PrologueTwo Flowers
If there is a time when we fall in love, there must also be a time when we feel like we are best friends.
This happened during the Cultural Festival in the second year of middle school.
Despite being located in a rural middle school, our school's Cultural Festival is famous for its large number of visitors. Each club activity partners with local farmers or restaurants to hold a local product exhibition and food stalls. Every year, many students from other schools and guests come.
The Science Club held a "Flower Arrangement Exhibition". We cooperated with a large flower shop in the city to sell women's accessories made from fresh flowers as the main ingredient.
The first day of a two-day Cultural Festival. It's... ...almost 4 p.m.
I walked around the school carrying an accessory box. "I'm from the Science Club. I'm selling some flower accessories..."
"Oh yeah, Senpai's performance this afternoon was really cool."
"Oh! I missed it!"
...No one responded.
Yes, I know. My voice is too soft, so others can't hear it.
I feel panic. The sales target has not been achieved even though it is almost 10%.
Finally, an hour before the first day ended, I got the idea to go around the school and sell the stuff. However, the problem was that I just went around without really being able to promote what I was selling.
Can a person who has no friends talk to others in critical moments?
While I was confused, a couple who were interested in the accessories approached me.
What is this? Real flowers? Wow, it's so beautiful."
"Oh, this is an accessory made from preserved flowers. The profits will be donated to voluntary organizations..."
Preserved flowers are real flowers that are preserved with chemicals such as ethanol, so they don't wilt easily.
It is said that flowers preserved by an expert can stay fresh for up to one or two years.
The flowers are then decorated as accessories for sale.
"Wow, it turns out you can make something like this. How much is it?" The boy took earring accessories made from the items for sale.
Finally, there was a sign that someone wanted to buy it. Excitedly, I told him the price.
"Each one is 500 yen!"
"Eh, expensive! In that case, I don't buy it then, it's impossible."
In a harsh tone he refused, the accessories were roughly returned to the box.
...That was when I first realized how difficult selling was.
500 yen for a middle school student is not a small amount. While it is enough to eat at McD*nald's, it is still not the amount they would spend on accessories made by classmates.
In the end, I only managed to sell 5 out of 100 pieces. (There's only one more day left. ...But it seems impossible.)
Holding the almost full accessory box, I returned to the Science Lab.
And there, there is Himari (which means sunflower in Japanese).
Her skin is white, with a slender body.
Her eyes were large like almonds, with a clear sea blue color.
Her long, flowing hair had a slightly faded color with soft waves.
She is like a fairy with radiant beauty.
She stood alone in the Science Lab, carefully examining the flower accessories I had prepared. Surrounded by colorful fresh flowers, her presence became even more prominent.
She tried on the headband that was on sale, which had three round flower buds on it. She looked at herself in front of the mirror on the table and said, "It feels like having a flower garden on your head. It's cute," smiling to herself.
"Very impressive."
That's what immediately came to my mind.
If this was her photo uploaded on Inst*gram, I would probably hit 'like' 100 times without hesitation.
...Although it can't actually press that much.
While I was thinking about such silly things, he turned to me.
"Oh, you're finally back. You're Natsume Yuu from the Science Club, right?"
I was surprised when she suddenly said my name. For me, this was our first meeting. Her melodious voice was also pleasant, I thought lightly.
"Y-Yeah, that's right, but...?"
I felt awkward because I didn't know if she was a classmate, a senpai or a kouhai. Why doesn't this school differentiate uniform colors based on grades?
"You can't just leave an empty stand like that, you know. There were some girls with flyers coming to look earlier."
"Seriously!?"
I made a mistake. In the Science Club, there was only me. Of course, there was no one manning the booth. So, the items that could have been sold couldn't be sold...
"Oh, never mind."
"Why?"
Himari asked with a confused face.
With the current situation, it is difficult for me to admit my mistakes because my self-esteem is already broken.
"...It won't sell anyway, whether it's there or not is the same."
Himari was holding a juice box. It was a yogurt drink, which I often drank when I was in elementary school. She sipped it slowly.
"Actually, someone bought them."
"Huh... ...what!?"
A strange sound came out of me. You could even call it a scream.
Was she teasing me? But, that didn't seem to be her intention.
"Wait, how could that be... ...I mean, I'm not here!?"
"Oh, the money is here. I'll hold it for now."
Himari took another sip of her drink until it was finished. She neatly crumpled the empty box, then put it in her pocket. Her movements looked classy, as if she was used to doing it.
Then, she took out a brown envelope and handed it to me while saying.
"Here, it's for 15 people."
"What...!?"
