Too Many Losing Heroines! - Volume 5 - Chapter 4.5

The next day is a Monday. The west winds are unexpectedly quiet today.

The northern sky has several stratus clouds floating around.

Municipal Momozno Middle School. The pure morning sunlight is beaming into the Gardening Club’s greenhouse from the ceiling. Asami Gonto- Gon-chan is facing a pot under the sun.

Ka-chak. A pleasing noise can be heard from the gardening scissors.

Gon-chan stared at the branch for a while. She made up her mind and reached her scissors out again.

Creak. The old door of the greenhouse is opened. It’s making noises.

The person who poked her head behind the door is- Kaju Nukumizu.

“Gon-chan, can you hear Kaju out…?”

“There’s fertilizer over the ground there. Watch out.”

Kaju nodded silently. She avoided the bag next to her foot and approached Gon-chan.

“Hey, Gon-chan…”

“Potted plants are all about imitating the scenes in nature inside a pot. Check it out from this side.”

Gon-chan suddenly said that before waving toward Kaju and asking her to come here.

Kaju approached her in confusion. Her eyes squinted as she looked at the plant.

“Scenes- it feels like a miniature model.”

Gon-chan raised her head. She seems to be formulating her words.

“Very close, but there are some differences. A potted plant requires time to care for its trunk, branches, and leaves. These things will slowly turn into a scenery at last.”

Gon-chan looked at the horizontally-growing branches and mumbled to herself.

“...This plant is as old as us.”

“Has it lived for 14 years already?”

Gon-chan nodded in agreement.

How long has it been? Not even Gon-chan and Kaju know. However, to them, this period is enough to cover everything they ever have.

“The teacher who left this to me once said you could never get a good look if you tried to trim trees into the shape you wanted. However, those unexpected branches- turn into beautiful scenery sometimes.”

Ka-chak. Gon-chan cut off the tip of the branch.

She stared at the cut briefly before gently putting down the scissors.

“...I would be pretty sad if Satoshi got a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, so-”

“However, you would be wrong to say I wanted to go out with him right now.”

Kaju wanted to say something, yet she kept her mouth shut.

Gon-chan slowly shook her head.

“The Satoshi next to me has always liked a teacher since he was young. This guy is such an idiot. He’s very loyal. If I confess to Satoshi and he changes his mind because of this, he won’t be the Satoshi I know, right?”

“So, …you mean Kaju misunderstood you?”

Gon-chan couldn’t stop her lips from curling up after hearing the unexpected words.

“Perhaps. So, I’ll be very glad if you can pretend you didn’t see anything.”

“...Yeah, sorry, Gon-chan.”

“I should be the one to apologize. Sorry to make you worry about me.”

The sun is already up before they know it. The whole greenhouse is really bright.

Kaju looked around before taking a step toward Gon-chan.

“...Hey, Gon-chan. Can you hear me out?”

Gon-chan agreed. Kaju took out a delicately-decorated small pink box.

“Kaju made friendship chocolate. Gon-chan, can you take it?”

“For me? Are you sure?”

“Yes, Kaju hopes Gon-chan can take it.”

Gon-chan took her chocolate and handed the gardening scissors to Kaju in return.

“Try to use it and trim these branches.”

“Eh? Can Kaju do it?”

Kaju took the scissors carefully.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter, even if it doesn’t look good. As long as you have fun.”

Kaju seemed startled. Gon-chan then gently stroked her head.

She stood before the pot nervously.

“There are iron wires on these branches. What are they for?”

“Adjusting the shape of the branches. The branches will get more sunlight that way. It’s good for ventilation as well. The trees hibernate during the winter, and that’s when we use the wires.”

“You install iron wires every year? This must be why the plant looks like this right now.”

Gon-chan nodded and touched the branches gently.

“But its shape can’t be changed easily even with the wires.”

“Really?”

Gon-chan stared at the rough trunk lovingly.

“It will slowly grow up with time. Sometimes it makes the owner satisfied, and other times it's unexpected. It only has its current form after a lengthy trial of time.”

“After a lengthy trial of time-”

Kaju realized it after hearing that.

No matter how the future turns out to be, it requires a lengthy trial of time.

Her brother’s future. Her own future. The siblings will eventually go on separate paths.

But these are strongly connected to the times the two of them have spent together.

“...Potted plants are kind of interesting.”

“Really? I can teach Nuku-chan anytime if Nuku-chan is into it.”

Gon-chan’s eyes are sparkling. Kaju nodded and grabbed the scissors again.

“Well, can I cut this part off?”

Asami quickly reached her hand out when Kaju put the scissors on the branch.

“Can you raise the scissors higher?”

“This should be okay, right?”

“Ah, move it a little over to that side of the branch-”

Gon-chan couldn’t help but intervene. So, Kaju’s lips curled down. She put her hands on her waist.

“Sheesh, Gon-chan said I could do it myself.”

Indeed.

Even though she may regret it. Even though she may cry.

She should tread every step determinedly as long as it’s the path she has chosen. This is what she has decided.

“Sorry.”

Gon-chan gave a wry smile. She raised her hands and surrendered.

“-The result is fine no matter how it grows, right?”