The Shop on Yarrow Street
Chapter One: Good Luck!
It was a chilly, early morning for the residents of the Kohaku shopping center. Though Spring had officially come just a week before, Winter was still performing its final chilly death throes, chasing residents back beneath the warmth of their covers. Only a few decided to brave the cold, their little shop lights flickering and casting a warm, golden glow across the thin layer of snow covering their shop windows. The baker was the first to rise, immediately throwing her bakery doors open and sweeping o ut any snow that had snuck into her shop. As she prepped and kneaded her dough, the delicious scent of baking sticky rolls soon wafted lazily across the shopping center. As if on cue, the butcher's shop light switched on and, peering through the snow-speckled window, fresh meat could be seen being cut, hooked, and hung for display. The freshly fallen snow began to melt away as students and laborers alike made their morning trek to the nearest train station. Mothers could be heard calling after their children and even old man Sarutobi hollered for a worthy champion to challenge him to a game of shogi.
"Oi, Teuchi-san!" the butcher called across the street, "I've got your oxtails ready!"
Teuchi, the owner and chef of Ichiraku Ramen, popped his head out of his little shop window, "Hai! I'll send the boy to pick them up!" Popping back inside his shop, the old man grabbed his broom, aimed the broomstick at his ceiling, and with an aggressive THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! attempted to wake his still slumbering resident.
"Naruto-kun! Pick up at the butcher shop!"
With a groan, the young man rose from his bed, glowering down at the wooden floor still reverberating from the last THUNK! "For fuck's sake…" he grumbled to himself, running a hand through his messy blond hair.
"Naruto-kun!" another THUNK! sounded from below, "Make sure to grab me some chicken feet too!"
"H-Hai!" Naruto yawned, throwing his covers aside and pulling on his uniform shirt from the night before.
After getting dressed, the young man descended from his room to collect Teuchi's payment. The old man was busy washing some fresh bean sprouts when Naruto approached the bar. Teuchi motioned him to take a seat and paused only to wipe his hands and slide over a still steaming bowl of white rice. "Good morning," Teuchi chuckled as Naruto slumped down against the bar, "Still getting used to the new shop schedule?"
"Hai," Naruto sighed, "Thanks again for letting me work here."
Teuchi shook his head, "Your father helped me out a few times before moving in with Kushina-chan. It's the least I can do. Here's an egg and soy sauce. Eat up. Ryu-san can wait a few more minutes."
It had been almost four years since Naruto had started working at Ichiraku Ramen. Originally from a small rural town south of Kohaku, the young man had left home with nothing but a large traveller's backpack and a note from his late father directing him to an old friend needing part-time help that winter. Teuchi hired him immediately and even offered Naruto residence in the small room located above the shop. Naruto was eager to work and, within a few years, was helping behind the bar serving ramen to their regulars. Teuchi had tried to encourage Naruto to seek other ventures outside of the shop. Afterall, the young man's father had sent him off with the hope that Naruto would find a new life after his passing. However, it seemed Naruto was far too easy going to worry himself with lofty goals. While he had travelled and worked at his late father's request, the young man had no other ambitions to pursue in either school, or a career, or even a hobby. Naruto hardly complained about his living arrangements, nor his small pay, and was content working at the shop and spending his days off loafing about in his room. But Teuchi knew better. While Naruto seemed content, while it was assumed he did nothing but laze about, who truly knew how the young man spent those four years alone in that tiny bedroom?
"Naruto-kun…" Teuchi muttered, breaking from his train of thought, "Did you need to take a day off this weekend to-,"
Before he could finish, the shop door slid open, a squeal sounding from the entrance, "Tou-chan! Look what Sakura-chan gave me!"
Teuchi tried to hide his grimace. He would have to talk to Naruto later. "Sakura-chan is back in town, is she? Did she say she was going to stop by to eat tonight? I can reserve the back table for her."
Ayame shook her head as she set her day's shopping down on the bartop, "Not tonight. Maybe before she leaves town though. I'll ask… But look!"
Sitting neat and pretty on the bartop was a little houseplant. To Naruto however, it was one of the oddest little plants he had ever seen. When he thought of houseplants, he usually thought of the enormous ferns or mini palm trees found wilting in some corner of a dusty, old motel. This little plant, with its pointed, long leaves sprinkled with snow, seemed to sparkle under the dinghy shop lights.
"Ah, I see Sakura-san has found a new muse," Teuchi smiled as he examined the little plant, "It's lovely, Ayame, and very well tended to."
