CH 54

Chapter 54 – Her smile that shines so brightly is different from mine

“Err, that's...”

"Yes, what is up?"

It was an impulsive act.

Mainly because there's no particular reason to bother her.

So even though she started the conversation, Haruki didn't know what to say.  Mitake Minamo smiled awkwardly at the stammering Haruki.

“I-I was just wondering what you were doing…”

“I was mowing and cleaning the grass...”

“Hahaha, yes, that's right!”

The situation is clear, no need to ask.

Minamo Mitake couldn't read Haruki's intentions and smiled bitterly.

“…”

“…”

The two fell silent and an extremely awkward atmosphere was created.

At first, Haruki and Minamo Mitake never had a chance to interact with each other.

While thinking about what to do, Haruki watched that girl intently.

She is smaller than Haruki, her height only 157 cm, and has striking wavy hair.  She had the charm of a small animal and, if she looked closely, she had a pretty face.

(Oh, this girl is quite cute huh? ...But she's a different type from me.)

Maybe the reason Hayato joined the club was...

"Ah never mind!"

“N-Nikaido-san?!”

Before she could think any further, Haruki suddenly shouted loudly.

She scratched her head roughly and ruffled her own hair to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling rising in his chest.

Of course, for Mitake Minamo who witnessed such strange behavior from Haruki, it was not pleasant.

She was shocked and panicked, worried that she might make a mistake.

Seeing her like that, Haruki finally calmed down a bit and smiled with a self-deprecating expression.

“Ah, haha, sorry.  I was just acting weird."

"Yes?  What’s wrong?"

“Oh, yes.  I've been a little sad lately."

"Oh, I see ..."

She took a deep breath.

She really hated herself.

At that time when Haruki thought that she might start thinking unnecessary things if she stayed here, she decided to turn around and leave from there.  However, suddenly...

“G-Gardening!”

“...Eh?”

"Let's go gardening!  Gardening is fun!  Gardening can relax your mind, lets go!”

“Eh?  Eh?  Uh, wait a minute!”

Mitake Minamo looked worried when she saw Haruki, then suddenly she pressed the straw hat she was wearing to Haruki's head and pulled her hand away forcefully.

This action was a little rough and startled from her small and calm appearance.

When she reached an eggplant plant with purple flowers blooming, she smiled broadly and held out a pair of scissors.  It seemed that was a task for Haruki to do.

“Let's cut off some unneeded branches here and there.  Cut it to the base including the flowers too!”

“Eh, do I have to cut that much?  Looks like 1/3 of all is going to disappear?!”

“Yes, please cut them all.  It's like haircu adatting."

"Well, then, right!"

Haruki was surprised but she learned how to cut eggplant branches under Minamo's tutelage.

This was the first time she realized that no two eggplants had same shape, each with unique characteristics.

Therefore, there is no definite answer on how to cut it.  Each eggplant requires a different approach and requires careful thought.

Before she knew it, large sweat dripped down her forehead, and her cheeks were also soiled with dirt like Mitake Minamo.

However, she was too engrossed in work to care about that.

“I have to cut it like this?  cut it off at the base of the branch?”

"Don't worry, they are pretty strong, so it's fine."

“Alright, I'll cut them quickly!  But it seems strange that this flower could become a vegetable.”

"Yeah, I think that's great."

"Oh yeah, later when the harvest... can you come, Nikaido-san?"

After getting busy with the vegetables, Haruki turned around and saw Mitake Minamo's face.  Her expression was very gentle and affectionate.

At that time, she also realized that she had a lot of fun.  She felt her face heat up.

“Ano, I…”

“Fufu, you finally smiled.”

“Aaah...”

She felt like she had been read completely, and was embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Mitake Minamo who noticed Haruki smiled and moved to her side, then looked at the vegetables.

“I experienced quite a shocking incident before I started growing vegetables.  I always feel sad and cry, but strong hunger makes me feel funny.  The flowers will end after blooming, but the vegetables are different, they will produce fruits, so I was interested at first out of curiosity...”

“Mitake-san?”

“After trying it, I realized that I know very little about growing vegetables.  Taking care of it was much more difficult than I imagined, but it was also more fun… Uh, what I was saying earlier… It was because I felt saved that I could do the things I love…”

“............ Ah”

Mitake Minamo clasped her hands to her chest, shyly talking to herself, while groaning “Auu” or “Sono”, and seriously looked at Haruki.

It was self-support.

It's a simple matter.  Seeing the sad Haruki, she tried to cheer her up.

If she looked back at Mitake Minamo, she could see that there was no ulterior motive or interest in his eyes.  She understands that.

(Ah, she's such a good girl)

Unlike her acting, Mitake Minamo genuinely cares for someone.

Haruki's view of Minamo changed.

At the same time, she felt a feeling of awe grow within her.  To be honest, there is a bit of intent in it.

However, she wanted to know more about Minamo.

"Is it okay for me to come here again?"

"Ah ... of course, with pleasure!"

Minamo's smile that accompanied her as she said that ― was so dazzling to Haruki.