Ureshii's Art

When Ford sees my reaction, he knows he said too much, and says to make me feel better, “Calling it dumb… was going a little too far.. I’m sorry. Maybe I should have said… that it was shallow… or that you didn’t think things through… or that it was wishful thinking with no logic behind it.”

“That’s enough. You’re just making things worse.” Wayne says. He looks like he’s done with this conversation already.

Ford is Westown’s doctor. He’s very serious about his research and is really smart, but because he’s a little too serious about his research, he’s… um… also a little weird. Like right now, sometimes he says mean things even though he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and sometimes he doesn’t get other people’s feelings.

But he’s not a bad person! Not at all! Even in the middle of the night during a really bad storm, if someone is very sick, then he’ll help carry them into his clinic and take care of them without making a single complaint. If someone is so sick they can’t come to the clinic, he’ll go all the way to their house instead.

And he won’t just do all that work for the people of Westown either. He’ll treat anyone who gets sick in Lulukoko Village and Tsuyakusa Town too. Even if he loses sleep to do so, he doesn’t mind one bit. He’s helped countless people.

Wayne and Ford are really good friends. Wayne gets along well with everyone, and Ford has a hard time connecting with people… so at first, you’d think they’re total opposites, but deep down, they have more in common than not. 

They both work very hard, and want to do the best they can at their jobs.

“So you’re saying that there’s no such thing as a miracle potion that can make fruit grow in one season, right…?” I give the question one more shot.

“Of course not. There’s no way to change the laws of nature.“ Ford is very formal as he continues his explanation. “One of the differences between fruits and vegetables is that fruits grow on trees. We all know that trees take a long, long time to grow. Some fertilizers can help them grow a little faster, but it’s impossible to make that happen in just one season.”

“Yeah, you’re right….” I knew it…!

As I shrug my shoulders, Ford says, “Hm… I didn't really want to talk about this, but…”

“Huh?”

“I can’t let you walk out of here with such a disappointed look on your face…” Ford says to himself, but loud enough for us to hear.

Wayne is so excited he leans forward. “What is it? Is there something you can do?”

“I know someone studying ‘selective breeding’ in crops.”

“‘Selective breeding’...?”

“He’s been researching for many years how to make fruit easier to grow. He sent me a letter the other day explaining that he finally has a test sample, and these fruits were in the box along with it.” Ford stands up, picks up a box from off a shelf, and brings it over to us.

We open it up and take out some green, spiky fruits. I’ve never seen anything like them.

Wayne tilts his head. “Can we eat them?”

“I tried one. They aren’t poisonous, but they don’t taste good, either.” The memory alone makes Ford’s nose scrunch up.

And Ford is a person I’ve heard say “Food is not for fun, but to take in proper nutrition.” Meaning he’d eat a flavorless paste if it was packed with vitamins and minerals!

For him to scrunch his nose like that… I wonder how bad this fruit is…?

Wayne looks disappointed as he says, “If it doesn’t taste good, then it’s of no use to us. That’s too bad…”

“However, it grows faster than would ever seem possible. Within one week of planting a sapling, it will become a full-size tree, and grow ripe fruit every single day.”

“...Really?” That’s incredible! “If only it tasted good, it would be perfect…” I mutter.

Ford says, “I think there’s room to improve the flavor. How this fruit grows depends a lot on its environment.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The quality of the soil, fertilizer, and all other factors change this fruit’s flavor a lot. Even the researcher who created it doesn’t know the best way to grow it yet.”

“So that means…!” I shout, “If we find the best way to grow it, it’ll taste better and better?!”

“I’m only saying that it’s not impossible.”

“If it’s not impossible, then we have to try!”

“In that case, I shall give you one of my saplings. But this won’t be easy.” Ford crosses his arms. “If even one thing goes a little wrong, it will change the flavor. Temperature, water quality, fertilizer, and amount of sunlight can all make a difference. The possibilities are endless. I think it will be too complicated to grow, and you won’t end up with any fruit that will sell. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you about it at first.”

If even Ford says this won’t be easy, then it really won’t be easy…

My heart skips a beat.

It would probably be a much better idea not to grow some mysterious fruit, and just make a regular old cake or some cookies. That would be much safer… and I know Dad loves chocolate cake….

But then I remember the look on the twin’s faces.

They smiled in front of me, but when Wayne saw them, he said they looked disappointed. 

I’m sure they were planning to show off their skills and make one of Lulukoko’s traditional desserts. 

But without fruit, we can’t make anything that really tastes like it’s from Lulukoko. …And there wouldn’t be any point to having the twins help me…

I look at Ford and nod. “It’ll be tough, but I’m gonna try!”

“If you’re truly ready to do what it takes, then you should give it your all. I mean, of course…” Ford has a cold expression on his face as he pushes his glasses up. “...I’m happy to help you however I can. I’m better skilled at analyzing data about fertilizer and water quality than you are.”

“Really?! You’ll help me?! Thank you, Ford!”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’ll be doing it purely because I want to learn more about this new type of fruit.”

“You don’t have to be so humble! Admit it, you want to help Holly!” Wayne teases Ford.

Ford furrows his eyebrows… Wait, is he blushing…?!

“Don’t be absurd. I would never be moved by emotion. I really am helping only because of my scientific interest in this new type of fruit…”

“I’m sure you are, Ford. Anyway, this is great news, Holly!” Wayne smiles.

“Yeah, it is! Thank you so much, Ford!” I’m smiling, too.

“I said there’s no need to thank me! Forget about that for now. You need to bring this sapling home and start our experiment right away. There’s only so many days left before your father gets here.”

“Yes, sir!” I nod.

Ford seems impossible to get along with, but he’s actually really nice.