Chapter 230 After the Graduation Ceremony, Going to the Flower Shop at Noon
"The 56th graduation ceremony of Kamikawa High School has concluded. Everyone please stand up."
Teachers, parents, first and second graders, and school leaders on the stage, all stood up.
Only the third-year graduates were still sitting.
"Third grade, leave." The slightly hoarse voice of the dean of studies ignited the emotion of parting.
First it was Class 4 of Grade 3. They stood up and bowed to everyone.
The head teacher of Class 4, Grade 3 walked in front, and the graduates of Class 4, Grade 3 followed behind.
As they took a step, everyone clapped subconsciously, and the wind band played the melody of "Shinkawa School Song".
"Ancun-senpai--" a girl suddenly shouted in the second-year team.
In Class 4, Grade 3, a girl with a ponytail waved over there.
"Katsuta-senpai—" a boy with a crew cut yelled in the first-year team.
"Do your best in next year's competition!" A boy with a crew cut in the Grade 3, Class 4 team pumped his fist vigorously.
Just like the first two drops of a rainstorm falling to the ground, and then the raindrops all hit the ground with a crackling sound.
"senior--"
"Yamamoto-senpai——"
"Naomi-senpai—"
At the exit of the gymnasium, when Class 4 of Grade 3 was about to pass by and disappear, a lot of balloons suddenly fell down.
The third-year students, who had been in a stable mood and had agreed to leave in style, covered their eyes with their wrists.
After the graduation ceremony, everyone spent time in the atrium.
Take photos with parents, take photos with younger classmates, and chat about where to go for fun later.
Toru Watanabe avoided the crowd and stood alone under the beech tree, watching everyone immersed in the noisy and uneasy atmosphere of farewell.
The scene before my eyes is like the port of Southampton where the Titanic was about to set sail: exciting, happy, sad, and confused.
Keisuke Saito went to the Computer Research Department for a farewell party, Kunii Osamu...
"one two three!"
He and the buzz-cut boys from the sports club threw the third-year seniors into the air one by one.
Toru Watanabe has no club seniors who are about to graduate, and no farewell party to attend.
He thought of Mizawa Village, four hundred kilometers away.
The sky darkened, tinting the mountain ridges with orange;
A puppy running after a hare among the vast expanses of silvergrass;
On the way home from school, Xiaolian walked along the edge of the canal, trying to keep her balance;
And that huge white windmill.
It has been a year since he came to Tokyo across county boundaries, mountains and tunnels with full of longing for the big city.
◇
After calming down, Toru Watanabe began looking for Kiyono Rin.
The two agreed to go find a flower shop today.
A florist who really buys directly from the Daejeon Flower Market and wants to ensure that the roses are the best, needs the help of the 'lie detector machine Rin'.
He walked towards the club building and went straight to the fifth floor.
In the Human Observation Department, Kiyono Rin was sitting by the window.
The spring light shone through the window, casting a soft circle of light on the outline of her body.
Her long, smooth hair, as black as lead powder, swayed gently in the wind blowing in from the window.
This familiar, ordinary, heartwarming scene will one day disappear, right? It happened two years later.
Hearing the door opening, Qingye Rin looked over here.
"Too slow." The tone was stern.
Watanabe Toru smiled, getting rid of the farewell atmosphere that was everywhere in the school.
"I took a closer look when I came here," he said.
"Whose legs are you looking at?" Qingye Rin closed the book and put it in her schoolbag.
"Why must it be the legs? No."
"Watanabe-san, are there times when you don't look at your legs?"
"What's with that surprised expression on your face? I remember telling you that I don't think about that kind of thing all day long!"
"I remember telling you, too, that humans don't stay the same. With your level of perversion, I think it's almost time for you to think about that kind of thing all day long."
"Are you showing off your memory?"
Kiyono Rin picked up her schoolbag and walked out of the club room, followed by Watanabe Toru.
"I don't know how you came to this conclusion." She sighed, then said contemptuously: "However, from your tone, it seems that you think your memory is better than mine?"
After locking the club classroom, the two walked side by side in the empty corridor.
The rubbing sound of indoor shoes drowned out the noise outside the corridor window.
Watanabe Toru didn't answer, but just recited:
""By the corridor of the celebrity's room, clusters of hydrangeas are blooming", please."
"Today, black swallowtail butterflies also landed on these flowers, and their bright shadows were reflected in the spring water. On the trellis under the eaves, the wisteria branches and leaves are lush."
Qingye Rin recited it easily without any pause or thought.
It was her turn to ask a question: "'The ending of the Hachiman Festival was really boring. Why not be like the Kamo Festival...'"
Before she could finish, Watanabe Toru spoke:
"The Emperor heard this and said, 'Then come back tomorrow and call for the dancer.'"
The two of them walked down the stairs, reciting "The Ancient Capital" and "The Pillow Book" one after another.
When we got to the second floor, we met a large group of people from the wind band.
