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Flora-chan:

Is it a Small Love, or Just Small Weirdness?

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

This is Hana the butcher's POV

*****

It happened quite suddenly.

It was a day in early winter, back when I was twelve years old.

That day, I was out helping with deliveries to one of our regular customers, riding the new bicycle my parents had bought me. I was twelve now—a proper young lady. The bike my parents got me was a full-sized one with large wheels. My "grown-up" mood was at an all-time high! ↑

My parents were still alive and well. There were no particular tragedies among our relatives either. The closest thing to a misfortune was my older cousin failing his entrance exams for the Royal Capital Academy and successfully leading the life of a ronin student. Even then, the only ones suffering were my aunt and uncle; my cousin himself seemed to be having the time of his life living alone and attending a prep school in the capital. Go study, you bum.

My grandparents were also healthy, putting their hearts into farming back in the countryside.

As for Taurus-kun, my love interest... to get straight to the point, I couldn't find him.

The Knight Order’s registry was kept in the National Library. Taking it out was forbidden, but it was free to browse. However, it didn't list things like home addresses.

All I found out was the Knight Commander’s name and the fact that his favorite food was strawberries. ...I mean, do you really need a section for "Likes" and "Dislikes"? Or a "Motto"? It even said the Knight Commander was "Right-handed throw, left-handed batter," but what exactly is he throwing and hitting?

There was plenty of useless personal information, but I couldn't get the one piece of info I actually wanted...

Well, Taurus-kun had to be somewhere in the capital. Maybe I’d just bump into him eventually.

With those thoughts in mind, I pedaled through the city.

It had rained all day yesterday, so there were still puddles everywhere. Dead leaves had fallen from the roadside trees, making the ground quite slippery.

I intended to be careful as I pedaled along, but the tires accidentally caught on some wet leaves.

Oh crap!! I'm going down!!

I instinctively tried to counter-steer, but a bicycle doesn't stand up on its own to begin with. It didn't do much... if anything, it just made me lose my balance further.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact. I heard the clatter-crash of the bike hitting the ground. ...Wait?

The bike fell, but I was fine. The wheels of the downed bicycle spun idly with a click-clack-click.

Huh? Why am I okay?

「Are you alright?」

A voice called out from right beside me, and I turned my head.

A boy was there, firmly gripping both of my arms to support me. Did this boy save me? My goodness... what a well-bred young man...!

「I-I'm okay... thank you.」

Seeing that I was standing firmly, the boy let go of my arms.

「The road's slippery, so watch yourself.」

He said it with a little chuckle, then waved and started to walk away.

「Ah! Wait!」

I called out instinctively, and the boy stopped obediently.

「Um, could you... tell me your name? And your address, since I want to thank you properly. Oh, I’m Flora...」

「The name’s Taurus. I don't really need a reward. I live around here.」

Taurus-kun!? ...Hah! Now that he mentioned it, his hair and eye color... they fit the description! And what is with this refreshing aura...!

「Tomorrow! I'll bring a thank-you gift, so please be around here at about this time!」

「I told you I don't need anything... fine.」

With a wry smile, Taurus-kun waved and ran off.

Holy crap...

What was with that refreshing boy...?

He’s like a hero straight out of an otome game...

A girl could seriously fall for that...

Listen up, game developers... This is exactly how a meeting between a heroine and a hero should be. I don't think love is going to sprout from someone shouting in front of a shop, 「The meat of a pig is 'pork,' and the meat of a cow is 'beef,' so why is the meat of a chicken just 'chicken meat'!? Shouldn't it be 'chicken-meat'!?」

***

The next day.

I was waiting for Taurus-kun near the spot where I fell yesterday, carrying some croquettes I’d made myself. There was no special reason for the croquettes. If I had to give one, it would be because we had leftover ground meat. Also, there were a lot of potatoes in the kitchen.

「Oh, you’re actually here.」

Taurus-kun arrived as he spoke.

「Thank you so much for saving me from that dangerous situation yesterday!」

As I bowed my head, Taurus-kun chuckled and muttered, 「You're exaggerating...」

「I am not! If I’d actually fallen, I would've been hurt!」

「Hahaha. True. ...Yesterday, it looked like you had some luggage on your bike. Your folks didn't get mad at you?」

Right. I had a box of meat for delivery strapped to the luggage rack.

「I’m fine.」

When I said that, Taurus-kun smiled and said, 「Well, that’s good then.」

Crap. I might actually fall for him.

As for the delivery meat, the outer cardboard box got crushed, but the contents were safe. I only hand over the inner bags to the customers anyway, so there was no problem. Though my mom was surprised when she saw the mangled box and asked, 「What happened to this!?」

「Anyway, I made these as a thank-you...」

「Seriously, you don't need to give me anything...」

「Normally, a girl would probably make sweets or something, but these are meat-and-potato croquettes...」

「I'll take 'em.」

The moment I said 'croquette,' Taurus-kun’s eyes lit up. He seemed like a typical boy in his growing phase. It was quite endearing.