Ayame beamed, "Isn't it so cute?! I told Sakura-chan I was going to-,"
As Ayame and Teuchi chatted away, Naruto continued to examine the little plant. It's main body was made up of a single large, sword-shaped leaf surrounded by two smaller leaves sprouting out from the base. Taking a closer look at its evergreen leaves, Naruto noticed it had a grey tiger striping across its smooth surface. The edges of the sword-shaped leaves, however, were bright yellow, and seemed to act as a frame to tame the wild striping. Looking at the little plant's pot, Naruto realized that instead of generic black plastic, the houseplant had been lovingly set in an iridescent, jade-green patterned planter that seemed to shimmer and shine like snake scales.
"Well, Ayame, I don't see why you can't keep it here," Teuchi murmured, glancing down at the little plant, "But I'm worried that some of our rowdier customers might knock it over… I'd hate for your gift to be ruined."
"What about that table you mentioned?" Ayame pointed over to a small alcove in the corner of the shop, "It's by a window and not a lot of people sit over there. I think it might be safe there…"
"Mm…" Techui hummed in contemplation. But Naruto knew better. Teuchi was just putting on airs. He was known for entertaining anything his daughter asked of him, "Alright, if you're okay with it, you can set your plant there... Make sure to take care of it!" Teuchi called after her as Ayame went off to set her plant up.
As the first of their regulars began to show up for their usual lunch special, Ayame's little plant was soon forgotten in exchange for lengthy food orders and the occasional odd request. Naruto spent most of his shift searing oxtails and peeling chicken feet to prep and boil up some more ramen broth. Only every now and then would he have to run an order out or help Teuchi serve drinks at the bar top. With Ayame covering the guest dining area, the lunch rush was soon quelled and, as usual, the rest of the day was spent covering only a smattering of take-out orders from students on their way back from cram school.
"Looks like those fliers I put out aren't attracting new customers this week…" Teuchi grumbled as he packed up the last pick up order of the evening.
Ayame sighed, setting aside her washcloth, "Tou-chan, fliers are great and all but they're not going to compete with the following the other shops have."
"Oh, you mean that Birdbook?"
Naruto had to hold back his laughter as Ayame glowered at her father, "No, Tou-chan, that's not-"
"I don't see how Birdbook is going to get me customers, Ayame."
"... H-Hai, Tou-chan…" Ayame grumbled in response as Naruto's laughter echoed down the street.
It seemed Ayame could not forget nor forgive her father's transgressions against the Goddesses of Social Media. Within a week, Naruto found himself dodging Ayame and the flash of her smartphone camera. The woman had taken it upon herself to build a following for Ichiraku Ramen from the ground up, starting with a few posts on GramCHAN. It started with a few pictures of Teuchi posing with their specialty ramen, then a story sharing one of their regulars enjoying a bite of lunch. With each click of her camera, however, Ayame found herself becoming increasingly discouraged. While the ramen was delicious and their customers were charming, the dinghy shop setting was greatly lowering the quality of her posts.
"Tou-chan!" Ayame whined as she gave up, once again, to take a picture of the assorted toppings seated behind the bartop, "When was the last time we updated the shop?"
"Ayame," Teuchi scolded her gently, "Don't be like that. The shop might be showing its age but that doesn't mean it's lacking in charm-,"
"Tou-chan," Ayame raised her eyebrow in disbelief, "This isn't an antique shop. You've got particle wood peeling from the old benches in the back! If we want to build a following, we need to get some things updated, maybe distressed, maybe even replaced!" the woman spun on her heel, taking a moment to tighten her apron just a tad, before stomping off into the backroom, "I'll make a list-,"
"A-Ayame, maybe you're taking this Birdbook stuff too far-,"
"Tou-chan, it's not Birdbook, it's-,"
"Ayame-chan," Naruto interrupted, suddenly recalling something, "What about that back nook area? Isn't your plant back there? Maybe you should post that."
"Plant?" Ayamed asked, her wrath sputtering into a panic, "My plant!" she cried, tossing her phone aside and rushing over to the back nook. A few seconds later, a little wail of despair sounded from the nook. Ayame emerged, holding her little plant to her chest, her face screwed up almost in tears, "Tou-chan, my plant!"
"Ah, Ayame…" Teuchi shook his head, "I told you to take care of it…"
The little plant, neglected for over a week, was no longer its bright, shimmering self. Its smaller, younger leaves had turned a sickly yellow color and had fallen over. The main stalk still stood proudly between its fallen siblings but, to Naruto's growing alarm, the tip of its once proud sword point had started to dry and curl into itself.
"What's wrong with it?" Ayame whimpered, setting the sad little plant down on the bartop.
"Hm… It might not be getting enough sunlight under that window… When was the last time you watered it?" Teuchi asked, gently lifting one of the sickly leaves to get a closer look.
"Well, Sakura-chan didn't tell me how much care it actually needed… Is it sick?"
"... You might need to ask Sakura-chan. Or at least figure out what shop she bought it from. Maybe someone sold her a sick plant?"
