Little May

"So, what did the doctor said?" asked Edward. Looking at the bandages and the shoulder strap on Harvey's right arm. It didn't look okay at all.

"It's no big deal, I just have to keep it on for a week and avoid using my right hand for the heavy workload," replied Harvey while crouching to admire the small wildflowers on the roadside.

"See, I told you to not do anything before checking it up at the clinic, but you just have to swing the tools." reprimanded Edward, recalling the previous accident.

=====

30 minutes ago, after Edward walked out of the house, accompanied by the three Harvest Sprites, he watched Harvey working from the side. His right wrist looked a bit uncomfortable for him, but Harvey still insisted on plowing the land to plant new crops.

Edward just stood there, standing still and watching, even though the Harvest Sprites kept on tugging his shoes, asking him to help the poor man. Harvey then took a hoe and walked toward an empty area. He raised the hoe to the top of his head with both hands and focused his strength into his arms.

'You won't get anything done hoeing like that,' thought Edward, looking at Harvey's excessive posture.

As Harvey's vein appeared on his forehead, he swung the hoe down. Like a landslide, a 5-meter long line was formed in front of him, ready to be used.

"Hicc..."

Caught off guard by Harvey's absurd power, Edward got a hiccup. He wasn't expecting it one single bit. Harvey moved a step to the left and keep doing the same thing until he thought there were enough rows before sowing the seeds in them.

He didn't even dig a hole, and just randomly scattered the seeds on top of the tilted land which then proceeded to bury themselves inside, like a living thing. It didn't take a minute to finish. Now that he was done sowing, Harvey took a watering can and held it behind him, preparing to swing it sideways.

'No way, did the game's mechanism applied in real life?' thought Edward, as he watched Harvey watering a third of the planted seeds with a single swing.

It was then that he noticed Harvey's tools to be somewhat unique. They were blue, resembling the bright sky on top of their head. He knew that it was a specially made tools, and the material was called Mystrile, a goddess ore.

'Wait, if Mystrile existed, then is that ore also exist here?' thought Edward while staring at Mother's Hill, to be exact, at the mine under the lake. He then muttered, "Well, there's only one way to find out."

"Oww...!!" exclaimed, Harvey, while holding his right wrist.

"See, I already told you. You're going to hurt yourself working with that sprained wrist," muttered Edward.

When Harvey heard him, he objected, "you didn't say anything!"

======

"You didn't say anything!" complained Harvey one more time.

"Oh, right." mumbled, Edward, while chuckling. He then added, "So, who's going to do your work?"

While the Harvest Sprites could help him taking care of the cattle, hens, and the crops, they couldn't tilt the land and plant new crops.

Harvey gave him a meaningful stare while smiling which he instantly understood. Edward immediately declined, "No way, I have no time to do your job."

He really didn't have any. He needed to find May, the girl that Charles had an interest in, and convince her to live in the X-Mansion or find a solution to hide her power. Sounds like a pedophile collecting his trophy, but Edward understood why Charles took that kind of action.

While it resembled racial discrimination, it was far more troublesome and sometimes dangerous if something wrong happened. What they're dealing with here were mutant humans that had the power to overthrow the normal human's empire in a single night.

While most of them were quite peaceful and harmless, normal people couldn't see it like that. How would you see a man holding an AK-47 24-hours straight, and you don't know when or where he will pull the trigger? Of course, everyone would try to stay away from him, or worse kick him out of society.

Also, while he could contact home, he needed to return as soon as possible. The nightmare from before still lingered in his mind. Some might call it a mere dream, but for him who already saw the future, it might be a prophetic vision.

Harvey just raised his bandaged arm and put on a sad puppy face. Feeling guilty, Edward sighed and gave up. He said, "Okay, fine. But don't blame me if I didn't do it properly. And I can't do it for a whole week, you need to find someone else later."

"Great. It's easy, you just have to tilt and plant, tilt and plant, over and over again. That's all." replied Harvey.

There was one thing that he didn't tell Edward though. It was that his sprained wrist wasn't as bad as Edward thought it was. And also, the one that caused it was not Edward, but Harvey himself. He just accidentally sprained his hand when he fell off his bed, right before he noticed that Edward was having a nasty nightmare. After a day, it wouldn't even leave a mark.

With the nonexistent problem solved, they decided to walk toward the town's inn, the only place that had a telephone, because Edward wanted to make a call. He wanted to know how Sherry was doing last night.

It was then that they heard a running footstep right behind them. A short-haired girl, wearing a nurse outfit was running toward them while calling out Harvey's name.

"Harvey! Wait!" yelled the girl, stopping the two.

Edward immediately recognized her as Elli, one of the five girls that the MC could marry in the game, basically a capture target. A smile crept its way on Edward's face as he understood what was going on.

'Unlike the way he looks, this man is quite capable.' thought Edward. While poking Harvey's waist with his finger and giving him a wink, he said, "See you later at the Inn. No need to worry about the farm. You can spend the night outside if you want."

