Written by a cat (fact)

Why

"Why is yours so much tastier, big brother?" The moment my little sister muttered that, I was at a loss for words.

Amidst the soft spring breeze, we chose tomato seedlings at the home improvement store. When Mom said, "Pick the ones you like," my sister and I each grabbed one. Small saplings with glossy green leaves. We planted them in the garden and were given the responsibility. "Make sure you grow them yourselves," she said.

Two months later, both saplings had produced beautiful fruit. We harvested the ripe red tomatoes and ate them together at the dinner table. "They turned out delicious," our parents said with smiles, but my sister barely opened her mouth.

The following year, we planted tomatoes again. When we ate the tomatoes that had grown in the same way, my sister went quiet again. When our mother noticed and asked her about it, she replied in a small voice, "Why is yours so much tastier, big brother?"

I knew the answer.
I was lazy, so I often skipped watering them. On the other hand, my sister watered hers without fail every single day. But it seems tomatoes don't actually need that much water. Ironically, the more my sister worked hard to grow hers, the more the sweetness was diluted.

I couldn't forget the sight of my sister looking at her tomatoes with a dejected face at the end of that year.

I think I'll do it properly next year. No, actually, I'll water them even more than my sister does. If I water them a lot, the sweetness of my tomatoes will surely be diluted too. If that happens, then next time, it will be my sister's tomatoes that are called delicious.

Imagining my sister's face when she can finally be proud of her own tomatoes makes my heart feel strangely warm.
Because I feel like next year, that "why" will turn into a smile.