Ai was very proud of her island. It had grown from a deserted jungle to a bustling town, and it was mostly thanks to her. As Resident Representative, she had the main say in everything that went on. And currently, she was thinking about her neighbors. 

She loved to make friends with her neighbors, and friends made the world go round for her. She really wanted the best of the best to live on the island. Sometimes she wasn't too enthusiastic about the animals who moved in - like the cranky viking bull named Vic. She had been pretty relieved when he was replaced by a peppy orange cat named Tangy. 
 Her best friend by far was a little blue bear cub named Kody. He had moved to the island with her, so they went as far back as the island itself. Kody was obsessed with working out, being buff, and muscles. While that wasn't exactly Ai's cup of tea, she was always ready to do anything to make Kody happy - and she really admired his drive and enthusiasm. She was pretty sure she had a major crush on him, which was why she was constantly talking to and getting advice from her other very good friend, Skye. 
Skye was a beautiful white-and-blue wolf. She was very level-headed and down to earth, which made her perfect for giving advice and listening. She had helped Ai on numerous occasions; in fact, nowadays Ai rarely made a decision without consulting Skye first.

   Eight other villagers lived on the island, and Ai liked them all in her own way. However, she was in the mood for a change -- she wanted a new friend, someone different. So she went to a website where animals posted about wanting to move, along with a little information about themselves to let the owner know what they would be dealing with. All animals listed themselves as having a certain personality; usually animals wanted to move to a island where nobody else shared the same personality, so as to stand out as unique. A personality of every type lived on Ai's island, so she didn't know where to start searching. She noticed that a handful of animals were really popular -- hundreds, even thousands, of islands were advertising themselves on those animals' pages. She decided to try something a little more low-key.

'Maybe a wolf? They probably wouldn't be as cool as Skye, but it's always worth a shot,' Ai thought. She found many wolves looking to move, including a handsome fellow named Chief. Ai almost thought about advertising her island to him, but decided she should do some more digging first.
She decided to search for bear cubs next. She liked Kody so infinitely much; maybe there'd be another bear like him! As she scrolled through the profiles, not many caught her eye, until she found a cute pink-colored bear named Cheri. She listed her personality as "peppy," and there were already a few peppy villagers on the island, so Ai figured that the odds would be low that she could convince Cheri to move. However, she kept thinking about what a great friend Cheri could be to Kody. Eventually she listed her island on Cheri's page.

Then she moved on. 'How about a cat? Tangy's the only one we have, and she's really fun. I wish Kid Cat hadn't moved out!' she sighed. She began scrolling through the cat profiles. She hated to judge, but a lot of them were pretty bizarre. There was a cute one named Lolly, though. 
 Just when she thought she'd move on, she saw one at the bottom of the list. It was the only cat listed with a "smug" personality. 
 'Raymond,' she read, and clicked on his profile. 
Her eyes widened. They got so big she almost went blind, actually. 

 Raymond had to be the cutest-slash-most handsome person she had ever seen. He wasn't handsome because he looked cute, he was handsome because he looked serious. He had mostly gray fur, with tall black pointed ears like all cats had. He also had an adorable unkempt tuft of blond fur spread out across his forehead. He wore a fancy-looking waistcoat and had a somewhat bored look on his face. Uniquely, he had a large pair of black glasses situated over his eyes; it was the first time Ai had seen an animal wear them permanently. But the glasses weren't the most shocking thing about him. It was his eyes. He had complete heterochromia - his eyes were two different colors. His right eye was brown and his left eye was green. It was the most mesmerizing thing Ai had ever seen, and she fell in love at first sight. She HAD to have Raymond move in. Otherwise, how could she live with herself?

 As quickly as possible, she listed her island on his page. Isabelle, who worked at the Town Hall, had told Ai that their island had a 4 star rating. That was surely enough to attract Raymond's attention, right? Ai was feeling pretty positive, until she scrolled farther down the page. Thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of other islands were also advertising. There were so many 5 star islands asking Raymond to move in. 
 In a split second, Ai's hopes dropped. Despair moved in pretty quickly. It was the first time Raymond was ever going to move, and he was super cute...it only made sense that thousands of other people like Ai would be clamoring to have him. What made it worse was that there was no messaging system on the website -- the only way Raymond would move in was by his own choice. 

