Loose Thread

Phew…

Excuse me, Yodaka-san.

Ah! Oh, Chief. What’s the matter?

Were you taking some medicine? Are you sick…?

It’s nothing serious. I’ve talked about this before, but I get headaches on occasion. This medication is for that.

Ah…

(Hm? Yodaka-san’s pressing his finger between his brows…)

What happened? Are you okay?

…My apologies. It’s just a headache.

(I do remember him mentioning that. Wait, but that’s not the only thing…)

…In all honesty, I’m not very good at thinking about the future.

When I think about my future or my desires, I always end up falling asleep, as if a heavy curtain is falling down over my vision. As you just witnessed.

Perhaps a part of my brain was modified to react as such.

Um, I asked you this before, but did you see a doctor about it?

Forgive me for ignoring your advice, but, no, I didn’t.

I received a prescription from a pharmacist whom I heard was knowledgeable on Chinese medicine. It’s been a great help up until now.

(Did he hear about them from Yunyun-san?)

But that aside, the Night Team is our greatest priority as of now. We’re still dealing with Nagi’s situation, and I want to offer full support to you as we plan for our tour.

I really appreciate that, but you said that your medication has been a great help until now, right? Does that mean your headaches got worse?

(Oh, dear…)

I know I can’t do much, but I’m responsible for supervising you. More importantly, I’m your friend and your housemate.

If you have something that’s bothering you, I want you to tell me, so I can help. Would that be okay?

……

I was planning on telling you after the tour and our situation with Nagi was settled, but…

I don’t want to hurt you, so I’ll allow myself to depend on you.

Yes, since I’ve become a mayor, I’ve had more opportunities to think about my past and my future, and my symptoms have gotten worse as a result.

If I continue to live like this, I might become a burden on you and everyone else in the company in the near future. I’m…quite worried about that.

Not at all…! You’re always such a great help to everyone. I’d never consider you a burden. And I always want to keep working with you.

…Thank you. That makes me very happy to hear. But I just don’t want to be a bother.

Um… What…?

(What does…that mean…?)

I’m sorry. I see I’ve troubled you.

I digress. I have an idea regarding Nagi, if that’s alright. When he comes back, I want us to welcome him with a surprise.

He’s a florist himself, so he likely doesn’t receive flowers from others very often. I propose we each make our own bouquets as a gift for him. Do you think he would like that?

Ah, yes… I’m sure he would.

Alright. I’ll make sure to tell the others about it.

……

Chief… Nagi will come back, won’t he?

Yes. I think so.

I agree. He’s a very cool person who had the courage to take steps towards the future, even if he knew it might not end well.

(Unlike me…)

It takes time to fully digest difficult truths, but I know he will keep moving forward. And in that sense, he’ll come back to us.

I believe so. I’m not sure if he’ll come back in time for the tour…

Who’s to say? After all, he has a very deep love for plants. Would he really abandon the plants he was keeping in our room?

Y-You’re right…! Then maybe he’ll be back in just a few days…!

That’s what I believe. So we should prepare the surprise for him quickly.

Yeah!

……

Thank you sho much! We hope to shee you again!

Oh, Tosaka! You’re surprisingly good at picking out flowers, yes. Your sense of color is simply wonderful, yes.

All I did was listen to the urges lying within me, ay.

I guessh even robotsh can have shpecial little talentsh!

Vrrrr. Flow-eeeeer.

What a very unconventional Bouquet. One might even call it avant-Garde.

Flow! Eeeeer!

It’sh very unique!

Thank you for the help, everyone!

Welcome to Flower Laundry. What can I help you with?

I shee, I shee. You’d like a greenery bouquet, not flowersh? I can help you with that!

I’ll have it done for you in about 30 minutesh, so feel free to look around the shop while you wait!

…Phew.

I wonder where he is now…

*sigh*

Driving long distances…hurts my butt.