Chapter Text
The first time that Riko visited the shop was on a whim.
She had just moved to Uchiura a few days prior. It was mid-March, so she had been preparing for her first year at the university close to the small seaside town. She was going to be majoring in fine arts, specifically piano performance.
Riko always knew that was what she wanted. Ever since she was young, she loved playing the piano. It was the one thing in her life that she was surely passionate about. The emotional intensity of the music, her fingers gracefully gliding across the keys, the excitement coursing through her... It was clear that she was meant to do this for the rest of her life.
A while back, though, she could tell she was starting to lose the inspiration for it. What felt instinctual suddenly lost its simplicity. The rhythm and melodies were no longer easily coming to her, and she couldn’t figure out why. No matter what she did, what she focused on, or how she wrote, her compositions were lacking and felt unfinished. It both bothered and worried her, thinking that she might have lost her talent for composing.
She then hastily decided that she needed a change of scenery. She needed to get out of her current headspace and surround herself with new things—new people, new places, new anything at all. She believed that if she could reinvent her environment and refresh her mind, she could also renew her skills and finally finish her composition to her satisfaction.
And so, she moved to the beautiful seaside town of Uchiura. Riko thought that, if anything, the ocean would be her best bet at recapturing her inspiration. The ocean was vast, mysterious, and beautiful. It was sure to give her plenty of ideas for her composition. Besides, there was a university in the nearby city that offered her the major she wanted. It seemed like a perfect plan to her at the time.
So, to be fair, a lot of her recent decisions were made on a whim.
Riko had just barely settled in on the morning she decided to go out. Stacks of unpacked boxes and piles of her disorganized belongings were still strewn all over the floor of her new apartment. At that point, she only had her most important belongings unpacked—a couple of outfits, health and body care essentials, a few electronics, and, of course, her piano.
Riko knew she should have waited until she had at least organized everything, but she had to get out there and look for something to spark her inspiration. The sooner she could get back to composing to the best of her ability, the better.
So, she left her apartment that morning in hopes of finding something eye-catching or inspiring. She walked slowly, carefully taking in her surroundings. She decided that she couldn’t rule out anything as insignificant. Anything and everything played a part in her reinvention of self.
It was early morning on a chilly day in mid-March, so there wasn’t much to see. A few other people out for a morning jog or walk, just like herself, passed by. Others were dog walkers, to her dismay, or commuters. Nothing all that noteworthy. The only thing truly worth seeing was the sun rising over the ocean horizon. Riko smiled, thinking that there were few things that rivaled the natural beauty of such a sight.
She was about to call it quits when she happened upon a small store with a beautiful display of flowers in the window. The window was filled with brightly colored flowers of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. Immediately captivated by the display, she moved closer to the glass to get a better look. She placed a palm on the window and looked in, still in awe over its beauty.
Although the flowers were alike in intensity and different in color, they were arranged in such a unique way that created a deep sense of unity in the display. It was truly breathtaking.
Riko had seen flower shops and their displays when she lived in Tokyo, but never anything of this magnitude. Most of the time, it seemed as if the displays were hastily thrown together, not thinking of the balance of the created image. But this was different. Riko could tell it was something that the florist put a lot of time, thought, and care into, hoping to create something stunning.
If she was being honest, the display reminded Riko a lot about herself and her own passion for piano. Thinking back on it, that was probably why she stepped into the shop without a second thought—absolutely no regard for their hours of operation or what she was even there for.
Before she knew it, she was inside the dimly lit shop. The only source of light was the sunlight coming in from the windows, giving the shop a very warm, homey feeling. She took a quick look around, taking in the various plants and flowers arranged on the shelves, in pots and vases on the floor, and even hanging on the walls and from the ceiling. Everything seemed to be in such a paradox of organized disarray. It was a mess that felt like one big balanced art piece.
Riko turned her attention back to the display and stepped up to it, getting a closer look at the flowers. She didn’t want to ruin the piece, so she refrained from touching anything. She sighed as she took in the sight once more, a small, bittersweet smile just barely showing on her face. She could see so much passion and dedication put into the display, and she wondered just how she could recapture that same feeling.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”
The sudden voice that came from behind Riko startled her, and she quickly whipped her head around to face whoever the voice belonged to. A young woman, not much older than Riko herself, with long, black hair and piercing turquoise eyes stood before her. She wore a florist’s apron, so Riko assumed that she was the one who put this display together.
