/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45216836 (25/?)


Rolling (her wheelbarrow) up to the shrine, Yuuka’s pleased to see Anon sitting under the veranda drinking tea. Undoubtedly pleased to see her, Anon greets Yuuka, “Mornin’ Yuuka, what’s with the… everything?”

Yuuka’s words catch in her throat as she stares at Anon red faced. She replies slowly, her pause clearly planned to show her poise b-but not too aloof to be unreachable, “The last time I came here, I realized it was missing something. While Yukari successfully copied the form of the shrine, there is no true life to it. It feels artificial, without the connection to nature that makes a home a home. Though there are other problems that’d disqualify it from being such.”

Anon frowns slightly at her words about what makes a home, “I understand. Still, what’s the plan?”

Blushing that elegance Yuuka found mere moments ago was nowhere to be found, “W-Well I just... it’d be nice to... You see since you missed the autumn… Ah, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A GARDEN WITH ME?”

Yuuka cringes as she realizes that the last part came out too fast and too loud. Thankfully Anon doesn’t comment on it as he smiles and nods, “Sure, I’d been meaning to for a while now, though I couldn’t exactly run to the store to grab anything. I suppose I could have asked Takane, but… Uh anyway, I’d love to learn under a master of gardening. What did you have in mind?”

Still bashful from her previous faux pas Yuuka replies, “Could we head in? Since you’re the one living here I’d like your input.”

Anon chuckles at that though there’s something strained about it, “Ha, fair enough. I’m not used to… Uh, why don’t you come in and make yourself at home? I’ll see to making some tea.”

As Anon heads off to the kitchen, Yuuka lays out a large canvas over his living room table and begins sketching the false shrine’s layout.

Returning with a tea tray, Anon looks over Yuuka’s handiwork, “So what’s the plan?”

Any lingering embarrassment forgotten, Yuuka answers, “Again it depends on what you want. While the main point of focus should be the entrance, there’s a lot to do in the back. While I am less familiar with ponds, there are many interesting water flowers and the contrast with water gives a lot of possibilities. Not to mention as I imagine most have little interest in it, the back area could serve as a hideaway from the rest of the Shrine. Still, the flowers themselves are the lynchpin for all of that and we should have specific floral arrangements in mind before committing to anything.”

Anon’s eyes linger on the sketch of the pond for a while before he catches himself and nods, “Right, so what flowers do you have?”

Hiding a giggle behind her hand, Yuuka replies, “The better question would be what flowers I do not have, which is a very short list that grows ever shorter. If you want suggestions, I’d recommend Autumn flowers. It’s a bit late in the season, but I doubt that matters here. So, chrysanthemums are a given. Beyond there nemesia, anemone, sunflower lookalikes, azaleas…

***

The two have fallen into a steady rhythm. Few words pass between them, but there is little need for such things. Anon digs, Yuuka fills the gap with fertilizer, and then they both take a side and keep planting seeds until they meet in the middle. After that, they move on to the next patch of land. It’s a lot of work, but it must have passed quickly given no one has come to tell her that her session is over.

As the two rest under the surprising heat of the artificial midday sun drinking lemonade (that Yuuka made while Anon was finishing up his side of the pond), Yuuka remarks, “She’s a good kid, Hana. She’s taking to magic like a fish to water while not becoming a total recluse or… a strange person. You raised her well.”

Anon for some reason seems troubled by Yuuka’s words, “T-Thanks… It’s been hard.”

Yuuka nods, “Still, flowers can bloom in even the most desolate places, though they can only reach their true potential through loving care. I-I’d like to show you something.”

Getting up and walking out into the yard Yuuka begins to explain, “I uh suppose this isn’t the best way of doing things, but I think it’d be a shame for the Shrine to remain empty for now. Don’t… just…”

Cutting herself off, Yuuka gets down on one knee and touches the ground. Reaching out into the soil, she feels the sterile fakeness of it all. Pushing past the artificiality, she reaches out to the seeds, the bearers of potential, and begins to feed them life.

It’s imperceptible at first, but soon the first stalks begin to peak out of the soil. They are soon joined by their brothers before they all begin to grow. An outsider might liken the scene to a timelapse, but there is something indescribable about the way the flowers all begin to bloom with color at once. Seeing her job done, Yuuka cuts off the tap before the flowers wither.

Fidgeting Yuuka asks, “It’s nice, isn’t it.”

Staring out at the field of flowers Anon replies, “It’s beautiful.”