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[mapsio]

"You have reached Haru Okumura, I'm sorry I wasn't able to speak with you right away, please leave me a message!"

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[luneminary]

[From the clubs they have at school, to the part-time jobs you could take — the number of things people can do is truly limitless! It’s why Ryoji doesn’t run out of things to do and discover. However, there is one thing that he has some trouble in doing: gardening.

Not for the lack of trying, mind you! He’s been paying attention at his senpai’s advice, taking carte about the amount of water or sunlight they need and some such. But for some reason his plants just end up wilting. Turns out bringing forth life is harder than he thinks.

All the more reason for him to appreciate the fields before him. He’s never seen so much green before, and with them bearing such great produce, too! Everything in Aldrip is wondrous enough to boggle the mind, and the farm is of no exception.

Blue eyes spot someone in the distance — a person his age, tending to the gardens. Ryoji approaches carefully, as so he wouldn’t accidentally step onto sprouts on the way.]

They say that one’s work is a reflection of themselves. If that’s the case, then you surely must have a beautiful soul!

[She’s even prettier up close, too!]

[mapsio]

[ It isn’t often she gets visitors on her part of the farm, it’s very quiet over here. Likely because she doesn’t ever ask for any help!

So it’s quite a surprise to hear another voice directed at her in the middle of her tending.

She lifts her head, about to greet the other when he speaks—

Her cheeks turn quite an impressive shade of pink.]

H-hello to you too?

[ Send help. She’s already flustered!]

[luneminary]

Oh sorry - I hope I’m not intruding.

[A lot of people end up blushing like that near him; it doesn’t faze him one bit. He places a hand over his chest as he introduces himself.]

My name is Ryoji Mochizuki. I’m still getting used to this world and I can’t help but notice that the vegetation here looks well taken care of.

[If this were a page of a shoujo manga, Ryoji would be sparkling right now.]

I don’t know much about gardening. Would you care to show me the ropes?

[mapsio]

Of course not, I never mind the company.

[ She was just a little bit thrown off by the compliment is all!

She smiles, making some room for him next to her.]

It’s nice to meet you, Mochizuki-san. My name is Haru Okumura.

[ She pats that open spot now. ]

I love teaching other people how to garden. It’s actually quite soothing.

[luneminary]

Haru-san it is, then!

[Oh, she's so nice! Gardening aside, he could tell that she herself has a soothing presence. He's all too happy to take his spot beside her, not minding his scarf trailing at the ground.]

I'll be in your care, then! I tried doing it before, but the plants would just wilt before they fully bloom...

[mapsio]

Is that right? Do you know what kind of plants they were? Some can be sensitive to the amount of sunlight or amount of water they need.

That seems to be something that can be the first thing to master.

[Sorry in advanced, she’s going to need out about gardening. ]

We can try planting something for you that would be easy?

[luneminary]

[What were they again? Ryoji rubs his chin in thought. They only came from the gardening section of a hardware shop, so...]

They were cherry tomatoes, I believe. I did make sure to water them everyday! But they never bore fruit and died before I got here.

[He would have definitely given it a second shot if he had the time, but then everything happened and he had to get used to Aldrip, first.]

If there's something you can suggest to start with, I'm all ears! [Fortunately for Haru, Ryoji is always eager to learn.]

[mapsio]

Tomatoes are fickle anyways. You can take care of a tomato plant and it may never give you anything in return. Perhaps it didn’t get enough sunlight, perhaps too much water.

[She thinks about it for a moment. Humming in thought. ]

What if we started with carrots or some other produce? You could learn, and then you could eat your accomplishment!

[luneminary]

[Ryoji nods, trying to absorb this information as much as he could.]

It's a shame I can't go back and check what I did wrong.

[Still, he is not disheartened at all, and brightens up at Haru's suggestion.]

That would be perfect! I've been learning how to cook recently, and it would be fun to be able to grow my own ingredients.