Vroom vroom—
With the smooth sound of the engine, the car glided effortlessly down the road. Hana, sitting in the front seat, let out a big yawn, looking sleepy. Maru glanced at the kids through the rearview mirror. She wondered if the kids Hana had befriended were the kind to lead her down a bad path.
But from the way they were chatting, they didn’t seem like that kind of crowd. Relieved, Maru asked the kids,
“So, what do you guys wanna do?”
“We wanna see the vegetable garden Hana talked about!”
“Me too, me too!”
Hana had mentioned that her house was unique, but the kids didn’t find it particularly strange that she lived in a building. Then again, Hana’s personality was anything but ordinary. She often mistook things she heard on the internet as facts.
Maybe that’s why, with the internet, Hana seemed to adapt well to social life. Maru had been worried about how Hana would handle school life. Even regular kids struggle when suddenly switching schools, but Hana wasn’t from this world to begin with, so the worry doubled.
But judging by what the kids were saying, it seemed Hana was doing just fine in school. Plus, she was so smart that she’d never missed being top of her class. With the kids’ laughter filling the car, they soon arrived at the Starlight Research Institute. A security guard came out to check them, but upon hearing they were Hana’s friends, he let them in without further questions.
The Starlight Research Institute was known for its strict security, but when it came to Hana, they tended to turn a blind eye. After all, the institute was funded by the money Hana brought in. If anyone had a problem with it, they could just go make more money themselves!
The kids hopped out of the car in the parking lot, running around and enjoying their freedom.
Clap clap!
Maru clapped her hands to get the kids’ attention. She was pretty confident handling elementary schoolers by now, thanks to all the experience she’d gained taking care of Hana. In fact, she was sure she’d be an amazing parent if she ever got married and had kids.
Most parents are clumsy at first, but Maru had done so much “pre-studying” that she felt more confident than most.
“Kids! Let’s head to the vegetable garden!”
As soon as they got out of the car, Maru gathered the kids and decided to take them to the garden. She planned to let them play around there first, and once they got hungry, she’d introduce them to the building and take them to the restaurant on the first floor. The Starlight Research Institute’s cafeteria was so good that no other company could compare.
Rumor had it that the cafeteria was so delicious it could earn a Michelin star. People often wondered, “How good could a company cafeteria possibly be?” But those who came to the institute on business and tried the food always changed their minds. That’s how amazing the food was.
“Wow!”
The kids walked together to the garden behind the building. It was a bit of a walk, but not too far, and they chatted along the way, arriving in no time.
“Whoa! Is this the vegetable garden? Isn’t this more like farming?”
Yumi was shocked by the size of the garden. It wasn’t what she had imagined at all. In her mind, a vegetable garden was a small, cozy space where families grew plants together, maybe about 30 square meters.
But the garden Hana had mentioned was almost the size of a soccer field—maybe even bigger. And the greenhouses spread out across the area were a sight to behold.
“Ta-da!”
Hana proudly showed off the plants she was growing. Jiyu and Yumi stuck close to her, eagerly looking around. As soon as they stepped into the greenhouse, they were greeted by a comfortable temperature and humidity that made it hard to believe it was summer. The greenhouse had a system to maintain the perfect conditions for the plants to thrive.
Modern farming at its finest! Jiyu ran around the greenhouse without a care, but Yumi was still in shock over the sheer scale of Hana’s garden. Most vegetable gardens would look tiny compared to this.
“Look at the size of these strawberries! They’re as big as plums!”
Jiyu exclaimed in awe at the strawberries hanging from the vines. They were so big, it was like they’d been genetically modified. They were nothing like the bite-sized strawberries she was used to. For someone with a small mouth like Jiyu, it would take two bites to finish one.
“The color is so pretty too!”
Yumi was also amazed by the strawberries. They were truly beautiful.
Even if you looked, you could be sure that nothing here would match the color of the strawberries Hana was growing. The strawberries, a deep red like blood, seemed to glow on their own. It was almost like they were coated with polish, they were so shiny.
While picking the strawberries, Hana said, “Hey guys, try these strawberries, they’re really delicious!”
Hearing this, Jiyu, tempted, picked a strawberry and ate it. Normally, eating a strawberry right after picking it might feel a bit off, but Hana’s strawberries were different. As soon as Jiyu ate it, she exclaimed loudly because the taste was so eye-opening.
“Wow! This is really delicious!”
Seeing Jiyu’s reaction, Yumi also picked a strawberry and popped it into her mouth. She was curious about how good it must be to make Jiyu react like that. After all, Jiyu wasn’t usually one to exaggerate.
As Yumi took a bite, her eyes widened. The strawberries she had eaten before paled in comparison. The ones she had eaten before were just imposters wearing the guise of strawberries. The one she was eating now was the real deal.
“Wow, Hana! How did you grow these? I’ve never tasted strawberries this delicious before!”
Yumi, too, became a believer after tasting Hana’s strawberries. The strawberries Hana grew were already becoming a whispered legend in the entertainment industry, mainly because Kim Sehee shared them with the celebrities she advertised for. Celebrities who occasionally got to taste them would ask where they came from, but the answer was always silence.
Even if you wanted to buy them at a premium, there was no way. They weren’t for sale. Unless you worked at the Starlight Research Institute, you had no chance of tasting Hana’s strawberries. In fact, they were lucky to have tasted them at all.
Most people lived unaware of the existence of these strawberries.
After eating the strawberries, both Jiyu and Yumi became fervent fans. It was hard to imagine how good they must have been to elicit such a reaction.
“Delicious, right?”
“Yeah! Really delicious. Can I take a few home?”
Jiyu looked at the strawberries with a hint of regret. Clearly, one wasn’t enough. Of course, Jiyu had sneakily eaten another one, but both she and Yumi seemed eager for more.
Hearing this, Hana nodded and said, “Sure. Take as many as you want! They’ll just grow back anyway!”
Hana was right. The strawberries would grow back soon enough. The plants Hana grew had an astonishing growth rate. And even now, the strawberries were growing. Since the greenhouse was introduced, their growth rate had increased even more, and their size had grown to Guinness World Record proportions.
That’s why, even though the Starlight Research Institute and Kim Sehee took a lot of strawberries, there were still plenty left. They grew so many that even after being picked clean, there were still strawberries to spare.
“I’ve never seen a vegetable garden like this in my life!”
Jiyu said as she harvested the strawberries. Having not even lived ten years, there were many things she hadn’t experienced, but she had never seen such a large vegetable garden before. Both Jiyu and Yumi were city kids, after all.
In the city, even if you tried to grow plants, how much could you really grow? At best, it would be the size of a play garden. And with no proper place to grow them, the size difference between their attempts and Hana’s garden was stark.
“Take more, Yumi!”
Hana, sensing Yumi’s hesitation, poured more strawberries into Yumi’s basket. Yumi, delighted by Hana’s gesture, exclaimed, “Really?”
Yumi wasn’t usually one to impose, but these strawberries were just too delicious to resist.
Jiyu and Yumi took enough strawberries to last them several days. Maru, who was outside, even brought a box to help pack them up.