She shook herself out of her thoughts, realizing that she had been staring at the florist for a few seconds without saying anything. “Oh, yes,” Riko stuttered, still surprised by her sudden appearance. “It really is beautiful.” She glanced down at the flowers before looking up at the woman with a smile. “I had to come inside and take a closer look.”
The young woman laughed, her gaze softening. “You know,” she started, taking a step closer to Riko, “we’re not supposed to open for another hour.” Riko’s face paled, and she opened her mouth to apologize, but the woman stopped her with another laugh and a simple wave of her hand. “It’s alright. I understand. After all, who could possibly refuse taking a closer look at such a display?”
She paused, glanced towards the back of the store, and added with mock offense, “Besides, I can’t blame you for coming in if someone left the door unlocked.”
Riko smiled, giggling at her comment, likely about a careless coworker. “Really, though,” she said, rerouting the conversation back to the original topic, “I couldn’t stay away.”
After realizing her connection between the florist that created this display and herself, she decided that perhaps flowers would be what she needed for inspiration. If the florist could put so much effort and devotion into working with flowers and create something as awe-inspiring as the display, Riko thought that perhaps flowers could have the same effect on her. Once that became clear to her, there truly was no way she could stay away from this shop.
Riko hummed softly as she took another quick look around. “I mean…” she trailed off, first gesturing at the display and then to the rest of the shop. Her hands fell to her sides as she sighed. “Not from all this, of course,” she added, shaking her head with a smile.
The florist took another step closer to Riko and the display, crossing her arms. Riko stepped back, allowing the florist some room to stand next to her. Riko watched as she looked down at the display with what Riko perceived to be a sense of pride.
The florist then turned back to Riko and smiled, saying, “If you want, I can introduce you to the florist that created this display.”
Riko’s eyes widened slightly in shock. She was surprised that the woman in front of her wasn’t the one who created it. She furrowed her brows, asking, “You didn’t make this?”
“Oh, no, this wasn’t me,” the florist shook her head. “I prefer more traditional arrangements.” She gestured with a nod to an area further back in the store where her arrangements were kept. She then glanced back down at the arrangement in the window. “This, however, was created by my coworker. She may be a novice, and the arrangement isn’t quite perfect, but there’s no denying its beauty.” There was a pause as she smiled down at the arrangement before looking up at Riko again. “So, would you like to meet her?”
It really would be for the best, or so Riko thought. If she wanted to know more about the inspiration and passion needed to create such a display, then she should go straight to the source. If she could speak to the true creator, she might be able to get some advice for her own work.
After a moment of thinking it over, Riko nodded, agreeing to meet the florist responsible for the arrangement.
The florist nodded and gestured for Riko to wait a moment. She backed up a few steps, leaning back a bit to look around the back of the store. Riko followed her gaze and spotted a door behind the counter, probably to a back room where her coworker was located.
The florist then sighed, giving up on locating exactly where her coworker was. She straightened up and placed her hands on her hips, facing the back wall. “You-san!” she called out. “Could you come out here for a moment?”
There was an immediate shuffling, and another voice called back, “Yeah, one second!” The florist crossed her arms again and turned back to Riko. She rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, shaking her head with a grin. Riko laughed, excited to meet the other florist.
A few moments later, another young woman came through the back door and rushed to the front of the store where Riko was. She seemed younger than the florist that Riko had been speaking with— probably Riko’s age, actually. As she rushed over to them, she pulled her short brown hair out of a pony tail, shaking her hair loose. “What’s up, Dia-san?” she asked, glancing between the two of them.
Dia, the florist with long, black hair, Riko assumed, glanced at Riko before turning back to her coworker. “This young woman loved your arrangement in the window and came in to take a closer look.” Dia suddenly looked at Riko, and the other florist followed her gaze. Startled by the two of them suddenly staring at her, Riko nodded quickly, agreeing with Dia.
Dia laughed and turned back to You to continue explaining. “Since we aren’t open yet, I thought that you wouldn’t mind talking to her about it.”
Riko could see the other florist’s blue eyes immediately light up with excitement. “Oh, yeah, of course I would!” she said with a grin. She took a step closer to Riko, closing the distance between them and consequently startling her. “Watanabe You,” she introduced herself, holding out her hand for Riko to take.
