I should be leaving things up to fate, huh, Kamil pondered, waking up and feeling fully rested. The melatonin was definitely helping him fix his sleeping schedule. It was another new week – a fresh start.

Multiple voices and noises resounded through the busy inn. Kamil could hear the television from Melanie's room as he made his way downstairs. "Good morning, everyone in Oak Tree Town. It's time for Lillie's weather forecast…" Lillie's voice filled the first floor, with her family watching her proudly, as if it wasn't the nth time she was on television. He could hear Lillie's sweet voice, "All right, everyone. Hope your day's a great one!"

He could hear the metal clangs and jingling of Nadi's gear in his tool bag as he made his way out. So many distractions, so many things to keep Kamil busy. Then, the sound of the telephone ringing caught Kamil's ears. Maurice answered, "Hello? Yes, this is Maurice, the inn keeper at Oak Tree Town, speaking." Moments later, Maurice faced Kamil, who was just about to leave. Still talking on the phone, Maurice said, "He's right here, actually. Just in time!" He placed the telephone on his shoulder to muffle the noise. "Kamil, someone's on the phone for you – a lad from Bluebell."

Kamil's eyes widened in surprise as he took a few steps away from the door, then walked up to the corner of the main floor where Maurice was. The older man passed him the phone, and with a small "Thanks", Kamil held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Cam!" A familiar voice rang on the other end. "How's it going, buddy?"

"Good" - he already knew who it was - "and yourself, Ash?"

"Not too bad."

Kamil tilted his head in confusion, as if Ash were right in front of him. "So… what's up? I was actually going to write a letter to you all soon… About how I'm going to visit again."

"Yeah, about that…" Ash began, stretching his words. Kamil didn't like the nervous tone he was using. "I was wondering when that was. Guess we miss you too much! We recently had the Cooking Festival... We won this time! Last time it was Konohana so we showed them! I got to talk to a few of the villagers from there and they were wondering how you were doing."

"Is that so…" Kamil said slowly, not convinced.

"Okay okay," Ash said, sighing, "I'm checking up on you too."

Kamil smiled to himself. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Actually, I saw the town's doctor recently. It helped a lot."

"Oh man, you're not falling ill, are you?"

"No, no, but I'll be lying if I said I haven't been in the best condition."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Is that Cam on the phone?" Kamil heard a higher, feminine voice say in the background. It was Cheryl, Ash's sister. "Can I talk to him? Hi Cam! Hi!"

Another voice interjected, as if they just noticed Ash was on the phone. "Cam, honey, it's Jessica. How are you? Are you eating enough? I worry about you sometimes, you know."

Ash's whole family was with him! Kamil wondered how much they knew on the situation, but hearing their voices gave him comfort. After exchanging a few words with the both of them, Ash returned to the phone.

"Hey, you know, Reina's been kind of curious of the plants in Oak Tree Town. She was wondering if the next time you visit, you could bring back some plants for her," he suddenly brought up.

Reina was the botanist from Konohana. Kamil remembered he spoke to her a few times, the first time when the tunnel was fixed, and multiple times after when Ash told her about his flower shop, and she would buy from him.

"Oh, Reina? Sure. Tell her I said 'Hello' for me," Kamil replied, subconsciously fiddling with the telephone cord.

"I will!" Kamil wondered if it was possible to hear a smile. "Anyway, so today while I was working at the farm..."

In some ways, Reina reminded him of what he used to be – devoted to work and plants but awkward around people. He imagined Ash interacting with her, just like how Ash did when he first met Kamil. He imagined Reina brushing him off, probably saying he was distracting her from her research. Kamil knew Ash's optimistic and friendly personality wouldn't allow him to give up being friends with someone, even after they were so cold to him. Eventually, Reina would warm up to Ash. Everyone did. How could they not?

The thought suddenly popped into his head. Kamil wouldn't be shocked if Reina also decided to move to Oak Tree Town later on.

He wondered how a certain farmer would react if that were to happen…

Another week went by. Kamil was giving flower horoscopes to Maurice's daughters, with Nadi quietly listening in. The four sat all in a circle in Kamil's room (it was Melanie's idea) as Kamil flipped through the pages of his textbook.

"What would you say is your favourite flower, Lillie?" Kamil asked.

"Maybe a lily?" Nadi guessed, getting a giggle from her, but he wasn't kidding at all.

