The Gardener of the Sleeping Forest, Episode 6: 'The Tiger Roars / Takatora Muromi'

Click here for previous episodes

Episode 6: 'The Tiger Roars'

'Tiger, keep your Sunday free.'

My taciturn stepfather was a man whose thoughts were hard to read, and I disliked how he would suddenly say just that and want to drag me along to a job site.

Of course, it wasn't everywhere, only occasionally with regular clients who tolerated having an elementary schooler in tow, but as I gathered up cut branches in the gardens of the wealthy, I always thought I'd rather be playing soccer if I had the time to do this.

My mother, who raised my younger brother and me as a single mother, was a surgical nurse, and she met a gardener who was recovering from a broken bone. It seems he courted her passionately—something you'd never imagine from that silent stepfather of mine—and they ended up remarrying.

Perhaps it was my eldest-son temperament, but even as a kid, I felt the inferiority of being a stepchild, and so I couldn't refuse my stepfather's instructions, even when they seemed unreasonable. Even though my younger brother, who was also my mother's child from a previous marriage, was always running around playing freely.

When I joined the youth team, I was told not to quit helping out, but that was realistically impossible. I insisted that my brother should do it from then on, but I was told that if I couldn't even help with the family business, I should quit soccer. That was when I had my first big, physical fight with my stepfather.

I cried alone in frustration, wondering if he wouldn't support my future dreams just because we weren't blood-related.

In the end, I hit a wall with my hearing and quit the youth team, but I didn't have time to be depressed. I was now being dragged out to job sites in earnest. As I was entrusted with pruning, I was scolded more often and we clashed repeatedly, but since I was paid more than enough for a middle or high schooler, I decided to just treat it as a part-time job.

My rebellious phase coincided with this, and we stopped talking entirely outside of work. Our relationship worsened in proportion to the time we spent together. I had no idea that our relationship would eventually become impossible to repair.

Now that I'm this age and watching my own nieces and nephews, I have some thoughts.

Because he was a man of few words, his approach was one-sided, but I think my stepfather was trying to teach me a trade for my own good, even though I was just a kid. He wanted to make sure that even if I lost my dream, I would be able to make a living on my own.

I think that was probably my stepfather's own way of showing parental love, out of concern for my hearing.

.....

Using bluffs to apply mental pressure is a common tactic in all sports. If an opponent lacks experience or mental fortitude, it might even decide the outcome of the match.

However, if you misjudge your opponent's strength and make a move, it could easily become a double-edged sword that exposes your own hand.

“He’s a completely different type of person from the one Hana likes.”

To go out of her way to let me hear those words is practically a confession that there’s an ulterior motive. At the very least, it’s proof that to her, I’m not someone she can simply dismiss. Her family has judged me to be a man she needs to keep in check as a potential romantic interest.

It’s only been a day. The smoldering feelings were fanned, and they’ve burst into flames. No matter what excuses I might make, the fact that I’m happy to see her face again like this is proof enough.

In this case, I’ll place my wish, and bet on the side that takes action.

“Hana-san.”

“Yes!?”

“Do you have some time after this?”

She seemed momentarily bewildered by my sudden, formal inquiry, but after thinking for a moment, she replied, “I’m not in any particular hurry.”

“That’s great. Please, have some tea with me. Look, I even just received some tea snacks.”

I said that, held up the mysterious Akafuku, and without waiting for their response, half-forcefully ushered them toward the detached one-story house.

When I prepared and brought over the roasted green tea bags, my niece, Murasaki, was apologizing for something to the two of them, who were sitting on old, worn-out folding chairs.

“Ah... this is so embarrassing... I’m sorry for such a dirty place...”

“Don’t say that. If you don’t like it, you can just go back to the main house.”

“But it feels so strange to have such a beautiful person here...”

It’s true that this place is closer to a shed than an office. Unlike the main house where my younger brother’s family lives, it hasn’t been renovated or even repaired, and since it’s also where I store my work tools, dust is to be expected.

Even so, I chose to invite her here because this is my home turf. My self from last night, who was intimidated by the overwhelming away-game atmosphere, sulked, and even scored an own goal—don’t tuck your tail and run away. That was just a case of poor conditions and a bad location to begin with.

What was that about 'people from different worlds'? Look, see for yourself, Hana-san is here right now. And, surprisingly, she seems to be enjoying herself.

Wow, there are so many types of shears alone. And there are so many electric ones too... Oh, I'm sorry for staring.

She had said her profession was a writer. I don't know anything about that kind of work, but if you're a writer, you'd naturally be curious. Besides, since she could recognize the greenbrier, it wouldn't be strange for her to have an interest in things related to plants.

