Author's note: ...*Throws chapter out and runs away* . ... In all seriousness, I'm really sorry to everyone who enjoyed reading this story (or any of my other stories). I know it has been years since this story was updated... I'm in my last semester as an undergraduate. College and life has kept me busy, but I also lost the motivation to write along the road. I never forgot about my stories, and I am happy to be posting an update. I can't promise that there will be updates any time soon. I also can't promise that I'll post chapters for my other stories in the near future. Based on my schedule, it's looking like mid-May will be the best time for updates. I'd really like to update sooner but no promises. (By the way, feel free to drop an anonymous review mid-May asking about an update. It may actually motivate me to write, and I should have enough time on my hands then.)

I've reread the story several times, so I hope this chapter blends well with the rest of the story. I also noticed several errors in previous chapters in terms of typos and grammar. Those will not be fixed at this time, but I hope to clean up the story once I have access to the original files.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and/or favorited this story. You all are the reason I wanted to come back. If any of you are still out there, thank you for your support. This chapter is for you! For any new readers, thank you for reading!

I had it all planned out. Patton family tradition? Pffttttttttt. It was going to be busted up and thrown aside when I was done. I had the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. If I could maintain this charade for a year, I would get to choose my next move forward in life. If I could make this rundown property a solid farm, I could reveal myself as a girl right before I leave and make a real statement. I could convince the town that this tradition was absolute B.S. and that a woman was more than capable of running a farm.

But of course, my life was never really going to be that simple…

I stared at the papers in my hand. In a matter of seconds, a huge weight came crashing down on my shoulders. I wasn't Atlas. I couldn't bare the weight of the world, nevertheless the fate of this town. I sat down and hugged myself, slowly rocking back and forth.

"This isn't what I signed up for," I whispered to myself repeatedly. It was too much pressure. I looked at Restoration Plans again. The papers were crumpled on the sides from my tightened grip. All Dunhill's hopes for the town's future were poured onto these scraps of paper. All I wanted was to be a good farmer for a year. I couldn't handle this. My family was right. Make it a whole year here? Yeah right. I've been kidding myself this whole time. A tear ran down my cheek as I squeezed my legs closer to my chest. Why? What did I do to deserve this? Was it because I made Rebecca's house so fast? Did me helping the town backfire?

"Chirrrrrrp!" Cri-Kee said, jumping onto my shoulder.

"Not now, Cri-Kee."

"Chirrrrrp."

"You think I'm overreacting?" I asked bitterly. My eyes looked over towards the wig I had thrown across the room in a fit of anger after Dunhill had left.

"Chirp, chirp."

"There is so much to do. Make and place ten streetlights. Build a salon. How am I supposed to do this stuff on top of farming? I don't even understand what some of these tasks mean. How do I unlock the Music Festival? I'm in over my head. I mean technically I don't actually have to do any of these tasks to satisfy my parents' request, but everyone here is going to be asking me about my progress. They are counting on me to help revitalize this town. I wouldn't be able to face them if I neglected the restoration plans…"

"Chirp!"

"I know Dunhill told me to do what I could, since he knows that I'm leaving in less than a year. I don't have to do everything on the lists, but it's just so overwhelming. Plus, the less I do, the harder it will be to reveal that I'm a girl. If I don't do enough, I might be seen as inadequate. I need to look like some kind of hero if I want the tradition to end now. And to top it off, all the money has to come out of my own pocket! I'm going to have to buy the blueprints and some of the materials. I can already tell that it won't be cheap. It's going to cost me time, money, and probably whatever sanity I have left!"

I balled my hand into a fist and smashed it against the floor repeatedly in frustration. It's not fair! Urghhhhhhhhh. Why me? It's not fair! OW! Ow… I better stop before I break my hand. I dropped the restoration plans onto the floor and rubbed the side of my hand.

I considered calling my parents to ask for advice about the plans, but I already knew how that conversation would play out. They would tell me that life's not fair and that I had two options: suck it up and get it done or quit and go home. Quit… The word rolled around in my mind.

"No," I muttered, standing up slowly. "Not today." I adjusted my overalls and walked over to my wig. I shook it off and put it back on, along with my farmer's hat. I took a quick look in the mirror. Sulking isn't going to solve anything. I have things to do. Plants to water, a cow to feed, bugs to catch. I can quit another day.

"Moooooooo."

"Chirppp. Chirp, chirp chirp."

"Mooooo. Mooooooooooo. Moo."

"Chirp! Chirrrrrrrrp."

What the…. My eyes went back and forth between Cri-Kee and Belle. Their "conversation" had been going on for about five minutes. I wonder what they are talking about. Where's Aaron when you need him?

"Mooooo. Mooo?"

"Chirp. Chirp. Chirrrrrp."

"Hey guys…" I said. They turned to look at me. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I'd like to brush Belle now." Belle eyed my watering can and tilted her head questioningly. I looked down. "Oh right." I rummaged through my rucksack. How does this thing hold so much stuff? It's like magic or something… Although, with everything I've been through lately, I shouldn't be surprised. El- er- sprites, special cricket, weird potion… Oh, here it is. I held the brush up triumphantly, but to my dismay Belle and Cri-Kee had returned to their chat.

"Moo. Moo. Mooo."

"Chirp! Chirp."

"I found the brush," I announced. They proceeded to ignore me. Great…maybe it's a sign to give up. No, Rio! You can't give up yet. It might be overwhelming now because it's all coming at you at once, but you have to hang in there. I looked around. At least there's no dung to scoop today. I sighed and decided to place some fresh fodder into Belle's feeder. I'm running low on fodder. I guess I have to go see Mr. Grumpy. I'm sure that'll cheer me up. I placed the fodder carefully into the feeder and looked at the animals. I crossed my arms and started tapping my foot.

