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A young flower spirit leaned over her garden, carefully tending to a small bush. Within the leaves, a single camellia blossom laid in full bloom. Its crimson petals contrasted against the small, pale green hand that cradled it.
“She’s gonna love you for sure. I just know it,” the spirit whispered.
“Who’s gonna love what?” a crow spirit teased from a nearby tree, his body draped casually on the thick branch.
“Shoyo!” the spirit gasped, red columbine blossoms hastily sprouting in her hair. “What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that?”
“Yeah, yeah, one day it’s gonna kill you,” he waved off. “Have you still not confessed to Kiyoko-san? Hicchan, it’s been how long?”
Hitoka groaned, the buds in her hair wilting. “Nearly a decade.” She fiddled with her fingers. “She’s just so pretty, Shoyo, it’s intimidating. Plus, I still don’t know her favorite flower! If I’m going to confess to her, I need to make sure that it’s perfect. If I embarrass myself in front of her, I’ll never recover.” She covered her face with her hands.
Shoyo hummed. “Have you tried lily of the valley?”
Hitoka pulled a small notebook from a satchel slung over her shoulder. “Yes,” she flipped to a page. “She smiled a bit and tucked it behind her ear, but didn’t say anything, so I took that as it went well with her outfit, but she feels neutrally toward it.”
Shoyo attempted not to giggle. “You keep records of her reactions to different flowers?”
Hitoka shook the now dead flowers from her hair. “Yes, I do. It’s part of my master plan to track down the perfect flower to make her fall for me. She passes through on the first day of every moon cycle, and every time she does I give her a flower and after all this research, I have to be close!” She slipped the book back into her satchel with a satisfied smile.
Sitting up, Shoyo gave her an unimpressed look. “Don’t you think that’s a little creepy? You could’ve just asked her. Although, I’m pretty sure I’ve been saying that for the past three years, so I’m not sure why I suggested it.”
“It’s more romantic if I don’t ask!”
“You know, when I was courting Atsumu, I told him straight out that I wanted to soul bond with him. You should've seen the look on his face,” Shoyo giggled. “He froze up and his face went all red. It was so cute!”
Hitoka giggled. “And then you took him on a date to the ice ponds,” she said softly. “You two are super cute, but you know I’m not as brave as you.” She sighed.
“Yeah, but you’re no pushover,” he said, hopping down from the tree. He crouched down beside her to inspect the camellia. “Alright, maybe it is kinda romantic. This is the most beautiful camellia I’ve ever seen.”
Hitoka puffed up, amaryllis bulbs sprouting at her shoulders. “See? I’m a genius.”
“A painfully awkward one,” Shoyo joked with a pat on her back. “But you’ll get there.”
“Thanks,” Hitoka said with a snort.
“Wait, isn’t the first day of the next moon cycle tomorrow?”
“Yep,” Hitoka said. She stood up and brushed some dirt off of her skirt. “That’s why I’m paying so much attention to the little guy.” She stretched. “Do you want to come in for some tea?”
Shoyo looked up and flinched. “Oh jeez, I’d love to, but it’s later than I thought. I promised Tsumu that I’d cook dinner tonight.” He stood up and gave himself a running start, taking flight. “Good luck tomorrow! I’ll make sure to come by for the gossip!”
Hitoka chuckled. “Alright, see you then!” She turned to head into her house. “Man, I hope he doesn’t actually talk to anyone else about my love life,” she mumbled to herself.
The next morning came and Hitoka arose with a start, checking the position of the sun. “Alright, it looks like I’ve got three hours before she’s here. Gotta look sharp!” She hopped out of bed and immediately slid into her kitchen, making herself a quick breakfast of various vegetables and grains.
The next couple of hours she spent taking a fragrant bath and carefully selecting an outfit. She picked out a sleeveless white dress with flowers of all kinds embroidered across the skirt. She twirled in front of her mirror and smiled, the freckles on her shoulders and cheeks glowing a faint blue.
“Okay, let’s check and see how the flower is doing!” She lightly skipped out of her house and entered her garden. “My star camellia, how are you doing to—” she gasped, covering her mouth. The blossom that stood so beautifully the previous day had wilted overnight and now laid crumpled in the soil. “Oh no, this is bad. This is really bad. Is this an omen? Oh my god, am I gonna die? What am I gonna give her? I can’t just give her nothing!” She stood up and pulled at her fingers. “I don’t have anything else that’s ready to be picked yet and she could be here any minute!”
Just as she spoke those words, the sky momentarily grew dark and a figure emerged from the woods at the edge of the field. She raised her head, looking toward Hitoka and smiled. She approached smoothly, almost appearing to float toward her.
Hitoka blushed, a soft blue hue glowing on her cheeks and upper arms. She panicked, but tried not to let it show on her face.
“Hello, Hitoka,” Kiyoko spoke softly. “How is the field treating you this month?”
“Um, the poppies should bloom on time this year as well as the dandelions. I have had—uh—” she cleared her throat. “I’ve had fewer issues with local insects so far this year, and I’m hoping it will continue to improve.” Against her will, a single red carnation bloomed in her hair just above her ear.
“That’s lovely,” she said, before tilting her head with a lifted brow. “Are you sure there’s nothing troubling you?”
Hitoka looked away, fiddling with her fingers. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I was hoping to have another gift for you this month, but something went wrong. It’s just odd for one of my flowers to wilt on me like it did.”
