Sнα∂OW {Autoρℓαу}

Taking a small road as a shortcut (and to avoid too much congestion on the main roads), Daiki grumbled as he tried to figure out what he could get for her. It was then that a small sign caught his eyes.

“Hidden Garden...What a silly name…” he muttered, and yet he couldn’t help but walk towards the store, and before he knew it, the chime of the bell had reached his ears as he walked past the door.

“Good morning. Welcome to Hidden Garden.” A calm voice greeted, and Daiki had been too busy looking around to notice the person at the counter. It took all of his willpower not to shriek at his sudden appearance, and he instead cleared his throat, looking at the owner of the voice. He was an average size, neither too slim nor built, and had a messy tuft of blue hair with matching blue eyes. How did he not realize the bright hair color earlier?

“You got anythin’ I can give as a gift for a friend? To congratulate her or somethin’.” He asked after regaining his composure, eyes moving from one pot to the next as he wondered why there was such a need to have so many different plants. He barely heard the confirmation, and the call for someone else was completely unheard as Daiki walked around a bit. As he was staring at the small pots of flowers, another soft voice spoke behind him, spooking the tanned male.

“Is this bouquet alright with you?” Spinning around, Daiki noticed that his eyes only caught the top of the person’s head, and lowering his gaze a little more, he saw the guy..no, girl, standing before him with a bouquet in hand. Was...was he seeing double? Seeing his plight and choosing to leave it aside for now, the girl offered a gentle smile, handing Daiki the bouquet to inspect.

A variety of bright roses, lilies, and daisies were carefully arranged, with baby’s breath highlighting the warm and bright selection of flowers. Though Daiki knew nothing about this sort of thing, even he was stunned by the eloquence of the chosen flowers and its careful arrangement. There was even an adorable ribbon tying it at the bottom, with a complimentary card from the shop for him to write a message in.

“It looks good...I’ll take it, but can you make it...bigger?” He asked. Nodding, the female reached up for the bouquet again, disappearing somewhere into the back of the shop as Daiki watched. As he walked towards the counter, he noticed the guy again, and started to wonder if perhaps this was some sort of trick…

“That is my sister, Tetsuna. She runs this shop with me.” The bluenette replied, as if reading his mind. Daiki only nodded, a bit dumbfounded, before he caught the other’s smile and saw something in his hand, which was reached out for Daiki.

“My name is Tetsuya. This is our business card. If you ever need bouquets, arches, wreaths, and any other floral needs, please feel free to call us.” Daiki took the business card, scanning over its simple design and information, before placing it into the breast pocket of his jacket. Tetsuna appeared once again, her arms gently cradling a bigger version of the previous bouquet. Handing to Aomine, she smiled, bowing to the male after he took it.

“Thank you very much for your patronage.” Once she’d gotten her thanks out of the way, she started to head to the back of the shop again, presumably to take care of...whatever else that she needed taken care of. Daiki turned to face Tetsuya again, pulling out his wallet while handling the flowers with care.

“How much?”

“Your total will be five thousand and one hundred yen.” Daiki was shocked. This big bouquet for that price? It almost seemed like a steal. Of course, he didn’t really say anything, taking out the money required. There was a bit of extra, and just as Tetsuya was about to give it back, Daiki shook his head.

“Keep it. You made it real nice.” And with that, he headed out the door, a faint “thank you” reaching his ears as he walked towards his destination. Satsuki should be fine with this, right?

“Dai-chan, you’re late!” A groan was the only thing he replied with, handing the bouquet to Satsuki before looking away a bit.

“I know, dammit. I was picking up your gift.” Watching his stunned childhood friend take the gift, he raised a single finger to scratch his cheek, before looking back sheepishly.

“Congrats. On the new job.” Satsuki held the bouquet close, a bright smile drawing itself upon her features. It was oddly thoughtful of him, really, to have gone out of his way to buy her such a lovely gift.

“Thank you, Dai-chan!” Satsuki was very pleased; the bouquet was so simply arranged, and yet its simplicity was what made the flowers shine the most. She looked at the card attached, reading the terribly scribbled note inside, before she noticed the name of the shop on the front.