No, please, keep looking. I don't mind if you're interested. A lot of these are from my parents' generation, so I don't actually use most of them, and the large ones are stored separately.

Thank you. Um, what are those wood chips packed in that bag over there used for? They have a nice scent of cypress, so I was curious.

Hana-san said that and walked over to a corner of the room where a large number of 50-liter bags were stacked. I accompanied her, reached into one of the bags that had already been opened, and pulled out a handful to show her.

These are called bark chips, made from processed tree bark. You can spread them on the ground to prevent mud splashes, keep weeds away, and serve various other purposes. Pine is the most common, but this was a special order from a customer.

If these were spread all over, the impression of a garden would change completely, wouldn't it? I'll probably never live in a house with a garden, but I do admire it a little.

I personally like them quite a bit, too. But they're tricky to use. They tend to trap moisture, so they only work in places that get plenty of sun, and they don't last as long as gravel. They do return to the soil naturally, so they're easy to handle in that regard.

That's nice. Then, what about this one—

Hana.

When her name was called, our conversation stopped abruptly, and we both turned toward the voice, drawn by a mysterious gravitational pull.

He wasn't raising his voice, nor was he projecting any ill temper. It was just a single, calm, and relaxed word. Yet, that voice had a resonance that changed the atmosphere of the room in an instant, like a balloon popping.

And the owner of the voice said this with an elegant smile.

Shall we have our tea while it's still warm?

As if following that suggestion, Hana-san drifted to her seat, and I followed suit, sitting across from her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Even though our conversation had been interrupted, for some reason, I didn't feel annoyed at all.

Who on earth is this guy? Even a cheap teacup looks like a high-end piece of china in his hands.

Pressed by an indescribable presence, I stared at his face, and when our eyes met, he smiled softly. What is this? The fact that I don't feel bad about it is what's actually scary. I felt like I finally understood why Yukari, who is usually shy around strangers, had offered a thousand yen to a man she didn't even know.

Ignoring my inner turmoil, he spoke to Yukari.

Yukari-chan, do you live with your uncle?

Nope, Uncle Taka lives in his own apartment. My dad and Uncle Taka just work together.

“I see. So you and your father are gardeners. It’s wonderful that you work together as brothers.”

“Eh, there’s nothing wonderful about this at all. What about you, mister? What kind of work do you do?”

I’m glad you asked, my niece. I was curious about that myself. There’s no way he’s just an ordinary office worker. Is he a model or an actor? Or perhaps a video streamer?

“Me? My job is something like this.”

As he said that, he stood up and immediately took two or three steps with a springy gait.

As I watched, wondering what was about to happen, he slowly stood on one leg and, as if by magic or a sleight of hand, simply spread his arms wide and began to spin on the spot. And it was a high-speed rotation that made my eyes widen.

One, two, three, four rotations. For the finale, he came to a dead stop like a machine, and as a bonus, finished with a brilliant clap of his hands above his head.

I was captivated by the sudden display and its high level of perfection, but the first to voice their surprise was, unexpectedly, his own relative who should have been used to seeing it.

“Gin-chan, how did you do that just now!?”

“How? It was just a normal pirouette, wasn't it?”

“But you aren't wearing shoes, and on a wooden floor like this. You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I’m wearing socks, so I can do at least this much. Even barefoot, well, up to a double, anyway.”

“Socks make you slip, so you shouldn't be able to stop that cleanly. You surprised me for the first time in a while. You really are a monster.”

I didn't really understand it as a layman, but it seemed the technique he had just shown was much more difficult than it looked.

“Mister, you’re amazing, you’re even cooler now! Are you a figure skater?”

“Not figure skating, I’m a ballet dancer.”

“Wow, ballet... you’re just like a prince... I can’t believe someone like this actually exists...”

I could see the word 'enchanted' floating on Yukari’s face. What prince? Even your uncle had a time when he was called that.

“Hey, Uncle Taka, isn't he amazing!”

“Yeah, he is. His physical ability is off the charts. I don't know anything about ballet, but don't the men have to lift the ballerinas? I carry stones and logs for work, but I can't believe he can do that with such thin arms.”

My praise was not a bluff, but from the heart; I genuinely thought he was amazing. Whether he's a ballet dancer or a real prince, it makes no difference to me. The person I need to face is Hana-san.

Don't get distracted by the noise, keep a cool head no matter what happens on the sidelines, and don't let your own pace be disrupted. Those are the absolute basics.

"Slender? Me? I could lift someone like Hana with one hand."

"One-handed, that's impressive. But Hana-san is light, so I feel like I could do it too."

It was a casual remark, but it seemed to have touched a nerve. Unexpectedly, it was the other party who lost his composure.

His voice grew slightly agitated.