Kiyoko smiled fondly, taking a step forward. “That’s quite alright.” She tucked a strand of hair behind Hitoka’s ear, making her blush shine brighter. “There is no need for a gift because you are my favorite flower of all,” she said softly before cupping her cheek and pressing a kiss to the opposite cheek. “Just be sure to take care of yourself and I’m sure everything will turn out alright.”
Hitoka nodded wordlessly, completely frozen as Kiyoko slowly pulled her hand away.
“As always, it’s wonderful to see you. Take care, and I shall see you again the next lunar cycle,” she said, turning to walk away.
In a moment of adrenaline Hitoka stepped forward. “Wait!”
“Yes? Was there something else?” She said, an expectant lilt to her voice.
Hitoka gulped. “Would—would you like to stay for some tea?” her voice shook as the words fell from her lips, but she held her ground.
Kiyoko’s smile grew and the spots across her skin—akin to constellations—shone brighter, illuminating her in a soft glow. “I’d love to.”
Hitoka stiffly opened her door and beckoned her inside before leading her to her couch to sit down. “Do you prefer black tea or green tea?”
Kiyoko looked her up and down for a moment. “I think some green tea sounds lovely.”
Hitoka coughed, mumbling a small, “got it!” before running into her kitchen. She carefully prepared the tea, willing herself to stop blushing as she took out a tray and cups, as well as a few baked desserts she had on hand. “What is happening?” she whispered to herself.
Once the tea was heated to the right temperature, she moved the pot onto the tray, taking a deep breath before carrying it out to the table. She poured them both a cup and passed one to Kiyoko before robotically sitting down beside her.
Kiyoko blew gently on the beverage and took a sip. She hummed softly. “This is a lovely blend. Did you make it yourself?”
“Yep,” Hitoka squeaked as she stared down into her cup. She took a sip to calm her nerves and turned to Kiyoko. “Thank you for agreeing to hang out like this, but I just realized that I have no idea what to talk about.”
“Hmm, well, I suppose we could start by talking about you,” Kiyoko suggested. “I don’t know much about you aside from my monthly rounds. I’m quite curious.”
Hitoka spluttered for a moment. “Well—I mean—I’m not—” she took a deep breath. “I spend most of my time tending my flowers and talking to some other nearby spirits that I’ve just happened to run into. Since I’m bound to this field, it’s hard to get out there and explore, you know?”
“Yes, I can understand how you feel there,” she admitted. “My domain is larger, but I’m bound to the forest that surrounds this field. I talk to a lot of others, but most seem far too reverent of me to try to befriend me, which is disheartening.”
“I guess animal spirits really have it made, huh?” Hitoka laughed. “My best friend is a crow spirit, but luckily he’s never been too big on leaving the forest. He’d likely be better off in a different environment, but he and his partner were born and raised in this forest, so they’re emotionally attached.”
“If you were able to leave, how far would you want to venture out?” Kiyoko scooted closer, her eyes wide in wonder.
“I’m not sure, really. I don’t really have a frame of reference for how much world is really out there, but I guess even if I did leave, no matter how far I went, I’d probably still want to come back home.” Hitoka placed her cup on the tray and leaned against the back of the couch. “After all, the one thing the rest of the world doesn’t have is you.”
Kiyoko shone brightly as she blushed. She gingerly hid her face behind her palm as she set her glass back on the tray.
Her words catching up to her, Hitoka panicked. “I’m sorry! That was a lot! Oh jeez—I just—oh my god—please forgiv—”
Kiyoko placed her hands over Hitoka’s with a smile. “It’s okay, you don’t need to apologize. You just caught me off guard.”
Hitoka glowed a bright cyan as she nodded, trying to keep it together.
“You went and said something super romantic before I even had the chance.”
“What?” Hitoka said blankly, no other words able to process in her mind.
Kiyoko giggled and scooted back, removing her hands from Hitoka’s. “Well, there are many spirits in this forest that I keep watch over, but you are the most intriguing. Like I said, others don’t usually want to get close to me. You’ve been kind and friendly ever since the day I met you. When I do my rounds, I always visit you last specifically so you are the clearest memory in my mind after.” She sighed. “You’re the one breath of fresh air in this forest that keeps me from losing my mind.”
Hitoka covered her face. “Really? Do you really mean all that?”
Kiyoko pulled her hands away. “I really do. Plus—well—” she scratched at her cheek, “you’re also one of the cutest spirits I’ve ever met.”
“You’re really pretty too,” Hitoka blurted, her mind and body finally relaxing. “And that’s why I did all this with the flowers and—and the constant awkward conversations. I just—I’ve kinda had a crush on you for a while, I guess,” she whispered, fiddling with her fingers.
Kiyoko gently placed a hand on her cheek. “Then is it alright if I kiss you?”
Hitoka’s heart raced in her chest. “Yes,” she said with a nod.
Kiyoko leaned in, their lips meeting softly. They pulled back, and looked into each other’s eyes.
“We should have tea more often,” Hitoka whispered against her lips.
Kiyoko snorted and they both laughed, foreheads touching as they pulled each other closer. “Well, now that I know for sure that you like me, I’ll definitely be stopping by more often.” She cradled Hitoka gently in her arms.
“Oh, while I’m thinking about it,” Hitoka said, looking up at her. “What’s your actual favorite flower?”