Feeling that Edward was a misunderstanding about something, Harvey wanted to stop him, but the former already walked away, leaving him. A moment later, he turned around only to see Elli almost fainting from tiredness.

"Elli, are you okay?" asked Harvey, worrying at the out of breath Elli.

After calming herself down, she said, "That was supposed to be my question. What happened? How did you hurt yourself? Are you fine now? Can I see if the bandages properly wrapped?"

There was a lot of question came out of that small mouth of her. Seeing that she would not stop asking questions, Harvey interrupted her, "Calm down. I'm fine now, I just need to rest for a week, that's all."

"That's not fine at all. How are you going to eat? What if the bandages fell off. What if it got worse? What are you going to do with the farm? How are you going to eat?" asked Elli again, emphasizing the first and the last question. Her face was getting even closer to his.

*Poof!

Her face instantly turned red, realizing that Harvey's face was too close, covering her vision. She recoiled back, but it was too sudden, causing her to trip her foot and fell. However, before she touched the ground, Harvey already moved and hold her shoulder with his left hand and her back with his chest.

"Kyaaa!!" exclaimed the tomato faced Elli while pushing Harvey away.

'Are they shooting a rom-com?' thought Edward, while looking at the two. Shaking his head, he continued walking toward the Inn, suppressing his tiny bit of jealousy.

"Ah, I'm sorry, did I startle you?" asked Harvey, feeling a bit worried.

"N... No. It's o... okay..." replied Elli, looking sideways while occasionally peeking in Harvey's direction.

"I don't know about everything else, but I think I'll be fine," replied Harvey, smiling. He was glad that someone would be worried in his place. He then added, "besides, there's Edward. He'll help me with everything."

Thunder flashed, behind her as Elli's face turned dark and her eyes sharpened, locking at the small figure faraway.

'He'll spoon-feed Harvey!?' thought Elli.

'This feeling, it's a killing intent!' thought Edward. Looking left and right to find the source. Finding nothing at all, he just dismissed it as a mere coincidence and continue walking toward the Inn. 'Naah, it's not like I'm in a Chinese novel.'

======

Cling cling cling...

The chime from the small bell on top of the entrance's door, greeted him as he walked into the Inn. Doug, the owner, was cleaning a table and welcomed him.

"Good afternoon, Edward. How's your night?"

"Terrific," replied Edward, a bit ambiguous. He then asked, "Can I use the telephone?"

"Sure, but you'll need to wait. The lady is still on the phone," replied Doug, pointing at a small girl wearing a red one-piece robe, standing on a stool while talking on the phone. It was May, the girl Edward was looking for.

He nodded in understanding which was appreciated by Doug. Curious, Edward perked up his ears and listened to the girl's conversation. It might help in convincing the girl later.

"So, you see. That's how I befriend Stu and the Pastor," said May, smiling brightly.

Looking at the small figure, Edward assumed that the girl was still five years old at most. 'What experience did she went through to awaken her power this early?' thought Edward.

While some could awaken their mutant power naturally, some must experience a powerful trauma to awaken it. He hoped that she didn't experience the latter.

"So, could you visit this weekend?" asked May. Her previous bright smile was nowhere to be seen, shifted with a sad but hopeful expression.

"Umm... It's okay! I don't mind at all." replied May. "Ohh, I had a plan with Stu and the Pastor today, I'll call you later, bye."

Clack!

Without hearing the reply, May immediately hang up the phone, abruptly ending the call. Her face couldn't be seen as she jumped down from the stool which made Doug, the owner, panic, thinking she would fall. However, May was completely fine and ran outside.

'For a small girl, she's quite fast.' thought Edward.

"What a poor girl. She just wants to see her parents," said Doug, suddenly, standing next to him.

Although a bit startled, Edward, asked, "Where are they?"

Edward knew a bit of May's backstory because of the game. Raised ever since she was born in the Yodel Farm, where his grandpa lives. A few years later, before she could remember a thing, both of her parents left this small town and worked somewhere in a city. That was all.

"Ah... I forgot you were an outsider. Since you'll leave soon, it might be okay to tell you. Actually..." Doug then moved closer and whispered something to him. Something that crushed Edward's heart.

"Her parents were already long gone. Her father's missing, while her mother died on the birth bed," said Doug.

This revelation woke him up once again. It was not the lovey-dovey game he played in his room in the previous life. It was not a peaceful game that the only thing he needs to worry about was how to make more money. This was real life.

It was then that the door opened once again, revealing the figure of a young man in blue overalls and hat.

"What happened with May, she looked upset?" asked Harvey.

'But maybe, even if it was shitty. Even if it was unrelenting. There might be a way to push through it.' thought Edward, looking at the character he always plays with, no matter how many times he restarts from the beginning.

======

In a familiar room under a familiar ceiling, Sherry woke up from her deep slumber. She felt a slight headache, but it didn't bother her that much. She looked around only to see that she was all alone.

"Did he woke up before I did?" muttered Sherry, before reaching for a bottle of water on a small cabinet next to her bed.

Suddenly, the memory from the previous day jolted her mind, forcing her to remember everything up until the moment she fell asleep.

