The Florist
July 1st. I snuck out of the hospital today. I’m going on my first trip…
I’m so excited… I wonder if
I’ll never forget this day for the rest of my life. Everything I saw, everything I ate, everybody I met… All the smells, the sounds, the colors… And I’ll never forget how warm
Going on a trip can make you feel so many things.
So I’ve decided. One day… As HAMA Ward 0 mayor, I’ll make sure everyone who visits gets the best hospitality ever.
I knew it… It’s a recording from the day I helped Kafka sneak out of the hospital and we explored HAMA together.
(Kafka… This day really meant a lot to him.)
“One day as mayor…” I expect nothing less from the heir of the current HAMA ward 0 mayor… What grand ambitions from such a young age.
But I digress. We must commence the search for Young Master Kafka immediately. I propose we go our separate ways for maximum efficiency.
Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll head out, then…
(I don’t think Kafka left the cassette there for no reason.)
(I thought I could start by following the route I laid out for our trip back then, but…)
I didn’t really think it through when I made it, so it goes all over the place. I hope I can find him sooner rather than later… *bump*
Woah, there! You got a problem with me or somethin’?
Oh, excuse me.
Whazzat?! You almost pushed my bud over and that’s all he gets?! Is douchebaggery a HAMA thing or what?!
No, I…
(This is bad… Are places around here starting to become delinquent hangouts because they’re run down now?)
It took two whole hours for us to come down here to bum-fuck-ass HAMA, y’know!
Came out here lookin’ for a good fight, y’know what I’m sayin’?!
Gahahaha!
Looking to fight? But why here…?
‘Cuz everywhere else got those cop bots chasin’ us out, duh. Keep up with the times, y’old geezer.
But since the bots ain’t in HAMA, my buddy over here runs this place!
(I can’t believe this…)
So you gonna cough it up or what? You went outta your way to bump into me, so hand it over.
Pay damages, yeah?
I ain’t got all day, shithead.
Cops ain’t gonna help in civil cases, pisshead.
Uh… I don’t have any money on me…
Ay, don’t be such a tightwad! If you don’t got cash, I’ll be nice and let you pay digital.
No, I still…
Excuse me… Would you like some flowers?
HUH?!
Who the hell are you?
You can pay digitally, if you’d like.
Wh… You tryna start something, dickwad?!
Do you have any favorite flowers? Or a favorite color… Oh, if you don’t, I can pick out some that match with your favorite words in flower language.
Flower language?! The fuck are you talkin’ about?!
Let me see… I can recommend one…
Here, how about some amaryllises?
I don’t need that shit!
Oh, I see… Well, then…
What about grape hyacinths?
We said we don’t want any of your damn flowers! Are you dumb?!
Oh… Well, I guess I have to hand over my prized possession…
(He’s taking something out of his pocket… Is that…horsetail…?!)
Wh— A piece of grass? The hell…
I harvested it to use for dinner tonight, but you can have it. I got it for free, so no need to pay me back.
The fuck are you…
L-Let’s just go.
Yeah, let’s get outta here.
HAMA nice trip.
(Wow… He got them to leave with just some horsetail… Wait…)
Uh, what did you just say…?
Hm? Which part?
The…“HAMA nice trip” thing?
Oh, yeah. It’s something I came up with. Kind of like a greeting to people who come to visit HAMA.
It’s not really catching on, though. But you can use it too, if you like it.
Oh, thank you… Yeah, it’s nice.
Oh, and also! Thank you for helping me out!
I didn’t really do anything crazy. It’s about to rain anyway.
It is? How do you…
Huh? Wait…
No way… It’s a page from the travel guide I made for Kafka when we were kids. It’s just a copy, but…what is it doing here?
This Chinatown was made to be a special tourist spot so HAMA could revive its economy through inbound tourism (visitors from other countries coming to Japan)!
The idea worked super well and Chinatown is always busy! The shumai here is really good.
(…Now I remember. Back then was HAMA’s golden age, and everywhere was always crowded with people…)
Oh, aren’t you two the cutest little customers! Did you come here by yourselves?
Hey, you two! Wanna give this a try? Don’t worry about the money, just take a sample!
Are you lost? Where are you trying to go? …Oh, that’s right by the station. I can take you there, follow me!
(Everybody here was so nice to us… I don’t think we got special treatment just because we were kids.)
(If you compare what it was like then to now…)
…Everything’s so different.
Uh… Are you okay?
Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something.
Are you headed somewhere? If it’s not too far, I can give you a ride on my motorcycle.