Genya Shinazugawa had never meant to wander this far. The training grounds were meant to be familiar, predictable, but his frustration from the day’s mission had driven him off path. That’s when he saw it—a patch of green hidden behind a wall of vines, sunlight spilling through in quiet, golden beams.

He crouched at the edge, squinting. “What the hell is this?”

He watched her, kneeling among the flowers and herbs. Her hands moved slowly, deliberately, pressing soil, trimming petals, tying stems. He crossed his arms, scowling.

“Who even… spends time like that? All this dirt and flowers… Useless.”

Still, he stayed, watching. “…Huh. She actually makes it look kind of… easy, I guess.”

The next day, he found himself back. “Why am I even coming here again? The herbs? Yeah, right. I’m not that desperate.”

But he stayed, kneeling awkwardly beside her. He tried to imitate her movements. “Stupid, stupid hands. Why can’t I do this right?” His fingers fumbled with the seeds.

“Okay… okay… calm down, Genya. Just-- just do it.”

He frowned, scuffing at the dirt. “Why is she so calm? How can someone just move like that? It’s annoying.”

And yet, the quiet kept him there. He tried again, pressing seeds gently, watering carefully. “Alright… maybe I’m not terrible at this. Hah, don’t get used to it, idiot.”

Days passed. He lingered longer each time. “I don’t get it. I’m not supposed to like this, right? Why do I feel lighter?”

One afternoon, he muttered, almost to himself, watching a stubborn sprout.

“Damn… it’s actually growing, I did that? Maybe I can do this.”

By the evening, the sun spilling gold across the petals, he found himself kneeling quietly, hands muddy, chest a little lighter.

“…Tomorrow. Yeah, I’ll come back tomorrow. Not just for the herbs… whatever. For this. This calm.”

He lingered, glancing around the garden, muttering under his breath. “Feels different. Weird. But… nice. Damn it, why do I like this so much?”

Somehow, without her saying a word, without even asking him to stay, the garden had begun to change him. Slowly. Patiently. Quietly.