I quickly opened the envelope. One thousand, two thousand, three thousand... ...11,500 yen.
Wow. I've never seen this much money except when I got New Year's red packets...
"Wait, this, what do you mean..."
"Oh, 15 people bought a total of 27 pieces."
"The.. ...The calculation is...!?"
"Is there something wrong with the calculations?"
I nodded vigorously.
"There's nothing wrong. So, Yuririn bought earrings and a hair clip, Mappi bought a book cover and a bookmark, and Azumi-senpai bought about three things."
She laughed lightly as she listed the purchase history one by one.
Is it true that one person buys a lot of things? Even though 500 yen is quite a large amount for a middle school student, right?
But it is true, the items mentioned are no longer there.
Why all of a sudden? All day long, even though I tried so hard to sell, only 5 pieces were sold. However, in the one hour when I was away, 27 pieces were sold?
...Is my face that bad? Although I'm not sure, it really hurts.
"Hey!"
Suddenly her face came closer.
Being pointed at directly from the front made me so shocked that I almost felt like my heart had stopped.
...Anyway, she is a girl with a beautiful face.
There was no impression of her make-up. However, there was a kind of nobility or perhaps a good family aura that radiated from her attitude.
Her hair swaying as she bowed also seemed to sparkle. It was like the famous cherry blossom trees in Kyoto swaying in the wind... ...Yeah, I know this metaphor may be strange. But for me, flowers are the closest thing to me.
"Why don't you look over here, Natsume-kun?"
"Eh, there's no particular reason..."
I averted my gaze....I really can't face a beautiful girl.
"Oh, before that, thank you for helping me watch for the stand."
"Oh, no problem. I was bored too."
"It should be me who does it..."
"Hmm... ...Then, maybe you can tell me one thing."
Himari said that, then suddenly she asked something very crucial.
"Why do you have to sell as many as 100 pieces in the Cultural Festival?"
"Hey, how did you know?"
"Sato-sensei from the Science Club told me."
"Oh, my privacy...!?"
Is it because the teacher was talking to a beautiful girl!?
As I was silent in confusion, Himari brought her face closer again. Even though I avoided her, she still approached me.
"Hey, what's up?"
She smiled broadly.
Her smile was so beautiful. It was like she was saying, "Hehe, since the cute me is asking you, you better confess soon."
Yeah, she was beautiful, but the pressure was so strong and scary.
"..."
Honestly, I don't want to tell this. I feel like I'll get teased again later.
However... ...the sale of these 27 pieces is very significant.
"I dream of opening a flower accessories shop like this. After graduating from middle school, I want to work to collect capital and told my parents that. But they wanted me to go to high school and become a civil servant. So, there was an agreement that if I could sell 100 of my own accessories at the Cultural Festival, I could do whatever I wanted."
"..."
Huh?
Himari opened her eyes wide, with an unreadable expression on her face.
Wait a minute. After forcing me to admit something so embarrassing, she can't just not react. I understand if she backs down, but she should have said it if that's the case...
"...Hahaha!"
"Huh?"
Suddenly Himari burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! That's normal. If a child had such an unreasonable life plan, normal parents would definitely object. Worse than a charismatic store clerk, haha!"
It was a very loud laugh.
The beautiful girl who looked calm, laughed while holding her stomach. Her impression that had looked cool was now suddenly gone. I was amazed, but in a different sense.
...I feel like there's something unfair when even her actions like that look so graceful.
While holding back laughter, Himari wiped her tears.
"Idiot."
"Hey, stop making fun of me."
"You are a total idiot. A total idiot!"
Being lightly insulted by a girl I just met, I felt a little upset... ...Not that I'm a masochist or anything.
I realized that it was this familiarity of Himari that made her so special.
"How many accessories are left?" Himari suddenly asked.
"So, out of 100 pieces, there are still 68 left..."
"That's all?"
"What do you mean?"
"Preserved flowers are easily damaged, so you must have a spare, right?"
"Actually, there are 50 spares..."
"So, the total is still 118 huh. Hmm, that should be enough."
I didn't understand what she was muttering.
"Prepare everything to sell tomorrow, okay?"
With that said, Himari waved her hand and left the Science Lab.
I left behind in the Science Lab, feeling confused.
...And, the next day.
It was past 4 p.m. on the second day of the Cultural Festival.
It was exactly the same time as yesterday when I met Himari. I was lying limply on the table in the lab room.
On the table, there was a sign that read:
"Flower Accessories, Sold Out."
Despite my enthusiasm in preparing it, I had no idea I would use the sign yesterday.
There is not a single exhibition accessory left in the Science Lab. All stocks are out.
