K - Four Seasons of K Short Story 3

Thanks to the wonderful who I can never thank enough, I have the texts of GoRa’s currently ongoing series of short stories 4 Seasons of K, subt.i.tled ~Seasonal short stories that might have happened~ and published monthly. This is the third story of the series, about Homura’s flower viewing experience.

Like Flowers in a Storm [*] by Azano Kouhei

“You kno~w, I ended up wandering as far as the riverbank yesterday after a long while, and I have to say, the sakura there really is beautiful. Right now is the perfect time to watch it bloom.”

The one to make this utterance, cheerfully like spring itself, was Totsuka Tatara who sat at the counter, gracefully enjoying his black tea. Unfortunately, the bar’s master, Kusanagi Izumo, was out shopping at the moment, but, surprisingly, the tea Totsuka made himself turned out pretty good. Although if Kusanagi saw him making it, he would probably give Totsuka an earful about how wasteful he was using more tea leaves than was necessary, in Kusanagi’s view.

It was half past 4 in the afternoon, and bar HOMRA wasn’t open for business just yet. Through the wide open windows languid spring air was seeping in, drifting across the bar. The faint sweet smell it brought with it was probably that of the flowers found in the flower beds on the street outside. Mingling with the aroma of the freshly brewed black tea, it tickled one’s nostrils pleasantly.

“Ohh, sounds good.” It was Yata Misaki, occupying a seat on the couch with a bottle of Cola, who swooped in on Totsuka’s suggestion. His eyes sparkled as he jumped up out of his seat, “Actually, I was thinking the same thing. Especially considering that sakura in the city is almost in bloom already. The riverbed is sunny, so I thought that sakura there might’ve gone into full bloom already.”

“Eh? What is?”

“Wha…! Please don’t a.s.sume things about me like I’m Kamamoto or something, Totsuka-san! And anyway, so what if I’m interested in sakura. It’s not a big deal.”

“…I thought so, too…”
“Not you too, Anna! Sure, it’s not like I hate dango, but come on!” Yata lamented pitifully, and the bar got filled with familiar laughter on the cue.

Even Anna, sitting by Totsuka’s side, snickered, shoulders shaking. In her small hands, too, was grasped a cup of black tea that Totsuka made.

For a while, a frown was scrunching Yata’s face, until he finally snorted. “Anyway,” he got back on track, “we were talking about the sakura by the riverside, remember? Within this district, that’s gotta be the best place worth seeing, right? It has a lot of sakura trees, their shape is good, and you can come there freely all year long. The way it blooms there, all huge and flashy and stuff, gotta feel really nice, too!”
“Yeah. I agree. Yata is right. That riverbank has a nice view to begin with. It’d be most enjoyable to come there on a day with good weather like today.” Lips on the edge of his cup, Totsuka glanced at the scenery outside the open window.

Even indoors, you could tell how pleasantly the gentle caress of the sunlight must have felt.

“Actually, Totsuka-san. Since we’re discussing this seriously and stuff, let’s just go proper flower viewing.”

“Heh, just listen to yourself, Kamamoto. I knew it, you’re the first on the list among those who’d take dango over flowers.”

“…Hm?”

“R-Right… I see.” In the face of Kamamoto’s impressive vigor, Yata, who started it in the first place, got humbled.

“Sounds nice to me~” came from the side from the always positive Totsuka. “Should we ask Kusanagi-san to make us some bentos then? Something like futomaki and inari-zus.h.i.+.”

“That’s Kamamoto for you. So very particular about his dango, eh.”

“Hey, don’t put yourself in charge without asking!”
“No, no, this is one thing I won’t budge about.” Although Kamamoto rapidly heated up all of a sudden, that careful and somewhat meddlesome side was what made him reliable in these situations.

“Decided, then,” Totsuka smiled. “We’ll refine the details once Kusanagi-san is back. …No objection, I trust, right, King?” Totsuka turned to the farthest from the counter end of the room - to Suoh Mikoto - to check it with him.

But there was no answer.

“Huh?” All the present s.h.i.+fted their gazes to Suoh.
“…King?”

“…Mn,” Suoh finally responded halfheartedly after nodding his head back and forth. Then he slowly raised his arms and stretched, taking out a cigarette with a sigh, putting it between his lips and lighting it. Taking a drag with a drowsy look, he blew out the smoke.

“Hey,” he voiced again.

“…It’s already evening though,” Kamamoto remarked in a whisper, but Suoh simply continued smoking his cigarette, showing no sign of caring any about the two’s exchange.

