Chapter Ⅴ | Turning Point. ‘Purple’

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July arrived.

That Monday, it had been drizzling since morning. After arriving at school, I was gazing out the window in the hallway, watching the light rain.

Since last weekend, we had gradually started delivering custom-made accessories.

The response was great, and according to Himari, we received even more orders. Of course, I’m happy about that, but it means my own accessory-making is falling behind. I still haven’t decided on the next flower to plant, and I need to find time before summer vacation.

“Natsume, I need to talk to you.”

“…Huh?”

When I turned around, Sasaki-sensei, the career guidance teacher, was there.

I was taken to the career guidance room. The homeroom teacher and the vice-principal were there too. Also, the advisor for the gardening club.

It felt unusually formal, and then Sasaki-sensei placed something on the table.

“Is this something you made?”

“Ah!”

It was one of my flower accessories.

Last week, I delivered this custom-made item to a certain female student. It was a hair tie made with preserved purple balloon flowers. Why does the teacher have it?

“Yes, I made it. …What’s the problem?”

Sasaki-sensei sighed deeply. He glanced at the vice-principal before explaining the situation to me.

“On Saturday, we received a complaint from the parent of a female student who bought this accessory.”

“A complaint?”

Sasaki-sensei nodded heavily.

“According to the parent, ‘My daughter was forced to buy a handmade accessory and was charged an unreasonable amount.’”

I was speechless.

“Is that true?”

“N-No! I listened to the customer’s requests, explained the motif and the price in advance, and only made it after getting her consent! Also…”

“Do you have any proof of that?”

“……!?”

My denial was cut short by that single question.

“…Just the receipt from the delivery. Himari has the records.”

“Himari, huh. Got it. We’ll talk to her later as well.”

Sasaki-sensei took notes.

Himari will probably be called in next.

“So, you don’t have any evidence of the prior agreement regarding the price, right?”

“…Yes.”

The teachers sighed heavily.

That meant the parent’s claim was being taken as the truth.

The four teachers exchanged glances, mainly Sasaki-sensei and the vice-principal. The homeroom teacher and the club advisor just looked troubled.

Sasaki-sensei spoke up.

“First of all, are you following the proper procedures for selling handmade accessories?”

“Our school allows part-time jobs, so…”

“That’s only if there’s a proper employer. Students making money on their own is problematic, don’t you think?”

“Uh, well…

I had already addressed that issue.

In fact, I had been asked about it before. As Himari had instructed, I explained our sales process.

“Our accessories are part of the business operations of the convenience store we run. We also follow all legal procedures…”

“…Ah, I see. In that case, we’ll need to talk to your guardian as well. Wait, isn’t your sister, Sakura, involved in this?”

“Huh? You know Sakura-san?”

“She was my student the first time I taught a class. Even back then, she was annoyingly talkative. If she gets involved, it’s going to be a real pain…”

Sasaki-sensei muttered in annoyance, and the vice-principal glared at him.

Sasaki-sensei quickly composed himself and continued seriously.

“We need to investigate this thoroughly, but even if the school decides that your activities are not problematic…”

He cleared his throat.

Then he looked me straight in the eye and said,

“The parents who don’t know the situation won’t see it that way. Understand?”

“Ah…”

I bit my lip.

Sasaki-sensei nodded slightly.

“I’ve heard the price of this accessory, and it’s not cheap. It’s quite expensive for a high school student to buy. You understand that, right?”

“…Yes.”

That’s right. My accessories are expensive.

That’s to maintain their brand value, but more importantly, to target customers who can afford them. In that sense, less than 10% of my customers are under 20 years old.

…In other words, I should have been more careful about selling to minors. That was something we should have been more mindful of.

“Legally, it might be a fair transaction, but parents won’t consider that. They’ll only see that their child paid a fellow student a large sum of money for a handmade accessory. Naturally, they’ll be worried, don’t you think?”

“…I understand.”

I get it.

No matter how much passion you put into it,

No matter how high the quality is,

To those who aren’t interested, it’s just a handmade accessory.

I realized that back in middle school during the cultural festival. Even at the low price of 500 yen, no one bought them. If Himari hadn’t been there, my dream would have ended right then.

(…Is this the end of that dream too?)

I went too far.

The purpose of these custom-made items wasn’t to make money. It was to incorporate user feedback and aim for a higher level.

But I should have been more careful. I got too focused on the immediate goal and overlooked important details. That was my fatal mistake.

This involves money, so depending on the situation, the police could get involved. This is really bad. It’s not just about me; many people are involved… Himari and Enomoto-san too. Even if I claim that “others were just helping,” outsiders won’t see it that way.

My mind went blank, and then Sasaki-sensei suddenly patted my shoulder.

“Natsume, this issue has many aspects to consider. I’m not saying you should stop making accessories, but hold off on selling them for now. If you have any current orders, explain the situation and ask them to wait. Understood?”

“…Huh?”

I stared back at the teacher.

“I-Is that okay?”

“Hm? You have a problem with that?”

“N-No, sorry. …I understand.”

I left the guidance room and slumped my shoulders.

“Sasaki-sensei… is surprisingly kind.”

I thought he was going to flat-out say “No more selling accessories,” but he’s actually pretty understanding. He seems strict, but he’s well-liked by the students.

Anyway, I felt like I had just dodged a bullet. As I walked down the hall, the homeroom teacher rushed past me.

He was heading towards our classroom… which means he’s going to call Himari.

(I need to calm down…)

I headed towards the vending machine area under the stairs.

