Chapter Text
“Ah, it’s empty. Sorry... I’ll get you some more water.”
He picks himself up from the dirt-covered ground and uses his free hand to dust off the soil from his tawny apron. The other grips tightly around the handle of a now empty watering can. He tried to get as much dirt off as he could, but it seemed to be a wasted effort. Oh, well that’s okay. There are more pressing matters at the moment.
With the watering can in tow, he sets off toward a room tucked away from his current location. Upon arrival, he pushes against a door with a small plaque attached reading, ‘Supply Room- Employees Only’ . Once inside, he places the metal can into a rather small sink and fills its basin with fresh water. Underneath his blunt bangs, he keeps an eye on the rising water; careful to not let it overflow.
Every Monday after school, it is Kageyama Shigeo’s responsibility as assistant gardener to water the extensive variety of plants situated in the exterior greenhouse. Although a rather daunting task to most, he finds the work to be pleasant and doesn’t mind the repetitive cycle. It also gives him the opportunity to connect with all the plants he provides the nourishment to. It’s comforting... having them in his company.
While monitoring the flow from the tap, Shigeo swipes his hand across his brow; loosening the bangs that were beginning to stick against his forehead. Weird. For it only being the first of April, the interior of the greenhouse is already fairly warm and humid. He wonders if spring will feel more like summer this year. Shigeo turns the faucet off, before he could continue his train of thought. He should be focusing on the task at hand.
For Shigeo, carrying a completely full watering can is one of the hardest parts of his job. His arms constantly trembled, causing the newly added water to splatter against both the ground and his clothing. But after a cumbersome walk down the center aisle of the greenhouse, he manages to make it back to the plant he had previously been talking to.
“Sorry. I lost some water on the way... but now you’ll have fresh—” the one-sided conversation is interrupted by a loud ringing. Shigeo reaches his empty hand into the depths of his apron’s front pocket and fishes out his blaring phone. Flipping it open, he reads ‘Reigen Shishou’ displayed on its tiny screen. His ear is greeted with a familiar voice after accepting the incoming call.
“Oi Mob. I know you’re busy in the greenhouse right now, but I could really use your help back in the shop!” Shigeo listens intently as the other explains further.
“There’s a customer here who needs help finding a plant. I would help him on my own, of course, but I currently have some other customers getting ready to check out that I have to help. Can you come as soon as you can?”
Shigeo responds to the posed question with a simple, “Okay”.
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After crossing a cramped courtyard, he ascends creaky wooden stairs that lead him into the neighboring building. An abundance of vibrant flowers and verdant plants occupying the enormous room greet Shigeo. Along with the vegetation, he notices a queue of customers facing the check-out counter. His gaze moves to the person behind it.
Shishou, with his hands moving a mile a minute, is rapidly arranging an assortment of red roses together; presumably for the first customer in line. He delicately covers the newly created bouquet with some wrapping paper and then offers it to the client. In doing so, he catches sight of his assistant standing in the open landing.
“Perfect timing, Mob!” the reddish-blond exclaims. “The customer who needs assistance is on the next floor. Mind taking care of it for me while I ring out these clients?”
Shigeo doesn’t respond. He simply proceeds toward a different set of stairs located at the far end of the room. He strolls through the tightly packed aisles; careful to avoid the myriad of leaves, branches, and flowers wildly sticking out everywhere. He’s relieved after making it to the covered stairwell without disturbing any of the plants along the way.
After a spiraling climb, his dark eyes scan around another plant-filled room. He doesn’t see the customer Shishou had mentioned... but it’s kind of hard to spot anyone up here, due to the dense amount of vegetation and decor. As he makes his way through the narrow pathways, he finally discovers someone.
A middle-aged man is kneeling in front of an old shelving unit, which holds numerous multicolored flowers. Shigeo sees that he’s wearing a really nice looking suit... nicer than the one Shishou wears sometimes.
