Author Notes
Thank you to : DeltaNovember for plot ideas, editing and being a cool bro.
Disclaimer : I do not own Hyouka. Please do not sue me.
Summary : With the school empty for summer vacation, Chitanda volunteers herself and Houtarou to water the school gardens. In the pristine garden, Chitanda finds an unnatural anomaly: a blue rose. If Houtarou is to have any break this summer, he must solve the mystery of the Garden of the Blue Rose.
Garden of the Blue Rose
Oreki Houtarou
It should be illegal to be this hot.
Despite my tendencies as an energy conservationist I actually enjoy nature. Nature is great when a rainy day cancels physical education classes. Nature's great when it's snowing and all the heaters in the school building are turned on. Nature is great when it's outside and you're inside.
But it's hard to love nature when you're knee deep in thorny roses and mud beneath an unforgiving summer sun.
There are only two people out here in the school gardens; neither of us being members of the Campus Beautification Club. One of us an overly energetic girl with plenty of free time and a charitable soul. She's so charitable she donated both of our time to assist in fulfilling the duties of Campus Beautification Club while they went on a field trip to see the gardens in Kyoto.
And the other person would be me: Oreki Houtarou. I don't really want to be here.
I envy the absent members of the Classics Club who had other plans for summer vacation. Their plans allowed an excused absence from Chitanda's generous volunteering of the Classics Club. My friend, Fukube Satoshi, had gone on a field trip to some islands in the Southern Hemisphere. The other member of our Classics Club, Ibara Mayaka, had obligations to fulfill to the Manga Society. So, she will not be joining us today.
As I filled the watering can, I realized how envious I was of flowers. For years I've always wished I could reincarnate as a bear and hibernate in the winter. But it is much more preferable to be a flower. You get sunlight when it comes, other people come and water you, and you never move. This experience has enlightened me: I wish to be reincarnated as a flower.
Then, as I returned with the filled watering can, Chitanda would then call out, "Oreki, hurry! Come here, quickly!"
I want to emphasize that this school has a lot of rose gardens. With the regularly source of water for these roses out on their field trip, it was up to us to ensure that the roses would receive, in Chitanda's words, "all the love and attention they need to bloom beautifully!"
"I'm coming as fast as I can," I said while reducing my pace. The metal handle was cutting into my palm.
By the time I had arrived with the two gallons of water and sore shoulders, I saw that the soil was moist and droplets of water were still glistening on the leaves and petals of all the roses in the area. Chitanda had already watered here.
This was a horrible waste of energy.
"Oreki! Look at that!" Chitanda pointed excitedly. "Have you ever seen something like that before?"
"Never," I said. It wasn't hard to notice what Chitanda was pointing at: a blue rose.
The roses in this section of the garden were all white roses. It looked like a small rectangular pond of green dotted with white eyes. I would say it looked pretty but the heat has left me little love for the peculiar spectacles of nature.
"It's lovely, isn't it?" Chitanda murmured.
"Hn," I replied as I wiped sweat from my head.
Chitanda had come to this task prepared. She wore work overalls and a straw hat, with her hair tied back and her skin sleek with sunscreen. Sticking out of her back pocket was a pair of gardening gloves. I could see her pale arms with her sleeves rolled up and her eyes big and wide... wait... Oh, I see where this is go-
"I'm curious!"
I'm getting better at this.
"About what?" I asked as I set down the watering can and examined the mark the metal handle left on my palm.
"Fukube told me that there are no natural blue roses. They can only be made if you modify them genetically," Chitanda eyes widened. "But we have a blue rose here! I'm curious about how it came to be."
"I have no idea."
"Someone must have planted it... maybe someone had access to blue roses!"
It was plausible but isn't that stuff expensive? And to plant it out here in a school garden? "Maybe," I shrugged.
"I wonder why they would plant it here," Chitanda wondered softly.
