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Chapter 22: The Grand Chrysanthemum

Ryoko hurried on her way home. The season had transitioned from summer to fall, and the days had grown shorter. Wanting to pass the gravesite on her way home before it got dark, she hastened towards her house. Ryoko had stopped imagining Hideo's travels. Perhaps it was because she had become busy taking care of the rabbits in the school's hutch. Spring and autumn were when the rabbits often gave birth, which meant cleaning their hutches, creating separate spaces for the newborns to ensure they weren't injured by other rabbits, and acquiring unused blankets from her mother to lay inside the rabbit enclosures. The image of the tiny newborn rabbits occupied her mind. Until last year, she had only observed the caregiving from outside the hutch. However, now that she was in fourth grade, she was allowed inside to help. Her teacher had mentioned that the baby rabbits were likely to be born next week. Ryoko couldn't wait. Her mother was deeply concerned about Ryoko coming home late every day. At first, she scolded her for not returning earlier, but recently, she'd stopped. Upon entering her house's property, Ryoko saw small yellow and purple chrysanthemums in full bloom lining the path to the entrance. These chrysanthemums were delicious. She remembered her grandmother had asked her to help pick them today. Worried she might get scolded for coming home late, she walked towards the house.
Then, she saw her grandfather, returning from a walk with her younger sister on his back. Ryoko ran towards them. When they reached the large glass door that opened into the hallway, her sister slid off her grandfather's back, thanked him, and ran toward her mother's kitchen. Until she was about five, Ryoko had often accompanied her grandfather on these daily walks. Now, her younger sister had taken up that role. Her grandfather sat down, looking over the large chrysanthemums he'd been nurturing for the exhibition. He'd been investing all his care into these flowers, hoping they'd stand out. Feeling awkward about entering from the main entrance given her late return, Ryoko decided to enter the house from the veranda near her grandfather. "I'm home," she said. Her grandfather nodded in acknowledgment. As Ryoko was about to close the door, her typically quiet grandfather spoke up. "Ryoko, which of these chrysanthemums do you like best?" He seemed uncertain about which one to showcase in the upcoming review. He had a profound passion for flowers, often contemplating them throughout the year. To choose a single pot from the fifty he had nurtured all year for the exhibition was his cherished annual event. Honored that he'd sought her opinion on such precious flowers, Ryoko nodded, closed the door, and sat down beside him. In front of her were three pots, each bearing a large chrysanthemum of a different variety. After observing them for a moment, she said, "It's hard to choose. They're all so unique, like different people." "People? What kind of people?" her grandfather asked, intrigued. She began describing each chrysanthemum as if it were posing for a photograph. The first one, to the right, was a large, radiant yellow flower with thick, strong petals. "It looks like a sumo wrestler," she mused. The middle one, also large and beautifully yellow, had thin, long petals. "Without its base, it might look like the long hair of a doll, but the way it spreads out reminds me of someone wearing a large straw hat. It's quite stylish." The last one, to the left, had long, thin petals of a pale purple hue, almost white. "It looks strong," Ryoko commented, reminded of Hiroshi, a boy she met at the hospital. "Did you think this was like a strong person? Why is that?" "The reason is that. A boy I became friends with while I was in the hospital was very good at the Othello game. It wasn't that strength what I want to say. The boy couldn't go to school most of the time. But he was kind to me even though I told him that I hated school. Even on the day that a person with the same illness as that boy passed away, that boy was kind to everyone. He was very thin and had white skin. But I thought he was a very strong person." Her grandfather looked more closely at the leftmost chrysanthemum. Upon examining its thin white petals, which had faint purple lines running through them, he agreed, "It does look strong." Crows cawed from the rooftop and a flock of birds flew by in the clear autumn sky. As darkness and cold started to set in, Ryoko got up to leave. Her grandfather, still facing the flowers, said, "I've decided. We'll go with this strong one this year. Thank you." "If I was of any help, I'm glad," Ryoko replied. Hoping her grandmother wouldn't scold her for not helping with the chrysanthemums, she made a small prayer in front of the family altar and headed to the entrance to replace her shoes.