They invited the two to attend the farewell party of the wind orchestra, but they declined.
They stood aside and let the wind band go first.
As they passed each other, Toru Watanabe and Mai Asuka's eyes met. She was holding a tube containing her graduation certificate.
Ikki Aoi is beside her, asking her to give her the second button on her chest.
"Senior, give it to me~"
"…clothes, I don't want to ruin them."
“Ah——, Senpai!”
"Ichimu, come on!"
"Perform well later, maybe Mai-senpai will give it to you!"
Everyone in the brass band, whether they knew the inside story or not, made fun of Ikki Aoi and cheered her on.
Qingye Rin looked at the scene coldly, like a modern young person who has no interest in Kabuki.
After leaving Kamikawa, the two headed towards Yotsuya 3-chome. There were many flower shops along the way.
It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly on the leafy road.
The sunlight filters through the gaps between the leaves, casting fleeting shadows.
The two walked on such a tree-lined avenue.
After walking for ten minutes, Toru Watanabe took off his suit school uniform jacket and put it on his shoulders, looking handsome again.
Qingye Rin glanced at him. This temperature was just right for her.
The two girls walking in front were wearing the uniform of Kamikawa High School, and judging by the color of their ties, they were both first years.
The two of them were holding balloons in their hands, which must have been picked up at the graduation ceremony.
I looked at three flower shops, but none of them met my requirements.
Either they didn't purchase the roses directly from Daejeon Flower Market, or they had no intention of keeping their promise and sending the best roses in the store - they just picked one at random to get the job done.
Passing by a Chinese restaurant called "Shixiangge", Toru Watanabe suggested taking a break and having something to eat.
Ordered dumplings, mouth-watering chicken, mapo tofu, etc.
After the meal, when it was time to pay the bill, Kiyono Rin took out her wallet and was about to pay, but Watanabe Toru stopped her.
"How can I let you spend money at this time?"
"It's up to you." Qingye Rin put away her wallet.
Toru Watanabe took out his wallet and took a look at it.
"Uh-huh, Kiyono-san."
"What's up?"
"Can I borrow some money from you?"
The standing waiter looked at Watanabe Toru with a changed look.
Kiyono Rin took out her wallet again, pulled out two 1,000 yen bills and handed them to the waiter.
After leaving the store, Watanabe Toru said, "R-san, Ms. Kiyono, please give me a day before school starts. I'll treat you to a meal!"
"Remember to bring enough money when the time comes."
"I swear by the sun."
After lunch, I walked a few steps and saw a park.
"Sit down and rest for a while." said Qingye Rin.
"OK."
The two turned into a park called "Sanrong".
In the sand pit, a few children were playing, and next to them, a few young mothers were chatting and enjoying the warmth of the sun.
Toru Watanabe and Rin Kiyono strolled leisurely in Sanrong Park and finally sat on a bench to rest.
The cherry blossoms on the tree above their heads had already blossomed into pink flowers, and shadows swayed at their feet.
Two benches away, a female office worker in work clothes was eating lunch alone, and all the pigeons in the park gathered at her feet.
"Will it be lonely to eat alone?" said Toru Watanabe.
"I'm used to it. I don't like eating with others." Qingye Rin replied.
The two were silent for a while, watching the female office worker feeding bread to the pigeons.
"If I go back to the day of the Jingu Stadium fireworks, I will definitely take you in, or stay with Meiji."
"Are you sympathizing with me?" Qing Ye Lin turned her head to look at him, "It's not hard for me to eat fried noodles and watch fireworks alone."
"It's not about feeling uncomfortable or uncomfortable." Watanabe Toru replied, "At that time, how could I feel comfortable leaving such a beautiful you there alone? It was too dangerous."
Qingye Rin looked at him in surprise, what he said was true.
"Your sense of worry is too exaggerated, and you can even say that you are worrying too much."
Watanabe Toru nodded, as if he hadn't heard her words, and just answered perfunctorily:
“It’s too exaggerated.”
Pink cherry blossoms, petals scattered at their feet.
The smell of food wafts across my nose, the wind blows through the cherry blossoms, children run happily in front of me, and the world is at peace.
It was noon and the cherry blossoms were about to bloom.
After leaving the park, the two finally found a suitable flower shop called "Rose Bond".
There are all kinds of flowers placed in front of the store.
Tulips of various colors and white daffodils are in season; carnations and white lilies are still a month or two away; sunflowers and pansies are out of season.
The most common are roses, red, purple, black , blue, white, yellow, pink and orange.
It’s full of floral scents and colors.
"What can I do for you?" The female clerk was in her early thirties and looked like she ran a florist.
"Are the roses here bought from Ota Flower Market?" asked Toru Watanabe.
"All the flowers here are made of this stuff." The female clerk nodded gently, "We buy them from Daejeon Flower Market at four o'clock every morning."
