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“Now we’re open for business,”
Ririka smiled contentedly as she flipped the sign on the glass door over, her eyes scanning tentatively for passersby just across the street. She had been cleaning and prepping the shop since morning and now it was finally ready for business.
It was her first time tending the shop like this so she couldn’t help but feel nervous especially since her sister Kirari wasn’t around to help for today. Usually, Ririka worked in the background with their supplier or simply dealing with online orders, but Kirari had asked her to switch for a day. She had gone to the flower farm herself to retrieve a certain order, citing that it was rare and reserved for a special customer so she didn’t want to risk anything.
“It’s not like that I’m not capable of it though,” Ririka mumbled to herself, huffing a tired sigh while she did so. In retrospect, she was more capable than Kirari to deal with any kind of rare and exotic flowers by herself. She had gone all the way to the tropics for some of the rarest orchids in the world so why couldn’t she handle another order with the same notion? In any case, Ririka didn’t want to question her sister much so she just let her be with whatever that was sitting on her mind.
Business was slow for the day and there were only a couple regulars who came for roses and mistook her for Kirari in the process. That was also precisely why Kirari had proposed the switch because people wouldn’t notice anyway. Ririka was used to this though and usually just went along with it to not complicate the matter. Even when their personality was completely different, acting was one of Ririka’s forte after all.
“Come again soon,” Ririka bowed to the latest customer she had and then quickly returned to her post behind the cashier. He was a young boy looking for a nice bouquet to give to her girlfriend on their anniversary. Ririka had helped pick the nicest flowers around with all the right meaning so that the boy’s feelings would come across. It was almost embarrassing to think that Ririka was easily flustered by the thought of it alone, receiving flowers from your loved ones sounds like a really nice thing.
Kirari was the first to propose the idea of them owning a business together, in particular, a flower shop. She had somehow been enticed by the idea of being a florist and wanted to make it a reality despite having near-zero experience with flower arrangements. Of course, money wasn’t much of a problem since they both came from a fairly rich family, but it was more like on how to thrive in an already condensed business area and how could make something different out of it. Kirari saw it as a challenge she was willing to take part in.
When they were learning how to be a good florist and make a good flower shop, Ririka was much more stellar than her sister was. She was knowledgeable in terms of flowers and had a strong sense of art. It was probably because she was a diligent student back when their parents forced them both to attend ikebana class as part of their rich kid's curriculum.
“Excuse me!”
A loud sound coming from the front door startled Ririka from her own reverie. She strolled hurriedly out of the cashier box and prepared herself to greet the customer. A young woman dressed in a plaid shirt and casual jeans already standing by the door with an annoyed expression on her face. She wasn’t a regular and Ririka could tell as much despite rarely being the one tending the customers on the normal days.
“Y-Yes!” Ririka stuttered terribly as she tried to utter a reply. There was no reason to emulate Kirari now that the customer wasn’t a regular and it suddenly made the whole thing very confusing. It also didn’t help that the woman was quite a sight on Ririka’s eyes with her long eyelashes and silky blonde hair.
The woman marched to the nearby desk and slammed her hand onto the table much to Ririka’s surprise. She then turned her head slowly with a scary expression as if she was about to demand something impossible from Ririka.
“Listen, I need you to make me a bouquet that basically says fuck you to someone,” The woman said with a low growl, almost looking like an angry pitbull. She walked slowly towards Ririka and squinted her eyes for a little while. “Can you do that for me, Ririka-san .”
“H-How’d you know my name…” Ririka gasped meekly, feeling slightly intimidated by the situation she found herself in. Her mind spun around thinking about what would Kirari do in a situation like this and desperately tried to emulate it to no avail.
“Uhm, your name tag?” The girl answered again, her voice unfazed by Ririka’s trembling reply. She then sighed before placing both of her hands on her hips. “Can you do it or not? I need it for today.”