‘This must be the customer.’ He thinks. ‘I don’t see anyone else up here…’
As he approaches closer, he can feel his heartbeat pick up. It wasn’t the norm for Shigeo to be the one to help customers. Shishou is usually the one who tends to their needs; he’s able to handle anyone! In addition to carrying heavy watering cans, assisting clients is one of the hardest (and unnerving) parts of his job.
He swallows down his uneasiness before announcing his presence. “Hello. I was told that you need help finding a plant.”
The man’s broad shoulders flinch. He whips around to face the source of the unexpected voice. Shigeo observes his sunken eyes relax behind his thin glasses. After straightening up, he combs his hand through his short slicked-back hair.
“You startled me.” the man states. “I didn’t even hear you approach…”
Shigeo remembers other customers telling him something similar in the past. Maybe he should wait for people to turn around first before talking to them…
Abruptly, the man coughs into the crook of his arm for a few seconds. When the coughing fit ceases, he clears his parched throat before speaking once more. “Yes, well... I suppose you could help me. Although... you seem young and somewhat unreliable.”
‘Unreliable…’ Shigeo is unsure what the man means. Does he come across as unreliable to the customer? He suddenly feels heavy, as if the atmosphere is pushing down on him. His legs root themselves to the ground below.
“I was joking, kid! You don’t have to look so gloomy.” He interrupts Shigeo’s spiraling thoughts.
“Oh.”
It was a joke. Shigeo unintentionally clenches his fingers against the palms of his hands, realizing that he’s unable to read the room. It feels like a weight is sitting on his chest, while his heartbeat drums rapidly underneath. In an attempt to suppress his developing emotions, Shigeo refocuses his attention to the man standing in front of him. All he has to do is help the customer...
Focus. Breathe. Okay. Just like Shishou says.
“How may I help you?”
“Well... I’m looking to get my wife a flower.” the client responds. A small smile forms as he speaks.
“She’s been so lovely these past two months... ever since I’ve been in and out of the hospital for my illness.” The man pauses and looks toward the nearby window. Shigeo listens attentively, attempting to push away and forget about his own discomfort.
“Even on my most pain-filled days, she was right there next to me, caring and helping me through them all.” Shigeo can hear an audible sigh from the man, and his tired-looking eyes meet with him once again. The customer continues.
“Now that I’m a bit better, I want to get her a flower as a thank-you gift. This is where your help comes in... do you know what type of flower I should give her?”
Shigeo rests his thumb under his chin, humming ever so softly while pondering over the man’s question. He thinks deeply about what the customer has said. Oh! The answer is in the room underneath the two of them.
Without warning, Shigeo twists away from the now confused customer. The building heavy pressure from earlier seemingly dissipates. He begins retracing his steps, making his way back toward the staircase he emerged from minutes ago.
“Wh-where are you going?” he hears the customer call out from behind. Shigeo pauses and turns his head around to face the well-dressed man, who is now a considerable distance away. Oh... he forgot to say something.
“I’ll be right back.”
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Shigeo returns to the second floor after a few minutes. While delicately carrying a pink potted flower, he traverses through the narrow aisles until he reaches the customer. Upon his arrival, Shigeo apologizes for the wait. The customer curiously inspects the flower resting in his hands.
Pink florets stand tall and hover above the plant’s verdant leaves. The petals huddle together and reach towards the ceiling, as if they want to escape from the stem holding them in place. The man had never seen a flower like it before. Noticing his fixated eyes on the plant, Shigeo looks down at it as well.
“This is an astragalus plant.” Shigeo’s soft spoken voice breaks the silence. “I thought it would be a nice present for your wife.”
His eyes remain hidden underneath his thick bangs. “You told me you have an illness... which you had to go to the hospital for. So, you must have been in a lot of pain… but your wife was there for you, and she helped you.”
He blinks and makes eye contact with the man. It actually seemed like he was paying attention to what he was saying! Shigeo attempts to continue on with his thoughts, in hopes that they reach the other.