I wished I could talk to Himari before the teacher took her, but as I was thinking that, I saw Himari and Enomoto-san at the vending machines.

“Hey, what are you two doing here?”

“Oh, Yuu. Good morning.”

“Yuu-kun. Good morning.”

They said they had just arrived at school together.

“Enomoto-san, did you stay over at Himari’s place last night?”

“Yeah, I got permission from my mom beforehand.”

On Sunday, Himari’s family celebrated her passing her makeup exam with a small party. …To be honest, it was my fault she had to retake it, so I felt really bad.

“Hey, Himari. I need to talk to you about something urgent.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

Himari was stuffing her bag with lots of Yoghurppe cartons from the vending machine. Today’s supply, I guess, but lately, she’s been drinking way more than usual.

“So, about the accessory I sold to that student…”

I explained what happened earlier.

As they listened, Himari and Enomoto-san’s expressions grew more and more serious. Himari, who had been drinking Yoghurppe, crushed the empty carton.

“What!? That’s ridiculous!!”

She finished the Yoghurppe, crushed the carton, and threw it away. That’s some skilled anger management…

Enomoto-san also looked really annoyed.

“…That girl is going to be a troublesome complainer in the future.”

Enomoto-san’s anger seemed to come from experience, which was a bit unsettling…

“Anyway, the homeroom teacher is probably waiting in the classroom to talk to you, Himari.”

“Good thing I heard about this first. I’ll call Onii-chan. He should be at the city hall by now, so he might not pick up, but…”

Just then, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Yuu, Enocchi. Let’s talk in the science room. I don’t want too many people to hear this…”

“Oh, right.”

We started walking towards the other building.

Himari was calling Hibari-san while asking me about what Sasaki-sensei said.

“What did Sasaki-sensei say?”

“He said he wants to hear from you too, and then they’ll discuss it. Until they make a decision, I have to stop selling accessories for now.”

“That sounds like him. Onii-chan also said Sasaki-sensei is reasonable. …Oh, he’s not picking up. Come on, Yuu is in trouble here!”

Himari hung up and sent a message on LINE. We quickly discussed our next steps.

“For now, let’s make our case clearly. They’re the ones lying, so we just need to tell the truth. We have the signed receipts, and we can get the two senpais from the promotion team to help too…”

There was a sudden noise.

Someone had bought a drink from the vending machine on the other side. For some reason, I stopped in my tracks.

It was like a premonition. As I watched Himari and Enomoto-san walk away, I turned to look at the vending machine.

I heard a high-pitched, angry voice from the other side.

“Seriously, I can’t believe I wasted money on that useless thing!”

“Right? I only bought it because those senpais recommended it.”

It sounded like two girls. They seemed really upset. I heard the sound of a carbonated drink being opened.

“I’m so pissed off!”

There was a loud bang, like something being slammed.

Then the sound of the carbonated drink splashing everywhere.

“Ew, gross! You spilled it!”

“Shut up. Someone will clean it up later.”

“Aren’t you overreacting a bit?”

“But they said it would definitely make him fall for me! That’s why I spent so much money on it!”

I froze when I heard that.

I quietly approached to listen to their conversation.

“And I got rejected right away.”

“Seriously, I can’t forgive them. Those senpais have always been annoying, and now this…”

“Can’t we return it or something?”

“Yeah, right. Like I’m going to admit I got rejected.”

“True. When you think about it, it’s a pretty clever scam.”

I heard the sound of a trash can being kicked and empty cans scattering across the hallway.

“And the guy who made it, he can just die.”

There was a crunching sound, like something light being crushed. The other girl said, “Wow, what a waste…”

“……”

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest.

No way, that can’t be right, there’s no way… I desperately tried to deny it, but deep down, I already knew the truth.

…I recognized that voice.

She seemed really into fashion. And she seemed pretty strong-willed. To be honest, she was the kind of girl I found hard to deal with.

She said she liked a senpai from the same club. That senpai liked quiet, modest girls, so she wanted an accessory that gave off that kind of image.

I thought it was cute how she looked a bit younger when she talked about how cool that senpai was.

“……”

I found myself walking towards the vending machine area.

What I saw made me freeze in shock.

“Ah!”

The two girls looked at me in surprise. But that didn’t matter to me. What caught my eye was… what was at their feet.

There was a purple puddle of carbonated drink on the floor.

I didn’t recognize the brand, but it was a cheap, one-coin grape soda.

A pink crocus preserved flower accessory was crumpled and soaked in that cheap-smelling juice.

The girls tried to run away when they saw me.

“Wait!”

Himari, who had come back, grabbed one of the girls by the shoulder and stopped her. Then she slapped the girl with the short bob across the face.

“How could you do this to an accessory someone worked so hard on!?”

Himari’s rare display of anger echoed in my ears.

I knelt down in the puddle of grape soda, ignoring Enomoto-san’s warnings about getting dirty. I picked up the accessory.

“……”

The delicate petals were stained with an ugly purple gradient. I could feel my hand trembling as I held it.

…The feelings of loving someone are truly wonderful.

My love for Himari made me want to strive even higher.

But Himari thinks love is harmful.

In middle school, Makishima was dating multiple girls, and one of them, out of jealousy, pushed Himari into the street, and she almost got hit by a car. That trauma still lingers. …Or maybe it will never truly heal.

That’s because those words hold a harsh truth that I’ve finally come to understand.

The beautiful feelings of loving someone aren’t always pure.