The Day I Welcomed the Dragons | The Names of Succulents Are Too Chuunibyou! Episode 2

Reflected in the glass of the home center, I looked like anything but a customer who had come to buy succulents. I looked like a hero on my way to scout members for the Demon King's army... or rather, more like a middle-aged man on the verge of falling to the dark side.

Still, why do the people in the gardening section look so peaceful? No one is walking around looking at their smartphones, and no one has a basket filled to the brim. They pick up small pots, smile as they gaze at the color of the leaves, and nod quietly in front of bags of soil. That space seemed disconnected from the anger and impatience of the world.

In the midst of that, I was seriously considering whether 'Dark Dragon' or 'Thornless Crown Dragon' was better suited for a leader.

I recently became interested in the world of succulents. A gardening beginner would usually worry about appearance or how to grow them, but I was struck by their 'names.' The tags lined up there seem to precisely target my inner chuunibyou. Among them, there was one name that particularly stirred my heart.

That was 'Dark Dragon'.

Darkness, even though it's a plant.
And a dragon, at that.

This is no longer a gardening section; it's a corner of the Demon King's castle. When I found it last time, I decided in my heart, 'I'll welcome you when I come back.' Even after passing forty, a person cannot resist darkness and dragons. Under the fluorescent lights of the gardening section, I was starting an epic story all by myself. The mysterious crests I used to draw on the corners of my notebooks in middle school were apparently still alive deep in my heart.

A few days later, I headed back to the home center. I had only one goal: to welcome the Dark Dragon. I went straight to the gardening section and picked up the Dark Dragon without hesitation, noticing a small flower blooming on it. Even though its name is Dark Dragon, the flower is unexpectedly dainty. It felt as awkward as a Demon King baking cookies on his day off.

Originally, I had planned to also welcome the 'Residual Snow Lion' and 'Thornless Peony Jade Crest' I had found last time, and create a small pot full of dark fantasy vibes in the corner of my desk. A life overflowing with a demonic world feel, where I would check every time I watered them, 'Has the seal been broken yet?'

However, no matter how much I looked at the shelves or the floor, they were nowhere to be found. Even though I had already assigned them as Demon King army executives in my head, in reality, their turnover rate was high. The demon world is a tough place, too.

As I wandered the store, stunned with the Dark Dragon in one hand, I found a new dragon on a shelf a little further away.

Darkness and cherry blossoms.
Darkness and spring.
The apocalypse and flower viewing.

...Yeah. This isn't bad either. If the final boss Dark Dragon says, 'I will destroy the world,' the beautiful yet sorrowful Cherry Dragon seems like it would invite you to 'have a drink for your last supper.' That's when it hit me.

'That's it, I'll collect the dragon series!'

When people start getting into a hobby, they begin to seek a sense of unity.

If you buy clothes, you want to collect them from the same brand; if you start camping, you want to unify the colors of your gear. And here I was, having just started with plants, already trying to form a 'Dragons' team. Flexibility is important in everything. It's not a change of plans. The story has simply progressed.

From there, I circled the gardening section many times, following the name tags. I still don't really know the shapes or colors of the leaves. I'm just looking for the character for 'Dragon.' I'm no different from a child filling out a Pokémon Pokédex.

The 'Phoenix' also looked strong, and I was curious about the 'Onigumo-maru,' but the theme this time is dragons.

If I add the Phoenix here, it would be perfect as a fire element, but the direction of the party would be off.

And that's when I found the 'Thornless Crown Dragon'.

Is it thornless?
Is it a crown?
Is it a dragon?

There's too much information. I can't tell from the name if it's kind, great, or strong, but it does look strong. Despite calling itself thornless, it has thorns growing on it, and a strange pressure is seeping out. It's like someone saying 'I'm not angry' while their eyes aren't smiling. It has an atmosphere like a dragon knight carrying the weight of a kingdom.

And so, I ended up welcoming the three: the Dark Dragon, the Cherry Dragon, and the Thornless Crown Dragon.

On the way home, a grand vision was already spreading in my head. By lining these three up, I could create the world of Dragon Ball, or even a dragon's nest from Dragon Quest. I could even create a Dragon-type unified party from Pokémon.

The problem was that I hadn't decided on the pots. It was a state where the companions were gathered, but there was no inn.

A white pot is too refreshing. A black pot would give off a dark feel, but the Cherry Dragon would sink into it. A stone-like pot would give off a ruined kingdom feel. No, a moss-covered castle ruin is also hard to give up. Before growing succulents, I had started a meeting on stage design. World-building before drainage. Before I knew it, I was looking for a home worthy of the Dark Dragon and even starting to think about housing conditions.

I got home, and for the time being, I put them in empty Morozoff pudding glasses as a temporary home and lined them up on my desk.

Dark Dragon
Cherry Dragon
Thornless Crown Dragon

Truly magnificent. Looking at their names, this is a lineup that looks like it's about to go destroy the world. As I was looking at them with satisfaction while crossing my arms, I noticed that the branch with the Dark Dragon's flower was broken. It must have snapped somewhere on the way home.

The Dark Dragon, welcomed as the ace of the Demon King's army, had lost its flower on the very first day. It's a sight like the final boss being defeated in the opening scene. Perhaps it's fitting for a dark fantasy that a tragedy occurs on the day they are welcomed. Stories usually begin with a small tragedy.

The secret to the popularity of succulents is their ease of cultivation and their squishy cuteness.

The story I started involves getting excited over names, worrying about pots, trying to create a worldview, and having a branch break as soon as I get home. It seems like I will gradually take root in my own life while accepting such small incidents one by one.

The three dragons are still living in the Morozoff glasses today. Even though their names sound like they would destroy the world, they are actually in empty pudding containers—a very sweet base for the Demon King's army.

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