Unlike yesterday, I didn't even have time to go around selling today. Most of today I spent counting money. I didn't even have time to eat lunch. Even though I was hungry, I didn't have the energy to buy food.
(Why did it suddenly sell...!?) I can't understand it.
It's not just a sale for students. On the second day, which fell on a Sunday, there were visitors from outside the school.
They are the biggest buyers. Especially female college students from nearby private universities.
The accessories worn by these adult women attracted attention. Female students my age who saw it immediately came to the lab after hearing the news where to buy it. When these female students performed in band performances or dramas, more students watched.
As a result, everything was sold out.
"Hey! Why is mine gone?!"
I lifted my head when I heard a loud noise.
Himari with a shocked face saw the empty display box. She shook my back which was lying on the table mercilessly.
"Hey, which one is that?"
"The yellow one!"
"Eh, which one? There are lots of yellow ones..."
"That one, the choker! The one with bubbles!"
(TL Note: A choker is like a type of necklace, but it goes around the neck a little more, unlike a regular necklace. You can search the internet for more details.)
"...A choker with bubbles?"
I remember. I took the last flower accessory from the stock box.
Five charming white petals with yellow stamens. Anemone.
A perennial plant that grows wild in the mountains and meadows. It is called that because one stem has two flowers. This is not a flower that I planted from seed, but one that grows naturally around it.
Anemone flowers that have been turned into preserved flowers are placed in resin, a transparent liquid, in the shape of diamonds. It is processed like amber and placed in a choker.
However, it was a failed product. There were a lot of air bubbles in the resin. Honestly, it lowered the value as a sale item. Although it looked good, it was only intended for exhibition.
Seeing it, Himari showed her sparkling eyes.
"Oh, thank goodness! I forgot to buy it yesterday!"
"...It's a failed product."
"Why? It's so cute!"
"If you like it, I'll give it to you. I don't think I'll ask for money for this failed product..."
"Really!? You're so kind, Natsume-kun!"
"Woah!?"
Suddenly I was hugged from behind, almost surprising me.
...That was really surprising. The distance Himari made was really close.
"I'm glad I helped. I was really lucky."
"Help? So, you're the one who sold everything out?"
"Hehe. Who knows?"
With a satisfied expression, Himari accepted the choker and immediately put it on her neck.
The fresh look really suits the choker. In fact, I think the bubbles in it actually add to the transparent feel it has.
...It's an amazing chemical reaction. Even if the product fails, depending on the person using it, it can look so striking. I'm really impressed.
However, Himari's surprising statement made my amazement disappear.
"I've been eyeing this choker for a long time. I always see you when you're filling resin in the Science Lab."
"What? From where...?"
"From the corridor window. You didn't notice it, did you?"
"I didn't notice it..."
"I even greeted you."
"Really!?"
"I was ignored. I never thought you wouldn't even notice me until yesterday."
"Sorry, I really didn't notice..."
I don't remember at all.
Since long ago, when I was focused on something, I was completely unaware of what was happening around me... ...I never thought that I would become a spectacle for the other students.
"Let's go."
"Where?"
Then Himari smiled sweetly.
"For our celebration♥."
...What I found out later was.
This girl named Himari is a very popular classmate at this school.
"Fashionable woman, Inuzuka Himari"
Both boys and girls, classmates, senpais, kouhais, even teachers, as if they were in the palm of her hand, surrounded by her popularity. She was the most popular female student.
Her family background is also very prominent. Her family has been a large landowner since the Taisho Era.
Her grandpa was a former member of parliament. Her dad was an active diplomat.
Her two big bros of different ages are promising local politicians and accomplished government officials.
It seems that a popular model had posted this flower accessory on Tw*tter (now X.) the night before. She also mentioned that it was being sold at a Cultural Festival. The model was a former classmate of Himari's big bro, and many female students came after seeing it.
At the launch... ...or rather at M*s Burger as a thank you, I was surprised to see an account with an incredible number of followers. Many reported purchases on Tw*tter. Many questions like "Where can I buy it?" I started to worry about my privacy.
"Wow..."
"It's nothing special. I'm just good at asking," Himari said with a faint smile.
Her smile was so natural that there was no hint of annoyance at all.
"Why did you help me?"
"Hmm?"
While sipping her drink, Himari said something strange.
"I'm not helping you. Because I don't feel pity for you," Himari said while checking her Tw*tter. "I just want to sell this. So I asked my big bro for help. It's not because I feel pity for you, Natsume-kun. You should be careful with your words."
"..."
She calmly said it.
And with sparkling eyes, she said something surprising.
