"They're all treasures!" Vincent patted his bundle and said.
Looking at the bundle that was seeping some strange fluid, Joy fell into a brief silence.
Just then, Linus came walking over carrying the dishes Leo had prepared.
On the other side, Shane was also walking this way, leading Jas by the hand.
Just as Vincent was eagerly preparing to ask what they had brought, a long line of Rattata also came out of the farm.
The lead Rattata, Sailor, had just been telling the Rattata behind it about how it would use its wits to get that Rock Candy this Thursday. Its nose twitched, and it realized something, staring intently at Jas over there.
Meowth happened to be in the group as well. Without a second word, Sailor dragged Meowth and charged right in front of Jas.
"How much for your Rock Candy, meow?"
After barely steadying itself, Meowth heard the Sailor next to it and couldn't help but translate.
"How did you know I had it?!" Jas looked at Sailor with surprise and delight. "Um, because it's my precious collection, so—300 Calico Eggs!"
As soon as she said this, Vincent gasped.
"Deal, meow."
As if afraid Jas would back out, Sailor immediately pulled out all of its Calico Eggs.
It then turned right back into the group of Rattata and started crowdfunding.
After a bout of negotiation, it wasn't long before it hugged three hundred Calico Eggs and handed them over to Jas.
"I'm definitely going to win!" Jas smiled happily, then handed the Magic Rock Candy in her hand to Sailor.
"——That's not fair!" Vincent yelled. "You didn't say you'd use a Magic Rock Candy!"
"Nonsense!" Jas retorted, hugging the Calico Eggs. "We agreed to prepare our most precious things, and this candy is my most precious thing! Shane gave it to me!"
Vincent jumped up and down in anxiety. Thinking for a moment, he looked at Leo beside him with his last sliver of hope: "What about you, what did you prepare?"
"A little food." Leo smiled shyly, scratching his head. "Poi and Tropical Curry. I don't know if everyone will like it."
Before he could finish speaking, a rich aroma of food wafted over from him.
Under Vincent's devastated gaze, Leo said to Joy, "I'll bring the curry over to you later."
"Thank you." Joy patted Leo's head.
Just then, the bus arrived, and the group boarded one after another.
"By the way, Vincent, what did you prepare?" Jas asked curiously. "Don't tell me it's a pile of junk?"
"Junk?" Leo looked over, repeating the word in confusion.
Jas couldn't help but whisper mysteriously to Leo: "You haven't celebrated the Feast of the Winter Star in Stardew Valley yet, have you?"
Seeing Leo shake his head, Jas briefly explained the customs of the Feast of the Winter Star, emphasizing the secret gift exchange.
"Last year, the secret friend he drew was Pierre," Jas continued. "The guy who owns the grocery store. Guess what Vincent gave him?"
"What?"
"A lump of clay!" Jas said. "I've never seen Pierre's face look so dark. He held that lump of clay, neither wanting to throw it away nor keep it. In the end, he went back inside and washed his hands for ages before coming out to eat!"
At these words, Vincent clutched his bundle tightly. "You guys don't get it! That was obviously my treasure!"
Hearing this, Joy remembered the mysterious liquid she saw seeping from the bundle earlier and couldn't help but edge away a bit.
"Pfft." Jas swung her feet and asked, "That kind of clay—even if it's one Calico Egg per lump, would anyone buy it?"
"..."
"None of your business!" Vincent hugged his bundle and shrank further away. "I'll sell it!"
The bus parked at the stop, and the kids each went to their respective stalls.
Meanwhile, Sailor was dividing the Magic Rock Candy among the Rattata.
"Rattata, Rattata." (You contributed 20 Calico Eggs, so you get this much.)
Saying this, Sailor used its teeth to bite down on the candy, breaking off a tiny lump.
"Rattata?" (Only this much?)
The Rattata held the tiny speck of candy in its paws, asking with a bewildered face.
"What about me? I put in 100 Calico Eggs, meow!" Meowth asked hastily.
Hearing this, Sailor painedly broke off a third of it and handed it to Meowth's paws.
"Rattata——"
"If it's only this little, wouldn't it be better to take this money and go eat curry over there, meow?" Meowth looked at the tiny bit of sugar in the Rattata's paws and nodded in agreement. "It really is tiny; it'd disappear if you blew on it, meow."
Hearing this, the Rattata instantly became agitated.
Sailor tried its best to maintain order. After a while, it solemnly handed the unfinished remainder of the Magic Rock Candy to Meowth and trotted off to Willy's to take out a loan.
Returning with a pile of Calico Eggs, Sailor shouted to the Rattata: "Rattata, Rattata!"
"Those who want a refund, line up over there, meow!" Meowth said, stuffing its piece into its mouth and rubbing its cheeks with a blissful expression. "It was so worth it to bet on the race yesterday, meow."
On the other side, since neither Leo nor Linus were the sociable type, they lacked the courage to hawk the food they'd brought.
The two squatted by their stall, looking at each other.
Seeing this, Vincent immediately let out a sigh of relief. He then began loudly advertising the junk he had brought.
Even though it was all junk, because he was hawking it with all his might, he actually sold a little bit.
Even though he was only asking for one Calico Egg per item, it was at least enough to slightly beat Leo.
Thinking this, Vincent sat down at his stall. Just as he was preparing to figure out a way to sell a bit more, he saw a long line of Rattata—
Charging right toward him.
"Rattata! Rattata!"
The first Rattata bypassed him and arrived at Leo's stall. After sniffing around carefully with its nose, it pointed at the curry and said, "Rattata! Rattata!"
"You want this?" Leo thought for a moment and said, "One portion is 30 Calico Eggs."
The Rattata dropped the Calico Eggs on the stall without a second word, then stared at Leo, drooling.
Leo and Linus finally snapped out of their daze. They quickly brought out the hollowed-out pineapple bowls they had prepared earlier and poured a full bowl of curry into one.
"So many Rattata..." Leo looked at the endless line and said, "Will we not have enough to sell?"
Linus was busy working with his head down. Hearing this, he looked up, then turned his head to look at Leo.
Leo's eyes were incredibly bright at this moment; he looked extremely happy. Maybe it was because he might win the competition, or maybe it was because he felt acknowledged and needed. Regardless of which it was, Linus felt happy for Leo. Thinking this, Linus buried himself in his work again.
Only Vincent, not far away, felt like the sky had completely collapsed on him at this very moment.
"This is so competitive—" Vincent thought in despair, "Isn't this supposed to be a competition between kids?"
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