Still startled, Riko tentatively put her hand in You’s. “Sakurauchi Riko,” she introduced herself in turn, shaking You’s hand gently. “It’s nice to meet you, Watanabe-san.”
She laughed, shaking her head. She pulled back her hands and placed them on her hips. “Oh, no, you can just call me You,” she said, smiling, “and I’ll call you Riko-chan.”
Riko opened her mouth to say something, shocked by this girl’s straightforward nature. In the end, though, she decided against saying anything and smiled. After all, she was new to the town, and it would be nice to have someone she was close to, even if it was so soon. “Well, alright, You-chan,” is what she settled for instead.
A full grin stretched across You’s face, and Riko couldn’t keep herself from smiling at the sight of it.
Dia then sighed, clapping her hands together with a smile. “It looks like you two seem very well acquainted.” She looked around the store for a moment before saying, “Well, we still have some work to be done before we open, so I’ll take care of that while you talk.” She then gave You’s shoulder a quick squeeze as if to say, “have fun, you owe me for this,” and began to walk towards the door to the back.
Once Dia was gone, You hummed, looking down at her arrangement for a moment before meeting Riko’s gaze again. “So, you liked my display, huh?” she asked, genuinely delighted to talk to Riko about it.
Riko nodded, stepping closer to the display. “Yes, I did,” she said, still finding the arrangement just as breathtaking as when she first saw it. She wanted to explain how it made her felt, but she wasn’t quite sure how to word it. Instead, she let her sentence trail off, allowing You to continue.
“Ah, I’m so glad you liked it!” You gushed, stepping closer to Riko again. “I put a lot of love into this display, you know,” You explained.
She placed her hands on the table the arrangement was set up on and leaned forward onto her forearms, admiring her own work. Riko watched as You’s eyes brightened at the sight of the display. She huffed and looked back up at Riko, saying, “I did a lot of planning for this. A lot of research, a lot of careful choosing, and a lot of handiwork!”
She then turned away from Riko and looked back down at the arrangement. Riko watched as You remembered the process she went through, smiling the whole time. She knew that look. The soft light in her eyes, the small smile on her face, the subtle color in her cheeks… It was the specific mix of nostalgia and pride that you feel when something you’ve worked tirelessly on finally comes to fruition.
It was definitely a feeling that Riko knew all too well.
You seemed to lose herself in her memories, so Riko placed her right hand on the table right next to You’s to bring her back to the conversation. She leaned forward and slightly to the right, trying to meet her eyes.
You didn’t look up at her, so Riko decided that she should probably say something instead. “You must really love flowers to create something this extravagant,” she mentioned, trying to recapture You’s attention.
“Hmm?” You answered almost immediately, quickly turning her head to face Riko. Once she met her gaze and registered what had been said, she laughed and straightened back up. “Oh, well, I didn’t use to,” she admitted with a shrug.
“You didn’t?” Riko asked in disbelief, wondering what suddenly got her so interested in flowers.
“Nope! Not until recently,” You confirmed, shaking her head. She crossed her arms and leaned her side against the wall next to the window. “A little while ago, Dia-san caught me messing around with the flowers that weren’t going on display,” she said, gesturing with a nod to the back room. “I’m usually just a cashier, but when she saw what I made, she said it was nice and that I should continue it.” She stopped, covering her mouth to suppress another laugh after remembering the scene.
Curious to know more, Riko pressed her to go on. “So, you continued it?”
You crossed her arms again and nodded. “Of course!” she said with a grin. “I did so much research on the language of flowers, and I even did a little on color theory. I really wanted it to look nice, so I put as much work into it as I could.”
She pressed herself off of the wall and took a step closer to the display again. “After all the love and care I put into it, this is what I came up with!” She gestured wildly at her arrangement as she laughed, getting a laugh out of Riko as well.
After Riko had stopped laughing, she added, “I can’t believe that you put so much work into something you never had an interest in before.” She truly was confused about that. She wasn’t even sure that she, herself, would be able to put that much work into something she had no experience with.
You hummed, nodding as she thought about it. “Well, I guess it’s just because I felt like this was something I wanted to feel proud of, something that I really loved and connected with.” She shrugged. “And after that, it felt almost natural to put all my effort into it.”
At first, Riko was surprised to hear that. That kind of mindset simply didn’t seem typical to her at all. Then again, as she came to realize, this florist seemed anything but typical.