“I-Is it for a romantic night…?” Ririka fumbled with her words, the request was vague enough for her so it was probably better to confirm it just to be safe. The woman looked obviously shocked by Ririka’s sudden question and was immediately flustered by it
“N-No! Not that kind of thing…” The woman shook her head frantically, meaning that Ririka had guessed wrong. The florist then quickly realized her own stupidity and bowed apologetically in return.
“I guess I shouldn’t use cuss words in the first place,” The woman sighed again, “I mean I want a bouquet that passive-aggressively says I hate you .”
“Okay... I’m sure I can make something for that,” Ririka finally said after she had calmed down for a bit. Once in a while, they got an intimidating customer but then again it was just business per usual. Ririka led the woman to a small craft table inside the shop and instructed her to sit on the nearby stool while she worked on the flower bouquet.
“My name is Mary by the way,”
Ririka stopped her tracks for a while as she gazed intently to the idle woman just in front of her. Her eyes fluttered as she gazed around the shop curiously, seemingly amazed by the colorful display of flowers present in the shop. It was a nice name, Ririka thought, Mary .
“Okay, Mary-san,” Ririka said softly, “Please wait here while I gather the necessary flowers for your request.”
Mary nodded and then busied herself with her phone while she waited. Ririka already knew exactly what she wanted to be on the said flower bouquet and she couldn’t help but feel giddy about it. It rather was unusual to receive such a request and so this was quite a good way to challenge herself and her knowledge of the flower language she claimed to excel at.
The smooth jazz music played faintly in the background calmed her down as she went around the shop to pick out her selection of flowers. Geraniums for stupidity, foxglove for insincerity, maybe also meadowsweet to symbolize uselessness. She even went as far as picking carnations for disappointment and orange lilies for hatred just because it seemed like this Mary person would obviously be a little bit extra.
Ririka put down the fresh flowers on the craft table and began working. She could feel Mary’s eyes trailing her in every movement, seemingly curious about what kind of magic would Ririka conjure with all these flowers.
“Forgive me for asking but do you have any particular reason for requesting such a bouquet?” Ririka started slowly, trying to make a small conversation. Kirari always did this to their customer, she said it would make them feel more comfortable in the shop.
“Why do you ask?” Mary raised one of her brows in confusion, her gaze didn’t leave Ririka’s skillful hands.
“We don’t get many requests like this,” Ririka explained while snipping some of the stems. “Call me curious.”
Mary hesitated for a bit before shrugging from her seat. She leaned forward and rested her arms on the craft table.
“I have this very annoying friend and her birthday dinner is tonight,” Mary started out slowly, “Now, now, don’t get me wrong, I do love this friend despite everything, but it’s just-”
“It’s just?”
“A few months ago we made a stupid bet on a party,” Mary groaned as if she was recalling unfortunate events from her past and Ririka simply nodded in return, “She won big and I lost a big pile of money to her.”
“I really shouldn’t play poker while drunk,” Mary lamented again, her expression clearly showing her annoyance. “It was a stupid decision.”
“Could you pay her back?” Ririka asked carefully, finding herself weirdly concerned for the well being of a stranger. Mary seemed really bothered by it judging from her looks which were understandable when you’re losing big on a gamble. Kirari loved to gamble though so Ririka would know.
“Yeah, it was a pain in the ass but I managed,” Mary started again, continuing where she had left off. “But it still annoys me to this day and thus this idea is born.”
“It’s such a peculiar idea though,” Ririka chuckled softly as she arranged the flowers into something neat and pretty. “People usually don't think twice when receiving flowers, they simply think that it’s a lovely gesture without any ill intent.
“But I’m different,” Mary smiled smugly, “I don’t forgive and forget but resent and remember.”
“Well, but you still want to be friends with this person, right?”
“T-That’s not wrong… I guess,” Mary turned her gaze away, unable to deny the real truth behind Ririka’s reply. “We’ve been friends since high school so I guess it would be a shame if we’re not anymore.”
