly. "And to think I actually rushed here from work to get you a Valentine's Day present. Hmph!" She groaned as she shoved him a box of chocolate truffles.

Raeger laughed nervously and apologised to his childhood friend, "Haha sorry, Lil. I don't mean it that way. It's been a long day.. Thank you very much anyway!"

Lillie gave him an apologetic look and sighed. She knew how much of a trouble Valentine's Day has given him each year, but there's not really anything that can be done. It's not like he could just rudely yelled at these women to just go home.

 She made sure no one was listening and whispered, "Must've been tough, Rae."

Her sentence was followed by a bitter smile coming from the chef. He had never wished to be this popular. Sure, it brought him some benefits, but it was a benefit rather trivial if he compared it to the troubles it has given him.

"Speaking of which, has Melanie been here yet? She mentioned she was gonna give a Valentine's Day present to you too." Lillie enquired.

Raeger shook his head and replied, "Nah, I haven't seen her all day. Do you want to check up on her?"

"Don't worry.. I'm sure she's just late! We could just.." she was interrupted by yet another customer coming in from the front door and immediately chuckled at the sight. "Speak of the devil!"

"Raegerr, Raegeerrr." Melanie ran cheerfully towards where Lillie was standing. She wanted to go behind the counter to hug Raeger but she knew that he would get mad if anybody stepped into his work area. "I have something special for you!!"

Raeger smiled widely and leaned over the counter towards where she was standing, so he could close distance between them, "What is it, my sweet little girl?"

"Uh oh, don't call me a little girl, Raeger!" Melanie pouted. "I've grown up!"

"Ahaha! Aw, I'm sorry, Melanie. What is it that you have for me?"

"I made these for you!" Melanie grinned as she handed him a pack of chocolate shaped into various animals, wrapped in a clear plastic and decorated with ribbons. "Daddy doesn't allow me to be in the kitchen by myself, so I got him to help me melt these chocolate before I shaped them." She paused, showing a sneaky grin. "But someday I will cook something so amazing for you, Raeger!! When I become your bride... that is."

Obviously her bold statement caused ruckus in the restaurant. The other girls now have one more competitor to be concerned of, well, despite her age.

Raeger laughed cheerfully, she never failed to amuse him. "I'm flattered, Melly. Not too many people are actually willing to cook for me since I'm a chef. But I don't know if your old man will be too happy about that!" Raeger joked.

"What do you mean??" Melanie questioned him innocently. She didn't know that Raeger has.. somewhat a pretty bad reputation when it comes to women, even though it was all just a huge misunderstanding. "Anyway, I saw Minori with a very delicious-looking chocolate cake just now!! She was walking towards Mr. Klaus' place so it's probably for him. I wish it's for me instead!!" Melanie pouted.

'I wish it's for me instead too..' Raeger thought to himself. 'Uh oh, there it goes again. Why do I keep having weird thoughts when it comes to her? Is that really for Klaus? Is she gonna be at his place? What will happen then? Will they...'

"Raeger!! You're not listening again, are you?" Lillie yelled.

Raeger snapped out of his thought. "Oh. I'm really sorry, girls. What was it that you two were talking about?"

Lillie let out a deep sigh, "We were just discussing about how you could perhaps bake a chocolate cake for Melanie too someday."

"Hhm that sounds like a good idea! What about next Wednesday when I'm free? The three of us could catch up like we used to. We haven't done this in a while..." Raeger seconded Lillie's idea.

"Oh yaayy yaaay!! You'll do that, Raeger?" Melanie cheered joufully. "Hey, hey, big sis, you'll join us right? You've been so busy lately.."

"Well.. yeah I suppose I could take a day off from work!" Lillie gave her a wide smile.

"Yay it's a promise then!!" Melanie jumped excitedly. "Then we'll meet back here next Wednesday! I have to go home now to catch my favourite cartoon.. see youuu!"

