She often loved it when her master tells her to take a break.

… Which seemed rather unlike her to believe so, but there was something about the tints of these colored petals that made her feel refreshed for once.

When her master tells her to take a break, oftentimes Kirumi would be hesitant, wanting to stay by her master's side, but this master often asked her to take a break so he can have some time alone, and she didn't want to forcefully smother him with her presence. The last time she did that, her master's efficiency decreased tenfold.

So she took to sitting and relaxing outside in her master's garden, where he oftentimes found inspiration, and she could certainly see why: the pink patches of tulips for attachment; the scattered dandelions for eternal warmth of happiness; the brilliant yellow and orange zinnias for lasting affection; and many more flowers that dazzle and make the garden lively.

She adores these flowers, and they oftentimes made working with her master more enjoyable than it already is. Admittedly, she would say it's one of her favorite things about working here.

As Kirumi's gloved fingers rub the leaves of one of the many zinnias, she hears loud shuffling nearby. Perhaps it's another one of the servants calling for her to return to the master quickly, given the tired huffings of the person.

Worried that she might have lost track of time and that something is the matter, Kirumi stands up and turns back towards the house. Brushing her dress from the dirt, she excuses herself, "I apologize. I shall return to the house instantly."

But when she looks up, she doesn't see any of the servants — the person did not wear the usual uniform of those that worked under the master. Instead, the figure is wearing a casual outfit fitting for the spring weather, and she knows from the red and black that adorn the clothes and the matching colors of the person's eyes and hair, it's her girlfriend Maki.

"Oh, this is a pleasant surprise, Harukawa-san. Is something the matter?"

"No. Nothing. I was just… wondering where you went off to." Maki explains, pushing the gate open to enter the garden. "And I'd figure that you would be… at work. As usual."

"Nothing surprising about that," Kirumi admits to Maki's conclusion.

As Maki enters, Kirumi notices something about Maki. She tries to brush her bangs to the side to see what it was, but Kirumi decides to meet Maki, walking over to the girl to talk.

It is then that she notices Maki bringing her arms to the front of her, and in those arms lays a bouquet of flowers, and immediately Kirumi recognizes those immediately from the ones in the garden: the light pink hues of peonies, bunched together in Maki's arms. Before Kirumi could even ask about them, Maki takes the bouquet's end by one hand and stretches them towards Kirumi.

"H-here," Maki turns her head to the side. "I… got these for you."

Kirumi rests a hand on her chest, "For whatever reason?"

Maki quickly turns her head to the maid, looking at her in concern, "What do you mean 'what reason'? It's your birthday. We're supposed to give each other gifts on each other's birthdays."

Kirumi stares at the bouquet quietly.

Maki shifts her weight to one leg, "Wait, Toujou, are you saying that you usually don't get any gifts?"

Kirumi briefly replies, "Not at all."

"Did you even know that it was your birthday to begin with?"

Oh. Right. Things like that tend to slip Kirumi's mind far too easily. It's not that it was all that important anyways. After all, there are better things to attend to than herself.

But the maid's thoughts run short, disrupted by the agitated sigh from Maki.

"Is… something the matter, Harukawa-san?" Kirumi asks.

"You're too busy worrying about your job that you forgot about yourself," Maki shakes her head, "But I guess that's expected of you."

"My apologies if that made you sad or angry," Kirumi bows her head.

"N-No, don't be sorry." Maki rubs the back of her neck, "I figured that you would probably forget your birthday…And that's why you went to work as you usually do."

Maki brings back the bouquet, looking over the colored petals, before muttering, "I-I guess that's when I'm here to remind you… right?"

Kirumi's eyes can see the growing red on Maki's face, almost rivaling those of red roses, and almost impulsively, Kirumi smiles at the other and walks closer to her. From a quick peek up, Maki sees the other walk closer and she takes a step back in hesitation, but Kirumi has already placed her hand on Maki's shoulder.