After realizing that, Riko simply laughed. “That’s certainly a positive way of thinking.”
“Yup!” You agreed. “Plus, I got to learn a lot about flowers. Way more than if I continued to work as a cashier alone.”
“That’s true,” Riko agreed. “And you wouldn’t have such a beautiful display to lure in customers,” she added with another glance to the arrangement.
You smiled, truly happy to hear that Riko loved her arrangement, but it looked like she wasn’t going to stand around all day and listen to Riko compliment her. “Enough about my work,” she said, abruptly changing the conversation topic. “What’d you stop in for? Were you looking for something?”
The sudden question surprised Riko. In all honesty, she wasn’t really looking for anything in particular. But after seeing the arrangement and listening to You for quite some time, it really would be in her best interest to at least get something to help with her composition. Like she initially thought, if flowers could have such an effect on You, they might have the same effect on herself.
After putting some thought into it, Riko ended up agreeing. “Oh, yes, I was.” She paused, took a quick look around the store, and wondered what she should get. They had a wide variety of plants to choose from, and since Riko had just moved in, she did have a lot of space for some flowers. In the end, though, she decided on getting something small. “I was… hoping to get a small arrangement for my room,” she suggested. “Something for an end table.”
You hummed, as if in an internal debate with herself. Riko wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but she assumed that You was probably trying to come up with some advice for her.
“Okay!” You stopped suddenly and nodded confidently. She took Riko’s hand, startling her. “Come with me to the counter!”
Confused and still quite surprised, Riko followed You to the back. She took the opportunity to take a clearer look around the shop as they walked. Things were stacked neatly in the shelves, the walls were covered in wall plants, and any free space that wasn’t in the aisles was taken up by potted plants. Just as she expected, the rest of the shop was just as filled out as the front. It was certainly a bit messy, but the clutter made it feel homey and somewhat cozy.
When they got to the back, Riko stopped in front of the cash register while You let herself behind the counter. Riko watched as she sighed, again tying up her hair into a loose ponytail. When she finished, she placed her hands on the counter and leaned forward, asking, “So, got anything specific in mind?”
Riko shook her head. After all, this visit was entirely unplanned and unexpected. She didn’t even think she was going to buy anything. Besides, she knew practically nothing about flowers, at least not to the extent that You or Dia did. Instead of coming up with something herself, she smiled, asking, “Why don’t I give you a general idea, and you use your research to create something for me?”
You looked surprised at first, but her surprise quickly turned into a grin that stretched across her face. “Yeah! I can do that for you, Riko-chan!” She crouched down behind the counter and took out a small vase for the flowers. “Whatcha got?”
Riko hummed, thinking it over. On the most basic level, she wanted to find inspiration, but it wasn’t coming to her. So, it made sense to her that inspiration was what she should ask for. Then again, that might be too specific, so it might be hard for You to come up with something for that. It also didn’t quite capture everything she needed… It had to be something simpler and vaguer so that it could cover everything that Riko was dealing with and so that You could figure something out for her.
Suddenly, Riko gasped, coming up with a great idea. “How about good luck?” she suggested. “I could use some luck.” Luck seemed like the best option. If she wished for luck, she could be wishing for any kind of luck for anything she needed, not necessarily just for inspiration.
“I can do that!” You exclaimed. She thought for a moment, trying to remember which flowers meant what. When it came to her, You snapped her fingers and nodded. “Got it,” she said, turning around.
She walked up to the door and knocked twice before opening it. Riko couldn’t see why, but You turned to her right. Riko then realized that You was most likely looking for Dia since she called out, “Riko-chan decided she wanted to get some flowers, so I’ll put something together for her, okay?”
There was a pause, and Riko couldn’t hear it very well, but it sounded like Dia agreed. She was sure of it once You nodded, showing that Dia gave her approval. She then quickly turned back to Riko and gave her smile before she disappeared into the back room.
After a couple of minutes that Riko spent waiting around in the empty shop, You returned with a small bucket of a bunch of different flowers that Riko couldn’t quite recognize. “Okay,” You said, placing the bucket on the ground, “let’s make you something nice!”
Riko watched wordlessly as You got to work. She hummed as she worked, trimming the stems, placing the flowers, rearranging them so that they worked, and so on. Riko admitted that it all looked very simple, but she knew that it was much more than it seemed.