I looked around. Objectively speaking, the garden was beautiful as it was. Everything was organized and categorized. Tiny little plaques detailing the types of flowers and their species name were set on each section of flowers. The garden was designed precisely, down to the inch.
"Maybe they thought the garden was dull."
Chitanda's eyes perked up and scanned the area. "But it's so beautiful. The Campus Beautification Club did a wonderful job of making everything so neat in rows and everything marked. It reminds me of the farms by my house."
"It can look boring to someone else," I thought. Other opinions must exist.
The straw-hat covered Chitanda's eyes as she lowered her face but I saw a smile. "That's true. 'Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder'," she quoted as she crouched down to get a better look of the flower.
"I doubt we can find out who planted it or why," I told her.
"Look at that! Ah!" Chitanda quickly reached into the bushes. Naturally, she cut herself almost instantly. "Ow, ow, ow," she whimpered as she began sucking on her cut fingers. I reflexively got on my knees beside her.
"It's just a cut, let's go to the nurses office. It should be opened," I said helping her up. She had whatever it was she was reaching for clutched in her unwounded hand. "Why did you do that?"
"Silly me forgot I had gloves," she laughed to herself. There were budding tears in her eyes from the pain as she kept her wound moist. Chitanda revealed her discovery. "This," she said with a finger in her mouth.
It was crumpled piece of paper.
We made our way to the nurses office. Summer vacation had taken its toll on the student populace and the campus was virtually deserted aside from a few taking supplementary lessons left in the classrooms. But the hallways were clear and we made it to the nurse office hastily.
The building was, by the merciful grace of fortune, air-conditioned.
I set Chitanda down on the infirmary bed while I pulled out the necessary supplies: cotton swabs, alcohol and bandages along with some disinfectant. I did not think this was an excessive use of energy and contrary to my energy conservation policy. After all, what I have to do I must do quickly and taking care of Chitanda's injury was something I must do.
"Thank you, Oreki," she winced as I sprayed some alcohol and dabbed the cotton swabs.
"It's nothing," I replied as I focused on her delicately small fingers. There were no thorns stuck to her hand. There were three scratches along her fingers but none deep. I held them to stop the shaking and the reflexive jerk each time I sprayed the disinfectant.
"I really appreciate it," she said softly.
"It's nothing," I repeated. "A crumbled up piece of paper isn't worth getting scratched up over."
Chitanda laughed. "But I was so curious and excited, I forgot I had gloves."
I closed my eyes, feeling the need to reprimand her. "Don't hurt yourself over curiosity," I said as I finished tying up the bandage around her finger. "That should do it," I said holding her hand in mine to examine my work.
"Thank you, again."
"It's nothing."
"Oreki?"
"Yes?"
"I'm curious."
"About what...?"
"Do you enjoy holding my hand?" I quickly released Chitanda's hand. "You didn't have to let go," she smiled. "After all, it feels much better for my hand to have a friend around while it's recovering."
"S-so," I began, "what was in the piece of paper?"
Chitanda gasped. "That's right!" She brought out the piece of paper and winced as she attempted to straighten it with her bandaged finger. I took the paper from her hand and began straightening it out to scan it. There was a soft "thank you" as I took a seat beside her on the infirmary bed.
"What does it say?" Chitanda asked leaning her face next to mine.
"It's a receipt from the Kamiyama Hardware Store. It shows the purchase of one blue spray paint can."
"Alright!" Chitanda's eyes lit up. "Let's go to the Kamiyama Hardware Store! I know the shopkeepers there. My family buys supplies from them all the time. We can ask them for questions!"
I groaned.
"We can go right after we finish watering the school gardens!"
I groaned louder.
It was well into the afternoon but the sun was still unbearably hot.
There were a few stares as we walked down the streets of downtown Kamiyama. They were caught up in the rare sight of Chitanda dressed in gardening clothes and muddied wandering through the streets. And following closely behind her was me, exhausted and sweating.
