An Old Friend's Assistance

I arrived at the prefecture on my own. The station wasn't far from the flower park, so I opted to walk the entire way despite the weather being on the warmer side. The entrance fee was cheap, which was perfect since most of my money was for round-trip ticket.

From my research, I knew there was a part of the park that was closed for construction. The opportunity was laid on a plate for me to make the move. I used to let every opportunity pass me by in a river, but I discovered that I started taking them ever since I met Yuri-chan. It was my choices that led me to my current position, and it would be my choices that lead me to my future.

It was a beautiful park with plenty of visitors, but I didn't want to bask in its glory prematurely, saving my experience for the real thing. I had a map of the park, and located the main office.

I mumbled a part of the poem I had figured out, the rhythm I used was of Yuri-chan's flower song.
"The petals of orange fade across the frozen land, but they always return when the sun warms the sand."

I was going to enter the office, when my ear twitched.

"Kiyoshi-kun?" said a feminine voice.

I turned out and instinctively expected to see Yuri-chan, but her voice wasn't the same, neither was the figure that knew my name standing behind me.

I stammered, "Ji…Jino…?"
It…It's her, I can tell it's her. I haven't seen her since our graduation last year.

"I…I didn't think you'd recognize me."

My breath was lost in the air, unable to be immediately turned into words. I still remembered how she was broken by the outcome of our friendship, but it was my fault, and I needed to take responsibility. I slowly approached her.

"How've you been, Jino? A-Are you…okay?"
I looked at her outfit, and noticed a nametag pinned to her chest.
She…works here?

She bowed, then locked eyes with me. "I have been doing well, yes. May I assume you are okay too?"

"Y-Yeah, I'd say I'm doin' better."

She giggled. "It is nice to hear your dialect again. What brings you to Hamamatsu's Flower Park? Are you alone?"

"Yeah, I'm alone, though my reason for comin' is because of someone else."

"I see, you are in love, aren't you?" she asked me.

Taken aback, my expression told her everything. The girl who had fallen for me first must have known I would never reciprocate her feelings. I was left speechless, so she continued.

"It is a nice feeling, to be in love."

I tilted my head and noticed her rosy cheeks getting brighter, and not because of the weather.
"Who's the new boy?" I asked.

She giggled once again, her laugh was different from Yuri-chan.
"You can tell I am in love too? You have really changed in a year."

I pointed to an empty bench to my left, and asked, "Do you have time to talk?"

I needed to set things straight with my first friendship. As much as I gave credit to Yuri-chan for helping me resurface in my life, I wouldn't have met her if it wasn't for Jino in middle school. She was on her break, and we took a seat.

She and her family moved to Hamamatsu during last year's spring break. Since then, she excelled in classes like normal, and amassed quite the friend group; her smiles and words were genuine when she'd talk about them. The boy she was in love with was someone who helped her study for tests and exams –– I told her we were somewhat similar in that area.

In return, I gave her a brief rundown of my life since her departure, excluding most of the details with our former friends, since that would do nothing but dampen the mood. She seemed to move past the boys, while keeping contact with the other girl in the group: Tae.

I stood up and turned towards her. With my arms to my side and my back straightened, I bowed and said,
"Jino, I want to apologize for middle school. I know you're doin' better now, but I'm sorry for not sayin' goodbye to you on our final day. You must've been so hurt because of what I did, I wish I could've given you a reason to smile before you left."

She issued no reply. I raised my eyes without moving my head to see that she had been standing too. I slowly stood upright and reconnected with her.

"Why wish for something like that, when you can do so now?" she asked. "I was hurt, but you were not the reason. I wanted to leave you with a smile, and I regretted that I was unable to do so. However, we are together now, face-to-face like the friends we used to be, so please give me a reason to smile now, not back then."

She was right. Like Yuri-chan showed me, I needed to reconfigure my focus from the past. 

"So what brings you to the glorious home of florals?" she asked. "It must have something to do with your Rossi-san, yes?"

"Yuri-chan loves flowers. She knows everythin' about them, from when they bloom and fall to what they symbolize. There's one flower she loves the most out, but the meanin' of it isn't to her likin'. We've spent our time together creatin' a new one, and though she's gone, I've tasked myself to finish it before her return."

"You want to unveil its new meaning here, at the park? I am intrigued to see your newfound poetry skills."

I showed Jino the map of the park and pointed out the closed area.
"Your park is tryin' to decide what to put here, I'm sure there's some debate as to which flowers you want to cover the fields with. I believe the vibrant orange butterfly weeds belong there."

An idea bloomed, something that could give my first friend and first love their own happiness together. The butterfly weed and its new meaning was going to be the catalyst to get there.

"Thank you, Jino, for bein' there for me…especially when I had given up. I-It's selfish of me, but I need your help with my mission. Would it be too much to ask?"

She cupped her palms together like she was holding something.
"I would be honored to help you plant the seeds of the flower that means so much to you and your special girl."

Together, my first friend and I arrived at the park's office and found the park manager. I pleaded my case for the planting of butterfly weeds in the new plot for the park. The flower was perfect: Its color wasn't seen anywhere else in the park, they required very little care, and most importantly, the park would be the birthplace of its new meaning.

The park director asked, "What would the new meaning be?"

I took a moment to figure out the right words.
"It would be different from the rest of the flowers here. It's not a meanin' that is directly told, but rather one that can be interpreted differently, yet also similarly, by all people. There's only one form of writin' that allows somethin' like to be possible."

"What form would that be?"

"Poetry," I said with confidence. I pulled out the calendar from my pocket, and pulled out a piece of paper used as a bookmark.
"This is only a first draft of what I had in mind, but I assure you that if you do go with the butterfly weeds, I'll have the final version ready for presentation."

The park manager took the paper and, alongside Jino, read the poem. No one but Yuri-chan had read my poetry, but I wasn't nervous in the slightest for what my first draft had. I knew there was potential, and I wasn't going to falter on improvements.

"Leave your number with my assistant. I would like to be in contact with you about the finalization of your plan. Your passion tells me you're doing this for someone special to you."

I couldn't contain my excitement, and it showed in my voice.
"This girl…she loves this flower, but she's not the flower itself. If anythin', I'm like the butterfly weed, in bloomin' and meanin'. She is more of a caterpillar, who's known to cocoon on flowers like this one. She latched onto me for her own growth. Now, she's grown up to be a beautiful butterfly, and protected me from the rest of the bugs that could harm me. Truth is, not even all this could equal what she's done for me, but it's a start!"

➼ ➼ ➼

At the front entrance of the park, Jino walked me out.

"Thanks for helpin' me, Jino. I appreciate everythin' you've done for me."

"Likewise, Kiyoshi-kun. Good luck with the poem, and keep me updated on when you will return with Rossi-san, okay?"

I did, up until that very day.