“That’s nice,” Ririka hummed softly as she reached for the wrapper on the nearby shelves. “I always want to give my friends a bouquet but I guess I don’t really have anyone that close to do that.”
“Huh?”
“S-Sorry,” Ririka snapped, realizing what she had just said. “I didn’t mean to be personal…”
“What are you apologizing for?” Mary laughed softly, leaning even closer towards the working girl. For a moment Ririka felt like her world stood still, her crystalline eyes were fixated on the shape of Mary’s lips when she uttered words as a reply.
“It be like that sometimes,” Mary said assuringly, failing to realize Ririka’s dumbfounded expression. “Don’t you get lonely though?”
“I guess I have my sister,” Ririka pondered as Kirari’s face appeared on her mind, always with the same vague expression. She had been following Kirari for as long as she remembered, they had always been together in everything that they do. It wasn’t long until Kirari’s friends became hers too, probably out of their convenience.
“Sister?”
“My twin,” Ririka explained, “We both owned this place together but she isn’t here now.”
“You guys are close?”
“I guess we are,” Ririka said meekly, “I mean she’s always there telling me what to do when I get really confused with everything.”
“Then this shop is also her idea, I assume?”
“Y-Yeah…” Ririka said again, “B-But I mean I wasn’t forced to it...”
“I see,” Mary hummed softly, acknowledging Ririka’s answer. She looked like she was about to say something but restrained herself from doing so.
“It’s just…” Ririka started slow, finding herself pausing from what she’s been working on. “Most of my friends are her friends first so I guess I’m not really that close to anyone other than my sister…”
“That’s-”
“Sorry,” Ririka didn’t let Mary finish her sentence after realizing how embarrassing it was to tell a personal story to a stranger like that. This wasn’t a bar where people could get cozy with the bartender and blamed the ramblings on the alcohol. No, this was a flower shop for god’s sake !
“I shouldn’t have said all that,” Ririka said apologetically, “I mean I didn’t mean to sound gloomy or anything.”
“It’s cool, totally cool with me,” Mary said assuringly, her voice felt like a breath of fresh air for the nervous florist. Maybe this was a bad idea after all and Ririka made a mental note to tell Kirari that she wasn’t going to switch their position ever again. Dealing with customers directly was just too tiring and she didn’t have the social capacity to do so.
“I appreciate your honesty,” Mary said truthfully, flashing a sheepish smile. “I enjoyed hearing things from you.”
“O-Oh…”
“Y-You have a nice voice, I mean,” Mary turned away, obviously flustered, “I like hearing it.”
“T-Thank you, I guess,” Ririka, now a blushing mess, wasn’t sure what exactly Mary meant by that but she accepted it anyway. Mary didn’t seem as intimidating as she was the first time she marched into the shop a mere hour ago. She was simple and honest and patient.
“W-Well, it’s done now,” Ririka said again after a while and after she put a finishing touch in the form of a small ribbon. She waited anxiously for Mary’s reply and whether the girl liked the bouquet she made for her or not.
“It looks… pretty,” Mary stopped and stared for a while, admiring Ririka’s creation. It made her heart swell with pride as Ririka nodded as a response. “Are you sure all this conveyed that particular message?”
“Yes, I double-check with the guide book also,” Ririka smiled softly, “I guarantee you that this bouquet is filled with hatred.”
“One hundred percent sure?”
“Yes,” Ririka chuckled softly, “I will list the flower that I use and its meaning on a paper if that’s what you want.”
“Please do,” Mary smiled softly and Ririka jotted down something on a piece of paper. She then wrapped the bouquet for packing and put it in a paper bag.
“Here,” Mary paid for her flowers and then bowed politely. It almost pained Ririka to see her go after an interesting one and a half-hour conversation but she needed to remind herself that it’s just how business goes. She might not be able to see Mary again after this and that she would not know what happened to Mary’s friend after she gifted her the bouquet.
“W-Wait!”
