The Smile You Hold

Drop of Morning Dew

I had just come after a mission. It wasn't a difficult one, but I did obtain a few injuries. So I was sent to the Butterfly Mansion. Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho kept me company most of the time. They talked to me and showed me their facts they got from several books from Shinobu. Whenever it got a bit boring, the girls would come to me and play with my hair. They would brush it out and style it, decorate my hair with several clips and other trinkets Shinobu got them.

The day before I was discharged, I sat, watching the butterflies in the garden. The three girls were playing with my hair, brushing it and styling it. I swear my hair got longer from them.

"Sumi, do you have an extra clip?"

"Somewhere I do. What colour?"

"Blue."

"Kiyo, you have an extra blue clip!"

"I do! Let me go get it!" Kiyo stood up and ran to their shared room. Sumi and Naho brushed out my hair and tied it up in a high ponytail. Kiyo came back with a blue butterfly clip. She sat behind me, and I felt her clip in the butterfly clip.

"There, you're all done!" Sumi smiled and observed their hard work.

"Thank you. I bet it looks good." I smiled as I gently brushed my fingers over the butterfly clip.

"You look beautiful, Tomioka-sama!" Naho smiled brightly. Her soft face made me want to smile, too.

"How kind of you. Thank you."

"You can keep the clip, as long as you promise to wear it, alright?" Kiyo scooched closer to face me. Her determined expression brought warmth to me.

"I promise I'll wear it every day." I stuck out my pinky to her.

"Even better!" She interlinked her delicate fingers with my own rough one. Sumi and Naho joined in. All their pinkies fitting in my own. It somehow brought me joy seeing how tiny they were. Children always brought me joy. They were cute and innocent. How could you not like them?

"Okay! Well, we have to get to work. Aoi needs our help!"

"We will see you around, Tomioka-sama!"

"Bye!"

I waved at the three before turning back to watching the beautiful garden in front of me. The butterfly mansion had one of the most spectacular gardens, which were filled with butterflies and other bugs. Not that I was fond of them, I mostly like the butterflies and ladybugs. The occasional centipede sent a shiver down my spine. I was still surprised how none of the bugs entered the home.

"Ah, Tomioka. It's good to see you again. You look a lot more peaceful than before." I recognised that high-pitched voice. It was Shinobu. She had a unique voice.

"Hello, Shinobu. It seems you've grown a bit of a softer heart towards me." I smiled as I saw her approach me.

"Well, after all, giving you a chance wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." She sat down beside me. Admiring her garden.

There was a comfortable silence for a bit. You could hear the birds chirping and the trees sway in the breeze.

"The clip. It's a Blue Morpho Butterfly. But you remind me more of a Blue Day Moth." She sat calmly as she kept her gaze forward. The different names were confusing. But her view on me was blue. A calm colour.

"So, I'm more of a moth than a butterfly?" I turned to face her. She had a gentle smile. I've noticed that the more I talk to others, the more I see them smile.

"It doesn't matter if you're a moth or a butterfly. The two are a gorgeous blue. So rich, only mother nature could create a beauty like that." Shinobu's words stuck to me. It was like a bandage to a wound.

"Are you calling me beautiful?"

She turned to face me. "Yes, but I'm saying you're beautiful. Not just you. Do you get the difference?"

"Hm, I might have an idea."

"Your soul is a deep, calm blue. A blue so royal, only the richest could love something so complicated. You're filled with wonder, and you have ambition, just as you have a heart filled with love. You calm everyone around. Your smile creates hues of greens and yellows." The way she spoke was so poetic. She had a wonderful way with words. Almost hypnotising me into her spell.

"You have a wonderful mind. A colourful one, perhaps. You're good with describing such indescribable things. Things that aren't physical." I swung my legs of the edge of the egawa. I swayed them gently.

"You too, have a wonderful way with words. Only if you tried more often. Sociolizing isn't as bad as you think it is. You fear rejection. Which is such a stupid thing to fear." Her eyes lingered on a flower close to us.

"Is it truly a stupid thing to fear? What if I meet the individual again. What do I say after they witness my awkwardness?"

"You don't. You are a moth amongst butterflies. If you try to fit in, you'll only make a fool of yourself. Why not embrace your unique gift? Your beautiful blue is radiant and elegant. A butterfly is only a butterfly amongst its own. But you're a moth is a world of butterflies. You already stand out wonderfully."

"Is visual appearance all that matters?"

"I wasn't explaining your visual hue. I was talking about your soul. It's a calm ocean filled with a vibrant life. Why not use it?"

"Why use it?"

"You only live a single life."

"We are reborn."

"Not in the same life with the same wonderful hue. Each and every month is born with different patterns with different shades. Unseen by human eyes, distinguishable by others. Why wait for another life when you can start today?"

"Perhaps you're right."

"Wasn't I from the start?"

"I was scared."

"It's okay. Truth is scary. Not facing it is even scarier."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For opening my heart."

"It was already open."

"I just didn't see it."

"It fluttered open the day we both bonded over washing dishes."

I laughed. I laughed. A genuine soft laugh. "Funny way to bond."

"It was as unique as you."

"You flatter me."

"That's what I do best."

The rest of the time Shinobu was with me was silent. A comfortable silence. One with a million hues. For someone like her, she was wise and had her hypnotic way with words. She truly made me wonder. Wonder about things so small, only she would find beauty in them. Truly, her mind is a wonderful place to be.

I'm glad I got to see a piece of it today. Her words wrapped me up in a blanket. I was swooped up and laid to rest, a few worries disappearing along the way. If I could, I would lay her own troubles to rest. However, I would run out of words to help her. The only way she'd accept my offer was with a tea and a long, needed talk about the things she likes. One day, I'll ask her out to tea. Perhaps a mochi stand along the way. She's a wonderful experience. One I'll never forget.

***