mikochiyo week 2019: day 1
Day 1 (Mon, July 8th) — Flowers / Plants
title: a watered seed
summary: Mikoto discovers that he has greener eyes than fingers.
read in full on AO3 / excerpt below:
In third year, Mikoto finds himself alone in a new class.
The feeling of being so untethered is dizzying, and he sits through his first homeroom in what is mostly a daze, still mourning the absence of Kashima. Or Sakura. He’d even be glad to see Seo here. That’s how ready he is to mope through his final year.
But when they start electing committee members, he’s hit with a sudden sense of purpose.
As he explains it to Kashima later, his hand just automatically went up—when no one else’s did—and landed him an instant spot on the beautification committee.
That was a surprise, but in many ways, he supposes, he is the ideal candidate for committee work. There is no conflict with his schedule outside of gaming, which he really ought to take a break from this year in order to focus on university entrance exams.
Plus, his classmates seem grateful for it. He’s only a member of the go-home club, after all.
Soon his days become filled with myriad little tasks, like pulling up weeds behind the gym or grumbling about flower arrangements for the staff room. It’s a comfortable haven from reminders of his usual routine. Until he sees Sakura on duty one day, that is.
How on earth did he miss her presence at the level-wide committee meeting?
He stands there blinking in surprise for a moment, then double checks the names on the roster provided. It’s written right there, 3-B Sakura Chiyo & 3-E Mikoshiba Mikoto, on library maintenance duty together.
Mikoto’s eyes drink her in, lighting on all the familiar parts of her: red ribbons, vermillion hair, and purple eyes that go wide when she sees him standing there.
As if they hadn’t met each other just the week before. But with Nozaki’s manga officially on a hiatus—Mikoto doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s been hiding from the others in school, not quite sure how to face them now that he’s doing something new.
So for him, at least, it’s been a while since he spoke to Sakura in person.
“Ah,” he says, “now this was the kind of flower I’d been hoping to see when I joined the committee.”
“Nonsense,” she says, “were you really hoping to see me?”
He winces, but she continues with a fond tone, running her eyes over him.
“Then why do you keep running away from us in school? Even Kashima couldn’t say. I thought I’d come find out what you were up to these days.”
Mikoto shakes his head. “Forget it. It was silly,” he says, flushing as he does.
“But I’m your silly,” he quips, already drunk on her presence. Lately he’s been starved for familiar company, and she is the perfect balm. “Please take care of me?”
Sakura laughs. “Of course, Mikorin,” she says.
“Please take care of me this year as well.”