"Ahem. Are you two going to be finished sometime today?" I asked, raising my voice.

"Moo. Moo."

"Chirp."

They motioned towards each other as if they were nodding in agreement and turned to face me. Belle mooed again, but this time it was directed towards me. She walked over to me and nuzzled my hand.

"Aw, hi Belle," I said, smiling at her. This is the first time she's done this. I wonder what Cri-Kee said to her. I looked over at Cri-Kee. He started to bounce towards me.

"Chirp!" he commanded. It was weird, but there were certain chirps I was starting to understand or at least I was pretending to understand. I took a knee, and Cri-Kee proceeded to jump on my shoulder. After standing back up, I grabbed my brush and ran it again across Belle's fur. She mooed happily. Once her coat was nice and soft, I milked her.

"See you tomorrow, Belle," I whispered as I raked my hand through the golden tuff of hair on her head. She mooed, and I took it as her goodbye.

I walked out the barn and headed for Neil's stall. As I passed Emma's house, Emma's voice called out to me.

"Rio!"

"Hello, Emma," I replied.

"Is it true that the old man gave you five different restoration plans?" she asked. I could tell by her tone that she was a bit shocked by Dunhill's actions.

"Yes."

"Oh my! That was a little much even for him. I can't imagine how burdened you must feel right now. I'm sure there's an awful lot to do."

"It's definitely a lot," I replied, trying to hide my bitterness. I looked Emma in the eyes, and I just knew she was going to ask for a favor.

"Have you decided what you want to work on first?"

"Not yet."

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to make a request," she stated. Here we go… "I believe that Dunhill wrote down a tailor's shop on one of those plans. Would you consider making it one of the first buildings you construct? You see, the tailor shop is for my daughter, Yuri. I'd love to see her come back to her hometown. She's done with her city courses, but there's nothing for her to do out here without her own business. Of course, I'll throw in some home-made desserts to make it worth your while." Might as well… Gotta start somewhere. Besides, she offered free desserts! I can finally eat something after herb soup to get that horrid taste out of my mouth.

"I don't see why not. As long as Rebecca has the blueprint and I can get the materials, I should be able to build it."

"Thank you, Rio!" she beamed. "I can't wait to see Yuri again. I'm sure you two will get along nicely. She's quiet and easy to talk to."

I wasn't completely sure what Emma was insinuating, but I had a gut feeling that it was best to leave.

"I'm sure we'll get along well. I look forward to meeting her. I have to go to Neil's stall now, but it was nice talking with you."

"Oh all right, I'll let you get back to your errands," she replied with a suspicious smile. "Have a good rest of your day, Rio."

"You too," I said, tipping my hat politely. Once I was far enough away, I took a deep breath and let it out. Emma made me nervous. She had something in her head, and I wasn't sure if it was going to be a problem. Still… she did bring up a good question. I really should figure out what things to build first. Obviously, I already agreed to the tailor's shop, but what should I build next? I guess I need to look through the plans again. I started feeling stressed just thinking about the plans. I shook my head. I looked around for something to distract myself from the plans. I spotted Iroha's house. It's kind of a bummer I can't be myself. I think Iroha and I could have been good friends. I can't get too close to anyone because I don't want to blow my cover. Plus, I don't want to risk Iroha getting feelings for me. That would be a very awkward situation…

I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized that I could finally see Mr. Grumpy's stall. I waved at Neil. He just glared back. He's in a great mood today.

"I'd like to buy five sets of fodder please," I said as I counted out the appropriate amount of Gs. He nodded and prepared the fodder. I put the money on the counter.

"Here you go."

"Thanks. Belle nuzzled me for the first time today," I replied, making a little small talk. For a brief moment, there was a genuine smile on Neil's face. Whoa.

"Glad to hear it," he said as the smile faded. "What's that look for?" I guess I must have been staring.

"Sorry, it's just that this is the first time I've seen you smile. I guess today is full of firsts."

"Do you need anything else?" he asked. His eyes and tone were now annoyed, but his cheeks showed a small hint of pink. I hesitated to reply. Is he embarrassed? His arm attempted to enter his coat pocket, but he ended up knocking over his water bottle. The lid popped off as the bottle made contact with the ground, and the water spilled out around it. "Shi-" he started, ending with a fake coughing fit instead.

"Would you like me to get you a new water?" I asked.

"No, just leave if you don't need anything else."

A very small part of me felt like it was partially my fault for flustering him. I bit my lip. He has to drink something. My hand found its way into my rucksack and grabbed the milk I had gotten from Belle earlier today. Do I have to? I should…

"Here. At least take this," I said, handing over the milk.

"Erm, thanks. I like this."

Another quick smile flashed on Neil's face.

"You're welcome. I better get going," I replied before Neil could tell me to leave. I started walking towards the forest. R.I.P. 240G.

Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think of this chapter :)

Review Replies:

~AquaticSilver: Thank you for your understanding. I apologize for the wait again. This time it took a long time to come back.

~Number13teen: Thank you for your reviews! I haven't really explained the lighting situation in the story. I imagine that there is a central light for the house and areas to install the cooking equipment, so there is electricity. I'll get to the AC once Rio makes it to summer. I will be doing quite a bit with Neil, partly because he is the only one here at the moment. I do have something relatively interesting planned for Allen, but it's going to be a while before he shows up.