Family Situations
Okay, next… “Before the buds appear, add extra fertilizer. Disbud so nutrients can be concentrated”…
Ugh, I don’t get this. Growing roses is too hard. I don’t know a single thing…
Grandmother never had to read this book to take care of them…
“Disbudding refers to removing unnecessary younger buds and leaving only a few”…
*sigh…* Unnecessary, huh?
(If Grandmother were still alive, she would probably think the same way about me.)
Renga, have you lost your mind? Do you truly intend to work in a disgraceful industry such as entertainment instead of attending college?
…It’s not disgraceful. I’m doing this for the Nishizono family’s sake…!
Quiet down! You’re simply avoiding academia because you’re so certain you can’t succeed in it!
*sigh* You’re nothing but a disappointment. Why on god’s Earth do you only learn the most useless things…?
(…Grandmother probably saw my entire existence as worthless…)
If I were a rose, I wonder if she would’ve cared for me…
*rustling*
……
Excuse me, Young Master Renga. I have brought the liquid fertilizer you requested.
O-Oh, right. Do I just pour it near the roots?
Yes, that’s correct. Ah, but please take care to refrain for the seedling over there.
…? So I shouldn’t pour any on that one?
That seedling is quite special, and it has already grown buds.
…Oh, you’re right. They’re yellow.
…Aren’t these the roses that Grandmother always kept in her room?
My, I am glad to hear that you remember. This bush was bred by the great mistress herself. It is very valuable and exclusive to this garden.
Really…? I didn’t know.
Its name is…
……
Hm?
Well, never mind that. I tried my hand at drying flowers. I hope it is to your liking.
Ah… It’s the rose I had in my room… I thought it wilted already.
You seemed to treasure it very much, so I preserved it.
I see… That’s nice…
(The chief at HAMA Tours gave this to me… I was kind of mean to him, but he told me that it had the power to make people happy. He just wanted to cheer me up.)
(But I don’t know…how to be happy.)
Oh, good day, Master. Are you perhaps out on a walk?
…!
Ah… Ahem. I didn’t notice you were there.
Yes, the young master is taking excellent care of the great mistress’s rose garden.
…Hm.
…I’m gonna go fertilize the other seedlings.
Ah, Young Master…
…Renga.
Yes?
……
……
……
Master would like to tell you that he is looking forward to seeing the special rose bush bloom. He understands that tending to roses is quite difficult, but he has faith in you.
Is that correct, Master?
M-Mhm!
Ah, okay. I’ll do my best.
Those roses were very important to the great mistress. I am sure she would be overjoyed to hear that you are taking care of them, Young Master.
(…I see. But would she really be happy to see someone like me taking care of something so important to her?)
……
Master wholeheartedly agrees.
Mhm! Mm…!
He also wishes you well for your move-in at the HAMA House tomorrow. He hopes you can make good friends.
Ahem…!
Friends…
I wouldn’t call him that yet, but…there’s one guy I’ve been hanging out with. We had dinner together the other day…
*gasp* That is excellent news!! Congratulations, Young Master!!
…!!!
S-Stop, it’s not like it means anything. We’re not friends… Well, uh, maybe he sees me as a friend, but that’s it!
I see, I see! How exciting it must be to live with a dear friend!
N-N-N-No, it’s not…
Uh, when I get paid, I’ll take you two to the place he showed me…
It’s called an izakaya! They sell yakitori for 99 yen a piece.
Master and I would love to accompany you.
Ahem…
(There’s no way Father thinks that… But if I can make these roses bloom…)
(It might make them happy. Not just Father, but…Grandmother too…)
Excuse me?! Explain yourself!
Explain what? Can’t a guy move out in peace?
You think I’m just gonna lie down and take that?! You said we’d live together because we started dating!
Huh? You seriously believed that? What, you never had the thought that maybe I was just sweet-talking you?
HUH?! Watch your tone, fucking scumbag! *slap*
…Feel better now?
…You piece of…!
Woah, hands off the plant.
Ahh! *thud*
…What the hell’s wrong with you? Is that plant more important to you than me…?!
Moving out of the way just so you could see me fall… I’m literally bleeding!
Oh, it’s my fault now? Even though you started it?
H-How could you say that…? Up until yesterday, you were so…
Nice to you? You can find other nice guys anywhere. Not that big of a deal.
Alright, thanks for letting me stay. Seeya.
*sigh* Dunno why I gotta deal with crazy chicks like that in my private life too. I already get enough of that at my job. They’re always so easy otherwise.
*crows cawing*
Oh, gotta report in.
Hey, everything’s good on my end.
Pretty easy job this time. There’s not much to dealing with nobodies like that. The other thing?
Ah… Well, I’ll get it at some point. Looking forward to that double pay we talked about.
But there’s one guy who might suss me out, so I’ll try and be careful.
His name? Uh… Oguro Kafka or something?
Yeah, the little boy genius who lived.
*sigh…* I’m so worried. You’re really leaving for the dorms tomorrow?
That’s the eighth time you’ve asked me. Could you give it a rest already?
But they just finished your surgery. I wanted to do some father-son bonding now that you’re out of the hospital…
Let me guess, you wanted to go shopping, see a movie, or go to the zoo?
I wanted us to go to an amusement park and ride the Ferris wheel too!
*sigh* Sakujiro…
Master Rihito, please do not worry. I will be at Young Master Kafka’s side, close enough to feel his breathing.
I wanna be that close too… You’re going to send me emails with daily updates on his body temperature, heart rate, and nutritional intake, right?!
What’s the point of keeping track of that…? We have a gym in the dorm, so you don’t have to worry about it so much.
But, still… Your dad’s worried that you might overwork yourself.
Ugh, alright. I have to go get ready for tomorrow, so I’m done eating. Sakujiro, keep him company for me.
Kafka-kun…
Master Rihito, I will be keeping a close eye on Young Master Kafka. If anything occurs, I will contact you immediately.
…Mm, I know. Kafka’s 20. He’s not a kid anymore. But I’m still worried for him.
He has to work so hard because I was a doormat when I was mayor…
He looks more like you by the day, honey. That’s why I worry so much…Rinka.