Ai shut her laptop and flopped back on her bed. She rubbed her face exasperatedly. "It's impossible..." she mumbled. Then, after a moment, she furrowed her eyebrows. "...But I have to try. No Raymond, no glory!!"

~~~~~~~~

   Ai burst into Skye's house and slammed the door so frantically the rose wreath on it almost fell off. "SKYE!!" she screeched.

Skye had been quietly reading a book while sitting on the pet bed Ai had given her. Now she jumped up as the book clattered to the floor. "Ai? What is it, airmail?!"

"You'll never believe what I just found out!!" Ai shouted, calming down but starting to pace all over the room. "I was looking for someone to move in, right? And then I found this cat. Raymond!! HE'S THE BEST!! HE'S SO ADORABLE AND DREAMY AND IT'S HIS FIRST TIME MOVING!! A-and...so many other people want him...it's going to be so hard...but...WE HAVE TO FIND HIM FIRST!!"

Skye stared at Ai. She'd never seen her so worked up before. "Wait wait wait...how do you know Raymond is so great? You're acting like you already know him, but you don't, and you think he's better than Kody already?"

Ai stopped in her tracks. "What? No! Of course not! Me and Kody go way back!! It's just that I really want Raymond. He's awesome. We've got to find him."

Skye sighed. "Well, if it's that important, he must really be something. But, Ai, how do you plan to find him? Besides waiting for him to show up at the campsite, I mean?"

Ai whirled on Skye. "NOOK MILES TICKETS!!" she exclaimed. "People love to travel using them, and we all know that it's pretty common to meet someone else while on a tour - why, that's how I met you!!"

"...Well, yes, but... Ai, the odds of finding Raymond on a random island are infinitesimal. Even if Raymond was the only person in the world traveling. But he isn't...there's almost 400 people looking to move right now," Skye explained, checking the website on her phone. "And they're no doubt traveling to try and meet someone with a good island proposition. Plus all that traveling would wear out your reserve of Miles really quickly."

Ai looked at Skye. Sadness began to creep onto her face. "So...in my time of need, all you're going to tell me is that it's impossible? Listen, Skye, I know it's a long shot. I know I'm probably wasting my time. But when I looked at Raymond, I felt something. Something real, solid, and genuine that told me he has to live on this island. I have to know him, and he has to know me, and you, and everyone else. His presence would be the greatest thing that ever happened to us. I just know it."

 Skye was silent. Then she stood up and put a hand on Ai's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ai. I didn't mean to discourage you. I can see now that you're truly serious about Raymond. And I completely believe that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. You'll find him, I'm sure! Get out there and start your search!"

Ai smiled. "Thank you, Skye! You're the best!" With that, she wheeled around and dashed out of the little house. 

"Just don't forget what's important..." Skye mumbled halfheartedly as the door slammed.

~~~~~~~~~

   Ai dashed into the Town Hall. Ignoring Tom Nook and Isabelle, who were just dusting and drinking coffee, she accessed the Nook Stop. Punching the button to purchase Nook Miles Tickets, she printed out as many as she could afford. Then she dashed out of the building as quickly as she had come and raced toward the airport. But just before she made it, her path was crossed by none other than Kody.

"Oh, hey, Vitamin A!" he greeted her with his usual bright smile. "Vitamin A" was his nickname for Ai which he had established only a few weeks ago. Not many other villagers had nicknamed her or each other, so it was yet another token of their deep friendship. "You seem pumped, grah grah! Where you off to?"

"Oh! Kody! I'm going to travel and try to find this guy called Raymond. He's really awesome and I want him to live here," Ai explained quickly. "I'm sure you'll love him. Good talk!" She ruffled the fur between Kody's ears (which was how she always said goodbye) and dashed into the airport.

"I can do this!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, Ai stumbled out of the airport. The sun was setting over the island, creating a beautiful rainbow sky, but Ai was too tired to enjoy it. 

