Haley returned home clutching the jar of hazelnut spread.
Emily was still working at the saloon at this hour. Haley placed the hazelnut spread on the kitchen cabinet, then turned her head to survey the room.
"What a mess."
She usually didn't pay much attention to these things. Of course, sometimes she noticed but was too lazy to do anything about it.
Either she figured these chores would pile up and Emily would clean up after her sooner or later.
Or she felt that her dress simply wasn't appropriate attire for housework—if it got stained by dust on the floor or grime in the kitchen, she'd be heartbroken for ages.
But today, surprisingly, she felt energized from head to toe.
So after putting away the jar, Haley began tidying up the house.
Time passed, and evening arrived. Emily finally got off work at the saloon.
But for Emily, this wasn't the end. Usually, there would still be a mountain of housework waiting for her at home.
Though it could wait until tomorrow, Emily generally preferred to get it done in the evening.
With this in mind, she pushed open the front door wearily.
The next second, she froze in place, staring at the spotless house and at Haley—dressed like Leah but with golden hair—sprawled on the sofa.
Honestly, she'd rather believe it was Leah who'd dyed her hair blonde than believe it was her lazy younger sister.
"You're back?" Haley woke up leisurely from the sofa. She rubbed her eyes and asked, "Have you eaten? Today Leah and I went exploring in the woods, found some hazelnuts, and made hazelnut spread. Want to try some?"
Emily couldn't believe these words were coming out of Haley's mouth. She hurried over to her, then reached out with a grave expression to feel Haley's forehead.
"It doesn't feel hot—Could it be a mild flu? Come on, let's go see Harvey." Saying this, she tried to pull Haley out the door.
When Haley didn't move, she belatedly realized.
"Oh my——Could it be that you met a Junimo in the woods?" Emily said dramatically. "And then made a wish to the Junimo to become a diligent person from now on?"
"That's the kind of wish you would make!" Haley said, walking over to the kitchen and taking out a freshly baked cake from the oven.
She'd added quite a bit of hazelnut spread to it—it smelled delicious.
"Try it. I made it."
Emily took it and popped it into her mouth.
Actually, Haley's cooking skills weren't bad; you could even say they were quite good. The only problem was that Haley was never someone who cleaned up after cooking.
The entire kitchen would become a disaster zone, as if it had just survived a great battle.
But now—the entire kitchen had been cleaned spotlessly by her. Even those usual hiding spots for dirt and grime had been wiped clean.
Emily didn't know whether to feel happy or sad at this moment.
It was a good thing that Haley was becoming more independent, but if this was premised on her eventually leaving, it left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth.
She looked at Haley with complicated emotions, and finally, under her expectant gaze, slowly nodded.
Time passed, and it was now the 21st of Fall.
Today was Robin's birthday, but because the farm work wasn't finished yet, she still got up early. After breakfast, she slung her toolbox over her shoulder, ready to head out.
Maru quickly caught up with her. Glancing at Demetrius and Sebastian sitting at the table in mutual silence, she took a deep breath and asked, "Can you come back early tonight? We want to celebrate your birthday!"
"'We'?"
Robin turned her head to look at Demetrius and Sebastian.
She didn't know what disagreement the two had gotten into, but at this moment, they both turned their heads away.
They even let out a "hmph" in unison.
The last time she'd seen this was when Demetrius had kicked apart Sebastian's snowman.
One thought the snowman was cool and had personality; the other felt the snowman standing there was like some kind of Yoba's curse.
Maru smiled awkwardly at the sight. She thought for a moment and then said, "Harvey gave me the day off today. How about I come help you at the farm? That way you can get off work earlier."
"Really? That's wonderful." Robin agreed, and so the two walked out of the house side by side.
They hadn't gone far when Robin lowered her voice and asked, "So what exactly happened?"
"Well—it's a secret," Maru said. "They'll work it out, I think."
Robin paused and turned her head to look at the carpenter's shop: "I hope so."
"Speaking of which, have things been a bit strange between you and Dad lately?"
Robin thought for a moment and said, "Have they? Maybe I've just been too busy with work."
"Well—I don't think that's the reason." Maru could sense that this situation had first appeared on the day of the Green Rain, but normally, even when Demetrius conducted experiments at home and blew up the house, Robin had never acted like this.
"Maybe it's just the illusion created by rushing to finish work at the farm every day lately, dear." Robin rubbed Maru's head. "Don't overthink it. Adult matters don't concern you."
Although Maru was already an adult now, Robin didn't want her getting involved in the romantic troubles of her parents' generation.
"Alright." Maru adjusted her glasses and then asked about Penny's family.
In this small town, Maru and Penny had the best relationship, probably because they both enjoyed reading—they could usually find things to talk about.
"Her family," Robin thought and said, "I've been busy designing blueprints for their house these past few days."
The mother and daughter's requests weren't high. One wanted a study, plus floor-to-ceiling windows and a fireplace.
The other had originally wanted a basement for brewing wine, but later gave up on the idea, so it wasn't too troublesome.
"I see, that's wonderful." Maru thought for a moment and decided to give Penny a few of her treasured books as a housewarming gift.
"Also, we're planning to make a small garden for them at the entrance," Robin added. "This was Pam's request. She said that by Summer, she could plant Penny's favorite Melons."
That Pam could think this way surprised Robin greatly, but everyone was quite happy to see such a change in Pam.
Penny had suffered too much in the past. No matter how much Pam tried to make up for it, they all felt Penny deserved it.
After all, childhood shadows often accompany a child throughout their life—it wasn't something that could be resolved in just a short period of time.
Every cautious step Penny took, every time she lowered her head in inferiority, were probably scars left by her past years.
Maru nodded.
As they chatted, they arrived at the farm. As soon as they entered, a rich aroma of hazelnuts wafted out.
Maru looked toward the cabin and saw a stove set up at the entrance, with Ron stuffing unidentifiable dough into it.
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