Chapter 31 - Shifting Flower Colors
It was about a ten-minute walk west from my house. Flora and I had arrived at the flower field.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's beautiful no matter when I see it."
Having passed through the tree-lined path, Flora and I instinctively stopped to gaze at the landscape of blooming flowers.
Spreading out across the entire area was a carpet of vividly colored flowers, extending as if to fill our entire field of vision.
When a gentle breeze blew, the flowers swayed their petals, stems, and blossoms as if in welcome, making a rustling sound. Along with that, the sweet scent of flowers, refreshing aromas, and the smell of soil and grass mixed together to tickle our nostrils.
Flora narrowed her eyes pleasantly while holding her straw hat with one hand so it wouldn't be blown away. Her long golden hair traced an arc in the air.
As I took a deep breath to enjoy the fragrance of the flower field and looked around, I noticed a change occurring in the field.
"The red is decreasing, and green and blue flowers have increased."
It was truly a slight change, but looking at the whole, I noticed that the red had diminished and green and blue flowers were emerging. I had stopped by on my way back from hunting or visited when I had free time, but these were colors that weren't there the last time I came.
Presumably, these were colors that had changed recently. I hadn't noticed because I hadn't been able to visit much lately due to looking after the fields.
"Yes, it's already around the time the season shifts from spring to summer. The colors of the flowers are shifting to match that. In spring, warm colors like red, orange, and yellow bloom, and in winter, cold-colored flowers like blue, light blue, navy, and purple bloom. Since it's before summer now, the red among the warm colors is decreasing, and it's the time when the blue of the cold colors begins to appear slightly."
Flora, standing beside me, explained about the flower field with a proud expression.
"I'd heard that the colors change depending on the season, but I didn't know it went that far. It changes just like a rainbow."
The colors of the rainbows I occasionally saw after the rain should have been like that. The outer parts were warm colors like red and orange, and as you went inward, they should have become cold colors like blue and purple.
"Fufu, that's right. Depending on the person, some call it the Rainbow Field."
"But they aren't lined up as regularly as a rainbow, and there are so many colors that even a rainbow can't describe them all, so calling it that might be selling it short."
The transition of colors was like a rainbow, but if I were to compare the entire flower field to a rainbow, it wouldn't be enough. The flower field here wasn't lined up in regular colors like a rainbow. There might be blue next to orange, or colors in the middle of transitioning from red to orange, all blooming as they pleased.
I couldn't really describe it as being like a rainbow.
After standing and watching for a while, we walked further in while gazing at the flower field.
The best place to eat our lunch would probably be under the tree in the back. We could sit leisurely there, and it would be cool since there was shade.
We moved forward while enjoying the flower field, which had a different hue than in spring.
Ahead of my gaze, the tulips that had been red until just the other day had turned orange. The roses and such nearby were also green or had turned yellow.
It seemed that the flowers didn't grow anew in orange, but rather the existing flowers changed their color.
It was a mysterious sight to see flowers I knew in different colors.
As I moved forward in admiration, Flora, who was walking beside me, bent down and started picking flowers.
"What's the matter?"
Was there a particularly beautiful flower?
"Ah, did you know? There are flowers that are edible or can be used as medicine."
"...Is that so?"
Wild vegetables and tree nuts are the same kind of plants. It's not like only flowers would be impossible, but I'd never tried it, and since I didn't know anyone nearby who ate them, I was completely unaware.
"Yes, of course there are things you shouldn't eat, but there are many that are edible. This flower called Muninika is edible and good for the skin."
Smiling brightly, Flora held a single flower toward my eyes.
It was a small, pinkish flower. So it was called Muninika.
"...Is this delicious?"
When I asked hesitantly while receiving it, Flora picked only the flower part of the Muninika, washed it with water from her canteen, and popped it into her mouth.
I was a little surprised, as I had never seen the sight of someone eating a flower.
Without twisting her expression, Flora chewed and swallowed it without issue.
Oh, Flora ate a flower.
It wasn't poisonous, and it didn't have a look that caused physiological disgust—rather, it was a beautiful thing, so I tore off just the flower part in the same way and washed it with water.
When I smelled it before putting it in my mouth, it had a faintly sweet floral scent. It was a typical flower.
Then, after staring at it, I took the plunge and popped it into my mouth.