"How about we open a flower accessory shop together? I'll help you."
"Huh?"
What is she talking about?
When I looked at her with that look, she said with a bit of smug.
"Since the beginning, I could do anything. I was good at both academic and sports, and I am beautiful. People liked me for my communication skills, and oh, I am beautiful, right?"
"Inuzuka-san, you said 'pretty' twice on purpose, didn't you?"
Even though she was smiling at me, I felt a little awkward.
Sorry, but I'm not the type who can immediately answer.
"Yeah, you are the most beautiful in the world."
"But all I really do is borrow a little bit of strength from someone else. So I actually envy someone who works hard like Natsume-kun."
"Hey, what do you know about me."
Her eyes sparkled.
It was as if she had been waiting to be asked and started telling the story.
"I know you tend to flowers every day in the abandoned backyard garden after the Gardening Club disbanded. That accessory, you made it yourself from the basic materials, right?"
Exactly right.
Then, Himari began to reveal the story of my past that I wanted to hide.
"I also know that you named each flower. When preparing for the Cultural Festival, you cried while cutting each flower, right?"
"You... ...You saw it?"
"Plus, extra points for talking to the flowers while watering them. "You're beautiful today", "You're all my best friends", "Even though we're apart, I love you", right? How can you talk so romantically to flowers?"
"Just kill me...!"
As I felt embarrassed, Himari laughed cheerfully. "I actually just wanted to buy an accessory, but the situation was worse than I thought. So, without thinking, I used my lifelong request on my big bro."
"Lifelong... ...request?"
"Yeah, a lifelong request. A very important thing."
She looked back at me with a blank stare.
"So, you want to take responsibility?"
"Eh...?"
Her words felt like a heavy punch to my gut. Indeed, what would happen if things went like that... ...Even though I knew the answer.
I would definitely be alone in front of the pile of stuff, feeling lonely.
"Responsibility in what sense...?"
"Hmm?"
She put her finger to her chin and tilted her head with a cute expression.
And with a dazzling smile, she said, "Can I borrow your eyes?"
A chill ran down my spine.
Seeing me accidentally gripping the hamburger tightly in my hand, Himari held back her laughter and added, "Not... ...Not in the horror sense, okay?"
"I know, but... ...I'd be worried if that was in that sense..."
Himari, while eating her french fries, took the teriyaki sauce that had leaked out of my hamburger paper bag. She put it in her mouth without hesitation while saying, "Natsume-kun, even though you don't show it on your face, your reactions are always big, huh. That really adds to the points." I wasn't sure if she was praising or criticizing me.
After eating the french fries, she drank her milkshake. The teriyaki sauce that was stuck to her lips mixed with the white milkshake... ...made me feel a little bit tempting.
Without realizing my thoughts, Himari seriously said, "I love looking into your eyes when you make flower accessories. They shine with passion for accessories. Straight and beautiful eyes."
"My eyes...?"
As she drank her milkshake, she smiled sweetly while holding her straw and said, "So, show those passionate eyes of yours just for me? Let me have that look? If you do, I will sell as many of your accessories as possible. How about we become partners in this destiny?"
"..."
Wordlessly, I nodded.
To be honest, I didn't really understand what Himari meant. The reason I accepted her offer wasn't because I was impressed by her fancy words... ...But more because I was afraid of not knowing what she would do if I refused.
However, without realizing it — I felt like I wanted to be her "friend."
Because for the first time since I was born, I met someone who saw value in me. Even my own family never understood my only passion, but she clearly told me that she "liked them".
The choker worn around her neck shone with her presence.
The niellia flower means "friendship", "cooperation", and "never parting".
I feel as if the niellia flower is a flower figure that can be relied on.
To me, Himari is like the niellia flower becoming human. It's impossible not to fall in love with her.
While I was immersed in this feeling, Himari suddenly said "Oh".
Then, the atmosphere changed. More precisely, it returned to its original atmosphere. The serious atmosphere that had been there disappeared, and she returned to showing a cheerful smile like when she was in the Science Lab.
"Of course, there are no romantic feelings between us. Why bother with such a thing? Love is like a poison that destroys everything. So, we don't need it."
From those emotional words, it has now changed to something very worldly.
...Well, I understand what she's trying to say. Separating business and love is an important theory in general.
"How about it, Natsume-kun? Can you do it?"
Under the table, she kicked my leg with the tip of her foot.
...If there was a beautiful girl like Himari who did something like that naturally, most people would definitely fall in love. There was a sense of closeness. Maybe this is what is called a peer atmosphere.
Himari looked happy, propping her chin with both hands and shaking her head left and right. Her beautiful hair swayed gently.