But the most important thing to Riko was the look on You’s face as she arranged the flowers. She could tell that You took an immense amount of pride in her work, but it was more than just that. The smile on her face was the tell-tale sign that she was simply having fun and loving what she was doing. It had been quite a while since Riko felt like that.
She really did hope that these flowers would help.
After what felt like no time at all, You had finished. “There you go, Riko-chan,” she said, pushing the vase closer to Riko’s side of the counter. “I hope you like it!”
The little vase was full of bright yellow and pink flowers. Once Riko got a closer look, she could tell that the larger yellow flowers were yellow roses, but she was still at a loss as to what the other two were. Regardless, the arrangement was still wonderful, but she was curious about the meanings. “You-chan, what do these flowers mean?” she asked.
You smiled, leaning on her elbows on the counter. “Well, you asked for luck, so I put a bunch of goldenrods in there. Those are for good fortune and encouragement.” Her smile then widened into a grin as she added, “And the yellow roses and the pink germaniums are for friendship!”
Riko’s face turned a bright shade of pink. She really was never going to get used to this girl’s straightforward nature. “I—I,” she stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence. She cleared her throat and looked anywhere but You’s face. “You-chan, you didn’t need to do that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
You began to laugh, amused by Riko’s embarrassment. “Of course I did, Riko-chan. I just had to make sure you knew that we’re friends now.” She rested her chin in her palm, tilting her head with a smile as she looked up at Riko. “I thought it would be a good way to make sure you would come back and visit me.”
If that statement was supposed to calm Riko down, it did the exact opposite.
Again, You laughed at Riko’s exaggerated embarrassment. She stood up straight and wiped her hands on her apron, drying them off. “Okay, okay, enough teasing,” she said, moving over to the register. “Let me ring you up.”
Once Riko calmed down, she cleared her throat and gave You an angry look before moving over to the register as well. You received the look with a snicker, shaking her head.
The exchange was quick since Riko had only bought something small. As soon as she made the purchase, You brought the vase over to the register’s side of the counter. She was about to push it towards Riko, but she instead she refrained, remembering to ask, “Need a bag, box, or something?”
Riko hummed as she put her wallet back in her purse, thinking it over. It was a small arrangement, and the walk back to her apartment wasn’t going to be very long. “No, I guess not,” she decided. “I’ll be okay.”
You nodded and handed Riko the vase. She took it happily and smiled, eager to get home and draw something from her new floral arrangement. She glanced up at You and thanked her, saying, “These are really beautiful, You-chan. Thank you so much.”
“Awh, it’s nothing, Riko-chan!” You came around the counter and went up to Riko. “Let me walk you out,” she offered, gesturing towards the door.
Riko agreed, and the two of them began to walk to the exit. “I really hope this gives me the luck I need,” Riko accidentally thought aloud.
“Yeah?” You asked, curious about what Riko was talking about. “Luck with what?”
Surprised by her sudden slip, Riko hastily tried to come up with an excuse for it. She didn’t want to reveal everything to You quite yet since they had just met, but it would probably be harmless to at least generalize her problems. “It’s just that I’m working on something,” Riko finally explained after a few seconds of stuttering, “and it’s not going as well as I’d hoped.”
They stopped walking as they reached the front entrance. Once again, You crossed her arms and leaned her side against the wall. Riko stepped to the side to face her. “Sorry about that,” You said with a frown. She tried to think of something to say, some kind of advice to give, but she came up with nothing. With a shrug and a sigh, she attempted to reassure Riko that she would be fine. “I don’t know how it’ll work out, but I hope it does.”
Riko’s eyes narrowed as she turned to the door. She looked out through the glass panes to the street as she was reminded of her frustrations. “Me too,” she sighed. She shook her head, clicking her tongue as she glanced back up at You. “It’d be really nice if things could go well for me for once,” she muttered.
Although she was genuinely concerned with Riko’s problem, You couldn’t help but laugh at her sudden bout of frustration. “Hey, I’m sure you’ll be nothing short of successful!” she cheered, trying to encourage her. “Especially with the flowers I arranged for you.”
You’s sudden optimism surprised Riko. Once again, she found herself shocked by You’s straightforward confidence. To be able to guarantee something that she was incapable of controlling… This girl really was something else.
But Riko would be lying if she said she didn’t at least admire that aspect of her personality. Her positive energy was something that Riko had been lacking lately.
