Chapter 31 - The Flower of Union

*Aisha’s POV*

「So? Did you end up not saying it today? 」

「…Y-yeah」

While I stared at her with my eyes half closed and my elbows rested on the table, Flora answered me as she slouched.

In the evening after I finished my field work, my best friend, Flora, came to the vineyard for some consultation.

The topic she wanted to discuss with me was, of course, the person she had a crush on— Aldo.

If you like him then just tell him you like him and get it over with, but this is my best friend who just couldn’t do that. She tends to get embarrassed when she sees him, and when it’s crunch time she would nervously run away.

She’s such a hopeless girl, but she has a lot of strong points that can’t be ignored.

She’s gentle, considerate of others, pure and she is an unnecessarily honest person. And on top of all that, she’s as cute as a doll. She would make any man want to protect her if she shyly looked up at them with her big round eyes.

She looks slender in clothing, but in reality what she has under her clothes is also quite good. Any man would fall for her if they took notice of it.

She was a girl with all that, yet she is so shy that she couldn’t tell the one she likes her feelings.

What the heck is she doing?

「…You’ve been in love with him since nine years ago, no? 」

When I muttered so, Flora’s shoulders trembled as she sat on her chair and nodded with a red face.

I don’t know the full details of what went on nine years ago, but apparently she and Aldo met at that time. Flora seemed to have been in love with him ever since. She was a nine-year-old little girl at the time. And Aldo, who was eighteen years old, left without much of a thought.

They reunited about three months ago. It was as if they were tied together with a string of fate.

「Does Aldo even remember you in the first place? 」

That’s the big question. If he doesn’t even remember about her and she just goes and tells him “I’ve liked you since nine years ago!”, it would take some time for Aldo to take it in.

And coupled with the thought of not knowing what to do if he wasn’t drawn to her, Flora wasn’t quite able to come out with it.

Well, adventurers travel everywhere, so I don’t think he’ll remember a little girl from a rural village like her.

When I sighed with those thoughts in my mind, I saw Flora fidgeting with a somewhat happy look on her face.

It was a sign that she wants to say something but she was hesitant because she is a little embarrassed.

「Well? 」

「…Um, Aldo-san seems to faintly remember… about nine years ago… 」

「Really?! 」

I jumped up and asked her after I heard what she said. Then, she lightly nodded with a smile.

「Yes. Today he muttered something about the field of flowers from nine years ago」

「That’s good, isn’t it? So? What was the situation like? 」

When I asked her about what the situation was like, what was the mood like, and what they talked about, she happily filled me in on what happened during their date earlier today.

However, what she told me about was stuff about Aldo and his farm that had nothing to do with what I was asking her. She went on about how kind and cute he was, but I kept on listening silently.

「So then? What did you do after he blurted out that he was taught by someone the same way nine years ago!? 」

After the long story about what they did today, I couldn’t help but feel pumped as we’re finally getting to the climax.

「…Um…well, I got so happy that I accidently cried a little since he remembered about it」

R-right. Well, she did have a crush on him for nine years. I guess it can’t be helped it if she cried from being overjoyed when her crush remembered.

Surely, Aldo should have been worried when he saw her crying.

If she used her crying face as a weapon and went with the flow to tell him about the past and confess…

「So then, that was where you told him? 」

I swallowed my saliva and asked her. Then, she averted her gaze and said,

「…Umm, I couldn’t think of what to say from being overjoyed… so I tricked him even though I didn’t mean to… I put some dirt near my eyes, and it got in my eyes when the wind blew」

「Mouu, this girl… 」

I leaned back on my chair as I unintentionally groaned.

Speaking of which, I also was not able to confess my feelings to my first love either. I wonder what I was expecting from her.

「I-I’m sorry! My mind went blank! 」

Flora lowered her head as she apologized many times.

Her mind was blank and yet she somehow came up with such a good move to explain her tears? I doubt Aldo is any ordinary man but he’s dense, so he must have really believed her on it.

「Ah, but he paid attention to me and helped me get the dirt out of my eyes with his handkerchief! Mou~ he was so close and my heart was beating like crazy! 」

Her confession didn’t go well and yet she told me that with a loose expression on her face.

When I stared at her with my eyes half closed to remind her of her failure, she sunk into her chair as she became self aware again.

「Mou… that was such a good chance to talk to him about nine years ago. Why did you run away? 」

「Uuu, even I knew that so I tried to tell him right after that, you know?! But… his stomach growled and flushed the mood away… 」

Flora replied in defense when I asked her with a fed up tone.