Except when he noticed the black tea that Totsuka and Anna sipped, he ceased all movement for a second, raised one eyebrow and, taking one more drag of his cigarette, put out the barely touched stick on the ashtray.

“…So? What’s this all about?” Suoh asked.
“As I was saying…” With that, Totsuka summed up for Suoh the flower viewing discussion that took place just moments before.

“Do whatever you like,” Suoh finally said rather disinterestedly. Though his lack of interest wasn’t anything new, if anything, it was his normal state. Only, not outright refusing anything was what was good about Suoh, too.

“King, don’t treat it like it someone else’s business, you’ve got to partic.i.p.ate as well, okay?”

“You and your halfheartedness again. Come on, don’t be difficult. All you’ll need to do is just lie around on the riverbank, is all, anyway.” Totsuka was his usual self as well, speaking cheerfully whatever was on his mind.

Still, clansmen be clansmen, and that was enough to get them thoroughly excited now that their king’s approval had been secured.

“We gotta let the other guys know, too.”
“Yeah, let’s have fun all together!”

Both Yata and Kamamoto didn’t bother to hide how overeager they were. But the most delighted person was…

“…It will be my first time going flower viewing…”

…Anna, putting this muttered confession into words.

“Eh? Really?” Yata asked back.

Kamamoto looked surprised, too.

“Ah, but now that I think about it… Right, a kid wouldn’t be interested in something like flower viewing. Sure, they go if their parents bring them along, but… ah no, it’s…” Yata got fl.u.s.tered and didn’t finish his sentence.

“…Yes. It’s a sakura red, very pale though. Like it’s about to vanish any moment… but yes, I can see it. Flecks of it floating in the air is what it looks like to me,” Anna said haltingly, her eyes on the cup in her hands. She rocked the red of her black tea and swished it in the cup. “Being under it with everyone… I can’t wait,” she added delightedly, gazing down at the cup’s contents.

All of a sudden Yata sprang up to his feet, pumping his fist excitedly, “Alright then! Count on us, Anna! We’ll give you the taste of the best flower viewing experience ever!”

“Hm, then what should I make, I wonder. Anna, what would you like?”

“For flower viewing? That’s sure original.”

Suoh meanwhile put his elbows on the counter, watching his comrades talk excitedly. Sighing at the sight, he reached for the cigarette, then remembered he had put it out and stopped.

That’s when the doorbell came to life, announcing the arrival of Kusanagi with an armful of shopping bags. “I’m back~” Jacket on his arm, he commented with a lopsided smile, “Today’s so warm that I should’ve left the jacket home.”

“Kusanagi-san! We got something to tell you!”

“Not that! It’s about flower viewing! We were talking about how it’d be nice to go flower viewing!”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be today. Besides, the place that we chose doesn’t have street lighting, so it’d be really dark after sunset. But the earlier we can go, the better. So how about tomorrow? What do you say, Totsuka-san?”

Totsuka nodded, agreeing with Yata. Needless to say, neither Kamamoto, Anna or even Suoh had any objection, either.

The only one who looked troubled was Kusanagi. Sweeping all the present with a gaze, he finally said, “…Well, guys, hate to break it to you, but tomorrow…”

…it rained.

Or rather, it stormed.

By 10:10 a.m., pitch black clouds that had appeared at dawn, had covered the sky completely, and a strong wind blew in violent gusts, making the window panes of bar HOMRA rattle. The rain proper had yet to start falling, but large drops of it did hit the walls of the bar from time to time. According to the weather forecast, by noon a downpour was expected to hit in full. A real spring storm indeed.

“I told you, did I? Oh well, this is one thing that we can’t do anything about.”
“…” Yata and Kamamoto exchanged awkward looks, Totsuka smiled a strained little smile while tenderly stroking the head of a depressed looking Anna.

Even after hearing the weather forecast, the members a.s.sembled in the bar, hoping against hope that maybe it was wrong, but unfortunately for them, it wasn’t. What’s worse, because of the strong wind and torrential rain, sakura blossoms in full bloom had no chance to hold out through the day without scattering their petals prematurely. It was only reasonable to a.s.sume that this weather put a resolute end to sakura’s blooming this year.

Kusanagi, standing deep behind the counter, glanced at Anna to check how she was doing. He had already heard why Yata and Kamamoto were so excited when he came back yesterday. It was the best opportunity they had in a long while, and they wanted Anna to enjoy it. That said, as he had remarked earlier, weather was the one thing that nothing could be done about.

“C'mon, Anna. Cheer up,” Kusanagi called out, putting a multi-tiered bento box on the counter. Despite knowing about the bad weather - or rather precisely because he had been aware - Kusanagi poured all of his skills and talent into making a deluxe flower viewing bento.