"So, is it possible that you have fallen in love? Have you fallen in love with me?"
"..."
Himari looked a little surprised.
Seeing her shocked face, I realized this was my first chance to talk back to her.
"I don't really like beautiful women. My big sister at home is the pretty and popular type of girl. Ever since I was little, she often talked about her true feelings for her boyfriend. Those rose-type girls are really scary."
"..."
She looked at me with a shocked expression. Then, she started laughing loudly.
"Hahaha! A rose type girl!? That's great. Yuu is really cool!"
Then, she patted my nose gently while laughing.
It seemed that the final "check" had been successfully passed. However, now she was calling me by my first name, Yuu, which made me feel uncomfortable.
There's no romantic feelings, but being called with my first name by a girl is embarrassing.
"If only all men were like Yuu."
"No, that's impossible. A normal man has fallen in love with you three times so far, and probably confessed to you five times."
"Why are there more confessions!?"
"Because most men, when they see a beautiful woman, they... ...eh, they want to, I mean..."
Himari smiled widely and clicked her fingers.
"Oh! I know! Sometimes I get approached by people like that, especially senpais and kouhais. But Yuu, if you're embarrassed, why did you say anything?"
"Well, you, Inuzuka-san, are clearly the cheerful type of girl. So, I thought it might be best if I just went with the flow..."
"Hahaha. You don't have to force yourself. But, seeing a serious expression like Yuu's face turning red and saying something like that, maybe I like it. It's cute."
"Eh, thank you... But we're in a restaurant, so could you please stop talking like that?"
If it was a boy like me who said it, it might be understandable, but when a beautiful girl like Himari said it, it felt really uncomfortable with all the stares directed at me.
...However, there was a strange sense of comfort when being in front of an "ideal friend" like this.
"But, to be honest, I've been popular since before I really knew what love was. So, I'm not really sure. There's a feeling that I might never be in a romantic relationship in my life."
"Eh, what do you mean?"
"I don't know, maybe I looked like I had interests or something. And from there, I started getting a lot of recognition and started realizing that 'Oh, I'm popular.' Maybe I've never been in love."
"A problem that's far from my reality, but it seems difficult, huh."
"Have you ever had a boyfriend, Yuu?"
"With a hobby like this, of course not. But, if it's about someone I like..."
Himari's eyes sparkled.
Enthusiastically, she approached me, waiting for my answer.
"Is there anyone you like? Who is it? If I know her, maybe I can help you."
"No, that's definitely impossible. Seriously, it's impossible. For starters, I don't even know where she is right now... ...She's a girl I met during my elementary school vacation."
Himari burst out laughing. "Are you the romantic type of boy!?"
"...Yeah, I am the romantic type of boy. Is something wrong?"
...This is not good.
Himari is the type of person who loves to tease someone's weaknesses mercilessly. But, she does it in such a lighthearted way and without any malicious intent. There's a strange sense of comfort, as if we've known each other for a long time, that makes me want to share stories with her.
"Hey, we're quite similar in some ways, aren't we? I find it easy to talk to Yuu, and there's a kind of sense of destiny between us."
"We're... ...quite similar?"
"It looks like neither of us will be getting married in the traditional way."
I felt the same way, like I had a very unique way of thinking, while I was really obsessed with flowers. Even though we seemed to fit in with our classmates, in reality we felt alienated.
The fact that we met was probably destiny. We really hit it off from the first time we met.
"If we're still single when we're 30, what if we live together?"
"Ignoring the sudden proposal, why 30...?"
"Hmm, is that some kind of age limit? I mean, until then we have to work hard to achieve our goals without being distracted by anything else."
"Oh, I see..."
Indeed, we need to balance everything in life. If we bet our lives on something, we must also be prepared to fail... ...which means we must have a backup plan.
"If you're still single when you're 30, think about living with me, okay?
Himari looked at me with a hopeful gaze while playing with the empty shake cup with her fingers.
I easily noticed the hidden hope behind her gaze and with a slight sigh, I said, "There's no way I'm with Inuzuka-san. I prefer a polite and gentle woman. Honestly, I don't want to go home and find myself in this kind of situation every day."
Hearing my answer, as I expected, Himari burst out laughing. "This might be the first time I've ever been rejected!" she said, laughing so hard that it looked like she was having trouble breathing.
I don't know what made her laugh so hard, but I think I'm getting a better understanding of what this girl likes.
And so, I fell into the friendship trap.
I am sure that Himari and I will be together forever as best friends.
However, such a deep belief was shattered so dramatically in just two years... ...really, life doesn't always go as planned.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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