In a split second, Melanie was already storming off towards the restaurant's entrance and quickly made her way back to the inn where she lives. Raeger has also been very much pre-occupied with the two girls that the other women started to leave the vicinity. The restaurant was now tranquil, with the exception of the two childhood friends.

Lillie cleared her throat, and suddenly began to question Raeger, "Now then, shall we talk about Minori now that no one else is here?"

The surprise statement had Raeger taken aback, making him choke a little bit before he replied, "Uhh.. what do you mean by that?"

"Come on, Rae, stop pretending. It's SO obvious you were really troubled when Melanie told us how she saw Minori walking towards Klaus' place."

"You were just imagining things up, Lil." Raeger avoided eye contact.

"Don't make me force it out of you..."

Raeger grunted. Lillie is such a sweet lady in front of everyone... except himself. He'd seen first hand what she was capable of doing, and he did NOT want to experience it again. "Urgh.. I don't know, Lil. I've been having strange thoughts lately.."

"Strange? And by that you mean..?"

"Like.. I don't know. What is she to me? I thought she's simply one of my best friends, but it felt like something more. Then I thought about her as a younger sister, but it just doesn't quite fit in." Raeger let out a sigh.

"Well.. Minori IS one of your best friends. But apparently you just fell in love with her." Lillie said blatantly.

'I what?' Raeger stayed silent for a moment, and he gave her words some serious considerations: why he was having those 'strange' thoughts, and why he had been seeing her in a different way.. and things started to make sense. She wasn't like any other person he cared for. It was love unlike the bond of two siblings, and a connection deeper than what is shared by two best friends. "You're right, Lil. I guess I do have feelings for her. I can't lie to myself any longer."

Lillie let out a sigh, unable to comprehend how such a dense man like him could be so popular with the ladies. "When are you going to tell her?" Lillie questioned him further.

"When the time is right. Or when I see a good opportunity. But... I wanna let her know soon."

Lillie smiled sincerely. She was happy that Raeger had finally found someone he could truly care for. Yes, he's had girlfriends in the past; but all of them were the ones who confessed their feelings first to Raeger.

She got up from her seat, dusted her dress and grinned towards him. "Well, I'll be cheering you up from behind the scene! I have to get back to work now, but feel free to talk to me anytime I'm back okay?"

"Thanks, Lil. I really appreciate it." Raeger smiled sweetly towards her. "Your next three meals will be on the house," he offered.

"Just three?" Lillie shot up a look before walking towards the main entrance.

"Don't push your luck, sweetheart." Raeger smirked.

"There we go again, Rae! You're such a smooth talker, it's no wonder so many ladies are attracted to you. " Lillie protested. "You can't do that anymore if you're serious about Minori."

Raeger sighed, "Yess yessss. I'm sorry, Lil. It's just old habit because we grew up together. Now.. don't you have some work to do?"

"I'm fully aware of that!" Lillie quickly rushed her way out. "Good luck, Mr. Ladies Man. I'll be waiting for good news!"

"Heh, you know I'm a hard-worker, Lillie." Raeger grinned while waving Lillie good bye; with no clue whatsoever of the next customer coming in.

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Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Story of Seasons: Raeger Fanfiction Part 9

Writer's note: Thank you once again to those of you still reading! I've been glued onto other Story of Seasons fanfic recently and realized how much behind I am when it comes to writing. Man, those stories out there are AMAZING! And I also realize I didn't give my story a title.. So, after a considerable amount of thought, I've decided a title: Flambéed Love. It's a cooking-related title since our bachelor here is a chef ;)! I'll update all the previous chapters with the title as well! I am writing this chapter to commemorate a certain famous celebration in February, the month of affection.

In case anyone of you are curious, here's some explanation on the title I've chosen. To explain, flambé is a cooking technique to ignite foods with the help of liquor and it brings out the flavour even more. And from what I've seen, most of the dishes requiring a flambé are desserts.. which are sweet!
In my fanfic, I want to portray Minori's and Raeger's initial relationship to be a sweet and budding one, that would progress into something wonderful, with the help of some 'push' that creates a spark for their love.