“So... if you give your wife this astragalus flower... you’ll be able to convey to her that her presence softens your pain, and makes your heart soft. If she’s with you... then your pain lessens because of her.”
He breaks the eye contact and quickly looks back down at the flower’s pink petals. A sudden uncertainty wells up inside of him. Shigeo is unsure if he was able to verbalize his thoughts properly to the customer. His grip tightens around the porcelain container.
He had felt like this flower would be a perfect fit for the man’s situation and would be a great gift... but what if the customer didn’t think so? He should have known better... he can’t go off his feelings alone for something like this…
Doubt begins to swell in his stomach. Maybe the customer was right...maybe he is unreliable after all.
“Un-unless you want a different flower —” Shigeo stutters. He can feel his cheeks grow uncomfortably warm. He should have offered more than just one. That way the man could have had more of a selection to choose from.
“I can get anoth —”
“No, it’s perfect! I’ll take it.”
The man’s interruption causes him to raise his head up. Shigeo sees him wearing a tender expression; one in which he had not expected. Oh. He assumed he had misinterpreted the customer’s sentiments, so he’s surprised by the sudden exclamation. Shigeo relaxes the tension from his hands and shoulders.
He passes the astragalus over to the client, who graciously accepts it. Upon receiving the plant, a warmhearted smile spreads across his pale face. “I’ve never seen a flower like this before... it’s beautiful and it has pink flowers! That happens to be my wife’s favorite color— so it’s perfect.”
The customer holds the porcelain pot against his dark suit and his eyes appear glossy behind his glasses. “I feel like I’ll be able to communicate how much she means to me with this. You found exactly what I was looking for, so thank you for bringing me such a great gift. I didn’t think you’d be able to help at first... but you exceeded my expectations and for that, I thank you.”
He bows his upper body, careful to not damage the flower resting in his arms. He regains his composure shortly after and gives Shigeo one last smile before setting off to purchase the plant.
Upon witnessing this, all the doubt swirling inside Shigeo vanishes and is replaced with relief. He had been able to express himself successfully and the customer was happy with the flower! Remaining stationary, he watches the customer descend down the stairs. He wonders how his wife will react when receiving the flower. Will she like it? Will she understand and learn about her husband’s feelings? Shigeo really hopes so.
Would he ever have anyone like that in his own life?
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Shigeo fixates his attention towards the outdoor greenhouse. He still has a job to finish, and it’s his responsibility to finish watering the remaining plants that hadn’t yet received the nourishment. As he approaches the building, he tries to remember where he placed the watering can; although has difficulty doing so. Entering inside, he’s met with not only the greenery, but also laughter.
Confused, he searches for its source. There are three girls close together on the other side of the greenhouse, standing in between two rows of plants. Their voices drift across the airy space. He is rather surprised to see them here. Customers typically tended to explore the main store, the previous building he was in. It’s rare for anyone to venture across the courtyard to this building. Technically, customers are free to shop for plants here as well... but most never do.
Shigeo stares at the girls now roaming around the varying trees and shrubs. It seems like they’re having a good time, laughing and talking with one another. He doesn’t want to bother them, even if they are customers. They don’t look like they need help… besides, what if they think he’s unreliable too?
He decides to resume his unfinished work. But before he can begin, he needs to find his watering can. Shigeo wanders along, row after row, in search of the missing container. He finally locates it resting next to a pink budding cyclamen. Right as he bends down to pick it up, a voice calls out to him.
“Hey— you there! With the bowl-cut!”
Shigeo winces from the sudden exclamation and stops in his tracks. He feels a bead of sweat drip from his forehead as he slowly swivels around to face who the voice belonged to. Ah, it came from that group of girls. He stares at the three of them from the far end of the stuffy greenhouse.
“Can you help us with something?”