「….Well, I guess you really couldn’t say it there like that 」

Even I am a woman who understands a little on how girls think. I don’t think I would confess to someone in that atmosphere either.

「But things became like that because you tricked him at first」

「…Yeah」

When I resumed the conversation again, Flora looked down as she looked dejected.

「But hey, it’ll be okay even without you confessing if you can make the other side do it, you know? Have you been properly showing him your charming points? 」

「Uuuu…I did show him my charming points as they are…but… 」

Flora answered me as she frowned. I’m very concerned as to what she thinks her charming points are.

「…For example? 」

「Working together, making him lunch and eating together and taking strolls at the field of flowers! 」

「… Anything else other than that…? 」

When I asked her again further prodding with my question, she started getting fidgety and embarrassed.

「Umm? Ah, ummm…. our hands casually touched when we were working together… 」

「Are you a child?! 」

「Ehhhh! That won’t do?! 」

Flora replied with a surprised voice when I hit the table with a loud bang.

Isn’t that how the kids in the village would express their love? But I do think it’s good that she’s going through the trouble to prepare him lunch though, since it makes Aldo visit her home frequently to exchange food ingredients. She could be making her move in one of the times they are exchanging the ingredients.

「No, you did good considering that you’re a late bloomer when it comes to love, but what if it doesn’t get through the other person’s dense head?」

「Ehhhh?! But, what else should I do? 」

Hmm? Even if you’re asking me…. it’s not even something that I have done, but I have no choice but to teach you how my other female friends taught me on how to tempt a man.

「…Something like this… Press your breasts against him when you’re close to him, make body contact with him, and then tell him directly and say what you want to say」

Yup. All of my friends in the village would have done something like that.

「Eehh!? I can’t do something that embarrassing! 」

When I pointed at her abundant chest and told her what to do, she replied with a red face as she hugged herself.

She had lumps there that did not match her timid personality. Mou, it would have been over already if you just pressed that onto Aldo with full force.

「I don’t think he’ll be motivated to confess unless you do that much though 」

Especially when he’s so dense…

「N-no way… 」

Flora still looked to be somewhat hesitating so I decided to give her a little push.

「If you don’t hurry, Aldo will get taken away by another girl, you know? 」

「Eh? 」

Flora leaked out in a dumbfounded voice after she heard my words.

Apparently she had never thought of that before.

「He’s someone who can be relied on in times of emergencies since he is a former adventurer and he’s good at hunting. His looks and personality aren’t bad either, so there are other female villagers aiming for him since something feels different about him, you know? 」

「You’re kidding, right?!」

Flora stood up and said in a panicked voice.

When I saw that, I sighed and said,

「It’s true. I saw Colette-san inviting Aldo to a dinner at her house just the other day」

「B-but that is!? She can’t do that! 」

「Then hurry up and confess to him」

When I bluntly told her that, Flora’s eyes were wandering about.

「… That is… um… embarrassing… I don’t know what to say… And on top of that, what if it doesn’t go well and the relationship we have between us now gets destroyed… 」

It’s still the problem of it being too embarrassing, huh. She was definitely shaken and was on the verge of making a move after hearing what I just told her.

I wish there was something that would let her express her feelings naturally…

Since I wanted to help my best friend out, I went into deep thought for a while.

Triggers for a confession… Situations and things that would let her confess naturally….

One thing came to mind as I thought about things that they commonly shared.

「Hmm, if it’s difficult for you to say it out loud, then why don’t you just express it with flowers? Look, your father also confessed to Fiona-san with a flower that had the meaning of connecting with the one you love」

「Ohhh! That was the flower of union!」

Flora clapped her hands together with an ecstatic expression.

Yes, that. There’s a flower out there that villagers used to confess their love. It’s said that if you give that flower to the opposite sex, the two people would surely be connected. Flora’s father had also used that to confess to Fiona-san under a tree. It’s a flower that Flora would feel a special attachment to as well.

Well, it doesn’t work for sure, but I’m not going to say that now.

「Since Aldo also likes flowers, you can teach him the meaning of that flower and confess naturally at the same time, right? 」

The flower of union is the perfect flower for her to express her feelings with. It’s a good omen and it works as long as it achieves the purpose.

「… Y-you’re right 」

Flora slowly nodded, but she still has not come out completely with her feelings.

「At this rate, you’ll have him snatched away by someone else」

When I continued to push her with my words, she straightened her back and her facial expression changed.

Then, she bit her small lip as she looked right at me and said,

「… I- I get it! I’m going to get the flower of union tomorrow! 」

「And after that? 」

「I… I, will confess… 」

I became uneasy when I saw her face turn red as she delivered that weak ending.