"I can't do this..." she groaned. 

As she slowly walked back to her house, which was on the other side of the island, she met up with Victoria, who was a cheerful chestnut-colored horse who always wore a yellow racing hood. She constantly talked about her dream to be a pop star. She had moved in the day before Skye, so she was very good friends with Ai and it was hard to imagine life without her.

"Woah there, sugar cube, you don't look so good," Victoria commented as Ai dragged herself along.

"You don't say," mumbled Ai. "I've been traveling all day. Looking for Raymond. All I found was a little freak named Snake."

"Wow, uh, okay, if you say so. But did you say Raymond? I've heard of him!! He's the most fab, glam cat in the world!! And everybody wants him!! ...Oh." Victoria tried to dim her peppy disposition. "It's a large undertaking to find him, I'll warrant. Don't worry, Ai, I'm sure you'll get there! After all, I'm sure Raymond is flustered by all the choices of islands he has. He'll probably take a while to pick."

Ai sighed. "Thanks, Victoria. If there's anything you can do to help, I'd appreciate that too."

Victoria tapped a hoof to her chin. "Well, maybe you'd like to know that there's a visitor at the campsite!!" she exclaimed. "Why don't you go see who it is, sugar cube?"

Ai perked up a little. "Okay! That's always exciting." She turned her course toward the campsite, where one large white tent had been pitched. It glowed from within with lantern light. 

Ai took a deep breath. It was always suspenseful entering a tent. You never knew who'd be waiting. 'Please be Raymond,' she silently prayed.

She opened the flap and stepped into the tent. A pink cow turned around to greet her. "Oh, hello, hoof hoo! I'm Norma!" she said, and reached out a hoof to shake. Though disappointed, Ai took it. 

"Hi, Norma. Looking for a new home?" she asked.

"Yes, that's right, hoof hoo. A change would be wonderful, and I find this island very appealing," Norma explained shyly. 

A thought suddenly occurred to Ai. "Just a moment," she told Norma. She pulled out her NookPhone and checked Raymond's personality. Smug. Then she checked the personalities of everyone on her island. There was one smug villager currently - a frog named Henry. He had been the first person to ever visit the campsite, and Ai had felt it mandatory that he be invited to live on the island. At first he had seemed rude, but over time Ai had grown to appreciate his personality. 'If Henry lives here, Raymond is less likely to come,' Ai realized. 'They're both smug.' She checked Norma's personality - normal. Like Skye.

She put away her NookPhone and excused herself from Norma's tent. Then she ran as quickly as possible to find Skye. She met up with her in the plaza. 

"Skye! It's perfect!" she exclaimed.

"Ai! What's perfect, airmail?" Skye asked. She was dressed in a simple blue tank top and had been doing some evening stretches.

"There's a cow named Norma in the tent! She's normal, and Henry is smug! If she replaces Henry, there'll be no smug people on this island, and Raymond will want to move in more!!" Ai explained excitedly.

"What? Are you sure Annalise isn't smug?" asked Skye. Annalise was another horse who lived on the west end of the island. She mostly cared about fashion.

"No, Annalise is snooty," Ai said. "It's Henry who's got to go. Besides, I'm pretty sure Norma really wants to live here, because she isn't the first normal person to move in."

Skye sighed. "But I thought you liked Henry."

"Well...only a little," Ai said, her voice a little smaller. "Look, it'll all work out, alright? I'll talk to Henry about moving, and we'll have Norma in in no time."

~~~~~~~~~

   The next day, everyone gathered to see Henry off. After giving a long, slightly dramatic speech, he boarded a plane and prepared for takeoff.

 As Ai watched the plane take Henry away forever, she felt something warm in the corner of her eye. She wiped at it hurriedly and set her face to look brave.

'It's all for Raymond,' she tried to convince herself.

~~~~~~~~~~

   The next day, the residents of the island had gathered for a morning social. They drank orange juice, talked, and even had some races, to the delight of Kody. A few minutes after it started, everyone was interrupted by Ai racing across the plaza at breakneck speed.