We moved a short distance away to find a place to sit and sat down side-by-side. Is this the entrance to an apartment or something? Oh, there’s a plate. 『Residence Royal Capital』... It was a two-story wooden mortar building with the vibe of being several decades old. Well, whatever. I guess the issue of "the shabbier the apartment, the flashier the name they give it" is alive and well in this world too...

Sitting on the stairs of the Residence Royal Capital entrance, Taurus-kun took a croquette out of the bag and stuffed his face.

「Oh, this is good! ...I kind of want some soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, though...」

「Save that for when you get home.」

「True.」

Taurus-kun finished one croquette in no time. Inside the bag he held, there were eight more. My calculation was nine total—three for each person in a family of three.

「If you like, have them as a side dish for dinner.」

「Yeah, I'll do that. My mom will probably be happy too.」

With a wide grin, Taurus-kun hugged the bag like it was precious and stood up. He pulled my hand to help me up as well.

Gosh... what is with this refreshing boy...!

Wait, if I become friends with him now, won't that save me from him being a nuisance to my business in a few years!? Since the current Taurus-kun is so refreshing, I feel like we could get along!

It was decided!

「Hey, Taurus-kun... um... would you... like to be friends with me...?」

Asking someone to be friends to their face was quite embarrassing. But when I mustered my courage and said it, Taurus-kun blinked in confusion.

Ahh... I knew it, he probably thinks I’m a weirdo...

Just as I thought that, Taurus-kun gave me a big grin.

「I mean, aren't we already friends? Am I wrong?」

Soooo reeeeefreeeeeeshiiiiiing!!

Now that we were friends, Taurus-kun and I promised to meet again and parted ways for the day.

***

After that, I started meeting Taurus-kun once or twice a week to chat about nothing in particular. Our meeting spot was always in front of that 'Residence Royal Capital.'

Because we were always sitting there, the landlady of the residence started giving me snacks. ...I kind of felt bad. Feeling guilty, I gave her some tonkatsu, and she was not only incredibly happy but even started coming to our shop to buy things. I didn't mean for that to happen, but in my heart, I thought, (Heh heh heh... the power of tonkatsu is absolute.)

The landlady told my mom that I was always playing with Taurus-kun in front of the residence, which led to my dad saying, 「Bring him over sometime.」 ...We really are just friends, though... Oh well.

The first day Taurus-kun came to our house, he looked at the display case in the shop and tilted his head slightly.

「Say, why is the meat of a pig 'pork' and the meat of a cow 'beef,' but the meat of a chicken is 'chicken meat'? Wouldn't 'chicken-meat' be okay?」

T-this is it...! The conversation from the original game’s meeting event...!

His tone was that of a boy his age, but the content was exactly like the game. I mean, when a boy in his early teens says it, I don't even get annoyed. If anything, it’s actually kind of cute.

「We say 'pork,' but pigs are actually divided into many different breeds. Taurus-kun, when you say 'pig,' what kind of pig do you imagine?」

「Eh? Like... a pink-ish one...?」

Well, that’s what most people would think. That’s the typical pig for 'pork.'

「Even among 'pink-ish ones,' there are actually several types. But you don't really care that much when you're buying it, right? That’s why we just write 'pork' without getting into the details.」

Taurus-kun listened to me obediently, looking impressed. What a good boy.

「Now, in the case of birds, the one people generally eat is mostly just chicken, right? If it's bird meat from something other than a chicken, it’s written down properly. Like duck, or pheasant, or pigeon...」

「Ah! You’re right! This is duck! Cool!」

It wasn't particularly cool, but Taurus-kun was impressed nonetheless.

There’s been a bit of a demand for pheasant lately due to the gibier boom. We buy it from a hunter my dad knows. As for pigeons, they are eaten as part of the "20% Medieval Europe" side of things. They mostly end up on noble dinner tables.

Honestly, when this question comes from a boy in his early teens, it doesn't feel that weird... Taurus-kun, I'm so glad we met early...! If that line had come from the young man version of Taurus-kun, I would’ve had no choice but to stare at him with a deadpan face!

I was a bit worried, but it seemed my dad took a liking to Taurus-kun. He completely ignored me and spent the time playing catch with him. Well, whatever. They both looked like they were having fun.

After that, Taurus-kun dropped lines from the game or triggered events a few more times. It seemed like my 'game walkthrough' was proceeding smoothly.

However, there were a few events that didn't go 'according to the game.'

There is an event where Taurus-kun gets interested in the meat processing steps and goes to visit a slaughterhouse. But when my dad asked, 「Want to come take a look?」 Taurus-kun gave a wry smile and declined, saying, 「I feel like I wouldn't be able to eat meat anymore, so I'll pass.」

Isn't this going well? Isn't Taurus-kun growing up to be more sensible and a better kid than the one in the game? Not that the game’s Taurus-kun was a bad person or anything...