We arrived at the Kamiyama Hardware Store and Chitanda dragged me to the back where we found an elderly graying man wearing a work apron. "Lady Chitanda! What a rare pleasure. You're usually here with your father," he smiled.
"It is good to see you again too, Mr. Shinagawa," she bowed. I bowed as well.
"Ho ho, here with your boyfriend? This isn't the usual dating venue, you know."
"N-no! Nothing like that," Chitanda glanced at me and turned red before turning back to Mr. Shinagawa. "We wish to inquire about this receipt we found at school. One of the roses was painted blue and we wished to find the person to know why," Chitanda bowed as she handed the receipt to Mr. Shinagawa.
"Oh ho ho, I remember this purchase. It was about a week ago. A tiny girl came into the store and bought it. She looked like you were you were younger, Lady Chitanda," he laughed.
"Do you know where we may find her?" Chitanda asked with another bow.
"Yes, of course. We like to keep shoppers on our mailing list. Let me get you the address," he said walking away before turning back around. "Lady Chitanda, are you sure I couldn't interest you in better dating venues? Mrs. Shinagawa can attest I have a fantastic repertoire of the best places in Kamiyama for young lovebirds."
"N-n-no. The address will do just fine for now. Th-thank you," Chitanda flushed red bowed nervously.
"Another time then," he smiled and left to the back of the store.
After we Mr. Shinagawa gave us the information, we made our way towards the address. It was located on the far side of Kamiyama town where Chitanda's home is. There were rice paddies and crops growing for the autumn harvest. Because it was late into the afternoon, the farmers took the opportunity to water them without fear of the sun evaporating the moisture.
Chitanda, the farmer's daughter, explained this all to me.
"Sometimes I'm surprised at how much I don't know about this town," she said as we walked along a path by the rice paddies. She waved back to distant farmers out in the fields who recognized her. I did not recognize them.
"What do you mean by that?" I said as I waved back nervously with her.
"This town is fairly small, yet I still do not know everyone who lives here. Even one who lives so close to where I am. It's a bit embarrassing," she admitted.
We continued on our way before I replied, "I don't see how it's embarrassing."
Chitanda took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. "I want to know everyone in this town. I want to be able to help everyone in this town. So no one goes hungry and everyone has their needs so they do not commit sins or crimes out of their selfish wants." I looked at Chitanda who smiled with a blush. "Sorry!"
"That sounded embarrassing to say."
"S-sorry," she smiled softly. "It's a silly dream."
"It's a good dream," I told her. It was true.
The rest of the walk was quiet as sunset lazily approached. I wish I was the sun and I did nothing but sit in the sky as the world turns around me. We came upon an old style home and Chitanda marched to the front door and knocked.
A little girl around seven or eight answered it.
"Who are you?" She asked behind a door, ready to shut us out in a moment's notice. "Mommy and daddy are working late. No visitors."
"I'm Chitanda Eru from a few farms down. I came to ask you about this," she said presenting the receipt.
The little girl squinted her eyes. "Never seen it. I don't know what you're talking about."
"B-but please! I'd like to know why you did it!"
"I didn't do anything," the girl scowled. "You guys should get going before I call the police about suspicious characters hanging around stealing mommy's underwear."
Chitanda stepped back as the girl prepared to close the door. There was a look of horror on Chitanda's face and I could not tell if it was because she had offended someone or if she could have her curiosity satisfied. I sighed. "We're going to cut the flower," I said.
The door ceased movement. "Wh-what?"
"We are going to cut the flower. It's a stain to the garden. An unnatural abomination," I said.
"Y-you..." the girl opened the door fully and tears were forming in her eyes.
"Me?" I asked dully.
"Don't you dare hurt that flower!" She screamed with a kick between my legs. The last thing I saw was Chitanda clasping her hands over her mouth.
"Oreki!"
By the time I awoke, it was night.
