11 Minutes in the Air

……

(This is awkward… Renga looks like he’s in an even worse mood.)

…Uh, the view from here is so nice! I know we didn’t mean to get on it, but I’m glad we did!

(I need to lighten the mood…)

…HAMA has a Ferris wheel too.

Ah, the Cosmo Clock 21, right? I love that one!

The Cosmo Clock ride is about 15 minutes, right? This one’s only 11…

Huh… I didn’t know that.

Hm? You’ve never been on it before?

…Why the hell would I?! It’s in that bastard Liguang’s ward!

Wah!

Hyah…

(Th-That scared me. It swayed because Renga stood up so suddenly…)

Sor⁠— Uh, well maybe you shouldn’t have said something so stupid… You expect me to get on a ride for commoners?

(I don’t think Ferris wheels are specifically a “commoner” thing…)

Ah, then we can just look at the view! The sun’s about to set, so we can see all the pretty lights around the harbor.

…HAMA has a harbor too.

U-Uh… Then how about Mount Rokko?

I’ve never gone hiking before.

Really? We’re going to Mount Rokko in a couple of days. It’s in our guidebook. It’s really beautiful in the spring with all the flowers.

Flowers…

(Did I finally get his attention?! Wait, why does it kinda feel like I’m trying to tame a wild animal…?)

…So, uh… Speaking of flowers…

What about them?

That one you gave me…

Oh! The rose?

Yeah, uh, that. I guess it wasn’t that bad.

Like, uh, it didn’t look bad when I put it up…

(Hm? Is he trying to thank me…?)

(I don’t know where this is going, but since Renga-kun’s finally talking, I need to follow through!)

Renga-kun, do you like roses?

…My grandmother does.

Ah, so did you take it home to give it to her?

…She’s…

She passed away. Not that long ago…

…!

(Is that why he was wearing a suit in the rain that day…? Was he coming home from his grandmother’s funeral?)

Do you know how to…grow roses? Um… I’m taking care of her rose garden at home now…

D-Don’t get the wrong idea! It’s not like we can’t hire a gardener or anything!

And I’m not doing it because I really want to… I just… I…

…You’re probably taking care of it yourself since it’s something important to your family, right?

Yeah… I’m just doing it to kill time…

Um, I know someone who knows a lot about flowers. Do you want me to ask him?

…!

Seriously?! Will you really?!

(Huh? He perked up… He acted like it wasn’t, but that rose garden must be really important to him.)

That’d be great! I’m stupid, so… Ah⁠—

I mean, I can’t waste my genius on something as insignificant as a rose garden!

Ahaha…

(Renga-kun’s childish and short-tempered… And not to mention hard to handle, but I have a feeling he’s more than all of that.)

(It makes me a little sad… He seems to be struggling with something. Would it be too much if I told him he should be more honest with himself?)

Oh, I forgot. Here, you can have this.

What’s this…? A toy?

It’s a cassette recorder. You can make a recording by pressing this button. I think you should start recording weekly voice journals.

…Why would I do that when I can just tell you?

It’ll be nice to keep records of your entries and hear your voice saying them. Please give it a try, as our leader!

(This is what started my friendship with Kafka when we were kids, but… If I told Renga-kun that, he’d think I was babying him.)

(I really think that since you’re only recording your voice, it’s hard to lie. So…I might get to hear his true feelings.)

*sigh*

Fine, I’ll do it… But only if you remember to hold up your end of the deal too.

Promise me you’re gonna ask the guy you know about roses.

…!

I promise!