Maru was working alone in a lonely office. To be honest, there wasn’t much to do. The role of the office on the 10th floor was just to assist Hana.
After Hana disappeared, the department became utterly useless. As proof, the employees who were once in the office scattered like leaves. The only silver lining was that they weren’t fired.
Luckily, the plant that grew from Hana’s tooth was thriving, so they filled the gaps in that department with the remaining staff. Maru was scheduled to transfer there next week.
Maru stared at the photo stuck to her desk and fell into deep thought. The photo showed Hana smiling brightly.
In that short time, Maru had grown quite attached to Hana. Since joining the company, she had spent a lot of time with Hana, and now she missed her dearly. She didn’t know if they’d ever meet again, but if they did, she’d have no regrets. She just wanted to pinch Hana’s adorable, mochi-like cheeks one more time.
Maru closed her laptop and prepared to leave. Just because Hana was gone didn’t mean she could quit her job. Suddenly, she caught a familiar scent. Just smelling it made her whole body feel refreshed. It was the scent she often smelled when Hana was around. Maru quickly turned her head. Outside the office, Hana stood there, looking disheveled and wearing an awkward smile.
Maru immediately jumped up from her chair and ran to Hana. She had missed her so much over the past month. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged Hana tightly.
“Maru, I’m back.”
“Why did it take you so long, Hana?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m just glad you’re back safe and sound, Hana.”
Seeing the clarity in Hana’s eyes, Maru finally felt the reality of her return. Hana was really back.
Maru held Hana and asked, “Are you hurt or in pain anywhere?”
“Nope! I’m perfectly fine, Maru!”
———————————————
After Hana returned, the Starlight Research Institute was in an uproar. Hana, who had been missing for a month, came back relatively unharmed. Thankfully, the elf who took Hana was said to have been very friendly, which was a relief. If the elf had had ill intentions, Maru didn’t even want to imagine what could have happened to Hana.
The scattered office employees returned to their original positions now that Hana was back. Of course, the higher-ups wanted to shake things up for failing to properly care for Hana, but Hana’s opinion was too strong. She even threatened to go on strike if the original staff didn’t return, so they had no choice.
However, the Mixed Species Research Institute, which Hana had secretly entered, had now disappeared from near the building. It was largely due to Linea’s mistake in taking Hana. Now, there was nothing around the building. The research institute had been relocated far away, and there were no more threats to Hana.
“Hana, where have you been?!”
Bora and Haru also hugged Hana tightly. They were so happy that this troublemaker had returned. Thankfully, Hana didn’t get spanked. The primary blame fell on the employees of the research institute who hadn’t noticed Hana sneaking in.
Now, it felt awkward to call it the Starlight Research Institute. It was just the Starlight Building. The research related to mixed species had been moved far away.
Anyway, the Starlight Research Institute employees were in a festive mood. With Hana back, all their worries vanished in an instant. However, Hana had to undergo questioning by the research staff.
Of course, it wasn’t like the aggressive interrogations by prosecutors at the prosecutor’s office. Hana was clearly in the position of power here. On the table were delicious cake slices and drinks. Hana munched on the cake while chatting with the employees.
They didn’t ask for too many details. Hana didn’t seem keen on sharing much. The employees were just relieved that the elf had been worshiping her, so they figured it wasn’t a dangerous place. And so, Hana’s month-long journey came to an end.
Of course, Hana had been on an exciting trip, while the Starlight Research Institute had endured a month of hell.
—————————————–
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”
I had to endure Maru pinching my cheeks. It had only been a day since I returned, and I was already being treated like a child… I was the god of the World Tree Church, for crying out loud!
Of course, this was a secret only I knew, so I couldn’t exactly say anything. Not that anyone would believe me anyway.
“I’m so happy you’re back, Hana!”
Seeing Maru smile, I couldn’t help but feel happy too.
Happiness was something that got better the more you shared it.
A day passed, and we were back to our usual routine. The only downside for me was that the school vacation was almost over. Elementary school vacations were always on the shorter side. If it were college, even if I wasted a month, there’d still be plenty of vacation left, but elementary school was different.
Only about two weeks remained. There wasn’t any vacation homework or anything, so I didn’t have to rush to do something. I thought about the plants I saw in the greenhouse. It felt almost magical that they withered just because I was gone for a month.
“Maru! I want to go to the greenhouse!”
Hearing my words, Maru looked surprised, as if she hadn’t been thinking about anything else while touching my cheeks.
“Hana! We tried taking care of them after you left, but it didn’t work…”
According to Maru, even after I disappeared, they meticulously cared for the plants in the greenhouse, but it didn’t help much. They adjusted the temperature perfectly and watered them every day, but the plants still withered as if they were sick. I had already seen the withered plants in the greenhouse yesterday, so I understood the situation even without Maru explaining.
“Don’t worry! We can just grow them again!”
For me, growing plants was as easy as swimming on land. Just sprinkle some seeds, and they’d grow like magic. If farmers saw how I grew plants, they’d probably scream that it was impossible.
No matter how I thought about it, my method of growing plants was simple and straightforward.
“Let’s go together, Hana!”
Maru followed me. Of course, since we were going to farm, changing clothes was a bonus. We wore clothes that wouldn’t mind getting dirty with soil and dust. It would’ve been terrible to wear expensive clothes and come back covered in dirt.
We walked step by step to the greenhouse. There, a strange sight unfolded. The plants that had turned brown and withered just yesterday were now regaining their vibrant green color. Of course, there were still some dried-up plants, but their numbers were few.
“Wow… Did this happen because Hana came back?”
Maru’s mouth hung open as if she had witnessed something magical. Just like Maru said, the plants that seemed beyond saving yesterday were now regaining their vitality, as if they had taken some miracle medicine.
“Of course, now that I’m here!”
I shrugged and got to work. Even though the plants would grow well just by scattering seeds, there were still things I needed to do. Plants that grew well without care would grow even better with care, so I started tending to the crops I hadn’t touched for a month.
Maru helped me too. Fortunately, we didn’t use the entire greenhouse, so the smaller area made it easier to manage. We hadn’t even used half of the greenhouse’s space yet. I had left some area for growing other plants later, and I planned to use that space today.
I carefully planted a single seed that emitted a blue light. Maru noticed the seed I planted and asked.
“Hana, what’s this?”
“It’s a plant that’s good for baldness.”
“Baldness?”
Maru probably didn’t know much about baldness. Well, women rarely suffer from baldness, so they don’t have much knowledge about it. Baldness is a cursed condition heavily influenced by male hormones. In my past life, I had also been stressed about having thin hair.
I planned to become a savior for those suffering from baldness. Sorry to the modern pharmaceutical industry that pours tons of money into baldness treatments.
Bald people would pray for a cure, so it wouldn’t hurt if I revealed it first, right? They would do anything to cure their baldness, no matter the cost.
With that, I chuckled and planted the seed.