"Maybe…" Ayame set the plant aside, hiding the wilting plant behind the bartop, "I'll have to ask later… Or buy another one."
As they resumed their duties, it seemed Teuchi and Ayame were just fine putting the little sick plant out of their minds. For Naruto, however, as he sliced up and replenished their various ramen toppings, he could not help but glance at the plant seated right in the corner of his vision. He didn't really understand the appeal of houseplants but, looking at its sickly state, he could fathom, just a little, the disappointment of losing such a tender gift. Once again his curiosity got the better of him and Naruto snatched the little plant up, looking over the jade-patterned planter, even going so far as to check its bottom for a missed label. And what luck! Painted across its bottom was a signature: TSoYS '19.
"TSoYS?" Naruto murmured, brushing his thumb across the hand-painted signature, "An acronym? Maybe?"
The rest of the day passed with little incident. As their evening came to a close, Ayame and her father left a bit early, hoping to swing by the local carpenter to put in an order for some new benches. That left Naruto with the task of closing up the shop. He wiped down counters, swept, and escorted their last customer out the door before locking up and taking a seat back at the bar. Reaching behind the counter, Naruto extracted the little plant still hiding in its corner. Looking at the signature once more, he pulled out his own smartphone and started scouring the internet for any information. The signature, as he had correctly assumed, was an acronym. However, based on his internet searches, it was either a new or widely unknown acronym, as there was little to garner from the results. As he scrolled through the meager list of results, he spotted a small comment thread started in a private neighborhood group. Scanning through the brief public description allowed by the search results, he spotted the odd TSoYS acronym but, to his confusion, the acronym was accompanied by a hash-tag. While not as ignorant as Teuchi regarding social media and its quirks, Naruto had dabbled very little in creating tags for his random posts. Years after acquiring his smartphone, Naruto was still unsure when a tag was even appropriate to include in the description notes.
"Ayame might know something…" Naruto murmured to himself, swiping over to his messages and typing up a quick text: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS TAG #TSoYS?
A few seconds later, a reply chimed across his screen: MAYBE THIS? Followed by a screenshot from GramCHAN. Blowing the image up, Naruto caught sight of the acronym and, to his excitement, a plethora of plants beautifully arranged at an unknown storefront. Bringing up his own GramCHAN app, forced upon him by a very insistent Ayame earlier that day, he searched for the profile depicted in the screenshot. Sure enough, the first result was the mystery shop itself, and a few posts down, there was the image that Ayame had captured.
"The Shop… on Yarrow Street?" Naruto muttered, swiping through the seemingly infinite amount of plant pictures.
Based on the posts, it was a fairly new shop, located several blocks away from the Kohaku shopping center. Unlike traditional nurseries, however, the shop seemed to specialize in houseplants, including tropical and exotic plants. Clicking on the bio, Naruto managed to scrounge out the address for the shop but little else in how to rescue Ayame's wilting houseplant.
"Guess I'll head out there and see what they say..." Naruto gently brushed the withered leaves of the little houseplant, "It'd be a shame to lose you too."
The following morning, Naruto woke up later than usual. Having discovered the origin of their little sick plant, the young man was prepared to wrestle some type of cure from the plant shop, and decided to take the day off in pursuit of this out-of-character venture. Oddly enough, Teuchi agreed immediately to Naruto's request, having spent the majority of the week still worrying over Naruto's four year slump. Seeing the young man pursue something outside of work, even if it was for a dying houseplant, was enough to convince Teuchi to let him go.
"Be back before closing," Teuchi mothered over the boy, "Don't worry about bringing anything back, I'll have dinner waiting on the counter. And don't spend any of your money. Here, if they charge a fee, take this-,"
"Teuchi-san!" Naruto politely forced the allowance granted to him back into the chef's hands, "It's just a plant. I'm sure they'll just fix it or replace it for me, no charge."
After wolfing down his breakfast, Naruto set off towards Yarrow street, the little plant clutched tightly in his grasp. His initial trip passed semi-peacefully save for a few early morning shopkeepers hollering to attract passing customers. As he walked, block after block, Naruto took the time to glance at his phone every now and then. The GPS in the background continued to keep him on track but the young man hoped to spot the store long before the navigation caught up to him. And sure enough, a few minutes later, Naruto caught sight of the familiar, plant-filled storefront just half a block away. As he approached the shop window, he realized it was much, much larger than it appeared on GramCHAN. The window practically took over the entirety of the wall and behind the clear glass was an even larger assortment of plants. On the floor of the display window ferns of all sizes flared their dark green fronds and spread themselves greedily over tender succulents indulging in what little light they could. Closer to the ceiling, Naruto spied long, thin vines weaving themselves through a nest of air plants. And the star of the display, labeled simply as "Monstera", basked beneath a halo of light, its large leaves easily casting away all competition.