Ririka found herself moving unconsciously, stopping Mary by the hand as she walked to the shop’s door. The blonde had a puzzled look plastered on her face as if she was waiting for Ririka to say something.
“I-” Except that Ririka couldn’t. When was the last time she had an interest in another human being anyway? Mary seemed so nice and kind and even though first impression could often be wrong, Ririka couldn’t help but feel like she was drawn to her. She wanted to at least know Mary better, to be friends with her before everything.
“Yes?”
Then it dawned on her that she was not Kirari and would never be her. She didn’t possess that confidence that her sister had.
“I put a small card inside,” Ririka said softly, averting her gaze. “It’s on the house, don’t worry. I thought you might want to write down some wishes or anything.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Mary smiled softly and opened the front door with one of her hands. “Alright then, goodbye.”
“Thank you for coming,” Ririka bid a farewell and then returned to her cashier box.
Peace at last.
Ririka hummed as she went through countless boxes and arranged them whatever way she pleased. She was back dealing with shipments and supplies now that Kirari had returned from the flower farm. No more dealing with people directly felt like a breath of fresh air for Ririka.
It’s been a week since the last time she saw Mary and even with other customers that came and went, Ririka couldn’t really forget about that one particular order. Her striking blonde hair styled in a neat twin-tail left quite an impression on the florist and it stayed on her mind for days already. Kirari even tried to question her once or twice but Ririka was determined to keep her mouth shut.
“Good evening, welcome to the Peach flower shop,”
Ririka could hear Kirari’s voice faintly in the background, her usual template in greeting customers. She didn’t pay much attention to it though as she was focused on finishing a piece for another order. Though Ririka took time to peek from behind a wall and found that apparently a woman had entered their shop. It was rather weird to have a customer coming this late, especially nearing the closing hour.
“Oh, wait, you look different today,”
“Different? I am not sure that I comprehend,” Kirari chuckled politely from behind the desk, “I was sure that this is the first time you ever visit this shop when I see you but I assume it is not by the way you reply.”
“Ah… you’re the twin.”
“Are you Ririka’s acquaintance?”
“You could say that I guess…” The woman said sheepishly, “Is she here?”
“She’s at the back,” Kirari explained, “Do you have business with her? She usually just handles supplies and online orders so it was rather peculiar for people to ask for her.”
“I just… want to chat with her.”
“Chat?”
“I guess I’ll buy some flowers too,” The woman mumbled to herself, scratching the back of her head with her hand. “Just… can I meet her?”
Ririka didn’t really know who was coming, or that she cared about it as well. It was Kirari’s job to tend to the customers now that they’re back to their usual routine so it was weird when Kirari left her post and went to search for her whereabouts.
“Someone is looking for you,” Kirari said vaguely, a small smirk forming on the corner of her lips. It usually didn’t mean a good thing when Kirari acted like that so Ririka couldn’t help but feel nervous. Did she accidentally mess up someone’s order?
“I thought I did everything right this time…” Ririka frowned, racking her brain for the possibility of her forgetting something. “Is it Ibara-kun the flower guy?”
“Nope,”
“Mayunda-san complaining about his orders again?”
“Not that either,”
“Runa-chan forgetting her switch at our place?”
“No,” Kirari chuckled, “Well, I don’t recognize this person so I was hoping that you might tell me.”
“I really can’t think of anyone else other than those three,” Ririka said again and then followed Kirari out of the room reluctantly. “I mean it’s nearly closing time too.”
“Good, that means that when you’re done with her you can just close up the shop,”
“Isn’t it supposed to be your turn today?”
“Yes but I figured you’d take long anyway so might as well leave it to you,” Kirari winked vaguely and it confused Ririka even more. “I’ll leave through the backdoor later so no need to wait for me.”
Ririka simply nodded despite all the confusion and made her way through the main part of the shop.
“Sorry for the wait, my sister told me that-”
Oh .