She turned head back to You and smiled, her gaze softening as her frustration disappeared. “Yeah,” she agreed. She hugged the flowers closer to her. “These are sure to bring me success.”
You returned the smile and reached for the doorknob. She pushed the door open, saying, “Well, you should get going.” She gestured outside, and Riko nodded, leaving the shop. You followed her out, letting the door close behind them. “It was really nice to meet you, Riko-chan!” she said with a grin. “I’ll see you around.”
“Oh, you, too,” Riko nodded, turning to face You. She realized that didn’t quite sound right, so she added, “It was also nice to meet you, I mean,” to clarify.
You didn’t say anything, so Riko continued. “I really do appreciate this,” she said, glancing down at her newly purchased arrangement again with a smile. “I’m really grateful for it. Thanks so much for taking the time to make it for me.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it!” You waved her hand back and forth, dismissing her excessive thanks. “I wanted to do it,” she explained. “I don’t need any thanks, I just want to make sure that it helps you out, Riko-chan.” You smiled, placing her hands on her hips. “So you’ve got to let me know if it does!”
Riko laughed, nodding in agreement. “Of course I will,” she said. With a sigh, she began to turn around to leave. “Well, goodbye! Have a good morning, You-chan.”
“Yeah! You too,” You nodded, giving her a little wave goodbye.
Riko fully turned around and began to walk back to her apartment. She heard the shop’s door open, so she assumed that You had gone back inside.
As she walked, she realized that she could barely stop herself from grinning. She was so eager to get home and start composing again that she could hardly contain her excitement. Well, at least that was a good sign, she thought. That excitement and the flowers might just be enough to finally draw out some real inspiration again. Or at least she hoped it would be.
“Riko-chan!”
Startled by her name being called out so randomly, Riko stopped so suddenly that she nearly dropped her arrangement. She had only been walking for at most a minute when she turned around, curious as to who, or what, wanted her attention. When she did, she was surprised to see You still standing in front of the shop.
“You will come again, right?” You asked, once she had gotten Riko’s attention.
Riko’s surprise quickly turned into amusement as she came to understand what You really wanted. She couldn’t believe that the florist she had met by chance actually wanted to see her again. She laughed, calling back, “Yes, of course!”
A wide grin stretched across You’s face. “Okay! Then I’ll see you soon, Riko-chan!” With that and a wave, she headed back into the shop.
Riko laughed again, shaking her head as she turned around to leave once more.
Unfortunately, Riko wasn’t quite able to get to work as soon as she got home.
Well, she tried, but she couldn’t stay focused for very long. Her belongings were scattered all over the place, leaving no room for her to get comfortable. After tripping over and bumping into her own things for the third time, she realized that she should probably get to cleaning things up.
After coming to that conclusion, Riko then began cleaning and organizing her things so that she had more room to move around. She spent the next few hours opening boxes, readjusting furniture, and placing objects. It took her some time and a lot of work, but if it meant being able to move around freely, it was worth it. It might not have been perfect, but she was actually able to walk around her apartment without knocking anything over.
When she finally finished, she quickly cleaned herself up and went back to fixing her composition.
She placed the flower arrangement that You created on her bedside table. She then sat down at her piano and began to stare at her flowers, as if they would somehow instantly give her the exact inspiration she needed.
After a few minutes of intense staring and coming up with nothing, Riko sighed. Alright, maybe she was expecting too much from an inanimate object…
She started to move her hands anyway, playing a few notes and tunes that were similar to what she had already composed. Riko thought that it might help her ease back into the process. She tried to channel the energy, the brightness, and the colors of the flowers. Maybe if she even thought more about the feelings they evoked, she could get somewhere.
After a few minutes of that, her theory was again proved wrong. Sure, she started getting into some nice melodies, but nothing she thought of was that interesting. Nothing that prompted her to make changes to her composition, anyway.
Riko could feel herself starting to get frustrated again, so she decided it was probably best if she took a break for a while. Maybe if she did something else for a bit, she could come back to the piano with a better state of mind.
Riko stood up and walked over to her bed. She sat down and threw herself back so that she was laying down with her arms outstretched. She let out an exasperated sigh, turning her head to look at the flowers.
She realized that she couldn’t have expected so much from a little vase of flowers, but it was hard for her to think logically lately. You had just given her so much hope, and she got so swept away in the entire idea that she was so eager to finally finish what she had started.