To read the other chapters, click the links below:


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures


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 Flambéed Love

 ~Wishes~

Minori laid motionless on her bed and let out a deep sigh as she stared into her ceiling. It was winter the thirteenth, which marked no special occasion until this year when she arrived and became a resident of Oak Tree Town. The picture of a present box was drawn on this date on the calendar located by her bed side, and right beside the picture a name was written: Minori. It was her birthday, something that Minori has been rather anticipated of. She wanted to see who actually remembers and cared enough to shower her with congratulatory words. To her gratitude, all of the residents she talked to that day had wished her a happy birthday, along with some of their personal wishes for her; and the people she was close to showered her with thoughtful gifts in addition.

Iris and Agate gave her a set of presents together placed inside one box and they made a personalised birthday card for her, handwritten by Iris because the novelist's handwriting was much neater than the ranger's. The present box was wrapped in mint green wrapper, decorated with white ribbons; and Minori discovered along with a leather-covered journal for the upcoming year, two orichalcums tucked carefully at its side. The girls had known of her plan to upgrade her big house and add another storey to it, but Minori was still lacking in materials, despite her having more than enough money to pay Gunther for his service. Minori was astonished at the sight, and while she very much loved her gifts, she felt somewhat guilty to be receiving such an exquisite gift for her birthday. Orichalcum is a very rare stone, after all. Apparently, Agate has spent the past few days trying to find them at the mine inside the safari.

The girls were the only one who went through such length to personalise Minori's birthday gift though, as the others preferred to hand it to Minori in person while explaining to her what the gift was. Klaus, who has assumed the role of 'big brother' for her, delivered to her house a medium-sized glass bottle filled with his latest creation, a limited edition perfume to be released next spring, with the scent of rose - which is Minori's favourite.

Fritz, her fellow farmer and good friend, surprised her early in the morning by doing Minori's share of farm work for the day. Fritz hasn't been the best farmer around, but for that day, he did the best he could - perhaps even better than his usual standard - and Minori appreciated that very much. "Today is your day, Minori. I want you to relax and enjoy it to the fullest!" Fritz grinned warmly and Minori smiled sweetly in return, and was reminded yet again how grateful she was for his presence.

 Corona, Melanie and Otmar are the people Minori felt close to that don't belong in her age group. Corona is the person Minori would usually look for to get some advice, especially when it comes to every day problems that girls face - Minori would look for the wise Klaus when it comes to other issues. On the other hand, Minori sees Melanie like a younger sister and Otmar just like her own grandfather. For her birthday, Corona gave Minori her special homemade baked cookies that she loved; Melanie made a flower bouquet for her; and Otmar gave Minori his treasured old fishing rod, thinking that it would be put to better use in her hands - considering Otmar's age. Minori was grateful for every single one of them.

Minori would have been elated and the day would have been perfect, if only one last remaining person had took even the slightest trouble to wish her. It was already five in the afternoon, yet there was still no word from Raeger - causing Minori to wonder if he actually had forgotten, much to her disappointment. Minori let out another deep sigh and rolled around her bed, as she watched the clock ticked one long second at a time.

...

The young farmer would normally head to bed the moment she finishes her farm work; but today, she stayed awake longer, waiting for the day to end when the clock strikes past midnight. She did everything she could to distract herself while she continued waiting: watched the television, opened her refrigerator a few times without actually eating something, flipped through her blueprints, rolled on her bed... But even as time continued passing painstakingly, there was still no word from Raeger.

By eleven, Minori started giving up on hope. 'I guess he forgot..' Minori thought to herself and let out a pathetic chuckle, mocking herself for having such a wishful thinking. 'What am I doing, hopelessly waiting for something that wouldn't happen? Just because he's nice to me, it doesn't make me special.'  Disappointed, she let go of all possibility and slowly got out of bed; brushed her teeth, changed into her pajama... the usual stuff, and then proceeded to turn off the lights.

