Omoi no Hanazono

Ninth Flower. Dandelion

👉Taraxacum officinale

＊Hanayuri's POV＊
After laying my things on the floor, I searched for Yui-san, the owner, to ask her if there's a garden here.

Right after I found her, I asked...

"Yui-san, koko ni hanazono wa arimasu ka? [Yui-san, is there a flower garden here?]"

"Nai yo. [There's none.]" She answered.

"Shikashi, chikaku ni hanaya ga aru yo. [But, there's a flower shop nearby.]" She added.

"Sore wa doko ni arimasu ka? [Where is it?]" I asked.

"When you exit the gate of this inn, turn to your left. The third stall you'll see is the flower shop. Its name is 'Himeko no Furawaa Korekushon.'"

＊Author's POV＊
The words Furawaa Korekushon are actually English words; they are just pronounced using Japanese syllables and written in Katakana. The words are 'Flower Collection.'

Katakana is one of the writing systems that Japanese use. They use it in writing Japanese words that are borrowed from other languages like English. Here are the words that are borrowed from other languages.

Legend: [E] - English, [G] German, [C] Chinese

1. Kurisumasu
[E]. Written as クリスマス。 Borrowed word: Christmas.

2.Arubaito
[G]. Written as: アルバイト. Borrowed word: Arbeit. Meaning: Part-time job.

3. Rabukome
[E]. Written as ラブコメ。 Borrowed words: Love Comedy. Meaning: Romantic Comedy.

4. Chaahan
[C]. Written as チャーハン。 Borrowed word: 炒飯, Chao Fan. Meaning: Stir-fried rice.

＊Hanayuri's POV＊

I went to the direction Yui-san told me, and there is really a flower shop.

"Wow, so many flowers!" I was amazed to see the collection of flowers.

A lady came out of the shop's inside and said...

"Hi, I'm the owner of this shop. My name is Tanaka. Tanaka Himeko."

"Uhmmm. Tanaka-san, do you have any flowers other than these?" I asked.

"Of course. There are more inside." She said.

I went inside the shop and searched for dandelions. I found a collection of them with a price tag of "30円各".

"Sanjuu-en kaku!? Takai! [Thirty Yen Each!? So expensive!]' I said.

"It's because they're imported from America. But if you buy a dozen of them or more, you'll get a 20% discount out of the total price." She explained.

"So... If I want to buy a dozen, then... 12 times 30 is 360. 20% of 360 is 72. The price that I'll only pay is..." I said.

"¥288." She said.

"Woooah! That's cheaper compared to 10 pieces!"

"That's why lots of people come to  my flower shop. They're after the package discount.

Besides, the flowers here are worth buying since they came from a far country and they're delivered here still planted in pots.

I'm just the one who cut them and place them in containers with water." She explained further.

"Kaimasu! [I'll buy!]" I said in a joyful manner.

"Ikutsu ka? [How many?]"

"Juuni-ko desu. [Twelve pieces.]" I said and paid her ¥300.

She went to the counter and...

"Received ¥300. Here's your change. ¥12." She said as she gave my change.

"Arigatou gozaimasu. [Thank you.]" I said to her.

"Domo arigatou gozaimasu. Moichido kite kudasai ne. [Thank you, too. Please come again.]" She said. Then I left the shop and returned to the inn.

When I was on the girls' rooms already,  I remembered I forgot to buy a flower vase. So, I went outside again and searched for a general merchandise store.

I saw one which is three stalls away from Tanaka's flower shop. I entered it and searched for a vase.

There are so many vases with different sizes and prices. The prices range from ¥15 to ¥40.

I picked the small one with a price of ¥20, went to the counter and paid the vase.

Then I went back to the inn.

I half-filled the vase with water and put the flowers inside.

I put the flowers on the bedroom table.

After several hours, it's already nighttime.

I was in my room when, suddenly, Shiota-san (one of my classmates) approached me and asked...

"Ichida-san, do you want to join us play the old maid game?"

"No, thanks. I'm reading a manga right now." I answered.

"Oh. Okay. Just go inside Setsumi's room if you want to join, okay?" She said.

"Got it." I said.

"Oh, and before I leave, are you the one who bought those flowers?"

"Yeah, I am."

"What made you buy those flowers?"

"Their meaning."

"Their meaning?"

"Yeah. In the language of flowers, dandelions mean 'happiness'."

"Ohhh. I see. But what made you happy today?"

"Well, you see, our family is not rich. We're not also poor. You could say that we're in the middle class society. I'm only admitted to the school because of scholarship."

"And so?"

"In my entire life so far, this is only the second time I've entered a hot spring inn. That's why I'm happy. Amd that's what the dandelions convey."

Then Shiota-san left.

After I finished reading the manga, I went into Setsumi's room and I saw them still playing.

I joined the game and we played to our heart's content. Before we knew it, we all fell asleep. The next morning...