gardenias; saiki k.

001; lilacs

"KUSUO, WOULD YOU GO buy flowers for me?" a sweet-sounding voice requested.

It belonged to Kurumi Saiki, Kusuo's dear mother. A good-natured and soft-hearted woman, perhaps a bit too good-natured.

"Okay." Kusuo replied simply. His voice was monotone, lacking any interest or emotion whatsoever. The raven-haired woman passed down a notepad, a bit crumpled and had written down the location of where he needed to go. The handwriting seemed swift but clean.

It's not uncommon for Kusuo to do errands for his parents─after all, he is their son. This request isn't any different, just go to the store and buy what's written on the list. Nothing too difficult, he hopes.

He stepped out of the house, casting a shadow beneath his figure, kissed by spring's singing sun. He's had a quiet spring break, with no one to vex it with unwanted invitations. He took each step with his eyes focused narrowly on the gravel he placed his feet on. The neighborhood today was particularly idle, it isn't as busy or chaotic as it usually is. An unfamiliar but welcoming sight for Kusuo.

Birds chirped and sang softly, their docile voices harmonizing. Cerulean feathers were rushing back from the south, they too, brought along songs that would tell the trees spring had returned. The air smelled of musk and the humid floral scent, with a subtle scent of freshly cut grass.

The clouds in the sky scattered all over, spilled splotches of opaque white paint on a blue-painted easel.

These were the same sights he saw last spring. Nothing felt really new. Next year, he'll see this again. It won't really be exciting to see the same thing everywhere─so the whole fuss with spring was always quite peculiar to look forward to.

Kusuo stopped in his tracks. What halted him was a small establishment that seemed as if it's falling apart. The windows looked frail, somewhat cracked, the roof had pipes leaking off it, and the wall bricks were wearing out. There was a part in him that wondered if this was the right location.

Kusuo was confused, he was the most powerful boy in the world─he could get the rarest flowers on earth, for free if he wanted to, but instead, his mother asked him to go to this shabby hut-looking store. No offense, but he's just confused.

He remembers her reasoning; how a kind and 'familiar' boy helped her carry heavy groceries, and because she wanted to return the favor, she asked if she could help with anything as well. She recalls him giving her a business card, with only an address and a tacky font that said florist services.

After stalling and monologuing, his hand finally reached the rusting door knob and settled his feet onto a creaking wooden floor.

Kusuo expected a horrendous interior but was met with a good surprise. It wasn't as bad as he initially thought. There were a few nooks and deformities within the walls and furniture decisions, but everything else was perfectly normal.

The scent of flowers and rushed in, mixing with the fleeting wind of the upcoming March.

He genuinely expected roses to grow behind him, romantic music cue in, the breeze rush through his magenta locks, and flowers to brush against his hair and-

'Stop that. We're not in that genre.'

Ah, sorry! got a bit carried away, didn't I?

"Hi, welcome!" greeted an unfamiliar person.

Kusuo turned his head to the right, a boy his age appearing in view. He didn't see that guy from outside the store's window-he must've just came back from another room.