"Oreki!" was the first thing I heard. Where as I?
"You're inside my house. Sorry for kicking you," the little demon apologized. I don't think I'll be able to walk or have children. In hindsight, I suppose this wasn't too bad aside from the pain and soreness that cripples basic functioning.
"Are you feeling okay?" Chitanda asked as she felt my head. Why was she feeling my head? I didn't have a fever. If anything she should be feeling my... never mind.
"I'm fine," I lied. It was sore down there. "Did you find the answer you were looking for?"
Chitanda shook her head. "I was waiting for you to wake up."
Looking around, I realized I was in a guest room of some sort laying on a bed mat. Feeling stiffness in my back, Chitanda helped me up.
"You know," the little demon child began, "you were pretty heavy. But you deserved it! For saying you'd cut that flower."
It was difficult to relent any hard feelings. "it was my fault," I admitted.
"But you understand, right? I couldn't let anyone talk bad about grandpa!"
"What?" I looked at her then glanced to Chitanda who appeared confused as I was.
"That flower is grandpa!" The little girl exclaimed. "I think he become the flowers in the garden so I have to water them every day."
"Where is your grandpa?" I asked softly. The little girl gestured us to follow out of the room.
She led us around the corner of the hallway, and at the end was a small shrine. Set up was a photograph of an old man with a wide smile on his face. To the left and right of the photo were candles and incense, a very typical shrine for the departed.
"This is my grandpa," she said. "Every year, he would give me a blue rose for my birthday. I don't know where he got them from, but they were so beautiful...it always brightened my day."
The girl looked sad for a moment, and Chitanda nervously placed her hands at her side. "He passed away a few months ago," the girl said softly, "and yesterday was my birthday. I wanted to thank him, so I decided to find a blue rose to place on his grave. But I couldn't find any..."
"So you decided to paint your own." I concluded. The girl nodded. "So why did you leave it on the bush?"
I saw a smile creep up the girl's face. "Well," she said, "when I tried to clip it off, I just couldn't do it. It felt wrong. The rose was so beautiful and alive, how could I possibly kill it? Wouldn't it be a much better gesture to let such a beautiful thing live?"
"Th-that's..." Chitanda began tearing.
"But then I realized, maybe grandpa stayed here and became that flower I was growing for him. I asked my older sister to water him for me but she's on a field trip to Kyoto."
"Ahh, is that so.." Chitanda said distantly. Having found our answer, we bid the girl goodbye
"Are you happy with the answer you found?" I asked Chitanda.
Chitanda had not said anything as we walked back to her home. I was still unfamiliar with the area so Chitanda offered to escort me back to her house. Hopefully from there, I should be able to manage my way back home.
She took a deep breath. "I wonder..."
"Wonder what?" Luckily the moon was out bright tonight reflecting in the waters of the rice paddies.
"If my ancestors are reincarnated as the crops we water," she said softly. "And I wonder when I return to the earth, would I become the rice that feeds or the flower that brings beauty? Would I be anything useful at all?"
Maybe it was because it was a cold night but I walked closer alongside her until our shoulders barely touched. "You can worry about the future later," I said. "Does the garden need to be watered tomorrow, too?"
"Yup!" Chitanda clapped excitedly before lowering her enthusiasm. "But I understand this is imposing a lot on you. You should enjoy your summer vacation. I'll handle it myself."
It happened so fast, I didn't have time to think about the words that were about to come out of my mouth.
"I'll help you tomorrow," I promised.
"R-really!?" Chitanda ran in front of me and stood on her toes bring her face to mine.
"Y-yeah," I answered nervously as her eyes began sinking deep into my soul.
She smiled before frowning. "Oh... we're at my home already."
I nodded. "I can find my way back from here. Thank you," I yawned. It was getting late.
"I really appreciate your help today. And we learned a lot!"
"Good night then," I said turning around.
"See you tomorrow!"
Garden of the Blue Rose
Fin