Our Story of Seasons: Pete X Claire

Chapter 17: Materials!

Pete and Claire made their first fields and planted their first turnip seeds. With some time left before the end of the day, Pete figured he could clear up more of the farm.

Those lumber and stones. Pete crossed his arms. Claire cleared a lot of the branches and stones, leaving behind a trail of materials. It didn't sound like a good idea to leave them lying around. There must be storage around here.

Pete approached the stable at the northeast end of the farm. My old man used to have a horse. A wooden structure stood beside the stable. It had a space inside they could put stuff in... like lumber and stones!

"What's this, Pete?" Claire asked, popping up beside him.

"I think this is the shed. A storage of sorts." Pete knocked on the wooden surface. He peeked into the square opening. "We can store those materials here."

"Those materials...?" Claire turned to the fields, seeing the lumber and stones scattered around that she cleared recently. "By those materials, you mean..."

"Yeah, we shouldn't leave them on the fields," Pete said. "Here, I'll carry the–..."

"No." Claire faced her palm to his face. "Let me store them all."

"... Huh?" Pete blinked.

"I'm the one who cleared them out." She pointed a thumb at herself. "That means I'm the one who should also carry them to the shed!"

"Really...?" He raised a brow. "But there's a lot. It'd be easier if we both–..."

"Leave it to me!" She strutted to the fields and rolled up her sleeves. "It's only fair I do this. I can do the heavy lifting, too!"

"Fair, huh...?" Holding his waist, he scratched his temple. "Er, if it suits you...?" If that's what she wanted to do, he wouldn't say anything back. In that case, what will I do? He scanned the fields once more. I guess I can cut those remaining weeds. He equipped his sickle and got to work.

I'll start with the wood! Claire collected lumber after lumber, tipping them over her shoulder. Decent weight, but nothing she couldn't handle. She went back and forth between the shed and the fields. She discovered she could carry up to nine lumbers but it took every ounce of power in her legs to move. Okay, maybe I can carry a few at a time.

Pete was simply cutting whatever weeds he could find. One weed required one slash. Many boulders and stumps blocked his path from reaching other weeds. We'll have to deal with them later; I can't cut them all like this. Other branches and stones were scattered here and there. I suppose she'd like to handle them later.

"Huff..." Claire tossed the remaining lumber in the shed and dropped her hands to her knees. This... is tougher than I thought, but at least the wood is done! Only the stones were left, and they were bountiful. The sight made her heave a sigh. Come on, Claire! Don't let it discourage you! She jumped back on her feet and walked to the stone materials.

My arm's getting kinda sore. Pete stuck the sickle into the ground. Each swing made the tool feel heavier than the last time. This didn't feel as hard the first time. He waved his working arm around and exhaled. And Claire was able to clear the branches and stones. That must have required more effort on her part.

Pete cast a glance at the blonde girl. She was carrying a lot of stones back to the shed. Claire... is way stronger than she looks, huh? Granted, carrying nine stones doesn't sound like a practical idea, but the fact she could still move with that much weight impressed him. What kind of work did she do in the city?