Watanabe Toru looked at Kiyono Rin, and Kiyono Rin nodded.
The female clerk looked at the two and recommended:
"For return gifts on White Valentine's Day, I recommend purple roses, which represent romance, true love, and preciousness."
Watanabe Toru smiled and said to Kiyono Rin: "Romance and true love?"
Qingye Rin rolled his eyes at him.
"It's not a Valentine's Day gift." Watanabe Toru woke up the distracted female clerk, "It's for decorating the activity classroom."
The female clerk was embarrassed because of her distraction: "Well, for decoration, I recommend dried flowers, which will not wither for at least half a year..."
"No, fresh flowers will do." Watanabe Toru interrupted him, "Also, they must be the best roses in the store."
"Our store specializes in selecting high-quality roses, so there's no problem at all," said the female clerk.
Watanabe Toru looked at Kiyono Rin, and Kiyono Rin nodded.
"I don't want it today, can I reserve it?" Toru Watanabe asked the female clerk again.
"Of course, is it tomorrow or some other day?"
"Not tomorrow, nor any particular day, but every day from now on..."
Having said that, Toru Watanabe looked at Kiyono Rin again.
She hesitated for a moment and said, "Two years, until we graduate."
Watanabe Toru turned to the flower shop owner and said:
"Two years, every day. Well...if the florist is on holiday, or there are force majeure reasons, such as illness or earthquake, then there is no need to deliver."
"Every day? For two years?"
"Is it not possible?"
"Ah! Of course!"
Although she had never received such an order before, as long as she could make money, it was enough. The female clerk quickly took out a pen and paper from her apron.
"May I ask where is the address? Are the flowers delivered every day the same? And what kind of packaging do you choose?"
"The address is 502 Shinano-machi. One, no, two of the most beautiful roses in the store that day. Any color is fine. For packaging, just use newspaper. Keep it simple."
"Sir," the female clerk said carefully, "for two years, the deposit will be very expensive."
Toru Watanabe took out his wallet and pulled out a bank card with an unremembered amount of deposit.
"I'll give you another address. Please send a bouquet of roses there every day," he said. "If someone doesn't let you in, just say it was sent by Toru Watanabe."
"Okay." The saleswoman responded, "Three roses? Starting from today, March 20th, until March 20th two years from now, every day?"
"right."
"Can I pay the deposit once a month?"
"It's too much trouble. Let's do it for two years. I can pay the money first."
Watanabe Toru has money and is not afraid that the other party will not acknowledge the debt, so the process is confirmed quickly.
The shop owner went to get a receipt, and the two of them left the flower shop and stood at the door admiring the flowers.
It was a little chilly inside the flower shop, but outside it was filled with beautiful sunshine.
"What kind of flower is this?" Toru Watanabe looked at the clusters of purple flowers blooming beautifully.
"Forget-me-not."
"With my memory, you don't have to worry about it at all."
"I said the name of the flower."
"I see."
"There should be a limit to how stupid you can be..."
Before Qingye Rin finished her words, a gust of wind blew from afar, passed through the "sea of flowers", and caressed her beautiful long hair.
"The flowers are admiring you, Kiyono-san." Watanabe Toru said with a smile.
"If they have consciousness, it's natural for them to appreciate me." Qingye Rin tidied up the hair that was blown to her mouth.
"The flowers are admiring you, but I am admiring the flowers. What does that mean?" asked Toru Watanabe.
"What does that mean?" Qingye Rin asked instead of answering.
"It shows that I have no taste. There is a beauty around whom all the flowers would envy, but I am just looking at the flowers."
Qing Ye Lin frowned and looked at him: "Are you like this to everyone?"
"Of course not. I think I've only said such cheesy words to you."
"Where's Kujo Miki?"
"To her? I usually say 'My, my, my Meiji, I love you, I love you, I love you to death'."
Qingye Rin showed an extremely disgusted expression.
"It's amazing that she can accept it." She seemed really disgusted.
“That’s a pleasure to hear.”
"I never realized she was that kind of person before." Qingye Rin couldn't imagine it.
"Like you said, everyone changes, especially a girl in love."
After that, Watanabe Toru continued:
"I swear to you, that one day, when the person that Kiyono-san likes says to you, 'My, my, my Rin, I love you, I love you, I love you to death', you will be very happy too ."
Qingye Rin put her hand on her chin and lowered her head, as if she was thinking about something.
Ten seconds later, she looked up and said:
"Still feeling sick, not feeling high..."
Having said this, her soft, light cherry-colored lips trembled slightly, but she could no longer utter a single word.
Their eyes met, then quickly looked away.
Kiyono Rin stared at the large cosmos on the right side of the store door, while Watanabe Toru studied the clock flower on the left side of the store door.
"Sir, sorry to have kept you waiting." The female clerk finally came over.
Watanabe Toru put the receipt into his wallet, and the two left the flower shop, finally calming down their inner turmoil.