As I bit down, the scent of the flower spread through my mouth all at once, piercing through to my throat and nose. There was none of the grassy smell like eating grass; it had a texture like lettuce. Then, as I kept chewing, a sweetness that seemed to be the flower's nectar came out, and a slight bitterness could be felt.
Yeah, if I thought of it as a vegetable, it wasn't particularly strange. It wasn't gross, and if it was good for the body, it felt like something I could eat.
"Yeah, the scent is good and it's not gross. Is it like a vegetable?"
Whether she found me chewing the flower with a solemn face amusing, Flora giggled.
"That's right. It's no different from a vegetable, like mixing it into a salad or eating it with meat. It's delicious when floated in tea or soup because the sweet nectar comes out, and it looks beautiful too."
Ah, then it doesn't feel very out of place. I'll try mixing it in a salad or floating it in tea a little.
"By the way, its flower language is 'Innocence,' 'Purity,' and 'Chastity.'"
"Heh, I see. Then, what about this one?"
"Konron. Its flower language is 'Memories,' 'Kindness,' and 'Bonds.'"
When I pointed to an orange flower whose name I didn't know, Flora answered fluently.
"What about this one with the unusually long petals?"
"That is Shinjo. Its flower language is 'Longing,' 'Harmony,' 'Friendship,' and 'Elegance.'"
Amazing. A single flower has that many meanings. It's impressive that she can remember so many meanings for just one flower.
It seems like a terrible misunderstanding could occur if one got the meanings wrong.
Come to think of it, I heard from Kurune that there was a tragedy where a noble lady sent a flower to her fiancé, but because the partner had remembered the meaning incorrectly, a disaster occurred.
That girl surprisingly liked tragic love stories and tragedies.
After that, as we continued, whenever I pointed to a flower I didn't know, Flora would answer proudly. Her expression seemed to say, "There's no way I could be wrong," which was a little childish and cute.
"...I feel like I was taught like this nine years ago too..."
A scene I faintly recalled.
—The flowers here change color every time the season changes!
I felt like I was taught while walking through the flower field like this back then too.
The partner wasn't a composed woman like Flora, but felt like someone much younger.
As I walked while faintly recalling memories of a distant day, I heard the sound of something falling behind me.
"Hm?"
"Ah, I'm sorry!"
When I looked back, it seemed Flora had dropped her basket and was hurriedly picking it up. Fortunately, the lid seemed to have been secure, as the contents didn't appear to be spilled.
I felt a little relieved and breathed a sigh of relief at that, but Flora showed no sign of picking up the basket. She was looking down the whole time.
"...Is something wrong?"
"...N-no, a little dirt just got in my eye."
When I asked out of concern since she showed no sign of standing up, she stood up as if to say it was no problem while wiping her eyes.
There was a faint trace of dirt near Flora's eyes. The wind was quite strong today, and she had touched the soil when picking the Muninika and such. The dirt must have been blown by the wind.
"Excuse me for a moment."
"Hau!"
I took Flora's hand as she wiped her eyes and removed the dirt with a handkerchief I took from my pocket.
Whether she was surprised, Flora let out a short cry, closed her eyes, and her face turned bright red.
I thought it was a bit embarrassing, but since I thought it was better than rubbing it with her own hand, I had her endure it.
""............""
For a while, I carefully removed the dirt from near Flora's eyes in silence. Then, because I ended up seeing Flora's refined features from a very close distance, I also started to feel somewhat bashful.
The way we were both in a state of tension at close range was just like a kiss between innocent lovers.
I tried not to think about unnecessary things as much as possible and removed the dirt with the handkerchief.
"It's okay now."
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much."
When I pulled away, Flora bowed her head with a quick nod while her ears turned red.
Doubtless, my face must have turned a little red too.
""............""
We both became silent, and an awkward atmosphere flowed.
"...U-um, I—"
"...Kuu."
Just as Flora was about to say something, my stomach growled, complaining of hunger. Because of that, Flora's words stopped.
"Ahaha, sorry. My stomach growled."
When I said that with an involuntary wry smile, Flora stared at me, and then burst out laughing.
"...Fufu, that's right. Since the tree has come into view, let's have lunch."
Flora ran toward the tree with her hair fluttering. I also started running toward the tree, following her.
It was my stomach that dissipated the awkward atmosphere and created an opportunity for conversation, but since Flora had also been about to say something, I felt like it didn't need to assert itself like that.
I actually wanted to write the lunch scene too, but I'll skip it and move on. Things will start moving from the next part. You could say the eroticism is close.