But even if she wasn’t able to finish her piece immediately, she was definitely getting somewhere. She wasn’t about to give up.
Riko suddenly stood up and walked over to the coffee table in the middle of her room. She knew it would be beneficial to take her mind off composing for a while, so she picked up her sketchbook and a couple of pencils. Although her ability to make art through music was lacking, her drawing skills certainly hadn’t changed.
She sat on her bed again and flipped to an empty page in the sketchbook. Since she had been so busy obsessing over her composition, she hadn’t been drawing much. Riko thought it would be nice to start drawing again. And with her new flower arrangement, she had the perfect subject matter to focus on.
Riko spent a few minutes sketching the vase full of flowers. She drew lightly, trying to get the shape correct. If she was going to draw the arrangement, she had to make it as perfect as she could to do it justice. Especially after You took just as much care creating it for her.
As she drew, she began to pay attention to the little details. She appreciated how the colors blended and contrasted with each other, how the flowers were placed, and how they worked together. Riko had already decided that she loved it while You was putting it together, but now that she was observing it so closely, it was different somehow. It almost felt as if she was in You’s position, putting it all together. It was almost like she could feel what You was feeling.
Well, maybe that was a stretch. It was more like… You was so full of energy that Riko couldn’t help but be affected by her. Riko could practically feel the positivity radiating from You while she—well, while she did anything, really. The way she talked so happily about her work, the excitement she showed while making Riko’s flower arrangement, and the way she pushed Riko to come back… Everything about her character was such a shock to Riko. You had so much that Riko lacked. Even just talking to her felt refreshing and new to Riko.
Riko had finished her sketch of the flower arrangement a while ago, but she didn’t stop to take a look at it. Instead, she absentmindedly continued sketching. But since she was thinking about a certain florist, Riko just so happened to make You her subject matter.
It wasn’t until Riko got to drawing You’s face that she realized what she had been doing. When she looked down at the page, she found that she had drawn the florist’s faceless body holding a bouquet of flowers. Riko laughed, surprised with herself for doing it, but at the same time, she somewhat expected it. After realizing how You’s personality had gotten to her, drawing her didn’t feel surprising at all.
She tapped the sketchbook with the back of her pencil, thinking about what kind of expression to give the girl. After a moment, Riko laughed, shaking her head. She really only had one option.
A grin stretched across Riko’s face as she finished the picture with a huge smile and bright, happy eyes. Of course, how could she have given You any other expression? Happiness was what suited her best.
Riko put the pencil down and took a good look at her drawing of You. It wasn’t perfect, but it at least resembled her a bit. Besides, Riko had gotten the most important part of it right. You’s energetic personality was more striking than any physical aspect.
Riko realized that she could probably get back to composing at that point, so she closed her sketchbook and placed it back on the coffee table where it was. She then took a seat at her piano again and sighed, placing her fingers on the keys.
She tried going about composing differently than how she did before. Instead of keeping the melody similar to what she had previously written, she let herself get carried away by her emotions—specifically how the flowers made her feel. She wasn’t sure if it would work very well, but she had to try.
Surprisingly, Riko found that it really did work well. She didn’t know what it was, but somehow the music she was playing seemed livelier. It flowed a lot better than what she had written before, and it felt heavier with emotion. It wasn’t a perfect improvement, but it certainly was a step in the right direction. But she really had no idea what came over her and made her compose something like that.
Suddenly, Riko turned towards the arrangement sitting on her bedside table with a gasp. Of course! it had to be the flowers!
Riko stood suddenly and rushed over to the flowers. She picked up the vase and inspected the arrangement, wondering how such a small bunch of flowers could have given her the edge to turn her composition around. She turned the vase in her hands, poking at the flowers as if they would give her the answers. The fact that they actually worked surprised her more than if they hadn’t.
Once she realized she was being silly, Riko shook her head. She knew that she should just be grateful that they helped at all, since there was no guarantee that they would.
Riko then put the arrangement down and lay on her bed. With a sigh, she let her eyes close. She had nearly worked herself to exhaustion trying to get her composition back on track, and now that she’d found a way to do it, she felt like a well-deserved nap was in order.
Riko turned onto her side and glanced at the arrangement for a final time. She smiled, and as she drifted off to sleep, Riko thought about You and how much good news she would have to tell her.