[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 8When the Stamen and the Pistil Get Together ― ― Squeak!
Even though it's behind the school building, the flowerbed gets plenty of sun. There's hardly any foot traffic, making it the perfect spot for some school gardening.
From a distance, Hayato could see several large yellow zucchini flowers in full bloom.
In front of them, he spotted a girl with curly hair—looking exactly like one of Old Man Gen's sheep back in Tsukinose—fretting around.
"Morning. Something wrong?"
"Yikes! …Oh, it's you, the boy from yesterday."
"Flowers are blooming, huh? Did you pollinate them yet?"
"Um, well, about that…"
"It's a lot easier if you've got a cotton swab."
"…I don't have one, though."
The girl from the Gardening Club looked down, her face turning beet red with embarrassment.
Looks like she either forgot or didn't do her homework. If they just left it like this, the zucchini wouldn't grow at all. And Hayato wasn't cold-hearted enough to just say "see ya" and walk away after going out of his way to check on her.
"Alright, look—the ones with the little green fruit at the base are female flowers, and the ones without are male. Mind if I pluck one?"
"Huh? O-Oh, sure! Please, go ahead!"
"The petals just get in the way, so you peel 'em off… …then you take the exposed stamen and rub it against the pistil like this. Got it?"
"I-I'll try! Like… …Like this, right? Um, okay."
"One stamen is usually enough for two or three female flowers."
"Got it!"
With Hayato's coaching, the girl started working on the pollination.
Compared to a real farm, it was small, but for a school garden, it was a decent size.
There wasn't much time left before Morning Homeroom.
Despite being in a bit of a rush, Hayato's heart was light, getting to do some farm work for the first time in a while. He couldn't help but let a small smile slip.
"I always thought veggies just, like, grew on their own…"
"Huh?"
"The stamen and the pistil coming together, having that kind of... ...intimate process to bear fruit… …Oh, so they really are alive, aren't they? And we're actually eating them…"
"I guess so. Yeah, you're right…… totally."
To Hayato, farm work was just a normal part of life.
Back in Tsukinose, everyone was a farmer, so this stuff was totally mundane. He'd always seen it as just another chore.
That's why this Gardening Club girl's take on it felt so fresh that Hayato couldn't help but stare at her.
The second she noticed Hayato staring, her face went totally red. She jumped up and started flailing her arms around in a panic.
"U-Um, that's just weird… …I'm being weird, aren't I?! The stamen and the pistil... ...that's just, like, totally lewd… …hau."
"Whoa, hold on!"
"I mean, the whole stamen and pistil thing is basically making ba― ―squeak."
"Calm down, please!"
With that sudden outburst, Hayato had no clue how to handle the situation.
Hayato was totally, completely lacking in any kind of skills when it came to dealing with girls his own age.
"Stamens, pistils, and a beet-red Mitake-san… …just what on Earth do you think you're doing, Kirishima-kun?"
"N-Nikaidō-san!"
"Haru… …Nikaidō!"
Right on cue, Haruki showed up to play the straight man to their little drama.
Haruki was giving them a major side-eye, her gaze heavy with judgment. Since she's a total beauty to begin with, that look had some serious pressure behind it, making both of them instinctively back away.
"U-Um, well, I… …G-Good morning! Excuse me!"
"…Wait."
Maybe she just couldn't take the awkward vibes anymore, or maybe she was just already pushed to her limit, but either way, that girl bolted out of there like a scared rabbit.
Left in the dust, Hayato was now all alone with Haruki, who was still wearing a massive pout.
"Look, this is, eh…"
"Pfft! I knew it. That girl is a total ringer for those sheep back home that scramble whenever Old Man Gen loses his cool at 'em, right Hayato?"
"Haruki?"
Hayato was racking his brain for an excuse, but against all odds, Haruki's voice bounced back with total cheer. She had the look of a total brat who'd just pulled off the perfect prank.
"How long were you watching?"
"Since the pollination was, like, halfway done? I was wondering what you guys were up to, then suddenly her face went red and she started spiraling, so I figured I'd better 'come to the rescue'."
"That's like, way too long! If you were there, you could've just said something… …now it looks like I said something totally creepy to her."
"Hey, I've got a reputation and a school persona to maintain, ya know? Can't be helped~"
"Oh, so it's okay to throw me under the bus?"
"Yeah, you're fine."
Haruki spun around, her skirt fluttering in the air, and gave him a bright, mischievous grin.
"Because we're friends, duh."
"…What kind of logic is that?"
It was a total non-answer.
A soft chuckle drifted between the two of them.
(Well, whatever.)
For some reason, Hayato found himself just going along with it.
Author's Note:
Next update's gonna be posted tonight.
Translator's Note:
Just a heads-up, guys: this message is actually from the Author back in 2020. As for the next chapter, I'm not sure exactly when I'll be uploading it yet, so just hang tight, okay? Stay tuned!
Bonus Story
"Hey Haruki, did you know? Zucchini flowers are actually edible."
"Wait, for real?!"
"Yeah, they're great as tempura. In Italy, they stuff 'em with mozzarella and anchovies, then deep-fry 'em like fritters."
"Ugh, now I'm hungry… …Hayato, how do you even know all this?"
"Let's just say... a lot of stuff happened (at those parties) back then…"
"Hayato…"
Home gardening is 100% the Author's hobby (stone-faced).
Getting your hands in the dirt is the best, guys. Seriously.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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