With a soft click, another something was put onto the counter - a little vase. In it, lovely pink flowers were arranged. And their petails were…

“…Sakura?”
“Or so they look like. Actually, it’s primrose. Let’s make do with these for today’s flower viewing.” Kusanagi winked playfully at the thoroughly surprised Anna.

Totsuka bowed his hear to Kusanagi in admiration. “Nothing less from you, Kusanagi-san. That consideration you show towards girls is why you’re so popular with them, I guess.”

“You’re so cool, Kusanagi-san! Please soothe my grieving stomach next!”
“Hey, no devouring this, Kamamoto. Lunchtime is still ways off. You’re not supposed to be in a hurry when eating this,” Kusanagi mildly admonished, and the mood in the bar brightened somewhat.

Anna seemed to bounce back, too, answering Kusanagi’s consideration with a smile.

Only, immediately after…

A boom resounded as a loud clap of thunder exploded in the atmosphere somewhere very high above. Belatedly, torrent-like rain  started rapping against the windows with almost enough force to break them.

Anna shrank with a start, while Yata and Kamamoto yelped.

It was dark outside like it was night. The storm had finally arrived in all its glory.

The cheerfulness that had finally returned to Anna’s features earlier disappeared and her expression got clouded again. Kusanagi and Totsuka, faces tight, exchanged glances.

And then…

“…Well then.”

“Huh? Out? What for?”

“Huh?”

“No, no, no, no.” Kusanagi shook his head like he had no idea what country’s language he should use to get through to Suoh.

All the others watched Suoh in a shocked silence.

“It’s a storm outside, I told you.”

“Maybe but with a strong wind like that…!”

“There’s also rain. And with how things are looking, soon it will turn into s—”
“…So I’ll get soaked, so what? Is that a problem or something?” Suoh replied calmly. And then flashed a tiny grin.

Kusanagi found himself lost for words.

Anna, who watched the exchange with wide open eyes, shook slightly. “…I’m going, too!”

Suoh snorted. “…An umbrella won’t do. Go put on a rain coat. And don’t let go of me under any circ.u.mstances, got it?” he said.

Anna nodded energetically and rushed with small steps to get the rain coat.

“I-I’m going, too!” Yata shouted once he came to his senses.
“Me, too,” Kamamoto hurried to back him up.

Totsuka, unable to keep a straight face any longer, burst into laughter, while Kusanagi rolled his eyes at the ceiling, still dumbfounded. “I’m just no match, honestly.”
“No sweat. It’s going to be very Homura-like flower viewing, no? How about going with us, Kusanagi-san?” Totsuka smiled a carefree smile at the grieving Kusanagi. So it appeared he intended to come along, too.

Before long, Anna returned with the rain coat. Her cheeks were colored with a faint blush and her eyes were sparkling just like they did yesterday when the group was making plans to go flower viewing.

At the sight of that face, all power got drained from Kusanagi, and he smiled the same smile as Totsuka.  "Can’t be helped. How can I not.“

“…Let’s go, then.”
“Yeah!” Yata and Kamamoto yelled, following their leaders.

Anna nodded energetically.

And so, Homura departed for the riverbank in the storm mounting from every direction. Having experienced the drumming downpour of the torrential rain and the blizzard of falling sakura blossoms with every inch of their bodies, all of them to the last one got themselves dripping wet. Despite being soaked, they laughed in loud voices, thoroughly appreciating the sakura trees in full bloom as they got illuminated with flashes of lighting.

It was 3 hours later that they made it back to the bar. While Anna was off taking a hot shower, the rest, dripping on the floor, started the banquet. The merrymaking had lasted late into the night.

As a result, though. at least two partic.i.p.ants came down with a cold…

But to Anna, it became a flower viewing experience, as beautiful and intense as blazing flames, that she would never forget.

T/N:

[*] The t.i.tle itself 花に嵐の (“hana ni aras.h.i.+ no”) is the beginning of a j.a.panese toast, originating in Chinese poetry and sounding like 花に嵐のたとえもあるぞ さよならだけが人生だ (“hana ni aras.h.i.+ no tatoe mo aruzo, sayonara dake ga jinsei da” - Like flowers scatter in a storm, life is filled with farewells). The common interpretation of it goes as follows: it’s not unusual for transient flowers to get scattered by a sudden storm, so you’ve got to appreciate the people you meet and the time you spend with them while you still have the chance.

[**] 花より団子 (“hana yori dango” - Dango over flowers) is another famous set phrase, a proverb meaning that people are more interested in the practical over the aesthetic/ in material things over the soul.