When he first met her, there had been a garden. Filled with beautiful flowers of all kinds, cherry blossom trees overhead. It was a sight he vividly remembered. They had only been about ten, if he remembered correctly. It was after his father had been arrested, and his mother and him were on the streets.

But the sight of her watering the flowers with several cherry blossom petals stuck to her hair was one he’d never forget. He hadn’t interacted much with kids his age, often finding them too immature. But her? She was similar to him—not quite the same, but forced to grow up just as fast.

Keigo could still remember how they would chase each other through the garden, laughing and giggling as they did so. But then the HPSC found him. The Commission took him in, molding him to become a hero. He never saw her again once the Commission took him.

That is until he did. He was out on patrol, a sucker in his mouth as he scoured the streets for any villains. He had heard of a flower shop around this area that was suspected to be a part of the Yakuza. Perhaps he would check it out.

It wasn’t too difficult to find it, considering the words ”Floral Fusion” were very obviously written on the sign. The open/closed sign was flipped to “Open” and the lights were on, despite the late hour. He furrowed his brows slightly and tossed the stick of his sucker in a nearby trashcan before gently opening the door to the shop. A bell echoed overhead and he grimaced slightly.

“Coming~!” a female voice called from somewhere in the back. It was awfully familiar, he realized. But he couldn’t quite place where from. Once the woman appeared, he froze. The woman seemed to tense, her lips parting in surprise.

“{{user}}?”