For a brief moment, Naruto felt a twinge of insecurity. Glancing down, he realized how sick Ayame's little plant looked in comparison to the healthy, sparkling specimens behind the glass. It was obvious that this store tended to their plants quite diligently. How would they respond to the plant practically dying in his hands? Swallowing thickly, Naruto lifted the plant up, sighing, "Well, they may not replace you for free then… Let's go see what Dr. Plant has to say…"
The shop bells twinkled as Naruto opened the shop door. A few seconds later, a greeting sounded from behind a large, lily-pad leafed plant, "Welcome to our Shop on Yarrow Street," stepping out from behind the plant was a young man wearing a striking pair of dark, round lensed sun-glasses. He bowed deeply, his black headscarf falling forward, before straightening up and asking, "How can I help you today?"
"Uh… My plant," Naruto grimaced as he raised up the little, miserable houseplant, "I think it's sick?"
Naruto tried to calm his racing heart as the shopkeeper leaned forward to examine the plant. The young man's mind raced, unable to brush off his initial wave of insecurity. Thankfully, the stream of scolding Naruto initially expected was for not. Instead, as the shopkeeper took a closer look at the plant's planter, he suddenly cocked his head, an odd expression coming over his naturally pale face. The shopkeeper then took a moment to adjust his sunglasses before silently motioning Naruto to set the plant down on a nearby counter.
"How long have you had this plant?" the shopkeeper asked, pulling a bar stool forward and offering Naruto a seat.
"Well, it was a gift for a friend of mine. We decided to keep at our shop window. It's been a week since."
"Hm…" the shopkeeper reached over and gently sunk the tips of his fingers into the soft, sandy soil surrounding the little plant's base, "I don't believe it's sick. I believe it is just a little thirsty." Wiping his fingers across his black apron, the shopkeeper made his way over to the nearest sink. Picking up a small watering can, he filled it with a few streams of cold water before returning to the counter, but not before grabbing a small clay dish from a nearby shelf for good measure.
"It just needs water?" Naruto asked as he watched the shopkeeper slide the clay dish beneath the jade green planter, "It's not sick?"
The shopkeeper shook his head, "No," he then began to pour a light steam of water close to the base of the plant, "This is a snake plant. It's a Sansevierias, a type of plant native to Africa."
"But… Doesn't that mean it's used to dry conditions?" Naruto theorized.
"True," the shopkeeper emptied the watering can, setting it aside before continuing, "Snake plants are known to be incredibly hardy and thrive on less water. However," the shopkeeper reached down and gently brushed the plant's wilting leaves, "It seems this snake plant has gone a little too long without water. It happens," the shopkeeper looked up, giving Naruto a brief smile, before slipping back into his naturally stoic expression, "These plants are easy to care for but also easy to forget about. They are not very dramatic, even in tougher conditions, so people don't usually know something is wrong with their plant until it's too late."
"Wait!" Naruto felt his heart skip a beat at that, "Is it going to d-,"
The shopkeeper raised a hand, calming him, "No, no, a little water and this plant will recover just fine. Actually," the shopkeeper rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "You'll probably want to avoid overwatering it. Snake plant roots are more likely to rot than dry out." Reaching into his black apron, the shopkeeper pulled out a small notepad, "I recommend watering only when the soil has completely dried out. You can keep it near that shop window you mentioned. It'll be fine there."
"... What about that?" Naruto pointed at the clay dish still seated under the plant.
"Oh, that's just a terracotta dish," the shopkeeper explained, "It's a type of clay dish that catches any extra water that might drip out of the planter," the young man then lifted the little snake plant, revealing a small puddle of water, "In a few minutes or so, the natural properties of this dish will have it absorb the excess water. I recommend these dishes for those wanting to avoid spills and saving plants, such as your snake plant, from rotting."
"How much?" Naruto suddenly asked, his cheeks flush with gratitude.
"Sir?"
"For saving my… Uh, I mean, my friend's plant?" Naruto pressed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small bit of his savings.
"Nothing sir, nothing at all," the shopkeeper raised his hands, waving away the cash Naruto thrust in his face, "Your plant is fine and I won't charge you for a mere watering."
"Okay…" Naruto pointed at the dish again, "How much for that?" If anything, the young man was persistent.
A few minutes later, Naruto walked out of the shop, proudly holding the little snake plant now balanced on its brand new terracotta dish. He had caused a little bit of trouble trying to slip the shopkeeper a tip for the extra service, much to the shopkeeper's embarrassment, but he was truly pleased with the experience. The young man's initial fears of shame dissipated as he made his way back to the ramen shop. Soon enough, the little plant in his hands would recover, so long as he adhered to the orders provided to him by the odd little plant shop on Yarrow Street.