"Thank you, Harukawa-san," Kirumi leans in and places a kiss on Maki's cheeks. The skin against her lips feel so warm from the girl's shyness, and she wishes she could kiss it again and feel that warmth on her lips.

Immediately, Maki tips her head down, arms dropping to her side, "Y-Yeah."

The maid leans her head to catch the red eyes of the assassin, but the other shies away, keeping her head as low as she possibly can.

With one hand, Kirumi brings it to Maki's face, caressing Maki's warm cheeks before tracing her jawline and bringing her head up to look at her, Maki looking surprised yet embarrassed at the touch. With Kirumi's hand moving to the other's chin, she brings the other's face closer to her, and she can feel the other holding her breath. Then with ease, she brings her lips to the other's own. Soon, she can feel the other's arms wrap around her body, pulling her closer, and it's the one thing that Kirumi feels that this would be the one thing that would make her lose her composure.

And Maki is no different. The feeling of Kirumi's body against hers and her lips against hers makes her want to melt. She should've been used to this by now, but every time they elapsed into one another, Maki feels her body become light and all parts of her just feel like flying. Makes her forget everything in that moment and resets to feeling alright.

Then as soon as they part from one another, Maki would want to feel it again, but Maki turns her head away to stop herself. To stop the silly, embarrassing feeling. Even so, the feelings are mutual with Kirumi.

With her hands on both of Maki's arms, Kirumi slides her hands down Maki's arms and grabs the bouquet, "These are absolutely wonderful."

"I-I figured that you would like them, since you keep eying all the flowers we would pass on our dates," Maki mumbles. "Honestly, if we had lived in a more open area, maybe we could have— "

"Planted a garden?" Kirumi finishes Maki's sentence. Maki blinks in confusion but shakes her head with a lopsided grin. Her girlfriend was always one step ahead of her.

"Yeah," Maki smiles, "It wouldn't be too bad of an idea."

Kirumi smiles and nods slightly before looking down, rotating the bouquet in hand, counting just how many peonies make up the bouquet. All of their colors are bright in hue, and Kirumi adores them, both because of their color and the fact it was a gift from her beloved. As she brings the bouquet to her chest, Kirumi asks, "Well, Harukawa-san, how familiar are you with flower meanings?"

"Why would you think I know anything about flower meanings?" Maki cocks her brow. "I just thought these were pretty and wanted to give them to you for your birthday."

"So you don't know what kind of flowers these are, either, I assume?"

"Not a clue."

Kirumi's thin lips curl, "Well, these flowers are peonies, and given your wish to plant a garden together, I would say that would be possible."

Maki crosses her arms, "Why?"

"The flower meaning for peonies is 'happy marriage.'"

Instantly, Maki can feel the blood rush to her face and turn it bright red. All the heat is starting to make her feel dizzy, "W-What?"

"So perhaps, with this, we would be able to plant a garden together in the future, wouldn't you agree?" Kirumi smiles before taking the other's hand into her own and kissing Maki once again on the cheek.

Bashfully Maki simply keeps quiet and squeezes Kirumi's hand, both wanting to keep hold of it and out of embarrassment.

It is then that the two hear someone call from the house. It must be Kirumi's master or one of the servants.

"Ah, I suppose I have to return to my master's side." Kirumi sighs sadly, "But I have to thank you for visiting me at work to give me this. I truly appreciate it, Harukawa-san"

"O-Of course, but you should head home early. It is your birthday, after all. We should rest up." Maki advises.

"Alright. Then I will see you at home, Harukawa-san." Kirumi bows her head before letting go of Maki's hand and walking towards the exit of the garden, but before she puts her hand on the gate, Maki calls out to her.

"Happy birthday, Toujou."

With a smile, Kirumi calls back to Maki, "Thank you. I love you, Harukawa-san."

Maki gulps, before she replies, "I-I love you, too, Toujou."

"Then I'll see you at home."

"Hurry back soon."

Then the two part, awaiting for the day to end so the two can rest at ease next to one another happily.