I was standing right in the middle of the vegetable garden. Haru was taking photos of me like this with her mobile phone.
Probably because she wanted to take before-and-after pictures of the garden. Bora took off the bag she was carrying, unzipped it, and pulled out the contents.
Inside were seeds of various vegetables. Of course, they were packaged, so we had to open each one individually.
I picked up a trowel and accepted the seed Bora handed me. It was cabbage. A versatile vegetable that could be used for wraps anytime, anywhere. Smiling brightly, I held the cabbage seed and approached the garden.
I dug into the ground with the trowel! Then I placed the seed and covered it with soil again. It was a simple action that could be completed in just a few steps.
I smiled as I planted the seeds in the ground. Bora and Haru also came over and diligently planted other seeds.
The garden wasn’t that big, so it didn’t take hours or anything. It didn’t even take an hour. Bora and Haru were exhausted, but I was full of energy. Couldn’t I give this overflowing energy to the plants?
Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind, and I instinctively stretched out my hand. Then, deep in my heart, I prayed, “Grow!” At that moment, I felt something leaving my body, and I staggered.
“Hana!”
Luckily, Bora caught me before I hit the ground. Thankfully, I didn’t fall and break my nose. Bora picked me up.
“Aren’t you overdoing it? I’ve never seen Hana stagger like this before.”
Bora spoke kindly, with concern for me. Haru, who was watching me, flipped her hair and said,
“You seemed so energetic earlier! Let’s just stop here for today and go back.”
I nodded at Haru’s words. All the energy I had from earlier was gone. It was better to leave the garden before I got dizzy. Still, I felt a bit disappointed. With that feeling, I spoke up, and Bora and Haru said it was better to go home, carrying me as we headed back.
“Hana, we can do it tomorrow!”
Those words reassured me. The garden wasn’t far away—it was right behind us—and I could come back tomorrow, so it was easy to retreat. After returning to the room, I washed up quickly and lay down on the bed. I felt a bit better than before, but my head was still spinning.
I slept deeply, and when I woke up the next day, my body felt incredibly light. It was as if yesterday’s dizziness had been a lie.
I took off my dinosaur pajamas and changed into clothes to go to the garden. Today, I grabbed a watering can and waited in front of the office. But Bora couldn’t come because of work, so I went with Haru. Haru was wearing the same comfortable clothes as yesterday.
It would’ve been a waste to wear expensive clothes to work in the garden. Dirt and all sorts of grime would get on them, and the laundry cost would’ve been a shame.
As we walked to the garden, an amazing sight unfolded before us.
“Wow!”
The plants had already grown to the point where stems were sprouting from the seeds we planted yesterday. It was an unbelievable speed. Haru, standing next to me, covered her mouth in shock.
“No way!”
Haru pulled out the photos she took yesterday. The garden, empty in the phone photos, now looked completely different. It was something unimaginable just yesterday. How could the plants have grown so much in just one day?
Even with the most advanced fertilizer and the best growing environment, this wouldn’t happen.
I happily ran around the garden. It was amazing how they grew in just one day, but I had a vague instinctual feeling about it. Meanwhile, Haru started seriously taking photos of the garden with her phone. Yesterday, she took pictures of me, but now she focused on the plants.
I glanced at Haru, then picked up the watering can and started watering the plants. It was high-efficiency, high-nutrient water, secretly mixed with a strand of my hair. Wouldn’t the plants grow even faster now?
I realized that the energy-draining actions from yesterday had sped up the plants’ growth. But I didn’t plan to do it often. Giving energy to the plants and feeling drained afterward—once was enough.
If this ability caused dizziness and headaches, it was better to restrain myself. Besides, whether the plants grew fast or slow wasn’t that important to me.
As I was watering the plants with the watering can, Haru approached me.
“Hana. Did you do all this?”
I nodded at Haru’s words. I didn’t know how or why, but it was definitely me.
“Yeah!”
“Okay…”
After saying that, Haru didn’t say anything special. She just stood next to me while I was watering.
—
In the morning, Haru had a routine she almost always followed after going to work. It was entering Hana’s room to breathe in the fresh air. And it was also fun to pamper Hana.
Today, to do that, as soon as she arrived at the office, she put down her things and headed to Hana’s room. This was also the reason she was almost always the first to arrive at the office.
“Hana!”
Opening the familiar door, Haru went in. As expected, since Hana had been breathing in the room all night, the air inside was incredibly fresh and refreshing. It felt like inhaling 500 times concentrated pine snow.
“Haru, hi!”
Hana was sitting on the bed, wearing dinosaur pajamas and watching TV. Haru took off her shoes and dashed to the bed. She lifted Hana, who was sitting on the bed, and hugged her tightly.
Hana didn’t seem to mind, so it was something they did every day. Haru buried her nose in Hana’s hair and took a deep breath. A refreshing sensation, like a drug, spread throughout her body. She was sure that even drinking a fatigue recovery drink wouldn’t give her this kind of refreshment.
“Haru, that tickles!”
Hana squirmed and wriggled in Haru’s arms, but Haru didn’t let go. Just a moment ago, she had been somewhat sleepy, but as soon as she smelled Hana, all her sleepiness flew away.
This must be what they call mental contamination in ghost stories. Maybe Hana, being naturally weak, emits a scent that bewitches those around her. That’s how addictive Hana’s scent was.
While holding Hana and recharging her energy, Haru noticed that Hana was deeply into a movie these days. This movie was about a bicycle ride and independent action, which Haru found quite boring.
But Hana seemed to find it very entertaining, her eyes sparkling as she watched TV. She was also munching on some snacks. Haru’s eyes lit up as she reached into the snack bag Hana was holding. Eating someone else’s food always tasted better.
Munch munch.
Haru picked up a snack and fed it to Hana. Hana ate it like a baby bird being fed, puffing her cheeks and chewing cutely. It was such a sight that Haru felt it was a waste to keep it to herself. She should have recorded it!
But whenever Haru brought out a camera, Hana would hide, so she couldn’t capture it. Hana would only let herself be filmed when she was in a good mood, but usually, she avoided it.
“Hana, your hair seems a bit damp.”
Haru noticed that Hana’s hair was slightly wet.
“I washed it and let it dry naturally!”
Hana proudly declared that she wasn’t using a hairdryer. Haru frowned and said,
“Hana, you can’t just leave your hair wet like that!”
Saying that, Haru brought over a hairdryer. She placed Hana on her lap, turned it on, and started drying Hana’s hair.
Whoosh whoosh.
The warm air blew out from the hairdryer. Luckily, Hana sat still. After a few minutes of the warm air, her hair felt dry. Haru turned off the hairdryer, thinking it was dry enough.
“Ta-da!”
Hana raised her hands above her head and let out a big cheer. Maybe it was a signal that her hair was fully dry.
“What hairstyle should we do?”
Haru played with Hana’s hair as she spoke. There were so many styles she wanted to try. Twin tails would look cute, or even just leaving it straight would be nice.
“Tie it up!”
Hana, who liked ponytails, chose that style for today.
Haru skillfully took out a hair tie and gathered Hana’s hair into a ponytail.