Mary waved meekly with an awkward smile, her eyes lit up slightly the moment she saw Ririka’s face bobbing from behind the wall far back. She had sat in the same stool just by the craft table as she was before a week ago.
“M-Mary-san…” Ririka gasped softly as she made her way to the table. She began to question the purpose of the visit on the back of her mind and the more she thought about it, the more it made her nervous.
“I-Is there something wrong with the bouquet?” Ririka asked quietly as Mary’s order was still fresh on her mind. She wasn’t able to forget about that or the person behind the particular order.
“Well, I’ve come to tell you the continuation of the story,” Mary chuckled lightly, relaxing on her seat. “Do you want to hear it?”
“Y-Yes…” Ririka nodded meekly, “So?”
“Yumeko, that’s her name by the way, mistook it for a gesture of kindness so the plan kinda blew…” Mary sighed pathetically as she leaned on the craft table with a dejected expression.
“I’m sorry about that…” Ririka said softly, her eyes cast down low. Though she was not sure whether it was a good thing or not, judging from Mary’s expression, it was the latter.
“Well, to be honest, your bouquet was fine and precise as a poem,” Mary started again, contemplating. “When I read your note I was amazed by your skill to put together a bouquet that reeked hatred, it’s just that-”
“That?”
“Yumeko can’t fucking read,” Mary sighed, admitting defeat. “She gives no shit about flower language and whatnot, all she cares about is that she’s getting a flower from me which counts as a present.”
Ririka chuckled softly, finding the story to be amusing. Mary seemed to constantly deny her affection for her particular friend and while Ririka couldn’t relate personally to that, it still felt strangely heartwarming.
“You really should treasure your friends, Mary-san,” Ririka smiled, “But I’m glad that this Yumeko-san seems to like the bouquet.”
“Yeah, yeah I know she’s nice ,” Mary grumbled, “Don’t go siding with her now,”
Mary looked away for a couple of seconds before saying anything. She seemed to be slightly flustered for reasons Ririka couldn’t quite comprehend just yet.
“I told her a bit about where I got the bouquet, this shop I mean,” Mary started again, “About you too, I guess… Then Yumeko suddenly said that I should pay it another visit and I mean it’s not like that I don’t want to but here I am…”
“Do you want another bouquet made?”
“No, not that… but I suppose there’s no point for my visit then…” Mary looked slightly dejected, “I just… I just want to see you again… whatever that means.”
Her cheeks and her ears were flushed red and so did Ririka’s. She had seen this kind of thing on Sayaka before but to experience it first hand would be a whole different thing. Ririka wondered if Kirari was still around in the shop so she could run to her and asked her sister what she should do.
“That’s-” Ririka choked on her words, “I didn’t expect that-”
“I didn’t too,” Mary coughed, “But apparently Yumeko did after I, and I quote her, spoke way too much about Ririka-san .”
“I don’t mind that,” Ririka said again, her gaze soft and tender like the gentleness of dandelion that bloomed in spring. “You can come to see me as much as you want.”
“I guess we can start by being friends first,” Mary mumbled again, “Let’s do it again properly,”
Mary stood up from her seat and bowed slightly, “Hello, I’m Mary Saotome, nice to meet you.”
“I’m Ririka Momobami,” Ririka smiled sheepishly, returning the gesture. “I’ll be in your care from now on.”
Both girls let out a small laugh that filled the empty space in between. It was warm and genuine and everything that made Ririka happy happened all at once at the same time and same room. May hadn’t ended yet and there was still time for another flower to bloom in spring, just as their newfound friendship. Maybe it could grow into something more given proper time, and as Ririka hoped silently for that, Mary offered her hand.
“It’s getting late,” Mary said softly, “Do you want to grab dinner or something?”
“S-Sure,” Ririka said softly, now she understood why Kirari had left her the task of closing up the shop. “Let me just-”
“Take your time,”
Ririka jogged slowly towards the front down and swiftly flipped the sign over, “Now we’re closed for the day.”