Oh. They needed help after all... he should have talked to them when he first saw them. He can feel that same anxiousness return in the pit of his stomach; just like with the previous customer, he detects a peculiar heaviness. He tries to ignore it the best he can. He has to focus... the clients’ needs come first. Shigeo represses the swelling emotions as he walks over to where the customers were located.
Drawing closer, Shigeo realizes the girls are all wearing the same school uniform. They look a bit older than him, so they’re probably university students. Ah— but he doesn’t know how he’ll be able to help them, let alone talk to them!
Okay. Focus. Just like before.
“How—how may I h-help you...?”
The three of them glance over at him and then smile at one another. Shigeo is not sure why they do... it doesn’t help calm him, that’s for sure.
“We need you to take a photo of us together!” a girl with long black hair responds.
“Yeah! This greenhouse is literally sooo pretty. This’ll be the perfect spot!” her brunette friend chimes in. “I’m sure we’ll get so many likes if we take the photo here!”
Oh. Shigeo was not expecting that. All he has to do is take a photo? But he doesn’t really take photos... so how is he supposed to help? Customers usually asked him about plants... not photos... He could feel all six eyes fixated on him, waiting for his response. Another drip of sweat falls from his brow. He gulps nervously and replies with a short “Okay.” Their faces light up at his answer.
The girl with the lengthy dark hair hands over her phone to Shigeo. It isn’t anything like his flip phone at all. It’s more like his brother’s phone. Ritsu has one just like it; the kind that has a touch screen. He stares at the device in his hand as she points at it.
“The camera is already up, so all you have to do is take our picture. Make sure you take more than one!”
“Yeah!” the third girl agrees. “We wanna have more than one photo to choose from for Psychogram!”
‘Psychogram…’ Shigeo has no idea what they’re talking about, but he thinks he’s heard of it mentioned at his school before. Surely he can ask Ritsu about it when he gets home later. If he remembers that is…
The black-haired girl returns to her friends and they huddle together; posing in front of the blossoming vegetation nearby. While grasping the foreign phone with both hands, Shigeo quickly becomes aware of the fact that he has no idea how to take a photo with it. Simultaneously as the grinning girls model for the camera, he frantically attempts to figure out what to do. He touches various parts of the illuminated screen, hoping that somehow he’s able to take a photo.
“Okay, let’s see how they turned out.” the owner of the phone says. She walks back over to Shigeo and accepts her phone from him. Her friends join and hover over her as she pulls up the camera roll from the homescreen. Shigeo feels his nerves intensify, seeing their eyes glued to the device.
“What the—” the girl with the brown hair mutters. She then starts laughing. Her friends join in with giggles of their own. Shigeo’s chest immediately tightens and he feels his heartbeat increase. Why are they laughing?
“You somehow took photos of yourself, dude.” the girl turns her phone around to Shigeo. He sees his own face staring back at him. His cheeks grow uncomfortably warm. Oh. He messed up. Without realizing, his hands grip tightly around the fabric of his apron.
“That’s hilarious!” her friend says once her giggles subside.
“Haven’t you ever taken a photo before?” the other questions.
Shigeo can’t bring himself to say anything. His bangs hide his eyes which are now focused on the ground. He shakes his head no.
“Are you serious?”
“I-I’ve never—” he manages to muster through his strained throat. “—used a phone like this before... I have a flip phone.” Without even looking, he knows that all of them are staring at him.
“Wow, I didn’t even know people even used those anymore... you’re even younger than we are!” the brunette friend comments.
“That’s literally crazy. You can’t even use any apps!” the other chimes.
After her two friends voiced their reactions to Shigeo’s confession, the raven-haired girl sighs. He glances up from under his bangs; hands still clutching his work apron. She steps away from her friends and stands directly next to him, causing him to flinch at how close she was.
“Okay look—” she begins, holding her phone out in front of him. She reopens the camera and points at the newly opened app. “Do you see how I can see both Hima-chan and Sumire-chan on the screen? All you have to do now is press this circle, right here at the bottom. It takes the picture and that’s it... it takes a photo.”