She rushed outside, but no one could be seen. It was Sunday, everyone was either on vacation or was still sleeping inside their room. There was no one for her to ask where Edward is.

Brinnggg! Brinnngg!

While running, suddenly she could hear a telephone ringing. She ignored it, thinking it was a random call, but when he was a bit further, the ringing stop, continued by another telephone nearby. It happened a few more times until she felt curious and decided to answer it.

Brinnggg! Brinnggg!

She swore that if it was a prank call, she'll find whoever it was and... put them into detention. As the Student Council President, she had some authority in her hands.

Although hesitating, she still picked up the telephone and said, "Hello?"

"You shouldn't answer this kind of shady phone call next time." said the familiar voice on the other side of the line.

"Edward!!" exclaimed Sherry. She started tearing up, feeling relieved, but she held it in and didn't show it in her voice. "Where did you go?"

Edward then explained, "That badly gave me another task to pick up a girl. Ah it sounded wrong, there's this mutant girl and..."

"I understand. You don't have to correct yourself," said Sherry.

...

...

There was an awkward silence between the two. It was the first time that they spoke through telephone, without seeing each other's face. Edward was always around, so it should have felt natural, but now knowing that he was outside, she felt that he was drifting away from her.

Edward also felt the same. Long ago, he decided to leave once Sherry had a proper wall to lean on but now that he was truly away, far away, he actually missed her.

"Ah, sorry, I should have told you before leaving. That wheely baldy said you had a shock last night. Are you okay?" asked Edward.

Earlier, he called Charles to confirm everything was fine and he already met with May, the girl that could speak with animals. However, mid-conversation, Charles mentioned Sherry's condition which almost gave him a heart attack. So he immediately hanged up the call and called Sherry instead. Thankfully, she already gave Sherry a golden card, and her name was listed in the Mercenary Client list, allowing him to contact her whenever and wherever he wants.

Sherry flinched, but she still answered it properly, "To call it a shock, he was just exaggerating."

She knew that last night she almost awakened the Genma bloodline inside her. She didn't know what the professor did, but after waking up, she could feel the cursed bloodline was still in a dormant state, making her feel relieved.

"I know, right? I couldn't stop shaking, especially after that dream..." said Edward, before abruptly covering his mouth and stop speaking.

"What dream? Is it something... ahem..." teased, Sherry, thinking that Edward was having a burst of growth just like what Jean taught him in Biology.

"Uhh, no! Nothing! I didn't say anything about a dream!" yelled Edward, completely denying his previous words. Little did he knew that it actually sounded like he was confirming Sherry's conjecture.

"Really? Sounds suspicious. Should I ask Professor to find out about it?" teased Sherry again.

Feeling challenged at the mention of the Professor, Edward confidently announced, "Go on, let him try."

Obviously, he only knew that Charles's mind-reading ability couldn't penetrate his mind. He didn't know that Charles didn't need to read his mind to know everything about him, he just had to find someone around Edward and read them.

"Umm... Edward... there's something I want you to know. Can you hear me out?" asked Sherry, suddenly being serious.

"What is it?"

"I... umm... it might sound ridiculous, but I already prepared myself. This might be the last time I could see you, so, I'll be honest with you now," said Sherry.

Edward didn't say anything and just let her speak her mind. He thought that it had something to do with the Genma cells inside her, so he listened with great concentration.

"I... I actually... love..." uttered Sherry. Her face reddened from embarrassment. She didn't believe that she was deciding to convey her feeling toward the boy she always regarded as a brother.

Edward on the other hand was having turmoil surpassing the Tri-State tornado, which spread through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. He was having all kinds of thoughts inside his mind, and all of them were pointing into one obvious thing. However, there was one lingering thought that suddenly appeared in his mind, 'But, why I didn't feel as excited as I thought it would be?'

"I... I love..." Sherry couldn't bear the pressure and embarrassment from the thing she wanted to convey, and that caused her to hesitate and changed her mind at the last second, "I love seashells. If you're near a beach, can you find some for me?"

Thunderstruck flashed behind him as he felt a bit disappointed at the turn of the events. But somehow, he actually felt a bit relieved, "Uhh... that's it? Ahem... sure, I'll find some for you..."

Before he could continue, suddenly Harvey's voice could be heard on the voice line, "Hey, Ed! Let's go, you have to work now!"

"Shut up! I'm on the phone! Can you be more patient?"

"I AM a patient, so hurry!"

"Fine! Geez... Sorry, I have to go. I'll call you later, Sherry."

Without leaving her any time to answer, Edward hanged up the phone, ending the call.

Sherry called his name, "Edward!"

But the only reply he got was the static sounds in the phone.

Tuuuuuut... Tuuuuut...

Realizing that she lost her chance, Sherry felt she was an awful person. The only thing she did in the past two years was hiding behind his back without even once standing in front of him. Even now, when she wanted to convey her feeling, she still doubted that it was a genuine feeling, not a feeling out of desperation for protection.

While crouching in front of the hanging telephone handle, she closed her eyes and said, "Can you be even more pathetic, Sherry?"