"They're so pretty!" Usagi exclaimed, pressing her small palms against the glass to get a better look at the flowers within.
Mamoru was walking past the florist's shop when he saw Usagi peering through the window. He considered continuing on his way, but he was never one to pass up an opportunity to tease her.
"How like you Odango, to love flowers. I bet you don't even know what it's name is," Mamoru taunted scornfully.
Usagi whirled around in surprise, as she hadn't noticed him approach. "Mam—baka!" she gasped, her heart racing. Then his words soaked into her skin and her cheeks flushed in anger. She stomped her foot, clad in it's usual Mary Jane, and clenched her fists, trying to contain her temper. Because she could let loose and let the baka have it, or she could prove him wrong. And she had a feeling the latter would be much more satisfying.
Mamoru watched in amusement and, to be honest, a little apprehension as Usagi screwed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. A little of the color on her cheeks receded as she calmed herself. When her blue eyes opened again, he could still see a glint of anger in them, but it was being overpowered by composure, an emotion he'd never seen on Odango before.
"As a matter of fact, these are lotus flowers. They have meaning in the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism and in the ancient Egyptian culture. They come in several different varieties and colors, and the kind this shop sells is rather unusual. They also happen to be my favorite type of flower."
Usagi enjoyed Mamoru's dumbstruck expression, complete with gaping jaw, for a few moments before marching into the store to inquire about the price for a lotus. Her mother also had a soft spot for the flower, and maybe her appreciation of a gift would overwhelm her disappointment in Usagi's last test score.
Mamoru shut his mouth, teeth clicking together, his surprise evaporating like morning dew. He looked through the window and saw Usagi examining a flower, her back to him.
Then the lotuses in the front display caught his attention, and he studied the flowers with a critical eye. They were pretty, he supposed, but not as pretty as his Usagi. His. He'd never thought of her as his before, but he found he liked the sound of it.
Mamoru noticed a little white card near the front of the display. Lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera) it read across the top. And below it was Usagi's spiel. Word for word. Ancient Egyptians and rare varieties and all.
He grinned. His Odango Atama was beautiful and clever.