The Smallest of Beginnings
Welcome!
Is there a particular flower you're looking for?
Oh, I see!
Why don't you take a look over here?
I looked over the small, pretty flowers in their pots.
They were all lovely, but one in particular caught my eye.
It was an adorable flower with pure-white petals.
Ahem.
Room service!
...You really do love making a fool of yourself, don't you?
As if I wouldn't recognize your voice.
Why go to the trouble of such a pathetic disguise just to bother me?
*Sigh* You really are determined to be a nuisance.
I knew you'd show up uninvited again, but I didn't think you'd do something this stupid.
If you're just looking for someone to play games or chat with, I'm shutting the door.
No, no, wait!
I have something for you.
...?
What's this?
A flower?
...I know.
Must I explain every single word I say to you?
I'm asking why you're giving me this.
Do you think I'd lovingly raise something so insignificant, like you people do?
Didn't I say I'd help you find a goal?
I thought we could start with something small.
...So this small goal... is a potted flower?
You expect me to tend it and make it grow?
Hah. Ridiculous. You made such grand promises that I wondered what you had in mind, and this is all you came up with?
Did I overestimate you? Or are you underestimating me?
What about this flower could possibly suit me?
Enough. It's nothing but a useless little creature.
If you like it that much, take it and grow it yourself.
Gille snapped at me as usual and disappeared into her room.
Did she really dislike the flower that much...?
Hmm... One day can't hurt.
Just in case, I decided to leave it outside her door.
If she truly didn't want it, I'd have to take it back later.
...Huh?
That night, I returned to Gille's room for our training session.
But the flower I'd left outside her door was gone.
Where'd it go...?
I wish you'd stop talking to yourself outside my room.
I'm trying to get some rest here. Have you no consideration?
...?
Why are you looking at me like—
Isn't that the flower?
...Don't you dare peek into my room!
I found the flower on the windowsill inside Gille's room.
Despite her harsh words, she'd placed it somewhere it could get plenty of sunlight.
I thought you said it was useless.
...
And told me to take it back.
...Keep making noise and you'll regret it.
I just happened to find something you left here without asking.
I don't want trash lying around outside my door, you know.
Hmm...
You. How long are you going to stare into my room?
Stop looking and get moving. I know you're here for that tiresome training.
...
And the next time you come to my room, bring a notebook, a pen, and a spray bottle.
Don't ask why.
Gille headed for the training grounds ahead of me.
Maybe she liked the flower more than I'd thought.
Nngh... *Sigh*
How much longer must I keep doing this...
Gille had done a little better in training than before.
She still looked exhausted, but it was encouraging to see that she was improving.
Hmph. Indulging this foolishness really is exhausting.
In any case, your so-called training is over. I'm going back now.
Don't forget. Notebook, pen, spray bottle.
Oh, something just occurred to me...
*Sigh* What now? If it's nonsense, I don't want to hear it.
...? You're seriously asking that?
To water that thing you left outside my door, obviously.
I'll throw it out eventually, but I don't want to watch it wilt into an ugly mess.
If I keep it alive with a little care, at least there'll be something worth looking at in that dreary, filthy room.
Wait, you called it an insignificant little creature and everything.
And now you want to water it with a spray bottle?
No, a spray bottle isn't going to work...
...What's that supposed to mean?
You want me to use a watering can on something that tiny?
A spray bottle is more than enough for a plant that size.
Of course it isn't!
Something was wrong here. Very wrong.
I told Gille to wait and soon returned with a small watering can.
...You mean something like this exists?
Why didn't you tell me sooner?
You should've brought it from the start.
...Ah. Right.
That was my fault.
Hmph. I'll give you credit for admitting your fault so quickly.
More importantly, that flower. Water and sunlight should be enough, correct?
If it needs anything else, I'm throwing it out immediately.
Things a flower needed to grow.
Water, sunlight, and...
Of course, it needs love too.
...
I'm throwing it out.
No! Wait!!
What exactly is this love you speak of?
I didn't ask so you could play word games with me.
You'd better give me a proper answer. I really might throw it out.
I couldn't say I was being entirely serious.
But it was true that flowers needed love... wasn't it?
I see you're searching for an excuse instead of answering.
Forget it. Don't answer. I'll figure it out myself.
*Sigh* You're so tiresome that all my feathers will be ruined.
Change always began with little things, but...
Could this flower become the start of a change in Gille?