Just as she was about to turn off the last remaining source of light by her bedside, a knock coming from the front door interrupted the silence in her residence. The sound caught her off guard, making her jumped a little bit. There was only half an hour left before midnight, and Minori did not expect anyone to visit her this late. She was not even thinking that it might be Raeger - no, she had already given up on the very idea; and if she continues to expect further, she would just end the day with greater disappointment.

Minori tilted her head towards the direction of the front door, and after a brief pause made her way towards the entrance. Very carefully, she unlocked the door and slowly peeped out to investigate the bearer of the sound. Standing before her was a man Minori was very familiar with, gasping for air, and still dressed in his usual outfit. Minori could notice a few drops of sweat running down from his brown locks despite the cold winter air. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight, but kept her composure still. Not wasting any moment, she spoke, "Rae..ger? What are you doing here this late at night?"

Minori paused to wait for his response, but as Raeger continued panting quietly, Minori grew concerned. "Is everything okay, Raeger? Come in, it's cold outside!" She opened her front door wider to let the gentleman in, and Raeger, still speechless, quickly made his way into her house. The young farmer then quickly closed the door to prevent the outside temperature from coming into her place as well. Minori turned back the lights on, and brewed some tea for the two of them, but mainly for Raeger to keep him from freezing.

Upon her gesture, Raeger took a seat by her dining table and as he finally collected his composure, he spoke up, "I'm sorry for coming here so suddenly, Minori. Were you about to go to sleep?" Raeger questioned her as he took a sip from his cup of earl grey.

Minori smiled and assured him that it was alright, but more importantly she wanted to know what brought him panting in front of her house at 11:30pm in the middle of a cold winter night. As she asked him with a face full of concern, Raeger was immediately reminded of the original purpose of his visit. He jolted and quickly turned to see the time, and was relieved to see that the day has not ended yet. Of course, his action made Minori grew more and more curious.

"Raeger? Is everything alright?" Minori questioned him once more.

The young chef collected his composure yet again, and looked straight into her direction. "Minori, I'm really sorry this is so late.. work took much longer than expected and I could only come by now, but..." Raeger paused and dove his hand into his right pocket. He took out a small box decorated with ribbons, and as he placed the item on top of the dining table, he fixed his gaze into her eyes and spoke sweetly, "Happy birthday, Minori! I got you a little something for your birthday. I hope you'll like it."

Minori was dumbfounded at the sight right before her eyes. She was so upset about Raeger not remembering her birthday, that she did not even expect this to happen when the man himself came over to visit. She had to blink a few times, before slowly reaching her hands out to take the box closer to her. She stayed quiet for a moment, still dumbfounded, before finally asking Raeger, "You ran all the way here and up the hill, in the middle of a cold winter night to personally give this to me, Raeger?"

"Well.. why would I not? I didn't want to give it when the day is over. It's less meaningful that way. But I still feel bad for being late. I'm sorry, Minori." Raeger apologised.

Minori quickly exclaimed in protest, "No, no! There's no need for you to apologise! In fact.. I'm just happy you remembered.." Minori smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Raeger. Can I.. open it now?"

Raeger chuckled, "Of course! It's yours now!"

She returned the gesture, and carefully unwrapped the gift box. As she finally saw what was inside, her eyes widened in surprise: tucked carefully inside was a small analogue wristwatch that Minori has been eyeing on for a while. She especially loved the classic design, and the elegant colour of rose gold - but she decided to leave her desire for later because she was saving up some money to upgrade her house and buy some materials to build new furniture inside. So when her wish is fulfilled, and especially coming from someone she held a special connection to, Minori felt truly delighted.

"Oh wow!! This is the watch I've been wanting to have! How did you.." Her sentence was cut before she could finish.

"Minori.." Raeger sighed and leaned his right arm on the table against his jaw. "It's not hard to notice when you come to the restaurant regularly, you know? And you probably munched the food twice as loud whenever you got excited from seeing that watch on Rose Country's catalogue." Raeger shook his head playfully and smirked.

As expected, Minori turned bright red and once again exclaimed in protest, "Wh..wha.. whaaat?! You can't say that to a lady, you know, especially not on her birthday!!"

