^^ Could this really happen? — Tonight’s Hydrangea Dream Galaxy
“Hydrangea Salad”
It’s Monday lunch break. The four of us have gathered in the break room next to the office as usual.
“Whoa, Minamin, what on earth is that?”
“Um… Hydrangea salad.”
“Wait— hydrangea? Like the ones that bloom at shrines?” “Yep, shrine hydrangeas. There’s an edible cultivar, apparently. I found it at that fancy organic‐select shop where our O-chic Section Chief buys groceries. First time I’d seen it, so I had to try.”
Lucky-senpai—her last name is Yotsuba, so everyone calls her Lucky—leans closer, face half curious, half alarmed. “So why the shrine‐only specification?” she asks. You said ‘shrine’ first, I think, but say aloud, “Ah—sorry, I mean the kind that often bloom at shrines.”
Inside the clear pack are pale blue-green petals, about the size of one of those help-yourself peanut-butter jars at a trendy supermarket.
Miya-san, two years my senior, squints. “They’re so pretty… almost too pretty to eat, aren’t they?”
“True, but they’re gorgeous, so I figured I’d post #HydrangeaSalad on Insta.”
Akari-senpai pipes up. “Put the caption ‘Salad Anniversary’. Total classic—people will love it.”
“Akari-chaaaan, Minamin has no idea what ‘Salad Anniversary’ is,” Lucky-senpai laughs.
“Oh—right. Okay, just ‘Hydrangea Salad’ then. Anyway, let me taste it!”
Before I can answer, Lucky-senpai—the oldest—snatches a blossom and munches it. Akari-senpai and Miya-san dive in right after.
“H-hey, that’s my lunch!” I yelp. All that’s left in the pack, apart from a few lettuce leaves, is a single lonely floret.
“It’s like we all chipped in to buy it!” Lucky-senpai grins. “I’ll grab you another tomorrow, promise,” says Miya-san. “But this definitely goes down as ‘The Day Minamin Didn’t Get Her Salad’,” Lucky and Akari declare in unison.
“Ugh, and I didn’t even get a photo—seriously, the ‘Hydrangea Salad I Never Got to Eat’ Anniversary!” Akari-senpai groans. “…Which makes this a ‘Salad Anniversary—Almost’,” I add.
We all burst into laughter.
