Chapter 2

I never heard anything about the eternal flower.

My curiosity was triggered and my interest was pulled in Fina.

“What kind of flower is it? The eternal flower.”

“Pttff…” She made a little cute laugh and took a drink of water. Fina continues by saying, “ The eternal flower is a flower that lasts forever. The flowers will bloom no matter what the weather is. Watering it or not, it's still blooming.”

“I wonder what it looks like. I do see lots of flowers while I’m traveling. Sometimes I gather flowers and sell them for money.”

“Konoha knows how to be an adventurer and have money. You’re so self-reliant. I envy people like you. People like Konoha can survive without anyone. You’re like an eternal flower. Is traveling fun? Did you see lots of places and meet lots of people?”

Surviving without anyone’s help. It was true that I didn’t casually ask for someone’s help. I would rather do my things for myself. I tackle my problems myself.

No one will truly help me when I’m truly alone.

When I was truly alone…

In my mind, I saw images of me sitting on a couch and dogs around me. Potato chips on the table and a television. And when I turned my head I saw myself in the reflection. I have black hair and dark brown pupils.

Who is this person?

This kind of memory occurs to me once in a while. I don’t know who the girl is in the reflection and why I’m in her perspective. My face is totally different than hers. She is cute, but I’m much cuter. I really love my light brown hair.

That person wasn’t me at all.

I put my hand on my head and took a sip of water.

“Did you have a headache?”

“Yeah, I’m recollecting some memories. Something might trigger my memories, forcing fragments to come back.”

“Did you remember something about your past?”

“Not exactly… I don’t understand why I have her memories.”

“Her memories? Your speaking is not yours. That’s really weird.”

“N-Nothing, don’t mind me.”

Looks like Fina is thinking that I’m a total weirdo.

“The way Konoha blushes is so cute.”

Telling you that I’m cute again. embarrassing, but I don’t dislike it. To girls, attention is important.

“About the helper here… So this man is searching for the eternal flower to sell in this shop?”

I asked.

“Nope… He is totally stupid to go to search for it.”

“Why? I mean, eternal flower sounds cool.”

“Because eternal flowers don’t exist at all. The reason why his quest for finding it is because of me. I ordered him to search for the eternal flower.”

Like earlier, Fina’s eyes became melancholic.

Fina put her spoon down and walked to the sink. She cleaned the dishes and while waReng, she told me the story about a previous helper and her.

The previous helper was called Denver. He's a man the same age as Fina. He started helping in the flower shop to support his needs at school. While working, he met Fina. The man named Denver is a loner and doesn’t speak a lot if he does. He said complicated things about school and mathematics.

Fina said that she didn’t understand most of it, but she enjoyed listening to him. At the same time, Denver is lending her ears to Fina. Fina tells stories about her childhood. The story is repetitive, but Denver never gets tired of her stories.

While telling her story right now. Her melancholic face brightens. As I listen to her word by word.

I could tell.

I could tell that she was in love with the man in question. She is in love with this man named Denver.

“One day, he came back here from school and told me that he loved me.”

“Really?! That’s great. Then he is your boyfriend.”

Fina shook her head and replied:

“I can’t… I refused his offer. I rejected his feelings.”

Why? It's clear to me that she also likes him.

“... He won’t give up and continues to stay at my side. One day, I told him that if he could find the eternal flower, I would marry him. That’s why he goes on his quest to find the fabled flower that doesn’t exist.”

“You have your cruel side. Are you grossed out by him? Is he ugly and you don’t like him?”

“It was hurting when you said something like that. He's not ugly or very handsome. I think he's above average. He's not that tall or short. He's smart and has problems with being with other people. He's very nice and self-reliant, like Konoha. Working to fund himself. With the little similarities we have. I started to like him.”

“If you like him, why does Fina reject him?”

“That’s because I can’t last forever. Just like the flowers in this flower shop. I’ll wither….”

*Thud!*

Fina fell to the floor and her mouth released into the blood. I carried her to the couch and took a look at her.

What is happening? Why is she suddenly falling? Just like earlier. As far as I remember, there was red liquid on the floor.

And that smell. The smell that I don’t like.

It's the smell of medicine. The smell of bitter syrup medicine.

“S-Sorry for troubling you again, Konoha.”

Fina said.

“Don’t apologize, it's not your fault.”

The flower shop doors opened and there. A woman came in a hurry. Worried, she would go straight to Fina.

“Fina!”

“Mother.”

Fina lost consciousness afterward.

I explained what was happening to her mother and she immediately understood it. Fina was brought to her room for her to have a rest.

The sun falls and the night rises. I was given a room to stay in. But before I go inside. Her mother bowed her head to me and thanked me. To help her daughter.

I took a hot bath first to refresh my stiff shoulder. After the bath, I dried my hair with wind magic and then changed into my pajamas. I lay down on the bed and covered myself with a thick blanket.

“So great. Finally, I got to sleep comfortably.”

I said.

*Knock! Knock!*

“ It's open, please come in.”

Opening the door, Fina appeared with a pillow in an embrace in her arms.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“S-Sure…”

I can’t refuse. I’m just staying here for a while. It's still their house.

Laying right next to each other. I felt an enormous amount of awkwardness. We stood silent and just looked at the wooden ceiling.

“...”

“...”

“Konoha.”

“Y-Yes?”

“About earlier…”

“Don’t sweat it… Your mother told me about your condition. They said that you have a rare condition. Doctors haven’t yet discovered the cure to your mysterious illness. I was wondering why someone as pretty as Fina is alone? I took a glimpse of your feelings. I may look like a child, but I do have a talent for empathy. I slightly understand your feeling. The reason you are distancing yourself from others and the reason you refuse to love the one you love the most. It's because of your illness.”

“That’s right, I’m distancing myself from others… Because of my illness, I can’t have meaningful relationships with others besides my parents. I could die at any moment. Without my medicine. I’m already dead. My father is working away and my mother is doing extra work outside the flower shop to support my medicine. When my water is gone, like flowers, I’ll wither. The least that I can do is to stay in the flower shop. But I can’t do it alone without a helper. I’m so pathetic, I’m a burden to everyone around me.”

“Don’t say such things like that… You’re not a burden. Just like flowers, you enjoy taking care of them every day. You are precious to the people around you. Because they loved you.”

I rolled toward her and stretched my arms around her.

“... My hug might not do much in your mental state. At least, I could embrace you for a while. I can’t judge the way you live. What's the right thing to do or the wrong thing? You might be right in saying those words and you might be wrong. I don’t have a straight answer. I’m also a mess. Just like you, I’m a mess. Right now, I just want to calm you down.”

“Thank you… Konoha.”

As I hugged her, she smiled. Putting ease on her heart.

I’m very glad that she calmed down.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.