Raeger laughed at her response and quickly apologised. "Ahaha! Sorry, sorry, Minori. You're just so fun to tease."

Minori pouted; but she couldn't pout for so long when she felt so excited from his gift. Thinking back, she felt embarrassed how she was desperately hoping for Raeger to wish her a happy birthday, and all the silly reasons she thought of throughout the day. Minori was a little bit of a pessimist after all, which was something she had been trying to change about herself.

She then carefully took out the watch from its box and wore it on her left arm. She smiled widely and looked towards Raeger lovingly, "Thank you, Raeger! It's really thoughtful of you to do that. I really like it! What did I even do to deserve something so amazing?"

The young man looked at her and showed a confused expression. He lowered his eyebrow and replied, "What are you talking about, Minori? You're special, of course I'd do this for you."

'Sp..spe..special?! Did I hear that correctly??' Minori thought to herself while feeling flustered. 'By special, he meant.. as what?!?!'

Noticing Minori getting flustered, Raeger immediately felt embarrassed and quickly realised how suggestive his words had been. He didn't want Minori to feel uncomfortable.. or even creeped out!, but at the same time.. 'wait, at the same time.. what? Why do I care so much about Minori anyway?' Raeger had so many thoughts running through his head, but he didn't have much time to think about this for now, he had to rephrase his sentence fast!

"Uhm.. what I meant was.. you're a great friend to me, Minori!" Raeger stammered, which was unusual.

'Oh..right. Yeah, that's what he meant.' Minori felt disappointed. But she did not want things to be weird between them, so she chuckled nervously. "Haha.. yeah. You're a great friend to me too, Raeger." She smiled, and then changed the topic of conversation to break the air of awkwardness, "So what kept you busy at work today, Mr. Chef?"

"Ah, there was some problems earlier just this afternoon. The supplier was late because the wheel on his cart unexpectedly broke, then the water suddenly leaked from the pipe and it made a huge mess at the restaurant. Out of all days, there had to be so many problems today.." Raeger poured out his frustration to Minori, but was relieved that she quickly changed the topic of their conversation. Otherwise he might not have known what to do, or what to say. "Enough about me, how has your birthday been?"

...

And with that, the two of them continued exchanging conversation, until they finally realised that more than 2 hours had easily passed since Raeger came, which meant dawn would soon be approaching. Raeger and Minori were truly enjoying themselves, sinking deep into each other's conversation, but they knew they had to put it on hold for another day.. considering the amount of work waiting for them when the sun rises later on.

"Oh no.. look at the time, Minori." Raeger signaled.

"Yeah, time passes so quickly.." Minori replied gloomily and stayed silent.

Raeger looked at her thoughtfully. He wanted to stay.. but he couldn't. "I have to go now, Minori.." He stood up from his chair and put on his black coat and maroon scarf back around him. Minori followed his gesture and stood up from her chair too, then walked closer towards the young man himself.

She faked a smile, "Hhm yeah it's getting late. I should probably head to bed soon too.."

An awkward silence filled the room temporarily, until Raeger smiled and tilted his head down to look at Minori in the eyes. In return, Minori tilted her head up and looked back into his eyes, trying her best not to plead him, 'don't go!'. He took a step closer, reached out his right hand and caressed her hair as usual. "I know the day is now over, but.. happy birthday once again, Minori. It was great talking to you tonight."

Minori beamed, "It's my pleasure, Rae. Thank you for coming all the way here, for the gift, and for accompanying me tonight." She paused, squeezed Raeger's arm and gave him a look of concern, "This town is safe, but you never know what could happen this late at night.. get home safely, okay?"

"Thanks, Minori. I'll see you again tomorrow!"

She walked him to the front door, and parted their ways there. He waved her good bye, and she smiled bitterly as she returned the gesture. Minori walked back in and closed her front door for the last time that night, turned off all her lights once again, and immediately proceeded into her bed.

'How I wish some nights would last forever...'

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