When they exchanged glances, Lillie awkwardly cleared her throat and shook her head. "Hm… tulips. They're cute." She still couldn't help but laugh. "But if we're going off of Nadi's logic, then Kamil's favourite flower would be… chamomile?"

Kamil chuckled too. "I suppose, but I don't think I have a favourite flower."

"You're funny, Mr. Nadi!" Melanie giggled, playfully patting Nadi's arm.

"You know, there weren't many tulips where I used to live. It didn't grow there, for some reason. I always had to have the seeds shipped," Kamil said.

"Is that why you're always studying somewhere else on Monday? The textbook isn't enough?"

Kamil placed a gentle hand on the small girl's head. His thumb brushed over the flower accessory in her hair. "You're correct. Your senses are just as important as your know-how… You can't tell what they smell like just by reading a book, right?" he told her with a smile.

"You're like Lutz, always studying." Melanie sighed. "Okay… What's this one, Kamil?" she asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"That's a gentian," he answered, lifting his hand and pointing at the royal blue petals. "It symbolizes 'worry'. A friend of yours may be sad or worried about something. Try to listen to them. Sometimes people just need someone to listen."

Lillie joined in the conversation again, while leaning in to the book and clasping her hands together, "What a pretty flower… and such an important message, too."

There was a slight pause as the four scanned the pages, admiring the pretty and detailed photos of flowers, reading the side notes of information on each section. If not for them, the inn would've been quiet, as the work day was done, and everyone was resting at home.

Nadi broke the silence when he mumbled, "Now, how do we know you're not just making this stuff up."

Not only was there noise now, but cheeriness floating through the air. As straight-faced as Nadi was, it was almost comical, and he always managed to make them laugh with his side comments.

"Well, see this one, Nadi?" Kamil encouraged his floormate to look as he pressed his index finger on a page with a petunia on it. He teased, "It means you're no fun."

"H-Hey!" the man's dark skin grew hot in embarrassment. He looked away, huffing, "I know I can be blunt, but I… I put up with your teasing too because I enjoy spending time with you all... so don't say I'm no fun!"

Again, his words always managed to surprise them.

"Aw," Lillie began, cupping her face, "Nadi, that's so nice coming from you! Oh goodness! That makes me so happy to hear that!"

Melanie chimed in, shuffling closer to Nadi, "Yay! Mr. Nadi is really our friend!"

More embarrassment washed over his face, causing him to "O-Oh, stop you two! K-Kamil, what I meant to say is: have you always been able to do horoscopes?" He steered the conversation back to the flowers before they could make him feel more self-conscious.

"Yes, I did them back in my old town, too."

"I mean, I'm a gardener, so I work with flowers, too, but I never saw them that way," Nadi admitted. "It's interesting to hear."

"I'm sure Bluebell loved it," Lillie mused.

Happiness crept over Kamil. It was gradually growing - almost unnoticeable, but there - ever since he moved to Oak Tree Town. With so much going on, it was only now that he realized how he was overflowing with happiness here. And for some reason, he no longer felt the usual pang of guilt when they brought up his hometown.

Kamil smiled. "Yeah…"

She did.

Most of his new friends in Oak Tree Town now knew of Kamil's life, his dreams and ambitions, and of Bluebell. Likewise, he felt like he grew a lot closer to them and got to know them more. All of his new friends, except one.

"Good evening, Annie. You all done with work?" Kamil asked the farmer one day when they bumped into each other at the bridge by the lake. Kamil was just leaving Giorgio's farm and it looked like Annie was done reeling in a few fish from the water.

"Yup," she smiled. It's been a while since they talked. "And you?"

Kamil simply nodded.

"That's nice," she said, packing up her things, and already taking a few steps back. She didn't really give him an opportunity to carry on the conversation.

Kamil gulped. Before she could get any further, he called out, "Would you like to go for a walk with me?" He asked her politely, but he couldn't mask the nervousness in his voice. The last time he really spoke with her, it didn't end on a good note because he was treating her like she was supposed to be someone else.

He wanted to get to know Annie. Not Lillian.

Annie.

And he wasn't going to let fate get in his way.

a/n: kamil is finally taking some advice! he won't force himself to forget bad memories, but he's moving on too and making happier ones! :) hope i was able to make that prominent in these last few chapters. as well, i love the dynamic between the residents at the inn so i wanted to have it in my story.

+ a little update on reina! she's still in konohana :)

reviews are always appreciated. see you at the next chapter!