Our Story of Seasons: Pete X Claire

Chapter 18: First Night

After having dinner at the inn and Claire's nightly bath at the hot spring, the two farmers returned home. Claire was laying down on the bed in her pajamas while Pete was taking a shower.

It's already the end of the first day on the farm. Claire thought, her hand supporting her cheek. Her eyes scanned over the first empty page. She spun a pen around her fingers. I think we've accomplished a lot!

Her mind rewound to yesterday when she first arrived on the farm. Discovering the farm in such a desolate state was a surprise. It really disappointed me. An even greater surprise was discovering the farm was handed down to none other than her housemate. Their first encounter. We've come to accept each other as housemates, haven't we? The idea of living with a housemate, especially a guy she just met, repulsed her at first. But it's not so bad. Pete was kind enough to let her be an owner and accept the circumstances as is. The least I can do is bear them.

Next, Claire recalled all the events that transpired today. From the moment she mistook Pete for a pervert and bashed his head with a hammer; to witnessing a beautiful deity; to meeting several residents of Mineral Town; to planting their first turnip seeds (probably her favorite moment of the day.) She began jotting down these interesting details on paper. It's been one eventful day.

"Whew..." Pete stepped out of the restroom, wearing a simple white shirt and blue pants. He rubbed a towel over his damp hair. Cold but refreshing.

"How was the cold bath?" Claire asked, still writing. "How do you even withstand cold showers?"

"You get used to it," he replied. "You should try it once in a while. It's refreshing."

"No thanks." She tapped her pen on the page. "I'll stick with my warm hot spring. In fact, you should try it once in a while!"

"For sure." He smiled as he put the towel over his shoulders. His eyes drifted to the plastic bag of clothes beside her suitcase. Oh, that slipped my mind...

"Say, Claire..." he folded his arms and hummed. "We haven't really thought about our laundry situation, have we?"

"... Ah." Her hand froze. She shot upwards and turned to her suitcase. That's right! It completely slipped her mind. As if the facilities weren't lacking already, they also didn't have a washing machine here. I was too caught up on everything else! Claire brought many changes of clothes so it wouldn't be an issue. Yet. I wouldn't want to have a stockpile of dirty clothes...

"Let me guess... you had a washing machine back at your old apartment?"

"I didn't have my own washing machine, but that's right." Claire nodded. "One was provided by the apartment."

"I see..." Pete stroked his chin. It was the same for him. He didn't have to worry about laundry that much as his mother helped with that. I didn't think about that when taking over the farm, though. That was another challenge to tackle.

"I doubt there is a... laundry service in the town we could use?" Claire asked, unsure.

"Not that I'm aware of." He briefly raised his shoulders. "We could always wash them by hand."

"... Oh." She bobbed her head. Very slowly.

He hung the towel over the chair. "Is that all right with you?"

"E-Er, well..." She averted her eyes, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "I, uh..."

"... Yeah?" He tilted his head. She looks very... uncomfortable.