She extends the device toward him once again and smiles. “Ready to try again?”
Shigeo nods his head and removes his hands from his tawny apron to accept it. The girl heads back to join with her friends, and together they return to their previous location in order to pose as they had before.
“Remember to take more than one!” the one named Hima calls out.
He nods once more and stares at the phone in his hands. He focuses on the screen. Okay. He won’t mess it up this time. He presses the button the girl had shown him multiple times, as the friends pose together. After doing so, he looks up from the device. The group of friends takes that as a sign of him finishing. Just as before, the owner claims her phone and they all huddle together to see the results.
Shigeo just hopes that the pictures are okay this time. Although the atmosphere doesn’t feel as tense as before, he still nervously waits for their response.
“They turned out great, thanks!" the owner of the phone remarks. "We’ll be sure to tag your store on our Psychogram posts. What was the name again…?”
“Oh, uh…” like before, Shigeo has no idea what she is talking about. “Plants and Such Nursery.”
“Okay, got it. Thanks for your help!”
The three girls wave goodbye and then make their way out of the greenhouse; engaging in a new conversation together. Shigeo watches them leave, still feeling rather unnerved about the whole situation. The pressure slowly lifts from his body, realizing he had somehow been able to help them in the end. He’s never had customers ask him to take a photo before. Without realizing, he examines the spot the girls posed at together. A few petals are scattered about the area. They must be from the young kobushi magnolia trees nearby. Oh— it appears that their snow white flowers have come into bloom and are on display for the first time this year. He didn’t even notice them. Suddenly, Shigeo understands why they wanted to take a photo here.
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“Oi, Mob! Don’t space out like that when I’m talking to you!”
“Oh. Sorry, Shishou.”
Reigen sighs and stuffs another takoyaki into his mouth. “Geez Mob... you’ve been out of it since you finished working in the greenhouse. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me about it, y’know.” he manages to say, despite having a full mouth.
Shigeo hums and looks down at the steaming snack laying on the table in between the two of them. He supposes he has been spacing out; thinking a lot about the interactions he had with the customers from earlier. His hands resting on his thighs curl into fists.
“Shishou... how can I talk to customers?” he asks. “I find that talking to plants is easier than talking to customers. I want to be able to help our customers, but I’m not sure how to talk with them properly…”
“Oh, is that what’s been on your mind this whole time? You want to be able to communicate with others? Listen Mob, social skills like handling the needs of clients, are beyond you. The only ones capable of customer service have common sense and experience.”
As Reigen talks, Shigeo can feel that same discomfort from earlier in the day encompassing him. His nails begin digging into the palms of his hands while soaking in every word his shishou spouts out. He doesn’t lift his eyes.
“Why are you bummed out about that now?” Reigen asks directly.
“B-because I’m such a downer… and I don’t feel like I can understand the atmosphere with people…” Shigeo responds hoarsely. He can hear the other sigh once again.
“I see... listen, if you want to become better at that, then all you have to do is practice. You can talk to the plants all you like, but all they can do is listen. They can’t talk back.” Reigen grabs the second to last takoyaki ball from the dish, before continuing his rant. Shigeo glances up at him from under his bangs.
“If you want to be able to communicate with others, you’ll have to actually talk to people. The more you talk to people, the more you’ll be able to understand. You can practice this whenever you come in to work, y’know…” He pops the snack into his mouth and chews on it.
“Talking to me about this is a good place to start, Mob. The next time you come in, I can have you help me check out some customers - that way you can begin talking to others more. How does that sound?”
The discomfort that was arising internally in Shigeo vanished after hearing what Reigen had said. What he said made a lot of sense... he doesn’t have much experience talking to strangers... so it makes sense that in order to become better, he has to practice talking more. He reaches for the last takoyaki sitting in the tray, for once feeling the lightest he has all day.