Home Language

[Author's Note: This is the first part of the prologue of The Season When Flowers Bloom.

Jump straight to Chapter 3 if you want to skip to the present story.]

Part I

Moving to a foreign country as a child is difficult. Without knowing the words to speak, the world around you just seemed far away and indifferent.

But looking back, I realize how lucky I was.

Because exactly when I felt the most alone, I met someone who changed everything.

When I was six years old, my family and I left Japan to visit my grandparents in the Philippines.

My Dad told me we would only stay for a month, but that month stretched into a whole year.

Eventually, my parents decided I should begin my studies for the time being.

I was seven when I transferred to a school nearby, just a couple of minutes away from our place.

It was my first time in first grade, let alone studying in a foreign country.

To help me adapt to a Filipino-language primary school, my Mom gave me forced private lessons after class.

Haaah... I still remember those moments— and I definitely haven't forgotten how much I hated it!

During my first day, I struggled to fit in.

I had little understanding of the language or the culture, so I wasn't able to keep up.

Because of it, I was often left out.

The girls in our classroom would occasionally greet me, as would the teachers.

However, aside from that, I was mostly singled out and spent my time in silence.

Everything changed two weeks after I arrived.

That day, a transfer student named Ren joined the class.

He was quiet and didn't talk much, yet our classmates took a liking to him very quickly.

He only spoke when necessary, usually to answer a teacher's question or to borrow something.

One afternoon, our homeroom teacher assigned the two of us to clean the classroom before going home.

—It's only been days since he joined our class, yet he already made friends with everyone...

Authors Note: Italics with no " " are meant to be internal thoughts from the past.

Feeling uncomfortable, I rushed through my cleaning so I could go home.

Even so, I tried speaking.

"Uhmm—"

I swallowed my words.

—I wanted to talk to him, but my English was not that great and I barely knew any Filipino. There's no way he'll understand me.

In the end, I chose to remain silent.

But then, to my surprise, Ren spoke.

"You are Japanese, right?"

A Beat passed. I blinked, struggling to process his words.

"Yeah..."

I tried explaining in English, that I was also a transfer student, and that I grew up in Japan.

"I... transfer student too. From Japan,"

After that, Ren paused and stared at me.

Silence.

A few quiet moments stretched between us before he finally turned back and resumed wiping the blackboard.

—Ahh, I knew my English was bad.

Teary-eyed, I talked to myself.

But as I was lost in thought, Ren continued.

"I see. It must have been hard for you. I guess that's why you don't talk to others much."

...

"Huh?"

I froze.

—Wait... that's Japanese! I can't believe it. For the first time at this school, I know exactly what he means.

"Is something wrong?"

He followed. But I was too stunned to reply.

"If there's ever something you don't know, you can always come to me. I know a little bit of Japanese."

Ren smiled as he finished dusting off the erasers.

At that moment, a gentle flutter filled my chest.

It was a sensation so light, yet unfamiliar.

"Yes."

Finally, I managed to say in whisper.

That was the moment our friendship began.

The days went by, and I found myself noticing Ren more.

Even though he remained quiet, he started checking on me during free time.

At lunch, he would invite me to eat with him and the other students.

He became my bridge to connect with others.

He taught me Filipino and English, and in return, I taught him our shared language.

We would spend hours exchanging words.

At one point during our studies, I tried asking.

"Hey Ren-kun, where did you learn English and Japanese?"

He replied,

"It's because my Mom made me,"

Ren explained that his language education started the moment he was able to go to school.

On weekends, his mom would hire private instructors, and he would spend the entire day in private lessons.

Hearing his story, I honestly couldn't help but think his mom was a strict person.

After that, we resumed our study.

By the time the rainy season came, my life had already transformed.

At this point, I had learned more Filipino after spending time with Ren and the other students.

Thanks to them, I was able to communicate well with the class, so it didn't take long for me to made new friends as well.

Compared to how I was when I first came, it was a huge change.

One afternoon, our classes ended early, so I invited Ren to a nearby playground.

It was a breezy day and the weather was good so I insisted on going.

On the way, we saw a big orange cat lying on the side of the road.

"Wahhh, So cute!! Hey Ren-kun look!"

I still remember his fur to this day. He was so fluffy and big, like a big squishy ball of fluff.

But then, when Ren-kun tried petting him, it scratched his leg and ran away.

"Eee... Ren-kun, are you alright?"

I really thought he was about to cry.

Without looking back, he held his tears and started walking.

"W-wait, Ren-kun!"

After that, we spent the remainder of the day at the playground while I tried to cheer him up.

As the heavy rains of July gave way, and the cold season started, my desk didn't feel lonely anymore.

Ren didn't need to ask if he could sit next to me. At lunch, he would just go to my desk with his meal and start eating, sharing half of whatever snacks we had.

When our teachers left the room during free periods, we no longer sat in awkward silence.

Instead, our heads were bent over, talking, and sometimes helping each other in lessons we didn't understand.

Although I was mostly the one who needed his help.

By November, our weekend trips to the park became a routine.

He would always complain, but he would still end up doing them anyway.

When we played, we would often race, but everytime we do, I would always end up losing.

He also taught me some games, which
I was not familiar with, like patintero, tumbang preso, luksong baka and more.

We would tend to play these games with our classmates after class.

On one chilly morning before our homeroom teacher arrived, I swung my legs under my desk as I leaned toward him.

"Hey Ren-kun~ What movie characters do you like? Or maybe TV shows?"

Feeling bored, I asked with my chin resting on my hands.

With eyes that still looked sleepy, he straightened himself up and then looked at me.

It took a while, then he said.

"I don't watch those shows."

"..."

"You're boring,"

I replied as I leaned forward, propping my chin onto the table.

"What about Doramon? or Chibi Kana-Chan?"

"I don't know any of those."

I Paused, and stared at him.

Then, with my cheeks puffed I said,

"You are no fun, Ren-kun."

Out of nowhere, a tiny smirk suddenly appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Pfftt.. What even are you? A Blowfish?"

"..."

After that exchange, I didn't talk to him for the rest of the day.

Those were the simple, random conversations we used to have as kids.

I believed those quiet mornings under our desks would last forever.

We would banter, laugh, and enjoy our time together.

Every single day feels like a new moment.

Little did I know how quickly the seasons could change, or how soon the distance between us would become too wide to cross.