***

About a year after we met, I asked Taurus-kun to call me 'Hana.' Because, well... within a one-kilometer radius, there are two other girls with the same face and the same name... Though for being within a one-kilometer radius, it's surprisingly rare for us to run into each other in daily life. I wonder if the fact that I don't run into the other 'Flora-chans' is due to some kind of 'narrative force' or something?

Well, I feel like meeting them all in one place would just be a hassle, so I don't really mind.

Taurus-kun agreed readily without asking for a reason. In exchange, he said, 「Then give me a nickname too.」

A nickname... The first thing that popped into my head was the common name used on walkthrough sites. The love interests were each named after the shops where they appeared. So, on walkthrough sites and message boards, they were called by nicknames related to that.

That’s why the King’s brother is called 'Prince Freshness.'

The Crown Prince who appears at the fishmonger is called 'Prince Mackerel,' taken directly from his name, 'Mackerel.' It’s the English word for the fish, though I’m a bit curious how the Prince would be treated if he ever went to the Rice Empire...

The Duke’s son who appears at the greengrocer is 'Daikon-expert-bro' or just 'Daikon-bro.' His name, 'Raphanus,' is actually part of the scientific name for daikon. And despite being a blockhead who can't tell vegetables apart, he is weirdly knowledgeable about daikon specifically—as if he copy-pasted it from some online encyclopedia.

And Taurus-kun is 'Cow-bastard.'

No way! There’s no way I'm calling this refreshing boy 'Cow-bastard'!

But no matter how much I thought, I couldn't escape the curse of the 'Cow'... Hmmmm...

...Ah! I’ve got it!

「How about 'U-chan'?」

「Fine by me. But why 'U'?」

When he asked curiously, I bluffed and said, 「It’s the 'U' in Ta-u-rus-kun.」 I couldn't tell him it was the 'U' in Ushi-yarou (Cow-bastard)... There was no way I could say that...

Besides, if I thought about the 'Ta' at the beginning, the only names I could think of were one that made me want to say 「Take Flora to Koshien」 or the name of a gag manga protagonist who is the king of the jungle.

However, U-chan just laughed at my lame excuse and said, 「I don't really get it, but sure.」

On top of being refreshing, he’s kind...

Training, a huge success! Way to go, me!! Taurus-kun was raised by yours truly! ...Just kidding ☆ Tee-hee ☆

Later, my mom heard U-chan calling me 'Hana' and started teasingly mimicking him, and then my dad started calling me that half-jokingly as well, so my name somehow became established as 'Hana.' I don't really mind, though. My nickname in my past life was 'Hana,' too.

***

And then came a day I’ll never forget, around September or October of my fifteenth year. I received word from the head of the Chamber of Commerce that my father—who was participating in the 'Rice Empire Agricultural, Fishing, and Dairy Inspection Tour' organized jointly by the three Capital Shopping Districts —had gone missing—

*****

You don't have to read it but if you want to then have some more.

The National Library’s official record for the highest-ranking military officer includes his baseball stats. In Japan, baseball is the most popular sport. Profiles for celebrities or athletes always include their throwing/batting stance.
Taurus lives in a "Residence," which turns out to be a creaky, wooden, mortar-shack apartment. In Japan, there is a naming trend where tiny, old apartments are given grand, European-sounding names like "Maison de [Name]" or "Residence [Name]."

Taurus has a mental breakdown over why "Pig Meat" is Butaniku and "Cow Meat" is Gyuniku, but "Chicken Meat" is just Toriniku (Bird Meat). In Japanese, Tori means bird, and Toriniku is the standard word for chicken.

Prince Mackerel (Saba-Ouji): A pun on the Crown Prince's name, Mackerel. It’s a jab at how Japanese people learn the English word for mackerel (Saba) in school.
Daikon-expert-bro (Daikon-Niki): A joke about his scientific name, Raphanus (Radish). The "-Niki" suffix is Japanese internet slang (from 2chan/5chan) for a guy who is weirdly obsessed with one specific topic.
U-chan (Cow-Bastard): The biggest gag here. Hana gives him the cute nickname "U-chan," but it’s actually a secret abbreviation for Ushi-Yarou (Cow-Bastard), the derogatory name players gave him on internet forums because his name is Taurus (the Bull).

Hana rejects nicknames starting with "Ta. Tatsuya: Referring to Touch, a famous baseball manga where the heroine (Minami) wants to go to Koshien (the national stadium). Tar-chan: Referring to Jungle no Ouja Tar-chan, a gag manga about a Tarzan-like character who does absurd things with his body.

Hana uses Tonkatsu to "corrupt" the local landlady and turn her into a loyal customer. This subverts the "Saintly Heroine" trope. Instead of using magic or kindness to win people over, Hana uses the tactical application of deep-fried pork. She even has a "villainous laugh" moment (Kukuku...) about the effectiveness of her meat.

Hana asks to be called "Hana" because there are too many "Floras" in the area.This is a meta-joke about Character IDs. In a game, if two characters have the same name, it causes bugs. By changing her name to "Hana," she is effectively "patching" the game world to ensure the system recognizes her as a unique entity.

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