"Hey, Ai! Don't you want some orange juice?" called Stu, a lazy but lovable purple cow. 

"We're having a relay race soon!" added Tangy.

"Sorry, everyone!! No time! Big plans!" Ai called as she disappeared into the airport.

Skye looked around at her friends. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll join us," she said. She glanced at the airport, and then looked dejectedly at her feet. "...eventually."

~~~~~~~~~~

Ai was more determined than ever to find Raymond. She had stocked up on Nook Miles Tickets and begun traveling for the day. She visited many an island, big and small, hot and cold, some with cedars, some with bamboo. She encountered many animals, some of whom were very pleasant, but she couldn't take them in right now. It was Raymond or nothing. 

The day grew late. Ai grew more and more exhausted. "Are we almost to the next island?" she asked the pilot of the plane, Wilbur. 

"Ay, just a few more minutes," he replied.

Ai sat back and stared out the window with a glazed look in her eyes. As she thought about her objective, and how faraway the completion of it seemed, she began to get angry. "GIVE ME RAYMOND OR GIVE ME DEATH!!" she shouted.

Wilbur shut the door to the cockpit.

~~~~~~~~~~

  Over the next few days, Ai decided to travel less and focus more on the campsite. Her daily schedule consisted of checking the campsite, taking a few flights, and spending a small fraction of time with Kody. Skye approached her sometimes to see how she was, but Ai felt she could not even stop to talk, lest a chance to find Raymond slip away. Plus, she was a little scared that Skye would try to stop her. She was too deeply invested now.

   Days passed and turned into weeks. Many animals stopped by the campsite, some of them smug, due to the fact that Henry had left. Ai traveled far and wide. She watched, waited, listened, and searched. Throughout all of this, she never got the notification that Raymond had moved. He was out there; she just had to find him.

Her interactions with the other villagers on the island grew less frequent. Some days she was so busy she forgot to talk with Kody at all. She knew that people were worried for her, and talking about her behind her back. Well, maybe not "behind her back" since she didn't have time to listen anyway. She was on a mindless warpath, stuck doing the same things over and over. It began to wear on her sanity, but she willed herself to stay strong. Though in the depths of her heart she knew that she was getting discouraged.

   Then one day, as she sat with her back against the Able Sisters shop staring at the campsite, she was approached by Skye. She turned her head away. It had been weeks since they'd spoken. She didn't know if she could handle it.

Skye sat down softly next to Ai. "It's a lovely day today, isn't it, airmail?" she said. When Ai didn't reply, she continued, "It's the kind of day just made for woodworking. That's what Stu and Kody are doing, you see."

"Erg...woodworking..." mumbled Ai.

"Yes. This is a nice spot you've picked, airmail. Great view of the campsite. Are you waiting for someone, perchance?" Skye asked. 

Ai finally turned to look at Skye. It was plain to see what she was feeling. Ai was completely and utterly miserable.

"...Skye...you know I'm waiting for someone. I'm waiting for Raymond. Just like I have been for the last month," she croaked.

"Raymond. Mm-hmm. He's all you've been thinking about lately, Ai. It's unhealthy to obsess like this. You haven't had any fun at all this past month, airmail! We're all worried about you. You haven't been talking to us. If only you would share your worries, we might be able to help you," Skye explained gently.

Ai's eyes began to mist over. "But...but you can't help me. The only thing that would help is Raymond, and you guys can't get him for me. I've never been able to find any person I've wanted."

"But, airmail, that's not true! What about Bea? You were so excited to have her on your island. Then you managed to contact her through social media, and she agreed to come! And she's been your friend ever since," Skye said. 

Ai sniffed. "Bea...I haven't talked to her in weeks. I haven't talked to any of you!" All at once, she broke down sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Skye!! I've ignored all of you because of my own selfishness!  I couldn't open up to you!! I haven't weight-trained with Kody!! And I let Henry go!! I let him go!"

Skye wrapped her arms around Ai and tried to comfort her. "There, there, airmail! Goodness, you don't have to cry. We know you've been stressed, and we all forgive you! We just want our friend back."

