[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
I've been super busy lately so I haven't been able to reply, but I'm readin' every single piece of feedback you guys leave.
Meow~.
I've been super busy lately so I haven't been able to reply, but I'm readin' every single piece of feedback you guys leave.
Meow~.
Part Six
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 210
Somethin's Off with Minamo
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 210
Somethin's Off with Minamo
After school, both Hayato and Haruki paid a visit to the back of the school buildin', where the Gardenin' Club's flower beds were located.
As they tended to fall veggies like potatoes and eggplants alongside Minamo, as well as cold-weather crops like stick senor, daikon radishes, and napa cabbage, the convo here naturally revolved around the Cultural Festival as well.
"I'm so excited for the Cultural Festival! Word is our high school goes pretty big, and a ton of people from outside come to visit too!"
"Back in Tsukinose, the 'Cultural Festival' was basically just a Movie Screening Session. So havin' all kinds of food stalls, stage events... ...ahaha, honestly, I can't even picture what it's like."
"My middle school's Cultural Festival was in-name-only too—just a glorified presentation, speeches, a choir contest, and some exhibits. It was pretty dull, so I'm super pumped!"
Their hands kept moving as their convo blossomed.
Turns out that even in the big city, the scale between middle school and high school was night and day, makin' their convo all the more passionate.
"A lot went down last year so I couldn't even participate in the Cultural Festival itself, which makes me even more hyped!"
"Oh, I see. Btw, Minamo-chan, is our Club gonna host anythin'? It's not just Cultural Clubs like the Manga Club, Drama Club, or Tea Ceremony Club—looks like even the Baseball Club and Basketball Club are puttin' somethin' together."
"Hmm, I haven't really given it much thought. Apparently in the past, they'd decorate the main gate and courtyard with flowers, or brew herbal tea using hibiscus, lavender, and chamomile grown by the Club to serve to visitors, but..."
"All we're growin' right now is veggies, though. Honestly, I've been meanin' to ask—are there any other Club members besides us?"
"Looks like there hasn't been anyone here for about two years, so it's just us. That's why April was an absolute nightmare. Horsetail, mint, fish mint..."
"Yikes..." "A-Ahaha..."
Minamo vented her deep-seated grudge against those sworn enemies—weeds with terrifyin'ly explosive growth rates.
With eyes drained of all life, Hayato sympathized with Minamo's ordeal, lettin' out a pained groan of agreement.
Watchin' the two of them, Haruki's mouth twitched into an awkward smile.
"Anyway, we're short-handed and what we can do is pretty limited, so the Gardenin' Club isn't plannin' to do anythin' for now. I'd love to do somethin' next year, though!"
"I see. ...Still, I'm surprised the Club hasn't been disbanded or anythin'."
"Hmm, looks like our school's pretty lax with those rules. But when it comes to Club funds, they're super strict—wait, Minamo-chan?!"
"—Oh," "Gasp!?"
Haruki's panicked voice echoed.
Minamo, who had just finished a round of work and was about to stand up, suddenly wobbled and tipped headfirst toward the ground.
Haruki moved instantly and grabbed her arm, while Minamo managed to brace herself with one hand on the ground, avertin' disaster.
"Phew, thank goodness."
"Nice save, Haruki! You okay, Minamo-san? Dizziness?"
"Th-Thank you so much..."
Minamo gave a bashful, embarrassed smile.
Takin' a close look at Minamo to see if she was really fine, Hayato noticed her complexion looked a bit off.
Hayato furrowed his brow. Sensin' the same thing, Haruki offered a nod as their eyes met.
"Minamo-chan, are you anemic? Um, is it, like... ...that time of the month?"
"Ngh, oh... ...I don't have chocolate on me. I got candy, though... ...Should I go grab some hot cocoa from the vendin' machine?"
"Fueh!? N-No, it's nothin' like that! I'm really fine, just a bit sleep-deprived... ...you see, with Grandpa gettin' discharged from the hospital, I've been scramblin' to look into insurance paperwork and stuff I've never done before, so things got pretty hectic..."
"Oh, gotcha. Dad handles all that stuff at our house."
"Auntie Hayato's Mom is gettin' discharged soon too, right?"
"Yeah."
"I hope Auntie can head back home soon as well."
Minamo flashed a gentle smile.
In the meantime, they finished gatherin' up the scattered weeds, wrappin' up the rest of the work.
Minamo briskly collected the tools, stood up steadily this time, and said, "I'll clean up the rest," before hurriedly makin' her exit. Yet, her back looked like it was wobblin' just a bit as she walked away.
Maybe Minamo really was under the weather.
Gettin' worried, Hayato was about to go after Minamo, but out of nowhere, Haruki grabbed his hand and held him back.
"Wait."
"...Haruki?"
Baffled by Haruki's unexpected move, Hayato was about to protest and ask why, but the dead-serious look on her face made him swallow his words.
"..."
"..."
They stood there in silence for a brief moment.
Haruki pressed her other hand against her mouth, seemin'ly rollin' words over in her mind.
So Hayato just waited, keepin' his eyes locked on Haruki.
Before long, Haruki's eyes quivered, and she hesitantly opened her mouth.
"Hey, Hayato. Minamo-chan's super close with her Grandpa, right?"
"Hmm? Oh, like a doting grandpa? Minamo definitely seems super spoiled by her Grandpa."
"Then...—what about her Mom and Dad?"
"That's..."
Words escaped Hayato. He'd never really heard the details.
All Hayato knew was that until just the other day, Minamo was practically livin' by herself in a house without her Grandpa around.
It was obvious there were some complicated circumstances that were hard to talk about.
Every now and then, Minamo would wear a lonely look on her face. A look that felt painfully familiar.
That was why Hayato couldn't just turn a blind eye—it felt personal somehow.
Yet, Hayato couldn't just barge into Minamo's life uninvited either.
It was frustratin'.
And Haruki was probably feelin' the exact same way.
Haruki gripped Hayato's arm tightly, her mutter oozin' with the desperate wish for her suspicion to be wrong.
"Minamo-chan's look earlier... ...it was similar."
"...Similar?"
"To me. To be exact, to how I looked when I got rejected by Mom and my Grandparents."
"Gasp! That's..."
Haruki added with a self-deprecatin' laugh, "Hope it's just me overthinkin' it, though."
Hayato's face crumpled.
Hayato didn't know what kind of situation Minamo was dealin' with.
Hayato just knew that Haruki, clingin' to his arm, looked like a lost kid holdin' on for dear life—so he took her hand and squeezed it tight, speakin' straight from the heart.
"If anythin' happens, let's be the very first ones to rush to Minamo-san's side. After all, she is—our friend."
"Hayato... ...yeah, you're right!"
When Hayato flashed Haruki a smile packed with strong determination as if sayin' "Right?", she blinked in surprise for a second before noddin' firmly.
Doing whatever it took for Minamo—neither of them had a single doubt about that.
Yeah, because to Hayato, and to Haruki as well, friends were truly special.
As a statement of their shared resolve, both Hayato and Haruki bumped their fists together.
Author's Notes:
Actually, today my brand-new original work, "Hajimete no Kanojo ni Furareta no wa, Seiso B*tch na Imōto no Sei" (Gettin' Dumped by My First Girlfriend Is All My Pure-Lookin' B*tch Little Sis' Fault), just released on France Shoin e-Books. It's an *cchi one.
This one's e-book only, but if you're interested, please give it a read.
If anyone calls me out askin' "What the heck are you doin' releasin' stuff back-to-back?", all I can say is "I was writin' 'stuff'", yep. Meow~.
TL: Reeze27