Cards — The Roses and the Lost Child 2

[gyaxa]

(Some time later)

 

Mayoi: We took our sweet time, but we ended up reaching the rose garden.

And in the time we were reading all the information plaques, we lost track of where Aira-san and Tatsumi-san went…

Hiiro: I was following them most of the way… but I got distracted by the beautiful flowers and lost sight of them.

Mayoi: Well, we just ended up taking two different paths in the same park, so it's not like we're separated for good.

I'm sure the two of them are having fun admiring the flowers right now.

Hiiro: Right. We all wanted to visit the rose garden anyhow, so they'll probably show up if we wait long enough.

Mayoi: I'm fairly certain there's a gazebo in this area, so why don't we have a short rest and wait for them?

Hiiro: G-Gahze? Gahzeebo…?

Mayoi: Apologies, I wasn't being clear. A gazebo is a western-styled arbor.

Hiiro: I see, so that's what that building's called.

Mayoi: However, the gazebo won't be able to protect us from this wind…

Hiiro: I was also wondering about that. Hasn't the wind been growing stronger since a while back?

Just look, you can even see rose petals being blown along by the wind.

Mayoi: There's nothing but roses here, so they probably were probably blown from somewhere around here.

Hiiro: No matter which way I look, all I can see are roses. Both red ones and white ones…

Mayoi: … Fufu, talking about red and white roses makes me think of Alice.

And our unit—ALKALOID also has a playing cards and soldier motif ♪︎

Hiiro: Alice? Are you talking about "Alice in Wonderland"?

Mayoi: That's right. I didn't know you were familiar with the story, Hiiro-san.

The card soldiers from the garden don't stand out that much, so I'm surprised you know about them.

Hiiro: Ah, I don't actually know what happens in the story. I only read the very beginning by coincidence recently, so that's all I'm familiar with.

That's why I didn't pick up what you were talking about right away and had to ask to make sure.

Mayoi: Ah, I see…

Further on in the story,  Alice runs into some card soldiers who are trying to paint the white roses red.

Hiiro: ? Why would they do such a thing?

Mayoi: That's because only red roses were supposed to be grown there, but they planted white ones by mistake.

If the Queen of Hearts found out they didn't grow red roses, it'd be off with their heads.

 

Hiiro: Really…? But the white roses are blooming so beautifully as well.

No, all flowers are earnestly trying their best to bloom. Isn't trying to paint over that beauty an unbeautiful act in itself?

Mayoi: Well…

From the cards' point of view, the fact that they grew white flowers means that they disobeyed the queen's orders.

They didn't have time to think of anything other than protecting their lives from the wrath of their unreasonable queen.

… Well, there's not much point in conjecturing over things that happen in a story.

Hiiro: And the roses' lovely fragrance was surely ruined when they were painted over.

Mayoi: You're right. Not only was their original color put to waste, but their fragrance was as well.

Even just standing in the middle of this garden, we can smell such a lovely fragrance… and if we were to get even closer, we'd surely get experience the rich, sweet scent of roses in full bloom.

Hiiro: Sniff… Yep, this is a really strong fragrance. Just by standing close by and taking a whiff, I can feel the scent reaching all the way to my chest.

Mayoi: This kind of brilliant fragrance really leaves an impression, doesn't it? The red roses in particular have quite a strong scent.

Other breeds of roses tend to have a more gentle and refreshing scent.

Hiiro: Really?

Mayoi: Yes. I'm sure the white roses over there have a slightly different fragrance compared to these ones.

Hiiro: Hm… so the breed of rose even changes what kind of scent it has.

 

Mayoi: Roses are a diverse species of plant, so they come in many colors beyond red and white, such as pink, orange, and yellow.

Each color holds a different meaning, and the number of flowers can represent something too.

And roses on their own have so much individuality depending on their texture and fragrance.

Hiiro: So the type isn't the only thing that's so diverse. I never knew that!

Listening to you talk really piqued my interest. Do you think there are more types of roses further in?

Mayoi: I believe there are… but maybe we should wait until we reconvene with the others before heading further in.

The inside of the rose garden seems to be a maze, so we’d be in a lot of trouble on the off-chance that we get lost inside.

 

Hiiro: …?

Mayoi: Why don’t we stay in this arbor and try contacting them?

Of course, I’d rather not interrupt their fun—

PWAH?!

Ah, I'm sorry for letting out a strange noise! The wind blew my hair into my mouth…!

Hiiro: (...What on earth is this sound? I’ve been hearing something mixed in with the sound of the wind for a while now.)

(Is it getting closer to us? It’s not anyone’s footsteps, and it doesn’t seem to be an animal either…)

……

Mayoi: Um, Hiiro-san?

Hiiro: (The wind’s blowing in from the east. The sound is too, and it seems like it’s already reached us—)

It’s right there!

Mayoi: ?!
 

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