"Without any training, lifting a fifty-kilogram person above your head? It's completely different from carrying a log."

"I don't even weigh fifty kilograms now!!"

Watching Hana-san, who was protesting fiercely about her weight, I simulated lifting her in my mind. First, lift her with both hands—that's a piece of cake. Hoisting her above my head would probably be fine, too. And then, switching to one hand...

"Hmm, ballet techniques aside, I think I could do it... After all, she's light..."

"Lifting is about trust above all else, more than arm strength. If things go wrong, the woman could be seriously injured, and her ballet career could even be cut short. She has to fight the fear of not knowing when she might be dropped."

His princely tone, while still quiet, was increasingly unable to hide his irritation. For the first time, he twisted his refined face and continued.

"And what's with you, saying 'she's light' instead of 'she looks light'? Have you ever lifted Hana? You haven't, have you? I have. Even after Hana stopped dancing, she always helped me practice my lifts."

He was finally showing a human side. Is he a child throwing a tantrum because he doesn't want his favorite older cousin stolen away? How cute.

"I haven't lifted her, but just yesterday, I caught her on the stairs..."

"Gin-chan, stop it already!!"

Before I could finish my sentence, my words were drowned out by Hana-san's voice.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. This boy doesn't quite understand personal boundaries... Gin-chan, let's go home now."

Even though his guardian stepped in to stop him, the brat's momentum didn't cease.

"Wait a minute. What did this guy just say? Yesterday? What did you do yesterday?"

I said, let's go home.

What is this, Hana? Do you really have something going on with this guy? How can you say that when you thought he was married until just a moment ago? What about Mr. Fujisaki? He's been waiting for you all this time. I won't accept anyone but Mr. Fujisaki.

Who the hell is Fujisaki?

A third man appearing at this stage. As I stood there, unable to hide my agitation, Murasaki, who had been eating an akafuku while watching the adults bicker, innocently voiced the question.

Who is Mr. Fujisaki?

Nice pass!! You're doing a great job today, my niece.

To Murasaki's question, the brat answered with a huff.

Mr. Fujisaki is Hana's boyfriend. He was a principal dancer at the English National Ballet and is now a choreographer. He's just an amazing person.

Struck by the shocking word 'boyfriend' and the complex ballet terminology simultaneously, I was more confused than shocked when suddenly, my left arm was pulled.

The person who pulled it waited until my right ear was properly turned toward her, then said in a clear tone:

That is not true.

It was Hana, her eyes pleading.

Please don't take what this child says at face value; he has a very vivid imagination. He was my boyfriend a long time ago, back when we were just children in our teens. He's in a different world now, and we don't think of each other that way at all.

A 'different world' person.

I felt like I had heard that phrase somewhere recently, but that didn't matter right now.

Her body heat still lingered on my left arm. As if drawn in, I gently took her hand. A moment of hesitation was transmitted through her fingers, but she did not reject me.

Hana.

Still holding her hand, I looked straight into her eyes and called her name. Her face, which I was seeing closer than ever before, was flushed to the point where I felt nervous just looking at it, and I thought, 'Damn, she really is cute no matter how you look at her.'

Now is the time.

If you don't dislike me, please go on a date with me.

There was no reply. Behind her, as she stood silently with a bright red face, I could see Murasaki, who had dropped her Akafuku in surprise and was panicking, and the brat, who was putting his prince mask back on, grabbing both of their coats, and getting ready to leave.

"Hana, let's go."

The prince said this and grabbed her hand to whisk her away, but as she looked back at me, she bowed repeatedly as usual to apologize for today's rudeness, and then, in an especially loud voice, she definitely said this.

"I'll be in touch!!"

After the two of them left, I was cornered by an excited Murasaki, but I made a lighthearted quip that I would introduce them properly eventually and escaped back to my apartment.

---It wasn't until several hours later, while I was soaking in the bathtub at the public bath to soothe my body after sixteen consecutive days of work, that I realized I had only been told she would be in touch, not that I had actually received an 'OK'.

For starters, we didn't even know each other's contact information, and I wouldn't have any days off until the new year.

The dark clouds of worry outweighed the refreshed feeling of having just finished my bath, and when I opened my locker with a sigh, a message had arrived on my smartphone from an unknown ID.

"I got your contact information from Yanagawa-san through Azumi-chan. I'm sorry for doing this without asking. Thank you for the invitation. If I'm acceptable to you, I would love to."

In an instant, I forgave all of the thousand or so rude acts Yanagawa had committed against me up until now.

Continued in Episode 7, 'The Pride of a Sulker'

I am participating in the note Creative Awards.
If you want to read more!! Or think it's interesting!!
Please click the Like♡ button.

Click here for the list