Here we go with chapter 2! Romance will begin to blossom, Oracle, Alisa, Nori, Dirk, Kana, and Mikhail will be introduced, and arguments will occur.

Oh, and in case you're wondering why Jason didn't tell Ayame that he and Katie were siblings is because while he and his sister were unconscious, the Harvest Goddess, hoping the twins would help bring the two towns together, asked them to keep their connection a secret, at least until the towns were friends again and the tunnel was opened.

Warning: language and adult references.

The bell above the door jingled as Katie entered the livestock shop.

"Morning, Jessica!" she greeted the owner cheerfully.

"Good morning, Katie dear!" Jessica replied. "What do you need?"

"I'd like to buy a sheep, and some more feed, too."

"No problem. I'll bring the sheep by your house and send Ash over with the feed this evening."

"Where is Ash, by the way?"

"He's out back, watching the animals. I'm sure he'd love to talk to you."

Katie headed to the back pasture and found Ash watching his family's livestock. Or, acting like he was. More specifically, he was playing with a baby chick.

"Howdy!"

Katie's voice startled him and made him fall over. She cringed.

"Hey, Katie!" he greeted her, trying to regain his composure.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh! Uh… keeping an eye on our livestock…?"

"Yeah, okay. I just came over to say hi." She turned to leave, but Ash leapt to his feet and called, "Wait!"

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go for a walk."

Pleasedon'tsaynopleasedon'tsaynopleasedon'tsay—

"That sounds great! Where do you want to go?"

"How about Howard's café?"

"Okay. Let's go, then!"

Jason, on the other hand, was working hard on his own farm, trying to get seeds planted. Once he was done, he decided to pay a visit to his sister, to see how she was getting along.

Her farm was a pretty sight, one you might see in a painting. There was a patch of sunflowers by the door and even more lining the path. A beehive buzzed in a clearing behind the chicken coop. Cows and sheep grazed in the little pasture by the barn. Katie herself was eating a sandwich by the house.

"Hey, Katie!" he called. She looked up and smiled.

"Hey, big brother!" she replied. "What's up?"

"Growing crops is tough. It takes a lot out of me."

"Tell me about it. All I did was plant sunflowers and I'm exhausted."

A little dog trotted up and laid its head on her lap.

"Of course, I have more than just cows, sheep, and chickens to look after. I have my pets and my bees, too."

"All I've got is a horse and a couple chickens."

"Get a dog or a cat. They're a big help."

"That sounds awesome. I just came to see how you were getting along."

"I'm great! I saw you at the Cooking Festival a few times when I was competing."

"Oh, really? I didn't see you!"

"You dummy. You always miss what you're not looking for."

As the season shifted from Summer to Fall, there was also a shift in the attitudes of the two towns towards each other. It was as if the twins' arrival had sparked a reevaluation of their treatment. Rutger and Ina still fought like cats and dogs, but their citizens seemed to have a somewhat ambivalent approach to each other. Eileen even began working on clearing out the tunnel.

The twins visited each other on occasion, but each had their own life to deal with. Jason's crops were growing beautifully, and Katie's animals were winning prize after prize. Not to mention she was growing close to a certain farm boy…

It was their sixth date. Ash and Katie were sitting on a bench, chatting about their lives. Cheryl ran up with a scowl on her face.

"AAAAASH!" she whined. "You promised you'd play with me!"

Ash's face turned a bit red as he turned from his date to his sister.

"I'm sorry, Cheryl," he sighed. "I'm… playing with Katie right now."

"Nuh-uh! You're just sitting there, talking! You prooomiiiised!

"Cher—"

"It's okay, Ash." Katie gave him a smile. "You should go and play with your little sister. A promise is a promise. We can talk more later."

"Thank you!" he whispered before Cheryl yanked on his arm and pulled him away.

"Cheryl, that was rude!" he told his sister as he played with her.

"So? Katie said, 'A promise is a promise.' You promised to play with me today!"

Ash thanked the Harvest Goddess that Katie was so understanding.

With Fall, of course, came the annual Music Festival, and with the Music Festival came a world-famous violinist: Mikhail. He stayed a lot longer than he said he would, and took a particular interest in a certain farm girl.

In Konohana, there were several villagers that Katie didn't know but Jason did. Dirk, a mail deliveryman, carried letters from people in both towns to faraway places. Nori helped her grandfather at the seed store. Kana ran a horse and pet store. Ying and Rahi were two youngsters who kept the other residents on their toes at times. Yun ran the teahouse. Mako was a farmer who grew a crazy amount of fruit trees.

Yep, there were a lot of crazy types on both sides of the mountain.

In fact, there were two ladies who didn't interact much with the town: Alisa, a priestess, and Oracle, an, well, oracle.

Enough about the weirdos who lived in the two towns. Y'all want the romance and drama, don'tcha?

Despite Mikhail's interest in her, Katie felt no attraction towards him. She had eyes only for Ash, which infuriated Cheryl to no end. She continually stalked her brother's dates with the girl, hoping to make her look bad.

It was an odd time to be on the mountain…

Dear Mama,

I'm doing well here in Bluebell. My farm has expanded and now I'm raising bees! I'm making a lot of money and I'm sending some to you.

There's a celebrity living in Bluebell now: the violinist, Mikhail. Remember when you took me to see his show last year? He's taken an interest in me. I don't like him as a person, but he's talented and handsome.

I've been spending a lot of time with Ash lately. I think his sister's becoming jealous! He talks to me about a lot of different things. In fact, he kind of reminds me of Papa!

Jason stops by at least once a week to check on me. He's doing well, too! Once, he stopped by when Laney was visiting and he wasn't able to speak for a minute when he saw her! I think he's fallen in love with her, similar to how I've fallen for Ash.

I miss you and Papa so much! I was so happy when I got your letter saying you'll visit in Spring! Eileen has already offered to expand my house, so I'm going to accept so there's space for you! If it's not done, I can arrange for the two of you to stay in Town Hall.

See you in Spring!

Love,

Katie.

And that concludes chapter 2!

This chapter's extras are: my thoughts on the bachelorettes!

Reina:

She reminds me of my own best friend: quiet, passionate about her life path, and artistic. She's the person I'd rely on to stay calm in an emergency.

Georgia:

Georgia reminds me of my marching band friend, Heather. She's cheerful, funny, and loves FOOD. I'd probably be best friends with her if I didn't already have Natasha.

Oracle:

My little sister who loves alpacas. No, seriously; she's JUST LIKE MY SISTER. She's cute, quirky, cheerful, and kind, but don't get on her bad side.

Alisa:

No comment.

Laney:

Sweeter than the cakes she bakes.

Nori:

More like a mother figure than anything else.

So long and thanks for all the fish!