Chapter 3

Yuto rushes to the mayor’s house as quickly as his legs can take him. Mineral Town isn’t that big, but it is enough to get new people lost. After asking for directions from the locals, they direct him to the north side of the village. He wants to find out what is happening to the town, especially the fate of his farm. He only hopes that whatever is happening, he can do something to stop it.

After finding the mayor’s house, Yuto knocks on the door and calls, “Mayor Thomas! Are you home? I need to talk to you about something!”

“I’m a bit busy at the moment. Please come back later,” answered Thomas.

Yuto becomes suspicious. He checks the door knob and notices that the door isn’t locked. He opens the door quickly, and finds Thomas speaking to a bunch of suspicious looking men who are wearing business suits. He frowns and demands, “who are these guys? Judging by what they are wearing, they don’t look like they live around here.”

“Who is this young man who has rudely interrupted us?” asked the huskier stranger.

“This is Yuto, he is the new owner of the abandoned farm,” answered Thomas.

“I see,” said the stranger. He then walks up to Yuto with a confident grin and says, “so, you own that old farm then. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Morris. I work for Joja Corporation as the legal and property manager.”

Yuto is intimidated, but he stands his ground. “I’m Yuto. What does Joja want around here?”

Morris smirks and answers, “I can tell that you’re from the city just like me. I’m going to get to the point then, how much do you want for the farm?”

“Excuse me?” exclaimed Yuto.

“You see young man, my company just bought the land under Mineral Town for about nine million. That doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but the economy in this town is so worthless that we were being generous. We plan to use the land to build a new factory to make Joja Cola. Everyone who lives in town has got to go. We already made a deal with everyone else, but we had a hard time finding the owner of the farm, that is until you came in. So come on, name your price. We can offer you enough money to buy a bigger house or start your own business somewhere else.”

“And if I refuse?” asked Yuto angrily.

“It doesn’t matter. As soon as the deal closes three years from now, Joja will own every square inch of Mineral Town, including your farm. We don’t have to give anyone any money, but leaving all the resident homeless would be a P.R. disaster. So, what do you say?”

Yuto stares back at Morris’ sleazy grin. His offer is fair, but he cannot stand to see Tony’s farm get demolished. He also imagines the other residents of Mineral Town being forced out of the homes they grew up in. He may not know anyone in the village too well, but he wants to do something for them. Anything to save their homes and the farm.

“No deal!” shouted Yuto at Morris. He then turns to Thomas and declares, “Mayor Thomas, I will offer ten million for Mineral Town!”

Everyone in the room gasps out of shock except Morris who laughs out loud. He knows that Yuto is only bluffing. “You? Ten million? Okay then, prove it, show me your bank statement. I would love to see that ten million that you have just burning a hole in your pocket.”

Yuto suddenly realizes how silly his declaration sounds. He still retains his serious look as he says, “I don’t have it right now. But I do own a farm, I can make the money.”

Morris giggles and responds, “you can’t be serious. Even if you can make that much money eventually, you won’t make it before the deal closes. But I tell you what, I’ll be back in three years to see if you can make anything close to that much. That way, I can get a funny joke to tell my bosses when we watch this down get bulldozed.” He then walks out of the mayor’s house while saying, “see you in three years Mayor Thomas.”

The room goes dead quiet once Morris and his associates leave the house. Yuto is angry at everything, especially himself. He is embarrassed that he acted so abruptly without thinking of a plan. He walked into a business deal he was not invited to, and made a promise he is quite sure he won’t be able to keep. Thomas wants to say something to Yuto, but he is speechless.

Yuto takes a deep breath and turns to the mayor, “you think I can do it? Make that kind of money before they come back?”

Thomas sighs and answers, “Tony never made that much money in his entire life, let alone in three years. I appreciate the thought, but this is a lost cause.”

“I still have to try,” said Yuto determined to save Mineral Town.

After discussing any ideas with Thomas, Yuto decides to go home and think things over. Outside the mayor’s house, Yuto looks up at the sky and notices that the sun is beginning to set. He spent so much time worrying about Jennifer, the Harvest Goddess, Thomas, and Morris, that he already wasted a day he could have spent growing crops. He wants to start work as soon as he can, but it’s already too late to do anything. The grocery story is closed, and it will start to get dark by the time he arrives back at the farm.

At the farm, Yuto checks the time on his cell phone. It is seven o’ clock, and the evening sky is full of stars. It is a bit early, but Yuto turns in anyway. He is emotionally exhausted, and he will need an early fresh start in the morning.

In the house, Yuto makes a quick bite to eat. He then takes a quick shower and changes into something comfortable to sleep in. As he stares at the ceiling, he begins to think about Jennifer. The long blonde hair, her shiny purple eyes, her strange yet fascinating choice of clothing lingers in his mind. “I wonder if she has a boyfriend? Maybe I should drop by her tent and apologize for not taking her seriously.” He then turns to his side and falls asleep quickly.