Ai wiped the torrent of tears off her face. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about my problems.  I was so focused on Raymond, I forgot that I already have such great friends who love and support me. I've been so stupid...obsessing about one guy I've never met..."

"Hey, airmail, it happens to the best of us," Skye said, releasing her hold on Ai. 

"That settles it. I'm not going to obsess about him any longer! There's no way he could be better than the family I've made here, hm?" Ai said, breaking out into a smile. "Come on, Skye!! Let's go find our friends!!"

With their arms around each other, Ai and Skye walked off across the island. "So that's it? You're just going to completely forget about Raymond?" Skye asked.

"For a while, anyway. And even then, I'm not going to travel much. I've had enough to last a lifetime," Ai groaned.

"Alright, if that's what you want," Skye replied. But in her head she thought, 'Thank goodness.'

~~~~~~~~~~~

   The next morning, Ai woke up feeling refreshed and better than she had in a long time. She headed outside and was greeted by Kody.

"Morning, Vitamin A! So listen, I asked Stu to run 100 laps around the island with me, but he said you'd take them for him. I'm always ready for a muscle-melting run with my best workout buddy! Ready to go, grah grah?" he asked.

Ai sighed with a chuckle. Then she gave Kody a huge...bear hug. "Of course I'm ready. Lead on!!"

As they jogged around the island, Ai breathed in the fresh air and appreciated the beautiful bright sky and cool breeze for the first time in a while. She couldn't believe how free she felt. 

As Ai and Kody jogged past the campsite, Kody stopped to point. "Hey, look, grah grah! There's a tent up!"

Ai slowed. "So?" she asked.

"Don't you want to see who's in there?" Kody asked with a tilt of his head.

Ai hesitated. "Well...I guess. If you insist."

She and Kody wiped the sweat from their foreheads and walked over to the tent. 

"After you, grah grah!" Kody said with his usual bright smile. He lifted the tent flap so Ai could get inside. She smiled warmly at his attempt at gentlemanliness.

Inside the tent was a small bear cub with cherry-colored fur, a quirky smile, and elegant rounded eyes. She was very cute. Ai stopped in her tracks.

"Cheri?" she asked.

"Oh, you already know me, tralala? Yeah, I'm Cheri! I saw your island advertised on my page, so I decided to come and visit! I LOVE it here!" Cheri exclaimed.

"Wow! You're a bear cub like me!! Pretty radical," said Kody.

"I...I don't believe it. I had completely forgotten about that," Ai exclaimed with disbelief. "And now you're here! I'd be happy to find a spot for you to live."

"Really? Sweet! Oh, I can't wait to meet everyone, tralala!" Cheri said with a bright smile.

As Ai and Kody exited the tent, Ai broke out into a big smile. 

"Well, she seemed cool, grah grah," Kody said. "Hopefully she's super STRONG!!" he struck a dramatic muscular pose.

Ai laughed. "I'm sure she is, Kody. Looks like I'm somewhat lucky after all," she beamed.

~~~~~~~~~

Soon everyone had been informed about their new neighbor Cheri. Skye and Ai sat back and watched the villagers talk amongst themselves.

"Well, looks like we've got an interesting new neighbor after all, huh, airmail?" Skye said with a smile.

"Yep," replied Ai. "I've got a good feeling about this!"

  She knew that with or without Raymond, she would always be happy. Thanks to her friends, her life was better than ever. 

The End

------------------------

Thank you for reading to the end!! I'm really happy with how the story turned out. It's weird, actually, because I've only ever written comedy, and this story is kinda lacking in that department. But nevertheless, I had trouble stopping, even just to eat, while writing this. I hope you enjoyed it!! (I swear I wrote a whole novel, but after rereading it, it just felt like one chapter.)
For a bit of trivia, the name of the protagonist Ai actually comes from Dōbutsu no Mori, which is a Japanese anime Animal Crossing movie released in 2006. The main protagonist of the movie is also a villager named Ai. I've never seen it, since it's only in Japanese, but I thought it'd be a cool Easter egg to throw in there.    :)

Anyway, thanks for reading!!